Last Updated on March 3, 2025 by Angel Melanson
The worlds “wholesome” and “horror” don’t often go together, particularly when we’re talking about classic slashers and ‘80s favorites. Sure, we occasionally get something like Benny Loves You that could be accused of being wholesome in some way, but these two things are, on the surface, diametrically opposed. Well, leave it to the institution that is Jeopardy! to find a way to make horror wholesome.
See also: 8 Underrated Slashers That You Should Absolutely Watch
For those who may not be aware, the classic game show recently got a spin-off in the form of Pop Culture Jeopardy! Hosted by Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost, the show is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the Jeopardy! format, but it’s all pop culture questions. In a recent episode, a category popped up titled “Horror Made Wholesome.” The teams were then tasked with deciphering a given film after being provided a quaint description of a horrific piece of cinema history. Check it out.
So yeah, this is a good deal of fun. The round starts out with the prompt, “A couple lucks into choice real estate with a very historic past, and it’s 1982, so their 5-year-old gets to watch TV until all hours.” This is, indeed, a pretty lousy description of Tobe Hooper’s supernatural classic Poltergeist. The rest of the round plays out by giving us similar accounts of movies such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Stephen King’s It. It’s basically a game show version of the occasional social media prompt, “Explain a movie plot badly.” No notes.
As always, it’s just fun to see horror taking center stage in broader pop culture. Lots of folks watch Jeopardy! It’s an American institution. While this is a pop culture-centric spin-off, it’s still cool to see the representation for the horror community. For those who may now be intrigued and want to watch more, here’s what you can expect from Pop Culture Jeopardy! broadly speaking.
“Pop Culture Jeopardy! is a brand-new twist on the classic quiz show’s “answer-and-question” format that combines the academic rigor of Jeopardy! with the excitement and unpredictability of pop culture. Contestants, playing in teams of three, will need to be experts in categories from Alternative Rock to The Avengers; Broadway to MMA; Gen Z to Zendaya as they compete in a tournament-style event for the grand prize and ultimate bragging rights.”
You can stream Pop Culture Jeopardy! on Amazon Prime Video. For more, check out our list of Stephen King short stories that eventually became movies.
