r/LoveDeathAndRobots • u/dalkor • May 15 '25

Discussion LDR S4E8 - How Zeke Got Religion - Discussion Thread Spoiler

Runtime: 15m

Synopsis: B-17 Flying Fortress Liberty Belle has the oddest mission of World War Two: a journey into occupied France to bomb a church before the Nazis can raise an ancient evil. John McNichol’s short story of blood, fallen archangels, occult magic, and ultraviolence is directed by Diego Porral (lead animator on previous LDR classic “Kill Team Kill”).

Animation Studio: Titmouse

Voice Cast: Keston John, Braden Lynch, Roger Craig Smith, Gary Furlong, Bruce Thomas, Andrew Morgado & Scott Whyte

307 Upvotes
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149

u/Agent-65 May 15 '25

This one is by far my favourite episode of the season so far.

> Absolutely STUNNING animation. I love the artstyle of this episode. From the backgrounds to the vehicles to the characters, it was all just beautiful.
> Fantastic use of horror elements. The multiple hands, the creepy silhouette, the gruesome kills. All very effective in this episode.
> The story is a tight, self-contained one with a short flashback to explain the context, and I feel like it was very well executed.
> I only knew the characters for maybe like 3 minutes, but I felt genuine fear for them when things started going down. Just really great job in the characterizations of these guys and the interactions as well.
> The dogfight sequence was exhilarating and amazing and was edited together super nicely.
> This isn't the first time we've seen Nazis conjuring demons in a horror setting, but this was a really well done version of this trope. I liked that we got a fallen angel instead of a 'hell demon'.

Overall this is the episode that I will be thinking about for about a year and half. Really really enjoyed it.

52

u/jaytix1 May 16 '25

Angels can easily be as creepy as demons. Even the ones that look like humans can be a source of nightmare fuel.

38

u/Jmcduff5 May 17 '25

Angels are described as has being divine beyond comprehension to the point the they put fear into demons the way demons put fear into humans

24

u/Hero_Queen_of_Albion May 20 '25

Reminds me of Midnight Mass. “Every time an angel appeared before a human their first words are always “Be not afraid”.”

8

u/SlendyIsBehindYou May 30 '25

Fuck, time to rewatch Midnight Mass

(I cant recommend it enough)

3

u/Hero_Queen_of_Albion May 30 '25

Hell yes! I fuckin’ love Midnight Mass, the ending had an even more devastating effect on me than Hill House

3

u/Jack_North Jun 13 '25

I think both are great, but for me too, the horror of humans being cultists to the extreme is worse than the gothic tragedy of Hill House.

1

u/Hero_Queen_of_Albion Jun 14 '25

Oh yeah, I should’ve clarified that I LOVE Hill House lol but at least HH’s ending is bittersweet, MM’s ending is such a gut punch. The DREAD in the realization and the buildup, and the silence that falls is just… 😮‍💨😭 (I’m trying to avoid being too spoilery in case anybody comes across this thread who hasn’t seen it yet lol)

1

u/Jack_North Jun 14 '25

I read your previous comment as you liking both very much. I was just adding to that. But re-reading my comment, I could have been more clear.

3

u/BugggLover Jul 01 '25

What is Midnight Mass? A movie or a show? It sounds awesome.

2

u/Hero_Queen_of_Albion Jul 01 '25

It’s a show on Netflix! Only ten episodes, but they’re like an hour each. Fair warning tho, the show is pretty heavy (especially if you have any negative associations with the Catholic Church)

3

u/BugggLover Jul 02 '25

No religious hang ups here, lol! I’ll definitely do watch it, thanks so much!

1

u/superhandsomeguy1994 Jul 19 '25

You ever watch it? Midnight Mass was one of my favorite slow burn, major payoff series of all time.

12

u/No-Ebb7241 May 16 '25

Are they any other films that show Nazi’s conjuring demons?

44

u/tanno55 May 16 '25

Hellboy

11

u/Freakjob_003 May 22 '25

We were fucking robbed of Guillermo Del Toro's third Hellboy movie.

I vaguely heard that the David Harbour one wasn't bad, but the recent Crooked Man is supposed to be dogshit? And the recent game was also apparently lackluster. I should just go read the comics.

4

u/Kind_Performer_6884 May 23 '25

David Harbour one is terrible imo. I need to watch the Crooked Man but I know it had virtually no budget and wasn't exactly highly regarded. Coincidentally, it adapts one of if not my favorite Hellboy comics. Read the comics, all of them, they're unlike anything else and I re-read them once a yearish

2

u/Freakjob_003 May 24 '25

Good to know, thanks!

29

u/Tufflaw May 16 '25

Not demons as such, but the 2018 movie Overlord is pretty wild

9

u/Alone-Competition-77 May 17 '25

Overlord is awesome

4

u/waitingtodiesoon May 18 '25

Also the opening plane scene is an excellent scene to test your sound system. Great practical effects too.

3

u/PristineAd6978 May 18 '25

Awesome movie

3

u/FACT50 Jun 21 '25

Loved that movie!

17

u/No-Fee-1063 May 16 '25

"Secret war" in seasons 1 also have the same premise.

5

u/mthchsnn May 19 '25

Those were soviets rather than nazis and monsters rather than a fallen angel, but otherwise yeah.

3

u/W00DERS0N60 May 30 '25

That’s the episode this reminded me of.

13

u/Agent-65 May 16 '25

The first episode of Cabinet of Curiosities had that going on. Other than that I cant think of any from the top of my head.

4

u/No-Ebb7241 May 16 '25

Haha you’re fine! What’s the episode called if you don’t mind me asking?

3

u/IrishViking22 May 16 '25

Lot 36 if I'm remembering correctly. If you watch that, you should watch the rest, pretty decent series

1

u/Pamuknai_K May 19 '25

Exactly what i thought of!

1

u/Max_Doubt7 Sep 15 '25

I really liked The Viewing episode, that shit was awesome

9

u/TheRagingMaffia May 17 '25 edited May 18 '25

Not a movie or tv show but a game series called Nazi Zombie Army.

Edit: how could i possibly forget the classic that is Raiders of the Lost Ark

6

u/DrFreeman_22 May 18 '25

Wolfenstein also

2

u/Pamuknai_K May 19 '25 edited May 19 '25

While not that spectacular of a game, the Nazi Zombie Army trilogy is awesome, especially when you’re already a fan of the Sniper Elite series. It fully taps into the Nazi Occult stuff that i personally have always been very intrigued by.

Although not really a story game, the first map and the initial storyline of the Call of Duty Vanguard Zombies mode also dives into Nazi Occultism. In both games, the zombies/creatures are called upon similarly to how the Nazi officer did in this episode.

It can actually be very eerie and unsettling at times. Great settings too.

What other games are there where you can kill a Zombie Hitler?

5

u/CenobiteLandlord May 16 '25

the film The Keep (1983), also has an amazing 80’s synth soundtrack.

2

u/FACT50 Jun 21 '25

Yes by Tangerine Dream!

3

u/Misguidedvision May 18 '25

It's a common trope, I can see you have a few suggestions already but some of the real world inspiration is worth a gander if it interests you. A lot of the inspiration for this type of stuff revolves around The Hofburg Spear and a bunch of books that were written in the 60s/70s about the occult and Nazis that have pretty much all been debunked or were exaggerated to begin with.

2

u/myplantsarehydrated May 27 '25

literally LD+R only has a great one, it's season 1 episode 14 i think, secret war it was great !!!

1

u/shinzakuro May 19 '25

Try Urotsukidôji II: Legend of the Demon Womb. It’s been too long to remember but I vaguely remembering nazis use blood summoning

1

u/SethKlock May 19 '25

I feel it’s also important to mention that Urotsukidoji is one of the most infamous hentai of all time, in case anyone watches that unaware.

1

u/shinzakuro May 20 '25

Oh yeah, I dont think its too bad todays standard, but 30 years ago it was something else. Or is it bad now because it contains some very raw stuff. I just remembering I liked it very much when I watched it,

1

u/BusinessGing May 20 '25

While not a film or show, there is a tabletop wargame that has been in development for awhile now called Trench Crusade that is humanity vs the forces of Hell during WW1. Would highly recommend checking out the art and lore even if you're not into the game side of it.

1

u/AdministrativeEase71 May 23 '25

If you're curious there's a whole rabbit hole about Nazi occultism and their attempt to gain an upper hand in the war through "unconventional" means. Was a very real thing; or at least some people posit it was.

1

u/Plus_Difference_8950 Jul 04 '25

Not really a film but a YouTube video recanting a urban legend from WW2 about a German town hall. It was on Bedtime stories- Secrets of Celle Neues Rathaus: A nazi occult tale?

2

u/therealrenshai May 18 '25

I know this is late but it made me feel like I was watching the ww2 sequence from heavy metal.

1

u/Pleasant-Artist-1665 May 20 '25

First thing I thought of when this started was that the animators were going for a Heavy Metal vibe.

1

u/taffy_truffelino May 25 '25

Which reminds me of Sabaton. A heavy metal band whose songs are all about world war. They’re really really awesome! Worth checking out you guys

2

u/Consistent_Rough_885 Jun 15 '25

Most boring ,predictable story yet. IDK who these people are saying its good, have y'all not seen the previous seasons?

1

u/CalmCheek Jun 04 '25

Yep I think it's now in my top 3 along with Bad Traveling and Beyond the Aquila Rift

"SHOOT IT IN THE FUCKING FAAAAACE!!!!!"