From 1897 until 1962, the Grand Guignol Theatre in Paris shows scenes of violence on stage, from decapitations, slashings, rape, eye-gouging, and plenty of blood-letting, all in view of the audiences that paid to witness such acts of depravity. The crowds that attended the small theatre ranged from the poor commonfolk to royalty from around the world. The film world soon followed the themes from the blood-soaked theater, bringing those images of violence to the silver screen. It shows us that there was always an audience for this time of “entertainment.”
Now, a new box set coming from Severin films, called , with 12 discs that has more than 80 hours of content, containing 60 films dating from 1895 to 2025. This is truly a history lesson for horror fans, getting the opportunity to see just how far back these twisted tales were shown to audiences! And to help discuss this new set, we have Severin’s own David Gregory get down in the blood and guts of this set, the Grand Guignol, while disucssing a few other fun topics as well!
Films mentioned in this episode:
Africa addio (1966), Antropophagus (1981), The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016), The Beyond (1981), Beyond the Darkness (1979), Bloody Moon (1981), Burial Ground (1981), Dead Time (2007), Eerie Tales (1919), Eyes Without a Face (1960), The Girl with the Needle (2024), Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971), Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror (1968), Impetigore (2019), Island of Lost Souls (1932), Li Hang le cruel (1920), Horror of Dracula (1958), Maniac (2012), Metamorphosis (1990), Mondo Cane (1962), Mondo Cane 2 (1963), The Most Dangerous Game (1932), Murders in the Zoo (1933), Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), Overboard (1987), The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak (1984), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Plague Town (2008), The Priest (1978), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Satan’s Slaves (2017), Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion (2022), Sheila and the Brainstem (1989), Silence of the Lambs (1991), Strangler’s Morgue (1946), Suspense (1913), Theatre of Death (1966), Theatre of Horrors: The Sordid Story of Paris’ Grand Guignol (2025), The Ugly Stepsister (2025), What Have You Done to Solange? (1972), Wizard of Gore (1970), Wizard of Gore (2007), Women of the World (1963)
