Category: Podcasts

Episode 52 – Álex de la Iglesia

September 20, 2023

Perdita Durango (1997), Common Wealth (2000), Witching and Bitching (2013)

There are a few directors like Álex de la Iglesia. No matter what kind of film he’s making, he weaves in and out of different genres like changing lanes on a busy highway. But no matter what, you will usually see his twisted and dark sense of humor, unique and interesting stories, and usually something you’ve never seen before on film. And that could all be before the opening credits!

In this episode, we dive into three of his features, one a brutal tale of sex and violence, one a tale of greed and what people will do because of it, and finally a supernatural tale of witches that is quite different than anything coming from Disney!

Movies mentioned in this episode:

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Episode 51: Universal Mummies

September 6, 2023

The Mummy (1932), The Mummy’s Hand (1940), The Mummy’s Tomb (1942), The Mummy’s Ghost (1944), and The Mummy’s Curse (1944).

In this episode, we go back the Universal Classics and take on one of the most unusual of the classic monsters, the Mummy. It’s probably one of the best costumes and memorable character, but never seems to reach the same level of notoriety as his fellow monsters. But strangely enough, it is the one Universal monster to have more films devoted to his character alone, without going into the Monster Rally films where they had more than one monster in the picture.

Here we dig up some facts as well as our own thoughts on the original 1932 film starring the one and only Boris Karloff, as well as the 4 other Mummy films that came out almost a decade later, but with much smaller budgets. These sequels started with a different mummy character and had a continuing storyline between the 4 films, or at least tried.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Episode 49 – Fanzines with Dave Kosanke

August 9, 2023

One of the things that was realized at some point after the creation of Famous Monsters magazine, was that there was this horror fandom, or fan base, of all these horror fans around the country, in a variety of ages, that realized that they were not alone in their love of horror. While there were more magazines to follow, at some point there was the birth of the fanzine, which was the low budget version of a professional magazine, but one that was created by nothing but passion. In the ’90s, with home computers and then desktop publishing became something you had in your own home, more and more of these fanzines started. Each one wrote about the films they wanted to cover, whether it was mainstream, though mainly they were talking about more on the obscure side, but it was always through the excitement of hoping to get others to seek those films out.

In this episode, we welcome Dave Kosanke, creator and genius behind the fanzine Liquid Cheese, which Dave created, wrote, and self-published for 25 years. Dave’s knowledge of the horror genre and fanzines is a topic that he is more than well-versed in, which it shows within the first few minutes of chatting with him.

Fanzines and magazines mentioned in this episode:

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Episode 48 – Witches

July 26, 2023

Night of the Eagle aka Burn, Witch, Burn (1962), Eyes of Fire (1983), Pyewacket (2017)

Welcome to Episode 48, where we are about to discuss one of the oldest perceived monsters in our history . . . witches. But as we know in film, there are many different types of witches, therefore a lot of different types of witch movies. Some titles the craft is done for good, while there are others to use it for more of a darker side, maybe for a personal gain. And then there are those that are just plan evil. 

Either way, this is a genre monster that not only is one of the oldest ones, it also has crossed into many other genres, from romance to comedies. But it doesn’t take away the power behind the sub-genre. So, sit down and make sure you have your favorite lucky charm with you, light a candle, or whatever you need to do for protection, as we delve into 3 different titles.

Movies Mentioned During This Episode:

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Episode 46 – Horror & Heavy Metal

July 1, 2023

Horror movies and heavy metal music have almost gone hand in hand, since the real first heavy metal band, Black Sabbath- which was even named after a horror film! Horror films were a huge influence on the metal genre, from imagery on the album covers, to the lyrics, and even the sound and style of the music itself. And they continue to do so to this day.

To delve a little deeper into the connection between those two, we invited two members of Incantation, one of the oldest death metal bands out there, Kyle Severn and Chuck Sherwood. So, join us as we talk music, metal, and movies!

Films mentioned during this episode:

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Episode 45 – Hong Kong Black Magic

June 14, 2023

Corpse Mania (1981), Red Spell Spells Red (1983), The Rape After (1984)

Obviously, the title of our show, and its mission statement is about discovering new horror, In the past we’ve always brought films to the table that we already liked and wanted to discuss.  But on this episode, we were given a unique opportunity.  We were given a list of somewhat obscure Hong Kong-created black magic horror films which contained titles that none of us had seen, and it gave us an idea: maybe this time Aaron, Damien and Jon would be the ones who discover the horror! We each picked a film we’d never seen but sounded interesting, and on episode 45, we share our thoughts on these very unique films.

If you’ve not spent time in the utterly unhinged world of Hong Kong black magic horror, and are fond of the surreal, the impossible and the inexplicable, we think this show might just be for you.  Scorpion attacks, maggoty necrophilia, rats leaping from the mouths of dead fathers… this episode has it all. 

To join us, we invited Ryan Smith, who made the list and has gathered probably the largest collection of Hong Kong cinema that we’ve ever heard of.  Be careful- this is one where leaves can rip your face off!

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Episode 44: Gothic Mexican Horrors

May 31, 2023

El Vampiro (1957), The Black Pit of Dr. M (1959), and The Curse of the Crying Woman (1963). Any horror fan worth their weight in blood knows their fair share about the classic monster films from Universal from the 30s and 40s before they died a slow death. But do you know that in the late 50s and early 60s, there was a bunch of classical looking horror films made in Mexico? Looking a lot like their Universal brethren, these Mexican films cranked up the atmosphere (and the fog machines) to 11, using some of the traditional monsters, as well as developing some from their own heritage.

Mexican horror films from this era don’t seem to get the credit and notoriety that they should. We’re hoping to help change that by covering 3 that we think are pretty damn good. So, buckle up, get your pen and notepad ready and get ready to start down a very foggy path into a highly underrated sub-genre.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Episode 42: Universal Frankensteins

May 3, 2023

Frankenstein (1931), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942).

Time to go back to the source! The films that started a mythology, created the stereotypes, and taught us everything we were going to need to know about the mad genius that created a “monster” and the innocent, child-like creature that would eventually be known by his creator’s own name. In this episode, we look back at the first four Universal Frankenstein films, before the monster-ramas, when the main point was the creature and his maker. While there is a lot of material to cover in only one episode, we cover as much as we can, trying to show you just how important, entertaining and well-made these films are after close to a century.

Films mentioned during this episode:

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), The Invisible Man (1933), Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Vampire Bat (1933), Young Frankenstein (1974)

Episode 41: Made for TV Horrors 2

April 19, 2023

Devil Dog: Hound of Hell (1978), Vampire (1979), & Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981). Back in Episode 11, we covered 3 Made-for-TV films that we felt were must see! And now we’re back again to go over another 3 titles that we think are well worth your time and attention. During the late ’70s and early ’80s was still a time of great films that were made to premiere on your television at home, decades before streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime were available. Thankfully, these three are available in a variety of formats, but you may have to do a little searching first. But that’s okay…the hunt is part of the fun!

So sit back, hit play, and listen to us ramble on about some really good films, with incredible casts, and some damn entertaining monsters!

Here are the titles mentioned in this episode:

The Amazing Dobermans (1976), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Bride of Re-Animator (1990), The Cat Creature (1973), Creepshow (1982), Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981), The Devil’s Daughter (1973), Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (1978), The Devil’s Rain (1975), Duel (1971), The Entity (1980), The Evil (1978), Evilspeak (1982), The Exorcist (1973), Gargoyles (1972), Killer Bees (1974), Maniac (1980), Night Tide (1961), Nightwing (1979), Old Dark House (1932), The Omen (1976), Prison (1987), Queen of Blood (1966), Ruby (1977), Salem’s Lot (1979), Satan’s School for Girls (1973), The Sender (1982), The Time Machine (1960), Trapped (1973), Trilogy of Terror (1975), Vampire (1979), Who Slew Auntie Roo (1972)