Horror Movies

Episode 97: Chas Balun

May 28, 2025

There have been many horror writers that have been important to the genre, but few have had the outsized impact of the one and only Chas. Balun. Whether it was his work in Fangoria, Gorezone, or his own magazine Deep Red, even if you didn’t see his name at the head of the article, you knew it was him within a few sentences, by either by the tone of the writing, or maybe the films he was covering. Chas’ style was humorous and more than a little confrontational, but he was always waving the flag in support of movies that he felt were important and hadn’t received enough attention. Sure, they tended to be on the gory side, but for Chas. it wasn’t just about the gore.

Not entirely, anyway.

While the three of us knew his work and the impact it had on us personally, for this very special episode, we felt we needed to talk with other folks who were just as impacted by him and also knew him personally. In the second half of the show, you’ll hear from John Szpunar, author of Xeroxferox: The Wild World of the Horror Film Fanzine and Blood Sucking Freak: The Life and Films of the Incredible Joel M. Reed; Art Ettinger, editor at Ultra Violent magazine; and finally, Shawn Lewis, creator of Rotten Cotten and Eibon Press. They all share their own stories of Chas, and we all discuss the profound the impact Chas. had on us and on the horror genre in general. Don’t miss this one!

Films mentioned in this episode:

Episode 92 – H.P. Lovecraft Movies

March 19, 2025

Die, Monster, Die! (1965), Necronomicon (1993), and Gods of the Deep (2023)

While Stephen King may reign supreme when it comes to movies based on his work, good or bad, one would think that with the impact that the words of H.P. Lovecraft has had on the literary world, that filmmakers would be jumping at the chance to bring his horrors to the screen. But while there are a quite a few films, not as many as you’d expect. Could it be that since Lovecraft wrote not in details of what his characters witnessed in his stories, but what it did to them, usually driving them into some kind of madness. But yet, that was the beauty of his work.

In this episode we tackle three very different films, from three different decades, almost three decades apart from each other, all based on the works of this strange author from Providence, Rhoade Island. If not you’re not too familiar with the works of Lovecraft, then here is your chance to watch three adaptations, loose as they may or may not be, but at least will give you a slight peek into his demented stories.

Films Mentioned in this Episode:

Episode 90 – Video Nasties

February 19, 2025

Night of the Bloody Apes (1969), Don’t Go in the House (1979), Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981)

In 1984, in the U.K., the Video Recording Act was passed, which required certification of all video releases by the British Board of Film Classification, aka BBFC. This all came about due to a list of video titles that a group of various religious and other social groups run by the likes of Mary Whitehouse, deemed unsuitable to be viewed and thought for sure it would help corrupt the youth of England. The initial list had 72 titles on it, both films that had already been released after obtaining a BBFC certificate but now was deemed too offensive, as well as a whole bunch of other titles that were believed to fall under the obscenity law. If you own a shop that rented or sold one of these titles, you could be shut down, fined, and possibly even go to jail for it. And this all took place, not in the dark ages, but in the mid 1980s. Hard to believe it, especially growing up here in the U.S.

Some of those titles have only recently gotten passed and released over in the U.K., even 40 years later. Blows the mind.

In this episode, we discuss not only the whole Video Nasty era, but cover 3 films from that list, with each of us watching all 3 and see if we made it through without turning us into mindless deviants. Oops. Too late.

Films mentioned in this episode:

Episode 71 – Infectious Body Horror

May 29, 2024

Splinter (2008), Thanatomorphose (2012), and Contracted (2013)

When discussing films that deal with body horror, David Cronenberg and his work usually come up in the conversation. How can he not, when so many of his earlier films all dealt with some sort of body horror, mutations, and transformations? But there are plenty of films that go above and beyond (and even below) Cronenberg’s impressive genre efforts… sometimes even making us wonder why we’re watching them in the first place! Could it be that we just want to see how much grossness we can stomach? Or is there more to it?

Body horror is one of the most horrific of horror’s subgenres, tossing heaping handfuls of disgust into the usual bag of scares. And maybe it’s the hangover from the recent global pandemic, maybe it’s the fact that by a certain age all of us have watched someone close to us fight a serious illness, or maybe it’s just built into us by Mother Nature, but there’s something especially horrific about body horror from infection. But what do we get from watching it? Disgust, discomfort, and maybe a deeper understanding of human experience and anxieties? We can for sure guarantee the first two- so let’s dig in!

Disclaimer: by the end of the episode, you will be forgiven if you catch yourself looking at your body in a full-length mirror thinking “well, at least no maggots fell out of there.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

Episode 68 – Made for TV Horrors 3

April 17, 2024

The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre (1964), Crowhaven Farm (1970), and Cruise into Terror (1978)

With this being our 3rd episode covering these little television terrors, one would get the idea that there is a lot of teleplays, or TV-movies, out there that deserve our attention. And you would be correct! From the ’60s into the early ’80s, there was a plethora of amazing features being made for the little boob tube, not to mention a wide variety to talent behind them too!

Unfortunately, a lot of these titles still wander in limbo with never getting a legitimate release, some never even seeing a VHS release. While you can find a lot on YouTube, we’re all hoping for a real legitimate release at some point. Until then, we do what we must to see some incredible cinema!

So, grab your notepad because we’re going to discuss 3 titles that are definitely worth your time, and hope to spark you to take a little further adventure into Made-for-TV Terrors!

Titles Mentioned in this Episode:

Episode 66: Women Horror Directors

March 20, 2024

Chained (2012), Honeymoon (2014), and Relic (2020)

With over 60 episodes so far in our podcast history, we realized that in all that we covered, we had never covered anything by a woman director. We knew we needed to change that. Going through the history of women directors, we realized that not only wasn’t something new, but have been working in the industry since the beginning of film. And in the last two decades, have really started to show their stuff. So, to help celebrate Women’s History Month, we figured it was well past due that we tackle three films that were directed by women, once again, picking three random titles, but amazed to find just how similar they were to each other, not to mention being very effective in their craft, and storytelling.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

Episode 64 – Severin Films with David Gregory

February 21, 2024

This truly is a great time to be alive as a crazy cinephile. Just about every day, new amazing looking releases of some of our favorite films are announced, as well as some almost forgotten films brought back from the edges of obscurity for a whole new generation of fans to enjoy. And one of the companies at the forefront is Severin Films, who continues to amaze us fans with the quality of their releases. From their massive box sets to the incredible special features that accompany all of their releases Severin is educating as well as entertaining a whole generation of horror, cult and exploitation fans.

To help us discuss all things Severin, we figured why not invite the man behind the label, co-founder David Gregory himself! Join us while we talk about Video Nasties, how Severin got started, and why they continue to do what they do!

Films mentioned in this episode:

Episode 63 – Amicus Anthologies

February 7, 2024

Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965), The House that Dripped Blood (1971) and Tales from the Crypt (1972)

Amicus Productions was most known for their anthology films, even though that was a small percentage of the types of films they did make in over the years. But because of the quality of the films, the power of the stories they were based on, and the incredible cast of actors they would hire, they always made an impact on fans. In this episode, not only do we cover three of our favorite Amicus’ anthology titles, but we’re joined by producer/director Lawrie Brewster, the man behind the resurrection of Amicus Productions, that is currently working on a new anthology film to be released under the Amicus name!

Films Mentioned in this Episode:

Episode 62 – Bigfoot!

January 24, 2024

Bigfoot (1970), Creature from Black Lake (1976), and Abominable (2006).

Tales of a mysterious, giant beast that wanders the wooded areas of the U.S., has never really proven to exist, but even to this day, is believed by many to really be out there, still hidden from mankind. Starting with Bigfoot in 1970, our furry giant became the subject of many movies and documentaries, and even on TV shows, such as The Six Million Dollar Man and even his own Saturday morning series, Bigfoot and Wildboy (1977). All this did was increase the interests in the subject matter, even if it didn’t make any new believers. It’s a subject that is still being used today with more modern-day films taking on this sub-genre, in many different variations and strange interpretations. So, join us as we discuss three different styles of the Bigfoot genre and see if you believe in Sasquatch!

Movies mentioned in this episode:

Episode 61 – Norman J. Warren

January 10, 2024

Satan’s Slave (1976), Prey (1977), and Terror (1978)

There are a lot of directors out there that might not have a huge filmography, or even be that well known to the general population of film fans, even in the horror genre. So, there is always room to discover them! In this episode, we take a look at three films by British independent director Norman J. Warren, who didn’t make a lot of films, but we feel the ones he did make, make him a worthy subject for us to discuss. Honestly, it might make sense to read a little about him before diving into the films, or at least, do it afterwards but I think he is a good example of knowing what he had to make what he did, for us, makes them a little more impressive. You’ll get blood, you’ll get nudity, and a lot more than you’d expect in these three very British tales of horror.

Films mentioned in this episode: