Discover the Horror Podcast

Blood Feast (1963), Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964), The Gruesome Twosome (1967), The Wizard of Gore (1970) 

When Herschell Gordon Lewis made his first nudie cutie film in 1961, nobody would have expected that he'd become one of the most important names in the history of horror.  But with the release of Blood Feast just two years later, Lewis and his producing partner David F. Friedman would invent the gore subgenre and would fundamentally reshape horror as we knew and understood it. And for about a decade after it, Lewis would continue to release gore-obsessed fare to grindhouses and drive-ins across the nation.  When those sorts of theaters started to fade away in the 70s, so did Lewis, who went back to his previous career in advertising. But in the 80s and beyond his fame was resuscitated on home video and in the pages of magazines like Fangoria and Deep Red where he became known as The Godfather of Gore. 

With some help from Christopher Wayne Curry, author of A Taste of Blood: The Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis, we dive into four of his films and manage to talk about a whole slew of others. 

Movies mentioned in this episode:

Bell, Bare and the Beautiful (1963), Blood Diner (1987), Blood Feast (1963), Blood Feast (2016), Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat (2002), Blood Sucking Freaks (1976), Boin-n-g (1963), Color Me Blood Red (1965), Curse of Frankenstein (1957), The Gore Gore Girls (1972), Gruesome Twosome (1967), I Drink Your Blood (1971), Intolerance (1916), Jigoku (1960), Mardi Gras Massacre (1978), Moonshine Mountain (1964), Multiple Maniacs (1970), Night of the Living Dead (1968), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Pit Stop (1969), Polyester (1981), Scream Baby Scream (1969), Scum of the Earth (1963), A Taste of Blood (1967), Tarantula (1955), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Serial Mom (1994), This Stuff'll Kill Ya! (1971), Three on a Meathook (1972), Two Thousand Maniacs (1964), Wizard of Gore (1970), Year of the Yahoo! (1971)

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:

800 Bullets (2002), Accion Mutante (1993), Blue Velvet (1986), Common Wealth (2000), The Cook, the Theif, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), Day of the Beast (1995), Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, The Last Circus (2010), Perdita Durango (1997), [REC] (2007), Sleep Tight (2011), Wild at Heart (1990), Witching and Bitching (2013)

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:

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955), The Black Cat (1941), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Dawn of the Mummy (1981), Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), Friday the 13^th (1980), Green Hell (1940), Halloween (1978), House of Frankenstein (1944), Jason X (2001), Monster Squad (1987), The Mummy (1932), The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Curse (1944), The Mummy's Ghost (1942), The Mummy's Hand (1940), The Mummy's Tomb (1942), Son of Frankenstein (1939)

To celebrate our 50th episode of Discover the Horror, we decided to do a live event, giving our listeners a chance to ask questions or make comments in the chat room while we answer them live during the show. We don't have any particular topic we planned to discuss, but we sure did go through a lot of different things, such as how the podcast got started, possible future episodes, and much more. 

If you weren't able to watch it live, you can now listen to the audio only of the show, or you can head over to Youtube and watch the recorded show with video there. Either way, thank you for your continued support of the show!

Movies mentioned during this episode:

Alien (1979), Black Christmas (1974), Black Sunday (1960), The Call of Cthulhu (2005), Castlevania (2017), A Christmas Story (1983), Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972), The Chooper (1971), City of the Living Dead (1980), A Cold Night's Death (1973), The Crawling Eye (1958), Creepshow (1982), Dagon (2001), Day of the Dead (1985), Death Dream (1974), Deep Red (1975), Deranged (1974), Equinox (1970), Event Horizon (1997), The Exorcist (1973), The Exorcist: Believer (2023), Evil Dead Rise (2023), Face of the Screaming Werewolf (1964)m From Beyond (1986), Groovie Goolies (1970), Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022), Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Haunting of Hill House (2018), Heavy Metal (1981), Hellbound (2021), Hellraiser (1989), Hereditary (2018), The Innocents (2021), In the Mouth of Madness (1994), I Spit on Your Grave (1978), Jaws (1975), Killing Spree (1987), Knightriders (1981), Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023), Mad Monster Party? (1967), Martin (1977), Maximum Overdrive (1986), Midsommar (2019), Nekromantik (1988), Never Take Candy from a Stranger (1960), The Nun 2 (2023), Pet Sematary (1989), Re-Animator (1985), Renfield (2023), The Resurrected (1991), Salem's Lot (1979), Suspiria (1977), Squirm (1976), Things (1989), Talk to Me (2023), Uzumaki aka Spiral (2000)

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:

Asian Trash Cinema, Blackest Heart, Creepy, Deep Red, Delirium, Demonique, Draculina, Dreadful Pleasures, Eerie, Echo Magazine, European Trash Cinema, Famous Monsters, Fangoria, Flesh & Blood, Gick!, Gore Creatures, Gore Gazette, Is It Uncut?, Late Night Snacks, Liquid Cheese, Little Shoppe of Horrors, Midnight Magazine, Midnight Marquee, Monster, Monster Bash, Monster, International, Monsterscene, Monsters from the Vault, Monster Times, Naked Screaming Terror, Psychotronic Video, Scary Monsters, Scream, Shock Video, Slime Time, Splatter Times, T.O.S.S., Trashfiend, We Belong Dead, Video Watchdog, Ultra Violent

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

Welcome to Episode 48, where we 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. In some, the craft is done for good, while others lean to the 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's not only one of the oldest, it has also crossed into many other genres, from romance, fantasy, comedy and others. 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 witchy titles.

Movies Mentioned During This Episode:

The Abyss (1989), Blood on Satan's Claw (1971), City of the Dead aka Horror Hotel (1960), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Eyes of Fire (1983), Haxen (1922), Hereditary (2018), Night of the Demon (1957), Night of the Eagle aka Burn, Witch, Burn (1962), Pyewacket (2017), Weird Woman (1944), Witchfinder General (1968), Wicker Man (1973), Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (2021)

House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Tingler (1959), and Mr. Sardonicus (1961). In the world of ballyhoo, nobody comes close to being a master at it than producer/director William Castle. From giving insurance policies to filmgoers in case they die of fright, promising the horrors onscreen will come off the screen into the audiences, to even letting the audience decide the fate of one of the characters in the film, Castle was a master of it. He treated his fans with respect, and wanted everyone to have a great time with his pictures. And they still are entertaining today.

In this episode we're going to delve into 3 of Castle's films, as well as the man himself. Joining us to talk all things Castle is superfan and collector (not to mention convention warrior for Severin Films) Matt Harding!

Films Mentioned in this episode:

13 Frightened Girls (1963), 13 Ghosts (1960), The Asphyx (1972), Bug (1975), The Chance of a Lifetime (1943), The Fly (1958), Homicidal (1961), House of Wax (1953), House on Haunted Hill (1959), Macabre (1958), Matinee (1993), Mr. Sardonicus (1961), Phantom of the Opera (1925), Red Spell Spells Red (1983), Rosemary's Baby (1968), Son of Frankenstein (1939), Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story (2007) , Strait-Jacket (1964), The Tingler (1959)

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:

After Party Massacre (2011), The Beyond (1981), Beyond the Darkness (1979), Black Sabbath (1963), Blood for Dracula (1974), The Car (1977), The Church (1989), City of the Living Dead (1980), Crowley (2008), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Dead and Buried (1981), Deathgasm (2015), Death Metal (2023), Demons (1985), Don't Breathe (2016), Dr. Alien (1989), The Dungeonmaster (1984), Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead 2 (1987), Flesh for Frankenstein (1973), Friday the 13^th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), From Beyond (1985), Ghoulies III: Ghoulies Go to College (1990), Ghoulies IV (1994), Hard Rock Zombies (1984), The Haunting (1963), Hellraiser (1987), History of the World Part 1 (1981), House by the Cemetery (1981), Incubus (1981), The Innocents (1961), Jaws (1975), The Legend of Hell House (1973), Make them Die Slowly (1980), Maniac (1980), Mother of Tears (2007), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Night of the Demons (1988), Nightmare Beach (1989), Opera (1987), Paganini Horror (1988), Phantasm (1979), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Phenomena (1985), Prison (1987), The Prowler (1981), Re-Animator (1985), Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare (1987), Rocktober Blood (1984), Scanners (1981), Shock 'em Dead (1991), Shocker (1989), Slaughterhouse Rock (1987), Suspiria (1977), Tenebre (1982), Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), The Thing (1982), The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976), Traces of Death (1993), Trick or Treat (1986), Two Thousand Maniacs (1964), Videodrome (1983), Woman in Black (2012), Zombie (1979)

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:

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), Bewitched Area of a Thousand Years (1991), The Beyond (1981), Centipede Horror (1982), A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991), Corpse Mania (1981), Dr. Caligari (1989), Dr. Lamb (1992), Erotic Ghost Story (1990), Evil Dead (1981), Haunted Tales (1980), Mr. Vampire (1985), The Omen (1976), The Rape After (1984), Red Spell Spells Red (1983), Red to Kill (1994), Revenge of the Corpse (1981), Run and Kill (1993), Seeding of a Ghost (1983), Sex Beyond the Grave (1984), Spirit of the Raped (1976), The Untold Story (1993)

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 fare 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 brethen, these Mexican films cranked up the atomsphere (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. So 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 espisode:

The Brainiac (El barón del terror, 1963)
El Vampiro (1957)
The Curse of the Crying Woman (La maldición de la Llorona,1963)
Black Pit of Dr M (Misterios de ultratumba, 1959)
Night of the Bloody Apes (La horripilante bestia humana, 1969)
The Vampire's Coffin (El ataud del vampiro, 1958)
Curse of the Aztec Mummy (La maldición de la momia Azteca, 1957 Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy (La momia azteca contra el robot humano, 1958) Wrestling Women vs. The Aztek Mummy (Las luchadoras contra la momia, 1964) The Witch's Mirror (El espejo de la bruja, 1964)
City of the Dead (1960)
Dracula (1931)
The Bloody Vampire (El vampiro sangriento, 1962)
Invasion of the Vampires (La invasión de los vampiros, 1963)
The Curse of Nostradamus (1961) Nostradamus and the Destroyer of Monsters (1962) Genie of Darkness (1962) The Blood of Nostradamus (1962)
The Hell of Frankenstein (Orlak, el infierno de Frankenstein, 1960)
The Ghost (1963)
Black Sunday (1960)
The Revived Monster (El Monstruo Resucitado 1953)
Psycho (1960)
The Living Coffin (1959)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Halloween (1978)
Frankenstein (1931)
Son of Dracula (1943)
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1968)

 Boxed sets and film collections:  

Magic, Myth & Mutilation: The Micro-Budget Cinema Of Michael J. Murphy 1967-2015

Bloody Terror: The Shocking Cinema of Norman J Warren