Hellbent for Horror

The 96th Academy Awards Ceremony is in a few weeks, but the annual outrage over the lack of horror movie nominations is in full swing. We fans know that the only award that matters is if you recommend a horror movie to your friends.

In reality, 2023 was a damn good year for horror movies, with diverse styles and subgenres to satisfy any horror fan's tastes, and I have so many recommendations I needed two episodes to cover them!

Join me as I celebrate the "Killer Elite," a list of horror movies that surprised me and I recommend them to horror fans!

I hope you enjoy the show!

Movies covered: 

Cobweb (2023)

The Outwaters (2023)

We Might Hurt Each Other (2023) 

Suitable Flesh (2023)

Thanksgiving (2023)

Destroy All Neighbors (2023)

Horror movie collectors live to find those rare movies that eluded us. These are the movies that are so obscure and bizarre that it becomes a quest to see them and pass them on to other fans.

Join our guest, Roxanne Guarino (Cinema Insomnia with Mr. Lobo), author of the new zine The Craziest Movies You Never Saw, as we discuss the growing lost media culture, legendary "Holy Grails" of horror and cult, and our own favorite cinematic lost causes.

Follow Roxanne on Instagram: @basement_mind_meds

Dare to go down the lost media rabbit hole of the Lost Media Wiki: https://lostmediawiki.com/Home

I hope you enjoy the show!

Movies, Books, and TV Shows Discussed:

The Story of Vampires by Thomas G. Aylesworth (1977 Children's book)

Big Bad Beetleborgs (TV Series, 1996-1998)

Mad Monster Party? (1967)

Short Films by Short People, "Attack of the Giant Vulture" (TV-Nickelodeon, 1995)

Cuckoo Clocks of Hell (1973) aka Last House on Dead End Street (1977)

Sesame Street Episode 847- with Margaret Hamilton (TV-1976)

Sesame Street Short- "Cracks (aka Crack Master)" (TV-1975)

Rock Odyssey (1987)

Heidi's Song (1982)

Mean Parents Suck/aka For Parents Only (1991)

Plan 10 From Outer Space (1995)

London After Midnight (1927)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood (Anime-2007)

Freaks: Deleted Scenes (1932)

Nighty-Night: Midnight Nightmares (1986)

Happy Mother's Day, Love George/ aka Run, Stranger, Run (1973)

Twice Upon a Time (1983)

Welcome to "Tape Two" of S.O.V. (shot on video) movies that prove that Horror is the Punk Rock of Cinema!

For decades, fans made movies without Hollywood, money, or distribution deals. Following the DIY ethos, regional horror movies sprung up everywhere and told crazy, original, and personal stories and created a subculture.

Just like punk rock did! 

Join me as I curate a list of movies that show the diversity of SOV movies, how filmmakers worked out personal traumas by creating, and how SOV gave a legendary director one last chance to be heard!

I hope you enjoy the show!

Movies Discussed:

SAVAGE HARVEST (1994) Dir. Eric Stanze

SCRAPBOOK (2000) Dir. Eric Stanze

THE BURNING MOON (1992) Olaf Ittenbach

HALLUCINATIONS (1986) Dirs. John Polonia | Mark Polonia | Todd Michael Smith

SPLATTER FARM (1987) Dirs. John Polonia | Mark Polonia | Todd Michael Smith

TWISTED ISSUES (1988) Dir. Charles Pinion

POSSIBLY IN MICHIGAN (1983) Dir. Cecelia Condit

BENEATH THE SKIN (1981) Dir. Cecelia Condit

EACH TIME I KILL (2007) Dir. Doris Wishman

LIMBO (1999) Dir. Tina Krause

Horror is the Punk Rock of Cinema, and S.O.V. (shot on video) movies prove it!

For decades, fans made movies without Hollywood, money, or distribution deals. Following the DIY ethos, regional horror movies sprung up everywhere and told crazy, original, and personal stories and created a subculture.

Just like punk rock did! 

Join me on "Tape One," where I discuss the long history of renegade moviemaking outside the system, some of my favorite SOV movies, and make a confession about my own SOV film from 1993! 

("Tape Two," a discussion of ten more SOV movies, will drop on Black Friday!)

I hope you enjoy the show!

Movies Discussed:

LET'S GET DEAD (1993) Dir. Scott Bradley

SLEDGEHAMMER (1983) Dir. David A. Prior

BOARDINGHOUSE (1982) Dir. John Wintergate

DARKNESS (1993) Dir. Leif Jonker

SHATTER DEAD (1994) Dir. Scooter McCrae

SIXTEEN TONGUES (1999-released 2005) Dir. Scooter McCrae

WEASELS RIP MY FLESH (1979) Dir. Nathan Schiff 

KILLING SPREE (1987) Dir. Tim Ritter

THE PACT (1995) Dir. Brad Sykes

LIST OF EARLY REGIONAL INDIE MOVIE MAVERICKS DISCUSSED:

William Grefe in Florida (MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH, STANLEY)

Larry Buchanan in Texas (THE EYE CREATURES, MARS NEEDS WOMEN)

Bill Rebane in Wisconsin (THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION)

 Long Islander Andy Milligan (THE GHASTLY ONES)

Martin Folse in Louisiana (TERROR IN THE SWAMP)

 J.R. Bookwalter in Ohio (THE DEAD NEXT DOOR)

 Herschell Gordon Lewis in Florida (BLOOD FEAST, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS!)

Happy Halloween!

Join me as I talk about all of the little annual "rituals" I do around Halloween, including books, movies, decorations, old memories of Samhains gone by, and new "ritual bits" added this year!

I hope you enjoy the show!

Books Discussed:

Ghost Story -Peter Straub

Books of Blood- Clive Barker

The Year's Best Hardcore Horror- Edited by Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax

Chain Saw Confidential – Gunnar Hansen

Shock Value – Jason Zinoman

True Indie- Don Coscarelli

Movies and TV Shows Discussed:

John Carpenter's Suburban Screams (2023)

Talk to Me (2023)

Curse of the Demon (1957)

The Innocents (2021)

The Witch in the Window (2018)

Cobweb (2023)

The Outwaters (2022)

Skinamarink (2022)

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Penda's Fen (1973)

When Evil Lurks (2023)

Fat Albert Halloween Special (1977)

Brady Bunch Halloween Episode, "Fright Night" (1972)

Legendary Filmmaker William Friedkin died on August 7th, 2023, a few months before the 50th Anniversary of THE EXORCIST.

As his legend would dictate, Friedkin was a bit of a demon himself to those who worked with him and opposed him. "Hurricane Billy" would do anything for a shot, even at the risk of life and limb. 

Join me as I take a personal look at my utter fascination with the director, whose work captivated me at an early age, and how his persona left me conflicted. Love him or hate him, Friedkin made you take notice.

I hope you enjoy the show!

Movies Discussed:

THE PEOPLE VS. PAUL CRUMP (1962)

GOOD TIMES (1967)

THE NIGHT THEY RAIDED MINSKY'S (1968)

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY (1968)

THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)

THE EXORCIST (1973)

SORCERER (1977)

DEAL OF THE CENTURY(1983)

TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA (1985)

KILLER JOE (2011)

Three years of the pandemic is enough. We stared into the abyss, and it changed us. And horror movies got us through.

Horror movies also told us the scary and ugly truth about how monstrous we were. As we spent our Seasons in the Abyss, here are some trends I noticed... and NO ZOMBIE MOVIES INCLUDED!

PART ONE OF TWO.

Movies Discussed: 

SYNCHRONIC (2020)

ST. MAUD (2021)

DEMENTER (2021)

THE VIGIL (2021)

RELIC (2022)

HIS HOUSE (2020)

HOST (2020)

DASHCAM (2022)

Here's my Postmortem on the 2022 Christmas Holiday Season, where I discuss Killer Santas, Trolls, Yule Logs, and the death of "The War on Christmas!" 

Movies Discussed:

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)

A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983)

TROLL (2022)

CHRISTMAS, BLOODY CHRISTMAS (2022)

THE MEAN ONE (2022)

VIOLENT NIGHT (2022)

ADULT SWIM'S YULE LOG (2022)

Happiest of Holidays to you! 

Just in time for Christmas Eve is the Hellbent for Horror Annual Christmas Ghost Story!

Keeping the old British tradition going, I've been reading ghost stories for Christmas over the last few years. Because Christmas and horror go together like cookies and milk and Santa!

This year's story is M.R. James' "Casting the Runes," which is the story that was adapted into the excellent 1957 film directed by Jacques Tournier, Night of the Demon, released as Curse of the Demon in the USA. 

Enjoy the show, and stay safe and spooky into 2023!

CASTING THE RUNES (1911)  by M.R. James

NIGHT OF THE DEMON, aka, CURSE OF THE DEMON (1957)