Hellbent for Horror

Join acclaimed horror author Vince V. Cava (CREEPYPASTA, JUST A LITTLE TERRIBLE) as we look at how comedy and horror work together (or not). We discuss Bizarro horror, Creepypasta, crazy Anime, and "the Amazon Smut Illuminati."

This is a pre-recorded live podcast from the FAN EXPO-SAN FRANCISCO performed on Black Friday (11/25/2022).

I hope you enjoy the show!

MOVIES:

SCANNERS (1981)

CREEPSHOW (1982)

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985)

SAINT MAUD (2019)

THE RITUAL (2017)

RELIC (2020)

THE BABADOOK (2014)

VIDEO GAMES:

DOKI DOKI LITERATURE CLUB (2017)

"BACKROOMS"

LOAB (CREEPYPASTA AI DEMON)

BOOKS:

DECOMPOSING HEAD: Frighteningly Funny Tales That Will Rot Your Brain (2014)

GAS STATION BATHROOM (STORY)

CANNIBAL (STORY)

THE BEAST BENEATH THE STREETS (2023)

CANDIDE by VOLTAIRE (1759)

"THE SECOND VARIETY" by P.K. DICK

S.R. TOOMS

THE "AMAZON SMUT ILLUMINATI" (12 PEOPLE WRITING ALL THE AMAZON SMUT)

BIZARRO HORROR LITERATURE

HEAD IN THE FRIDGE (STORY)

CREEPYPASTA

It's no surprise that I love Halloween and that I love decorating my place into a haunted House for Trick-or-Treaters to enjoy. 

But there is a specific history behind my love of Halloween, and in this episode, I'm going to "open a vein" and give you more insight into what makes me believe that horror brings people together and, for some of us, frees us and gives us purpose.

Special Edition: I read my short story, THE RELEQUARIANS. 

I hope you like the show!

Every town has ghosts and the late George Romero is Pittsburgh's beloved boogeyman!

Romero still looms large there, and I was honored to visit the George A. Romero Archival Collection (1962-2017) at the Hillman Library at the University of Pittsburgh.

Horror Studies Collection Coordinator Ben Rubin sat for an interview and gave me a tour of the vast collection that documents his career through the ups and downs and how Pittsburgh became "the Zombie Capitol of the World."

I hope you like the show!

Special thanks to Ben Rubin and the Hillman Library at the University of Pittsburgh for their kind cooperation.

Movies Discussed:

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

The Amusement Park (1975)

Martin (1977)

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Creepshow (1982)

Day of the Dead (1985)

Monkey Shines (1988)

Tales From the Darkside (1990)

Two Evil Eyes (1990)

Night of the Living Dead (1990)

The Dark Half (1993)

Jacaranda Joe (short film) (1994)

Bruiser (2000)

Land of the Dead (2005)

Before the MCU became mainstream and before horror films won Oscars, Horror Hosts helped create the Monster Kid Culture and legitimize fandom and genre conventions.

My guest, John Stanley, was not only the legendary host of Creature Features on KTVU-2 from 1979-1984, but also a novelist, film critic, and horror film director (NIGHTMARE IN BLOOD).

Join us as we talk horror host history straight from the source, what it was like to be there when ALIEN, PHANTASM, and even STAR TREK first premiered, and how fans resurrected the horror host culture!  

I hope you enjoy the show!

Films, folks, and shows discussed:

NIGHTMARE IN BLOOD (1977)

CREATURE OF THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951)

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)

CREATURE FEATURES- KTVU (1971-1984)

ALIEN (1979)

PHANTASM (1979)

ROBERT BLOCH

RAY BRADBURY

STEPHEN KING

LEONARD NIMOY

Music and Horror are kindred spirits. And many of us love it when music and horror meet in the shadows of our imaginations. 

Join my guests, the hosts of the excellent DISCOVER THE HORROR PODCAST as we look at how we were attracted to the dark side of music, our influences, and how many different ways music express that darkness.

This is a joint podcast with my good friends from Discover the Horror and the music conversation, focusing on horror movie soundtracks, continues on their podcast. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Biup3H 

What do Rupert Holmes and Black Sabbath have in common? Listen and find out!

I hope you enjoy the show!

BANDS, TOPICS, AND SONGS DISCUSSED:

Iron Maiden

Mike Oldfield- TubularBells (1973)

Robert Goulet (performer)

The Accused (punk band)

Alice Cooper (band)

Alice Cooper meets the Muppets (TV-1978)

From the Inside (album-1978)

Millie and Billie (song-1978)

Love it to Death (album-1971)

Antichrist Superstar (album-1996)

Behemoth (band)

Black Sabbath (band)

Black Sabbath (album-1970)

Born Again (album- 1983)

Blood and Chocolate (1986)

I Want You (song-1986)

Bloody Hammers (band)

Boris Karloff's Tales of the Frightened (album-1963)

Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures (band)

Celtic Frost (band)

To Mega Therion (album-1985)

Cold Ethyl (song-1975)

Dead Babies (1971)

Diamond Head (band)

Am I Evil? (song-1979)

Dickie Goodman- Mr. Jaws (song-1975)

Dio: A Special from the Spectrum (concert video-1984)

Famous monsters (band)

Fulci (band)

Garbage (band)

Flying Saucer (song- 1956)

Ghoultown (band)

Hallowed Ground (album-1984)

Country Death Song (song-1984)

Violent Femmes (band)

Halloween Hootenanny (album-1998)

Horror Hop (album-1994)

I Put a Spell on You -Screaming Jay Hawkins (1956)

I Put a Spell on You- Marilyn Manson (1997)

Johnny Cash- Delia's Gone (1962)

The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black (band)

Kembra Pfahler (artist/performer)

King Diamond (performer/band)

Abigail (album-1987)

Mercyful Fate (band)

Melissa (album-1983)

Nuns Have No Fun (EP/song-1982)

Kiss (band)

Love Gun (album-1977)

Paul Lynde Halloween Special (TV-1976)

Lightnin' Hopkins- Goin' Back Home (song-1977)

Link Wray- Rumble (song-1958)

Lordi (band)

Love Rollercoaster- Ohio Players (song-1975)

Manowar (possibly the greatest band)

Into Glory Ride (album-1983)

Marty Robbins- El Paso (song- 1959)

Metallica (band)

Ride the Lightning (album-1984)

Master of Puppets (1986)

Ministry (band)

Misfits (band)

Evilive (live album-1987)

Legacy of Brutality (1985)

Where Eagles Dare (song-1985)

Monster Bop (album-1993)

Motley Crue (band)

Motorhead (band)

Murder Ballads (album -1996)

My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult (band)

Ozzy Bites the Head Off a Dove (event-1981)

Paul McCartney and Wings (band)

Piece of Mind (album-1983)

Escape (The Pina Colada Song) (song-1979)

Rupert Holmes (songwriter/performer)

Powerwolf (band)

The Return of the Living Dead (film/soundtrack-1985)

Revolting Cocks (band)

Robert Johnson (blues legend)

Roky Erickson (performer)

Cold Night for Alligators (song-1986)

Samhain (band)

November-Coming-Fire (album-1986)

Satanic Panic (cultural event 1982-1989)

Septic Death (band)

Skinny Puppy (band)

The Process (album-1996)

Too Dark Park (1990)

Skrewdriver (band)

Soupy Sales- My Baby's Got a Crush on Frankenstein (song-1962)

Stagger Lee/ Staggolee (historical figure)

Stained Class (album-1976)

Judas Priest (band)

Stan (song-2000)

Suicidal Tendencies (band)

The Cramps (band)

The Creeping Cruds (band)

The Cure (band)

Subway Song (song-1980)

The Dead Elvi (band)

The Spectres (band)

This is Horror Punk (album-2003)

The Buoys- Timothy (song-1971)

Twisted Sister (band)

Venom (band)

Black Metal (album-1982)

Voivod (band)

W.A.S.P. (band)

Zacherle- Dinner with Drac (song-1958)

Just when you thought all the festivities were over...

There's one more gift under the horror tree for you!

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!

So, here are two stories for 2021!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Blessed Yule to all of you!

I hope you enjoy the show!

Stories Performed:

"The Kit Bag" by Algernon Blackwood

First published 1908 in Pall Mall Magazine

"Dark Christmas" by Jeanette Winterson

Published December 24, 2013, in The Guardian as part of the "Guardian Weekend magazine's Christmas ghost stories" series.

You can read the entire story on the Guardian website:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/24/christmas-ghost-stories-dark-jeanette-winterson

Passion makes us do crazy things.

For many lifelong horror fans, the love of the genre is so intense that being a spectator is no longer enough. These fans are compelled to have their creative voices heard. Some paint, others start podcasts, or they write articles and books.

And then there are the really crazy ones who decide they want to make their own full-length horror movies!

In this episode, we speak to Hope Madden and George Wolf, the creative team behind the Fright Club Podcast as they prepare to shoot their feature film, OBSTACLE CORPSE!

Join me as we talk about their lifelong love of horror, from their "First Kisses" to their long-standing careers in radio and television as film critics in Columbus, Ohio, and what they think are the ingredients that make a horror movie memorable! 

I hope you enjoy the show!

Watch the OBSTACLE CORPSE feature trailer here: https://vimeo.com/477691195

Follow Hope and George at Maddwolf: https://www.facebook.com/maddwolfcolumbus/

https://maddwolf.com/

@Maddwolf

Movies/TV Covered:

Motel Hell (1980)

Night Gallery (TV: 1969-1973)

Jaws (1975)

The Exorcist (1973)

Battle Royale (2000)

The Belko Experiment (2016)

The Vow (TV: 2020)

Wild, Wild Country (TV: 2018)

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)

Severance (2006)

American Psycho (2000)

When a Stranger Calls (1979)

War of the Worlds (Radio: 1938)

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Come and See (1985)

His House (2020)

The Other Lamb (2019)

The Painted Bird (2019)

The Wind (2018)

Saint Maud (2019)

The Changeling (1980)

The Night House (2020)

Malignant (2021)

Candyman (2021)

Se7en (1995)

Cabin Fever (2002)

Pig (2021)

The Green Knight (2021)

Skinwalkers! Psychic Vampires! Desert Gods! Cat People! Pagan Sex Beasts! Sentient Forests! Witchcraft! Ancient lands that Feed on humans! Mountain and Snow Goddesses! 

The Weird Fiction of the 19th and 20th Centuries paved the way for modern horror and science fiction, and one of the greatest voices was Algernon Blackwood, whose work inspired none other than H.P. Lovecraft.

Join my guest, Scarlett Amaris (H.P. Lovecraft's Color out of Space, The Theatre Bizarre, and the Saurimonde book trilogy) as we look at some of our favorite Blackwood short stories and discuss his amazing life (he said all his stories were "autobiographical") and his influence on modern horror!

I hope you enjoy the show!

Books Covered: 

Algernon Blackwood stories:

The Wendigo (1910)

The Touch of Pan (1907)

The Glamour of the Snow (1912)

The Transfer (1912)

The Valley of the Beasts (1921)

Ancient Sorceries (1906)

The Man Whom the Trees Loved (1912)

The Pikestaffe Case (1924)

The Occupant in the Room (1917)

Sand (1912)

The Willows (1907)

Biography:

Starlight man: The extraordinary life of Algernon Blackwood by Michael Ashley (2001)

Books by other Authors:

Shadowland -Peter Straub (1980)

Ghost Story -Peter Straub (1979)

Kwaidan (film) (1965)

Burnt Offerings -Robert Marasco (1973)

Christine -Stephen King (1983)

For some of us, going a little crazy is just the time when life starts getting fun.

Madness? Mania? Fanaticism? Call it what you like.

I call it passion, and I am drawn to people who need to create something out of their mad love. The creation might seem crazy to the average person, but to those it speaks to, it is a beautiful gift.

My guest is Jay Michaels, independent stage and film producer, director, and actor, who is also the host and executive producer of Phoenix FearCon, Arizona's Largest Independent Horror Film Festival and Convention Since 2006.

Join us as we discuss our lifetime loves of the horror genre and the gift of mad passion!

And…join us LIVE in Tempe, Arizona, on October 15th and 16th at the Sun Studios of Arizona! You can get tickets here: https://phoenixfearcon.com/box-office/

I hope you enjoy the show!

Movies Covered:

The Mummy's Hand (1940)

Horror of Dracula (1958)

Dark Shadows  (TV) (1966-1971)

Nights of Cabiria (1957)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (1979)

Phantasm (1979)

Followed (2018)

Alone (2020)

Evil Dead (1981)