"Abracadabra, I sit on his knee. Presto chango, and now he is me. Hocus Pocus, we take her to bed. Magic is fun; we're dead." - the tagline for Magic seeds the undercurrent of fear that permeates this classic and classy horror film from 1978. The film features a young, pre-Hannibal, Anthony Hopkins in two roles, one being Corky the magician who uses a vantriquilist dummy to give his act a much needed angle and the voice of the dummy named Fats. Burgess Meredith and Ann-Margret co-star in a tale of madness, murder and mayhem. The Black Saint and Doc Rotten tackle another groovy horror film from the 1970s.
Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 36 – Magic (1978)
The Black Saint returns to discuss a film dear to his heart - or, at least, dear to his phobia about "dummies" and dolls. If you have listened to episodes of Horror News Radio, you will have heard this topic mentioned quite often. In addition to key episodes of Twilight Zone and a few similar horror films in the 70s, it is Richard Attenborough's Magic (1978) that cemented this fear in the Black Saint. This fear is not ill-found, the trailer for the film alone is one of the more frightening trailers of the decade along with Jaws, Exorcist and Suspiria.
The host of Decades of Horror 1970s bravely joins his co-host Doc Rotten to cover Magic as they dive into the incredible performance by Anthony Hopkins, the lovely addition of Ann-Margret as Hopkin's love interest and the 1970s horror film staple Burgess Meredith in one of his best feature roles this side of Mickey (Rocky 1976), Then, of course, ample time is dedicated to discussing Fats, the disturbing ventriloquist dummy voiced by Hopkins. Richard Attenborough shows off his attention to detail and mood in his directing of the film with one specific scene the perfectly illustrates Corky's descent into madness as Ben Greene (Meredith) confronts him about Fats. The best 5 minutes ever. Chilling!
We want to hear from you - the coolest, grooviest fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at theblacksaint@decadesofhorror.com or docrotten@decadesofhorror.com.
The Grue-crew are joined this week by Michael Steinberg, the owner of Found Footage Critic website and co-host of the Found Footage Files podcast. Michael brings a film with him for HNR to screen and review, the found footage flick from writer director Matthew Sconce called ALTAR. The film starts of with a promising extended intro setting up the film. Join Doc, The Black Saint, Thomas and Dave as they welcome Michael to share their thoughts on the film and found footage in general.
Dave returns for the HORROR NEWS OF THE WEEK segment sharing a fresh group of updates and rumors with the reaction for the second Ghostbusters trailer, the promise for season five of Bates Motel and tease that there may be a Neighbors 3: Zombies Rising - no, no there won't. For the What Have You Been Watching segment, the Grue-crew dive deep into the series premiere for the much anticipated TV series, PREACHER.
Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Vixen, the voice of reason, are back again this week to give you the best in horror as they recap, review and obliterate all that is horror this week! Oh, and don't forget - Stump the Saint! (Brought to you by Gruesome Magazine)
Horror News Radio
Episode 164 – Altar (2016) – Preacher (2016)
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"It's smooth and creamy. It's low calorie and delicious. And it kills. It's The Stuff!" - the tagline for Larry Cohen's cult classic from 1985, The Stuff, threatens in a heavy handed - but comically effective - manner. Following up his successful low budget horror films It's Alive (1974) and Q (1982), Cohen once again employs Michael Moriarty to face the satirical horrors the inventive director cooks up for him - in this case, a tasty alien goo that bubbles up out of the Earth that takes over the bodies of whomever devours it. Thomas Mariani, Doc Rotten and Christopher G. Moore tackle another gruesome horror film from the 1980s.
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 83 – The Stuff (1985)
"WARNING! If you see The Stuff in stores... call the police. If you have it in your home... don't touch it...get out. The Stuff is a product of nature... a deadly living organism. It is addictive and destructive. It can overcome your mind and take over your body... and nothing can stop it."
The Stuff spotlights a series of commercials that still ring true today in their stinging satire - "Enough Is Never Enough." Out of nowhere comes "The Stuff," a tasty dessert that invades the minds of those that taste its yummy goodness. It is not until the competition desperate for answers sick corporate saboteur 'Mo' Rutherford (Michael Moriarty) on the case. What he discovers is conspiracy, horror and an alien blob-like creature. Larry Cohen is an acquired taste and The Stuff is something like you've never seen. Check out the review from Thomas, Doc and Christopher.
From the director of Wolf Creek and Rogue, comes THE DARKNESS a ghostly tale featuring Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, David Mazouz and ...wait for it... Paul Reiser! The film is a horrendous flop forcing The Black Saint, Doc Rotten and Thomas Mariani to search long and hard for anything...seriously, anything...positive to say about the feature film hitting theaters this past weekend.
Doc drives the HORROR NEWS OF THE WEEK segment sharing a massive amount of information about Insidious 4, The Exorcist TV show, a Maniac Cop remake, a Kevin Smith two-for and a troubled romance for Gareth Edwards and Godzilla 2. For the What Have You Been Watching segment, the Grue-crew dive deep into the icky, sticky, gooey body horror feature, BITE.
Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Vixen, the voice of reason, are back again this week to give you the best in horror as they recap, review and obliterate all that is horror this week! Oh, and don't forget - Stump the Saint! (Brought to you by Gruesome Magazine)
Horror News Radio
Episode 163 – The Darkness (2016) – Bite (2016)
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For this special edition of Horror News Radio, Doc Rotten sits down with Michael Steinberg to talk about all things found footage. Michael is the founder of Found Footage Critic and co-host of the Found Footage Files Podcast, quickly becoming the authority in found footage films online. His site now has over 500 found footage film in its database and he offers found footage films to watch onsite - both free and VOD. When it came time for the French found footage film festival (On Vous Ment Film Festival) to research films for potential inclusion in their line-up this Spring, they turned to Found Footage Critic to get the skinny on all the films in their sights. Michael joins Doc to discuss the site, the podcast, the film festival and found footage films in general. If you're a fan of HNR, you know this is right up Doc Rotten's alley and thrilled to have Michael on the podcast.
With the Found Footage Critic website, Michael has amassed an amazing resource for found footage film fans with over 500 films in the database. This number climbs every weeks with more than 300 additional films in his personal spreadsheet just waiting to be meticulously added to the listings. The site offers a great way for fans to rate their favorite found footage films and discover new offerings to watch. Speaking about that, if you use the "Watch" link in the site's navigation, you will find a number of found footage films right there to watch, many are video on demand (at an affordable price) or free! One of the more interesting things the site offers is a clear, concise definition of what a found footage is.
From the site: Found footage films are feature length movies, shorts, or webseries designed to have the look and feel of actual (non-fictional) filmed events that were lost and subsequently discovered and made available to the viewer. For a film to be considered as “found footage,” all of the cameras used to shoot the footage must have known sources within the film itself – i.e. all cameras are effectively props in the film. Based on a detailed analysis of 500 found footage films conducted by Found Footage Critic, it was determined that films within the genre historically employ a combination of one or more of the following cinematic approaches:
First person perspective (a.k.a. point of view) style – filmed/recorded from the perspective of the main character who is experiencing the event while holding the camera
Mockumentary (a.k.a. pseduo-documentary style) – filmed/recorded in the form of interviews and investigative reporting of the event
News Footage style – Footage from a professional news crew investigating the event
Surveillance Footage style – Footage from a stationary camera automatically filming/recording the event
Found Footage Files is a terrific podcast about ... you guessed it ... found footage films with hosts Boss Butcher and Michael Steinberg as they tackle a new found footage film each week. They provide great insight into the film and share their opinions about how successful the film may be. The podcast was also honored by Blumhouse.com recently as one of the Top 10 Horror Podcasts You Should Be Listening To Right Now.
When it came time to locate found footage films for its docket, the French Found Footage Film Festival "On Vous Ment Film Festival" turned to Found Footage Critic as the online resource for found footage films. The festival in Lyon, France is know locally more as a Mockumentary Film Festival and Michael gets into the specifics of the festival on the podcast. The festival is currently running a crowd funding campaign to collect the final funds needed to round out the festival: http://fr.ulule.com/festival-documenteur/.
It's hero against hero in Marvel's CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR as the star spangled hero, Steve Rogers, goes up against Tony Stark (Iron Man) over the Sokovia Accords as the future of the Avengers hangs in the balance. The Grue-crew welcome artist Chad Hunt and award winning filmmaker Christopher G. Moore to the show to discuss the runaway block buster hit, the highlights, the action, the suspense and the surprises - and, of course, the big wink to Star Wars and the introduction of a certain web-head to the MCU. It may not be straight up horror this week, but it is still a hell of a lot of fun!
Dave returns to illuminate the HORROR NEWS OF THE WEEK segment sharing information about Russell Crowe joining Tom Cruise in Universal's The Mummy, Jared Leto leads the short list for the role of Lestat in the Interview with the Vampire remake and Hèctor Hernández Vicens signs on to direct another version of Day of the Dead. Plenty of WTF moments!
Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Vixen, the voice of reason, are back again this week to give you the best in horror as they recap, review and obliterate all that is horror this week! Oh, and don't forget - Stump the Saint! (Brought to you by Gruesome Magazine)
Horror News Radio
Episode 162 – Captain America: Civil War (2016)
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"I killed her. I knew I would, the first time I said 'Hello'." - the tagline for The Fury masks the madness that is master director Brian DePalma's often overlooked film released following his massive hit Carrie. All the DePalma signature moves are on display and the blood runs gruesome red, just ask John Cassevettes. The Black Saint and Doc Rotten tackle another groovy horror film from the 1970s.
Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 35 – The Fury (1978)
Doc is joined by award winning director Christopher G. Moore to discuss what many fans call Carrie 2.0, it is Brian DePalma's The Fury featuring Kirk Douglas, John Cassavettes, Carrie Snodgress, Charles Durning, Amy Irving, Fiona Lewis and Andrew Stephens. The film is typical DePalma with a variety of storylines merging into a single gory, explosive climax. The film features effects by Rick Baker, Rob Bottin and Greg Cannom and a score from the one and only John Williams. Join The Doc Rotten and Christopher G. Moore as they discuss this classic horror film.
We want to hear from you - the coolest, grooviest fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at theblacksaint@decadesofhorror.com or docrotten@decadesofhorror.com.
"I created what no man's mind nor woman's womb could ever hope to achieve." - Dr. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) returns for Bride of the Re-Animator as he and Dr. Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) return Miskatonic University Hospital to further explore their terrifying experiments with reanimating the dead. Thomas Mariani and Doc Rotten tackle another gruesome horror film from the 1980s.
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 82 – Bride of the Re-Animator (1989)
Award winning film maker Christopher G. Moore (Knob Goblins) and Decades of Horror 1970s regular The Black Saint (Santos Ellin, Jr.) join Thomas and Doc to discuss the sequel to Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator (1985) that further follows the adventures of H. P. Lovecraft's original serialized story, titled Herbert West–Reanimator. Brian Yuzna's Bride of the Re-Animator features a slew of effect from some of the most talented FX artists of the time: Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero, Howard Berger, John Carl Buechler, Screaming Mad George. The gore and grue are abundant. The assembled grue-crew dive into the guts of the film to share their memories and thoughts about the film, explore the highlights and debate the failures. The film is now available on a terrific 3-disk set from Arrow Films.
The Grue-crew are united in their love and appreciation for Jeremy Saulnier's intense thriller GREEN ROOM. The must-see film grabs you by the boo-boo and never lets go as Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat and Imogen Poots struggle to survive the violent oppression of Patrick Stewart and his neo-Nazi cohorts. This film is brutal.
Thomas drives the HORROR NEWS OF THE WEEK segment sharing information about the trailer for Stephen King's Cell, the remake of Puppet Master and the exit of Seth Grahame-Green from The Flash movie. Doc provides his impressions on the first episode of the third season of Penny Dreadful and tears up remembering the host of B-Movie Cast, Vince Rotolo, who recently passed away.
Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Vixen, the voice of reason, are back again this week to give you the best in horror as they recap, review and obliterate all that is horror this week! Oh, and don't forget - Stump the Saint! (Brought to you by Gruesome Magazine)
Horror News Radio
Episode 161 – Green Room (2016)
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"He Knows When You're Sleeping, He Knows if You're Awake, He KNOWS..." - the tagline for Black Christmas promises a holiday horror treat for fans of 1970s fans. The film is from director Bob Clark (Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things) long before he would gain mainstream fame for A Christmas Story and Porky's. The Black Saint and Doc Rotten tackle another groovy horror film from the 1970s.
Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 34 – Black Christmas (1974)
Santos and Doc are joined by award winning director Christopher G. Moore to discuss the first seasonal slasher flick Black Christmas featuring Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon, Andrea Martin, James Edmond, Doug McGrath, Art Hindle, Lynne Griffin and Michael Rapport. Eventually seen on NBC during prime time under the title Stranger in the House, Black Christmas became a favorite film for Elvis Presley and would influence a generation of horror films from Halloween to When a Stranger Calls. Join The Black Saint, Doc Rotten and Christopher G. Moore as they discuss this classic horror film.
We want to hear from you - the coolest, grooviest fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at theblacksaint@decadesofhorror.com or docrotten@decadesofhorror.com.