"Promise me, my baby. . . Take me with you, sweetheart! Take my blood! Oh, my blood!" Join the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era’s Grue-Crew - Chad Hunt, Erin Miskell, Jeff Mohr, and Joseph Perry - as we get lost in the wondrously bad, yet somehow memorably disturbing, Maneater of Hydra, aka Island of the Doomed, aka La Isla de la Muerte, aka Bloodsuckers. Come along on the island tour (don’t forget your baggage and lab equipment) with Joseph as our guide, while he explains his love for this eclectic film and the impact it had on him as a horror fan. Trust us; it explains a lot. Follow our journey as Joseph, much to our surprise, manages to register the rest of the Classic Era Grue-Crew as card-carrying members of the Maneater of Hydra fan club.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 2 – Maneater of Hydra (1967)

Maneater of Hydra is a foreign film “probably” written and directed by Mel Welles, who adds another killer plant film to his credits. You may remember him as Gravis Mushnick in Roger Corman’s The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) or maybe from his appearances in Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy (1955), Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), Chopping Mall (1986) or even the Spectreman TV series (1971). He is joined by the immediately recognizable Cameron Mitchell, whose over 200 credits include The High Chaparral (1967-1971), Blood and Black Lace (1964) and The Toolbox Murders (1978). Mitchell plays Baron von Weser who has genetically engineered some uniquely flavored vegetables.

Part of the films quirky appeal is the dubbing as the actors recited the lines in English through syllabic memorization and are then dubbed. The intent is for the audio to more closely match the actors lip movements, but in the case of Maneater of Hydra, the result is as we already said, … quirky. Anne Meara provides the uncredited, hilarious dubbing of Myrtle, the tour’s unofficial photographer. We all went slack-jawed at the vampire tree’s sexually implicit, or rather explicit, killing organ. The final scene will haunt your nightmares for years, just ask Joseph.

Listen and learn which one of us says:

• “It must be well-dressed plant food.”
• “This is gold, people. This is gold.”
• “That was a knife? I thought it looked like a sharpened nail clipper.”
• “How did they get this past the censors?”
• “It’s literally a hairy tube engorged with blood.”

We plan to release a new episode every other week. Our upcoming schedule includes Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), King Kong (1933), and The Tingler (1959).

Please let us know what you think and what films you’d like to hear us cover! We want to hear from you! Send us an email  (chadhunt@gruesomemagazine.com, erinmiskell@gruesomemagazine.com, jeffmohr@gruesomemagazine.com, or josephperry@gruesomemagazine.com) or leave us a message, a review or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Horror News Radio App, or the Horror News Radio Facebook group.

"Roses are red, violets are blue, one is dead, and so are you." - The killer from My Bloody Valentine leaves a colorful limerick for Mabel - before throwing her into a dryer set on extra-dead. The Grue-Crew revisit the Canadian slasher film from 1981. Let the fun begin! Thomas Mariani, Doc Rotten and Christopher G. Moore tackle another gruesome horror film from the 1980s.

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 101 – My Bloody Valentine (1981)

During the height of the slasher craze, Canadian film makers dropped a few slasher classics into horror fans laps. One of the better ones is My Bloody Valentine (1981) - director Quentin Tarantino lists the movie as his all-time favorite slasher film. George Mihalka directs the film from a script by John Beaird and a story by Stephen A. Miller. The plot revolves around a small mining town where years ago miners were trapped in the mine while the town celebrated Valentine's Day. The next year, the lone survivor, Harry Warden, went on a murderous rampage killing those who left him and his friends to die. Years later, the town is revisited once again by a killer dressed up in miner garb killing townsfolk leaving their hearts in a valentine's box. It's gruesome, gory gold!

Just in time for the holiday, Thomas, Christopher, and Doc share the love by taking a look at the classic slasher with Christopher and Doc seeing for the first time since 1981 while Thomas is seeing for the first time ever. The Grue-crew review both the original - heavily cut - theatrical version and the restored uncensored version with much of the 9 minutes put back into place. The film holds up tremendously well with some fun characters, great gory gags, and a surprising sense of humor. The uncut version holds a number of gruesome surprises.

We want to hear from you - the coolest, most gruesome fans:  leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or docrotten@decadesofhorror.com. We also want to be sure to thank Neon Devils for their killer track "Bone Chillin'" which we use for the intro and outro of this show.

"It's not of this world. It's Sadako's fury. And she's put a curse on us." Nothing seemed more tantalizing than a blank VHS tape back in the 90s. What secrets could be held on it? A rerun? A sex tape? A demonic entity with a reaping time of one week? Ringu took our obsession with technology, ejected it out of the VCR and into our faces. J-Horror became a booming industry both in native Japan and the United States at the dawn of the new millennium. So naturally, Thomas Mariani had to cover this tape eventually, seven day death curse be damned!

Decades of Horror 1990s
Episode 08 – Ringu (1998)

Based on the novel by Kôji Suzuki, Ringu is perhaps the most iconic example of J-Horror. The young girl with hair covering her face. An elaborate mythology that roots itself deeply in Japanese folklore. Some half explained references to supernatural powers held within its main characters. All the major tropes started with Ringu and became pretty ubiquitous. Samara is obviously one of the more modern examples of a recognizable horror icon, having been the subject of many parodies and YouTube pranks in the near-twenty years since Ringu was released. The visage of her coming out of a television is one of the lasting horror images of the late 20th/early 21st century, keeping those with a love of the idiot box on their toes when their groove tube suddenly turns on without warning. But there's more to Ringu than Samara herself, given the extensive research our intrepid leads Reiko (Nanako Matsushima) and Ryūji (Hiroyuki Sanada) find to stop this curse dead in its tracks.

To help decipher all the rich Japanese folklore, Thomas has brought on another new voice Caitlin Turner. A confessed Otaku in general, Caitlin has much to say on what gives Ringu such a sting to those in the know of Japanese culture and what makes it one of her favorite horror films of all time. Thomas will certainly need that. Especially considering this is first time ever seeing it! Together, these two offer a few comparisons to the acclaimed American remake, talk about the killer curiosity of an unmarked VHS tape and postulate the potential of a future Ring installment with today's technology. It's a high spirited discussion that's even a bit educational. Plus, it's probably more entertaining than putting down any cash to see Rings in a theater.

We want to hear from you – the coolest, most gruesome fans:  leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1990s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or tweet Thomas @NotTheWhosTommy.

“We all go a little mad sometimes.” So says Norman Bates in the Alfred Hitchcock classic, Psycho (1960). In this episode, the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era’s Grue-Crew - Chad Hunt, Erin Miskell, Jeff Mohr, and Joseph Perry - proclaim their love for and take a deep dive into Hitchcock’s masterpiece and the mind of Norman Bates. Yes, you read it correctly. We love Norman’s mind and take a deep dive into it. After all, he’s such a nice boy.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 1 – Psycho (1960)

At the films original release, Hitchcock resorted to a multitude of marketing gimmicks to help promote his  new, fairly low budget, black and white film. The crowds responded in droves, piling up box office receipts more than 32 times the cost of making the film. Erin hosts this episode as we all try to get inside Hitchcock’s mind and end up feeling like Norman Bates could be our special friend (especially Erin!), if it just wasn’t for that whole murdering people thing. Is Norman Bates a nice boy suffering from mental illness or an iconic horror villain?

The story of Psycho unfolds as if it were two separate movies. First is the one telling the story of Marion Crane’s embezzlement from her employer, subsequent flight from the law, and change of heart after meeting Norman Bates. The second story begins with Marion’s murder and its afermath as we learn more about Norman’s relationship with his mother. After all, he’s such a NICE boy.

The Classic Era Grue-Crew is blown away with Psycho by everything from the leads (Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles) to the supporting cast (Martin Balsam, John McIntire, John Anderson, Simon Oakland, Mort Mills, Pat Hitchcock); from Hitchcock’s direction to Saul Bass’ titles and Bernard Herrmann’s score; from Robert Bloch's source material to Joseph Stefano's script.

Listen and learn which one of us says:

• “You need to stop playing with your seat or we're going home.”
• “The first time I saw that scene I was 10-years-old and I know some pee came out.”
• “His initials are G. G., something with a G.”
• “You might want to rephrase that as, ‘I really need to watch more Kolchak: The Nightstalker.’”

We plan to release a new episode every other week. Our upcoming schedule includes Maneater of Hydra (aka Island of the Doomed, 1967), King Kong (1933) in conjunction with the March 10, 2017 release of Kong: Skull Island, Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), and The Tingler (1959).

Please let us know what you think and what films you’d like to hear us cover! We want to hear from you! Send us an email  (chadhunt@gruesomemagazine.com, erinmiskell@gruesomemagazine.com, jeffmohr@gruesomemagazine.com, or josephperry@gruesomemagazine.com) or leave us a message, a review or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Horror News Radio App, or the Horror News Radio Facebook group.

J-Horror returns this week with RINGS (2017) heading to theaters, the third film in The Ring franchise, the U.S. version of Ringu. While the film did challenge Split for the top spot at the box office, Rings horribly under performed and scored poorly at Rotten Tomatoes. Thomas and The Black Saint chime in with there thoughts...and disgust for this boring entry into 2017 horror fare. The Black Saints gives it props for its lead and begrudgingly agrees the beginning is fun. Thomas is just unimpressed with the entire thing. Oh, noes.

Continuing the J-Horror vibe, the Grue-Crew also review the Japanese entry SADAKO VS KAYAKO currently playing on Shudder. The film, which was inspired by an April Fool's joke, pits Sadako from the Ringu franchise against Kayako from the the Ju-On (or Grudge in the US) franchise. Move over Freddy vs Jason, step aside King Kong vs Godzilla, out of the way Frankenstein meets the Wolfman, Sadako vs Kayako sets up the fight of the century. Or, does it? The Grue-Crew are here to let you know.

Thoam guides the Horror News of the Week with a rundown of the kick-ass trailer that debuted during Super Bowl 51. As the year begins, HNR sets its eyes on a number of horror film festivals to attend throughout the year. Up first is Nevermore Horror Film Festival in Durham, NC on February 24 - 26, 2017.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher and Thomas Mariani 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 201 – Rings (2017) – Sadako vs Kayako (2016)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: Rings (2017)

Gore Verbinksi surprised everyone introducing US audiences to J-Horror with The Ring (2002). The Ring Two followed three years later. Now, 12 years after the first sequel, F. Javier Gutiérrez directs the third in the franchise with Rings. The Grue-Crew are not impressed with the results of such a long wait. It is the film no one want and no body went to see. For The Black Saint and Thomas Mariani, it is an early contender for worst of the year.

What Have You Been Watching: Sadako vs Kayako (2016)

Meanwhile, over at Shudder, the Japanese entry fares far better with the Grue-Crew. Sadako vs Kayako turns out to be a fun, campy romp worth watching on the Shudder streaming service, providing a few chills, tons of thrills, and more laughs - of the intentional kind - than expected. Sadako curses one group of teens while Kayako sets her eye on a third, enter a professor, a mystic, and his sidekick to save the girls from certain doom. Their idea - pit the curses against each other, it's Ringu vs Ju-On -- to the death.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• [00:00:40]: Intro
• [00:04:13]: Days of the Dead
• [00:12:59]: Horror News of the Week
  • [00:13:15]: Super Bowl Trailers!
  • [00:14:02]: Stranger Things Season 2
  • [00:19:28]: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
  • [00:21:35]: Cure for Wellness
  • [00:23:58]: Life
  • [00:28:17]: Logan
  • [00:33:03]: John Wick Chapter 2
  • [00:35:00]: Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales
  • [00:37:40]: Ghost in the Shell
  • [00:41:15]: Fate of the Furious
• [00:44:20]: Support HNR
• [00:44:51]: Feature Review - Rings
• [01:03:09]: Announcements
  • [01:03:17]: Gruesome Magazine Quarterly
  • [01:04:28]: Nevermore Film Festival
  • [01:05:04]: Lightning Round Convention appearances
• [01:08:36]: What Have You Been Watching - Sadako vs Kayako
• [01:32:43]: StumpTheSaint

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

Don't Knock Twice - John Wick Chapter 2 

GRUESOME LINKS

• Dragon Con
• Patreon
• Gruesome Tees
• Horror Pack
• Days of the Dead (Atlanta, GA - February 3-5, 2017)
• Nevermore Film Festival (Durham, NC - February 24-26, 2017)
• Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival (Charleston, SC - May 19-22, 2017)
• Nightmares Horror Films Festival (Columbus, OH - October 19-22, 2017)

Gruesome Magazine Spring 2017 is coming! That's right, the very first issue of an all-new horror magazine from the Grue-Crew behind Horror News Radio and Gruesome Magazine website will land late February 2017. The tag line "Horror Festival Hits - Independent Films - The Future of Horror" reflects the focus of the magazine on the up'n'coming horror film makers and their films in Horror Film Festivals across the globe. Check out the GM page for more details.

"They Look Like Rocks...Possess A High Intelligence...Have No Eyes...And Eat Ashes...They Travel In Your Car Exhaust...They Make Fire...They Kill." - the tag line for Bug (1975) sets up horror expectations while producer William Castle (The House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler, Rosemary's Baby) works hard to deliver the goods - and succeeds. Let the fun begin! The Black Saint and Doc Rotten tackle another groovy horror film from the 1970s. Joining the grue-crew is Gruesome Magazine contributor Jeff Mohr.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 46 – Bug (1975)

For those who purchased Famous Monster of Filmland back in the day, the image of a fiery bug burning his way through a phone to get to his prey - a screaming female - is one that makes an impression. The film that it promotes is Bug, from director Jeannot Szwarc (Jaws 2) and produced by the legendary showman William Castle. Bradford Dillman stars as James Parmiter, a biology teacher who discovers a new breed of insect.  The bugs escaped out of a deep crevasse created by an earthquake. They spark fires and eat the ashes, creating havoc as they search for food. Parmiter takes their evolution a step further giving birth to the second generation of bug that eats meat and thinks for itself. The third generation is even worse.

Jeff Mohr joins the crew as Doc and The Black Saint dive into the film and manic, inspired performance by Bradford Dillman. While the film may feel like two films - the first half concentrating on a family where the hole opened up and the latter half focusing entirely on Mr. Dillman - the film is a monster movie that thrills, chills, and entertains every step of the way. The bug effects are often spectacular and the fire gags impressive. Bug is the last film that William Castle would work on and it carries his signature throughout. He even considered employing another cinematic gimmick to heighten the experience where a wire would wiggle around the audience's feet and legs at key moments. Ah! The world needs more imaginative showmen like William Castle.

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.

It's zombie vs zombie this week with the theatrical release first in the hot seat. Milla Jovovich returns as Alice for another entry into the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. After five years since the last entry,  director Paul. W.S. Anderson double downs on the apocalypse giving Alice three days to stop the Umbrella Corporation or all of humanity dies. Or some nonsense like that. The Grue-crew bury the film but praise the scene chewing performance from Game of Thrones star Iain Glen.

The What Have You Been Watching contains the far superior zombie film with Colm McCarthy and Mike Carey's The Girl with All the Gifts. Gemma Arterton, Glenn Close, and Paddy Considine all have different reasons to harbinger or exterminate young Melanie. Some think she's humankind's last hope, others view her as a threat to their very existence, while her teacher only sees her as a young girl facing unthinkable adversity in a world gone mad. This is a zombie film done right.

Dave guides the Horror News of the Week with the sad news of the passing of John Hurt, the character actor who gave birth to Alien (1979), sold Harry his wand in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and became the War Doctor in Doctor Who - and so much more. As the year begins, HNR sets its eyes on a number of horror film festivals to attend throughout the year. Up first is Nevermore Horror Film Festival in Durham, NC on February 24 - 26, 2017.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher and Thomas Mariani 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 200 – Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017) – The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)

After a pair of inferior but entertaining schlock filled entries into the Resident Evil series (Afterlife and Retribution), Paul W.S. Anderson steers Alice, Clair, Wesker, and the cast into the abyss. Or is that "the abysmal" - woof. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is excruciating, too dark, and terribly edited. The only thing the Grue-crew can pluck out of the mud as a positive for this film is Iain Glen as Dr. Isaacs who plays the role with infectious relish. If only the subtitle "The Final Chapter" actually meant just that.

What Have You Been Watching: The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)

Making its way onto VOD and digital download, The Girl with All the Gifts is a refreshing and fascinating approach to zombie films. Based on a novel by Mike Carey, director Colm McCarthy crafts an exception film that promises to make a few top ten lists come next December. And, c'mon, seriously, how awesome is it that Glenn Close is fighting zombies...and kicking ass? Great characters, impressive twists on the zombie genre, and a top-notch directorial effort make The Girl with All the Gifts the first must-see film of the year.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• [00:00:40]: Intro
• [00:03:54]: Horror News of the Week
  • [00:04:12]: RIP John Hurt
  • [00:11:45]: Millie Bobbie Brown cast in Godzilla 2
  • [00:14:15]: Robert Hall set to direct Nail Gun Massacre remake
  • [00:17:22]: Mr. Mercedes adds Mary Louise Parker to its cast
  • [00:21:05]: Ben Affleck leaves The Batman director's chair
• [00:27:09]: Support HNR
• [00:29:08]: Feature Review: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
• [00:57:45]: Announcements
  • [00:57:51]: Gruesome Magazines are coming soon!
  • [00:58:34]: Days of the Dead (Atlanta, GA - February 3-5, 2017)
  • [00:59:13]: Nevermore Film Festival (Durham, NC - February 24-26, 2017)
• [01:00:50]: What Have You Been Watching: The Girl with All The Gifts
• [01:32:52]: Stump The Saint
• [01:41:20]: Decades of Horror podcast discussion

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

Rings - Sadako vs Kayako 

GRUESOME LINKS

• Dragon Con
• Patreon
• Gruesome Tees
• Horror Pack
• Days of the Dead (Atlanta, GA - February 3-5, 2017)
• Nevermore Film Festival (Durham, NC - February 24-26, 2017)
• Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival (Charleston, SC - May 19-22, 2017)
• Nightmares Horror Films Festival (Columbus, OH - October 19-22, 2017)

Gruesome Magazine Spring 2017 is coming! That's right, the very first issue of an all-new horror magazine from the Grue-Crew behind Horror News Radio and Gruesome Magazine website will land late February 2017. The tag line "Horror Festival Hits - Independent Films - The Future of Horror" reflects the focus of the magazine on the up'n'coming horror film makers and their films in Horror Film Festivals across the globe. Check out the GM page for more details.

"A woman died, Tommy." - Dennis Quaid scolds David Patrick Kelly midway through Dreamscape (1984) who replies with dry wit, "Everybody dies..." Dude, that's cold. The Grue-Crew dive into one of three films in just over a year to explore the horrors surrounding entering peoples dreams...and nightmares. Let the fun begin! Thomas Mariani, Doc Rotten and Christopher G. Moore tackle another gruesome horror film from the 1980s.

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 100 – Dreamscape (1984)

The cast alone is worth giving Dreamscape a chance. Dennis Quaid (as Alex Gardner) stars opposite Kate Capshaw as his love interest, Jane DeVries, and David Patrick Kelly as his adversary in exploring the dreamscape, Tommy Ray Glatman. The supporting cast is even more nuts. Max von Sydow may be on Alex's side as Dr. Paul Novotny. Christopher Plummer is duplious as ever as the villainous government official Bob Blair. Eddie Albert suffers from nightmares that only Alex can save him from as The President. And, George Wendt warns Alex of the conspiracies abound as Charlie Prince, a horror author who has stumbled onto the truth behind Dreamscape. Charlie Prince, Stephen King, uh...see what they did there?

Doc and Christopher revisit Dreamscape, not having seen the film in a few decades while Thomas catches the film for the first time. Does the film hold up after three plus decades? How about the special effects and the make-up? The film is directed by Joseph Ruben and the effects are provided by Greg Cannom and David B. Miller among others. The film features a number of green screen effects that hinder the overall tone of the film while the make-up effects for the Nightmare Snake remain thrilling and creepy, especially when in mid-transformation. Look closely and you may catch some stop motion effects too. Regardless of all the debate, one thing stands out and that is fan-favorite David Patrick Kelly between his role in The Warriors and those in Twin Peaks and The Crow - always a winner.

"A woman died, Tommy." - Dennis Quaid scolds David Patrick Kelly midway through Dreamscape (1984) who replies with dry wit, "Everybody dies..." Dude, that's cold. The Grue-Crew dive into one of three films in just over a year to explore the horrors surrounding entering peoples dreams...and nightmares. Let the fun begin! Thomas Mariani, Doc Rotten and Christopher G. Moore tackle another gruesome horror film from the 1980s.

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 100 – Dreamscape (1984)

The cast alone is worth giving Dreamscape a chance. Dennis Quaid (as Alex Gardner) stars opposite Kate Capshaw as his love interest, Jane DeVries, and David Patrick Kelly as his adversary in exploring the dreamscape, Tommy Ray Glatman. The supporting cast is even more nuts. Max von Sydow may be on Alex's side as Dr. Paul Novotny. Christopher Plummer is duplious as ever as the villainous government official Bob Blair. Eddie Albert suffers from nightmares that only Alex can save him from as The President. And, George Wendt warns Alex of the conspiracies abound as Charlie Prince, a horror author who has stumbled onto the truth behind Dreamscape. Charlie Prince, Stephen King, uh...see what they did there?

Doc and Christopher revisit Dreamscape, not having seen the film in a few decades while Thomas catches the film for the first time. Does the film hold up after three plus decades? How about the special effects and the make-up? The film is directed by Joseph Ruben and the effects are provided by Greg Cannom and David B. Miller among others. The film features a number of green screen effects that hinder the overall tone of the film while the make-up effects for the Nightmare Snake remain thrilling and creepy, especially when in mid-transformation. Look closely and you may catch some stop motion effects too. Regardless of all the debate, one thing stands out and that is fan-favorite David Patrick Kelly between his role in The Warriors and those in Twin Peaks and The Crow - always a winner.

“I have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk…” – is the answer Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, frequently gave when asked where he got his ideas. Mr. Bloch’s answer gave us an idea on how to kick off our new podcast. We asked each of our co-hosts where they got their love for horror. Then we asked each of them to choose their favorite films of each decade from the 1920s through the 1960s, or as we call it, The Classic Era. Please allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Erin Miskell, Chad Hunt, Joseph Perry, and Jeff Mohr, the co-hosts of the new podcast, Decades of Horror: The Classic Era.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode Zero – Introductions and Favorite Films by Decade

As the Grue Crew for this podcast, we come from several different generations and backgrounds, so our reasons for becoming, or maybe being born, horror nerds are as varied as you might expect. From unsuccessfully strict parents to “wicked” uncles; from reading Clive Barker at a young age (Yikes!) to pixie sticks addictions, from local “creature features” to monsters, monsters, monsters and keiju, liberally sprinkled with comic books.

We also go through our favorites from each decade, having particular difficulty narrowing down the horror rich 1930s and 1950s. In some cases, like minds think alike and in other cases, vive la différence. In the 20s we chose films from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922) to The Fall of the House of the Usher (1928) and The Cat and the Canary (1927). In the 30s, our favorites range from Dracula (1931) and Freaks (1932) to Murders in the Zoo (1933) and Mad Love (1935). For the 1940s we talk about films from The Wolf Man (1941) and Cat People (1942) to Dead of Night (1945) and The Spiral Staircase (1946). In the 1950s, it’s everything from The Thing from Another World (1951) and The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) to A Bucket of Blood (1959) and Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959). Finally, in the 1960s, our picks focus on films from Psycho (1960) and Night of the Living Dead (1968) to The Green Slime (1968) and Doctor Blood’s Coffin (1961).

Listen and figure out which of one of us says each of the following quotes:

•       “Oo, oo, eyeball things…”
•       “Good thing I was already out of Pampers and knew where the bathroom was.”
•       “Gre-en Slime!” (sung, perfectly in key with the theme song)
•       “Nothing’s before my time.”

We plan to record a new episode every other week and henceforth, we’ll focus on specific films. In upcoming episodes, we’ll cover films such as Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), The Tingler (1959), Maneater of Hydra (aka Island of the Doomed, 1967), Psycho (1960), and King Kong (1933), in conjunction with the March 10, 2017 release of Kong: Skull Island.

Please let us know what you think and what films you’d like to see covered! We want to hear from you! Leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror The Classic Era hosts at jeffmohr@gruesomemagazine.com, chadhunt@gruesomemagazine.com, josephperry@gruesomemagazine.com, erinmiskell@gruesomemagazine.com.

M. Night Shyamalan surprises us once again with a twist no one saw coming with his latest Blumhouse Production collaboration, Split. Featuring Anya Taylor-Joy and James McAvoy along with Carrie (1976) actress Betty Buckley, the horror-thriller follows a man with 23 personalities who kidnaps three girls for some nefarious purpose. Most of the film is unraveling the mystery behind what the disturbed young man has in store for his captives, but the ending unwraps the experience and dresses it in an entirely new lights. Gasp, wow, what! The HNR Grue-Crew chime in with their thoughts.

Dave guides the Horror News of the Week with the sad news of the passing of genre character actor Miguel Ferrer (Night Flier, Robocop). Also up for discussion is the teaser for Colossal and the upcoming Netflix show The Discovery. As the year begins, HNR sets its eyes on a number of horror film festivals to attend throughout the year. Up first is Nevermore Horror Film Festival in Durham, NC on February 24 - 26, 2017.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher and Thomas Mariani 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 199 – Split (2017)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: Split (2017)

Wow! Okay, did not see that coming. Split may be one of the more engaging and surprising horror films to come out in January in quite some time. At least, in a good way. M. Night Shyamalan continues his successful relationship with Blumhouse Productions releasing his latest film cementing his return to form. With Split, he provides star James McAvoy a wide variety of roles to dive into as Kevin, a man with 23 personalities. Anya Taylor-Joy balances the broad extremes of McAvoy's character with a quiet, reserved, dedicated performance as Casey Cook, Kevin's captive. But, when you think Shyamalan, you think "twist" - and the talented mad man pulls a good one with Split with a surprise ending that ages well as more thought is given to the implications of that twist. Inspired and exhilarating, Split is the topic this week.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• [00:00:40]: Intro
  • [00:03:19]: Days of the Dead
  • [00:04:12]: Nevermore Film Festival
• [00:05:27]: Horror News of the Week
  • [00:05:49]: RIP Miguel Ferrer
  • [00:10:50]: Netflix to share The Discovery
  • [00:13:29]: A Phantasm Box Set is coming our way
  • [00:17:23]: Cameron Says "I'll Be Back" for Terminator
  • [00:20:49]: Colossal dances its way into our hearts
• [00:24:50]: Support HNR
• [00:25:35]: Split
• [01:21:11]: Stump The Saint

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter 

GRUESOME LINKS

• Dragon Con
• Patreon
• Gruesome Tees
• Horror Pack
• Days of the Dead (Atlanta, GA - February 3-5, 2017)
• Nevermore Film Festival (Durham, NC - February 24-26, 2017)
• Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival (Charleston, SC - May 19-22, 2017)
• Nightmares Horror Films Festival (Columbus, OH - October 19-22, 2017)

Gruesome Magazine Spring 2017 is coming! That's right, the very first issue of an all-new horror magazine from the Grue-Crew behind Horror News Radio and Gruesome Magazine website will land late February 2017. The tag line "Horror Festival Hits - Independent Films - The Future of Horror" reflects the focus of the magazine on the up'n'coming horror film makers and their films in Horror Film Festivals across the globe. Check out the GM page for more details.

"You can't leave. She won't let you." Sam Neill as Dr. William Weir warns as the intrepid crew of the Lewis and Clark tries to escape the endless abandoned void of the Event Horizon. Director Paul W.S. Anderson's first dip into the horror genre is one that directly clashes with the endless void of space. Where terror can't be heard in the airless vacuum of the outside world. It's almost like Alien... Meets Hellraiser. Or a hell of a lot of other things meets Hellraiser. Can Thomas Mariani and his own intrepid guest escape the horrors of space? Only time will tell.

Decades of Horror 1990s
Episode 07 – Event Horizon (1997)

Celebrating 20 years since its release, Event Horizon presents an interesting crossroads for big budget horror. Coming out right after the death nail of the slasher genre yet before films like Blade or Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil franchise took the genre to ridiculous actions heights, Event Horizon is a curious beast of pop culture pastiche. You've got bits of Alien, The Shining, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Lovecraftian horror, Galaxy of Terror and so much other stuff wrapped into one bizarre package. One that was clearly sliced on the cutting room floor as much as the doomed crew of the Lewis and Clark end up being. Yet, despite the clear homage influences, there's really no other film like Event Horizon. It's a big budget gorefest with a cross reference of character actor talent like Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne throwing everything at the screen and seeing what sticks. Surprisingly, it's a more favorable ratio than you'd think.

Joining Thomas on this mission is Will Torres. Will may have been at the mercy of a sloppy internet connection. Damn Skype. However, his knack for snark and quick wit still shines through as he and Thomas list out the various homages Anderson sneaks, wonder how arousing the infamous blood orgy video really is and try to link together the missing character beats lost to the severe edits. Things may be choppy in terms of audio quality, but it doesn't stop Will and Thomas from descending into space madness aboard the barely functioning ship that is Decades of Horror 1990s. Seriously, it's being kept together by duct tape and gum. You can read more of Will's antics via his twitter account Nazhair.

We want to hear from you – the coolest, most gruesome fans:  leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1990s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or tweet Thomas @NotTheWhosTommy.

"Something is after Jessica. Something very cold, very wet... and very dead..." - the tag line for Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971) sets the mood for this atmospheric, creepy, overlooked thriller. Zohra Lambert provides the film with a powerful performance while director John D. Hancock weave a terrifying tale of paranoia. Let the fun begin! The Black Saint and Doc Rotten tackle another groovy horror film from the 1970s. Joining the grue-crew is Gruesome Magazine contributor Jeff Mohr.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 45 – Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971)

Let's Scare Jessica to Death is one of those classic Seventies titles that immediately sum up a tale and attract any horror fan's attention. Usually these films were all marketing and little content with the films being dismal. Most were Drive-In fare and many were instantly forgotten. It is a shame that many modern horror fans know very little of this terrific gem from 1971 - outside of, perhaps, knowing of the film's title. What horror fans are missing is a terrific little film with great performances, an intriguing tale, and moody, atmospheric direction. The film is directed by John D. Hancock and features Zohra Lambert, Barton Hayman, Kevin O'Connor, Mariclare Costello, and Gretchen Corbett.

Jeff Mohr joins the Grue-Crew for another look at a Seventies horror classic, seeming falling for Zohra Lambert in the process. The Black Saint and Doc Rotten agree with Jeff that she makes the film with a riveting, subdued, and haunting performance. The Grue-Crew find very little disparaging about the film, urging DoH fans to look out for Let's Scare Jessica to Death, praising the film for its tone, approach, direction and acting. The film looks great, Lambert deserves accolades for her role of Jessica, and the films ambivalence about its own details and origin provide an ominous conclusion to keep you thinking long after the film ends - in typical Seventies down-beat style. Decades of Horror approved.

Another week in January 2017 and another genre release. Woot! This week, the film landing in theaters across the States is The Bye Bye Man from director Stacy Title. The PG-13 horror feature sets its sights on establishing a new icon with the titular character. "Don't Think It. Don't Say It." urges the tag line. While the Black Saint finds some fun with his audience for the movie, Doc and Thomas share no love for the early contender for worst picture of 2017. Uh, oh...

A horror film festival favorite, The Barn is up for discussion on the What Have You Been Watching segment. The low budget film lives and breathes its Eighties VHS classic influences with a fun romp, full of gore and mayhem. The film also introduces three new horror creatures to enjoy, The Boogeyman, Hallowed Jack, and The Candycorn Scarecrow. The film is written and directed by Justin M. Seaman.

Dave guides the Horror News of the Week with the sad news of the passing of William Peter Blatty, the man who wrote The Exorcist and directed the best Exorcist sequel, The Exorcist III. As the year begins, HNR sets its eyes on a number of horror film festivals to attend throughout the year. Up first is Nevermore Horror Film Festival in Durham, NC on February 24 - 26, 2017.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher and Thomas Mariani 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 197 – The Bye Bye Man (2017) – The Barn (2016)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: The Bye Bye Man (2017)

Let's just get this out of the way: the Grue-crew slaughter this film. Even Doc labels it "a blemish on the face of horror." Thomas just laughs at the damn thing. However, the Black Saint finds some fun in the film siting the jubilant, teen-age crowd as raising the fun factor for the film. Regardless, he still calls The Bye Bye Man a "bad" film. Head-scratching ensures as the Grue-Crew try to figure out how - and why - Carrie-Anne Moss and Faye Dunaway are in the picture. What?

What Have You Been Watching: The Barn (2016)

If you have not yet made your way to a Horror Film Festival in the past few years, you may not realize what treasures can be unearthed within their schedules. We've mentioned a number of them over the past nearly 200 episodes - such as recently championed gore-fest Night of Something Strange. This week, we introduce another such future classic, Justin M. Seaman's The Barn. The film caters heavily to fans of the VHS horror boom in the 1980s, features enthusiastic performances and contains terrific creature designs & gore effects.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• [00:00:40]: Intro
  • [00:02:32]: Nevermore Film Festival
• [00:03:41]: Horror News of the Week
  • [00:03:59]: RIP William Peter Blatty
  • [00:09:08]: The trailer for The XX debuts
  • [00:12:47]: The cannibal film Raw gets a release date
  • [00:16:23]: Jason Harry Pagan & Andrew Deutschman are writing House on Haunted Hill
  • [00:23:56}: The Mist is coming to Spike TV
• [00:29:49]: Support HNR
• [00:30:19]: Feature Review - The Bye Bye Man
• [01:14:08]: What Have You Been Watching - The Barn
• [01:36:48]: Stump The Saint
• [01:43:01]: Listener Feedback

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

M. Night Shyamalan's Split 

GRUESOME LINKS

• Dragon Con
• Patreon
• Gruesome Tees
• Horror Pack
• Nevermore Film Festival (Durham, NC - February 24-26, 2017)
• Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival (Charleston, SC - May 19-22, 2017)
• Nightmares Horror Films Festival (Columbus, OH - October 19-22, 2017)

Gruesome Magazine Spring 2017 is coming! That's right, the very first issue of an all-new horror magazine from the Grue-Crew behind Horror News Radio and Gruesome Magazine website will land late February 2017. The tag line "Horror Festival Hits - Independent Films - The Future of Horror" reflects the focus of the magazine on the up'n'coming horror film makers and their films in Horror Film Festivals across the globe. Check out the GM page for more details.

"He thinks that's funny. He thinks that's a funny thing he's doing." - Crispen Glover cracks wise in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter as one of the teens in peril as Jason slaughters his way through the night. Meanwhile, Corey Feldman shaves his head and sharpens his machette to give Mrs. Voorhees' favorite son a deep cut. Let the fun begin! Thomas Mariani, Doc Rotten and Christopher G. Moore tackle another gruesome horror film from the 1980s.

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 99 – Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Despite being followed by eight more films (and counting, supposedly), the fourth installment subtitles itself, the Final Chapter. The Godfather of Gore, Tom Savini, returns to do special effects and does his best to bury Jason forever. Paramount's Frank Mancuso, Jr. strives hard to end Jason's reign as well. But, money is money. Savini crafts a barrage of deadly and crimson deaths but saves the best - and most graphic - demise for Jason himself. Writers Barry Cohen and Bruce Hidemi Sakow, along with director Jospeh Zito, provide the series with its hero in Tommy Jarvis (played by a young Corey Feldman) who would appear in the next two films as well.

Christopher G. Moore, Doc Rotten and Thomas Mariani revisit the franchise classic, discussing what makes it stand out among the others. While Roger Ebert described the film as "an immoral and reprehensible piece of trash" in his 1982 review of the film, the Grue-Crew strongly disagree, suggesting it is one of the best slasher films. The film has a distinct pace, creative use of lighting and a gruesome reveal of Jason Voorhees in an ending that rivals the original 1980 classic. And, where else do you get such wonderful Crispen Glover Eighties dance moves? Ch Ch Ch Ah Ah Ah!

We want to hear from you - the coolest, most gruesome fans:  leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or docrotten@decadesofhorror.com. We also want to be sure to thank Neon Devils for their killer track "Bone Chillin'" which we use for the intro and outro of this show.

The first theatrical release of 2017 is Underworld: Blood Wars - the fifth film in the Underworld franchise - with Kate Beckinsale returning as Selene, the vampire death dealer. Anna Foerster steps into the director's chair to charge the end of the war between the last of the vampire clans and the Lycans. Fans of the series get what they come for while the general public - and most horror fans - will likely get bored out of their ever-lovin' minds. Stupid fun, but ... oh, so stupid.

For this week's What Have You Been Watching segment, Thomas Mariani shares his thoughts on the J.A. Boyona feature A Monster Calls. The films features Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Signourney Weaver, Tobey Kebbell, and Liam Neeson (voicing the monster). What we learn this week is that Thomas does not like to manipulated, his tears must be earned. Shame on you, A Monster Calls, shame on you.

Dave guides the Horror News of the Week with  the trailer for Don't Knock Twice, the announcement that The Cult of Chucky is on its way, and Drew Barrymore leads the cast for Santa Clarita Diet. As the year begins, HNR sets its eyes on a number of horror film festivals to attend throughout the year. Up first is Nevermore Horror Film Festival in Durham, NC on February 24 - 26, 2017.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher and Thomas Mariani 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 197 – Underworld: Blood Wars (2017) – A Monster Calls (2017)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: Underworld: Blood Wars (2017)

Thomas Mariani reviews Underworld: Blood Wars on Gruesome Magazine, the home of Horror News Radio, mirroring what Doc thinks of the film but giving it far more praise than either The Black Saint or Dave Dreher are willing to grant the werewolf vs vampire flick. While Kate Beckinsale still looks fabulous in the Selene outfit, she seems to be over the role while her co-star Theo James seems lost. Charles Dance, like much of the cast, collects a check but Lara Pulver seems to be having a grand time in her villainous turn. If you're a fan, you'll enjoy the film well enough...maybe.

What Have You Been Watching: A Monster Calls (2016)

Thomas Mariani earns his "busiest man in podasting" as he leads the What Have You Been Watching review once again discussing the J.A. Boyona film, A Monster Calls. The director of The Orphanage stops offs to hang with Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver long enough to crank out A Monster Calls before moving on to tackle Jurassic World 2. While Thomas likes much of the film, he lets the film provoke his darker side as A Monster Calls manipulates him into shedding a tear. Bah, humbug.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• [00:00:39]: Intro
• [00:03:00]: Horror News of the Week
  • [00:03:16]: Don't Knock Twice Trailer
  • [00:05:52]: Predator casting
  • [00:10:27]: The Cult of Chucky Announcement
  • [00:15:00]: Santa Clarita Diet Commercials
  • [00:18:37]: The Lure horror musical
• [00:21:36]: Support HNR
• [00:22:15]: Feature Review - Underworld: Blood Wars
• [00:54:54]: What Have You Been Watching - A Monster Calls
• [01:08:37]: Stump The Saint

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

The Bye Bye Man / The Barn

GRUESOME LINKS

• Dragon Con
• Patreon
• Gruesome Tees
• Horror Pack
• Nevermore Film Festival (Durham, NC - February 24-26, 2017)
• Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival (Charleston, SC - May 19-22, 2017)
• Nightmares Horror Films Festival (Columbus, OH - October 19-22, 2017)

Gruesome Magazine Spring 2017 is coming! That's right, the very first issue of an all-new horror magazine from the Grue-Crew behind Horror News Radio and Gruesome Magazine website will land late February 2017. The tag line "Horror Festival Hits - Independent Films - The Future of Horror" reflects the focus of the magazine on the up'n'coming horror film makers and their films in Horror Film Festivals across the globe. Check out the GM page for more details.

"It is NOT in the file. It is not!" Lt. William Kinderman (George C. Scott) isn't having any of this as he investigates the bizarre murders that note the return of The Gemini Killer. But these killings aren't the only returning evil in Exorcist III. Kinderman must contend with the ghosts of his past as the come to haunt and destroy the friends and family he holds dear. The irrational reigns supreme over the rational as the line between man and meat puppet blurs. Hopefully, Thomas Mariani can make these murky waters far clearer as he talks Exorcist III.

Decades of Horror 1990s
Episode 06 – Exorcist III (1990)

After the multi Academy award winning The Exorcist and the infamously disastrous Exorcist II: The Heretic, Exorcist III ended up sort of being lost in the shuffle. In a decade full of sequels to classic horror films that stood out for better or worse, Exorcist III merely existed in a vacuum that resulted in just enough profits to cover its budget. 27 years later, Exorcist III has gained a cult status for its out of the box conventions. William Peter Blatty - author of the original Exorcist novel and the Academy Award winning screenwriter for the film adaptation - stepped into the writer/director role for this outing, creating a horror film that took the uncinematic and made it cinematic. This story chooses to focus on some of the side characters from the original, as Lt. Kinderman investigates a series of murders that lead him straight to the rebirth of a serial killer with demonic connotations. Exorcist III has a phenomenally eerie vibe, thanks to some building tension of its mystery and powerful theatrical performances from George C. Scott and Brad Dourif.

Joining Thomas for this episode is returning co-host Doc Rotten. The two discuss the troubled production of Exorcist III, with particular emphasis on the recently released Director's Cut made available on the recent Scream Factory blu ray release. Whether or not the studio's decision to reshoot many of Brad Dourif's scenes with The Exorcist star Jason Miller is heavily debated, particularly with the rather elaborate exorcism climax that literally drops a character in out of thin air. There's also plenty of talk about the moody lighting, grounded dialogue and one of the most effective jump scares in horror history. It's a lively discussion that makes the two question their faith in podcasting. They also question why the hell Fabio and Patrick Ewing are in this movie, as would anyone.

We want to hear from you – the coolest, most gruesome fans:  leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1990s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or tweet Thomas @NotTheWhosTommy.

The Grue-Crew start off the new year by taking a look at the upcoming twelves month to countdown the Most Anticipated Horror Films of 2017 as voted on by the entire Grue-Crew and the Grue-Believers alike. 2016 was a great year for horror with a great number of films that fought for the best of lists just one episodes ago, 2017 looks to be chock full of films looking to shock, frighten, and disgust audiences each and every month.

For the What Have You Been Watching segment, Thomas goes solo with his review of the December release Nocturnal Animals.

Horror News of the Week weeps as the Force trembles with the passing of Carrie Fisher, known most famously for portraying Princess/General Leia Organa in the Star Wars films but was also known for being an incredible writer, a script doctor, and a insanely funny wit. She will be greatly missed. In addition R.I.P. to Debbie Reynolds and George Kosana from Night of the Living Dead.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher and Thomas Mariani 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 196 – Nocturnal Animals (2016) – The Most Anticipated Horror Films of 2017
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

What Have You Been Watching: Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Thomas Mariani steps in to talk about the surprisingly violent and occasionally scary Tom Ford film Nocturnal Animals. The film has an Oscar-bait cast featuring Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Ellie Bamber, Armie Hammer, Karl Glusman, Michael Sheen, and Laura Linney. The script which contains a "story inside a story" mechanism, fields a story where a family vacation turns violent and deadly. Thomas shares his thoughts and recommendations.

Special Feature: The Most Anticipated Horror Films of 2017

For the Special Feature this week, the Grue-crew turn their third eye to the future, discussing the upcoming horror films of 2017. After placing a poll up on Gruesome Magazine, Patreon, and Facebook, the Grue-Crew and the Grue-Believers voted on over two dozen films headed to theatrical release in the coming months. Doc, Thomas, the Black Saint count down the top 10 from that list, revealing their forecasts and predictions on The Most Anticipated Horror Films of 2017.

• 10) Split - 02/20/2017 - d. M. Night Shyamalan
• 09) The Belko Experiment - 03/10/2017 - d. Greg McLean
• 08) A Cure for Wellness - 02/17/2017 - d. Gore Verbinski
• 07) Get Out - 02/24/2017 - d. Jordan Peele
• 06) Stephen King's It - 09/08/2017 - d. Andres Muschietti
• 05) Stephen King's The Dark Tower - 07/28/2017 - d. Nicolaj Arcel
• 04) Alien: Covenant - 05/19/2017 - d. Ridley Scott
• 03) Cloverfield 3: God Particle - 10/27/2017 - d. Julius Onah
• 02) War for the Planet of the Apes - 07/14/2017 - d. Matt Reeves
• 01) Kong: Skull Island - 03/10/2017 - d. Jordan Vogt-Roberts

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• [00:00:41]: Intro
  • [00:04:30]: Gruesome Magazine 2016 Yearbook
• [00:05:08]: Horror News of the Week
  • [00:05:28]: RIP Carrie Fisher & Debbie Reynolds
  • [00:11:24]: RIP George Kosana
• [00:13:34]: Support HNR
• [00:14:41]: What Have You Been Watching: Nocturnal Animals (2016)
• [00:26:30]: Special Feature: Most Anticipated Horror Films of 2017
• [01:21:06]: StumpTheSaint

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

Underworld: Blood Wars

The Grue-Crew are at again, counting down the best horror films of the year. 2016 was a bastard of a year stealing the most talented from us way too soon and shaking up politics and popular opinion. Yet, horror films ruled supreme winning at the box office and surprising horror fans on Blu-ray and VOD. The Black Saint, Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Doc Rotten gather one last time for the year to reveal their top ten films which include high profile theatrical releases, hit foreign films, and challenging low-budget independent films. The lists are full of curiosities and expected hits alike with Train to Busan and The Conjuring 2 racking up the most notices.

And still 2016 has one last terrific entry for horror fans with the December release of The Autopsy of Jane Doe from director Andre Ovredal featuring Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox in the lead roles. The film manages to do what many films cannot - provide a thrilling mystery and a rewarding twist. The direction, the acting, and the cinematography combine to bring one last atmospheric, scary horror film to fans. The only disappointing thing about the film is that is was denied a theatrical release.

Dave guides the Horror News of the Week with a trio of trailers. First up is the Alien: Covenant trailer released on Christmas day, for some reason. Next is a clip from the upcoming film Beyond Skyline, and who cares. Last up is the awkward IMAX trailer for The Mummy missing much of its audio track, and it's is so much better for it, for all the wrong reasons.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher and Thomas Mariani 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 195 – The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) – The Best Horror Films of 2016
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

2016 ends on a great note with the film The Autopsy of Jane Doe, which ends up on many of the best of the year lists. The film is from the director of Trollhunters, Andre Ovredal, following a mortician and his son as the perform an autopsy on an unknown victim of a horrific crime scene. Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox are fantastic, and convincing, as the father and son, providing horror some of the best performances of the year. The story behind the death of "Jane Doe" is enthralling, capturing the audience's attention and never letting go. Gruesome and frightening, the Grue-Crew have a great time recapping and reviewing this late addition to the horror films of 2016.

Special Feature: The Best Horror Films of 2016

The Grue-Crew dive into their best of lists for 2016 with fandom delight and enthusiastic glee. 2016 is a great year for horror films. The only drawback is how difficult to keep the top list to only ten films. Dave, The Black Saint, Thomas and Doc all get their opportunity to plead their cases for their top 10 list, some films repeat in nearly each list, while others a small surprises and, perhaps, questionable inclusions. So, here it is, the Best Horror Films of 2016.

• Dave Dreher
  • 10) Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories
  • 09) Fender Bender
  • 08) Hush
  • 07) 10 Cloverfield Lane
  • 06) The Monster
  • 05) The Autopsy of Jane Doe
  • 04) Beyond the Gates
  • 03) Night of Something Strange
  • 02) Nina Forever
  • 01) Train to Busan
• Santos Ellin, Jr. (The Black Saint)
  • 10) Found Footage 3D
  • 09) The Autopsy of Jane Doe
  • 08) The Similars
  • 07) Lights Out
  • 06) Don't Breathe
  • 05) Ouija: Origin of Evil
  • 04) Night of Something Strange
  • 03) The Conjuring 2
  • 02) Train to Busan
  • 01) The Monster
• Thomas Mariani
  • 10) Trash Fire
  • 09) Demon
  • 08) The Invitation
  • 07) Don't Breathe
  • 06) I Am Not a Serial Killer
  • 05) 10 Cloverfield Lane
  • 04) The Witch
  • 03) The Conjuring 2
  • 02) Green Room
  • 01) Train to Busan
• Doc Rotten
  • 10) The Autopsy of Jane Doe
  • 09) Sadako vs Kayako
  • 08) The Shallows
  • 07) Lights Out
  • 06) Ouija: Origin of Evil
  • 05) Night of Something Strange
  • 04) Dry Blood
  • 03) The Wailing
  • 02) Train to Busan
  • 01) The Conjuring 2

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• [00:00:40] Intro
• [00:05:25]: Horror News of the Week
  • [00:05:41]: Alien: Covenant Trailer
  • [00:11:41]: Beyond Skyline Trailer
  • [00:16:28]: The Mummy Trailer: Sound Effects Cut
• [00:21:27]: Support HNR
• [00:22:12]: Feature Review - The Autopsy of Jane Doe
• [01:01:56]: Special Feature - Top Ten Horror Films of 2016
  • [01:02:29]: Dave's List
  • [01:09:31]: Santos' List
  • [01:16:36]: Thomas' List
  • [01:34:00]: Doc's List
• [01:47:54]: StumpTheSaint

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

7The Most Anticipated Horror Films of 2017

GRUESOME LINKS

• Dragon Con
• Walker Stalker Charlotte
• Patreon
• Gruesome Tees
• Horror Pack

"Creeping!...Crawling!...Crushing!" - Bill Rebane, the director who gave us Bigfoot Terror, presents to starving horror fans a horror film featuring a giant spider attacking a small town in Wisconsin. And, by giant spider, we mean a Volkswagon Bug dressed with a million eyes and eight furry legs. And it is bloody brilliant...in all the wrong ways. The Black Saint and Doc Rotten tackle another groovy horror film from the 1970s. Joining the grue-crew is Gruesome Magazine contributor Jeff Mohr and North Carolina film maker Bill Mulligan.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 44 – The Giant Spider Invasion (1975)

A film that many modern horror fans know as a MST3K favorite is a drive-in classic from 1975, The Giant Spider Invasion is a marvel of low budget film making. Despite some of the films many flaws, the film is inexplicably entertaining...for all the wrong reasons. So deliciously bad it is a wonder mess of a fun movie and the Grue-Crew are here to share their memories, their impressions, and their favorite scenes. The fun begins with Alan Hale Jr.'s first line of dialog, fondly remembering his run as The Skipper on Gilligan's Island - "Hi, little buddy!". But it is the spider effects - made for a whopping 10K - that make the film so memorable, earning its spot among the 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made honestly.

The film also features Steve Brodie, Barbara Hale, Robert Easton, Leslie Parrish, Bill Williams, Kevin Brodie, Diane Lee Hart,  and Tain Bodkin. The plot is full of soap opera relationships spoiled by a dropping meteor that carries geodes full of crawling, deadly spiders and opening a black hole in the Wisconsin fields. Crawling out of that black hole is a hungry, murderous giant spider over 15 feet wide. Made for $300,000.00, the film reportedly made $22 Million. No small feat. Listen to Doc, The Black Saint, Jeff and Bill revisit The Giant Spider Invasion and then see it for yourself...if you dare.

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 welcome award-winning director and co-host of Decades of Horror 1980s - and Star Wars uber-fan - Christopher G. Moore to join them in discussing the latest film in the franchise ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY. Taking place prior to Star Wars IV: A New Hope, the film from director Gareth (Monsters, Godzilla) Edwards surprises everyone with how successful it is as a Star Wars film and in expanding the Star Wars cinematic universe, proving what fans have always known, there is far more to explore than just those pesky Skywalkers.

In a surprise announcement, Doc shares that Gruesome Magazine Spring 2017 is coming! That's right, the very first issue of an all-new horror magazine from the Grue-Crew behind Horror News Radio and Gruesome Magazine website will land late February 2017. The tag line "Horror Festival Hits - Independent Films - The Future of Horror" reflects the focus of the magazine on the up'n'coming horror film makers and their films in Horror Film Festivals across the globe. Check out the GM page for more details.

Doc guides the Horror News of the Week with the teaser trailer for the much anticipated Blade Runner 2049, the Vestron Blu-ray release of the Eighties' classic The Gate, and the insanity of the Fate of the Furious trailer . The year is quickly coming to a close and the Grue-Crew want to wish you a Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. Wow! It's time to prepare to kick 2017's butt!

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher and Thomas Mariani 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 194 – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

The outcome is predictable, they will steal the plans to the Death Star. So where is the conflict and suspense in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? We all know the ending. But, Disney, Lucas Films and director Gareth Edwards all have a huge surprise for us as we get to know the new cast of misfits banding together to accomplish this well-known goal. And, boy, do we ever give a shit. Felicity Jones is Jyn Erso, the film's new hero. Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk are her new sidekicks - of sorts - as Cassian Andor and K-2S0. Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang make us believe in the force unlike any other Star Wars character as Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus. Riz Ahmed rounds out the cast as Bodhi Rook, an imperial deserter out to right many wrongs. The rest of the Star Wars universe is not far behind with the Death Star, Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin not far behind as Ben Mendelsohn tries to outwit our merry band of thieves and assassins as Orson Krennic. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is far darker than any other Star Wars film and is all the better for it. May the Force be with you.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• [00:00:43] Intro
• [00:03:44] Announcements
  • [00:04:32] Coming Soon: Gruesome Magazine Spring 2017
• [00:07:46] Horror News of the Week
  • [00:07:52] Blade Runner 2049 Teaser
  • [00:16:19] The Gate Blu Ray
  • [00:18:37] Bruce Campbell's Haunted House Show
  • [00:24:53] Fate of the Furious Trailer
  • [00:30:14] Ashy Slashy Puppet from NECA
• [00:33:09] Stump The Saint
• [00:40:03] Support HNR
• [00:40:30] Feature Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

The Autopsy of Jane Doe and The Best Horror Films of 2016

GRUESOME LINKS

• Dragon Con
• Walker Stalker Charlotte
• Patreon
• Gruesome Tees
• Horror Pack

"My Mom and Dad are gonna be so mad at me!" The squeals of Stuart (Matthew Lillard) sounded the sirens of satire and scares inherent in Wes Craven's Scream. Celebrating it's 20th anniversary this month, this tale of teenagers who are aware of horror film tropes changed the dwindling landscape of mainstream horror at the time of release. It also signaled more than a few flimsy copycats that tried and failed to bring that same spirit of satiric anarchy to the world of the slasher. Was Scream a good or bad thing for horror? Thomas Mariani and his special guest have a lot to say on that matter.

Decades of Horror 1990s
Episode 05 – Scream (1996)

Featuring a solid roster of young talent for the time and an awareness of the tropes everyone became all too familiar with in the post-80s boom of the slasher genre, Scream spoke to the Blockbuster generation that became too aware to be scared. Now, with a killer who was just as ahead of the game as those he was trying to kill, all bets were off. Right from the moment Drew Barrymore gets slashed in the prologue, no one was safe. Everyone's a suspect. Everyone's a potential victim. All of this is unveiled in a story that features the young and capable Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), lovable oaf of a police officer Dewey (David Arquette) and the opportunistic Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) at the center. Throw in a few familiar faces to the decade and the longest party scene in cinematic history and you've got yourself a recipe for mayhem and references to classic horror.

Joining Thomas on this post-modern journey is his Decades of Horror 1980s co-host and award winning filmmaker Christopher G. Moore. Together, this pair discuss the unique stamp Scream brought to a genre that seemed to be dying with the final traditional breaths of the 80s slashers. There's talk of how negative the impact Scream had on the genre, what the line is between a reference & smugness and just how many of these cast members peaked here. What? Everyone knows Jamie Kennedy didn't peak until Son of the Mask, right? It's a tantalizing discussion that can't be missed!

We want to hear from you – the coolest, most gruesome fans:  leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1990s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or tweet Thomas @NotTheWhosTommy.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help noticing that strange and interesting plant. What is it?" The question on the minds of every patron that walks into Mushnik's Flower Shop. The Audrey II is all the rage thanks to Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) and his secret gardening tips. Those tips just so happen to involve blood coming from the tips of his fingers. Pricked from the tips, to be exact. It's all blood, puppetry and high musical notes as Doc, Thomas and Christopher come together to discuss Little Shop of Horrors in honor of the film's 30th anniversary.

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 98 – Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Based on the Off-Broadway musical that was itself based on the 1960 Roger Corman B-Feature, Little Shop of Horrors (1960) takes the Mean Green Mother from Outer Space into the stratosphere. Directed by Muppeteer and Yoda himself Frank Oz, Little Shop of Horrors manages to balance the heavy musical heft of songs written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (known for their early 1990s era Disney work on Beauty & the Beast and The Little Mermaid) and the demanding special effects needs of the Audrey II puppet seamlessly. This Faustian tale of poor schmuck Seymour trying to impress the gorgeous girl he works with and respects Audrey (Ellen Greene) by feeding this plant (voiced by Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops) human blood is oddly relatable. Sure, there's a raving mad dentist (Steve Martin) and a Greek chorus of Mo-Town back up singers, but that doesn't stop this rousing story of love, death and foliage from making even the most cynical heart melt as it's fed to a giant plant monster.

Doc, Christopher and Thomas are here to talk the laughs, the horror and the music on this one. It's a mutual lovefest. Doc admits his initial shame from enjoying it among his circle of friends. Christopher regals us with tales of how he played the dentist role in his days as an actor. Thomas in particular is excited because Little Shop of Horrors is his most admitted favorite film of all time. That's right. Favorite. Film. Of. All. Time. Naturally, Thomas takes the reins to guide Doc & Christopher through Skid Row. The discussion ranges from the origin point of the original Roger Corman film to the special effects wizardry that got Frank Oz, Lyle Conway and his team to bring Audrey II to life, creating what Thomas argues is the best special effects creation of all time.

We want to hear from you – the coolest, most gruesome fans:  leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or docrotten@decadesofhorror.com. We also want to be sure to thank Neon Devils for their killer track “Bone Chillin'” which we use for the intro and outro of this show.

It's that time of year again, time to take a look back at the past twelve months of horror films in theaters, VOD or film festivals. The "best of" will garner some attention later this month, but for episode 193, the Grue-crew are going to get the unpleasantaries out of the way, taking a long look at The Worst Horror Films of 2016. This year Kevin Smith earns the unique distinction of being on all four lists, entering the top tens for Dave Dreher, The Black Saint, Thomas Mariani, and Doc Rotten. While a few candidates make a multiple hits this year (Shin Godzilla, Viral, Cell, Rob Zombie's 31), The Black Saint would be content with filling the entire list with films from Blumhouse. Sigh.

The feature review this week is Abattoir, a low budget film from Darren Lynn Bousman with a rough history getting the film in the can. The film has terrific cinematography and a creative concept behind the story. Any film featuring Lin Shaye is worth a look see. Jessica Lowndes and Joe Anderson lead the cast while Dayton Callie stars as the film's villain Jebediah Crone. The Grue-Crew chime in with their reaction to the film debating what worked and what fell short.

Dave guides the Horror News of the Week with a reaction to the Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer, the Deadpool Golden Globe nomination, and the new Marvel comic from RL Stein, Man-Thing. And Doc is set to visit the Walker Stalker Charlotte convention December 17 & 18, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher and Thomas Mariani 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 193 – Abattoir (2016) – The Worst Horror Films of 2016
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: Abattoir (2016)

Fan favorite director Darren Lynn Bousman (Repo! The Genetic Opera, Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV) returns with Abattoir where he takes a unique stab at the haunted house genre. Bousman enlists a terrific cast including Jessica Lowndes, Joe Anderson, Lin Shaye, Dayton Callie, Michael Pare, and Bryan Batt. Callie is especially terrific as Jebediah Crone, a mysterious man who buys houses - houses that are reportedly haunted - and rips out the rooms where the haunting originates. What he ends up doing with those rooms is quite extraordinary.

Special Feature: The Worst Horror Films of 2016

While 2016 was a crappy year in general, it was a fairly decent year for Horror Films. They struck gold at the box office and some true gems went straight to VOD. The Grue-crew will be getting to the best horror films in a few weeks, for tonight, their heading down the lonesome road to The Worst Horror Films of 2016. Dave Dreher, The Black Saint, Thomas Mariani, and Doc Rotten each provide their top 10 (or is that their bottom 10?). One film made it onto each list, Yoga Hosers, while Rob Zombie's 31, Cell, and Shin Godzilla made it on three. Here they are in all their...glory.

• Dave Dreher
  • 10) Shin Godzilla
  • 09) Phantasm Ravager
  • 08) Viral
  • 07) Zoombies
  • 06) Rob Zombie's 31
  • 05) Yoga Hosers
  • 04) Hardcore Henry
  • 03) Jeruzalem
  • 02) Cell
  • 01) Bite
• Santos Ellin, Jr. (The Black Saint)
  • 10) Terror Toons 3
  • 09) Cell
  • 08) Baskin
  • 07) Viral
  • 06) Phantasm: Ravager
  • 05) The Greasy Strangler
  • 04) Blair Witch
  • 03) Incarnate
  • 02) Yoga Hosers
  • 01) The Darkness
• Thomas Mariani
  • 10) Zoombies
  • 09) Shin Godzilla
  • 08) Jeruzalem
  • 07) The Disappointments Room
  • 06) Pride + Prejudice + Zombies
  • 05) Martyrs
  • 04) Rob Zombie's 31
  • 03) Night of Something Strange
  • 02) Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween
  • 01) Yoga Hosers
• Doc Rotten
  • 10) Incarnate
  • 09) The Veil
  • 08) Rob Zombie's 31
  • 07) Shin Godzilla
  • 06) Satanic
  • 05) Shelley
  • 04) Yoga Hosers
  • 03) Getting Schooled
  • 02) Ghost Team
  • 01) Cell

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• [00:00:38]: Intro
  • [00:02:33]: Walker Stalker
  • [00:03:08]: Gruesome Magazine 2017!
• [00:04:07]: Horror News of the Week
  • [00:04:23]: Deadpool & Genre Golden Globe Nominations
  • [00:09:08]: War for the Planet of the Apes Trailer
  • [00:13:16]: Man-Thing by RL Stine
  • [00:16:32]: James Franco in Alien: Covenant
  • [00:19:58]: Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer
• [00:29:36]: Support HNR
• [00:30:13]: Featire Review: Abattoir
• [00:54:03]: Special Feature: Worst Horror Films Of The Year 2016
  • [00:56:30]: Dave's List
  • [01:01:29]: Santos' List
  • [01:11:04]: Thomas' List
  • [01:26:22]: Doc's List
  • [01:43:13]: Dishonorable Mentions
• [01:48:36]: Stump The Saint

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

GRUESOME LINKS

• Dragon Con
• Walker Stalker Charlotte
• Patreon
• Gruesome Tees
• Horror Pack

"Pretty Sally Mae died a very unnatural death! ... But the worst hasn't happened to her yet! DERANGED ... confessions of a necrophile." - The tag line Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby's Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile (1974) is Seventies Drive-In Exploitation at its best. The film, starring Roberts Blossom, is based upon the life of serial killer Ed Gein, considered the most accurate portrayal of his story until Ed Gein released in 2000 The Black Saint and Doc Rotten tackle another groovy horror film from the 1970s. Joining the grue-crew is Gruesome Magazine contributor Jeff Mohr.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 43 – Deranged (1974)

One of the great things about Decades of Horror 1970s is coming across films not seen in a very long time - or, like Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile, seen for the very first time. While The Black Saint is a long time fan of the film - fighting for it to be covered on the podcast since the show started, Doc Rotten and guest-host Jeff Mohr are watching the film with a fresh set of eyes each some 42 years after its initial release. Deranged is produced (albeit uncredited) by Bob Clark (Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, Dead of Night, Black Christmas) written by Alan Ormsby and co-directed by Jeff Gillen. Roberts Blossom stars as Ezra Cobb, modeled after Ed Gein. Blossom may be recognized from his later roles in Christine (George LeBay) and Home Alone (Old Man Marley). Santos gets to share his love for the film and finds Doc and Jeff equally impressed by the low budget shocker.

The story follows Ezra Cobb after his mother passes away. Lost without her, he resorts to digger her up nearly a years after her death. Studying taxidermy, he hatches a plan to restore her and begins robbing graves for "materials." Before long he sets his sights on fresher materials and the body count rises - as his madness grows. Blossom's performance drives the film but the effects - from first time effects artist Tom Savini - display in gruesome detail. One particular scene, long cut from the film restored in recent years, has Cobb peeling back the scalp of one victim so he can scoop out her brains. Later when his affection for a young waitress turns violent, the audience is treated to a dinner scene reminiscent of a later 1974 classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film is made for fans of Seventies drive-in horror films. Catch it if you can.