Get Premium Access
Info

Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

Discussion about Horror Movies New and Retro on Decades of Horror / 1980's / 1970's / The Classic Era / Horror News Radio
RSS Feed iOS App Premium Podcasts
2024
March
February
January


2023
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2015
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2014
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2013
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2012
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May


2011
November
October
September


Categories

All Episodes
Archives
Categories
Premium Episodes
Now displaying: 2017
May 10, 2017

“Gooba gobble, gooba gobble, one of us, one of us. We accept her, we accept her, one of us, one of us…” Easy for them to say! Join the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era’s Grue Crew - Chad Hunt, Erin Miskell, Jeff Mohr, and Joseph Perry - as we make a trip to the circus and take in Tod Browning’s legendary film, Freaks (1932).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era

Episode 7 – Freaks (1932)

Loosely based on “Spurs,” a short story by Clarence Aaron 'Tod' Robbins, Freaks is the embodiment of the adage, “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” all the way from its advertising taglines to the appearance of the film’s actors. Throughout the filming, Browning leans heavily on his experiences working in a carnival and exhibits a genuine affection for the title characters of Freaks.

The blatantly exploitative taglines - “The Love Story of a SIREN, a GIANT, and a DWARF!” and “Can a full grown woman truly love a MIDGET?” -  are so misleading as to constitute outright lies. Yet another tagline - “‘We'll Make Her One of Us!’ from the gibbering mouths of these weird creatures came this frenzied cry... no wonder she cringed in horror... this beautiful woman who dared toy with the love of one of them!” - has nearly nothing to do with the film and only works to entice the audience with the supposed luridness of a freak show using phrases like “gibbering mouths,” “weird creatures,” “frenzied cry,” and “cringed in horror.”

Despite their abnormal bodies, the title characters of Freaks are the beautiful ones, exuding love and caring for one another in this traveling community. On the other hand, Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova), the beautiful siren; and Hercules (Henry Victor), the handsome strongman; turn out to be ugly beyond redemption, as they conspire to destroy Hans’ (Harry Earles) relationship with Frieda (Daisy Earles) and murder him in order to steal his inheritance. Throughout Freaks, these two villains pepper the sideshow community with derisive and disparaging insults, treating them as if they are less than human.

Hans and Frieda are supported throughout Freaks by their loving, understanding, and loyal friends in this big-hearted family - the half woman-half man (Josephine Joseph), the Siamese Twins (Violet and Daisy Hilton), the Armless Girl (Frances O’Connor), the Human Skeleton (Peter Robinson), the Living Torso (Prince Randian), the half-boy (Johnny Eck), Angeleno (Angelo Rossitto), Schlitze and too many others to list. Two normal-bodied members of their freakshow family are Phroso the Clown, played by consummate character actor Wallace Ford, and Venus, played by Leila Hyams.

Freaks is about that age old love-versus-greed conflict and in this case, love triumphs while the characters motivated by greed suffer hideous consequences. It’s unfortunate that the powers that be chose to pitch Freaks as the beautiful Cleopatra and handsome Hercules falling victims to a gibbering gang of weird creatures.

There’s some question as to whether or not Freaks is a horror film, but without a doubt, there are some horrifying scenes, especially in the last ten minutes. However, the horror is not in the appearance of the title characters as implied by the advertising taglines, but in what they do to Cleopatra and Hercules in return for the horrifying treatment the couple inflicts on them, especially Hans..

If you’re paying attention, you’ll hear which of us makes these memorable comments:

  • “... you can just kind of picture us bouncing in our seats right now.”
  • ‘“From the gibbering mouths of these weird creatures came this frenzied cry!” ... Actually our gibbering mouths were probably worse at the beginning of this episode.’
  • “I cry like every five minutes in this movie.”
  • “Tell me what you can do with your eyebrow.”
  • “I would’ve smiled and then just spiked Cleopatra’s drink with as many laxatives as I could get my hands on.”

We plan to release a new episode every other week. Our upcoming schedule includes The Queen of Spades (1949), The Last Man on Earth (1964), Village of the Damned (1960) and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920).

Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era and what films you’d like to hear us cover! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we’re just four nutjobs talking about the movies we love. 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.

To each of you, a great big “THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!” from each of us!

May 9, 2017

"Obey me! Or I will return you to the diseased state I found you in... and then I will slay BOTH of you!" Radu Molasar (Michael Carter) warns Dr. Theodore Cuza (Ian McKellan) not to question his judgement. Or else! Why he's suggesting he's going to return him to his earlier state and then kill him instead of just doing the latter is up for debate. One of many things that will make you scratch your head in The Keep. With a troubled production and relative obscurity, The Keep isn't that fondly looked upon. In fact, there's only one true fan of The Keep... and he's on this podcast.

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 106 – Poltergeist (1982)

The Keep came out in 1983 to little fanfare. It had a troubled production. This included excessive reshoots, the lead special effects designer dying and director/writer Michael Mann's vision being compromised from a three and a half hour cut to just ninety six minutes. The results are a rather convoluted mess of storylines. At the centered are a group of Nazis (lead by Jürgen Prochnow) overtaking a citadel in Romania known as The Keep. These Nazis take a Jewish historian (McKellan) out of a concentration camp to decipher ancient writings, who discovers a golem-like creature the citadel is keeping at bay. Meanwhile, some dude named Glaeken (Scott Glenn) has laser eyes and wants to destroy the golem... because. That's about as much plot as can be described for The Keep. The choppy editing and awful VHS quality transfer for the only copy available on streaming platforms (and not on DVD or Blu-Ray) can hardly be determined.

So in order to make any sense out of The Keep, Doc Rotten, Christopher G. Moore and Thomas Mariani seek the guidance of Santos Ellin Jr. He's been a fan of Michael Mann's film since he first saw it in a not-so-crowded theater. He describes the mastery of Mann's direction, the unique production design and just how awesome that Tangerine Dream score was. At least, in the original form, since it's not available on the crappy transfer due to music rights. Everyone else isn't quite as impressed. Thomas appreciates the vision, but thinks the only version that's available doesn't do it justice. Christopher thinks it should be imprisoned for all time in a citadel all its own. Doc is just flat out confused. It's an elaborate discussion that makes us wonder about what could have been. Is The Keep a keeper or should it be locked away? Listen to find out for sure!

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.

May 7, 2017

Welcome to American Gods Fan Podcast, episode 2 "The Secret of Spoons". This is the unofficial podcast about the hit Starz television program American Gods by fans for fans as brought to you by HorrorNewsTV.com, DocRotten.com, and GruesomeMagazine.com. The Grue-Crew behind the Hannibal Fan Podcast reunites to dive into the latest blood-soaked effort of Bryan Fuller as he brings to life the acclaimed novel from Neil Gaiman! Let's set on a cross-country trip across America with Shadow Moon and Mr. Wednesday.

Episode Two begins with the introduction of Mr. Nancy (Orlando Jones) on a slave ship sailing from Africa to America in the 1600s. "Angry is good. Angry gets shit done!" He implores to the slaves as he sets them free to burn the ship at sea. The show then follows up with Shadow Moon contemplating how he survived Technical Boy's lynching, returning to the hotel room to confront Mr. Wednesday about what exactly is going on. Instead of a straightforward answer, Mr. Wednesday leads Shadow to Chicago. Along the way, Shadow encounters Media (Gillian Anderson) on a store's TV screen posing as Lucy from I Love Lucy. But the show gets interesting once they arrive at the Zoryas' household in the windy city - Vechernyaya (Cloris Leachman) and Utrennyaya (Martha Kelly). It is not long before Czernobog (Peter Stormare) returns home raising the stakes.

American Gods Fan Podcast: Season One
Episode 2 – The Secret of Spoons
Aired May 7, 2017, on Starz

Dave quickly describes this week as "the best second episode you could possibly hope for." The rest of the Grue-Crew wholeheartedly agree. "The Secret of Spoons" offered riveting dialog, spectacular cinematography, and a delicious series of new characters to cheer for and ponder about. Add to that, where else are you going to hear Gillian Anderson inquire "Hey, you ever want to see Lucy's tits?" Truly brilliant! But it must be said that Peter Stormare stole the episode in a role he was born to play, Czernobog. Seriously, has a game of checkers ever been this tense? It is another great week for American Gods that immediately grabs you by the boo-boo with the spectacular performance from Orlando Jones glorious chewing the scenery with the Mr. Nancy dialog. Still it isn't all love fest for the Grue-Crew, there's still plenty to discuss and debate and enjoy with their dicussion about the second episode.

Each week, the Grue-Crew will present some of their favorite scenes in two spotlight segments. The first segment is The OMG Moment of the Week where they choose the bloodiest, goriest, most bizarre, most outrageous moment of the week's episode. The second episode of American Gods offers more fantasy oriented choices, far less bloody than last week. Which shocking twist will the hosts decide upon? The second segment is The Folklore Feature of the Week where they look back at the Americana moment of the week or the historical moment dealing with the American Gods themselves. As their story unfolds and their journey across America continues what riches will they present to the audience. Discover which rich storyline peaked the hosts' interest this week.

May 5, 2017

The Grue-Crew clash over the Nacho Vigalondo film Colossal, a killer Kaiju film with a kick-ass twist. It is also one of the most original films you will see this year. Thomas surprises everyone else on the podcast with a positive review of the Blumhouse film that snuck into theaters this weekend, Sleight from writer/director J.D. Dillard. Dave grabs the Horror News of the Week reigns with the sad news of the passing of legendary director Jonathan Demme, the man who gave horror fans Silence of the Lambs. He also shares news of M. Night Shyamalan's next film, the sequel to Unbreakable and Split titled Glass, coming our way January 2019 and the announcement that David Fincher is all but signed on the dotted line to direct Brad Pitt in World War Z 2. Who knew that would be a thing? Thomas and Santos participate in a battle of wits with this week's Stump the Saint!

As always, the HNR Grue-Crew would love to hear from you, the listeners, the fans. You can always reach out via email at feedback(AT)horrornewsradio(DOT)com or find us on Twitter: Doc Rotten | Dave Dreher | The Black Saint | Thomas Mariani. Also, like us on Facebook and join the Horror News Radio Facebook Group.

Horror News Radio
Episode 213 – Colossal (2017)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

 

SHOWNOTES

INTRO [00:00:37]

HORROR NEWS OF THE WEEK [00:02:53]

SUPPORT HNR [00:38:32]

FEATURE REVIEW [00:39:55]

  • Colossal (2017)
  • Director: Nacho Vigalondo. Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Tim Blake Nelson, Austin Stowell, Dan Stevens

ANNOUNCEMENTS [01:23:51]

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING [01:26:27]

  • Sleight (2017)
  • Director/Writer: J.D. Dillard w/ co-writer Alex Theurer. Cast: Jacob Latimore, Sychelle Gabriel, Dule Hill

STUMP THE SAINT [01:38:48]

FEEDBACK [01:48:16]

  • MMkmmkrt drops some love on iTunes!
  • Thanks to Tear Out the Heart and Victory Records for use of the song Undead Anthem for the intro and outro of the HNR podcast

NEXT WEEK [01:50:20]

  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
May 4, 2017

"In an insane world, a sane man must appear insane." Gorlic (Paul McGann) babbles true words to Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and Clemens (Charles Dance) just before"The Dragon" attacks. Alien 3 was to many a rather insane proposition. After the incredibly beloved AliensAlien 3 decides to throw out many of the beloved characters introduced there and leave its audience wallowing in a nihilistic pit. Where the main journey of Ripley is centered around a desire to die. Perhaps that's why it wasn't too popular 25 years ago. However, does that impeded it from finding a modern audience now?

Decades of Horror 1990s
Episode 14 – Alien 3

Alien 3 or as it's often stylized Alien3 - is often considered the black sheep of the Xenomorph ladened franchise. Not as beloved as Alien or Aliens, yet not quite as controversial as Alien vs Predator or Prometheus. While often dismissed by many - including its own director David Fincher - Alien 3 offers a unique perspective that sets itself apart from others in the franchise. Abandoning crowd pleasing nature of Aliens and doubling down on the thriller angles of AlienAlien 3 seeks no light at the end of the tunnel. The prison planet of Fiorina 161 is a desolate pit covered in lice and bald angry prisoners. The only hope for Ripley, Dillon or any of the few remaining people on the planet is merely killing the Xenomorph as it's killing them. It's bleak, unrelenting and oppressive... meaning it really wouldn't be for everyone.

To examine this, Thomas Mariani not only welcomes back Adam Thomas from last week, but also recruits his Horror News Radio co-host Santos "The Black Saint" Ellin Jr. The Black Saint has been a heavy defender of Alien 3 since it was originally released, hailing it as his favorite film of the franchise. He praises the nihilism, the bleak outlook of the characters and Fincher's grimy atmosphere. Adam praises much of the same, though still considers Alien his favorite. Thomas has a few more issues, but respects the consistent dark tone and risky choices. Together, these three discuss the differences between the Alien 3 theatrical and Assembly Cut, the troubled production David Fincher went through and the controversy over killing off Newt, Hicks and Bishop. It's a spirited discussion that shows Alien 3 has far more depth than people give it credit for.

Contact Us

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. Also make sure to give us some love via iTunes reviews and ratings. Helps us get more notice along the way.

Next Episode

Twin Peaks: The Series and Fire Walk With Me

May 3, 2017

"Good morning. You are one day closer to the end of the world. You have been warned." - the tag line for The Omen (1976) goes a long way in frightening audiences, then and now. Following cinema's fascination with possession and satanism since Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist changed the face of horror, Director Richard Donner brings the threat of Revelations to the forefront without resorting to full-on supernatural, grounding the terror in reality as much as possible. This results in one of the biggest hits of the year. 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 50 – The Omen (1976)

The Black Saint, Doc, and Jeff reflect on The Omen, remarking on how well the Richard Donner approached and manipulated the script. They examine a number of keys scenes pointing out how well they work in the genre, from the decapitation of David Warner's character to Lee Remick's character tumbling from the banister to the iconic scene where Patrick Troughton's priest is skewered by a severed lightning rod. Above all that is the incredible music provided by Jerry Goldsmith for which he won an Academy Award that year. The presence of esteemed actor Gregory Peck goes a long way in grounding the film and its terrifying themes. And actress Billie Whitelaw is absolutely frightening in the role of Mrs. Baylock.

For the fiftieth episode of Decades of Horror 1970s, we decided to tackle one of the big releases of the decade, also one featuring subject matter that is particularly unsettling for host The Black Saint. He has vowed to never watch The Exorcist again. Yes, for this show, he sets aside his reservations to view the film once again, share his thoughts and appreciation for the film, and comment on seeing the film back when it was first released. Jeff too saw the film in the theaters at that time and both he and the Black Saint remember the marketing that supported the film and the generally terrified reaction the audience gave during those screenings. C'mon Donner was dead set on scaring his audience, the editing and varied angels of Jenning's death scene alone illustrate how The Omen scared audiences then...and should still now.

May 1, 2017

Welcome to American Gods Fan Podcast, episode 1 "The Bone Orchard". This is the unofficial podcast about the hit Starz television program American Gods by fans for fans as brought to you by HorrorNewsTV.com, DocRotten.com, and GruesomeMagazine.com. The Grue-Crew behind the Hannibal Fan Podcast reunites to dive into the latest blood-soaked effort of Bryan Fuller as he brings to life the acclaimed novel from Neil Gaiman! Let's set on a cross-country trip across America with Shadow Moon.

Episode One introduces Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) as he is released from prison early to attend the funeral of this recently deceased wife and best friend. His journey takes a strange turn once he encounters Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane). As Shadow Moon's world is turned upside down and he reluctantly accepts Mr. Wednesday's job offer, he encounters a number of unusual characters including Mad Sweeney (Pablo Schreiber) and Technical Boy (Bruce Langley). Meanwhile, Bilquis (Yetide Badaki) enters the fray as she consumes one of her worshipers.

American Gods Fan Podcast: Season One
Episode 1 – The Bone Orchard
Aired April 30, 2017, on Starz

Much like he did for Hannibal, Bryan Fuller wraps American Gods with visual flair and spectacular character revelations. David Spade directs the show as if it were a summer blockbuster with imagination and brilliant cinematography. Join Doc Rotten, Dave Dreher, Christopher G. Moore, and Thomas Mariani as they recap and review the first episode, "The Bone Orchard." They explore each character introduction and each major event in the first episode from the Vikings landing on American shores to the bloody finale as Technical Boy's gang is brutally dispatched by a mysterious ally. And, what exactly is up with Bilquis?

Each week, the Grue-Crew will present some of their favorite scenes in two spotlight segments. The first segment is The OMG Moment of the Week where they choose the bloodiest, goriest, most bizarre, most outrageous moment of the week's episode. The first episode of American Gods offers a variety of these moments to choose from. Which will the decide upon? The second segment is The Folklore Feature of the Week where they look back at the Americana moment of the week or the historical moment dealing with the American Gods themselves. As their story unfolds and their journey across America continues what riches will they present to the audience. Find out the first one this week.

We also want to hear from you! American Gods Fan Podcast is designed with the fan in mind and listener feedback is encouraged. That’s right, we want to hear from you! To help you out, we have a Speakpipe account set up for you to leave your Voice Messages. Click on this link and leave Dave, Christopher, Doc and Thomas your thoughts. The service is free and no number is required, all you need is a PC and mic.

We also want to be sure to thank Neon Devils for their killer track “American Godcast’” which we use for the intro and outro of this show.

Apr 27, 2017

The Grue-Crew gather to see if the Phoenix can rise from the ashes and not be Forgotten on the 212th episode of Horror News Radio. Co-hosts Doc Rotten, The Black Saint, Dave Dreher, and Thomas Mariani ponder why Phoenix Forgotten even got a theatrical release and take a look at the Shudder Exclusive We Are The Flesh. Dave steers the Horror News of the Week segment with mentions of a King Kong Skull Island TV series and the announced release date - finally - for the Friday the 13th game. Thomas challenges The Black Saint to another round of Stump the Saint that should not be missed.

As always, the HNR Grue-Crew would love to hear from you, the listeners, the fans. You can always reach out via email at feedback(AT)horrornewsradio(DOT)com or find us on Twitter: Doc Rotten | Dave Dreher | The Black Saint | Thomas Mariani. Also, like us on Facebook and join the Horror News Radio Facebook Group.

Horror News Radio
Episode 212 – Phoenix Forgotten (2017)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

SHOWNOTES

INTRO [00:00:39]

HORROR NEWS OF THE WEEK [00:02:33]

SUPPORT HNR [00:22:51]

FEATURE REVIEW [00:23:46]

  • Phoenix Forgotten (2017)
  • Director: Justin Barber. Writers Barber w/ T.S. Nowlin. Cast: Florence Hartigan, Luke Spencer Roberts, Chelsea Lopez

ANNOUNCEMENTS [00:45:27]

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING [00:47:30]

  • We Are The Flesh (2016)
  • Director/Writer: Emiliano Rocha Minter. Cast:  Noe Hernandez, Maria Evoli, Diego Gamaliel

STUMP THE SAINT [01:11:17]

FEEDBACK [01:21:09]

  • Humter Eyjiin suggests an HNR Drinking Game!
  • Thanks to Tear Out the Heart and Victory Records for use of the song Undead Anthem for the intro and outro of the HNR podcast

NEXT WEEK [01:25:00]

  • Colossal
Apr 26, 2017

“What if he can read our minds?” “He’ll be real mad when he gets to me.” Join the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era’s Grue-Crew - Chad Hunt, Erin Miskell, Jeff Mohr, and Joseph Perry - as we go vegan and digest some tasty, carrot-like, side dishes cooked up from The Thing From Another World (1951).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 7 – The Thing From Another World (1951)

More than 30 years before John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) came The Thing From Another World. In fact, John Carpenter’s The Thing is often asked, “Who’s your daddy?” to which the answer is always, “The Thing From Another World.” Do they share some sort of prequel/sequel relationship? Absolutely not. The two films are more like fraternal twins, coming from the same source material, but ending up with a little different DNA. Being both daddy/offspring and fraternal twins does bring up questions of metaphorical incest, but we digress.

Our feature film for Episode 7, the original The Thing From Another World, was produced by Howard Hawks’ Winchester Enterprises, directed by Christian Nyby, and written by Charles Lederer from John W. Campbell Jr.’s award-winning short story, “Who Goes There?” The Thing From Another World tells the story of an alien found frozen near a polar outpost and then thawed when mistakenly covered by an electric blanket that’s cranked up to 11. Well, maybe not actually to 11, but it was definitely off-the-scale stupid! The title creature (see what I did there, Crew?), played by the James Arness, proceeds to make short work of two scientists and the sled dogs while escaping.

Lead scientist Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) is all for preserving the Thing at all costs, even losing human lives, in the interest of knowledge. The Air Force personnel at the outpost, along with some of the scientists, are all about their own survival. The titular leader of our intrepid good guys is Capt. Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) but Nikki (Margaret Sheridan) has his number and is the functional/spiritual leader of the team, providing most solutions in an offhand, oh-by-the-way manner. Topping off the mix, Crew Chief Bob (Dewey Martin) provides ongoing moral support while Scotty (Douglas Spencer) contributes comic relief grounded in common sense and reality. We also encounter some other recognizable faces (or voices), including John Dierkes, William Self, George Fenneman, and Paul Frees.
.

During the podcast we try to answer some nagging questions about The Thing From Another World. Exactly who directed this film? Who contributed to the screenplay? What is the best way to kill James Arness? No one figured it out on Gunsmoke. Why would anyone put an electric blanket over a block of ice encapsulating an alien with creepy eyes? What did Jame Arness think about what turned out to be an iconic role? What execution was Scotty talking about when he was cut off by the Thing? What’s behind that sly smile on Nikki’s face and what does she have on Captain Hendry? And why does everyone talk so darn fast?

If you’re paying attention, you’ll hear which of us makes these memorable comments:

  • You’re ugly, but hey, I’m not going to cover you up just because you’re ugly.
  • You’re in danger, girl!
  • We all kind of become plant food in the end.
  • How about a rabbit with shiny things?

We plan to release a new episode every other week. Our upcoming schedule includes Freaks (1932), The Queen of Spades (1949), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1924), and The Last Man on Earth (1964). Sorry folks, but Waxworks (1924) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935) have been rescheduled due to circumstances beyond our control. That and we changed our minds. Don’t worry, though. We will most assuredly cover them in the future.

Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era and what films you’d like to hear us cover! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we’re just four nut jobs talking about the movies we love. 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.

To each of you, a great big “Thank you for listening!” from each of us!

Apr 25, 2017

"They're Here." Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O'Rourke) becomes an iconic character in the history of horror. Poltergeist sent shockwaves through audiences when it premiered 35 years ago. Taking the traditional suburban landscape and sending ghosts through it. Giving a whole generation fears of trees, TV sets and clowns. The nightmare fuel is palpable to this day, as Poltergeist still has the type of imagery that resonates. Now, Poltergeist is getting the Decades of Horror treatment, as the show celebrates its one-year anniversary with another Tobe Hooper film. Well... whether or not it's that is up for debate.

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 106 – Poltergeist (1982)

Poltergeist has a pretty solid pedigree. Written and produced by Steven Spielberg, the 1982 ghost story was made concurrently with Spielberg's directorial effort E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. To the point where Drew Barrymore got her role in the latter by auditioning for the former. Then again, who could possibly see Poltergeist without Heather O'Rourke as the adorable Carol Anne? Or Craig T. Nelson and Jobeth Williams as the endearing heads of The Freeling family? The entire cast makes for an incredibly convincing family unit, one whose struggles with the paranormal are made all the more terrifying by finding them investing. Even the paranormal investigative crew manages to have emotional resonance. Beatrice Straight grounds the investigation with a quiet sense of wonder and Zelda Rubinstein gives an authentic sense of authority that proves "size matters not."

This Poltergeist episode also means the first year anniversary for Decades of Horror 1980s! A year ago, Doc Rotten, Christopher G. Moore and Thomas Mariani covered Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre II. Now, they're debating if Mr. Hooper even had anything to do with this one! There's definitely plenty of Spielbergian touches, but Hooper occasionally peeks his head in for the more technical aspects of the haunts. Yet, Hooper doesn't seem as capable of capturing the afterlife's sense of wonder as Spielberg. Or the tight nit grounded family dynamic. Or the suburban solidarity that gets torn apart by the titular spectres. Whoever did end up directing, the results can't be denied. Poltergeist is still one of the most popular films of the decade and no amount of sequels, TV shows or remakes can recapture the unique blend of the original.

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.

Apr 24, 2017

Welcome to American Gods Fan Podcast. This it the unofficial podcast about the hit Starz television program American Gods by fans for fans as brought to you by HorrorNewsTV.com, DocRotten.com, and GruesomeMagazine.com. The Grue-Crew behind the Hannibal Fan Podcast reunites to dive into the latest blood-soaked effort of Bryan Fuller as he brings to life the acclaimed novel from Neil Gaiman! Let's set on a cross-country trip across America with Shadow Moon.

Returning to co-host the American Gods fan podcast is Doc Rotten, Thomas Mariani, Dave Dreher and Christopher G. Moore. For the following 8 weeks, they will recap and review each episode. Tonight, they are looking forward to the upcoming season with a special episode ZERO show to examine the cast and characters. Thomas, Christopher, and Dave share their thoughts about the book and what they think the show will have to offer.

American Gods Fan Podcast: Season One
Episode 0 – OMG!

Join us on episode 00 for an introduction to the hosts of the podcast, the source material, and the cast & crew of the first season of American Gods premiering on Starz in the US on Sunday, April 30, 2017. Bryan Fuller is the main creative force behind developing the show based on the acclaimed book by Neil Gaiman. He is joined by but not limited to Dauri Chase, David Coatsworth, Adam Kane, and Michael Green. David Slade, Adam Kane, Vincenzo Natali, Guillermo Navarro, and Craig Zobel take rotating director's duties with scripts by Fuller, Gaiman, Green, and Robert Richardson. The music is by Brian Reitzell with cinematography by Darran Tiernan, Jo Willems, and Aaron Morton. Most of these individuals are familiar names to the Fuller family, coming to this show from NBC's Hannibal.

The cast for American Gods is nothing short of spectacular with Ricky Whittle poised to take American by storm as the lead character Shadow Moon. Fan favorite Ian McShane stars alongside Whittle as Mr. Wednesday with Orlando Jones rounding out the crew as Mr. Nancy. Yetide Badaki and Pablo Schreiber appear early in the series as Bilquis and Mad Sweeney. Everyone is excited to see Peter Stormare as Czernobog. Rounding out the cast are Emily Browning, Cloris Leachman, Gillian Anderson, Kristin Chenoweth, and Crispin Glover. Check out what the Grue-Crew think of these maestros of madcap mayhem on this episode and then join us each week as we review each episode.

We also want to hear from you! American Gods Fan Podcast is designed with the fan in mind and listener feedback is encouraged. That’s right, we want to hear from you! To help you out, we have a Speakpipe account set up for you to leave your Voice Messages. Click on this link and leave Dave, Christopher, Doc and Thomas your thoughts. The service is free and no number is required, all you need is a PC and mic.

We also want to be sure to thank Neon Devils for their killer track “American Godcast’” which we use for the intro and outro of this show.

Apr 20, 2017

The Grue-Crew rev up their engines for a brief detour this week as they cover the star-studded over-the-top action film THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS. The cast includes regulars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, and Nathalie Emmanuel as Dominic Torreto's lovable rat-pack of street racers turned International spies. It's Bond on wheels and all about ... family. Jason Statham returns in a major way to punch things up while Kurt Russell makes a welcomed appearance and Helen Mirren cameos. Mad Max: Fury Road's Charlize Theron is on board as Blofeld...er...Cypher, the film's villain. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Thomas grabs the wheel in attempts to course correct HNR back into the world of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy with a look at Netflix's Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return. The Black Saint and Dave ring in with their thoughts on Joel Hodgson's reigniting the franchise as it looks satirically back a number for forgotten gems...well, maybe not "gems" but...nevermind, they're bad...oh, so, bad. You know you're in for a special time when it is "Avalanche" for the win.

Dave pilots this week's edition of Horror News of the Week with the long-anticipated trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the rumor that Universal is eyeing Bill Condon to direct The Bride of Frankenstein, and the casting of Sam Elliot in The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot. HNR and Gruesome Magazine are heading to a number of horror conventions and film festival in the coming months Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival in May to Dragon Con in September.

Co-hosts 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 211 – The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: The Fate of the Furious (2017)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's not a horror film but the Grue-Crew, on occasion, dive into the action pool to see what else lies in the cinematic wasteland of Hollywood offerings. The Fate of the Furious is just crazy enough to lure HNR's attention in that direction. Combined with some genre favorites (c'mon Kurt Russell!) and the promise of incredible stunts, it's too delicious to resist. Well, for everyone save Dave, who still refuses to join Dom's family. High octane hilarity awaits!

 

What Have You Been Watching: Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return (2017)

Netflix continues to win genre fans' hearts with the return of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Thomas leads the review of the first four episodes of every madcap, laff-track minute, featuring riffs on everything from Reptilicus to Avalanche. Even Peter Cushing isn't spared as they skewer his film At the Earth's Core. Check out how Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return fares and stands up next to the original.

 

Outline of the Episode

  • [00:00:40]: Intro
  • [00:02:36]: Horror News of the Week
    • [00:02:51]: Star Wars: The Last Jedi Teaser
    • [00:09:55]: Bill Condon to Court The Bride of Frankenstein?
    • [00:15:41]: Spike TV's The Mist!
    • [00:18:42]: Sam Elliot IS The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot
    • [00:23:13]: Phoenix Forgotten Trailer
  • [00:29:38]: Support HNR
  • [00:30:19]: Feature Review - Fate of the Furious
  • [01:08:44]: Announcements
    • [01:08:48]: Gruesome Magazine 2016 Yearbook is Out!
    • [01:09:25]: Convention/Film Festival Appearances!
  • [01:10:37]: What Have You Been Watching - Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return!
  • [01:30:32]: Stump The Saint

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

Pheonix Forgotten (2017)

 

GRUESOME LINKS

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 tagline "Horror Festival Hits - Independent Films - The Future of Horror" reflects the focus of the magazine on the up'n'coming horror filmmakers and their films in Horror Film Festivals across the globe. Check out the GM page for more details.

Apr 19, 2017

"What's the matter? Afraid of the rough stuff? Welcome to showbusiness, morons!" The snarky spirit of Alex Winter's Freaked continues to entertain nearly a quarter of a century after its release. Jabs at everything from the entertainment industry to corporate overreach to... milkmen? Well, they had it coming especially. It's a zany manic ride that may just be thee most 90s thing the show has yet to cover. The question is, does this Liquid Television-era MTV inspired film still get many laughs all these years later? Also, is it a horror movie? Was this the role Randy Quaid was born to play? Or, perhaps most importantly... is someone could to wipe Worm's ass?

Decades of Horror 1990s
Episode 13 - Freaked

Freaked is probably the least horror related production to be covered on this show, but it was especially chosen by our listeners in a poll. Freaked beat out heavy hitters like Interview with a Vampire and Tales from the Hood to get here. How in the hell did that happen? After all, when it was first released in 1993, no one really payed attention to it. The satiric comedy follows sleazy actor Ricky Coogan (Alex Winter) and his buddies being mutated into hideous freaks by a crazed carnival broker/freak show proprietor (Quaid) and a key part in the resistance of freaks he's imprisoned. Freaked eventually found a following on home video, but then again one can't be certain that it would have been all that successful even if it had a wide release. With its edgy 90s satire and extensive disturbing creature design, Freaked couldn't really be made at any other time, before or since.

To join Thomas Mariani is Gruesome Magazine's own Adam Thomas. Adam considers himself a child of the 90s and Freaked to be right up his alley. The two talk about the insanely eclectic cast, which includes Keanu Reeves as a dog man, William Sadler as the head of the Everything Except Shoes corporation and Academy Award Nominee John Hawkes as a half man/half cow creature. There's also much talk about the amazing practical effects work throughout, designed by Screaming Mad George, Steve Johnson and The Chiodo Brothers amongst others. It's probably the most horror driven aspect of Freaked, but that doesn't stop Thomas and Adam from talking about it. Or, occasionally talking in between fits of laughter.

Contact Us

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.

Next Episode

Alien3

Apr 13, 2017

The Grue-Crew settle down to tackle the latest film from director Sean Byrne titled The Devil's Candy. The film universally surprised the crew with its heavy metal sensibilities and strong family core brilliantly blended with a horrific tale of madness, murder, and possession. Featuring Ethan Embry, Shiri Appleby, Kiara Glasco, and Pruitt Taylor Vince, The Devil's Candy hits hard and fast with a quick paced 79 minutes. Highly recommended, a review to grab your attention.

For this episode's What Have You Been Watching Segment, the Grue head over to Netflix to take in a sci-fi thriller from director Charlie McDowell and writer Justin Lader. The film is The Discovery. The premise is strong where a group of scientist proves the existence of the afterlife but the film drives off course for its over-explained finale. Regardless, the ideas are fascinating and the cast is rich featuring Robert Redford, Jason Segel, Rooney Mara, and Jesse Plemons.

Dave pilots this week's edition of Horror News of the Week with the trailer for Thor Ragnarok, the announcement of a Haunting TV series from Mike Flanagan, and unearthed alternate endings for The Blair Witch Project. HNR and Gruesome Magazine are heading to a number of horror conventions and film festival in the coming months Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival in May to Dragon Con in September.

Co-hosts 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 210 – The Devil's Candy (2017)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: The Devil's Candy (2017)

The first three months of 2017 are already promising enough with films like Split, Get Out, and The Void claiming spots in the Grue-crew's top 10 for the year. The film this week, The Devil's Candy, is a last minute substitute feature review when the original choice was discovered to be unavailable. Wow! What a fortuitous alternative. The Devil's Candy is yet another strong contender for the best of the year with great performances from its cast, a killer soundtrack, and shocking tale of horror. Check this one out!

 

What Have You Been Watching: The Discovery (2017)

With a cast like this, expectations are high for The Discovery. Certainly, Robert Redford, Mary Steenburgen, and Rooney Mara are fantastic, Jason Segel and Jesse Plemons are no slouches either. But the film, directed by Charlie McDowell, despite its incredibly fascinating setup, drops the ball, in the end, leaving the Crew a little underwhelmed. Yet, the journey was not entirely fruitless. The divisive film gets put through the wringer this week.

 

Outline of the Episode

  • [00:00:40]: Intro
    • [00:02:09]: Cinema Wasteland Report By Dave
    • [00:03:46]: We Go On Contest Winners!
  • [00:05:01]: Horror News of the Week
    • [00:05:18]: Thor Ragnarok Trailer
    • [00:12:59]: A Haunting of Hill House Series for Netflix
    • [00:21:27]: SyFy Grindhouse Show
    • [00:25:45]: Nails Trailer
    • [00:28:04]: The Blair Witch Project Alternate Endings Unearthed
  • [00:31:34]: Support HNR
  • [00:32:06]: Feature Review - The Devil's Candy
  • [01:07:39]: Announcements
  • [01:08:52]: What Have You Been Watching - The Discovery
  • [01:33:11]: Stump The Saint
  • [01:41:08]: Listener Feedback

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

Fate of the Furious (2017)

 

GRUESOME LINKS

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.

Apr 13, 2017

“There are certain unseen things that are more real than those which you can see and touch. I know that.” Join the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era’s Grue-Crew - Chad Hunt, Erin Miskell, Jeff Mohr, and Joseph Perry - as we go for It! … NO, NOT THE STEPHEN KING It. Give us a break! After all, we are The Classic Era Grue-Crew. We’re talking about the exclamation-point-ended, 1967-released, Roddy McDowall starred-in, pseudo-Hammer produced, tree-golem monstered IT!

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 6 – It! aka Curse of the Golem (1967)

Written and directed by Herbert J. Leder, whose other accomplishments include Fiend Without a Face (1958) and The Frozen Dead (1966), It! builds on the Jewish folklore of the golem. What if a nervous nebbish of an assistant museum curator named Arthur Pimm (Roddy McDowall) discovered the long lost Golem of Prague? What’s more, what if he discovered the power to control the golem? What would this nervous, nebbishy, assistant museum curator do with such power? Well, it’s definitely not what we would do.

When the omnipotent golem runs amok, as all indestructible creatures are want to do, how would you stop it? Even though it might sound like Superman, Kryptonite won’t do the trick. I mean come on, IT!’s made of clay. Can IT! be drowned? Can IT! be burned? Can IT! be destroyed by any man-made means?

By the way, what the heck is Mr. Pimm doing with his mother? I guess he does look a bit like a shorter Norman Bates, but his mother has much nicer jewelry than Mrs. Bates does. And what integral part does Pimm’s mother fetish play in the plot of IT!? Or does it!?! (See what I did there?).

Find out why Erin talks so much about The Legend of Hell House when we’re discussing IT! Speaking of Erin, how does Pimm’s infatuation with Ellen Groves (Jill Hawarth) lead Erin to bond with her in sisterhood. Erin also philosophizes on whether she is a pickle or a hamburger. It’s not what you think! Hear about Chad’s bro-mance with the square-jawed American (Paul Maxwell) that comes to Ellen’s rescue! And what possible connection can there be between IT! and Lucio Fulci?

Of course as usual, if you’re paying attention, you’ll hear which of us makes these memorable comments:

  • I’m picturing Pimm punching the golem to the moon!
  • Too much cheese before the podcast.
  • Oh, he dug up his mother and took her coffin with him and they’re off with that silly statue to do whatever.
  • I AM THE MASTER!

We plan to release a new episode every other week. Our upcoming schedule includes The Thing from Another World (1951), Freaks (1932), The Queen of Spades (1949), and Waxworks (1924)

Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era and what films you’d like to hear us cover! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we’re just four nutjobs talking about the movies we love. 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.

To each of you, a great big “THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!” from each of us!

 

Apr 11, 2017

"Damn! Come back from the grave and ran out of ammunition." Big Ben (Richard Moll) laments his inability to hunt down prey. Specifically, the curly locks of Roger Cobb (William Katt). A successful writer trying to get past his recent divorce, missing child and Vietnam PTSD. Where could he possibly seek refuge from his inner demons? Why, in the House where his aunt killed herself, of course! Nothing too ominous or spooky about that. The Decades of Horror Crew only has one question; is there a guest room they could record in?

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 105 – House (1986)

House, the 1986 horror comedy from Steve Miner (Friday the 13th 3-DLake Placid) is an odd beast. A goofy comedy with rather serious horrific trappings, House sought to balance the silly with the starkly darkest subjects. The goofy ghosts that cause mischief are followed up with disturbing flashbacks to Vietnam and lost children. It's distinctly 80s, including a really out of place synth score and a break up song scored body disposing montage. Something that the kids are definitely not gonna get in their modern blockbusters. They also won't get Norm from Cheers himself George Wendt as a lovable neighbor forever in search of a beer and movie night with his new neighbor. Ah, the things we miss from the 80s.

To reminisce about all of this, Christopher G. Moore and Thomas Mariani welcome back Doc Rotten from his hiatus! Plus, Adam Thomas is along for the ride! Three in a row! The four have varying opinions on House. Some love the tonal whiplash. Others find it jarring. It's a lively discussion full of questions of tone and purpose. Doc is full of insights into the production. Christopher relates the VHS wear and tear he put into his copy. Adam is curious as to how the physics of any of this works. Thomas just wants to know how the hell House II: The Second Story fits into the continuity. Still, one thing all of these gentlemen can agree on: William Katt's shirtless v-neck sweater is 80s fashion at its finest.

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.

Apr 7, 2017

For our special anniversary episode of Horror News Radio, the Grue-Crew scoured and scraped for a film worth to be included. They found the film they were looking for in the film THE VOID from directors Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski. The film unfolds like a classic gore-fest from the Eighties complete with gruesome practical effects and splatter galore. The film is swimming in crimson goo with monsters and mayhem around every dimly lit corner. Ah! A match made in heaven...or...it that elsewhere....?

This episode marks four years since the Grue-Crew first gathered to record the podcast, featuring a review of the Evil Dead remake. A few fans sent in questions and congratulations - and there may a familiar voice heard among them. In the What Have You Been Watching segment David and Doc discuss the season finale of The Walking Dead and the surprising turn of events in Bates Motel.

Dave pilots this week's edition of Horror News of the Week with a round up of recent trailers from It to Annabelle: Creation to The Mummy. HNR and Gruesome Magazine are heading to a number of horror conventions and film festival in the coming months Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival in May to Dragon Con in September.

Co-hosts 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 209 – The Void (2017)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: The Void (2017)

The Black Saint says it best that The Void draws upon the classics in the genre: Hellraiser, John Carpenter's The Thing, even Halloween II and many others. But, as Thomas agrees, it doesn't do so to simply reference or homage those classics. The film uses those concepts to build into its own unique and bloody narrative. It is a treat for horror fans, especially those who remember watching classics from the local Mom and Pop VHS shop. Aaron Poole leads the cast which features Ellen Wong, Kathleen Munroe, Kenneth Walsh, Amy Groening, Evan Stern, Stephanie Belding, and Art Hindle. A must see!

 

What Have You Been Watching: The Walking Dead Season 7 Finale (2017)

Dave Dreher and Doc Rotten reflect on the Seventh season of The Walking Dead as the season finale airs. The expected grand extravaganza ended up being a bit of a whimper as the drop in ratings illustrates. The finale had a moment or two - mostly surrounding Negan - but the end result was a bit of an anticlimactic let down. Dave and Doc quickly turn their attention to the far more successful but no less controversial recent episodes of Bates Motel that weave Marion Crane (Rihanna) into the TV version. For Dave and Doc the variation on the classic "shower scene" was a season highlight while many across the internet have been panning the choice. Regardless, the performances from Eddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga are extraordinary.

 

Outline of the Episode

  • [00:00:40]: Intro
    • [00:03:00]: Night of Something Strange Swag Bag Winner!
    • [00:04:26]: 4 Year Anniversary Celebration!
  • [00:32:27]: Horror News of the Week
    • [00:32:42]: Stephen King's It Trailer
    • [00:39:35]: Dimension 404 and Mick Garris
    • [00:44:41]: Annabelle: Creation Trailer
    • [00:50:24]: Empire Box Set
    • [00:56:40]: The Mummy Trailer
  • [01:03:01]: Support HNR
  • [01:03:39]: Feature Review - The Void
  • [01:35:35]: Announcements
    • [01:35:40]: Gruesome Indiegogo Has Completed. Huge thank you for help reaching our goal!
    • [01:36:24]: Convention Appearances
  • [01:37:36]: What Have You Been Watching - The Walking Dead Season 7 Finale
  • [01:43:11]: What Have You Been Watching - Bates Motel
  • [01:46:47]: Stump The Saint

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

To Be Determined

 

GRUESOME LINKS

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.

Apr 6, 2017

"Nobody cares for you anymore. You're tarnished! Filthy!" Mima Kirigoe (Junko Iwao) grapples with her nightmarish double and her grip on reality. Stuck between her old life as a pop idol, her newfound acting career and her own inner self, Mima must try to find herself within a turmoil of madness, celebrity obsession and murder. Can she connect the mysterious murders that happen around her? Is there a link that bridges the gap between the madness? Can she decipher what the hell a "homepage" on the "Internet" is in the late 90s? All the answers lie within her own Perfect Blue.

Decades of Horror 1990s
Episode 12 - Perfect Blue

The first film from acclaimed and unfortunately late director Satoshi Kon, Perfect Blue is the kind of head trip that must be seen to be believed. Originally conceived as a live action endeavor, Kon and his team of animators translated the maddening psychological horror into an anime art style that has to be seen to be believed.  Inspired by the surreal talents of Terry Gilliam, Perfect Blue weaves a dark elusive web of a mystery that enraptures the audience. Mima must try to weed through the madness to find some form of sense, but her nature as an unreliable narrator makes us dubious. Even as we see the world around her turn against her, we're unsure if it's all just a vision in her warped mind. We're not even sure if she can tell her reflection from herself, let alone guarantee she didn't murder anyone. It's terrifying, gorgeous and a bit of a thinker. In other words, this ain't no Pokemon.

To clarify this, Thomas brings on anime fan Yonathan Habtemichael. While defining a few anime terms for the average joe, Yonathan also helps to give a rather wide cinematic scale. He and Thomas go into the thematically relevant provocative imagery that parades Perfect Blue. Particularly with emphasis on the horror. Despite the anime style, Thomas and Yonathan are genuinely terrified by the graphic gore depicted. Yet, there's also more under the surface. The true horror of Perfect Blue is more personal to Mima, but universal to all of us. One that is extremely prescient to modern tech stalking that's everywhere today. Even on clunky old computers and with dated home pages, Perfect Blue has a type of disturbed obsession at its core the blurs the lines of reality and makes the horror all the more vibrant and human despite being animated in two dimensions.

Contact Us

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.

Next Episode

The Listener's Choice Approved... Freaked (1993)

Apr 5, 2017

"Seven Suicides - and they roared back as The Living Dead." - the tag line for Psyhomania (1973) plays heaving on the "Living Dead" implications from NoTLD despite this not being a zombie film in any fashion.  Also known as The Death Wheelers, the film does involve, bikers, death, destruction, and the devil -- maybe. 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 and fellow contributor Jerry Chandler.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 49 – Pyschomania (1973)

In the extras on the Psychomania Blu-ray, star Nicky Henson reveals that no one on the set thought that anyone would be talking about this film after its release; in fact, that is the reason he chose these types of films over TV work, thinking no one would ever see it. To his dismay, the film would be shown countless times on the late-nite feature securing it as a minor cult classic and a film he is most approached about decades later. Psychomania is also the final film for the late, great George Sanders known to many as the man who starred in All About Eve, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the genre efforts Village of the Damned, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Jungle Book (voice of Shere Khan the Tiger), or Batman (TV - as Mr. Freeze). While the film may be light on scares, it is heavy on thrills with its "groovy" stunt, something the director Don Sharp had experience with his previous films. Sharp is also the director behind Kiss of the Vampire, Curse of the Fly, and The Brides of Fu Manchu.

Doc confesses to considering Psychomania as a guilty pleasure, sharing he first purchased the film as a blind-buy with an affordably priced "Goodtimes" VHS. The rest of the crew are not as warm to the film, but they all recognize that is does have some Seventies charm. While Santos generally dislikes the film, he does praise its score. The best part of the film is the oddball nature of how the film mixes the action with humor for the suicide scenes where the "Living Dead" off themselves so they can return to live eternal. The Crew debate the true nature of Sanders' character Shadwell and scratch their heads over all the "frog" imagery. Yes, the resurrection of the leader of the "Living Dead", Tom, as he flies out of his grave atop his motorcycle is the film's highlight. Psychomania is a unique film, a one of kind.

Apr 3, 2017

Doc Rotten and Dave Dreher from Horror News Radio and Gruesome Magazine discuss the "It" trailer which finally dropped on March 29, 2017 on the first episode of the Gruesome Minute.

Apr 2, 2017

Paul Cardullo joins Doc Rotten to discuss the 10 films that played during the 18th Annual Nevermore Film Festival in Durham, NC, February 24-26, 2017. Each year, the highly anticipated film festival shares some of the best the horror genre has to offer - along with some sci-fi and thriller options as well. Ten films were presented during the weekend, 9 were in competition and one (The Love Witch) was an official release included during the event. Each film had something unique to offer. Doc and Paul share their thoughts on each film

Horror News Radio Extra
Episode 11 – The 18th Annual Nevermore Film Festival, Durham, NC, 2017
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Not only does the Nevermore Film Festival have some of the best horror films, it also schedules a number of terrific shorts in a series of 90-120 minute blocks. They too are always fantastic. While Doc and Paul concentrate on the features for this podcast, they also caught some fine examples of short films, including but not limited to The Call of Charlie, Born Again, Death Metal, and The Fisherman's Wife. Below are the ten feature films.

  • 2307: Winter's Dream
    In 2307, a future soldier is sent on a mission to hunt down the leader of the humanoid rebellion.
    • w./d. Joey Curtis
    • Paul Sidhu, Branden Coles, Arielle Holmes 
  • The Barn
    Its Halloween 1989, best friends Sam and Josh are trying to enjoy what's left of their final Devil's Night before graduating high school. But trouble arises when the two pals and a group of friends take a detour on their way to a rock concert, finding an old abandoned barn and awakening the evil inside. Now it's up to Sam and Josh to find a way to protect their friends and defeat the creatures that lurk within "The Barn".
    • w./d. Justin M. Seaman
    • Mitchell Musolino, Will Stout, Lexi Dripps
  • Capture Kill Release
    A couple plots to murder a random stranger just for the thrill of it, but things turn ugly when one of them decides not to go through with it.
    • w./d. Nick McAnuity, Brian Allan Stewart
    • Jennifer Fraser, Farhang Ghajar, Jon Gates
  • The Dark Tapes
    A genre-defying mixture of horror, sci-fi, myth, mystery and thrills told as four interlocking tales in one intelligent anthology. Ghosts, spirits, creatures, demons and more from the paranormal world collide with rational curiosity.
    • w./d. Michael McQuown, Vincent J. Guastini
    • Emilia Ares Zoryan, Danielle Baez, Katelyn Bailey
  • Gehenna: Where Death Lives
    A group visits Saipan to search for locations for their company's newest resort. As they find what they think is the perfect spot, they discover a hidden bunker on the property which they decide to explore. However, they soon find out that curiosity can kill. As each member faces their most private secrets and the secrets of the bunker itself, the results lead to a most shocking conclusion. ...
    • w./d. Hiroshi Katagiri / Nathan Long and Brad Palmer
    • Lance Henriksen, Doug Jones, Patrick Gorman 
  • The Love Witch
    A modern-day witch uses spells and magic to get men to fall in love with her, in a tribute to 1960s pulp novels and Technicolor melodramas.
    • w./d. Anna Biller
    • Samantha Robinson, Jeffrey Vincent Parise, Laura Waddell
  • Occupants
    A documentarian named Annie has roped her husband into a project that involves setting up cameras throughout their house. Complications arise when the cameras start showing that same couple in an alternate universe.
    • w./d. Russ Emanuel / Julia Camara
    • Robert Picardo, Briana White, Michael Pugliese
  • The Power
    Abducted and imprisoned by a Cult, Magda awakens in a filthy cell. Despite hearing distant voices, her screams for help go unanswered. She's a prisoner, seemingly without hope - In time, she befriends another hostage, a girl who provides some comfort.
    • w./d. Paul Hills
    • Grace Vallorani, Constance Carter, Valentine Pelka 
  • The Void
    When police officer Carter (Aaron Poole) discovers a blood-soaked man limping down a deserted road, he rushes him to a local hospital with a barebones, night shift staff. As cloaked, cult-like figures surround the building, the patients and staff inside start to turn ravenously insane. Trying to protect the survivors, Carter leads them into the depths of the hospital where they discover a gateway to immense evil.
    • w.d. Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski
    • Kathleen Munroe, Ellen Wong, Kenneth Welsh
  • Welcome to Willits
    Deep in the Northern California woods, in the heart of the notorious Emerald Triangle, lies a remote cabin. The residents struggle to fight off the repeated attacks and abductions by mysterious creatures that have plagued them for years. When a local pot farmer is caught up with a wayward group of campers the situation quickly escalates into total carnage.
    • w.d. Trevor Ryan / Tim Ryan
    • Anastasia Baranova, Dolph Lundgren, Garrett Clayton
Mar 30, 2017

Waiting patiently for Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant to arrive this Summer, the Grue-Crew whet their appetites for aliens vs human carnage with the Daniel Espinosa sci-fi/horror opus Life out in theaters March 2, 2017. The film plays close to type combining Alien with Gravity as a newly discovered alien rips through a small group of space scientists. Fun times! The best thing about the film is the Twilight Zone down-beat ending that is pretty spectacular. Getting there garners mixed results from the Grue-crew.

Shudder once again serves up new material with the premiere of Prevenge from writer/director and star Alice Lowe. Dave returns this week to share his affection for this film with Thomas passionately backing him up. However, Doc steps into the ring in the opposite corner and that never goes well. Regardless,  you're going to want to hear the review and check out this horror film on Shudder.

Dave pilots this week's edition of Horror News of the Week with a possible Venom R-rated horror film and the Escape from New York remake finds a director. HNR and Gruesome Magazine are heading to a number of horror conventions and film festival in the coming months with Joey Fittos covering New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival March 31 - April 2, 2017. This week Doc Rotten discusses his visit to Mad Monster Party Carolina, March 24-26, 2017.

Co-hosts 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 208 – Life (2017)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

Feature Review: Life (2017)

Hitting theaters this past weekend is the promising blend of Alien and Gravity as Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Rebecca Ferguson face down the ferocious machinations from director Daniel Espinosa and Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick (Deadpool) in the sci-fi/horror film Life (2017). A team of scientist on the International space station circling Earth discover an alien life form that grows into a monster willing to kill to survive. While much of the film feels like seen-that/done-that, the ending of the film is quite memorable and thrilling. Great special effects and solid cinematography don't always win out over spotty character development and massive plot hole. Yet, the film is fun.

What Have You Been Watching: Prevenge (2017)

Heading straight to Shudder streaming site after a positive debut at SXSW, Prevenge from writer/director Alice Lowe features a pregnant mother-to-be facing either a massive mental break down or an evil force from within encouraging her to act out on her anger issues, slicing and dicing anyone who crosses her path to shreds. Fun is had by all, maybe. The Grue-crew dive into the the horror film with great respect from most and a hint of disdain from one. Uh, oh.

Outline of the Episode

  • [00:00:40]: Intro
    • [00:02:43]: Night of Something Strange Prize Pack
    • [00:03:18]: We Go On Contest
  • [00:04:19]: Horror News of the Week
    • [00:04:36]: Robert Rodriguez Directing Escape from New York Remake
    • [00:11:48]: Godzilla: Monster Planet
    • [00:16:25]: Death Note Trailer
    • [00:19:11]: It Documentary
    • [00:22:35]: Venom R Rated Film
  • [00:29:42]: Support HNR
  • [00:30:16]: Feature Review - Life (2017)
  • [01:08:18]: Announcements
    • [01:08:22]: Gruesome Magazine Campaign's Final Days!
    • [01:09:08]: Mad Monster Party Carolina Convention Report
  • [01:11:31]: HNR Heading to Conventions
  • [01:13:16]: What Have You Been Watching - Prevenge (2017)
  • [01:29:47]: Stump The Saint

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

The Void

 

GRUESOME LINKS

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.

Mar 30, 2017

“Ladies and gentlemen, please do not panic! But SCREAM! SCREAM FOR YOUR LIVES!”  Join the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era’s Grue-Crew - Chad Hunt, Erin Miskell, Jeff Mohr, and Joseph Perry - as we get all touchy-feely with The Tingler and find out exactly what all the screaming is about. Don’t forget to bring your date and watch them TINGLE!

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 5 – The Tingler (1959)

Some films cannot be denied and 1959’s The Tingler is just such a film. With William Castle at the helm and Vincent Price as the lead, you can’t go wrong, right? But what about the implausible plot, you wonder? Or the ridiculous creature effects? And who can believe Ollie’s (Philip Coolidge) scared-to death plot that ends in a literal bloodbath. Our response to such queries? WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU?! This is William Castle and Vincent Price! What do plot and special effects have to do with anything? By the way, we see nothing implausible about a microscopic creature that lives in your spine, feeds and grows on fear, has the power of a “hydraulic press,” and is thwarted by and shrinks at the sounds of your screams. At least, that's the way it works most of the time. All things become possible with William Castle.

Yeah, yeah, you’ve seen The Tingler a dozen times. But have you really SEEN The Tingler? How did Castle's House on Haunted Hill (1959) inspire Robb White's writing of the screenplay for The Tingler? Do you know what real world creature The Tingler is modeled after? It might be even more horrific than the film’s titular worm.  What influence did Aldous Huxley have on the story told in The Tingler? What cinematic first is found in The Tingler? (It has do with a drug that’s not a drug - nudge, nudge, wink, wink.)  Why would Darryl Hickman take a part in this film without pay? What’s the connection between Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954) and The Tingler? Is it even possible that Alfred Hitchcock drew inspiration from William Castle?  What’s the connection between The Tingler and the animated productions, Woody Woodpecker and Gumby?

And which of us made these memorable comments:

  • "We need a monster arm, boys! A monster arm!"
  • "He found these war surplus motorized vibrators."
  • "Did he have the little, scare-’em-to-death fairies working for him?"
  • "Let’s throw this in at the end boys, get one last scare out of them!"

We plan to release a new episode every other week. Our upcoming schedule includes It! (aka Curse of the Golem, 1967), The Thing from Another World (1951), Freaks (1932), and The Queen of Spades (1949).

Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era and what films you’d like to hear us cover! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we’re just four nutjobs talking about the movies we love. 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.

To each of you, a great big “THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!” from each of us!

Mar 29, 2017

"You wanna see something really scary?" Submitted for your approval, a podcast looking back at an anthology film that's a remake of a classic TV show. Four segments. Four directors. Analyzed by four men. Attempting to figure out which is better. What caused the infamous tragedy on the film's set? Which one makes the most lasting impression? Who can possibly remember that Bill Mumy isn't Ron Howard? All these questions lay linger... in The Twilight Zone... The Movie... the topic of this edition of the podcast.

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 104 – Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Twilight Zone: The Movie is a film obviously marred by tragedy. The deaths of Vic Morrow, Renee Chen, and My-ca Dinh Le during an infamous helicopter accident still loom over the film. Yet, aside from that, there's still a lot to enjoy about this anthology. Four directors - two at the height of their fame (John Landis & Steven Spielberg) and two others still up and coming (Joe Dante and George Miller) - were tasked to adapt four different episodes of the iconic anthology show into a segment. The results are eclectic, to say the least. There's a supernatural adventure about bigotry, a sepia toned character piece about old age, a darkly comedic fantasy about a child with God-like powers and a paranoia sweat soaked horror about a fear of flying. Oh, and there's also a prologue with Albert Brooks and Dan Aykroyd. Mix in a diverse cast that also includes Al Leong, Scatman Crothers, Kevin McCarthy, John Lithgow, Kathleen Quinlan and Twilight Zone veteran Burgess Meredith & it's a rather interesting time.

Thomas Mariani and Christopher G. Moore are both out a Doc once again (don't worry, he'll be back next time), so they've recruited Gruesome writer Adam Thomas and filmmaker Bill Mulligan to talk about Twilight Zone The Movie. They talk the industry changing aspects of the tragic accident, contextualize the careers of all these directors from this specific time and compare the adaptations of the episodes to their television counterparts. In ranking all the segments, the results are far more varied than one might expect. Some prefer the heartwarming sugariness of Spielberg. Others prefer the canted angles of Miller. Even some prefer Landis' ability to turn a tragedy into a cohesive short story. It's a passionate discussion that'll show you something really scary.

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.

Mar 24, 2017

James Gunn (Slither, Guardians of the Galaxy) returns to the horror genre as the screenwriter and producer of THE BELKO EXPERIMENT. Remember, the popular Marvel director once wrote the screenplays for the Scooby Doo films and Zack Snyder's remake of Dawn of the Dead. With The Belko Experiment from director Greg McLean (Wolf Creek, Rogue), Gunn swipes heavily from Battle Royale working double time to shove in a healthy dash of Office Space. So, what exactly does the Horror News Radio Grue-Crew think of his efforts. What you hear may surprise you...be warned.

Thomas is leading this week's edition of Horror News of the Week with the sad news of the passing of comic horror legend Berni Wrightson who co-created DC's the Swamp Thing and illustrated the Creepshow adaptation along with a beautiful rendition of the classic Frankenstein novel. He will be missed. HNR and Gruesome Magazine are heading to a number of horror conventions and film festival in the coming months with Joey Fittos covering New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival March 31 - April 2, 2017 and Doc Rotten and John Black heading to Mad Monster Party Carolina, March 24-26, 2017.

Co-hosts 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 207 – The Belko Experiment (2017)
Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

 

Feature Review: The Belko Experiment (2017)

The cast for THE BELKO EXPERIMENT is an impressive collection of fine actors for a modestly budgeted horror entry: John Gallagher Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, John C. McGinley, Melonie Diaz, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, and Gregg Henry. The gore is splattered throughout and the surprises pile up as the body count rises. But the film steers clear of anything heavy with its social commentary and inventive kills. The pacing, the music, and the editing prevent the film from escaping the bland execution of a promising premise. Stick with the trailer...or check out the review from the Grue-Crew. The movie is D.O.A.

 

Outline of the Episode

  • [00:00:40]: Intro
  • [00:05:03]: Horror News of the Week
    • [00:05:19]: RIP Bernie Wrightson
    • [00:09:25]: The Babadook's Jennifer Kent gears up for The Nightingale
    • [00:12:35]: Atomic Blonde Trailer
    • [00:17:40]: Akira Kurosawa's Masque of the Red Death Lives!
    • [00:22:02]: American Gods Trailer
  • [00:28:16]: Support HNR
  • [00:29:01]: Feature Review - The Belko Experiment
  • [01:12:08]: What Have You Been Watching - Beauty and the Beast
  • [01:30:51]: Announcements
    • [01:30:54]: Gruesome Magazine Indiegogo!
    • [01:31:46]: Mad Monster Party
    • [01:32:00]: Other Appearances
    • [01:33:24]: WATCH TRAIN TO BUSAN ON NETFLIX!
  • [01:33:49]: Stump The Saint

NEXT WEEK ON HNR

Life

 

GRUESOME LINKS

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.

1 « Previous 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next » 11