“Oh, get off your antique manners. Hill. I’m a professional scientist. Let’s go." And whatever you do, don’t call Dr. Susan Drake a “great little scientist.” Join your faithful Grue Crew - Crystal Cleveland, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr - as they battle pseudo-Lovecraftian horrors for the fourth straight episode. Admittedly, it’s not Dagon, but it is Humanoids from the Deep (1980).
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 148 – Humanoids from the Deep (1980)
Scientific experiments backfire and produce horrific mutations - half man, half fish - which terrorize a small fishing village by killing the men and raping the women.
IMDb
What can you say? It’s obvious in the first five minutes of the film that Humanoids from the Deep is from 1980 and Roger Corman. You know upfront that breasts will be revealed, blood will be spilled, and lots of stuff will get “blowed up real good.” Throw in generous portions of misogyny, racism, and interspecies rape (The poster says, “They mated,” but let’s face it - what’s happening is not consensual) and you have the wonder known as Humanoids from the Deep.
There’s plenty to offend viewers watching the film through current day lenses. Chad, however, explains that Humanoids from the Deep is a pure 1980s horror film and must be viewed as a product of its time and the rest of the Grue-Crew agree. Crystal wonders why there are no female humanoids and questions the science behind the science fiction. Bill joins in until they all realize the folly in which they’re engaged. Stupid quotes from the film get Jeff going but he manages to stop giggling long enough to point out the involvement of James Horner, an Academy Award-winning composer.
If you like Roger Corman and you like your 80s horror sans any resemblance of political correctness, Humanoids from the Deep should be just the entree to satisfy your appetite.
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1970s. In three weeks, the 80s Grue-Crew’s next film will be the George Romero and Stephen King collaboration known as Creepshow (1982).
Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans! Leave them a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com
"Yuko, I am your... [father]." No, this line is not from a Japanese foretelling of Return of the Jedi, but to quote Norman Bates, “Oh God, mother! Blood! Blood!” We’re talking a garden hose with a spray nozzle. Join your faithful Grue Crew - Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr - as they check out The Vampire Doll (1970), yet another vampire film (sort of), this time from Japan and Toho.
Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 105 – The Vampire Doll (1970
Keiko and her friend are trying to find her missing brother after he disappeared visiting his girlfriend Yuko.
- IMDb
The Vampire Doll, aka Legacy of Dracula, aka The Night of the Vampire, aka Bloodsucking Doll, aka Yûrei yashiki no kyôfu: Chi wo sû ningyô, aka ,,, well, you get the picture ... was the first of three Japanese vampire films released by Toho, the follow-ups being Lake of Dracula (1971) and Evil of Dracula (1974). The three films were packaged as The Bloodthirsty Trilogy in a 2018 Blu-ray release from Arrow Films.
Bill loves the beauty-mixed-with-evil exuding from the film’s “vampire” and points out the prevalence of deflating hands found in vampire “deaths” of the era. Chad wonders what disease makes Yûko’s fiance’s face look so nasty and is touched by Genzô’s loyalty and caring for Yûko and her mother. The relationships between the film’s characters aren’t clear to Doc, but it turns out his Grue-mates aren’t completely clear about them either. Jeff thinks highly of The Vampire Doll but still likes Lake of Dracula a little better. Of course, each of them got all glassy-eyed over the bloody finale. Who wouldn’t?
Check out Decades of Horror 1970s - Episode 86 - Lake of Dracula (1971) for more Gruesome Magazine content on The Bloodthirsty Trilogy. At this writing, the three films included in The Bloodthirsty Trilogy are all available to stream on Amazon Prime. Japanese vampires and Toho! If you haven’t seen them, what are you waiting for?
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In three weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be Fury of the Wolfman (1972) with Paul Naschy.
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 docrotten@decadesofhorror.com.
“Perhaps the sight of beauty makes him lose control of himself, so he kills.” Yeah, that makes no sense at all, but Mario Bava still makes it work. Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Joseph Perry, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they discover that the latest trend in fashion is murder in Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace (1964).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 65 – Blood and Black Lace (1964)
A masked, shadowy killer brutally murders the models of a scandalous fashion house in Rome.
- IMDb
Blood and Black Lace, aka Sei donne per l'assassino, is Mario Bava’s seminal work establishing many of the tropes commonly used in giallo films. Your Classic Era Grue-Crew is stunned by the vivid colors and cinematography in Blood and Black Lace. Jeff does his usual deep dive, this time into Cameron Mitchell’s career and also delves into the dubbing and subtitles (Shhhh! Let him think it’s interesting.) Although Chad and Joseph are not big giallo fans, they most definitely appreciate Bava’s genius. Joseph tells about his first experience with the bathtub drowning scene when he saw it as a child and how it stuck with him for decades. Chad praises Paul Frees, who dubbs most of the film’s male parts, and has equally high praise for the quality of Shudder’s streaming version of Blood and Back Lace.
Your Grue-Crew highly recommends Blood and Black Lace, Bava’s splendid and unique christening of the giallo subgenre. For more on Mario Bava’s work, check out the following Gruesome Magazine content:
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with the 1970s and 1980s. In three weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be The Body Snatcher (1945), a Val Lewton production for RKO, directed by Robert Wise and starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Henry Daniell.
Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“Trust is a tough thing to come by these days.” To paraphrase Bo Diddley, “Who do you trust?” You don’t have to walk 47 miles of barbed wire or wear a cobra-snake for a necktie to know that the answer to the question is, “Nobody!” Join your faithful Grue Crew - Chad Hunt, Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr - as they, arguably, consort with Lovecraftian horrors for the third straight episode, this time in Antarctica with John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982).
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 147 – The Thing (1982)
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
- IMDb
If you’re a loyal fan of Decades of Horror 1980s, you’ll remember that Doc Rotten, Christopher G. Moore, and Thomas Mariani already covered John Carpenter’s The Thing on episode 93. So why another episode on the same film? Maybe it’s because The Thing is Chad’s favorite horror movie of all time and he got to pick the film for this episode and maybe it’s because the rest of the Grue-Crew was just as excited about covering The Thing as Chad was. At any rate, here you go.
Chad talks about his love for The Thing and the effect it had on his artistic work. The toll that working on the film had on Rob Bottin as Special Makeup Effects Creator and Designer is described by Bill while Crystal opines that The Thing is Carpenter's best film. Jeff, inspired by Peter Watts’ short story “The Things,” starts a discussion around the Thing’s point-of-view and motivation as depicted in the film. Your 1980s Grue-Crew love talking The Thing and are impressed with how a 37-year-old film is able to spark such discussions. They could probably spend a couple more episodes discussing the merits of this landmark film.
If you’re thirsty for more, you might want to check out episode 7 of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era on The Thing from Another World (1951). For print or audio versions of “The Things” by Peter Watts, go to http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts_01_10/
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1970s. In three weeks, the 80s Grue-Crew’s next film will be Humanoids from the Deep (1980), starring Doug McClure, Ann Turkel, and Vic Morrow.
Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com
This is HORROR NEWS RADIO, the official GRUESOME MAGAZINE podcast. Back with Doc Rotten once again are the scariest, goriest, bloodiest co-hosts on the 'Net.
In Gotham City, mentally-troubled comedian Arthur Fleck embarks on a downward spiral of social revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his infamous alter-ego: "The Joker".
IMDb
Director: Todd Phillips
Stars:
This is HORROR NEWS RADIO, the official GRUESOME MAGAZINE podcast. Back with Doc Rotten once again are the scariest, goriest, bloodiest co-hosts on the 'Net.
Two serial killers work together to skin their victims and sell them to an underground flesh market. The skins are preserved, displayed, and auctioned as works of art with values based on the victim's status, wealth, or beauty. When a meeting goes bad and a buyer is killed, pressure from the organization forces the usually-methodical Flesher to take reckless actions that lead to a paranoia he can't escape.
IMDb
Director: John Johnson
Stars: Ron Riekki, Kirsten Ray, Erica Mary Gillheeney
An ancient past and a lost love are the least of Louise's problems. If she can't escape the Mummy's curse everyone around her will be torn apart.
IMDb
Director: Christine Parker
Stars: Laura Bridges, Gill Hope Thornton, Lily Cabrera, Bill Mulligan
Shadowed by a haunting presence in the redwood forest, five young hikers discover an abandoned goldmine dating back to the Gold Rush and descend into madness and greed as the pursuit of easy riches consumes them.
IMDb
Director: Dean Yuke
Stars: Barbara Crampton, Christina July Kim, Brandon Wardle
Be sure to check out the WREAK HAVOC HORROR FILM FESTIVAL website for information about the 2019 film festival and plan for next year's 2020 6th Annual event!
"Death is not the worst. There are things more horrible than death." Was Count Dracula talking about working with Mr. Kinski? Oh, wait. He was Mr. Kinski! Join your faithful Grue Crew - Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr - as they check out yet another 1979 film telling the story of the undead count, Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre starring Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, and Bruno Ganz.
Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 104 – Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
Count Dracula moves from Transylvania to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land. Only a woman pure of heart can bring an end to his reign of horror.
- IMDb
What do you know? The Decades of Horror 1970s Grue-Crew takes on another vampire film from 1979. Doc thinks Kinski’s Nosferatu is lacking a certain force of personality. (Pssst! He actually uses a couple of very different words.) Roland Topor’s portrayal of Renfield trips Chad’s trigger, especially with his laugh. Jeff is impressed with Herzog’s cinematic eye and compares some of the scenes in Nosferatu the Vampyre with those of Nosferatu (1922). Bill gives his views on Kinski the man and Kinski the actor - hint: they are not the same - and discusses the differences in the story as told in Nosferatu the Vampyre and in the story as told in other Dracula films. Of course, their appreciation of Isabelle Adjani goes without saying, but don’t get them started on Herzog’s version of Van Helsing!
All-in-all, the 70s Grue-Crew thinks Nosferatu the Vampyre is a must-watch for most horror fans. Listeners might also want to check out Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 21 - Nosferatu (1922).
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In three weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be - yes, it’s another vampire film - The Vampire Doll (1970), the first film in Toho’s Bloodthirsty Trilogy.
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 docrotten@decadesofhorror.com.
This is HORROR NEWS RADIO, the official GRUESOME MAGAZINE podcast. Back with Doc Rotten once again are the scariest, goriest, bloodiest co-hosts on the 'Net.
Based on the novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill, when siblings Becky and Cal hear the cries of a young boy lost within a field of tall grass, they venture in to rescue him, only to become ensnared themselves by a sinister force that quickly disorients and separates them. Cut off from the world and unable to escape the field’s tightening grip, they soon discover that the only thing worse than getting lost is being found.
IMDb
Director: Vincenzo Natali
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted
Release Date: NETFLIX, October 4, 2019