“Forget the cat, you hemorrhoid! Get the gun!” Yeah! Get your priorities straight! Join your faithful Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they take in another portmanteau, especially for your Halloween viewing/listening pleasure, Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye (1985).
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 218 – Cat’s Eye (1985)
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Synopsis: A stray cat attempting to find a little girl in trouble is the linking element of three tales of suspense and horror. In “Quitters, Inc.”: the cat is picked up by a shady New York City “doctor” who uses experimental techniques to get people to quit smoking. In “The Ledge”: the cat is picked up by a shady Atlantic City millionaire who forces his wife’s lover to participate in a terrifying bet. In “The General”: the cat arrives in Wilmington, North Carolina, where it is found by the young girl it has been sent to protect from an unbelievable threat.
If you’ve listened to even a few Decades of Horror 1980s episodes, you know that Bill is a very serious cat person, so it should come as no surprise that an anthology featuring a cat coming to the rescue is his choice for this episode. He liked Stephen King’s original short stories that makeup two of the three segments in Cat’s Eye, and as a mid-level Stephen King production, it holds up very well and he still enjoys it.
Crystal remembers loving Cat’s Eye as a kid and even looking up to Drew Barrymore. She remembers it being scarier through a kid’s eyes but in the end, it’s a feel-good movie with the cat finding his “forever home.” She agrees with Bill that the movie doesn’t seem dated at all and has held up very well. Jeff agrees with Crystal. To him, Cat’s Eye seems milder than he remembers, but he still enjoys it as an example of a well-shot movie with good storytelling and a great cast.
If you have a hankering to watch an anthology film, you won’t go wrong with Cat’s Eye. At the time of this writing, Cat’s Eye can be streamed from HBOmax, Tubi, and a host of PPV options. It is available on physical media as a Blu-ray from Warner Brothers.
For reviews of other Stephen King-based movies, check out these Decades of Horror podcasts:
Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Crystal, will be Sleepaway Camp (1983). Yes, that one.
Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or leave a comment on the gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.
“That bugs me, man. That really bugs me.” This ends up being Glenn Ford’s key line in his short appearance in this episode’s movie. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they come away with a slew of questions after watching The Visitor (1979) and its star-studded cast.
Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 174 – The Visitor (1979)
Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine
Synopsis: The soul of a young girl with telekinetic powers becomes the prize in a fight between forces of good and evil.
Chad chose The Visitor for this episode’s discussion, but he confesses that he had no idea what was going on at any given moment during the film. On top of his confusion with the storyline, he was “bored off his hindquarters” while some scenes dragged on forever and ever and ever… To him, it felt like a ripoff of The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976) with a little science fiction twist thrown in. Of course, there was the hate-eliciting kid, dripping with evil, and the inappropriate music backing many scenes.
Though competently made, according to Bill, The Visitor is a mess. The incoherent story seemed to go a little Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) while still not making a lick of sense. Echoing Chad’s feelings about the kid, he admits he cheered when Shelley Winters’ character slapped her. He finishes with, “Of all the WTF 1970s movies we’ve done, this is the WTFest.”
Jeff agrees with Chad that The Visitor is way too long with what seemed like some endless sequences. Once he realized it was an Italian film, the presence of a confusing storyline kind of made sense. The second time he watched it the plot became somewhat less opaque, but he would never recommend that anyone else watch it twice.
The Visitor took some life out of Doc and made his brain hurt trying to figure out what was happening. For him, it plays a lot like Damien: Omen II (1978) with Lance Henriksen even playing a similar part. He also found some unintentionally comedic scenes and while the film has its moments, on the whole, he had to fight to not fall asleep.
Despite the 70s Grue-Crew’s poor impressions, The Visitor does have a cult following and sports an excellent cast that outperforms the material. At the time of this writing, The Visitor is available to stream from Shudder, Peacock, Kanopy, Tubi, and Freevee. The Visitor is also available on physical media as a Blu-ray from Drafthouse.
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule, chosen by Doc, will be Hammer’s Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971). That won’t be confusing at all.
We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.
Welcome to HORROR NEWS RADIO for OCTOBER 24, 2022. JOIN US FOR upcoming horror movie news for THE CONJURING 4 and RETURN TO SILENT HILL, along with casting news for Nicolas Cage and Tobin Bell. All this, and more, coming up next…
I am your host Doc Rotten and this is HNR, the official GRUESOME MAGAZINE HORROR NEWS podcast. Back with me again are the scariest, goriest, bloodiest co-hosts on the 'Net with Dave Dreher, the lead news writer at Gruesome Magazine, and Crystal Cleveland, the Livin6dead6irl.
New Line taps David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick to help the screenplay for THE CONJURING 4 with James Wan and Peter Safran producing. Source: Deadline
Christophe Gans will once again direct a video game adaptation to the big screen with RETURN TO SILENT HILL. Source: Collider
Johannes (47 Meters Down, V/H/S/99) Roberts sets his next feature film, THE NOT POLLY. Source: Deadline
Nicolas Cage defends his twin sons from "ferocious creatures" in SAND AND STONES. Source: Collider
Kyle (Smile) Gallner and Holland (Teen Wolf) Roden battle a "possessive" in-law in MOTHER, MAY I. Source: Deadline
Dee Wallace confronts werewolves once again, along with Edward Furlong, in Scott Goldberg's THE FOREST HILLS. Source: Bloody Disgusting
Tobin Bell returns to Lionsgate and Twister Pictures' SAW franchise as the Jigsaw Killer, John Kramer. Source: Deadline
THE FRIENDSHIP GAME
In Theaters and On Demand on November 11, 2022.
A group of teenagers in a small town discover a strange object that tests the strength of their friendship.
SOFT AND QUIET
In Theaters and On Demand NOVEMBER 4
Thank you for hanging out with the Grue-Crew. Be sure to hit the LIKE, SUBSCRIBE buttons, or Share with a Friend. Every click counts. Check out the Patreon link below and we'll see you next week.
“There is only one reality, Rachel, and that is death. I bring you death, a living death.” Living death? Oxymorons abound in vampire flicks. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, and Jeff Mohr, along with guest host Dave Dreher – as they take in this alternative version of the bloodthirsty Count as depicted in director Paul Landres’s The Return of Dracula (1958).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 136 – The Return of Dracula (1958)
Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
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ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL,
which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/
After a vampire leaves his native Balkans, he murders a Czech artist, assumes his identity, and moves in with the dead man’s American cousins.
The Return of Dracula, from Gramercy Pictures and United Artists, was chosen by Dave Dreher because of the effect it had on him while watching at his grandmother’s house as a young boy. He was mesmerized by the silhouette of a man with just his eyes bathed in light. The silhouetted man, the hand coming out of the coffin, the coffin filled with smoke, and other haunting images became the keystone of what he thinks of as classic horror and motivated him to go back and watch the Universal Horror offerings. To this day, he still holds The Return of Dracula in high regard.
Daphne describes the film as “wonderful.” She loves the ordinary folks placed in this bizarre situation and atmosphere and applauds Francis Lederer’s performance as the devilish, but debonair Count. Chad describes The Return of Dracula as answering the question, what if we dropped Dracula into the middle of a 1950s sitcom? From the outside, the film looks like a throwaway Dracula movie, but it is amazingly well-written by Pat Fielder and is well worth a watch. He describes Francis Lederer’s performance as stealing the show. He really believed this charismatic and magnetic personality as this evil slimy villain against the dichotomy of this wholesome family backdrop. You might think The Return of Dracula is a bit lame if you’re not paying attention, according to Jeff, but he too loves Francis Lederer as well as the family dynamics and the great character actors. Topping it off is the excellent writing from Pat Fielder.
Anyone viewing or listening to a podcast on classic horror will most certainly enjoy The Return of Dracula. At the time of this writing, the film can be streamed from Dailymotion or a Vudu PPV option and is available on physical media as an Olive Films Blu-ray.
Please check out these Decades of Horror: The Classic Era’s podcasts on other vampire movies:
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule and chosen by guest host Richard Klemensen, the owner and publisher of Little Shoppe of Horrors: The Journal of Classic British Horror Films, will be Hammer’s The Brides of Dracula (1960). Also joining us will be Alistair Hughes, author and illustrator of Infogothic: An Unauthorised Graphic Guide to Hammer Horror and frequent illustrator for Little Shoppe of Horrors. This should be a fun episode. You won’t want to miss it!
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 Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com
To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for listening!”
Welcome to HORROR NEWS RADIO for OCTOBER 17, 2022. JOIN US FOR casting news for THE STRANGERS, FATAL ATTRACTION, along with trailer news for V/H/S/99 and THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. All this, and more, coming up next…
I am your host Doc Rotten and this is HNR, the official GRUESOME MAGAZINE HORROR NEWS podcast. Back with me again are the scariest, goriest, bloodiest co-hosts on the ‘Net. Dave Dreher, the lead news writer at Gruesome Magazine.
THE WICKER MAN is getting a modern setting TV adaptation. Source: Deadline
PEACOCK is developing a supernatural TV series titled ST. DONATUS. Source: Deadline
Synopsis: “St. Donatus is about a small town in Iowa with a dark secret. An unwitting family, relocating from Brooklyn, moved into a newly-renovated farmhouse on the outskirts of town. When the family starts experiencing unsettling occurrences, it brings them closer to the town’s secret… and the very thing trapped in their cellar.”
Sydney Sweeney is attached to produce and star in a remake of BARBARELLA. Source: Deadline
Hot off of LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER, Ema Horvath joins the cast of THE STRANGERS remake. Source: Deadline
Fan favorite Dee Wallace boards the Paramount+ series adaptation of FATAL ATTRACTION. Source: Deadline
Universal has tapped Sydney Sweeney to star in THE CARETAKER. Source: Deadline
M3GAN
A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll that begins to take on a life of its own, landing in theaters on January 13, 2023 from director Gerard Johnstone.
V/H/S/99
Witness a hellish vision of 1999, as social isolation, analog technology and disturbing home videos fuse into a nightmare of found footage savagery. Streaming on SHUDDER beginning October 20, 2022.
Flying Lotus … (segment “Ozzy’s Dungeon”)
Maggie Levin … (segment “Shredding”)
Tyler MacIntyre … (segment “The Gawkers”)
Johannes Roberts … (segment “Suicide Bid”)
Joseph Winter … (segment “To Hell and Back”)
Vanessa Winter … (segment “To Hell and Back”)
THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN (The Asylum)
When seconds from death, a nearly decapitated and desperate man makes a deal with the devil to protect the love of his life and seek revenge on the drug dealer who almost murdered him. Available beginning October 14, 2022 from director Jose Prendes.
“I really liked your story, Frankie. I wish I was as weird as you.” You are. Trust us. Join your faithful Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they travel to upstate New York on Halloween for this quirky independent ghost story, Lady in White (1988).
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 217 – Lady in White (1988)
Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine
An author tells the story of how, as a young boy growing up in a 1960s small town, he was haunted after witnessing the murder of a little girl.
Lady in White is Jeff’s pick and he loves the family dynamics depicted in the film coupled with a ghost story that includes racism and a serial killer. Crystal sees traces of A Christmas Story (1983) in the use of a narrator and a young boy who sends away for a prized possession, this time a typewriter instead of a decoder ring. She also lauds future Oscar winner Russell Carpenter’s cinematography and the cast’s acting, singling out Lukas Haas for his cuteness factor. Finally, for her, the combination of child murders and racism coats Lady in White with a patina of sadness.
Bill describes Lady in White as being good in a lot of ways but just missing the mark of being a great movie. Each element is fine by itself but the humor makes a weird mix in a film featuring a child-molesting serial killer. He also singles out Ernest Farino as a frequent provider of quality visual effects in independent films. It comes through, for Bill, that Lady in White is made by someone who loves the material and loves movies.
As of this writing, Lady in White is available to stream from Shudder. Unfortunately, the Scream Factory Blu-ray is currently out-of-print.
Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Bill, will be Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye (1985), an anthology film starring James Woods and Drew Barrymore, just in time for Halloween.
Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or leave a comment on the gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.
“Trust in Allah! … but tie up your camel!” Always! Trust, but verify, right? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they revel in the wonder of Ray Harryhausen’s creations in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad(1973).
Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 173 – The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine
Sinbad and the vizier of Marabia, followed by evil magician Koura, seek the three golden tablets that can gain them access to the ancient temple of the Oracle of All Knowledge.
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad features the stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen and Caroline Munro so no one should be surprised that it is Bill’s pick. In fact, Ray Harryhausen is his hero and this is the movie that made him fall in love with moviemaking. He’s poured over the Kali scene frame-by-frame, over and over. He still can’t believe how cool everything is and how great it looks, loving it then and loving it now.
Jeff also digs The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, calling it his favorite of the Harryhausen adventure movies. It’s a better movie overall in his view and he appreciates Tom Baker’s turn as the film’s villain. Watching The Golden Voyage of Sinbad had reawakened Doc’s love of these movies. The special effects are seamlessly melded into the story, the villain is cool, the creatures are fun, and it is such a good time.
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is currently available to stream from Tubi and various PPV sources. It’s also available on Blu-ray as a stand-alone or as part of Ray Harryhausen – The Ultimate 7 Film Collection, both from ViaVision Entertainment/Madman/Columbia Pictures.
Also, check out our other Decades of Horror episodes on Ray Harryhausen films:
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule, chosen by Chad, will be The Visitor (1979), starring Glenn Ford, John Huston, Lance Henriksen, Shelley Winters, Mel Ferrer, and Sam Peckinpah.
We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.
Welcome to HORROR NEWS RADIO for October 10, 2022. JOIN US FOR casting news for NOSFERATU and THE MEAN ONE, along with trailer news for THE LAIR and WEDNESDAY. All this, and more, coming up next…
I am your host Doc Rotten and this is HNR, the official GRUESOME MAGAZINE HORROR NEWS podcast. Back with me again are the scariest, goriest, bloodiest co-hosts on the ‘Net.
Dave Dreher, the lead news writer at Gruesome Magazine
Crystal Cleveland, the Livin6dead6irl
Blumhouse hires Emma Tammi to direct FIVE NIGHT A FREDDY’S
Source: Variety
RLJE Films and SHUDDER giftwrap CHRISTMAS BLOODY CHRISTMAS
Source: Deadline
SHUDDER continues the popular V/H/S franchise with V/H/S/85
V/H/S/85 will feature work from genre filmmakers David Bruckner (Hellraiser, The Night House), Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone, Sinister),Gigi Saul Guerrero (Bingo Hell, Culture Shock), Natasha Kermani (Lucky)and Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn).
Source: Deadline
XYZ Films will release THE MEAN ONE starring David Howard Thornton (Terrifier 2)
Source: Deadline
Nicholas Hoult join the cast of Robert Egger’s NOSFERATU
Bill Skarsgard is attached to play the titular character, with Lily-Rose Depp also in talks to star.
In the new reimagining, Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Depp) in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire (Skarsgard) who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him.
Source: Deadline
Justin Long heads to Disney+ with the live-actions series, GOOSEBUMPS
Source: Deadline
WEDNESDAY
THE LAIR
FEED ME
“I was confused. I couldn’t decide what to do. Then… I ate them!” Oh, oh. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, and Jeff Mohr, along with guest host Dirk Rogers – as they journey to a Pacific island and attempt to resist the lure of the deadly mushrooms found in Ishirô Honda’s Matango (Attack of the Mushroom People, 1963) from Toho.
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 135 – Matango (Attack of the Mushroom People, 1963)
Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine
ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/
Synopsis: A group of pleasure-seeking young people is stranded on a mysterious island when their boat crashes. One by one they succumb to the lure of the deadly mushrooms.
In this episode, your Classic Era Grue Crew is joined by Dirk Rogers, a special effects artist with KNB EFX Group and a long-time friend of the show. As the guest host, Dirk chose Matango for this episode’s topic and with the movie’s use of effects – miniatures, suits, prosthetics, set dressing – it’s easy to see why this is one of his favorites.
Dirk was originally drawn to Matango because it featured a lot of the same players from the Godzilla films. He loves the damp (shall we say moist?) atmosphere, the use of color reminiscent of Mario Bava, the sets, and the miniatures. He’s always loved Matango and feels the English title, Attack of the Mushroom People, doesn’t represent the depth of what you get from the film. Dirk also provides valuable insights into the effects work and the documentation of who did what during the production.
Matango is probably Chad’s first exposure to body horror and the horrors of fungus. He loves the way the story ramps up the terror and the cringeworthy fungus-filled sets. As one of Toho’s best, Matango still holds up for him. Daphne is blown away by the colors and the textures of the mushrooms and the fungi, loving it all over again. Jeff agrees that “Attack of the Mushroom People” sounds kind of hokey and doesn’t represent the depth of the story told in Matango. He loves the concept, the story progression, the creepy and downright icky creatures and fungi, and the movie’s cultural and historical relation to the horrors experienced by the Japanese from the atomic bombs of World War II.
Dirk was turned onto the writings of William Hope Hodgson by this movie as it is developed from Hodgson’s short story, “The Voice in the Night.” During the episode, the crew discusses several versions of this story, all of which are provided through the following links:
If you have been motivated by this episode to catch Matango (and you should be), at the time of this writing, it is available to stream from Classic Horror Movie Channel, Tubi, The Criterion Channel, and various PPV sites. In terms of physical media, Matango is available on DVD.
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule is one chosen by guest host, the one and only Dave Dreher: The Return of Dracula (1958).
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 Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com
To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for listening!”
Welcome to HORROR NEWS RADIO for October 3, 2022. JOIN US FOR casting news for NOSFERATU and AZRAEL, along with trailer news for BONES AND ALL and THE LAST OF US. All this, and more, coming up next…
I am your host Doc Rotten and this is HNR, the official GRUESOME MAGAZINE HORROR NEWS podcast. Back with me again are the scariest, goriest, bloodiest co-hosts on the 'Net: Crystal Cleveland, the Livin6dead6irl and Jeff Mohr, host of Decades of Horror podcasts.
Eli Roth and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson teaming up for a trio of Horror Films: THE GUN, TRACKMASTER, and CREATURE HOUSE
Source: Deadline
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: NEW YORK CITY (Season 11) lands on FX on October 19, 2022.
Source: Deadline
Joko Anwar's SATAN'S SLAVES: COMMUNION sequel is headed to SHUDDER on November 4
Source: Deadline
UPCOMING MOVIES October 7, 2022
HELLRAISER (2022, HULU)
Ed Martinez, a friend of the show, interviews Russell FX - Josh & Sierra - about their work on HELLRAISER. Check out his podcast!
Samara Weaving cast in lead role for AZRAEL. Evan Katz (Haunting Of Bly Manor) is aboard to direct the original script by You’re Next scribe Simon Barrett.
Source: Deadline
Bill Skarsgard and Lily-Rose Depp board Robert Eggers' NOSFERATU.
Source: Deadline
Freya Allan (Ciri in "The Witcher") headed to KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.
Source: Deadline
HALLOWEEN ENDS (October 14, 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0vtbxLa-N8
GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES (October 25, 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3E1URhCR60
BONES AND ALL (November 23, 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjMt1MIk2EA
THE LAST OF US (2023, HBOMAX)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBRRDpQ0yc0
“It says here the body showed signs of cannibalism. … That’s what it says, Chief!” Exactly what are “signs of cannibalism,” Chief? Join your faithful Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they investigate the “signs” in Antonio Margheriti’s Cannibal Apocalypse (1980), starring John Saxon.
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 216 – Cannibal Apocalypse (1980)
Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine
Mentally unstable Vietnam vets who were held captive by the Vietcong come back to America after being rescued carrying a dangerous virus that turns people into cannibals when bitten.
IMDb
Did you ever have one of those movies that you didn’t think you’d seen, but when you finally watched it, it turned out you already had? That’s the case for Chad and his pick for this episode, Cannibal Apocalypse, also known as Cannibals in the Streets, Cannibal Massacre, Cannibals in the City, Invasion of the Fleshhunters, Savage Apocalypse, Savage Slaughterers, The Slaughterers, Apocalypse domani, and Asphalt-Kannibalen. With all those alternate titles, it’s easy to see how he might have been confused.
This time around, Chad points out that this allegory for Viet Nam veterans returning home has no one to root for. He’s a John Saxon fan and thinks he is the best thing about the movie, but he is perplexed by the film and the fact that it even exists.
Crystal loves John Saxon as well, especially his confused and shocked look when he sees his troops in the pit eating human flesh. The film is trying to be serious with a metaphor depicting PTSD as some type of contagious cannibalism but in the end, it doesn’t really know what it wants to be. And beware! There are triggers aplenty.
Bill generally appreciates director Margheriti’s work and can see why Quentin Tarantino likes him, but Cannibal Apocalypse feels to him like Margheriti wanted to make a Viet Nam movie but could only get money for a horror film and it turns out to be a bit of a mess. He does like the idea of war as a virus that comes home. Just because you’re no longer on the battlefield doesn’t mean you can escape it.
Margheriti’s The Long Hair of Death (1965) was covered in Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 110 but Jeff sees few similarities between that and Cannibal Apocalypse. He loves Giannetto De Rossi’s special effects and of course, John Saxon’s performance, but also gives a trigger warning for several scenes.
At the time of this writing, Cannibal Apocalypse is available to stream from Tubi and on physical media as a Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Jeff, will be Lady in White (1988), a serial killer/ghost story starring Lukas Haas.
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 gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the website or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com