The duo saw Richard Stanley speak about his plans for Color Out of Space about two years ago, so we would be remiss if we didn’t see how it turned out. We wade through the chuckling hipster-throngs that cling to Nicholas Cage releases like barnacles to give our thoughts on this relatively high profile adaption of Lovecraft’s personal favorite story, “The Color Out of Space” [there will always be a THE to us!“
Episode 160 - Horror Roundup, February 2020, Part 1
We said we’d take January off, like always, but JR thought you really needed to hear our opinions on Luz, so here we are. We also cover Nightmare Cinema, The Head Hunter, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Starfish, Shocker, The Black Hole, Sweetheart, and Nekrotronic. Haven’t you all missed us?
2019 Christmas Bonus - Treevenge (2008)
Your work may not have given you a Christmas bonus, but we sure will! It’s not worth spending a whole episode covering Treevenge, because it’s only 16 minutes long, but talking about it for 19 or so minutes, sure. This is possibly the highest rated thing we have covered on the show, so check it out before you get a stump in the face.
Episode 159 - Merry Christmas 12: The Children (2008)
Happy Crimbo! The duo end our holidays with The Children, the 2008 British horror film that asks the question that other movie already asked: who CAN kill a child? There’s a bit of a split on this one, with J.R. actually liking it (with caveats), with Derek complaining like an old person that it was too loud and hard to tell what was going on. Though he isn’t wrong. It’s on Amazon Prime so go watch and join in.
Episode 158 - Merry Christmas 11: Dead End (2003)
The duo cover Dead End, the 2003 horror film riff on the Twilight Zone trope of a family being stuck on a never-ending road while creepy things are afoot. This is nominally a holiday movie, as the family is traveling for the holidays; although if you think us calling it a holiday film is misleading, just look at that title: there’s no Dead End?! A Dead End is the exact opposite of their problems! Come learn about the the surprise runaway DVD success of 2003, where the attitudes are pure 90s.
Episode 157 - Merry Christmas 10: I Trapped The Devil (2019)
It’s holiday time, so the duo review what is nominally a holiday movie, the 2019 “tone poem” I Trapped The Devil, essentially a modern riff on Charles Beaumont’s short story / Twilight Zone episode “The Howling Man,” extended to feature length. Come and listen to see how it all pans out, if you want to stay off the naughty list that is.
Episode 156 - BONUS Horror Roundup, November 2019
Some hard dolla dollas are probably the bonus you’re looking for, but we are offering you something better, time. Which is also money I guess. Thanks to us putting ourselves on the line you can judge whether experiencing any of these is worth it to you: Tigers are not Afraid, The Furies, The Institute, Full Throttle, Haunt, Creepshow, The Lighthouse, Overlord, Parasite, Kwaidan, and Wounds. Yeah, I know, I’d rather have the money too…
Episode 155 - Ken Greenhall 5: Baxter (1989)
At last, our long national Ken Greenhall nightmare is over. The duo discuss Baxter (1989), the existential French horror film adaptation of Ken Greenhall’s short novel Hellhound (1977), and analyze all the ways the film follows and diverges from the source material, including ONE PRETTY BIG IMPORTANT change that is quite interesting, quite interesting indeed.
Episode 154 - Mike Flanagan 8: Doctor Sleep
In our 10th episode covering the work of Mike Flanagan we watch his second Stephen King adaptation, and the third Stephen King adaptation released in the theaters this year. Does a 152 minute sequel to The Shining cause us to (insert positive “sleep” based pun), or (insert negative “sleep” based pun) instead? Join us live from Childwickbury Manor as we exhume Stanley Kubrick to see if he’s spinning faster than when “Ready Player One” was released.
Episode 153 - Horror Roundup, November 2019
When hanging out in NYC some people go to Times Square, others to The Statue of Liberty, and still others just sit around and talk about horror. The boys discuss: Head Count, In The Tall Grass, Full Throttle, Creepshow, One Cut of the Dead, The Institute, and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, the book AND the movie. Better than a stroll through Central Park? YOU BE THE JUDGE.
Episode 152 - Ken Greenhall 4: Hell Hound, Part 2
We complete our coverage on Ken Greenhall’s second (and most acclaimed) novel Hell Hound (1977), later adapted into the well-received French film Baxter (1989). The ending here is thematically interesting: A boy and his dog each subconsciously learn life lessons from each other, although that’s all much less heartwarming than it sounds. This Boy and his dog are even less heartwarming than that movie, A Boy and His Dog.
Episode 151 - Ken Greenhall 3: Hell Hound, Part 1
We cover the first half of Ken Greenhall’s second (and most acclaimed) novel Hell Hound (1977), later adapted into the well-received French film Baxter (1989). Hell Hound is a silly title, which perhaps overstates matters. May we suggest Machiavellian Cujo; or Dog Knows Best; Or Bull Terrier, the Lesser of Two Evils?
Episode 150 - Ken Greenhall 2: Elizabeth, Part 2
Wouldn’t exactly expect a short, sensual novel about a 14 year old witch to revolve around who whacked grandma, but here we are: the concluding episode on Ken Greenhall’s first novel, Elizabeth: A Novel of the Unnatural. Actually, if you listened to the first part of this book I think you’ll know exactly what to expect.
Episode 149 - Ken Greenhall 1: Elizabeth, Part 1
The duo discuss the first half of Ken Greenhall’s 1976 novel Elizabeth, the story of a 14-year old girl who is either (a) a sociopath, (b) a witch, or © little from column a, little from column b, who gets embroiled in a kind of murder-mystery about her disappeared Grandmother … and a whole bunch of other stuff we can’t mention lest Facebook yank this description right off the web. Ken Greenhall’s work, largely forgotten, has been the subject of reappraisal following Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell. Come join us to see what the fuss is about!
Episode 148 - L'esprit de l'escalier horreur
What do you do if someone asks you, “What horror movies would you recommend?” Do you play it cool and drop a few choice titles, or do you turn into a stuttering maniac who can’t remember a single film? And I’m not talking about a horror film, I’m saying you can’t remember the title of a single film that’s ever been made and then are wracked with madness and regret after you come up with some good ones minutes too late. Good thing the duo is here to help you out with some movies you could recommend to a regular human without fear of the dreaded L'esprit de l'escalier horreur.
Episode 147 - Horror Roundup, September 2019, Part 2
Ugh, again guys? How can you possibly experience so many films and movies that you need two roundups in a row? Well you better believe it as we cover N0S4A2, Black Circle, Child’s Play, The Sonata, IT Chapter 2, All The Gods In The Sky, Midsommar, Bloodline, The Nest, When Darkness Loves Us, Finale, Monster In My Podcast, and Knife+Heart. Dang, how do we keep managing it?
Episode 146 - Horror Roundup, September 2019, Part 1
Which was the worse choice: the poorly animated jacked Jesus statue in Belzebuth, or JR skipping a party with Maika Monroe to watch Feral? That’s a choice you’ll have to make for yourself, but in the meantime listen to us discuss Villains, The Chamber, Feral, Chernobyl, Belzebuth, The Tommyknockers, The Wolf Hour, Ready or Not, The Headhunter, and Futility Closet. It’s a real party for your ears, especially if you imagine us dancing on a table, and really listeners when are you not?
Episode 145 - Necronomicon 2019 Special
The gang asks the question, “Do you care about someone’s opinion and experiences of an event that you probably didn’t go to?” That, sweet listeners, is living vicariously, and if it’s for you listening to some man-on-the-street-phoning-it-in (literally) live from the 2019 Providence Necronomicon could be for you! From The Shunned House’s Shunned Garden to pretzel and beer meetups, join us in the Renaissance City for a Triple Murder Burger with Egg and give it a listen.
Episode 144 - Gross Horror Comedies of our Youths 3: Street Trash (1987)
We’ve toyed with the gleefully offensive movies of our youth, but all such roads lead to this: Street Trash. Here we are, in our mid-30s, taking notes about Street Trash, which you may remember as just a “melt movie” but is actually more like a Robert Altman film with alcohol poisoning, with its sprawling cast of repellent characters involved in petty and stupid activities for much of its midsection until they realize, oh yeah, people have to melt.
Episode 143 - Gross Horror Comedies of our Youths 2: The Dark Backward (1991)
You will never see Bill Paxton the same way after watching The Dark Backward (1991). This movie stars Judd Nelson as an awful stand-up comedian who inexplicably grows an arm out of his back and Bill Paxton as his deranged, corpse-licking, fat-fetishing, minced-clams-in-cream-sauce eating best friend, as they navigate the entertainment world in an alternative trash universe. Shockingly, this movie was a catastrophic financial flop.