Long before Parker Finn made creepy smiling a thing, there was Ray Russell’s 1961 story ‘Sardonicus’. You may have seen images of a dude with a really bad prosthetic mouth from the film adaptation ‘Mr. Sardonicus’, but the story does a much better version of this because you only see images from reading IN YOUR MIND. Also, “Mr.” Sardonicus was my father, please call me Marek.
Episode 343 - Better Horror Remakes 2: Fright Night (2011)
2011’s “Fright Night” is, of course, a remake of the 1964 classic Spanish film “Noche de Miedo” starring Carlos Larrañaga, Rafael Guerrero, and Aurora Bautista. Not only that, it’s one of the rare remake exceptions where a good movie is remade into a movie that is equally good. Is that even legal? Oh damn, are we going to get disappeared to a foreign prison now? Never forget us listeners….
Episode 342 - Better Horror Remakes 1: The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
We all know the GOOD horror movie remakes; The Thing, The Fly, The Blob, etc, but what about the remakes that are a little more underappreciated? Everyone now is foolishly remaking good movies into meh/garbage films, but what about taking a solidly meh movie to begin with and giving it a loving touchup? Wes Craven’s 1977 ‘The Hills Have Eyes” is a bland version of the Sawney Bean legend, but what if that was jazzed up a bit into, say, a 2006 retelling focusing on the dangers of nuclear testing in the American Southwest? Well say what if no longer, because that’s what we’re covering today.
Episode 341 - Kandisha (2020)
When watching ‘Candyman’, have you ever thought, “You know, this ain’t bad, but mon dieu, not French enough for my liking!” The 2020 film ‘Kandisha’ doesn’t exactly have you covered, but it doesn’t exactly not have you covered either. Rib cage full of bees, legs of a goat or camel, same difference when it comes to supernatural entities you summon by saying their name multiple times in a mirror. Don’t even get me started on Bloody Mary. Also, some timely Predator talk, and JR gives advice on what not to do in an interview.
Episode 340 - Revenge (2017)
Did you like ‘The Substance’ but didn’t feel like it had enough SA/Revenge? Well luckily for you, director Coralie Fargeat made another movie in 2017 about just that! Sure, it’s only titled “Revenge”, but that’s a much smarter choice marketing-wise. Also a smart marketing choice, casting the most callipygian leads for all the ass men and women out there.
Episode 339 - Red Rooms (2023)
Are you looking for a movie about dark web child snuff films that you can show your Meemaw? Assuming she hasn’t already watched it, we recommend the 2023 Quebecois feature “Les Chambres Rouges”, or “Red Rooms” if you don’t speak French. Remember how we’re doing a whole French language horror thing? The theme continues un petit peu.
Episode 338 - MadS (2024)
Mon dieu! The boys are diving into un peu de cinéma français with 2024’s MadS. Don’t let the misleading description fool you, this is every zombie movie you’ve seen, but with a bit of a stylistic twist, and we’re not talking just the “S” in the title being capitalized. Don’t worry, there are a lot fewer Mads Mikkelsen jokes than you would expect.
Episode 337 - Ian Rogers Returns!
Nine years and 324 episodes later, author Ian Rogers returns to the podcast! We predicted back then that he’d be going places, and as his tales of wide book releases and consulting on Sam Raimi adaptations of them suggest, he is on his way to the moon. How do YOU get Sam Raimi to adapt something of yours? Lend Ian your ear and maybe you’ll find out…
Episode 336 - Horror Roundup, February 2025
The boys return, only kind of forgetting how podcasts work as JR’s babysitter clangs away for 20 minutes, but after that it’s all chiller, no filler. And the reviews, oh the reviews! We got Beau is Afraid, The Leopard Man, Nosferatu, The Wolf Man, Wolf Man, The Seventh Victim, Companion, Horror’s Greatest, and a little Dan Simmons duo of Song of Kali and Summer of Night. Seems like they also forgot to make a short episode as well…
Episode 335 - Oddity (2024)
Merry Christmas everyone, and as such here is our annual Christmas themed episode covering, er… the 2024 holiday classic “Oddity”. Alright, you got us, this is just something we wanted to watch because of the golem thing, nothing Christmas related, although if we are to believe this is a golem we could get a little of that Jewish mysticism in there. Do you love the scripts of Giallo films but dislike the colors and other distinctive nonsense of one? This here is a present for you then.
Episode 334 - Out of Darkness (2022)
If you watched the opening of the first X-Files movie and said, "I need me more of that cave man horror!", 2022's 'Out of Darkness' is not that. What is it? Well, certainly not a film anyone who knew how to market a cave man based drama was involved in. Derek spouts some Neanderthal conspiracy nonsense, and JR seems to think people in movies are real. Another classic episode.
Episode 333 - Daddy's Head (2024)
In our most provocatively titled film since “Butt Boy”, 2024’s “Daddy’s Head” is sure to get you on a list if you google it too much. “Daddy’s Face” would technically be more accurate, especially since you wouldn’t want to confuse this with some sort of “Head of the Family” or “Re-Animator” animated head scenario. What’s the scenario instead? Aliens? Grief? YOU DECIDE!
Episode 332 - V/H/S/Beyond (2024)
For a series that uses so many forward slashes in its titles that it tanks its SEO, 2024’s “V/H/S/Beyond” is somewhat of an outlier for the 7th film in a franchise. Sure, it still has multiple shorts involving bros dropping the f-bomb constantly, but it does seem to be trying to get BEYOND that. Does it succeed? Better give this a listen because no way are you going to put all the forward slashes in the right place to find it to watch. A third one “/” between the “S” and the “B”??? GTFO.
Episode 331 - OctJOEber 3: Embodiment of Evil (2008)
In this time of political strife candidates in their 70’s are one thing, but septuagenarian sexual monster bad boy serial killers are quite another. In 2008’s ‘Embodiment of Evil’, Coffin Joe gets released from jail 40 years after the last film to find that the world might not be quite the place for an old man with gross monster finger nails. Has Joe still got the rizz, or is rizz not compatible with the continuation of blood? You’ll find out, if you dare…
Episode 330 - OctJOEber 2: This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse (1967)
OctJOEber continues with Joe up to his ol’ hijinks in 1967’s “This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse”, moving him from Universal Monster territory to Hammer Horror territory. If you wondered what José Mojica Marins would do with a bigger budget and longer running time, wonder no longer. Torture dungeons, secret laboratories, hunchbacked assistants, scantily clad ladies, even more tarantulas, this ain’t your daddies Coffin Joe!
Episode 329 - OctJOEber 1: At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964)
OctJOEber begins with our introduction to that rapscallion Coffin Joe in 1964's 'At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul'. It's like a forgotten Universal Monster film, but with more beatings and Nietzschian philosophy. Start growing out your fingernails and get ready to continue your bloodline.
Episode 328 - Horror Roundup, September 2024
Take off yer 10-gallons and fill them with a bunch of paper scraps with horror movies written on them, ‘cause the boys done did a live roundup! Not RECORDED live mind you, but they did sit in the same room and watch 2024’s ‘Abigail’, 1987’s ‘StageFright’, and 2022’s ‘Influencer’, so that’s kind of the same thing, right? Right? Also, NYC got Derek sick, so please take pity on him in this one.
Episode 327 - Necronomicon '24
If listening about an event that you did not attend is your bag, ho boy, do we have an episode for you! The gang discuss their experiences at Necronomicon 2024, plus talk a little Cuckoo and Alien: Romulus. New listeners, maybe start on another episode as this has more noodling around than your Nona making pasta.
Episode 326 - Loop Track (2023)
You might think that 2023’s ‘Loop Track’ is time travel related with a name like that. You stupid fool, you’ve just given away that you’re some kind of sci-fi nerd and are not correctly associating the titular term with hiking. How embarrassing for you. I recommend you listed to this episode immediately and learn how wrong you are, and also about the perils of hiking in New Zealand, something you have obviously never done. Shame. Shame. SHAME.
Episode 325 - Stopmotion (2023)
Get outta here Harryhausen, there’s a new stop motioneer here, namely director Robert Morgan with his 2023 film ‘Stopmotion’. Forget about the California Raisins, Wallace & Gromit, and Yukon Cornelius, those are for last millennium’s children. Kids these days like their stop motion like their chicken nuggets, gross and meaty, and this has meat for days. But is just having meaty puppets enough to make a film good, or does it also need things like believable characters and non-played out tropes?