The Classic Horror Cast

Well, friends and listeners, the time has come. Erik, Sean, and Kyle are signing off for the last time. It's been a blast talking about classic horror movies with all of you over these past six years. So we're going out with a bang!

Each host brings three movies they think we SHOULD have talked about on the podcast and discuss them all up and down. Then, it's a reminiscence of the movies they loved the most on the show, and the ones they hated. Fun!

Direct download: THE_END.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 12:59pm EDT

This month, Kyle, Erik, and Sean discuss the "goriest fright film of all time," the splatter movie, slapstick comedy masterpiece that is Peter Jackson's 1992 film Braindead, aka Dead Alive.

The fellas also have an announcement.

Direct download: Dead_Alive_1992.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 7:34pm EDT

Some houses are born bad, and some movies are just hella weird. This month, Erik, Sean, and Kyle discuss Nobuhiko Obayashi’s piece of macabre surrealism, House.

Direct download: house_1977.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 9:23pm EDT

This month, Kyle, Erik, and Sean get lost in the woods--and in the weeds, coincidentally--about the 1999 found-footage harbinger, The Blair Witch Project, a movie cited as one of the scariest ever made. Is it as terrifying now as it was then, or is it just 80 minutes of people yelling at each other in the woods? We get to the bottom of it!

Direct download: The_Blair_Witch_Project_1999.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 7:16pm EDT

It's the yuletide season again, and so Erik, Sean, and Kyle are here to discuss one of the most celebrated Christmas horror films ever made, Bob Clark's 1974 movie, Black Christmas. Is it Christmassy? Is it a slasher movie? Is it even very fun to watch? Ho ho ho! 

Direct download: Black_Christmas_1974.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 6:01pm EDT

This month, we're all about BRAAAAAAAAAAINS! It's time to discuss '80s horror comedy and what better film to focus on than Dan O'Bannon's The Return of the Living Dead, a film so influential, it made everyone think zombies only eat brains.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Direct download: Return_of_the_Living_Dead_1984.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 12:30pm EDT

This month, Classic Horror Cast takes a look at Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1932 semi-silent German Expressionist masterpiece Vampyr.

Direct download: Vampyr_1932.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 12:14pm EDT

This month, we're hobbled--err, humbled--to join you to talk about a Stephen King movie, and you won't even have to get out of the cock-a-doodie car to listen! Kyle, Sean, and later Erik gather in the snowy mountains to discuss Rob Reiner's 1990 King adaptation Misery, a movie with a huge reputation, and an Oscar-winning lead performance from Kathy Bates. Are they worth the hype, Mister Man?

Direct download: Misery_1990.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 12:27pm EDT

This month, it must be a full moon, because Kyle, Erik, and Sean are talking about one of a very small list of good werewolf movies, Joe Dante's 1981 classic The Howling. However, in a film written by John Sayles and featuring dazzlingly grotty effects by the legendary Rob Bottin, is there a lot to be desired? Is self-help and new-age medicine really the right setting for a werewolf movie?

Direct download: The_Howling_1981.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 1:39am EDT

This month, the fellas discuss the first major film by horror legend Stuart Gordon, as well as the first major work adapted from a story by H.P. Lovecraft, 1985's Re-Animator. There's much talk of bridging horror and comedy, whether horror can be funny at all, Herbert West as an anti-hero, and Lovecraft as a creator of stories. Also, there's lots of talk of heads and head. 

Direct download: Re-Animator_1985.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 11:35am EDT

This month, Sean and Kyle discuss Roman Polanski's classic of paranoia, female suppression, and Satanism, Rosemary's Baby. Is the movie out of date now, or does its terrors seem all the more potent in today's climate?

Direct download: Rosemarys_Baby_1968.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 1:04pm EDT

This month, to celebrate Hanukkah and to celebrate Erik living in Prague, the fellas discuss the 1920 German expressionist horror movie, The Golem: How He Came into the World, one of the earliest monster movies ever made. Director-star Paul Wegener's movie is a lyrical, moving film that has shadows of movies to come, like Frankenstein. Have YOU seen it? Well here's the one we watched

 

Direct download: The_Golem_1920.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 5:52pm EDT

Sorry for the delay, horror friends, but we're making it up to you with an episode chalk full of horror. Not one story, but five! We're diving into Amicus Productions and their brand of anthology horror flicks by starting with 1965's Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, directed by British great Freddie Francis and starring both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Does the movie work? Not necessarily, but these are the kinds of movies where if one bit doesn't work, just wait a few minutes.

Direct download: Dr_Terrors_House_of_Horrors.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 3:29pm EDT

It's October, the spookiest month of the year, and hence you'd expect us to watch and discuss one of the scariest movies ever made. It's a month that ends in Halloween AND contains a Friday the 13th, so you'd be right in assuming we'd be talking about a slasher movie...but there's no Jason or Michael Myers here...just a little movie called Sleepaway Camp. Whyyyyyyyyyy?

Also, if you enjoy the show and want to help out one of us, Erik is moving to Prague (will still be on the show, don't worry), but if you'd like to support him on Patreon, please do so here!

Direct download: Sleepaway_Camp_1983.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 1:43pm EDT

This month, we're not talking about vampires or werewolves or ghosts, but we're instead looking at the horror of fascism, libertinism, and depravity. It's Pier Paolo Passolini's shocking final film, 1975's Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. We get all up in the poop when it comes to thematic elements and graphic content here, so if that kind of thing upsets you, be warned.

We also take a moment to briefly discuss the passing of Tobe Hooper, one of horror's true mavericks. We've talked about Hooper's films previously, in our 9th episode (Texas Chain Saw Massacre), and our 33rd episode (Poltergeist). 

Direct download: Salo_or_120_Days_of_Sodom_1975.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 10:59pm EDT

This month, Scaredy Friends, Kyle, Erik, and Sean discuss a movie that launched a whole subgenre: giallo, or the Italian pulp-crime-horror film, which was a direct precursor to the slasher movie of the '80s. While not the first, the one that ushered in the trend was Dario Argento's first film, 1970's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, a movie that isn't quite as gory or as salacious as the films would become, but has nevertheless been the most influential of the bunch.

History of Giallo comin' at ya! And more Italian stuff next month, which decidedly more coprophelia. 

Direct download: The_Bird_with_the_Crystal_Plumage_1970.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 2:25pm EDT

It's terribly sad when anyone dies, but a horror luminary such as George A. Romero deserves some special recognition. News broke last weekend that Mr. Romero--the father of the modern zombie film and a brilliant filmmaker in his own right--had passed away at the age of 77 and Erik, Sean, and Kyle met up for an all-too-brief discussion about the man's legacy, from his Living Dead films which gave him much international acclaim, to his more contemplative but no less effective films, and even to discussing why he didn't have a late-career renaissance like Wes Craven. 

We will miss you, George Romero; your horror legacy will never die.

Direct download: RIP_George_Romero.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 9:48pm EDT

Hello, Boils and Ghouls!

This month, Kyle, Erik, and Sean got together to discuss a Roger Corman movie. Yes, it's true! We're not liars. It was the beginning of his eight-movie Edgar Allan Poe cycle, it starred Vincent Price and had some truly excellent sets, cinematography, and music. It's 1960's House of Usher, but is it as good as it should have been?

Direct download: House_of_Usher_1960.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 3:12pm EDT

"Iiiiiii married my wife in the month of June, Rizzle-dee-rozzle-dee mao-mao-mao!"

Dear God, what a terrible song, but it's fairly apropos, for this, the month of June, sees Erik, Sean, and Kyle discuss their second Alfred Hitchcock movie, and the one and only time he made a straight-up monster flick (essentially), 1963's The Birds which finds a small Northern California town beset by rampant avian attacks for seemingly no reason. I bet there's a thematic reason, though, huh?

 

Also, as discussed in the episode, here is a compiled list of what are considered the best episodes of HBO's Tales from the Crypt. Enjoy!

The Man Who Was Death (S1, E01)
And All Through the House (S1, E02)
Dig That Cat, He's Real Gone (S1, E03)
Collection Completed (S1, E06)
Dead Right (S2, E01)
Cutting Cards (S2, E03)
Four-Sided Triangle (S2, E09)
The Ventriloquist's Dummy (S2, E10)
Television Terror (S2, E16)
Carrion Death (S3, E02)
Abra Cadaver (S3, E04)
Top Billing (S3, E05)
The Reluctant Vampire (S3, E07)
Easel Kill Ya (S3, E08)
Mournin Mess (S3, E10)
Split Second (S3, E11)
Yellow (S3, E14)
What's Cookin' (S4, E06)
The New Arrival (S4, E07)
Split Personality (S4, E11)
Werewolf Concerto (S4, E13)
Death of Some Salesman (S5, E01)
People Who Lives in Brass Hearses (S5, E05)

Direct download: The_Birds_1963.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 12:07pm EDT

This month, we're delving into the realm of sacrilege, blasphemy, persecution, torture, and sexual repression. You know, light and fun stuff. Erik and Kyle (with Sean joining later) discuss Ken Russell's 1971 controversial masterpiece, The Devils, which is recently available (though still heavily cut) on Shudder. Watch, listen, discuss. There's a lot going on.

Direct download: The_Devils_1971.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 3:13pm EDT

This month, because it seems very much in the zeitgeist of late, the fellas have decided to discuss Robert Aldrich's 1962 thriller, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, a movie almost more famous for the rivalry between co-stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford than for anything artistic. Is this right? Does the movie count as horror? Does it make sense for this film to have become a camp icon? Let's get into the birth of the Psycho Bitty genre!

Direct download: What_Ever_Happened_to_Baby_Jane_1962.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 5:45pm EDT

This month, Kyle, Erik, and Sean hole up in a shopping mall to escape the hordes of bad people running the world and decide to talk about one of the best and most influential horror movies ever made, George A. Romero's 1978 adventure gore-fest, Dawn of the Dead. Is there more to it than simply marauding zombies and weird muzak? Let's find out together!

Direct download: Dawn_of_the_Dead_1978.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 1:48pm EDT

36 - Phantasm (1979) Boooooooy!!!!

Is it a dream, a curse, or just a weird movie we can't fully explain? This month, Erik, Sean, and Kyle look at Don Coscarelli's 1979 film Phantasm, the movie that gave the world the tertiary horror icon The Tall Man, and a shiny flying ball that drills into people's skulls. But is this movie worth remembering or just shaking off like a bad nightmare?

Direct download: Phantasm_1979.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 2:32pm EDT

35 - Hellraiser (1987) - Some Kind of Sublime Pain

Let it never be said that the fellas of the Classic Horror Cast don't start a year with a bang. Our 35th episode, and the first of 2017, features what many consider a tentpole horror flick from the 1980s, creating an icon up there with Freddy and Jason... if only any of his movies were good! That's right, we're taking our first (and likely ONLY) foray into the psychosexual realms of Clive Barker with his first film as a director, 1987's Hellraiser, which features that Cenobite porcupine known as Pinhead. Is the movie worthy of such a villain? Join us!

Direct download: Hellraiser_1987.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 6:43pm EDT

34 - Gremlins (1984) - Who is This For?

Happy Holidays, good friends and listeners! For our final Classic Horror Cast of the bag of shattered dreams that was 2016, we're looking at one of the more upbeat horror movies we're likely to ever watch for the show: Joe Dante's 1984 creature feature, GremlinsWe talk about if the horror bits are effective, if the comedy is too over-the-top, and ultimately try to figure out who this damn movie was even for. Everyone, apparently, since it made a metric poop-ton of money. Let's discuss!

Direct download: Gremlins.mp3
Category:Movies -- posted at: 12:15pm EDT

Poltergeist (1982) They're heeeeeeere...

This month, amid some horrors happening in the real world, Erik, Sean, and Kyle take to the supernatural to discuss a seminal work of ghost fiction, the 1982 film Poltergeist directed by Tobe Hooper (or possibly Steven Spielberg, if you believe certain reports). Can something that inspired so many other films and tropes remain scary? Was it ever scary in the first place? We find out together!

Direct download: Poltergeist_1982.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 4:42pm EDT

32 - Peeping Tom (1960)

Happy Halloween, everyone! It's another year into the podcast and another movie to discuss. This month, Kyle and Erik are without a Sean, but they still have plenty to say about Michael Powell's career-destroying treatise on childhood trauma manifesting as psychosexual compulsions. The Red Shoes.... Just kidding, it's Peeping Tom from 1960, a movie that got buried under the weight of Hitchcock's Psycho but that might actually be a richer, more disturbing, and possibly scarier flick. DISCUSS!

Direct download: Peeping_Tom_1960.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 11:40pm EDT

31 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - Horror Wakes Up

This month, minus one Erik who's having to get a new laptop, Kyle and Sean are back to discuss one of the very pillars of the horror film: 1920's silent masterpiece of German Expressionism, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, directed by Robert Weine. Many point to this film as the very birth of horror in the movies, and nearly 100 years later, it's still incredibly effective. But is it scary? 

Direct download: The_Cabinet_of_Dr_Caligari_1920.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 7:40pm EDT

30 - Scream (1996) - What's Your Favorite Scary Movie?

This month, it's just Kyle and Erik, but we're hitting a big one: Wes Craven's 1996 comeback film (he had several comeback films), Scream, which revived the flagging horror film industry, introduced the idea of postmodernism and cinephilia into the genre, and is a pretty damn scary movie in and of itself!

Direct download: Scream_1997.mp3
Category:Movies -- posted at: 6:55pm EDT

29 - The Exorcist (1973) and Throwing Up in the Aisles

This month, it's another heavy hitter in the realm of classic horror as Kyle, Erik, and Sean discuss what many (at the time) consider(ed) the scariest movie ever made, William Friedkin's 1973 film, The Exorcist. Is it actually the scariest movie ever, or is it just a movie with a lot of swearing and a little girl made to blaspheme. What scares us about "The power of Christ compels you!"?? Does anything? We get to the bottom of it here.

Direct download: The_Exorcist_1973.mp3
Category:Movies -- posted at: 2:56am EDT

28 - John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)

This month, Kyle and Sean take a trip to the frigid south pole to hole up with a crew of guys (what do they DO?) and an alien that can look like anything. That's right, we're talking about the masterpiece that is John Carpenter's The Thing, made in 1982. Discussion of plot, pacing, performance, and p-creature design (couldn't continue the p trend). Enjoy!

Direct download: The_Thing_1982.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 9:08pm EDT

27 - M (1931)

This month, Kyle and Sean discuss Fritz Lang's 1931 sound film M which has a lot of the trappings of being a horror movie, but is it in fact a horror movie? We'll find out! Discussion topics include whistling creepy songs, balloons, kangaroo courts, real-life murderers, Peter Lorre's acting abilities, and shifting messages. It's a good ol' time.

Direct download: M_1931.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 3:06am EDT

26 - The Shining (1980): Is it scary or just weird?

This is a long-awaited episode, not just because it's about Stanley Kubrick's 1980 Stephen King "adaptation" The Shining, but because you thought you'd get it in December and now it's mid-January and it's finally in your earholes. After a busy holiday season, Erik, Kyle, and Sean finally reconvene their own auditory Midnight Society to discuss Jack Torrence, scary twins, hallways full of nothing, and whether or not this movie's actually any good at all. Get into it!

Next month: Fritz Lang's M!

Direct download: The_Shining.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 7:28pm EDT

Episode 25 - Black Sunday (1960) - Italian Gothic This month, Erik, Kyle, and Sean dive into a Spaghetti Gothic... a term Kyle just made up. This is Mario Bava's first major work in the horror genre, 1960's BLACK SUNDAY, a film which arrived at the same time as a number of other groundbreaking horror films. They discuss what makes an Italian horror movie distinctly Italian, and whether Bava is a true auteur or not. Next month: We close out the year with all work and no play...
Direct download: Black_Sunday.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:27pm EDT

Episode 24 -- The Night of the Hunter (1955)

This month, Erik, Kyle, and Sean return to the black and white era to discuss Charles Laughton's sole directorial effort, the thriller/noir/horror morality fable The Night of the Hunter. If a review of a classic movie about an evil preacher chasing two kids for $10,000 isn't enough, the boys also have some spooky recommendations for your Halloween enjoyment! Next month--Mario Bava!

Direct download: The_Night_of_the_Hunter.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:39pm EDT

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET - Bad Dreams from a Horror Maestro

This month, we put our initial plans on hold just for a moment in order to pay tribute to the passing of one of horror's undisputed kings, Mr. Wes Craven. Erik, Kyle, and Sean discuss his 1984 film A Nightmare on Elm Street, dream logic, the legacy of Freddy Krueger, and about Craven's films in general. Few were as innovative or as willing to reinvent themselves and the genre as Wes Craven. He leaves a massive whole in the world of cinema.

Direct download: A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Street.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 3:53pm EDT

Episode 22 - The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Hannibal Lecter and Psychological Horror

This month, Kyle, Sean, and Erik try to psychoanalyze a psychopath while discussing Jonathan Demme's 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, which is arguable to some whether or not it's even a horror film. We take that as read here and get into why this movie's so effective, especially in the performances of Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling and Anthony Hopkins as the world's most charming cannibal, Hannibal Lecter. There's also lots to talk about regarding the film's OTHER monster, Buffalo Bill. Is he much of a monster at all?

Next month - Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter.

Direct download: The_Silence_of_the_Lambs.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 11:09am EDT

An American Werewolf in London (1981) - Beware the Moon

This month, Kyle, Sean, and Erik talk about what is the high water mark for a very low pool, the best werewolf movie ever made, An American Werewolf in London, written and directed by John Landis in 1981. Is it truly a good horror movie or is it just a good movie with horror in it? Or is it even a good movie? Your intrepid horror hosts get to the bottom of it, and think of how many different versions of "Blue Moon" they can think of.

Direct download: An_American_Werewolf_in_London.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 9:27pm EDT

Dracula (1931) - Two Films, One Plot

This month, it's a double-header, double-feature, or double-bladed lightsaber of a month because Erik, Kyle, and Sean are discussing two films with one script. First, the 1931 Tod Browning-directed Universal horror classic Dracula starring Bela Lugosi, and the 1931 Spanish-language version of the same movie being made on the same sets at night. We all know the Bram Stoker novel (or at least its million adaptations), but never before have two films been so similar and yet so incredibly different as these two are. Which is better? Is the Spanish one really the superior, or is that just the hipster mentality? And what exactly happens to Renfield when the Brides get him?

Direct download: Dracula.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

Ep 19 - JAWS (1975) Get out of the water!!

This month, Erik, Kyle, and Sean learn that Amity means "friendship" when they head into a boat to hunt a maneating Great White in the classic blockbuster 1975 film Jaws. They discuss a film of two halves, a puppet of minimal usage, a mission of three guys who don't really like each other, and the power of frame-stretching. But is it a horror movie at all? They don't necessarily agree.

Direct download: Jaws.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 8:38pm EDT

Island of Lost Souls (1932) - Are we not men?!

This month, Kyle, Erik, and Sean talk about an underappreciated gem, Erle C. Kenton's 1932 film Island of Lost Souls, adapted from the landmark H.G. Wells novel, The Island of Doctor Moreau. The fellas discuss Charles Laughton's amazing performance, the very idea of turning animals into men and playing god, and whether shocking things from the '30s still shock today. Devo also gets mentioned.

Direct download: Island_of_Lost_Souls.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 11:02pm EDT

Repulsion (1965) - Terror, Hatred, and Feminism

This month, Erik, Kyle, and Sean are shutting the blinds, not answering the phone, and ignoring the rotting rabbit corpse in the kitchen as they discuss Roman Polanski's 1965 film Repulsion, starring the brilliant Catherine Denueve. The movie brings up topics such as the male gaze, the subjective camera, and the idea of Pure Cinema. It also happens to be one of the most disturbing glimpses into a human psyche ever committed to celluloid. So, enjoy that, horror hounds.

Direct download: Repulsion.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 11:24am EDT

The Haunting (1963) - Some Houses Are Born Bad

This month, the fellows discuss Robert Wise's 1963 understated yet unimaginably effective The Haunting, based on Shirley Jackson's novel The Haunting of Hill House. Topics include the cinematography, the use of sound effects, the psychosexual terror of the main character, paternal and vindictive ghosts, and Julie Harris' layered central performance. 

Direct download: The_Haunting.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 3:32pm EDT

Alien (1979) - A Haunted House in Space

Greetings, boils and ghouls! Erik, Kyle, and Sean are back from their various holiday excursions to talk about an honest to goodness horror blockbuster, which is often (we think erroneously) lumped in with science fiction simply because of its setting, that of course being Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien, which was initially developed under the title Star Beast. Wonder why that one didn't stick. Points of contention for this episode include whether the dystopian future elements, plus the actual sci-fi stuff, get in the way of the scares, not to mention the overall H.R. Giger-ness of everything.

Direct download: Alien.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 11:15am EDT

Videodrome (1983) - Long Live the New Flesh

This month, your intrepid horror hosts take a hard look at television and its effects on people's brains, bodies, and chest cavities when they dive into David Cronenberg's 1983 film Videodrome, which many consider to be one of the Canadian filmmaker's crowning achievements. Is Cronenberg holding up a mirror to the Cathode Ray-obsessed populace, or to himself for making gory, sexy films that might be corrupting someone's head? Or maybe it's both. But the line between what's real and what's just an image are more blurred than ever before.

Direct download: Videodrome.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 10:25am EDT

Eyes Without a Face (1960) - Clinical Gore and French Lyricism

In French, the title of this month's movie is Les yeux sans visage, but we hear in the English-speaking world call it Rebel Yell. Sorry, wrong Billy Idol song. It's actually Eyes Without a Face, the moody and creepy 1960 film by Georges Franju, concerning a surgeon who will go to any lengths to replace his disfigured daughter's face, however until he does, the daughter is stuck at home wearing a form-fitting featureless mask. Did we mention it's creepy? Erik, Kyle, and Sean delve into the film's German expressionist and Italian Neo-Realist tendencies as well as its incredibly graphic surgical scenes. And caliope music, too.

Direct download: Eyes_Without_a_Face.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 4:03pm EDT

Carrie (1976) - They're All Going to Laugh at You!

This month, Sean, Erik, and Kyle head to the prom to dance, drink punch, and run in horror from a girl with pig's blood on her face and telekenetic powers in her brain. That's right, we're talking about Brian De Palma's 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's first published novel. Discussion topics include girls coming of age, locker room antics, religious zealotry, acting virtuosity, how terrible people are, and whether or not split screen adds anything at all.

Direct download: Carrie.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 8:58pm EDT

The Evil Dead (1981) - Misogyny and Patience-Testing

This month, Erik, Kyle, and Sean travel into a cabin in the woods for one of the first films to use that familiar location, Sam Raimi's 1981 feature debut, the immortal The Evil Dead, starring Bruce Campbell. Topics of discussion include the inherent misogyny of being violated by a tree, the relative realism of the Ash character, and a whether testing the stamina of the audience works in the film's favor or not.

Direct download: The_Evil_Dead.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 11:10pm EDT

The Wicker Man (1973) - The Terror of Belief

This month, Erik, Kyle and Sean take a pleasant journey to Summerisle to sample some of the fine cuisine, native culture, and ritual sacrifice. That's right, the film in question this time around is Robin Hardy's 1973 paranoid pagan masterpiece, The Wicker Man, and the discussion delves into questions of false piety, open copulation, and whether or not it matters if the founder of a religion actually believes in it. 

Direct download: The_Wicker_Man.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 12:29pm EDT

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

This month, Erik, Kyle, and Sean discuss one of the most disturbing, influential, and most misunderstood horror films ever made, Tobe Hooper's 1974 masterpiece The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. In particular, they talk about the impact the movie had on the slasher genre, the methods Hooper employed to get the creepy and uneasy feeling throughout, and what the "family unit" truly means.

Direct download: The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacre.mp3
Category:Movies -- posted at: 7:15pm EDT

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) - It's Not Alive

In an extension of our episode last month, we (that is Erik, Kyle, and Sean) take a look at what is arguably the first Hammer horror film: 1957's The Curse of Frankenstein starring Peter Cushing and (kind of) Christopher Lee. We discuss what it means to be a "Hammer" movie, the nature of having a villain for a protagonist, and whether a movie about Frankenstein really needs the Creature.

Direct download: The_Curse_of_Frankenstein.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 4:26am EDT

Frankenstein (1931) & Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

This month, you get two films discussed for the price of one - James Whale's two Universal classics, Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), both based very loosely on Mary Shelley's novel. From the writing-by-committee of the first film to the camp allegory of the second one, Erik, Kyle, and Sean trundle along after the thick-booted Boris Karloff with the torches of knowledge. 

Direct download: Frankenstein.mp3
Category:Movies -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Suspiria (1977) Murder as High Art

This month, we tackle the divisive Italian horror masterpiece Suspiria by maestro Dario Argento. The film was a departure at the time for Argento, being his first to deal with the supernatural and not strictly a knife-wielding murderer. There's still plenty of knife murders, of course. We discuss the film's visuals, the director's penchant for cinematic logic versus narrative logic, and whether or not we can truly be driven mad by the music of Goblin.

Direct download: Suspiria.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:47pm EDT

Ringu (1998) - Video Age, Telephone Game, and Casual Psychics

This month, Erik, Kyle, and Sean discuss Hideo Nakata's 1998 J-Horror classic, Ringu, which was remade in America as The Ring. The fellows discuss Asian horror sensibilities, creepy girls with stringy hair, how to immediately date a movie, and why it's apparently no big deal for people to be psychic.

Next month: Dario Argento's Suspiria

Direct download: Ring_CHC.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 1:34pm EDT

Episode 4 - John Carpenter's Halloween (1978); the boogeyman

This month, we take a look at our first film in color, believe it or not. It's a movie that made a star out of its director, lead actor, and white-masked murderer and finally brought fear to the scariest day of the year. Of course, we're talking about John Carpenter's 1978 masterpiece Halloween. Is it as scary as people say? Does it scare Erik, Kyle, and Sean? Or is it, like Night of the Living Dead, more important than good. Listen to find out.

Direct download: Episode_4_Halloween.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 12:04am EDT

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Before "walkers," "undead," or even "zombies," there were the ghouls of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. On the surface, the 1968 film is just an independent horror picture with uneven pacing and more realisitic gore, but in the 45 years since its release, it's become everything from a political and social allegory to the beginning of a cultural phenomenon. This month (Happy New Year!), Erik, Sean, and Kyle sink their teeth into a modern horror icon.

Direct download: Episode_3_-_Night_of_the_Living_Dead.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 9:44pm EDT

Psycho (1960) Hitchcock, and Little Stuffed Birds

On this month's Classic Horror Cast, Sean, Erik, and Kyle discuss Alfred Hitchock's 1960 masterpiece of suspense, Psycho, which was one of the precursors to the modern slasher movie. It also happened to be one of several classic horror films to be at least partially based on the life of famous murderer/mother lover Ed Gein. Look him up; he's gross.

Direct download: CJC_2_--_Psycho.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 9:04pm EDT

Nosferatu (1922): German Expressionism, Silent Horror, and Creepy Vampyres

For their inaugural episde, Erik, Kyle, and Sean tackle one of the oldest and most influential horror classics: F.W. Murnau's 1922 film Nosferatu

Direct download: CHC_1--Nosferatu.mp3
Category:Horror -- posted at: 10:37am EDT

Episode 0--A Teaser of What's to Come

Or is it a prequel? No, it's definitely a teaser. Or a trailer? Hmm...in any case, here's a quick taste of CHC to hopefully whet your appetite for the release of our first full-length episode on October 31. That's Halloween, in case you didn't know.

Direct download: CHC_Episode_0--Teaser.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

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