¶ Intro / Opening
Way wait.
Ala, Welcome back to Midnight Viewing, the Horror Anthology podcast,
¶ 'Heretic'
where this season we're taking a look at George A.
Romero's nineteen eighty series Tales from the Dark Side. I'm Father Malone and sharing the Midnight view with me is the projection booths Mike White.
Oh, I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition. You stole my joke.
Yeah, today, if you're taking a look at two episodes from season three, those are Heretic and a Serpent's Tooth Heretic. Season three, episode seven originally aired on November ninth, nineteen eighty six. This one was written by Edith Swinson We're gonna keep tangling with you, Edith, and directed by Gerald Kottz. This one stars Roberts Blossom. He's an anthology hero now. We had him over on Twilight Zone eighty five and a fucking really good one, also starring Bruce McVitie, Michael O'Hare,
and Alan Scarf. When a shady art dealer starts trafficking and stolen church relics, he discovers that truly no one expects the Spanish Inquisition. There it is twice now for you folks. Mike what you think of heretic.
I really liked this episode. It could have been so cheesy and so bad, but I really think that the performances kept this on track. And especially so who's our main character is that Jimmy, right, yep, Michael O'Hare. Jimmy has one speech that he's giving to I believe it's Heart, the Bruce mcfedie character, and he's talking about, Hey, I
used to be just like you. I was the runner, I would do this, and I wanted to be bigger than I am, and now here I am, and I'm teaching you the lesson that I had been taught when I was in your position. And it's I don't know, maybe like two minutes long if that. But I was like, wow, that's a really good speech, and Michael O'Hare delivers it very well. And there are there moments where we need historyonics, we need screaming and pleading and stuff, and he seems
to do that pretty darn well as well. So I was really happy with the way that this episode went, and it followed what I thought was going to happen pretty well. But yeah, I also obviously going all the way back to Night Gallery talking about the changing paintings with Roddy McDowell. This kind of has some of that going and I loved it. And then yeah, fucking Roberts Blossom shows up and I'm like, Okay, yeah, whatever you
want to do, show, I'm here for Roberts Blossom. Just please let this man have the floor.
For the first time in as far as I can remember watching anthology shows, here, Mike, this is an episode that made me gasp. At one point, I was actually shocked at something they did, and near the end agree, I think, by the way, I think Bruce McVitie is heart I think he's the main guy. I think Michael O'Hare is the up and comer who seems older than Bruce McVitie just weirdly. Bruce mcvittie, by the way, was on ended up on The Sopranos like five or six episodes of The Spiders.
I love that guy. Yeah.
I The economy that we loved about this show all fully on display here. I got really nervous in the opening scene only because of the art direction. Yeah, very set bound, not at all stoked once they because you knew as soon as the scene opened that this was going to be our location, and I thought, I don't
know if I can take watch in that. But when he ends up falling into that painting, and then I really appreciated the set because not only was the dungeon set obviously that's where they spent all the money, but they reused even the wall from his apartment. If you notice that those blocks were huge and now they've repainted them to look like the dungeon. I thought that was so economical. It made me love how chinsey it looked
at the beginning. Yeah, the acting in this one carries it that Bruce mcfeeden, that guy man, like I totally believed it. That so easily could have been a clumsy scene. And for some reason, that guy just commands the fucking I've seen him in a bunch of stuff, but he's another actor.
I'm just like, why is it?
He huge?
Like he's got real.
Presence to him. And then like you said, oh, and then Roberts Blossom shows up as in this Inquisitor's out. He looks great. He's just so freaky.
Man.
His performance here is unlike any performance I've seen of his. It's leering and creepy and taunting and having a good time I don't know if I've seen Roberts Blossom having a good time being so fucking evil, Yeah, I think, well.
Yeah, probably just his roll in Christine. He seems to be having a pretty good time at one point, just ripping his brother to shreds. But yeah, I was also very surprised to when the first time there's something supernatural that it's Alan Scarf who shows up and he's very gentle and he's just talking about Saint Bartholomew and the way he had this cup and everything. And when he shows the cup, I'm just like, oh, Jesus, so we're
going to talk about the cup of a carpenter. Is this is going to be the holy g real kind of thing, you know? And then I love that that he eventually takes it and he's drinking from the cup once he goes into the fantasy sequence, and I so wanted it to be the dog's bowl when yes, yes, I'm drinking of a dog bowl.
What the hell's going on?
Yeah, but what we're talking about the surrealism going on here in this season. If folks, if you listened to
the last episode. When we reviewed the last two episodes of the season, we were appreciating how surreal that they've gotten this year and this has continued it and this is Edith Swinson who has given us a lot of clunkers are and but here just the ingenuity of it, like you said, the fact that we don't immediately just drop him into the Spanish inquisition, the fact that there's this sort of harbinger who shows up at almost like a warning and then he falls into it and then
we meet an even greater kind of threat.
I don't know.
This one's a big old winner for me. And yeah, like all I could think watching Bruce mcfeidiey like the this is just stupid behind the scenes kind of thoughts, but like how many push ups was he doing that morning? I hear that they were going to strain him up shirtless, Like.
When the torture scene actually was effective, because normally when I see torture, I'm just like, Okay, yeah, that actually looks like it might be kind of a nice effect, you know, like I do use some traction myself, a good old stretch, but it really looks like it hurts this guy.
Yeah, all of the sort of violence against him looks good, and all of the sort of regret on the guy, like when he comes back, like when he gets caught the second time. That's the shocking part. Let me just mention that when fucking Roberts Blossom shows up in our world in the doorway, oh my god, like a genuine, shocked, genuine fright would work tails from.
The dark side.
Yeah, that was really good. Just can you imagine Roberts Blossom just showing up at your door anytime, even if he was just like delivering a nice package for you, something had a beautiful shercutery board or something. But if it's Robert's Blossom delivering it, I don't know if I'm going to take that chercuity board.
Yeah, I don't know I'm taking anything. I don't know I'm opening the door. I would probably yell from my window or something like can I help you, sir, We're good, thank you? Something the door.
I'm not gonna hurt you.
Oh yeah, and my granddaughter doesn't want to pay attention to me or whatever it is. I finally saw a home alone for the first time, so I'm like, oh, okay, this is what most people know him from. I'm more like Christine or any of these shows. Hell, I'm just thinking about him with that Trick or Treat episode that we had. Was that just last season, Yeah, which was very good as well. And then yeah, you mentioned that
Twilight Zone. Was that the one that was the one with Piper Lauri right where the car breaks down?
Yeah, that was the burning Man. I believe that Ray Bradbury short story.
That was good.
Yeah, man, one of these just one offs where it's we're not going to explain anything to you, this is just how sometimes it happens in the world. Like that to me is just the fucking most terrifying thing, Like when a show can do that and do it well like Bravo and Dark Side's doing it.
Yeah, they're really hitting at this time.
Oh man.
Once again, I was so scared and they're just fucking pulling it off. God bless And just because this is called Heretic, it reminded me of the movie Heretic that
¶ 'A Serpent's Tooth'
I watched recently, and that's a really good movie. So all the heretics are good as far as I'm concerned. You want to watch a heretic, watch that movie, watch this episode.
Well, hell yeah, extorsist too, baby whoo.
The Heretic? Yes, what a trip bill?
Oh god?
Yeah, would be which ones we watched first? Do you want to you gotta watch Exorcists two first? No, this first, this episode, then Exorsus two, and then the actual movie. Heretic So all right, no, you know what, Actually, I
think you should do it in reverse. Okay, h I think the actual good movie watch that first and just get that out of your system, so then you have no and then use talison of Dark Sign as a nice sorbet, and then you can enjoy the ridiculousness, you know, because it'll be late by then.
Right, yeah, yeah, then you get to be brushed by the wings of the locust.
Yeah.
Man, you're gonna be punchy by then. Our next episode is called A Serpent's Tooth. This is season three, episode eight, aired originally on November sixteenth, nineteen eighty six. Written again by Edith Swinson, this one is directed by Frank DePalma, starring a Renee Taylor, Lewis Quinn, Joanne Willette, Brett Marx, grandson of Harpo Marx, Bad News Bears Brett Marx, and
Jared rush Jen. Yeah, Billy from Big Tom Hanks's little friend from Big Is Oh right, Okay, I knew that kid looked familiar, looks so familiar, right, Yep, Yeah, this story is a fucking nightmare. It's about a controlling mother who gains control of her children through supernatural means. I can't think of anything more terrifying, Mike.
This could have been so bad, but I ended up loving it. I really loved it because this felt so Monkey's pa, you know, be careful what you wish for kind of thing, and I just I loved the way that it twisted and the way that we get to see the story progress. It kind of reminded me. I made a reference recently to that Goodbye Goodbye Show, and it's kind of reminded me a little bit of that, where it was like, and this little girl control who's gonna die or not. But you get no doubt in
your mind that Renee Taylor's character. You see the little serpent tooth glowing and everything, and you're just like, oh shit, you better be careful with what you're saying. And she just uses those phrases like crazy, those just harping on everything and everybody, and that she was perfect, and I thought that her kids were perfect, and I especially liked the way that they tortured little Ritchie, especially when she says, you don't have to have a conniption fish.
Oh my god, that was.
Great. This is so good.
This whole episode is like a psychotic Henny Youngman bit man. And Yeah, what I really loved about it was what you're saying. The she's so cavalier with it. You would think if you said a phrase and it caused someone's face to freeze, the next time you said a phrase, said anything while you were wearing that serpent's tooth, you would probably choose your words.
She didn't care.
No, well, I love too that. It's the whole thing. Mom, you have to stop doing that. Our lives are a fucking danger from you wearing that serpent's tooth. She puts it away, and then the family starts to go back
to normal. Joe and will It starts wearing her hair the way she was and wearing too much makeup and all these things almost looking like my kid went punk rock type of thing, and Mom can't take it, put the serpent's tooth back on, and oh, that's really nice because we usually have the whole Okay, I won't ever use this again. They put it away, and then the episode is relatively over. But here it's just like, no, my family really needs this. They need me to badger them so good.
Absolutely, they keep defying expectations here this season. They where I think the episode has ended, like you're saying, it isn't there. They've always got something in reserve. And I love that moment when she can't help herself, when the daughter realizes. She's like, Mom, you could kill us very.
Easily with this thing.
And it is a fanto situation, right, Mom kind of has a point, like you know, the kid, She's right in the end. That's the other fucked up thing because once the kids have sort of their lives out, even now they're doing what they want to be doing, they have adhered to Mom's regimen, and that's what's getting them over the hump. So it's, oh, it's like the end of the mist.
She was right all along.
Yeah, yeah, I know, gosh, yeah. I just love how everything just goes berserk so quickly. I think it's the we have one commercial break before she actually gets the serpent's tooth, and then once she does, the world just goes wild so quick quickly as soon as she's If you get to keep reading that you're gonna go blind. And the next thing, you know, well, there's the sun going blind. I'm like wow, okay, and then yeah, the face is going to stick that way. And then what
was the last one that she does to the daughter. Oh, I can't even remember what she does to the daughter. But then I love how she's got the talks about how chicken soup cures everything, and then just she knows that now she has a cure for all of their ales, and the way she's like jam at that turkey baster into the kid's mouth and sporting the chicken soup inside.
Poor Jared rushed and that's an appliance they put on him, the fake tongue like over his mouth, that poor kid.
Oh I got to go on and being big.
Yeah, that was so nice. And then you get to see again where she's just oh, you're glowing. Oh wait, no, no, you're not glowing. You're not closing.
Yeah that was the last thing with the daughter. Yeah, yeah, you're not sweating, you're glowing. Okay, you're not glowing Jesus correct. Oh yeah, from your mouth to God's ears. And then you hear the heavenly noise and I'm like, oh, shit, what did she just do? Like I thought for sure, like God was going to rain down thunder and lightning onto her. But then I guess it's appropriate that she
ends up as a pillar of salt. Do I have to go back and reassess all of Edith Swinson's contributions here, Like, I don't think.
So, because I was going back through her stuff and I'm like, yeah, these weren't very good. I don't know what she's doing this season, but she's hit her stride with these two.
I gotta wonder.
I am at least going to go back and look to see which ones were adaptations, because it seems when they're originals, I really like them. I like the way she thinks. But the adaptations maybe are bet I don't know. Maybe I just want her to be better.
Maybe I don't know. She's still alive. She might be because she's Yeah, she was only born in fifty three, so she's younger than my mom. And she wrote and she was still writing in twenty twenty two, wrote a movie called Brazen, So yeah, she's written a ton operation.
Get Edith Swinson. That's yeah, for season four, that's that's our new mission. We're going to get her.
Joanne will Lett.
I had a big old crush on she was on a TV series called Just the Ten of Us, which I started watching because I had a big old crush on Heather langen Camp. But then I saw Joanne Wilett, and then Heather langan Camp fell by the wayside.
I could totally see that. Yeah, she was very adorable.
And I love that she came down and was dressed like Madonna. Yes at the beginning. As a child of the seventies and nineteen eighties, I was thirteen when this fucking episode came out. There were so many girls in so many malls rocking that Madonna look. That took me back. The kids today, they can't get it right. That was perfect. So rabot Joanne.
She really hit it very well. Yeah, I'm looking through some of these photos of her on IMDb and the c that she was in a very well and I don't know how many years before after this Hill Street Blues episode was but like, oh, that more excuse for me to go back and do a rewatch of Hill Street Blues.
I've never seen Hill Street. Plus, i think I've seen two episodes of Hill Streepers. Another things being Roberts Blossom. Never seen Home Alone.
Oh, Like I said, I just finally saw it last year's for the first time, all the way through. I think we did leave before Home Alone two was over those so I still haven't seen that one.
What was your assessment of Home Alone?
Those people are so strange. I don't know how you leave a child behind, and I don't understand why Catherine O'Hara her trip across the country took seconds shorter than all of the rest of the family coming back to their house, so I don't know why she even left them. And I'm just yeah, the logic left a lot to be desired.
Wow, I'm going to skip it.
Okay, good theme from John Williams, but that's like saying, oh, Era is very nice to breathe.
Yeah. Hey that Richard Pryor is real funny.
Yeah.
Hey anything more on Serpent's Tooth?
No, just Edith, please keep it up. Yeah, more episodes coming. I hope they're like this.
I can't believe we're in this far into a season
¶ Closing Remarks and Promotions
three and we're not pulling our fucking hair out.
First time everything.
I was shocked, shocked when I was just like, wait a second, this is another good episode. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop and no.
And it's on the way. But come on, let's just what we'll enjoy the glow. You hear that, mom, We're won a glow all right? On the next episode of Midnight Viewing, we're gonna be taking the like we're gonna be taking a look at the next two episodes from season three. Those are Baker's Dozen and deliver Us from Goodness. Midnight Viewing. The Horror Anthology Podcast is a proud member of weirding Way Media Group and our theme song was composed by HP with an assist by Donald Rubinstein. Until
next time? What are you working on? Where can people find it?
Mike White?
I work on a little show called Ranking on Bond where every month Christashue Richard had him and I and occasionally guest co hosts such as yourself father Alone, Yeah coming back pretty soonish or No, I think you might be on the Chevy Chase podcast. That's what I was looking at the other day. But you can find Ranking on Bass over at Chris and i'z Patreon. My patreon is patreon dot com, slash Projection Booth. His is Patreon
dot com slash Culture cast. That's Culture with Kenny, and every month in the first of the month we drop a new episode for a ten dollars and up donor, so check it out. It's good stuff. How about you fall them alone?
Yeehah, do all that stuff, everybody.
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