Do the sins of the father fall on the son? Find out in our coverage of 1951's THE SON OF DR. JEKYLL from director Seymour Friedman! Out of Columbia Pictures comes this sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But what would the House Un-American Activities Committee have to do with a 1950s horror movie? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 28:21; Discussion 46:11; Ranking 58:51
Curt Siodmak and Lon Chaney Jr return in BRIDE OF THE GORILLA (1951), with Siodmak's directorial debut! Beefcake Raymond Burr stars in this Val Lewton-styled Wolf Man remake set in the Amazon! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 20:23; Discussion 34:16; Ranking 57:38
What does a sci fi horror movie look like? Director Edgar Ulmer gives it a shot with 1951's THE MAN FROM PLANET X, starring Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, William Schallert and Roy Engel. Produced and written by Jack Pollexfen and Aubrey Wisberg. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 32:15; Discussion 51:42; Ranking 1:13:23
It's 1951! UFOs, the Cold War, and the Sci-Fi genre get covered in our context setting, then an in-depth look at Christian Nyby's THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD! This Howard Hawks film stars Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Robert Cornthwaite, James Arness, and many other character actors. Cultural context setting 00:00; Film context setting 42:05; Synopsis 1:12:15; Discussion 1:25:23; Ranking 1:57:45
We head to 1940's Nazi occupied France for LE LOUP DES MALVENEUR (1943) from director Guillaume Radot, starring Madeleine Sologne, Pierre Renoir, Gabrielle Dorziat & Michel Marsay. Can the French emulate the Universal Pictures style enough to be horror? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 26:28; Discussion 45:44; Ranking 1:01:34
We travel to Japan for 1949's YOTSUYA KAIDAN from director Keisuke Kinoshita, starring Kinuyo Tanaka & Ken Uehara! From its origins as a Kabuki play, to what Japan's post-war film industry looks like, we introduce Japan's most famous ghost story to Scream Scene listeners. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 53:02; Discussion 1:11:14; Ranking 1:42:41
It's the film Martin Scorsese claims as "one of the few true classic of supernatural cinema;" it's 1949's THE QUEEN OF SPADES from director Thorold Dickinson and starring Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans, and Yvonne Mitchell. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 26:57; Discussion 37:02; Ranking 1:04:25
Your deadicated hosts travel to Russia and back in time for 1916's PIKOVAYA DAMA aka THE QUEEN OF SPADES! Director Yakov Protazanov adapts the Aleksandr Pushkin short story featuring Ivan Mosjoukine in the title role. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 28:52; Discussion 34:34; Ranking 52:14
Your deadicated hosts tackle the 1948 film THE MONKEY'S PAW from directors Norman Lee and Barbara Toy! It's the first time we're covering this timeless story, and we'll share what we know of the author, how effective the film is, and just where the film ranks as horror. Starring Milton Rosmer, Megs Jenkins, Michael Martin Harvey, and many more, will this UK film from the Butcher's Film Service have a tight grip on your hosts? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 23:03; Discussion 35:11; Ranking 53:10...
From Jean Yarbrough and Reliance Pictures comes THE CREEPER (1948)! While the film takes the name of his character, the film has more in common with CAT PEOPLE than Rondo Hatton (maybe, kinda, sorta). Starring Janis Wilson, Onslow Stevens, & John Baragrey. Context Setting 00:00; Synopsis 11:21; Discussion 19:48; Ranking 47:49
From Eagle-Lion Films and director Bernard Vorhaus comes THE AMAZING MR. X / THE SPIRITUALIST (1948)! Turhan Bey stars alongside Lynn Bari and Cathy O'Donnell, but can his charm save this big-budget B-movie? We swoon over the stylish cinematography from John Alton and struggle with the old-fashioned flavour of Crane Wilbur's writing. But at the end of the day, what genre is this? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 19:30; Discussion 29:10; Ranking 1:02:54
It's Bela Lugosi in colour in SCARED TO DEATH (1947) from director Christy Cabanne! This bonkers movie also stars George Zucco, Molly Lamont, Douglas Fowley and many others. It can only be experienced for yourself, so sit back and enjoy the ride! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 13:28; Discussion 27:53; Ranking 48:41
From director Robert Florey comes 1946's THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS starring Peter Lorre, Robert Alda, Andrea King and J Carrol Naish! Writer Curt Siodmak adapts the short story from WF Harvey for the unlikely Warner Bros Studio. Does Robert Florey learn from his earlier tone mistakes in MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, or is horror more than he can HANDle? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 30:36; Discussion 44:11; Ranking 1:00:57
74 years after his death, your deadicated hosts review Rondo Hatton's last film THE BRUTE MAN (1946)! It's the most famous of Hatton's Creeper films, co-starring Jane Adams, Tom Neal, and Jan Wiley, and directed by Jean Yarbrough. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 23:53; Discussion 31:48; Ranking 55:00
It's the last Republic Pictures horror film and the other half of the double feature with CATMAN OF PARIS: this week your hosts review VALLEY OF THE ZOMBIES (1946) directed by Philip Ford & starring Robert Livingston, Lorna Gray/Adrian Booth, & Ian Keith! Will this poverty row horror help liven up the dying genre, or will it add to Republic's sinking ship? Context Setting 00:00; Synopsis 14:14; Discussion 21:05; Ranking 38:24
The end of an era! Universal ends its '40s horror run with SHE-WOLF OF LONDON (1946, Yarbrough) starring June Lockhart, Don Porter, and Sara Haden. Why is it blamed for the end of the genre? Why does Universal stop making horror after this? And what does British industrialist J Arthur Rank have to do with anything? Listen to find out! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 16:43; Discussion 25:59; Ranking 44:07
All good things must end! We review BEDLAM (1946) from director Mark Robson and starring Boris Karloff and Anna Lee. It's our final horror film from Lewton and his team at RKO, does he go out with a bang? Plus, what's the connection to William Hogarth's art? Why is it called Bedlam? Why is this the last Lewton horror film? Listen and find out! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 33:21; Discussion 49:40; Ranking 1:30:58
Paris, the city of lights... and cats! A 'catman' stalks the streets (or is it just a hairy man?), is anyone safe? From Republic Pictures comes THE CATMAN OF PARIS (1946)! Featuring the talents of notable western director Lesley Selander, serial writer Sherman Lowe, and starring Carl Esmond, Lenore Aubert, Gerald Mohr, and Douglass Dumbrille. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 14:09; Discussion 36:05; Ranking 47:27
PRC challenges Val Lewton's brand of horror with DEVIL BAT'S DAUGHTER (1946) from director Frank Wisbar and starring Rosemary La Planche, John James, and Michael Hale. But will this sequel live up to its progenitor, THE DEVIL BAT (1940)? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 12:10; Discussion 32:22; Ranking 44:44
Rondo Hatton returns, this time in a starring vehicle, with HOUSE OF HORRORS (1946, Yarbrough). Does Universal succeed in finding a new horror icon and franchise? Joining Hatton are Martin Kosleck, Robert Lowery, Virginia Grey and Bill Goodwin. Context Setting 00:00; Synopsis 15:26; Discussion 35:03; Ranking 52:30
Oh what a tangled web Universal Studios weaves with THE SPIDER WOMAN STRIKES BACK (1946, Lubin) starring Gale Sondergaard. This Poison Ivy wannabe has a bone to pick with nearby ranchers, what's a girl to do?! Also starring Brenda Joyce, Rondo Hatton, and Kirby Grant. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 20:12; Discussion 25:47; Ranking 37:28
What's that in the sky? A bird? A plane? No, it's THE FLYING SERPENT (1946, Newfield)! Starring George Zucco and the mythical Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, we try to separate fact from fiction about just why this movie pseudo-Devil Bat remake was made. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 18:45; Discussion 39:14; Ranking 45:43
How many tropes and plot-pivots can you throw in to an hour-long horror movie? Director William Beaudine gives his best shot with 1946's THE FACE OF MARBLE starring John Carradine, Claudia Drake, Robert Shayne and Maris Wrixon. We have voodoo, ghosts, vampires, mad scientists, white faces of marble, and more! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 10:31; Discussion 34:03; Ranking 48:48
From PRC comes STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP (1946), an American remake of the 1936 German horror film FAHRMANN MARIA! Both films are written and directed by Frank Wisbar, but how does 10 years, a new country, and a post-war environment affect the anti-Nazi story? STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP stars Rosemary LaPlanche, Robert Barrat, and Blake Edwards. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 16:46; Discussion 23:51; Ranking 46:37
Noirvember hits the Scream Scene team with THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1946), a film noir combining Gothic horror & slasher tropes. Starring Dorothy McGuire, George Brent & Ethel Barrymore, this old dark house flick comes from RKO and director Robert Siodmak. Context Setting 00:00; Synopsis 30:56; Discussion 40:12; Ranking 1:13:31
All good things must come to an end, but does HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945, Kenton) do justice to Universal's monsters Dracula, Wolfman and Frankenstein's Creature? Will Universal's last classic monster rally film go out with a bang, or a whimper? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 36:53; Discussion 59:46; Ranking 1:22:19
We uncover and review the lost second half of Republic's horror double feature in this episode on THE PHANTOM SPEAKS (1945) from director John English, writer John K Butler, and starring Richard Arlen, Stanley Ridges, and Tom Powers. How will this film noir horror with supernatural themes fare up against other films on our ranked list? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 13:30; Discussion 23:47; Ranking 30:34
For the day before Halloween, we humbly present our episode on ISLE OF THE DEAD (1945, Robson), inspired by Arnold Böcklin's painting of the same name! Karloff and Lewton strike gold again, this time in a unique vampire tale set in Greece. It's a one-of-a-kind picture written by Ardel Wray and featuring Ellen Drew, Marc Cramer, Katherine Emery, Helene Thimig, Alan Napier, Jason Robards Sr, Ernst Deutsch, and Skelton Knaggs. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 33:47; Discussion 52:28; Ranking 1:12:40...
It's six horror films for the price of one! This week your deadicated hosts review DEAD OF NIGHT (1945) from directors Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer. Plus, insights into the British film industry, the Rank Organisation, HG Wells and EF Benson, past horror anthologies, and much more. It's our first British horror in a while, so there's a lot to catch up on! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 55:02; Discussion 1:16:05; Ranking 1:42:42
It's the third and final entry of the Paula Dupree franchise, plus the horror debut of Rondo Hatton. From director Harold Young comes 1945's JUNGLE CAPTIVE out of Universal Studios! The film also features Otto Kruger, Amelita Ward, Phil Brown, Jerome Cowan and Vicky Lane as Paula Dupree (replacing Acquanetta). Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 21:09; Discussion 29:23; Ranking 45:15
