This week Jerry and Mike are joined by Chris LaMartina, co-writer and director of the cult classic WNUF Halloween Special. Chris talks about creating the aesthetic of a local UHF station in the 80s, the DIY spirit that fueled the creative process and guerilla marketing of the film and what he has in store for a sequel. This was without a doubt some of the most fun we've had talking to a filmmaker about his work, and we think you're gonna love this show.
Oct 12, 2020•1 hr 28 min
This week we are joined by the "Wardrobe Mistress" Taffeta V to talk about the 1980 thriller /proto-slasher Fade to Black. Mike had an absolute blast talking to the Mistress about her longtime love for this cult classic, why Eric Binford is so misunderstood, and how the fashion and old school Hollywood charm helped this movie develop such a rabid following. Mike also had the opportunity to talk with Nicole McControversy and Kevin Monahan about the upcoming Nightstream online film fest. This is t...
Oct 05, 2020•2 hr 5 min
This week we're joined by Elm Street Radio head honcho and producer of the upcoming documentary FREDHEADS Diandra Lazor as well as horror journalist Michelle Eggen. In the years since its release (and commercial underperformance) Wes Craven's New Nightmare has become a critical and fan favorite for the series. Mike maintains he's been underwhelmed by it, but it's three on one this week, and maybe, just maybe he has a new appreciation for it. We talk Craven wrestling with his legacy, how the film...
Sep 29, 2020•2 hr 15 min
This week we're joined by author Alyse Wax (Curious Goods: Behind the Scenes of Friday the 13th The Series; The World of It) and Nathan Smith (Grumpire, Daily Grindhouse) to talk about the nail in the coffin in the original Elm Street series, 1991's Freddy's Dead. Directed by Rachel Talalay, the Final Nightmare looks almost unrecognizable when compared to the early entries as the dark, scary boogeyman has been replaced by something out of a Looney Tunes cartoon. Was this the right direction to g...
Sep 21, 2020•1 hr 46 min
Sep 14, 2020•2 hr 19 min
This week we're joined by filmmaker Alex Secker and Halloweenies' Mike Vanderbilt for a fun and spirited look at Dream Master. The crew is feeling pretty loose this week as we talk putting the special in special effects, Freddy at the peak of his popularity, New Line stretching what can be done with these movies when you have someone like Renny Harlin pointing the camera, the Elm Street foray into television with Freddy's Nightmares and more. Plus, Mike is joined by his daughter Ada at the end o...
Sep 07, 2020•1 hr 51 min
This week we're joined by Terry Mesnard (Gayley Dreadful, Scarred for Life podcast, We Are Horror 'zine) and Kelly Gredner (Spinsters of Horror) for the first of our two shows on Dream Master. Freddy's back and this time he has a whole new gang of kids to terrorize in this fan favorite from the late 80s. Since we had so many people want to guest on this discussion, we've set aside two shows for this one.
Aug 31, 2020•1 hr 40 min
Cue heavy metal high pitched warbling because we are back with a MEGA episode about series fan favorite Dream Warriors. Jerry had to duck out of this episode lest he feel the wrath of our panel for him sharing his belief that this is "meh" at best but we're joined by Brian Keiper (Dread Central, Bloody Disgusting) and author Cynthia Pelayo (Poems of my Night, The Missing). We also have a pair of bonus guests including Patrick Hamilton from the Kill By Kill podcast as well as the return of Mike's...
Aug 24, 2020•2 hr 36 min
It's been called "the gayest horror movie of all time" by some, and it's appalling treatment of star Mark Patton in the press by director Jack Sholder and writer David Chaskin has been a source of controversy and criticism since its release. This week we're joined by Jay Alary of Daily Grindhouse and Grumpire & Sam Wineman, director of the upcoming LGBTQ horror documentary for Shudder and the writer/director of award winning short The Quiet Room (available to stream on Shudder now) to talk t...
Aug 18, 2020•2 hr 17 min
We continue our breakdown of Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street with a chat on how the standout practical effects of this movie influenced a generation of effect artists, Bob Shaye's role in bringing the film to life, how Nancy used the psychological tactic of lucid dreaming to fight back against a monster, and the influence a great score has on influencing the tone of a horror movie. Jerry had to sit this one out, but Mike is joined with J. Blake Fichera, author of SCORED TO DEATH: Conversa...
Aug 10, 2020•2 hr 5 min
This week we kick off our coverage on arguably the greatest franchise in horror film history: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Born from the childhood nightmares of Wes Craven, Freddy Kreuger transformed from a horror villain to a pop culture icon that appeared on MTV, awards shows, lunch boxes, comic books, action figures, posters and anything else you could print his likeness on. That's quite a feat for a burned up, child-killing dream demon. As portrayed by Robert Englund, Freddy was a monster with...
Aug 03, 2020•1 hr 44 min
This week we're joined once again by Nat Brehmer (@NatBrehmer) for a super fun commentary on Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. We answer the important questions: What if they kept the bandaged look for Michael, when did the Shape morph into Jason and why are there so many damn photos of Abe Lincoln in the garage? Plus, stick around after the credits for a brief excerpt of our patreon exclusive IT FOLLOWS with guest Chris Dudley of Under Oath. For fans of Nat's commentary and writing, he ...
Jul 27, 2020•1 hr 47 min
Jul 20, 2020•1 hr 15 min
This week we look at the 2008 straight-to-video thriller JOY RIDE 2. Yes, Rusty Nails is back, and this time there's a lot more of a torture porn feel to the proceedings. More importantly, Mike and Jerry discuss what exactly a "third wave emo punk" exactly is.
Jul 13, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Heading into the weekend, we have a special bonus episode with filmmaker Charles de Lauzirika as he discusses his history with the Alien franchise as the director of the incredible behind the scenes documentary included on the Quadrology box set.
Jul 10, 2020•58 min
Coming at the tail end of the teen slasher revival, Joy Ride knows exactly what it is. A fun, popcorn movie that’s part car chase, part noire-thriller and part road trip movie. Released October 2001, this feels like one of the final films of a specific era of horror, where genre wasn’t afraid to mix a lot of fun and lightheartedness into the scares. 911 changed that, and it wouldn't be long before this style would give way to the over the top gore and misery porn we’d see when films like Hostel,...
Jul 06, 2020•1 hr 22 min
This week we’re joined by Sarah Stubbs (@geekswhoeat) and filmmaker Josh Stifter (@joshstifter) to talk about Ridley Scott’s followup to the divisive 2012 Prometheus. Pressed by studio and fan reaction that rebelled against the purer sci-fi and philosophical tone of the Alien prequel, Scott delivered a more straightforward Gothic horror movie in line with the tone of his 1979 classic. This still managed to run a lot of people the wrong way, leaving Scott’s plans to continue the story through the...
Jun 29, 2020•1 hr 50 min
In 2012 Ridley Scott returned to the Alien universe, looking to answer the question “who the hell is the space jockey?” The result, Prometheus, divided audiences that came to theaters expecting a straight forward prequel to Alien but instead found Scott in a more contemplative mood. Set in the same world as Scott’s masterpiece, Prometheus explores creation myths and asks if science and faith must be mutually exclusive from one another. The end result is a movie that asks more questions than it c...
Jun 22, 2020•2 hr 56 min
This week we're joined by Daily Grindhouse's ROB DEAN (@neuroticmonkey) to break down the 1997 sci-fi horror romp, Alien Resurrection, a movie that could only exist between 1992-1999 for all the good and bad that entails.
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 4 min
This week Nat Brehmer (Dread Central, Bloody Disgusting) and Terry Mesnard (Gayly Dreadful, Scarred For Life podcast) are back for part two of our look at Alien 3. Last week we explored the troubled behind the scenes production. This week we dive into the movie itself. While following up two revered classics like Alien and Alien is a daunting task, David Fincher did his best (in his directorial debut to boot) despite studio hamstringing. Alien 3 provides an emotionally draining but fitting end t...
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 30 min
This week Mike is joined by Nat Brehmer (Dread Central, Wicked Horror, Bloody Disgusting) and Terry Mesnard (Gayly Dreadful, Scarred for Life pod) to talk about David Fincher's Alien 3. This is the first of two episodes, as it breaks down the many attempts to bring the film to live as well as the behind the scenes turbulence and studio interference that led to Fincher disowning the film and almost quitting Hollywood altogether.
Jun 01, 2020•1 hr 5 min
This week were joined by Jessica Parant form Spinsters of Horror to breakdown James Cameron's sci-fi action packed sequel to Alien.
May 25, 2020•1 hr 39 min
A preview of this weekend's CFF with festival director and lead programmer Chris Dortch.
May 22, 2020•31 min
This week kicks off our coverage of the Alien franchise. We’re joined by Daily Dead’s Lindsay Traves (@smashtraves) to dissect perhaps the greatest science fiction and horror hybrid of all time, Ridley Scott’s Alien. From the iconic image of the chestburster, the immense and terrifying scope of HR Geiger’s surrealist vision to the machine-like Xenomorph itself, Alien proved that while in space no one can hear you scream, audiences can be heard loud and clear shrieking in terror even forty-plus y...
May 18, 2020•2 hr 31 min
We have a bit of a twofer for listeners this week. Jerry and Mike break down a film John Carpenter called "a documentary" with a special one-off look at THEY LIVE. We examine how the film challenged 8 years of Reaganism, what made Roddy Piper such a charismatic performer and how the film still resonates today. As an added bonus, after our deep dive into the film, Mike sat down with a pair of WWE Hall of famers: Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page. They talk about their roles in the new indie horror...
May 12, 2020•2 hr 39 min
Well, we put this one off for as long as we possibly could, but this week Mike & Jerry return to talk about thi sequel in name only to Romero & King's horror anthology masterpiece, Creepshow. The third time id decidedly not the charm here, as this one is a chore to get through. While a pair of the five segments show some promise with their script ("The Radio" & "The Professor's Wife" show kernels of good ideas) the execution is lacking. Still, we try to point out the week bit of good...
May 04, 2020•1 hr 37 min
Apr 26, 2020•2 hr 5 min
This week we're joined by Terry Mesnard (Gaily Dreadful, Scarred For Life podcast) to discuss Creepshow 2. The general consensus is without King and Romero steering the ship, this is a step down, but still fun followup. We explore what works and where it comes up short. Does Chief Wooden Head still hold up, or does it feel like we watch a town die in real time after being stuck in the general store for so long? What do we love and cringe about while rewatching The Raft. Plus, there's an animated...
Apr 20, 2020•1 hr 39 min
Mike & Jerry are joined by Nat Brehmer, Izzy Lee, Veronica, Brian, Johnny, Jacob, Erin, Diana Porter, & Mike Vanderbilt as Freddy himself, for a roundtable Skype reading that involved an early draft of ANOES5 and a lot of alcohol. We hope our listeners dig this bonus episode, and would love for you to tell us what script we need to do next.
Apr 17, 2020•2 hr 6 min
Imagine if Magic Johnson & Larry Bird both played for the Celtics in the early 80s. That’s what it was like in bringing two masters of horror, Stephen King and George Romero together for Creepshow, the finest horror anthology ever created. This week Mike, Jerry & Brian sit down to talk about the impact this movie had on their horror fandom, and take a deep dive into each of the five segments that make up the film. Creepshow remains a fan favorite almost forty years after its release due ...
Apr 13, 2020•2 hr 6 min
