Have you gotten your Halloween scare yet? In this episode, I give a selection of movies to watch for this Halloween season. My list skips the "old reliables" in favor of some lesser known films you may not have seen before. It’s a mixture of old and new, American and foreign, monsters, ghosts, and some new disturbing characters. I hope you find at least one in this list that surprises and creeps you out. Happy Halloween! If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google ...
Oct 23, 2016•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast My Halloween celebration has a soundtrack. And, along with all the standards, I collect “non-traditional” horror songs ; ones that induce dread, or shock, maybe even fear. In this episode I share some of the songs that are mainstays in my October playlist. Maybe some of these songs will inspire you, and become part of your own celebration of Halloween. Happy Listening. If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play. It really helps. Thanks a lot for listening. Yo...
Oct 10, 2016•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast My biggest thrill doing this podcast is getting to talk to people about this stuff. I really want to start conversations with you...and now I get to! Recently, an H4H listener named Bradley J. Kornish started an email conversation with me. I decided it would be fun to do a phone interview with another passionate horror fan! Bradley J Kornish is the creative force behind Black Ark Studios and Black Ark Magazine. He is the author of dark fiction and horror including the web serials 'Mother' and 'G...
Oct 03, 2016•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Movies last a couple of hours, but you spend significant time with a book. Reading is a direct upload of words that transition into your own images that go right to your brain. It can be powerful. And horror books let you live with the scare and the thrill for days! In this episode I talk about my love of reading, and how horror stories and books from the library deepened my love of horror, and helped me get to know myself. Books were my salvation…and my corruption! If you like the show, please ...
Sep 29, 2016•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this special edition of Hellbent for Horror I review the new movie Blair Witch 2016, directed by Adam Wingard. This is a sequel to The Blair Witch Project, and I can’t help but think of this new movie in relation to the original. So, that’s what I do in this episode. I recorded some of my thoughts about both movies. What made the first movie so original? Does the new movie hold up under that weight? Does it blaze its own trail or get lost in the woods? Special bonus: hear my comparison of the...
Sep 19, 2016•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Coppola, Scorsese, Friedkin, Altman, Penn, Bogdanavitch, Spielberg… Carpenter? You’re damn right. All of these directors earned their place in Cinema History. Each of them made at least one great movie that made an impact where the film changed the direction of how movies look and feel. Each of them influenced a new generation of film directors. And yet, John Carpenter rarely gets included in lists or conversations that also include the other maverick filmmakers of the 1970’s. And John Carpenter...
Sep 14, 2016•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast You tell me: Why is Silence of the Lambs billed as a “psychological thriller,” and not a horror film? It looks and acts like a horror movie. Or is it that when movies hit it big with the general culture that we can’t label them horror movies? I think there are lots of examples of movies billed as “thrillers,” or “suspense,” or even “drama” that are actually horror movies, and in this podcast I begin calling some out. In this episode I’ll talk about Silence of the Lambs, and compare aspects of Pl...
Sep 01, 2016•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Horror stories are supposed to upset the apple cart. Great stories captivate us. Some narratives are timeless. Some comment on the times in which they’re born. And some stories are timeless because their meanings change with time. Stories can be great in themselves, but sometimes they resonate with something we experienced , our times, our culture, our politics. And sometimes, that isn’t pretty at all. And even widely different interpretations of the story can be right. After all, art reflects w...
Aug 18, 2016•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Recently I traveled to Iceland , and I spoke with and interviewed several Icelanders about their native horror folklore and legends. This land is rich in stories of hidden people, elves, and trolls who interfere in the lives of humans. In addition, the land has its own real bloody stories to tell . In this episode I talk about horror folk tales from Iceland and speculate on the role nature plays in these folk tales. If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play....
Jul 31, 2016•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Continuing with the horror and music theme, I’m focusing this episode on Heavy Metal music. This hugely popular music bears the brunt of accusations of satanic imagery and messages. Few actual crimes were influenced by heavy metal, but it became associated with satanic rituals and murders due to a “satanic panic” that gripped the nation in the 1980’s. Did the furor over the music by a “moral majority” actually fuel crimes associated with it? I also talk about my own relationship with Metal , and...
Jul 13, 2016•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast How would you like to make a “Cameo” on Hellbent for Horror? I wanted to do something special to thank this community of hellbent listeners! Interaction with others is where the real inspiration for imagination comes from, and I talk about how some listeners have been integral in sparking ideas. Making this podcast has energized and rejuvenated me. We all need a creative outlet, and a place to be heard. I’d love to give my listeners that outlet as well! In this bonus episode, I talk directly to ...
Jun 30, 2016•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Music can be scary, even terrifying. Certain combinations of notes induce nervousness and unease in the listener. Musicians have known about these intervals for centuries. They can induce tension, character, and depth into a song, and have been used in music throughout the world since before music theory was even a thing. In modern music these intervals are the roots of jazz, blues, and rock and roll. I n the medieval European Christian church, however, religious leaders branded these intervals ...
Jun 27, 2016•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Everywhere in the world has its own local ghost stories – scary places that have haunting reputations. Then there are people who actually deal with these ghosts and demons. You’ve heard the stories, and they’ve made movies “based on true events” of supposed real hauntings and possessions. Two famous paranormal investigators were Ed and Lorraine Warren who have been the subject of several movies and books, including “The Conjuring 2.” In this episode I talk about home town hauntings where I grew ...
Jun 11, 2016•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast So, what scares you? Really. What takes you out of your “horror comfort zone?” In this episode I talk about my own horror triggers. I don’t rationally believe these things exist. But, somewhere deep inside me… Triggers often come from events that happen to us as children , and my trigger is no exception. I talk about some of the movies that REALLY scared me on a primal level, and then talk about my past to figure out where those triggers come from. If you like the show, please consider writing a...
Jun 01, 2016•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Boo! You know those scary monsters that haunt your dreams? Make-up artists and actors make them come to life. Make-up effects have evolved with film from the beginning of cinema. Artists delve into the dark parts of themselves to make real horrors we may not have even imagined. Sometimes the work is so good that the monsters become iconic in our culture. Can you imagine a time when no one knew what the Frankenstein monster looked like? In this episode I talk about make-up artists who transformed...
May 27, 2016•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is a companion piece to Episode 6, which was about the creation and history of Shock Theater and Horror Hosts. When you’re creating podcasts like this, you have great ideas that just don’t make the final cut. Sometimes, though, there’s just more story to tell. Join me as I dig a little deeper into the world of Modern Horror Hosts . And… I make a confession about my own childhood Horror Host, “Uncle Ted.” This “Addendum of Doom” is called, “Close Encounters of the Horror Host Kind!” Enter Th...
May 20, 2016•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast A lot of us were introduced to classic horror films through midnight showings on local TV on Saturday nights. Many of us knew of our local horror host. The horror host was (and still is) a great American phenomenon full of crazy costumes, clever names, and a lot of charisma. The greats are still legendary, and horror hosts continue entertaining us on the internet and streaming video outlets. In this episode I talk about the confluence of events that led to late night horror movies on television ...
May 12, 2016•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Warning: Explicit content. What are your limits? Surely there are some types of horror movies that you will not watch. Or are there? There has always been an audience for the disturbing and unsettling image. And there’s an intimate relationship between the violence and sensationalism shown in Underground Movies and the anxieties of our culture . In this episode I discuss Exploitation Films and Extreme Horror : its history starting with Thomas Edison’s first experiments with the movie camera thro...
Apr 27, 2016•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is a companion piece to Episode 4, “Blood Oaths and Bar Tabs: Horror Conventions and Cinema Wasteland.” In this episode we interview Dave Kosanke , the creator of the long-running and legendary underground fanzine “Liquid Cheese.” It is an exhaustive love letter to everything from horror to heavy metal to XXX films. Since 1993, Dave has been a one-man Army. Liquid Cheese is a true fanzine in every sense of the word. Dave puts the whole thing together himself, and he has done that fo...
Apr 20, 2016•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is a companion piece to Episode 4, “Blood Oaths and Bar Tabs: Horror Conventions and Cinema Wasteland” In this episode we interview Bryan Martinez , who is the creator and producer of the popular webcast, “The Giallo Room” ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLXTTivU_q3vlbPbABloKbA ) He's also the creator of FilmDeviant.com ( http://www.filmdeviant.com/ ), as well as writer/director of "Gelato Giallo." We also get a special introduction by Baron Martino , the star of The Giallo Room ...
Apr 15, 2016•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is a companion piece to Episode 4, “Blood Oaths and Bar Tabs: Horror Conventions and Cinema Wasteland” I traveled to Strongsville, Ohio to Cinema Wasteland and i n this episode we interview Jon Kitley , a lifetime lover of horror in both books and film. He is also a proud member of the "Algonquin Round Table of Horror." He truly has an encyclopedic knowledge of horror from the 1930’s to the present, and you'll get to hear his depth and breadth in this discussion. He maintains his ow...
Apr 15, 2016•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s the quest of every ultra-fan: finding fellow obsessives to share in the collective joy. Fan conventions provide a meeting place and an outlet for like-minded folk. What’s it like to really find your tribe? In this episode I talk about horror conventions, my pilgrimage to the “Anti-Convention” known as “Cinema Wasteland” and meeting a group of fellow obsessives I call “the Algonquin Round Table of Horror.” Convention History 1936- Philcon: First “Fan Convention”. Science Fiction Convention, ...
Apr 14, 2016•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sharing the movie experience with a theater full of people can be exhilarating or frightening—sometimes both . You put yourself in the hands of the filmmaker to take that ride, not knowing where or how it’s going to end. In rare cases a movie can provide an audience with an ecstatic, transcendent experience, almost religious in its power that leaves you walking on air afterward and running back to grasp that experience again. Sometimes the audience isn’t ready for that story or style and the sha...
Mar 30, 2016•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast https://www.facebook.com/hellbentforhorror/ We aren't out of the woods yet... Welcome to Episode 2.5! This is a companion piece to Episode Two, “If You Aren’t Afraid in The Woods, You Haven’t Gone Deep Enough”, which delved into the world of Folk Horror. Here we'll discuss movies and books I'd loved to have talked about in the episode, but they just didn’t fit into "the story" completely, or there just wasn’t enough time. However, the campfire still has some embers left , and there's a little ti...
Mar 23, 2016•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Scary stories from nights long ago. The ultimate horror is fear of the unknown, and if you’ve ever been lost in the woods you might know this one deeply. We talk about Folk Horror , a little known type of horror that stems from old folklore, the land, and the scary monsters that live deep in Nature . Show Notes- for Episode 002, ““If You Aren’t Afraid in The Woods, You Haven’t Gone Deep Enough” Movies Discussed: The Witch: A New England Folk Tale (2015) : Director: Robert Eggers “A History of Ho...
Mar 18, 2016•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast What's the "First Kiss?" The First Kiss is the event that hooks you into your passion and obsession. Budding horror fans are carefully fed safe increments of scares by kiddie movies with frightening edges that end up with happy endings. But what are the moments we stumble upon that aren’t carefully supervised? What movies, books, stories are the first reveal of the shock and surge that good horror can produce in its fans? We talk about that first thrill, that first shock, that first kiss. Show N...
Mar 06, 2016•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this podcast we will talk movies, books, music, legends and lore, real-life horror, campfire stories, whatever connects together to tell a story . The door swings wide, and all are welcome. Whether you love Classic Universal Monsters, Slasher Films, Found Footage Horror, French Extreme Cinema, Korean Ghost Stories, J-Horror, Hammer Films, Amicus Films, Glass Eye Pix, Classic EC Horror Comics, Creature Features and Horror Hosts, Italian Zombies, Spanish Zombies, Romero Zombies, Giallo, Silent ...
Mar 03, 2016•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
