SPECIAL OFFER: FREE GIFT FOR FIRST 100 BUYERS OF “SCREAMING FOR PLEASURE” The first 100 purchasers of Screaming for Pleasure can get a FREE eBook of Isaac Thorne’s Road Kills !! Here is how to claim your FREE eBook: Purchase a copy (print or eBook) of Screaming for Pleasure: How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy. ( If you haven’t purchased a copy yet, order through here ) Email your proof of purchase (receipt from whatever outlet you purchased from) to admin@hellbentforhorror.com Within 48 hour...
Nov 19, 2018•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Just because things might seem normal and ordinary…doesn’t mean they really ARE. Some places, no matter what your eyes tell you, just feel…weird…creepy…uncanny. Every culture has a haunted place…a haunted house. And Halloween is the night many of us go out to seek these haunted places! In this episode I visit some haunts in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Into the Dark’s Terror Vault, Mr. Nobody’s Mystic Midway, and one of the 10 Most Haunted Places in the World, the Winchester Mystery Hou...
Nov 01, 2018•57 min•Ep 77•Transcript available on Metacast The '80s were horror movie heaven. A wild mixture of new technology, misfit filmmakers, obscure distributors, rich dentists trying to find tax shelters, buckets of blood and latex, and home video rental helped usher in one of the most prolific and influential eras in horror film history. A new documentary in the works, IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS: A JOURNEY INTO ICONIC '80s HORROR , that has the potential to become the definitive look at this wild decade of horror. Join my guests, Director David Weine...
Oct 16, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Ep 76•Transcript available on Metacast Batshit Crazy horror movies are the messy upstarts that couldn’t blend into the crowd if they tried. They may not be for everyone, and they may be far from perfect, and they may never get critical praise, but they are not boring. They are so out of step with what is popular at the time that they have a timelessness to them. Because REAL CRAZY never ages. I hope you enjoy the show! My book, Screaming for Pleasure: How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy will be on sale November 26th 2018! Want to ...
Oct 06, 2018•47 min•Ep 75•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to a new installment of HELLBENT FOR HORRIBLE QUESTIONS, a mini-digest of interviews and short discussions! In ISSUE #2, my guests are the creative team filmmaking team, KEVIN AND JENNIFER SLUDER. They have shepherded many independent horror and sci-fi films to completion and now Kevin has directed his first horror short, HEARTLESS , which is winning awards and rave reviews. Kevin and Jennifer discuss directing choices, the balance between horror and dark comedy, the philosophy of runnin...
Sep 29, 2018•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Madness! Murder! Possession! Vengeful Gods! With the Ancient Greeks, it was all in the family. Many Greek Tragedies dealt with anxiety around the fragility of families in a dangerous world. The most frightening theme was the families destroying themselves from the inside . What is it in our nature that drives some of us to madness, cruelty and self-destruction? Just like the Greek Tragedies, some modern horror films ask this question of the audience, and the results can be as upsetting as they c...
Sep 13, 2018•49 min•Ep 74•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to a new installment of the "H4H Universe" we call HELLBENT FOR HORRIBLE QUESTIONS, a mini-digest of interviews and short discussions! In ISSUE #1, my guest is director SIMONE KISIEL , who has made two feature films, "HOUSED" and "BUGS: A TRILOGY." Simone talks about the joys of Indie Horror Filmmaking, her "First Kiss" with Horror, and her "guilty pleasures." "HOUSED" premieres on Amazon on August 31, 2018, and "BUGS: A TRILOGY" is having its world premiere at the Women in Horror Film F...
Aug 31, 2018•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Back when the campfire was the center of the village, the woods were the dark home of dangerous creatures and magical beings. The woods were considered sinister places that epitomized the unknown. So, it's no surprise that horror films are right at home with the woods! My guests, Hope Madden and George Wolf from the Fright Club Podcast join me to talk about some of the most interesting horror films that use the woods to explore literal, symbolic and even psychological monsters! I hope you enjoy ...
Jul 15, 2018•1 hr 15 min•Ep 73•Transcript available on Metacast Is the supernatural an aspect of nature we haven't figured out yet? Is magic a concept we use to make sense out of the infinite? What if angels, aliens, and ghosts were all the same thing? Welcome to the cinematic universe of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. These two filmmakers who have been creating some of the most intriguing and thought-provoking horror films of the last decade. Their trilogy of low budget films, Resolution, Spring , and The Endless defy easy classification. Join me and Bra...
Jun 04, 2018•1 hr 29 min•Ep 72•Transcript available on Metacast Horror movies have looked to peoples' faith and beliefs to create some of our scariest monsters. When a movie becomes so ingrained in the culture, does the culture mimic it? Fact and fiction can blur , and the apocryphal story can become truth if it is perceived to be true. Guest John Arminio joins me to talk about the different ways that belief and faith has been used in horror films, and how sometimes the fiction becomes fact. I hope you enjoy the show! Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde! help...
May 24, 2018•1 hr 21 min•Ep 71•Transcript available on Metacast Being a horror fan comes with a stigma. Many groups from all sides of the social spectrum believe that horror movies are morally reprehensible and promote real-life violence. Because of that, the Horror Community is staunchly anti-censorship and broadly permissive around violent and disturbing content in horror movies. Sometimes, this allows real-life monsters to hide among our ranks, who promote real-life sadism and misogyny. In this episode, I want to talk about a disturbing trend happening at...
May 05, 2018•52 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast Things might look bright and warm during Springtime, but there's something sinister underneath the surface. The pastel colors of the flowers camouflage the blood and death in the soil that helped them grow. When the difference between life and death depended on a bountiful harvest, people made human sacrifices to appease the Old Gods of the earth. In this episode I talk about horror movies devoted to the Old Gods of Springtime , man's uneasy connection to the earth, and how groups of people can ...
Apr 10, 2018•1 hr 12 min•Ep 69•Transcript available on Metacast Can you use horror as a treatment for phobias? Some psychologists think so. In this episode I talk about some of the common phobias , and how horror movies might be a safe place to come to terms with some mild fears. If you have a phobia, chances are there’s a movie or book for you. I talk about how I used horror to help me cope with my own phobias. Also in this episode I read some listener mail and do the inaugural Hellbent for Horror episode movie review , with a rating system that will change...
Mar 19, 2018•1 hr 24 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast A very NSFW episode! Lloyd Kaufman, the President of Troma Entertainment and the creator of "The Toxic Avenger" drops by to discuss his 50 years of independent filmmaking, his new movie, and the art of making obscenity fun again! I hope you enjoy the show! Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde! help support the show here! http://bit.ly/2G6CpIJ If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play. It really helps. You can keep up with Hellbent for Horror on iTunes @iTunesP...
Mar 08, 2018•1 hr 13 min•Ep 67•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, I outline my Horror Manifesto ! I’m tired of excellent horror movies being relabeled as anything but horror. This podcast champions horror, and stands up for the horror movie as a beautiful story-telling style. #SayHorror I hope you enjoy the show! Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play. It really helps. You can keep up with Hellbent for Horror on iTunes @iTu...
Feb 09, 2018•34 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast Television in the 1950's created a unique cultural phenomenon: a late-night show that played horror movies...aimed at kids! The Creature Feature show and the Horror Host tradition are kept alive by a new wave of horror hosts. They do their shows by any means necessary, even without any corporate backing. In this episode, I talk to Horror Host Mister Lobo, whose nationally syndicated show, "Cinema Insomnia" is entering its 16th season. Join us as we talk about how B-movies "aren't bad movies...th...
Jan 19, 2018•1 hr 28 min•Ep 65•Transcript available on Metacast 2017 was a very good year for horror , and in this episode I talk about some of my favorite horror films of the year. They run the gamut from slow burns to monsters to ghosts to bloody terrifying. There were so many first-time directors who made amazing films that I’m hopeful that this may be the start of a new horror era. Happy listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Pl...
Jan 10, 2018•46 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is possibly the most popular ghost story in the English language. It may seem weird that Christmas has a famous ghost story, but the reality is that Christmas ghost stories were a tradition in Victorian England. I think the Christmas Ghost Story needs to make a comeback, and so I'm going to talk about the history, and modern examples, and top it off by telling a few stories myself! So, light a candle, get your favorite beverage... And turn out the lights. May y...
Dec 24, 2017•43 min•Ep 63•Transcript available on Metacast Some horror movies don't play fair. We go to horror movies to feel the exhilaration of being scared, and to experience our fears from a safe distance . But, some horror movies aren't interested in sending you back into the world like nothing happened. Some movies want you to feel like you got punched in the gut after you watch them. And, like it or not, those movies stick in your memory for a long time. Join my guests Andy Ussery and Phantom Dark Dave, the co-hosts of The Black Cat's Shadow podc...
Dec 15, 2017•2 hr 34 min•Ep 62•Transcript available on Metacast How does it make you feel when somebody stares at you? An unflinching stare. Angry? Scared? Anxious? All of the above? How about when said eyes belong to a doll? Depends on the doll, really. If it’s obviously fake, then it’s not a problem, but what if it’s really life-like? The “uncanny valley” is a term that refers to a graphic representation of how comfortable we are with unreal faces. They can get closer and closer to human and we like them more until….they cross a threshold and then… let’s s...
Dec 04, 2017•35 min•Ep 61•Transcript available on Metacast Oh, to have been there in the heyday of Grindhouse Cinema! Rows of theaters on New York’s 42 nd Street playing classics such as I Drink Your Blood, Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS, Three on a Meathook, The Corpse Grinders , and more. These movies are the stuff of cinema legend, and late night video parties...and so are the theaters and audiences that experienced them! And our guest today, 42 nd Street Pete Chiarella , was there for the highs and lows (and sleaz...
Nov 19, 2017•1 hr 24 min•Ep 60•Transcript available on Metacast I love the spirit of Independent Horror filmmakers, especially fans who are compelled to create, no matter what the odds. In today’s episode I interview Nick Hunt, the director/producer/creator of SAFE PLACE. Nick is a true independent spirit, and we talk about the tremendous amount of legwork required to get his movie into production, how lack of experience didn't deter him, and an eye-opening peek into the power of social media as a marketing tool. We also talk about my favorite subject: horro...
Nov 10, 2017•59 min•Ep 59•Transcript available on Metacast SEX and VIOLENCE. That volatile combination is both provocative and controversial for most people. It's where we're at our most vulnerable, and Horror gives us the opportunity to confront our darkest emotions in a safe environment. But, only a few horror films dig deep enough to strike a nerve. They brashly go beyond titillation, and blur the line between sex and violence…to take us to dark, and uncomfortable places. Only a few horror films dare to get... Personal. Join me as we get into a down ...
Nov 01, 2017•38 min•Ep 58•Transcript available on Metacast History is full of real-life horror stories. In this episode I talk with Dr. Harold Aurand, a professor of History at Penn State University, Schuylkill Campus, about true horror stories of history. We discuss the Great Molasses Flood in Boston, the Johnstown Flood of 1889 in Johnstown, PA, mine disasters, and some more little-known stories. Truth is often stranger than fiction. I hope you enjoy the episode. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe If you l...
Oct 19, 2017•1 hr 13 min•Ep 57•Transcript available on Metacast Do you ever wonder how the legends of monsters are born? What made people think werewolves and vampires were real? How did the ideas of silver to kill werewolves, and garlic to repel vampires get passed down from generation to generation? People with mental illness were thought to be visited by ghosts. Throughout history, before the discovery of microscopic organisms that cause illness, curses and monsters were thought to be the causes of illness and disease. Interestingly, the weapons from folk...
Oct 08, 2017•55 min•Ep 56•Transcript available on Metacast The movie adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘It’ was hotly anticipated, and broke box office records. I was curious about the fervent response to this movie, not just by horror fans, but also by mainstream outlets. After all, the novel came out in 1985, and there was already a miniseries created from it in 1990. Once I saw ‘It,’ and thought about the movie, I started thinking about movie adaptations of Stephen King’s books, in general. King is a prolific, long-standing, best-selling author who has be...
Oct 01, 2017•40 min•Ep 55•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes, once just isn't enough. And, in the case of Tobe Hooper, it felt right to honor this quirky and often misunderstood artist with a second helping of praise. On this episode, I talk with John Cribbs and Christopher Funderburg, the co-creators of "The Pink Smoke" film review website ( www.thepinksmoke.com ) about the legacy of the late Tobe Hooper. He’s a filmmaker who induces strong opinions and debate. We talk about that debate today, and the contributions Hooper made to, not only horr...
Sep 22, 2017•2 hr 45 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast Extreme Horror Films: they are the "Elephant in the Room" for horror fans. These films push the limits of the viewer to such the extent that they even divide the horror community on whether they go too far. A large majority of these films have little, or no, socially redeeming value. And yet... There are a few extreme films that use the violence, and obscenity, and nihilism to create something that defies expectations and becomes something horrible/beautiful. For those who dare to watch. Guest D...
Sep 14, 2017•2 hr 59 min•Ep 53•Transcript available on Metacast We lost another horror master in August 2017 when Tobe Hooper left this mortal coil. Hooper was a complicated artist, and in this episode, I talk about my appreciation of the man who gave us the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist . There were varied opinions of the contributions of Tobe Hooper, but I think he was an inspired, surreal filmmaker whose contributions to horror can never be underestimated . I hope you enjoy the episode. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: ...
Sep 05, 2017•38 min•Ep 52•Transcript available on Metacast There's a select group of directors who hold the title, "Masters of Horror" for bringing their distinctive styles to the horror film. But, they aren't the only ones who made an impact on horror cinema. There are several acclaimed directors with illustrious careers who took a "Day Trip" into horror. And their entries into the horror movie defied conventions and, on occasion, influenced horror as much as any of the Masters. James Hancock (host of The Wrong Reel podcast) returns to H4H to discuss t...
Aug 23, 2017•2 hr 51 min•Ep 51•Transcript available on Metacast 
