Horroretc Podcast

The podcast continues its march forward through an exploration of war themes this week. This time we focus on the results when militaristic storytelling elements collide with the horror genre proper. Through the years many attempts have been made to mix the conventional standards of war and military themes with the often surreal and metaphysical attributes of the horror genre with varying success. While rummaging through a cross-section of titles in our discussion of the subgenre, a few recommendations arise ut be warned - frustrations with the mishandling of unique and inspired ideas become evident. Often the message of how ineffective the supposed might of our armaments and weaponry against a supernatural force is treated simplistically and left half-explored. Too often depth of storytelling is sacrificed to achieve what is perceived to be a "cool visual". That said, we're not so pessimistic as to not have a few gems to share. Anthony catches us up on his travels, horroretc.com 2.0 is officially announced and we weigh in on the Arnold 'scandal' before signing off. Thanks for listening, thanks for spreading the word, and thank you to those who have taken the time to give us an invaluable iTunes review. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

War...what is it good for? We all know the destruction and suffering war has wrought on humanity through the course of recorded history but this week it also provides us with our discussion topic. War films! While Anthony is on assignment, Ted and Doug gather to discuss the power of the war film genre to tap into our psyche in so many ways. Whether it is the adrenaline rush of pulse racing battlefield action or the crushing heartbreak felt when characters we have come to follow are killed without meaning, the pseudo-reality of the context elevates the horror beyond familiar confines. Films have been crafted by screenwriters, directors, performers et al centered in the conflicts that man has fought against man which have the power to engage an audience in very personal and emotional ways. To help narrow the scope we focus on films covering 20th century conflicts (we'll leave the grand campaigns of history for another day). We hope the horror of war was given the respect and honesty is deserves. As stated in the show, we wish to reiterate our utter respect for the men and women who have served their countries. There are real life heroes. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Karloff as The Invisible Man or The Wolf Man? Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster ?? Wha -- ??? For years, fans of the classic Universal monsters have been tantalized by those vague references to the "what ifs" of classic films that were conceived, but never produced. It is well known that Lon Chaney Sr. was intended to bring Dracula to life on the big screen long before Bela Lugosi's name became synonymous with the character but until recently no further details have ever been known. And what about Dracula vs The Wolf Man, an abandoned technicolour sequel to Frankenstein vs The Wolf Man destined to star Chaney Jr. as both antagonists? How would Boris Karloff have fared if he donned the goggles and bandages as HG Well's doomed scientist, and could Lugosi's career have taken a different turn if James Whale's outrageous - S&M laden - version of Dracula's Daughter had been filmed? Well-known film historian and author, Philip J. Riley, has released a published a series of annotated previously unreleased screenplays commissioned by Universal during the 30's and 40's, offering us a glimpse of those films which might have been. This week he joins us on the program to offer a rare glimpse into an era gone-by to discuss abandoned film and casting ideas, and an intriguing suggestion as to the whereabouts of a surviving print of London After Midnight. Join Ted, Tony... and the ultimate monster hunter on this installment of HETC. Further thoughts on Let Me In and oh yeah, just for kicks... it's Kung Fu Vampires, baby! As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Some movies do have 'em... On this weeks podcast, we're off to the British isles to get a feel of what's new in horror across the pond as of late. As Ted and Tony continue their trek around the world in search of the finest international horror productions, a few titles of note are discussed in-depth in this latest installment. Ted grades F as needing improvement, takes a stab at solving The Disappearance of Alice Creed, peeks in The Basement and finds himself Blooded! Meanwhile, at Chateau Tony... It's down to the pub to sample the Spirits of the Fall, a stop-over whilst investigating The Haunting of #24, seeing the terrifying true crimes of Mary Bell still make the cut, and encountering the strange rituals of Wake Wood! Finally, the ultimate dose of schlock in the corner this week (and this can only be seen to be believed)... Oh hi, folks - it's Tommy Wiseau! Everyone get on - this lift is on a one-way downward jaunt into terror, UK-style! As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Wes Craven...master of horror? That is the subject of this week's discussion. In a departure from our usual director spotlight approach, we are not revisiting The entire filmography of Craven's work (in part thanks to extensive coverage of many of his films along the way). We do however discuss the path of Wes Craven's career and highlight the evolution of the man as a filmmaker. From early days as a gritty independent director we move to several TV network features and brushes with success (ahem...Swamp Thing), the mega-success of Nightmare on Elm Street, a number of off-the-mark entries (ahem...Shocker), some total misses (Cursed, My Soul to Take), and the second major success of Craven's filmography - the Scream franchise. It's a long and winding road with a lot of interesting discussion points along the way, not the least of which is: what is Wes Craven's legacy...the father of Freddy or the self-aware hand behind Ghostface? There are criticisms to be sure and when talking about a director who has never shied away from the position that filmmaking is a business first, it's only fair to share a laugh at some of the lows. That said, we all have to raise a glass to toast some of his unparalleled contributions to, and unwavering dedication to, the horror genre! Schlock Corner this week sticks to the theme of the episode: How Scream Should Have Ended Spoiler discussion of Scream 4 from 1:39:17 through 1:44:23 (5 minutes). As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

And now for our feature presentation... This week, the Horror Etc Podcast goes to the movies to check-out what's new and fresh (?) for the genre fan at the local cineplex. Tony's Sherlock Holmes film enjoyed its world premiere in Kingston on April 6th - and both Ted and Doug attended the screening� tune-in to hear tales of Tony (in full-on Shatner mode) as he basks in - and devours - the limelight of the evening. Then... Ted and Tony duke it out over Sucker Punch, Zack Snyder's current offering which has audiences divided (well, it's more like everyone else vs. Tony)... but they eventually find common-ground in a loathing discussion on last year's misfire, Skyline (hey I thought this was about NEW cinematic offerings??) KTT caught Hobo With A Shotgun - a fun film, which delivers few surprises... but surprisingly delivers. The discussion / debate turns to whether Insidious is a new take on the ghost story premise or a patchwork of homage and rip-offs. A fair amount of time is spent as your hosts engage in a SPOLIER-HEAVY analysis of the creepy new release from the minds behind Saw and Paranormal Activity. Finally, your hosts hit the road (recorder in-hand) to catch an opening day screening of Scream 4 - we share both our pre and post-viewing thoughts on the first entry in the iconic series in over a decade. There's the usual chit-chat (including a discourse on Ted's recent visit to Canada's capital of tack - Niagara Falls), and a musical version of Conan the Barbarian playing in Le Theatre du schlock corner! Pop the corn, dim the lights... and grab your best make-out partner -- it's showtime! As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Scat-ter-shot adj. Covering a wide range in a random way; indiscriminate. It's a From The Hip show covering all the genre mediums: film, theatre, print and television. Some random movie titles are discussed - the long overdue Cannibal Ferox (1981) demonstrates the influence Cannibal Holocaust had on a niche genre that peaked in the late 70's -early 80's, another (random) South Korean flick A Million (2009) demonstrates how the films of Chan-wook Park and Jee-woon Kim stand above the norm, rounded out with several quick hits. The feature subject has to be a fairly unique experience: the whole Horroretc crew attended Danny Boyle's theatrical presentation of Mary Shelley`s Frankenstein...with a twist. A unique concept with some original takes on the classic tale, best of all - no singing. Rounding out the mediums, we discuss a recent read Batman vs The Undead, and Ted checks in with the first progress report in the long journey of watching the long running television series Supernatural.  Feedback subjects include Insidious, horror videogame Left For Dead, Thirst, the call for more 80`s talk and much more. We close things out with a schlock corner in the theme of our theatre experience: Hasselhoff performing as Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Link). As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Time again to provide some feedback to the feedback we have received in the past while. We have been promising to get caught up and are long overdue so for the second time we tackle the audio feedback sent in to the show from you the listeners. As always, we respond to the comments, questions and suggestions sent our way through the course of the show so rest assured your hosts are present and accounted for. That said, these episodes are meant to give the stage to the horroretc community to share and discuss what is on your mind. A small sampling of the topics discussed include: subjectivity in evaluating films, what represents feminist horror (hint: it's not rape/revenge), Phantasm, the pursuit of "holy grail" films, Eraserhead / David Lynch, Sharktopus, Full Moon, the future of Dexter, horror board games, Being Human, another unfortunate experience with Cannibal Holocaust, Linnea Quigly workout video....and much, much more. Thanks to all who contributed to the show, your feedback is always appreciated and welcome. Please make use of the email address and voicemail line to get in touch. We are finally getting back on schedule - thanks for your patience and support over the past few months as we have been doing some 'outside the box' podcasting, looking forward to diving into some fun horror topics in the weeks ahead. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

As promised we present the second part of our Jee-Woon Kim discussion. This week Ted and Anthony discuss I Saw The Devil, A Tale of Two Sisters and its North American remake The Uninvited (a shining example of how Hollywood adaptations of foreign films can go drastically wrong). This wraps up our focus on South Korean cinema for the time being - we hope we were able to inspire listeners to try out at least a few of the titles discussed. Word of warning: this episode was recorded via skype and it was discovered after the fact that one side of the call had an echo. We hope you can forgive the quality of the audio for this show. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Another week, another South Korean director spotlight. We have been on quite a roll as of late and the best way we could think of to cover the many great Korean watches we've been taking in was to centre the focus on the directors responsible. This week we tackle the selected filmography of Jee-Woon Kim. Another impressively visual filmmaker who has a thorough control over the stylizations employed to sell some very intricate and layered stories. The filmography is broken down and represented by three specific titles: The Quiet Family (1998) - a dark and morbid comedy debut, A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) - disorienting psychological horror masterpiece (?), for certain a well shot and atmospheric work, and finally I Saw The Devil (2010) - this director's most mature and uncompromising work. Touted here as one of the best genre thrillers of recent memory. So please join us for a discussion of three more impressive Korean films and some talk about another director that should be on everyone's radar - if you take nothing else away from this episode, see I Saw The Devil! Again, this discussion features spoiler segments. The timeframes that include specifically crucial spoiler reveals are noted below: A Tale of Two Sisters: 41:50 â?? 57:50 I Saw The Devil: 1:27:56 â?? 1:51:30 As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Welcome to an outside the box kind of director's spotlight this week as we feature a selected filmography of South Korean filmmaker Chan-Wook Park. The name may mean a great deal or may hold no point of reference depending on the individual but it's a safe bet that most if not all genre fans have at least heard of the Vengeance Trilogy. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) kicked off a series of three films featuring a central linking theme of the enormous toll revenge can take on the human spirit (and body) for all involved. The series continued with Oldboy (2003), hailed by many as a modern day masterpiece of filmmaking and we do our best to help justify that claim. The final chapter was Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005) which took many of the conventions of the genre and the lessons we had learned, and turned them in an entirely different direction. These films all demonstrate the visual mastery of Park as director but far more apparent is a skill at delivering thrilling tales that force the viewer to turn inward and consider where utter despair of the human soul can drive characters. To complete our look at Chan-Wook Park, we talk about his 2009 Cannes Jury Prize winning Thirst - another modern and (amazingly) original take on the vampire tale. Again focusing on the motivations of a central character we are challenged on the meaning of good and evil and explore the grey between the black and white. Many thanks to hand out this week (Art, Nick, Melanie, Simon, Larry and Chris) to listeners who contributed in different ways as well as some back-patting for another showing by the podcast for best horror audio in the 2010 Rondo Awards. With the prestigious competition, it really is an honour to be nominated. Oldboy spoilers: 54:20 - 1:03:30 Lady Vengeance spoilers: 1:17:11 - 1:21:20 As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

The good old, reliable 'went down the wrong road' movie may have served as the framework for a few hundred stories told in the horror genre but your intrepid hosts brave a trip into the wild to discuss a mix of titles old and new that have not had their time in the spotlight on the podcast yet. Disclaimer time: this episode is not meant to be a rundown of the subgenre and we specifically avoid many of the notable classics that have had plenty of attention already. In fact, the consistent thread to this weekâ??s topic (troublesome locals) helps drill down the subgenre to a fine niche. We kick things off with a thorough breakdown of the defining example of backwoods horror: Deliverance (1972), followed by coverage of the recently acclaimed Winter's Bone (2010). The late 70's / early 80's provided a boom for the genre theme and gets represented by Rituals (1977), Just Before Dawn (1981) and Southern Comfort (1981). And we throw in Wrong Turn (2003) just for kicks. Disclaimer #2: due to scheduling conflicts we were forced to record this episode via Skype and as a result the sound quality reflects that. Thanks for listening and for your patience. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Sometimes they come back. After many weeks of solo-casting Anthony and Ted hit the mic once again under a single roof in a brand new studio to discuss...stuff. Some catching up was in order so we discuss what's been going on over the past month before setting into some good old fashioned movie talk. Random topics include the oscars, Charlie Sheen, the state of the Canadian film industry, William Shatner (again), zombie literature and a whole lot more. Amongst all of that though, we discuss Rubber, Let Me In, Small Town Murder Songs, And Soon The Darkness - all of which are 2010 films, Day of the Triffids mini-series and of course the Cage in Drive Angry 3D! But wait, there's more: Ted had a chance to visit friend of the show Luis to do a little more horror chatting covering Phantasm (again), Antichrist, The Poughkeepsie Tapes, Old Boy and Dark Night of the Scarecrow. So hopefully you have as much fun as we did getting back into the podcasting groove. The good news is the rust fell right off as we hit the ground running. The bad news is Ted has to wait another week to share thoughts on I Saw The Devil! As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

If this one doesn't scare you...you are already dead. So went the tagline to what many consider to be one of the great iconic films of 1970s independent cinema. Phantasm has been the most requested movie title by listeners of the show to be covered in the podcast so here then is an episode dedicated entirely to the 1979 classic (or 1977 if you want to get technical). Rather than spew trivia bits and production factoids, the approach here is to simply take you on a trip through the meandering corridors of Don Coscarelli's warped nightmare vision - so please be warned of potential spoilers. The advantage to opening the floor on Phantasm though is that knowledge of plot points has very little impact on the overall point of the movie. Sure we have a menacing (and enigmatic) Tall Man, deadly flying spheres, gnarly vicious dwarf creatures, inter-dimensional gateways, and a weird ice-cream guy hairdo...the point is more about the unsettling atmosphere, inspired camera angles, old-school low budget special effects, and an original soundtrack with distinctive themes. So it's the original film and not the franchise featured in the show but for those who have been waiting for it...sit back and enjoy: The Funeral Is About To Begin! As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

"Burn the land and boil the sea, you canâ??t take the sky from me.â?? Well, it appears that Fox was entirely capable of taking away from all of us a truly original and fun sci-fi series... Firefly. Okay, so maybe weâ??re a little late to the party here but hereâ??s hoping many listeners have seen and enjoyed Firefly and the subsequent feature film Serenity but if not weâ??re going to give it our best pitch to tell you why itâ??s worth checking out. Joss Whedon came up with this quirky brainchild, a western sci-fi, and populated it with terrific ensemble characters, sharp and humorous writing that wasnâ??t afraid to get unflinchingly dark when you least expected it. During this extended one-off chat we give a backgrounder to set the stage of what the show was all about, give a rundown of the cast with our thoughts and comments along the way (can someone explain why Nathan Fillion is so underappreciated in the industry?), before running through the 14 filmed episodes of the series. Oh yeah, and then thereâ??s that fan driven movie finale to the whole thing. Serenity could serve as an episode unto itself so ends up getting a short shrift here but some general thoughts are tossed around. So saddle up and join us as we head into the black once again, because you know...you can't stop the signal!  As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM