Horroretc Podcast

Where are they now? Well we know that part, the question is where did they come from. This week we take a look at the horror genre roots of many of the industry's biggest mainstream stars and question the reluctance of many to acknowledge their past. For so many stars (and directors), horror has served as the stepping stone to cut their teeth and get noticed so we felt it was time to reflect on the "forgettable" fare to figure out if the animosity is deserved. Along the way we also have a little fun with some memorable role recasts like OJ Simpson as the Terminator (yes, it almost happened). It's a list heavy show which isn't our favorite format but hey - it's part of our 'summer series' of shows. Schlock Corner returns to it's intended purpose in highlighting true schlock with Incubus - the only film comprised entirely of dialogue spoken in the fake language of Esperanto. We close things out by recapping some recent watches including Summer Moon, Lisa and the Devil, The Last Airbender and Predators. Some new trailers and course, M Night get mentioned too. Link to the 16 Oscar Worthy Performances in Horror mentioned. We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? Anthony celebrates his love of the venerable BBC series "Doctor Who" this week, in a special one-off edition of the Horror Etc Podcast. Taking control of the TARDIS, weâ??ll travel through the near 50-year history of the program, exploring what has allowed this unique series - in all of its incarnations - to enjoy such an extended life...for instance, did you know that the Guinness Book of World Records has acknowledged Doctor Who as the longest-running and most successful science fiction series of all time? Special guests include TV writer (and friend of the podcast) Ken Cuperus, Simon Lloyd (a UK-based educator, actor and Whovian), as well as some very insightful audio commentary from several of our listeners. This episode is not so much a lesson in the history of Doctor Who, but rather a series of audio essays which speak to our appreciation of a television institution.  Tonyâ??s flying solo on this adventure as Ted enjoys a well-deserved week off lounging under the summer sun with a cold case of beer by his side. But in his place weâ??ve secured an appearance by the second most fearful entities in the universe... yes, it turns-out that even the Daleks listen to the Horror Etc Podcast! Whovians of the world unite... itâ??s about time (and space ;-) We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

How's it hangin hosers? It's all about the homeland this week as we celebrate our birthday by finally talking about Canadian Horror films. We've got a pretty underspoken history of genre filmmaking here in Canada and hopefully we can provide a few titles to check out. A couple of major disclaimers right up front - a number of titles have lengthier discussions in past episodes but we wanted to do a compilation, and...no David Cronenberg. We know, we know, but he certainly deserves a full on director's spotlight right? We also take a frank look at the state of moviemaking in this country as we stand on the verge of 50 years of horror films on the frozen tundra. We were lucky enough to have Rodrigo Gudino appear on the podcast for a third consecutive year! Founder and editor of Rue Morgue magazine, host of the Festival of Fear and Canadian filmmaker himself, he shares his thoughts on the discussion of horror filmmaking in Canada. To share our knowledge of Canada's rich heritage and to alleviate some misconceptions we live read a pop quiz. We did...ok. An impromptu Schlock Corner brings things to a close as our own national pride William Shatner performs I Am Canadian. The Poutine video Ted was talking about We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

The Italian horror film festival gets a kick in the ass this week as we explore a range of Mario Bava works from the time period of 1959 - 1966, not to mention a few curveballs along the way. Bava is lauded as having a true cinematic eye and credited as a master of mood accomplished through the use of lighting, colour, music and camera movement ...turns out that praise is pretty well earned. Things kick off with Kill Baby Kill (1966) followed by Caltiki, The Immortal Monster (1959), Blood and Black Lace (1964), Torso (1973), Planet of the Vampires (1965) and Whip and the Body / What? (1963). To bring it all home we dispense some differing opinions of Wes Craven's Cursed (2005) before admitting how much fun the A-Team was. Schlock corner features a terrific trailer for a new videogame The Force Unleashed 2 which led the way to some general comments on the state of the Star Wars franchise. Before opening up the floor to voicemails we debate the use of...voicemails. With respect to the varying opinions on the use of audio feedback we propose a balanced approach and then get into some great comments sent in to the show this week, demonstrating the strength of having listener contributions. Oh, and we talk about the new Predators and Inception trailers too. We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Lets do some debunking. Since the early days of Horroretc we have debated the idea of dedicating an episode to debating the relative merit of belief in the supernatural and tackling specific cases from a skeptical viewpoint...can you guess which of your hosts is which? Some ground rules are laid down in the course of the show that are important considerations whenever entering into the discussion with a person whose views may be in opposition to your own. The basics of analytical thinking are covered as well as many of the logical fallacies used by proponents of the paranormal. With all that out of the way we get down to business diving into some well known legends: The Amityville Horror, Borley Rectory, the Bell Witch haunting, mystery at Dyatlov Pass, and others. So please sit back and listen in on some respectful debating over the contentious issue of belief in the supernatural. A double bill of schlock this week. First up is a call back to the mirror ghost girl video we covered way back in episode #21, but this time the magic trick is revealed (Link). Second, we pay tribute to the late Gary Coleman with Disturbing Strokes (Link) which demonstrates the impact a slight change can make - in this case, some nice foreboding score music. To wrap up the show, contest winners are announced (5 prizes in total - congratulations to all), several listeners say hello on the voicemail line, and still more Shatner talk. We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Fire up the GPS, load up the cooler and kick off your shoes - we're hitting the road for our illustrious 10th From the Hip episode. It was a sunny summer day, far too nice to be sitting indoors around the mic so we took ourselves a trip and chatted about some pretty random topics. Subjects include the Blair Witch Project (yes, again...but there's a reason), Ridley Scott's new take on Robin Hood, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, HBO's The Pacific, Festival of Fear 2010, The Last Exorcism and lots more. We get some more input from the listeners through the voicemail line who bring up great thoughts on the Nightmare on Elm Street remake, the disparity between online friends and flesh and blood friends when it comes to horror interests, the ineffectiveness of The Exorcist (!?) and more incite into Italian Horror. Speaking of Italian horror, this week's film pick is The Church (1989) by Michele Saovi. An eclectic and somber take on the demon possession tale aided by some truly jolting images. We are very aware that this week's episode is relatively light on horror content and heavy on the voicemails but the fact is this was the content we watched this week and the commentary sent in from misterd, Bill, Matt and Alan was too good to not share. Many thanks for listening to our unfocused From the Hip episodes, they are a lot of fun for us to do and we hope you have some fun with them too. We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Dr. Heiter is a mad scientist. He was once a respected surgeon, but has now retreated to his luxurious home in the German forest, which contains an operating room in the basement. His skin has a sickly pallor, his hair is dyed black, his speech reminds us of a standard Nazi, and he gnashes his teeth. He is filled with hatred and vile perversion. Heiter has plans to surgically join his victims by sewing together their mouths and anuses, all in a row. They will move on their hands and knees like an insect. You don't want to be part of the Human Centipede at all, but you most certainly don't want to be in the middle. Why does he want to commit this atrocity? He is insane. - Roger Ebert Decided to let Mr. Ebert introduce the topic this week as it can't really be summed up better. A full half hour discussion of The Human Centipede leads the way to a broader topic of mad doctors in film. It's been a long standing trope of the horror genre and we ponder the psychological implications of handing over our complete trust to an absolute stranger wielding all the tools of modern medical science to hope we don't end up the result of some ghastly perverted experiment. The fun carries over to schlock corner as Anthony tries his hand at the recent videogame adaptation of Centipede 'with a twist'. Try it yourself at the Link. We close out the show with some thank yous, random thoughts and some follow up voicemails to close the door on the Lost talk. Two new contests are announced: win one of 3 copies of The Changling or one of 2 copies of Dark: A Horror Anthology. We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

It's over. As the final LOST stamp faded into blackness a huge chapter of a personal journey through some of the most engaging and challenging storytelling I've ever been part of came to a close. To be perfectly honest this is a time of great melancholy. The wrap up episode of LOST from Horroretc is something that has been long promised and I have looked forward to this moment with great anticipation but now that the book has closed emotions that were most unexpected have set in. We hope you join us this week in a casual discussion of the general impressions the series has left with its dedicated fans and a very immediate reaction to the finale presented. The first half of the show is spent revisiting some of the key elements that made this a landmark in network television. In terms of overall scope it may be unsurpassed. Beautiful cinematography, powerful musical scores, complex characters, excellent performances, thought provoking writing, and some of the most dense mythology ever created. Standing back from the minor quibbles over concrete resolutions and unfulfilled concepts introduced along its six year run, the series provided a finale that challenged the viewer to think and arrive at conclusions not necessarily spelled out. What else should we have expected from writers who incorporated so many elements of world theologies into storytelling thematics and named characters after philosphers whose various conceptual understandings of our existance demanded consideration. The initial reaction session was a contentious one and may be representative of the general audience reaction to LOST as a whole. Looking forward to a rewatch but in the meantime regard this episode as a celebration of a cultural phenomenon. For the uninitiated check out the season 1-5 recap in 8 minutes (Link) And as a fitting tribute check out Lost: All the People Who Died (Link) We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

It's a feedback show. With one host in absentia and one host sleep deprived we once again test the axiom of 'better than nothing'. Truth is, there's a lot to enjoy this week as the content has been provided by you the listeners. Ted sits down well into the morning hours to share a lengthy list of emails we received on the subject of Italian Horror. It's true the once promised stand alone episode dedicated to the genre did not materialize but that is with good reason - it was foolhardy to think it could be done. Fans of Italian Horror are a dedicated bunch and through the course of the show a lot of that passion comes across. Loads of recommendations and some discussions of the key elements that lend such a distinctive taste to the output of so many great filmmakers are here. It's a lot of material for just one voice so to break up the drone there's a whole roster of voicemails from the listeners on a nice variety of subjects as well (special thanks to Christopher Walken for calling in). And just to round things out and bring it all home the Italian Horror filmfest rages on with Joe D'Amato's Beyond The Darkness (1979). Thanks to everyone for writing / calling in to make this weeks episode possible. We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

One two, JEH is coming for you. Well, you have all had a reasonable amount of time to either see the new Nightmare flick or decide you don't care enough about it to sit through an extended spoiler filled discussion about it. After emerging from the first screening in town, your hosts sat down to record their initial reactions and a segment only meant to last a few minutes stretched to nearly an hour. So we have another in a line of Platinum Dunes remakes that is receiving the critical drubbing we all knew it would but the question lingers - did they really go so wrong as to deserve the Freddy style skewering it's gotten? Time for a fair (emphasis on fair, as in keep the nitpicking in the basement), analysis of Nightmare 2010. Despite disparate locations of your hosts this week, we still managed to get in a schlock corner and it's a winner. Orson Welles Drunk Outtakes while attempting to shoot a wine commercial. You may have heard about it before but its a must see. The Italian Horror film selection of 1981's The Beyond earned a share of the episode title as it was truly an....experience. In the process of breaking down the general outline of the "story", numerous elements are discussed openly (don't worry, not the crazy ending). The reason for loose control on spoilers is really due to the near impossibility of ruining The Beyond through mere description. This is a film that must be seen to be appreciated. A discourse is held on the 'Absolute Film' theory and how it appears to apply to specific Italian filmmakers. Stay tuned, the Italian Horror film festival is getting interesting. Thanks to Nick and Brian for supporting the show. We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

More of the Master. The second trio of zombie films from Romero are discussed this week and as could be expected opinions are divided. After a 20 year (!) hiatus from the genre, Romero returned to the living dead in 2005 with Land of the Dead. Those who grew up with a love of the classic films were beside themselves in anticipation and the result was something that allows for great discussion. Since then we have been given two more instalments with Diary of the Dead (2007) and now Survival of the Dead (2009) which have earned for perhaps the first time outright criticism from even the most devout fans. We offer up our take on these films and consider what the future may hold for George and again we prepared mini-commentaries in 16x speed. It should not be understated that regardless of personal opinion of what the films have offered, having three zombie movies from Romero in the span of four years is pretty remarkable for those of us who lived through that two decade drought. This week's Italian Horror instalment is 1981's The House By The Cemetary from Lucio Fulci. The third chapter of Fulci's death trilogy is an eye opener for Ted and we begin to draw the delineations between the varied film styles of the directors examined. Some Romero remakes and voicemails round out the show. WWW.HORRORETC.COM Voicemail Line (206) 337 -5324

George A. Romero. A name held in reverence amongst fans of the undead. The strength and lasting impact of his original zombie 'trilogy' is hard to deny but...he made another three. In a two part episode dedicated to the "...of the dead" series we'll take an in-depth look at the filmmaker's love affair with the zombie. Of course the opposite of in-depth would be the 16x speed commentaries we did for each film installment. First up is Night of the Living Dead. Since we've already done an audio commentary to the film we just spend some time giving it the respect it deserves. The well known strengths and perhaps underspoken weaknesses of Dawn of the Dead are visited, and the pros and cons of Capt. Rhodes' arguments are debated along with the rest of Savini's effects achievement Day of the Dead. These are nihilistic films which is a big part of why we love them so much. If you're looking for happy endings, there are parlors for that. This week's Italian Horror pick is yet another Bava film - The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963). Considered the first true giallo film and while we don't get into an examination of what giallo is comprised of this certainly fits the mold. A controversial drunk call to the voicemail line and a bunch of plugs round out the show: We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Call us at the Voicemail Line: (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

You've got questions, we've got answers. We finally return to one of our favorite subjects, the Q & A. It doesn't get much more casual than this as we have a relaxed session of general genre talk. Questions from most desired remake to our stance on off-shore oil drilling are fielded all thanks to listeners of the show. So nothing too heavy this week but it was nice to chat about favorite films, scenes, kills and horror memories for an hour. Things stay loose as we chat about overused horror cliches (link to the article we're referring to), recent watches including Clash of the Titans and The White Ribbon, as well as other random bits. The Italian film festival (which seems to be evolving into the Mario Bava festival) continues with Black Sabbath (1963). So this must be what people are talking about when they praise Bava! Highly recommended. Schlock corner brings us home focusing on the single most burdensome modern cliche: the cell phone. We have a voicemail line! Drop us a line at (206) 337-5324, we'd love to hear from you. Being a part of the show has never been easier. We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com WWW.HORRORETC.COM voicemail line: (206) 337 - 5324

Well, we tried. Our intentions were good. A Director's Spotlight dedicated to one of the great visionaries of our time. A man capable of delivering one of the (if not the) greatest sweeping epics ever put to film in the mind boggling Lord of the Rings trilogy while also giving us one of the most ludicrously entertaining pieces of genre insanity ever made with Braindead (or Dead/Alive). An eclectic roster of films along the way from Bad Taste (1987) to Lovely Bones (2009). Thing is...we met up with our good friend Kristianne and proceeded to have an awesome night out before sitting down to do some recording. So the main segment is a little discombobulated but the first step is admitting you have a problem so we're okay with it. Join in at 53:00 for the silliness to settle down but then you'll miss out on the most fun we've had recording a show yet. So what else have we got? Two pretty awesome schlock corner shorts this week: PIXELS - 2 and a half minutes of awesome. Although some may need to google the video game characters portrayed if they were born after 1985. THE GIFT - Warner Bros and Fox are reportedly battling for rights to produce a feature of this. A special effects demo reel? Maybe, but count mine as 1 ticket sold. Some more random discussion topics round things out but not before we finally get started on the Italian Horror road of discovery. The film festival has begun with Bay of Blood aka Twitch of the Death Nerve, Mario Bava's classic 1971 proto-slasher film. Big thanks to Patrick and Rebecca for contributing to the show and huge high five to Kristianne for being so cool. We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Height and width are the dimensions we know when images are projected onto that big flat screen in front of us but what happens when you throw depth into the mix? 3-D baby. This week we take a look at the (long) history of 3-D in cinema and where things may be heading. Admittedly, it's an episode burdened with tech talk but the processes to achieve that "cool factor" are far more complicated than we first thought. The four main methods to convey 3-D are reviewed, each of the eras of 3-D films are visited (of which we are in the third?), the new ability to convert standard to 3-D is questioned and the modern saturation of 3-D content raises questions about it's sustainability. And where does Imax fit into all this? More general subject talk than film discussions this week, hope you enjoy. The contest giveaways come to an end. Thanks again to Rebellion Press and 2000 AD for the great giveaway packages. Things wrap up with some quick hits on Zombieland (again) andTranssiberian (2008), does evil truly exist?, industry suing downloaders (again), LOST and more. Oh, and Evil Dead in 60 seconds in Claymation. We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com WWW.HORRORETC.COM