Horroretc Podcast

Well we're back. Following an extended absence which included a trip to Fan Expo 2014, we return to share our impressions of Canada's largest convention for a 7th year. Whether there will be an eighth trip is still up in the air. Apologies up front for the delay in releasing the show as well as the general negative vibe that was in the air, but there is a highlight. The panel dedicated to low-budget independent filmmaking "Blood on a Budget" featuring our very own Anthony Mann was a success and is included here in whole. Other than a few comments regarding One Hour Photo (2002) and the launching of a re-watch of Lost, this episode is simply a combination of inhale (pre-con) and exhale (post-con), and our honest comments on the state of Fan Expo. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Check out our premium episodes at www.bandcamp.horroretc.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

After an unfortunate delay, we are back for another quick hello to catch up over coffee and discuss recent travels and a near fatal illness. This episode is brief to be sure but we did manage to talk some big screen outings including Captain America Winter Soldier and Grand Budapest Hotel. As Tony recently discovered Wes Anderson we talk a little about the auteur director's style and debate whether he is in fact one of the best directors of all time?! After promising to follow up on an episode dedicated to made for tv genre films, we cover the one horror film we both caught this week - In Fear (2013). This one came to our attention for a couple reasons: Tony wanted to see what director Jeremy Lovering could present in his debut non-tv film as he has been attached to The Changeling remake, and Ted was sold on the plot description of two characters lost in maze of single lane roads encountering an unknown threat. Did it deliver what we were hoping for? Wellll.... Our short discussion is supplemented by an audio presentation of the panel discussion hosted by Anthony this weekend featuring Lori Hallier and Neil Affleck reminiscing about their roles in the original slasher flick My Bloody Valentine. It was a fun one-off segment that adds to our excitement over getting to cover some more conventions in 2014 (as we gear up for Bruce Campbell's return to Fan Expo). Please stay tuned as we get ourselves back on track with regular programming. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Check out our Demons premium episode at www.bandcamp.horroretc.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

"I think human consciousness, is a tragic misstep in evolution. We became too self-aware, nature created an aspect of nature separate from itself, we are creatures that should not exist by natural law. We are things that labor under the illusion of having a self; an accretion of sensory, experience and feeling, programmed with total assurance that we are each somebody, when in fact everybody is nobody. Maybe the honorable thing for our species to do is deny our programming, stop reproducing, walk hand in hand into extinction, one last midnight, brothers and sisters opting out of a raw deal." If you are up for listening to two guys gush about how fantastic HBO's first season of True Detective was, then this is the show for you. After binge-watching through the completed eight episodes we had to fire up the mic to discuss this terrific take on the southern gothic detective story. Following the quality and success of Breaking Bad, we were pessimistic about when we would next get so swept up in a new series and thankfully the wait was relatively short. A short series that feels more like an extended feature film, True Detective not only delivered on the production front with a definite cinematic presentation but offered up two very memorable characters performed by actors who really impressed us. Woody Harrelson's Marty Hart was a character who's weaknesses were revealed over the course of things, but it was Matthew McConaughey's Rust Cohle who was endlessly captivating - through him, we got some great hihilistic philosophising. The last thing to mention, and in our opinion rightfully so, is a genre plot that is both compelling and ultimately incidental to the character study at the heart of the show. Simply put, it was good - and we hope you enjoy our look back and share in our appreciation. That said, there is no shortage of criticsm out there and we address that as well. For those who have yet to check it out, the spoilers begin about 25 minutes in (we give fair warning in the episode). Back to horror again next week. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Check out our Demons premium episode at www.bandcamp.horroretc.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

This week we return to the subject of Black and White presentations in film. We have long professed our appreciation for the "classics" of the genre and dedicated many episodes in the past to some of our favourite series including the Universal era, silent era, the films of Val Lewton, etc. This time out we are re-visiting the approach of monochrome presentation in a more general way. Things begin with a simple statement of admiration for the unique aspects of monochrome, the ways and means by which mood and texture can be created through the use of light and shading. Black and white typically conveys the aspects of good and evil, however in the proper hands B&W cinematography can depict many textures in film and generate tension and suspense simply through the use of shifting shadows, reflections and focus. After expounding on our love of monochrome we proceed into specific discussions of several titles both from history and contemporary that we had not yet discussed to date, including Bava's gothic masterpiece Black sunday (1960), the Charles Laughton directed Night of the Hunter (1955), The Curse of the Crying Woman (1963), Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962), A Field in England (2013), and Eraserhead (1977) - more to come following a promise to shine a spotlight on David Lynch. Following a quick schlock corner paying tribute to the horror genre's black and white history, we discuss the latest from director Vincenzo Natali, Haunter. There was a small amount of disagreement over the originality of the story however both came out recommending this well-crafted haunted house tale. Due to the nature of the plot, some spoilers had to be dropped to set up our discussion - fair warning is given in the episode. We hope you enjoyed this look deep into the well as much as we did, modern material coming soon. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Check out our Demons premium episode at www.bandcamp.horroretc.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

This week's show is a change of pace for the Horror Etc podcast! Ted and Tony invite you to an evening at the theatre, as we present a full performance of Shakespeare's Star Wars, recorded live before a packed house and featuring Anthony as Darth Vader. A full (and talented) cast brings A New Hope to life in Shakespearean verse (based on the current best-selling book), and our recorders were on-hand to capture all the fun / adventure / excitement from a galaxy far FAR away... and in iambic pentameter, no less! There's a chuckle before the performance, and the usual HETC brew-haha's. We hope you enjoy this special one-off show - may the force be with you! As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Check out our Demons premium episode at www.bandcamp.horroretc.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

So it's been one of those weeks. We wanted to put something substantial together for an episode but time constraints left us able to only put down a regular From The Hip format catch-up. We called it a quick hello. That's not to say it didn't turn out to be a fun conversation (Anthony gave us a classic bit of business with his 'old man mistakes a sex toy for a flashlight' routine). Along the way we meandered through several topics including a rundown on some recent uncategorized film watches. We caught up to a pair of classics - Beetlejuice (Burton at his best) and Sixth Sense. Digging out M Night's breakout film is a good reminder of just what he is frustratingly capable of (we do mention the latest project which does sound encouraging). Some new stuff is shared including a pair of geek-culture films - Knights of Badassdom and Zero Charisma. Very... interesting subjects both. Gus Van Sant's school shooting film Elephant is discussed as well as the latest Mars-based sci-fi flick Last Days on Mars. The highlight this week though was certainly the newest film from Jim Mickle (Stakeland) - We Are What We Are... a true gem. Things round out with a good old fashioned schlock corner featuring a Richard Pryor interview, circa 1980, where our subject is high on cocaine. Lotsa laughs this episode delivered in a variety of ways. More subject focused material coming soon. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Check out our Demons premium episode at www.bandcamp.horroretc.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

That's it - your wacky Horror Etc co-hosts have finally gone 'round the bend', and are heading to the asylum... was there ever any doubt? On this week's episode of the podcast, Ted and Tony approach the subject of what it is that attracts horror film makers and ghost story enthusiasts to the crumbling structures of forgotten asylums. From Bedlam to Danvers State to Riverview, these massive edifices housed the mentally ill (or in many tragic instances, those unfairly deemed so) and were houses of great suffering, both internally and externally. They were also places where many patients were cruelly subjected to experimental and extreme medical procedures, and every one of these institutions seem to have a plethora of ghost stories attached to them. This week we will visit a few of these infamous asylums, and also look back on the abundant history of asylum-based horror films. It's not all padded cells and electro-shock therapy however. This week we make every attempt to offend certain nationalities, Tony has a mild breakdown of his own in a rant worthy of Kings Town Ted, and Ted gives us his thoughts on the new Robocop remake. A generous portion of the 'cast served up piping hot for you this week... bon appetit! As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Check out our Demons premium episode at www.bandcamp.horroretc.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Our rundown of what we've been watching ended up resulting in a list of show topics to keep us going for the next few months. Anthony takes a break from editing to listen to Ted run on about some movies he has been checking out and as usual things ended up taking some unexpected twists and turns. After getting some bragging in about Canada's success at Sochi, we talk about the surprisingly smart and funny Lego Movie (and marvel at the enormous quantity of properties crossing over). The new UK zombie flick Stalled managed to offer something in the genre that hadn't been done before. As promised, Ted caught up with The Abominable Snowman (1957) and it truly is another Hammer gem. A quick diversion into real life horror 12 Years A Slave was balanced with a Corman/"Poe" gothic classic The Haunted Palace (1963). The Belgian film Amer (2009) is a very difficult to describe visual trip reminiscent of Berberian Sound Studio, and Solo (2013) set up three distinct paths to follow in delivering a single location horror story - however may have chosen the wrong one. Ultimately, the highlight of the week was a low budget Canadian gem The Dirties (2012). More real life horror that impressed with intelligence and natural performances that leave a lasting impact. It's another shorter show this week but as you will hopefully agree, the roster of upcoming show topics we came up with along the way make the road ahead a lot of fun to look forward to. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Check out our Demons premium episode at www.bandcamp.horroretc.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

It's been a frigid and blizzardy week here in Kingstown so rather than further delay recording we hopped on skype to spend an hour discussing whatever sprang to mind - and that's the vibe of this week's episode as we are truly all over the place! Tony attends a classic James Bond double-bill, Ted goes to Israel in pursuit of obscure horror, Quentin Tarantino does his thing, and Bill Cosby even makes an appearance in our news column! The recent and tragic death of Philip Seymour Hoffman is covered as well as some other recent points of interest. A new contest of sorts is announced for those who have / will be grabbing our brand new premium Demons episode - a fabulous double bluray set of the definitive Elm Street documentary "Never Sleep Again" (courtesy of Andrew Kasch, co-director of the doc and friend of the Horror Etc Podcast). A mish-mash of sorts compounded by blustery travel woes, but a warm chat amongst friends offers pleasant diversion from one of the worst winters in recent memory. James Bond talk: 12:02 - 22:05 Big Bad Wolves: 34:30 Rabies: 45:44 As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Check out our Demons premium episode at www.bandcamp.horroretc.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Welcome to our tribute to one of the horror genre's most distinguished personalities... the great Peter Cushing! In a rather unexpected recording, we sat together at a coffee shop to chat about our shared affection for a truly underspoken icon of film and discuss the life and career of the man. From Abraham Van Helsing to Baron von Frankenstein to Sherlock Holmes to Doctor Who to Grand Moff Tarkin and everything in between, surely everyone is at least familiar with him but there is much to explore and appreciate. Anthony leads us through a history that spans from the 40's through the 80's offering insights into the actor's methodology, influence and genre decisions that formed an impressive career. We have long been proponents of exploring the classic canon of genre film and in this episode we were able to get back to an honest celebration of a gentleman who embodied what we love in horror. This is not a rundown of a filmography however we do stop along the way to briefly discuss some favourites including The Creeping Flesh, Twins of Evil, The Blood Beast Terror, The Skull, The Abominable Snowman, The Masks of Death and many others. The one title we did make a point of focusing on specifically was Corruption (1968), perhaps Cushing's bloodiest film. We wrap up the show with a quick rundown of recent watches Banshee Chapter and The Book Thief, some thank yous and a tease for upcoming shows. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

This is what a From the Hip episode was meant to be. From an opening rant to the psychology of cats and everything in between. We opened up the mic and talked about some of the stuff we have been watching but to try to organize it in a summary is challenging. Here goes: Ted shares some recent video game experiences (The Last of Us and The Walking Dead season 2), Anthony shares a number of documentaries he's checked out from Searching for Sugarman to a cool look at the supporting players of film in That Guy Who Was in That Thing, to analysis of film vs digital projection in Side by Side to a guy who can supposedly see spirits in Wake Up. Oh, but there was one more documentary that we both saw which delivered true frights - Bronies.. adult fans of My Little Pony!? Rounding out the film titles, we discuss Lone Survivor, All is Lost, and Martha Marcy May Marlene, but the meat of this episode are the tangents into everything from where the next generation Star Trek films went wrong, the state of found footage, cheapo Amityville and Bell Witch films, the 12th season of Supernatural to name a few. We hope you enjoy a good old fashioned from the hip show and welcome your feedback on anticipated films of 2014 (just keep your "clomping" stories to yourself). As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Welcome to 2014! We ring in the new year with an old subject: Paranormal Activity. With the release of the latest installment of the series we take some time to try navigating through the convoluted mythology of the franchise that has become a little too twisted and confused for its own good. The questions of franchise fatigue, its place in the context of historical relevance, and the formula the films follow are all discussed prior to walking through the progression of the story told so far. Of course, the main question is whether The Marked Ones warrants a return to Paranormal Activity after the resoundingly dismissed Part 4 - our answer may surprise you. Is this a series about demons, witches, possession, or all of the above? Was Micah really a dick, how is the Japanese sequel tied to the rest of the series and of course... just who the hell was Robbie? Spoilers for Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones from 1:01:37 to 1:09:26 We spend some time catching up on what we've been up to including rewatches of some personal favourites - Night of the Demon and The Thing, as well as short discussions on some new outings Open Grave, Scenic Route and Twixt. Thanks to everyone for your patience during the brief period our episodes were unavailable over the holiday break - explanations are included. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Welcome to our 2013 X-mas spectacular. Keeping our tradition alive, we celebrate the festive season by indulging in terrible and horrific themes. This year we are very happy to deliver a themed episode on a subject we have long planned to cover: the A Ghost Story For Christmas series. In homage to the centuries old tradition of telling supernatural tales at Christmas, the BBC began airing adaptations of classic M.R. James ghost stories on or about Christmas through the 70's. The series expanded to include the excellent Charles Dickens tale The Signalman followed by some original written works, later to be revived in 2005 with new installments of M.R. James stories. We are big fans of the concept of celebrating X-mas by telling some creepy tales so this series is a big recommendation in concept at least. Following our rundown of the Ghost Stories For Christmas series, we kick back to enjoy a 20 minute version of A Christmas Carol from 1947 narrated by non other than Vincent Price. The short is admittedly terrible (notably for the garish American accents in London), so we fill the time by discussing The Desolation of Smaug. In an attempt to clarify the plotpoints, Ted walks Anthony through his take on just what the hell is going on - plot spoilers run about 1:09:14 through 1:27:21. Finally we close things out with the annual gift exchange and our well-wishes to all who have listened to and participated in the podcast. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

The definition of disaster can generally be summed up as an occurrence that happens suddenly and causes much suffering and loss to many people. If that is the case, this episode may be classified as a disaster. Maybe that is a little extreme, but our impromtu conversation tackling disasters in the many forms it takes on film didn't go quite as smoothly as we had hoped. As a follow up to our previous 'end of the world' episode and inspired by the recent Godzilla trailer, we take a look back at the various catastrophies movies have presented - be it flood, fire, snow, eruption, earthquake, nuclear holocaust, etc - from largescale wholesale destruction down to the personal human dramas that unfold in the face of annihilation. With much meandering, we simply ended up reminiscing about various films that represent the potential dangers. Along the way we talk about the key figures (directors, performers) who have carved out a niche of disaster movie-making, the calamaties not yet fully realized, the considerations of sensitivity when dealing with the material, and just how much advance notice we would prefer to be given ahead of certain destruction. It was a little rough around the edges, but we hope you persevere to get to our tribute to Peter O'Toole and a double bill of 2013 White House disaster movies Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down. Drop us a line ahead of our upcoming holiday episode and let is know how you intend to avoid the upcoming seasonal chaos. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 Check out our Poltergeist episode at www.bandcamp.horroretc.com WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Let's do some catching up. We had a lively and fun conversation covering all the comings and goings of the past month with some pretty random titles tossed in along the way. In our first episode in the same room in quite some time we thought we would try an old fashioned from the hip format - and based on all the tangents we went on, it was true to form. There was a lot of random thoughts tossed out between discussions on The Last Exorcism and its ill-conceived sequel, a couple of recent indie horror offerings Rites of Spring and Jugface, a dramatic real-life horror thriller Prisoners, and some really questionable choices Catching Fire and After Earth(!). A new M Night film to get worked up over was not the source of the worst tirade this episode. Along the way we talked Trailer Park Boys, Grand Theft Auto 5, the Man of Steel sequel, the death of Paul Walker and the challenge of continuing with Fast 7, Dr. Who, The Walking Dead, gifts received in the horroretc mailbox, and of course the annual x-mas bitching. All this and a truly creepy schlock corner devoted to the strange case of Elisa Lam. It's good to back, let's do it again real soon. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 Check out our Poltergeist episode at www.bandcamp.horroretc.com WWW.HORRORETC.COM