Horroretc Podcast

Well it finally happened. A new Evil Dead film. After years of rumour and much speculation it has arrived and we were first in line to check it out. Before setting out for the theatre we sat down to have a casual chat about our expectations and what we have been watching. The very random topics include the long awaited Dracula 3D from Dario Argento where we test the boundaries of Anthony's forgiving nature, a short wrap up of The Walking Dead finale, some Dr Who talk, a UK follow up to the supernatural drama miniseries Marchlands - Lightfields, a truly hidden gem that blends The Thing with Intruder - Alien Raiders (2008), another supernatural tale The Pact (2012), a new installment in Scandanavian horror with Norway's Thale (2012) - an interesting exploration of regional folklore, this time with the Huldra instead of Trolls. Heard of this crazy action pic from Liam Neeson a few years ago, Taken? Ted finally caught up wih it and loved the neck punching. This chat led to a thematic follow up, another revenge fueled flick from South Korea: The Man From Nowhere (2010). With all that out of the way its time to get to the main event. Spoiler free Evil Dead reactions from 1:10:38 to 1:26:24. In short, we were impressed. William Shatner in a rematch with the Gorn and Siskel and Ebert`s opinion of The Evil Dead (1981) round out the show. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Horror in stop-motion. It is a age old method of presenting fantastical images on screen born of necessity from a time before the technology of CGI, and has enjoyed a resurgent popularity in recent years. The horror genre is a fitting one to offer the unique look and feel of stop motion imagery as it so often creates a sense of unease. As it is a subgenre which appeals to young and old alike, a previous guest host returns to the show to present a unique perspective on the success of stop motion horror. We picked a cross section of modern films offered up by the industry beginning with The Nightmare Before Christmas and moving on to Corpse Bride, Coraline, Paranorman and Frankenweenie. Aside from the artistry to appreciate in bringing inanimate objects to life, 2012 gave us a pair of films that revelled in their homage to the genre and many classics that we all know and love. We hope you allow your inner child to come out this week and enjoy a lighter discussion on a fun subject. In closing, we find out how well certain genre favourites play for a younger generation including the Indiana Jones series, X-Men and Batman, the Back to the Future series, Avatar and Lord of the Rings. Stay tuned for our return to proper horror talk next week. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Time to catch up on some of the films we have not had a chance to discuss recently as we chat about what we've been watching. It's a pretty wide spectrum of topics and titles this week including but not limited to: Sushi Girl (2012) - featuring a cool array of genre names, led by the one and only Tony Todd Blood and Lace (1971) - classic 70's exploitation set in an (evil) orphanage Second Skin (2008) - documentary on the subject of MMORPG and the people addicted to them Monster Camp (2007) - documentary featuring LARPing... oh my Clean Flicks (2009) - documentary on the concept of a self-editing industry The Book of Eli (2010) - overlooked post-apocalyptic flick featuring a roll call of Hollywood A-listers Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) - because, well... Raimi House of Cards (2013) - interesting Netflix original programming experiment Killer Joe (2011) - superb evil insanity with a Mathew McConaghy tour de force turn Todd and the Book of Evil - outlandish anthology series and... The Walking Dead. It's been awhile and we throw out some season 3.5 reactions and predictions for the finale. Along the way we ventured into some tangents but the end result was a relaxed session of catching up on some odds and ends, and sharing some recommendations along the way. As mentioned in the show, please consider dropping us an iTunes review if you feel so inclined and remember our Amazon link if you are planning some online shopping. Many thanks for the support, for listening to the podcast, and for spreading the word about the show. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Grab your fedora hat, bullwhip and leather jacket to join us on a globe-trotting adventure. This week we take a look back at the Indiana Jones trilogy (oh, and the fourth one too). It was an impromptu and very casual session of reminiscing about films that were such an important part of our childhood and have become so ingrained in cinema history. The Indy films of the 80's captured a pure spirit of fun and adventure, blending action with humour, and reaffirmed Speilberg's mastery of the medium. Our commentary is entirely positive when discussing the original trilogy so apologies up front for the gushing. Things get a little less glowing when Harrison Ford donned the hat again 19 years later however with CGI monkeys, ants and gophers battling with a nuclear fridge shelter for the greatest affront. We hope you enjoy taking a look back with us at Indy and his legacy as we debate the likelihood of surviving the various encounters faced, the appropriate rating to apply to heart ripping and child enslavery, the merits of immortality, and much more. One small disclaimer: this recording took place 1 day before the Lucasfilm / Disney announcement. Our discussion over the possibility of getting more Star Wars films proved to be an interesting time capsule that became immediately proven wrong. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Welcome to the Overlook Hotel, we hope you enjoy your stay. This week we take an in-depth look at all things The Shining from the original novel to Kubrick's classic (and confounding) adaptation to the 1997 television miniseries to Room 237 and the plethora of theories and analysis that have been applied to the 1980 film. What began as a look back at a particular film that we have been remiss in addressing evolved into one of the best discussions we have had in quite some time (including our own opinions of the fake moon landing film footage conspiracy). Focusing on Stanley Kubrick and the seminal horror masterpiece The Shining, we considered the themes of the story and what Kubrick's intentions may have been in the divergences taken in his translation. At its core, the story examines the central theme of the breakdown of a family but the question remains of the extent to which supernatural forces play a hand. One of the most obsessive directors cinema has known, its fair to assume that every element on screen is specific with artistic intent - the question remains as to what those meanings and messages really are. We hope you enjoy taking a ride with us through the twisting (albeit symmetrical) hallways of isolated nightmare. We offer up some thoughts on a couple of big screen CGI mega-movies, Raimi's Oz and Singer's Jack the Giant Slayer. As well, we discuss a very intimate documentary Collapse (2009) which carries on the theme of conspiracy theories, discussing peak oil and the cataclysm that lies ahead. We invite you all to share your own creative endeavours with us as we wish to share the projects that have come from the collective efforts of the Horroretc community. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Avoid sex, drugs and alcohol, never separate from the group, don't check that noise in the attic and of course... double tap. Sure, there are pretty universally accepted truths to surviving the horror genre cliches but we thought it would be fun to just take a little time and run through some famous (and obscure) survival tips. The horror genre cliches are essentially a large deck of cards which form the variables of the story. Sometimes, the dealer gives you a familiar selection of twists and turns, while other times things come at you from an entirely original approach with combinations that were totally unexpected. We discuss the question of what it means to be a horror fan in a genre so riddled with cliche, while passing out the familiar recommendations on the subject including Scream, Behind the Mask, Cabin in the Woods, Dale and Tucker, etc. We hope you have as much fun as we did running through a quick tour of the horror survival guide. An odd mix of recent watches rounds things out with Anthony's report on The Last Exorcism 2 (still unclear how that title works) and Dark Skies, and Ted shares a pair of recent festival films Room 237 (a dissection of Kubrick's The Shining), and the highly artistic Berberian Sound Studio. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

This week we invite you to travel back with us to yesteryear as we discuss the iconic Blind Dead series. With four films spanning 1971 to 1975, all guided by the singular vision of Amando de Ossorio, it's a celebration of great atmosphere, terrifying antagonists and audience frustration. At one moment moody and engaging and in the next offensive and plodding, these films offer a glimpse into the early genre offerings of Spain. Beginning with Tombs of the Blind Dead and proceeding with Return of the Evil Dead, The Ghost Galleon, and Night of the Seagulls (all titles subject to change), the ups and downs provided for some great discussion. Disclaimer: the misogynistic attitudes of the Blind Dead films are not shared by your hosts. Wanton violence, explicit sexuality, slooowwwwwllly moving characters, and a total lack of continuity made for a fun conversation. The re-branding of the original in North America as "Revenge of Planet Ape" to sell as a Planet of the Apes sequel should tell you what you are in for. So the question is open: classic genre fare deserving of a lasting legacy or disposable Eurotrash? You be the judge. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

This week we discuss the perversion of medical science in horrific ways. Horror has had a long history of using medicine and institutions of healing as a foil for terrifying storytelling. Hospital horror is a subgenre unto itself and the dastardly works performed by mad scientists dates all the way back to Henry Frankenstein. Another favourite theme of the genre is the use of infection or contamination of the body to generate the threat or simply allow for gruesome bloodletting. The subject of medicine gone wrong is tackled with a trio of 2012 films that embody a consistent theme of manipulation of the body - unnecessary procedures carried out by unqualified people. To drill things down even further, we selected three picks from debut / sophomore directors who impressed us with some obvious talent. Things kick off with David's son Brandon Cronenberg's Antiviral which takes the concept of body horror and carries on his father's tradition. Next up is American Mary, the Soska sister's follow up to their impressive debut Dead Hooker in a Trunk, which follows a promising med-school student's descent into the dark world of underground surgery. Finally, we discuss Excision, a highly touted 2012 directorial debut that mirrors Lucky McKee's May (2002) in many ways. All three movies worked for us and we hope you find something to like as well. All this, a Dr. Giggles schlock corner, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns part 2, and an on-air injury make an episode. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

More feedback anyone? As promised, we have continued our effort to catch up on the voicemail feedback from the podcast community. Anthony and Ted riff on the subjects brought to the table by listeners which provided a great mix of subjects both new and old. This week we chat about Peter Cushing, Stephen King's TV mini-series adaptations, classic re-releases (Indy, Jaws, Jurrasic Park), HP Lovecraft, the tiresome Paranormal Activity franchise, The return of The Walking Dead and the lazy writing trick of artificially muting characters (I mean, just talk Michonne!). But wait, there's still more - looking back at Hellraiser one more time, an interesting consiracy theory encountered by a former guest host of the podcast, some recommendations from a fellow podcaster including Absentia and Midnight Son, and an issue of debate: we are taken to task for our appreciation of The Innkeepers. All this and some recent watched including Warm Bodies (yep), and the classic Horror Express. Thanks again to everyone who lends their voice to the show and helps to make this such a great community. As always, please don't hesistate to drop us a line anytime. So now that we have done some housecleaning, let's get back to some great horror themed subjects shall we? Tombs of the Blind Dead series coming soon... As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

The silence is broken. The brief hiatus has ended with a casual and general collection of topics with contributions from listeners via voicemail feedback. The listener content ended up being about 20 percent of the running time, allowing us to chat about a nicely eclectic collection of subjects including Grindhouse nostalgia, the infamous Leprechaun series, horror conventions, Firefly, Tarantino, the vile and disgusting movies we keep coming back to, modern action film remakes, daredevils, and a whole lot more. Before things really get rolling, we break the ice with comments on a few recent watches including an odd semi-slasher Redd Inc. featuring a return to practical gore effects, a 70's Jaws clone Tintorena: Killer Shark, and belatedly Zero Dark Thirty. Thanks to everyone who calls in to the voicemail line and adds their voice to the horroretc community, we love to riff on the subjects that you bring to the table. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

It's a good old fashioned from the hip style episode with one minor twist: the audio. Apologies up front for the low fidelity sound this week as our attempt to record via skype resulted in what you will hear. Hopefully, the discussion is still of value and you enjoy the conversation as we covered a pretty eclectic mix of subjects. Things kick off with our thoughts on Mama, a promising supernatural tale that ended up having its fair share of problems. What follows is a truly random group of subjects as Anthony kicks of a Nightmare on Elm Street rewatch and makes his way through the Reanimator series while Ted finishes his thoughts on John Dies at the End, talks the original Django (1966) and shares a laundry list of documentary films taken in this week. Some of the titles discussed include: The Imposter, Grizzly Man, Encounters at the End of the World, Restrepo, Tsar Bomba, We Are Legion, Home, Ghost in the Machine, Secret of Crickley Hall and more... All this and Argo too? Again, we hope you can endure the audio quality this week and please stay tuned for the forthcoming horror subjects mentioned coming soon. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Enough with the suspense, we return once more to the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock this week. In the wake of the release of Hitchcock, a pseudo-biopic of the director's personal and professional struggles in the realization of Psycho, we thought it would be a good opportunity to offer our thoughts on another selection of classic titles from his filmography. Things begin with a look at the new film featuring Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of the character of Hitch, which proves an unusual approach to the biopic format. The question seems to be whether it was about the internal demons of the man, the behind the scenes story of Psycho or a combination that delivered neither. (interlude - Hitchcock understood what cinema could be...) The Lodger 24:28 - 31:27 (interlude - Maxim's proposal) Rebecca 31:27 - 45:16 (interlude - pre and post atomic bomb implications of Notorious) Notorious 45:16 - 1:00:37 (interlude - Alfred Hitchcock's trailer narration) The Wrong Man 1:00:37 - 1:22:29 (interlude - Guillermo Del Toro on TMWKTM 1935) The Man Who Knew Too Much 1:22:29 1:42:56 So we come to a close in our three episode retrospective of Hitchcock with many more important films and a beloved television series yet to address, however our plan is to continue with the discovery of his filmography and there will certainly be more discussion in the future. We welcome your comments and favourite picks from this iconic director. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Welcome to the groundbreaking ceremony of the Horroretc Hall of Fame. In classic fashion, we had a great longform debate over history's greatest contributors to the horror genre to hash out the inaugural class and tried to group the inductee candidates that warrant recognition. The ultimate purpose of the discussion was to determine the four faces that deserve to be chiseled into the Mount Rushmore of horror. As things progressed we worked out several determining factors including career achievement, singular touchstone contributions, the impact of certain works, influence upon the genre, etc. To assist with the decision making we make several analogies to the design and template of how sports hall of fames work. In the end we simply enjoyed celebrating the iconic names and faces of horror and honour the works that have brought us all so much enjoyment as fans. We hope you enjoy the discussion as well - perhaps you may agree with our comments, surely there was a lot of contention, but most of all we hope you share your opinions and comments on who ultimately deserves to be up on our hypothetical Mount Rushmore (you may be surprised at our results). The prize offer thrown out to reward the best art representation of our final four was real and we encourage submissions. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

The Mayans Were Right!! (Well, at least about 2012 horror films that is) Horror Etc drops the ball, or at least watches the ball drop with our annual YEAR IN REVIEW show! There is a fair amount of debate as to how the horror genre faired in its cinematic offerings in 2012. Indeed while certain titles such as Cabin in the Woods, Sinister, Lovely Molly and Woman in Black seemed to please fans, this year (more so than in recent memory) there seemed to be general disenchantment with horror hounds as to what was served up in the theatre and on disc. If less-than-stellar films such as The Apparition, Paranormal Activity 4 and The Wicker Tree (to name a few) didn't leave enough of a bad taste in our mouths, then the glut of direct-to-video (mostly found-footage) titles seemed to sound the death knoll for at least one of your hosts. Too harsh you say? You'll have to listen to find out if redemption and hope was gleamed (in our humble opinions that is) It's the best, worst... and UNDECIDED of the year that was -- with a few miscellaneous titles to keep things fresh, namely Dredd, Les Mis, Django, Hitchcock, The Speak and more. Ted's preparations for the end of the world resulted in a three pack of apocalypse picks to spend armageddon with - Take Shelter, The Day and Last Night. All this and some aspirations towards 2013 mixed in for good measure. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM

Our year end tradition of discussing the most recent season of Dexter returns. Season 7 had its highs and lows, offered some very interesting character analysis and left things off on a nicely dark note. We dig into the various story threads, villains and the themes they represent, the introduction of Dexter's latest killer love interest and the inevitable emotional collapse of Deborah. There were some disappointing elements, most notably the premature departure of a certain Ukrainian mobster, but the two season story arc that has been built by the writers makes it difficult to judge season 7 on its own. Hopefully those listeners who are up to speed enjoy our usual recap, reflections and predictions. For those who are not on the Dexter bandwagon however we do have a second segment of the show chatting about some random topics including The Hobbit (and of the course 48 FPS), Dark Shadows, and a depressing documentary The Bridge to bring down your holiday spirit. Segment #2 begins at 56:45. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 WWW.HORRORETC.COM