Dark Discussions Podcast

Welcome the newest episode of Dark Discussions, your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that’s fantastic. Rise of the Planet of the Apes has turned out to be a huge summer blockbuster and Dark Discussions gives their take on the film. Philip and Mike believe it to be the best genre film of the summer. With his performance playing the chimpanzee Caesar, Andy Serkis may have revolutionized the definition of modern day acting. Minute for minute, the role has more screen time than any other character. Andy Serkis’s presentation of a part that is entirely computer generated amazingly brings realism to the role. Through its modern spin of the franchise, a remarkable twist ending, and its multiple homages to the original series, the film shows that Hollywood can still make a summer film that is more than buttered popcorn. Following up on Episodes 006 and 007, the Frank Darabont Retrospectives, Philip and Mike discuss their opinions on Frank Darabont’s abrupt exit from his television series, The Walking Dead. With his strong connection and friendship to the cast and the elite screenwriting he brought to the show now gone, fans are wondering what happened and what went wrong. Whether the show will be as successful going forward is anyone’s guess, but either way the Frank Darabont signature upon the show will most certainly be missed. Lastly, the new Lone Ranger film by Walt Disney Productions starring Johnny Depp and his reteaming with Gore Verbinski who was set to helm the film is unexpectedly shut down due to financial issues. Taking note of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and its much smaller budget, our hosts consider how a supernatural and horror-themed screenplay of an updated version of the Lone Ranger is a missed opportunity as the reported cost for the film would have been over two times that of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Once again, our hosts welcome you to yet another addition of their dark discussion. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Dark Discussions podcast. Your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that's fantastic. When horror fans think genre cinema the first person that comes to mind seems to always be John Carpenter, the renowned film director, screenwriter, and composer who won an Academy Award for a short film as a college student. Starting in the 1970’s, he began a legacy of creating some of the most unforgettable genre films ever. With his classic tale of Michael Myers, a relentless killer that seems to be of supernatural origin, the 1978 film Halloween became one of the most profitable films dollar for dollar in movie history. The film, taking its queue from such predecessors as Bob Clark’s Black Christmas and the Italian giallo, reinvented the slasher film and created a subgenre that went on to be the model for such diverse films as Friday the 13th and the Terminator. His follow ups included the gory yet classic ghost story The Fog, a story about a leper ship which sank a century ago coming back to seek revenge on the ancestors of the coastal town which refused to allow it to dock. His next film was the dystopian and cyberpunk forerunner Escape From New York in which Manhattan island has become a maximum security prison. The iconic character Snake Plissken is sent in to rescue the U.S. president after Air Force One crashes into the island following its hijacking by anarchists. His final film from this period was The Thing, a story based on John W. Campbell Jr.’s classic science fiction tale Who Goes There? When an alien being is defrosted in Antarctica by a Norwegian science team, terror ensues where what appears to be a sled dog escapes to an American science center bringing with it a horror of unspeakable brutality. Dark Discussions brings their take on the John Carpenter legacy. Philip and Gordon’s conversation mention such related topics as the newly released film The Ward, the possible film version of the comic book Darkchylde which John Carpenter is anticipated to direct, the 1958 science fiction horror film The Crawling Eye (also known as The Trollenberg Terror), and the Faye Dunaway film The Eyes of Laura Mars which was penned by Mr. Carpenter. Get ready for an overview of this legendary talent and how he left his mark on genre cinema. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Dark Discussions podcast. Your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that's fantastic. Dark Discussions does its first non-topical podcast. Though no specific theme is discussed, Gordon and Philip do a 360° roundabout through horror, pulp, and genre. On location at the cinema to see Final Destination 5 in 3D, various films are discussed including the Patrick Lussier/Todd Farmer productions of Drive Angry and My Bloody Valentine 3D. With horror on our hosts’ minds, the After Dark Horrorfest 8 Films to Die For yearly releases are focused on including some specific titles as The Hamiltons, Mulberry Street, and Unrest. Not to be left behind, superhero films such as Kick Ass enter the conversation but more importantly Philip and Gordon give their opinion on Anne Hathaway’s turn as the Cat Woman in the upcoming Christopher Nolan Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. To round up the discussion prior to the viewing of Final Destination 5, our hosts discuss the novels they have been reading including Jonathan Maberry’s Dragon Factory, Ben Tripp’s Rise Again, Dan Simmons’ Flashback, Clive Barker’s Mister B. Gone, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s novels Gideon’s Sword, Blasphemy, and the Agent Pendergast novel Cold Vengeance, among others. Returning after the film, Gordon and Philip give their spoiler free review on Final Destination 5, highly recommending all horror fans to get to the theater before the film leaves its 3D presentation behind. One thing however, more Tony Todd! To finish up, news and more news takes the forefront. The upcoming remakes of Conan the Barbarian, Fright Night, and the Zack Snyder Superman film Man of Steel are highly anticipated but will they be successful? Dark Discussions talks about the new Lois Lane and who they would have loved to have seen in the role; other than Amy Addams what about Emily Blunt, Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman, Megan Fox, or even Clare Grant? What happened to Frank Darabont and the Walking Dead? Stephen King’s Dark Tower film adaption is shut down. Can A Serbian Film actually be released in North American theaters? Would Conan be better off as a series like the fantastic Lucy Lawless show Spartacus? Why did Guillermo Del Toro walk away from an adaption of H. P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness? Did one of our favorite characters in True Blood get killed off? Enter within, faithful listeners, into our dark discussion and find out all that awaits. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Dark Discussions podcast. Your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that's fantastic. When Christopher Smith wrote and directed his debut film entitled Creep in 2004, audiences waiting for a new voice in horror cinema were only getting a taste of what was to come. With a career that has now expanded to include four well regarded films within seven years, Christopher Smith has been observed by some as this generation’s John Carpenter. His films have included such diverse characteristics and plots as horror comedy, a powerful period piece, an original take on the slasher, and a mind bending mystery. Dark Discussions intent was to do a two part retrospective on this amazing director and screenwriter yet while putting the episodes together and discovering the detail that was discussed; it was decided to instead focus specifically on each of the splendid films of this wonderful talent. Philip and Eric discuss Mr. Smith’s debut film and what turns out to be the beginning of a fantastic run of movies. The bizarre nature of his films within the United States of America being released directly to the home market rather than the big screen is a mystery unresolved. With critical praise and a cult following seen by few, Christopher Smith and his movies are hidden gems which have made an impact in a genre deeply needing a proclamation. Their magic is specifically due to the final product presented rather than any self promotion by their creator. The first part of this director-focused arc is on Creep, a dark and intense horror thriller about a young woman named Kate played by actress Franka Potente who gets trapped within the London Underground after hours. Expecting a quick trip to a club party on the other side of the city, Kate’s night turns into a nightmare when a mysterious entity appears to be stalking the tunnels beneath the streets of London. While trying to find a way back up to the city blocks, her journey leads to a terror that may literally be mental illness and the clinical institutions that were more chambers of suffering rather than the hospitals they were meant to be. A film that appears nothing more than a tight little horror flick turns out to be a tale more about homelessness, drug abuse, mental illness, the uncaring nature of society, and the injustices done upon those that are disenfranchised. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Dark Discussions podcast. Your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that's fantastic. As the original Planet of the Apes franchise has moved from modern film into classic spectacle, Hollywood decides to reboot the series for a new generation of film goers. Thirty-two years since the Charlton Heston original classic, a reboot goes into production and is released in 2001 to great excitement. Tim Burton, the director of such genre favorites as Sleepy Hollow and Ed Wood, helms an ambitious remake starring Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, and the beautiful Estella Warren in a film that sadly disappoints both the younger audience and those who are fans of the original series. Though spectacular visually, the story arc would resonate with neither film critic nor filmgoer. Yet today, August 11, 2011, ten years after the first reboot Hollywood yet again brings to audiences a new version of the franchise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Unlike the Tim Burton film, this new reboot focuses on an alternate timeline from the original following more the storyline of the fourth film of the original franchise Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (which starred Roddy McDowell and Ricardo Montalban). With new advances in science, apes are genetically altered in the attempts to cure Alzheimer’s disease with an unusual side effect, intelligence development within the chimpanzee. Starring James Franco, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis, and the beautiful Freida Pinto, fans of the original once more hope for a film that will not only blow them away visually but will have a story that will echo within today’s world. Dark Discussions finishes up their trilogy The Planet of the Apes retrospective. Philip and Mike discuss genetic engineering, both its potentials and dangers, and try to answer the question of what amount of intelligence within a creature would establish the beast to be considered more than just an animal. Such novels as Michael Crichton’s Next, Robin Cook’s Chromosome 6, H. G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, and Robert C. O’Brien’s Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH are brought into the topic. George A. Romero’s film Monkey Shines, Will Smith’s I Am Legend, and the new documentary Project Nim are discussed. Even the cartoon show Family Guy has some value to add to the dialogue with its talking dog Brian. No matter what one thinks, Rise of the Planet of the Apes may be just the starting point on subjects as diverse as stem cell research, cloning, and genetic engineering. Horror films may be nothing more than fiction yet science is so much more. Science is reality. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Dark Discussions podcast. Your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that's fantastic. With the legacy of the Planet of the Apes and its sequel behind them, an idea came about that would lead to a three story arc to round out the now classic franchise. With this in mind, Pierre Boulle’s novel The Planet of the Apes was front and center once again where the source material was mined to create a new and compelling arc that took the original novel and reversed the human and ape character roles for the upcoming films. The intelligent apes, Cornelius and Zira, take the lead in the first of the three films, Escape from the Planet of the Apes. Through the physics of space and time, they appear on modern day Earth where they at first are beloved as a novelty yet soon such feelings sour as the government learns that the future of the human race may result in slavery and domination by intelligent apes. In the next film, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Caesar, the child of Cornelius and Zira, grows up to lead an army of slave apes in rebellion against man and his suppressing ways. Rounding up the franchise is The Battle for the Planet of the Apes, where Caesar tries to create a society in which both man and ape can live peacefully as equals. However with struggles brewing within the ape community and from humans that have distanced themselves from such a society, Caesar’s visionary hopes could possibly be dashed. Philip and Mike discuss the final three films within the original franchise. Such topics as race relations, human rights, immigration, animal compassion, and modernization are thrashed out. With the scientific understanding that the wild ape has violent streaks and will also turn upon their own, do these films reflect the nation state where one unjust dictator is removed for a better life of its people only to be replaced by someone more wicked? With the ambiguous nature of the antagonists within these films, one may wonder whether one man’s belief system may be nothing more than that specific man’s perspective. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Dark Discussions, your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that’s fantastic. Episode 010 - Rear Window. What appears to be a tight and quaint little thriller seems by today’s standards so much more. Rear Window, one of Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpieces from 1954, seems more modern today than the half a century ago that it was filmed. With reality television a staple on every channel, a person with a flick of the switch can immediately become a voyeur and watch through a window the staged lives of so many people, famous or not. Mr. Hitchcock put together a film that seems as if he himself had a window to the future. The film is that of a semi-famous photographer, Jeff Jeffries, who remains in a wheelchair after shattering his leg while on assignment. Stuck in his Manhattan apartment for over six weeks the film audience meets his bourgeois Brahmin Park Avenue girlfriend Lisa Fremont along with his sharp tongued and private nurse, Stella. Bored and frustrated, he begins to innocently watch the neighbors living in the various apartments in the enclosed courtyard from his rear window. But soon, without knowing, he has become voyeuristic in a way. His thoughts about rear window ethics however are short lived when he suddenly comes to the conclusion that maybe a murder has occurred when one of his neighbor’s mysteriously disappears. Though not necessarily a horror film, the off screen horror elements of what someone may or may not have done with a murdered corpse fits tightly into a story filled with suspense, dark humor, and Mr. Hitchcock’s inside joke that the audience is as guilty of voyeurism as Jeff Jefferies. Not shy about shocking its audience, Rear Window is the definition of a genuine genre classic. Philip and co-host Eric discuss one of their favorite genre films and how it is as much about murder as it is about the person and people who may have witnessed it. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Dark Discussions, your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that’s fantastic. In 1952, a French World War II veteran and resistance hero, wrote a historical novel that brought him to international fame, The Bridge Over the River Kwai. Pierre Boulle became a prolific author who’s career extended into many genres which included science fiction and social fantasies. By 1963 his latest novel, Monkey Planet also translated into Planet of the Apes, grabbed the attention of Hollywood. With Rod Serling co-screenwriting, Charlton Heston starring, Franklin Schaffner directing, and Jerry Goldsmith scoring, the film adaption of what one would have considered but a B-film only ten years prior became an international sensation and preceded the summer blockbuster film by seven years. The film took the novel’s story to a new level of imagery and connotation for the times. In a world that had the fears of the Cold War and the Prague Spring, the importance of race relations, the end of Arab nationalism and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, a war in Vietnam, the death of colonialism, issues such as women’s rights, and social upheavals that followed the Summer of Love, The Planet of the Apes brought all this in a symbolic way to the big screen. With Rod Serling’s new ending that included an iconic image of the Statue of Liberty, the shock that resulted made the movie not only entertainment but also one of the most important films in movie history. Philip and Mike discuss the history of the story and the importance of it to genre fans. A franchise was born including four sequels, a television show, a cartoon, comic books, and toys and memorabilia. Part One of our retrospective focuses on the novel, the first film and the first follow up within the franchise, Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Get ready and join us in a conversation that will bring this story full circle. One wonders whether Pierre Boulle was more a prophet than just a mere novelist. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome the newest episode of Dark Discussions, your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that’s fantastic. During the year of our Lord 2004, the debut novel of an unknown author from Sweden changed the mythos of one of the most mysterious and dangerous monsters of horror legend. Prior to its release, vampires had slowly become the stock character of numerous romantic and teenage horror books and films. However this original take on the creature of the night stood out from the more common romantic view of the vampire. When John Ajvide Lindqvist saw his novel Let the Right One In published within his home country, it immediately landed an audience and became a best seller. Almost without delay scores of movie producers throughout Sweden battled for the film rights to this original and chilling work of fiction. Four years later the Swedish language film with its screenplay written by Lindqvist made its debut and the story suddenly became an international sensation. A second adaption entitled Let Me In was made in 2010 to almost as much critical acclaim. Philip takes the mic and goes deep into why this story, both book and films, has had such an impact on its readers and viewership. With the melancholy sadness of the lead protagonists to the socially disenfranchised supporting characters, the story may be much more than a standard horror tale. A vampire may haunt this small suburban town but one wonders if the real horror presented is actually social inequity, human nature, mental illness, and the struggle with daily life. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Episode 007 of Dark Discussions, your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that’s fantastic. By 2007, Frank Darabont had established himself as one of Hollywood’s top directors and screenwriters. Following the award nominated adaptations of some of Stephen King’s most heart warming stories, Mr. Darabont decided to go back to his roots to produce, screen write, and direct one of Mr. King’s most beloved horror stories of all time, The Mist. The movie is a story of a group of survivors taking refuge in a grocery store as a mist of unknown origins envelopes the building. A throwback to the horror and sci-fi movies of the 1950’s and 60’s, the film, though a moderate success at theaters, is thought of as one of the top ten genre movies of the decade. With its religious and political undertones the film speaks volumes about today’s world. The ending, a shocking change from the novella, was so impactful to audiences, Stephen King himself stated that he had wished he had thought of the ending when he had wrote the story. Soon after, in 2010, Mr. Darabont took a little known but highly regarded underground comic book and decided to bring it to the small screen. The story, a comic book written by Robert Kirkman, was a story about a group of survivors trying to make ends meet after a zombie apocalypse. Fitfully on Halloween night 2010 The Walking Dead premiered to both resounding reviews and audiences larger than many had expected. With this success, an upcoming second season was announced and will be debuted in October 2011. Once more, Phil and Mike discuss the importance of Frank Darabont and the significance he has played on horror and sci-fi in this latter part of his career. With the success of the Mist and the Walking Dead, Mr. Darabont has cemented his legacy upon a genre that was at one time so desperately seeking monsters in the mist. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Episode 006 of Dark Discussions, your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that’s fantastic. In 1979, a young inspiring film student took advantage of an opportunity called a Dollar Baby, Stephen King’s generous way of giving back to the next generation of film makers. With the permission to make an adaption of one of the author’s short stories, Frank Darabont at the young age of twenty proceeded to make a short film which would go on to reach the semi-finalist list of the 1983 Academy Awards. Within five years he would have screenwriter credits to the third installment of the Chuck Russell directed Nightmare on Elm Street Dream Warriors, a huge box office hit and ranked by critics as the best in the series after the original. A year later Frank Darabont reteamed with Chuck Russell and once again writes the screenplay for the remake of The Blob, a film listed by Fangoria magazine as one of the 300 best horror films of all time. By the mid-1990’s his collaboration with Stephen King grew to include some of the best adaptations of the author’s works ever. First came the film The Shawshank Redemption, a heart wrenching story full of hope and salvation, which went on to garner seven Academy Award nominations. His follow up, The Green Mile, a story of faith and credence in a death row cellblock, went on to be nominated for four Academy Awards, including best screenwriter. Your hosts discuss Mr. Darabont and his contributions to genre cinema during this beginning period of his spectacular career. To have an artist cross over from B-movie madness to critically acclaimed award winning cinema has given a new legitimacy to horror, science fiction, and fantasy. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Episode 005 of Dark Discussions, your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that’s fantastic. Once again Philip and Gordon discuss the flesh eaters known so affectionately as the walking dead and zombies. Within this episode, less familiar zombie films are brought to the attention to the listeners. Unlike the George A. Romero films and the other more well known franchises such as Resident Evil, zombie movies have been copied, ripped off, or simply reinvented by both great talents in the horror genre as well as the occasional hack. Our hosts discuss three films each that any horror or zombie aficionado should see if they haven’t seen yet. Gordon focuses on the smaller film where there is no zombie apocalypse in sight. His three recommendations are Grace, directed by Paul Solet and starring the beautiful Jordan Ladd; Deadgirl written by Troma veteran Trent Haaga; and an entry from across the pond in Norway entitled Dead Snow. Philip focuses on three older films filled with kinetic mayhem, a Spanish/English joint production sometimes known as The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue; Ryuhei Kitamura of Midnight Meat Train renown and his extremely wild zombie film Versus; and Cannibal Ferox’s famed director Umberto Lenzi’s Nightmare City. But what about books and audio? Zombies are now appearing on page and paper, nook and nano. They’ve invaded libraries and computer desktops, perhaps easier than it had been for them to overrun malls, farm houses, and cemeteries. Our hosts talk about this new phenomena where zombie literature may have become as prolific as vampire and haunted house tales. Such authors and editors as Joe McKinney, Jonathan Maberry, Ben Tripp, Brian Keene, David Moody, Kim Paffenroth, and Stephen Jones are dissected. Titles as diverse as Stephen King’s The Cell, Jonathan Maberry’s Patient Zero, and Stephen Jones’ Zombie Apocalypse are dismembered. And a nod to the small publishing house Permuted Press gets a bite from our hosts. But wait, what was that you heard on your iPod? Zombie podcasts? Listeners beware, Dark Discussions welcomes you. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Dark Discussions podcast. Your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that's fantastic. The Howard Hawks/Christian Nyby 1951 film The Thing From Another World is considered by many the greatest science fiction film of the 1950’s, rated superior to its contemporaries such as The Forbidden Planet and The Day the Earth Stood Still. John Carpenter’s 1982 film The Thing, though a failure at the box office, has become arguably one of the greatest horror and science fiction films of not only a decade but of all time; re-evaluated many times over as a classic. Yet where did these wonderful films come up with such an engrossing and game changing story? Philip takes the microphone and brings to the forefront the source material, one of the most important stories in horror and science fiction history, the 1938 novella Who Goes There? At the time of publication, science fiction film and literature was mostly Space Opera, the good old fashioned action adventure story but with a science fiction setting. Fun and glorious, such great characters as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon captured audience’s imaginations. Writers such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, E.E. Smith, Jack Williamson, and John W. Campbell Jr. wrote intergalactic adventure about men fighting on planets that some say were the seeds that gave George Lucas his idea for Star Wars. But then, John W. Campbell Jr. decided to change everything forever. He decided to write under a pseudonym as Don A. Stuart stories filled with darkness, fear and man versus *fill in the blank*. Going back to the bleakness of classic science fiction horror such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the Victorian authors of H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and Robert Louis Stevenson, John W. Campbell Jr. turned science fiction on its head creating what is known today as hard science fiction. (Though not mentioned in the podcast, the term hard science fiction was created by P. Schuyler Miller in his review of another John W. Campbell Jr. story entitled Islands of Space). Not prolific as an author, Mr. Campbell retired from writing fiction at the young age of 28 to become arguably the most important person ever in the writing of science fiction. He became editor of Astounding Science Fiction Magazine and was the man who shaped and brought to prominence the giants in science fiction during its heyday, such notable authors as Robert Heinlein and L. Ron Hubbard to name a few. A quote by Isaac Asimov sums up the impact Mr. Campbell had on science fiction and horror stating "(he was) the most powerful force in science fiction ever, and for the ten years of his editorship (of Astounding Science Fiction magazine) he dominated the field completely." Who was Mr. Campbell? Why have you not heard of him? And why are you familiar only with his story that was the basis of The Thing? Podcast listeners, get ready for a new understanding of one of your all time favorite films and how one man gave us arguably the greatest horror and science fiction story ever. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (written email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Dark Discussions podcast. Your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that's fantastic. The topic for this episode is Zombies with a capital Z. Zombies have overtaken the world's culture, entering into our media just like a virus. Books, movies, video games, comics, and even podcasts have dedicated stories about zombies and their terror. Prior to 1968 zombies were known mostly as Haitian monsters created by voodoo or possibly ghoulish demonic forces, but in 1968 everything changes with an amateur director from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania named George A. Romero. His independently made film Night of the Living Dead shocked and captivated the horror world. In today's podcast, Gordon and Philip focus on the post-Romero zombie, the flesh eater, segwaying between the slow shambler to the fast kinetic monster. Talk of the zombie apocalypse brings about the discussion of what makes our societies tick and whether a zombie outbreak is really only a reflection of humanity itself. Franchises focused on are the Romero sextet, Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake, the Resident Evil franchise, the 28 Days and Weeks films, zombie comedies also known as zomedies, and of course the Dan O'Bannon 1985 classic Return of the Living Dead. Shamble on over to your iPod and listen. Among some of the tastier tidbits we discuss is the fact that Richard Matheson, one of horror's greatest authors, unknowingly planted a seed in the mind of this little known director from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who changed the horror genre forever. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (text email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM

Welcome to Dark Discussions podcast. Your place for the discussion of horror film, fiction, and all that's fantastic. A fairly recent release at theaters has brought both the mainstream critics and the genre folks camping on different sides of no man’s land arguing whether the film was great or just a complete mess. The film is Sucker Punch written and directed by genre favorite Zack Snyder. Philip takes an in depth look into what the film pays homage to, focusing on such topics as anime, steam punk, comics, and video games. The film’s "everything but the kitchen sink" plot and visuals makes one hell of a ride, but more importantly, where did the elements displayed on hopefully an IMAX or 3D screen come from? Most think it was Zack Snyder’s own reverence to "geek" culture but others think it was much more than that. Was it a silly mess with beautiful girls in skimpy outfits fighting everything from Daimajin samurais, horrific zombies, futuristic robots, and fantasy monsters or was it an overblown disaster where a great director goes off the rails? By the end of the podcast, fan of the film or not, one will have an appreciation of where the film draws its ideas and where to look for its inspiration. As always we welcome your comments: darkdiscussions@aol.com (text email or attached mp3 files) WWW.DARKDISCUSSIONS.COM