The Evolution of Horror

"Let the games begin..." This week Mike is joined by Jonathan Hatfull and Katherine McLaughlin to discuss where the slashers went in the 21st century! They cover (in spoilerific detail) James Wan's 2004 movie Saw and the dawn of torture porn, plus the Final Destination Franchise.  They also discuss what became of Freddy, Jason and Michael in the 21st century, as well as comment on the recent wave of nostalgic comedy slashers such as Detention, The Final Girls, and Tragedy Girls. 

"What's your favourite scary movie?" The slashers are BACK! This week Mike is joined by Empire's Helen O'Hara to discuss Wes Craven's phenomenal 1996 slasher, Scream. Things then start getting super meta, as Mike and Rob Watts discuss the wave of 90s slasher movies that followed it. 

What goes up...must come down.  This week Mike is joined by cinephile Brad Hanson to describe the period that followed the 80s slasher boom...the slasher slump. Brad and Mike discuss why this era is generally thought of as one of the worst for horrors and particularly for slasher movies.

One, two, Freddy's coming for you! This week, Mike is joined by critic James King to discuss that most iconic 80s teen slasher movie, A Nightmare On Elm Street. As well as taking a look at the movie in depth, James and Mike explore the 80s obsession with teenagers, the horror cinema of Wes Craven and the phenomenon of Freddy Krueger. 

This week Mike is joined by Michael Blyth to give a rundown of the very best of the early 80s slasher boom! From Sleepaway Camp to Slumber Party Massacre, we leave no stone unturned...

Chi chi chi ma ma ma... This week Mike is joined by Rob Watts to discuss the most prolific and successful horror franchise of all time. As well as taking an in-depth, spoilerific review, the pair run through the ten sequels that follow and discuss some of the best and worst aspects of the Friday the 13th series. 

This week Mike is joined by Boyd Hilton, and the pair get down and dirty to discuss Brian De Palma's controversial erotic slasher, Dressed To Kill. We take a look at the influences De Palma's movie had on 80s/90s erotic thrillers such as Cruising, Blue Velvet and Basic Instinct. 

This week Mike is joined by Chris Hewitt and Jacob Stolworthy to discuss all things HALLOWEEN! We take an in-depth, spoilerific look at John Carpenter's classic 1978 masterpiece and look at the legacy it left behind (i.e. 7 awful sequels and 2 awful remakes). Chris also discusses why John Carpenter is one of the most beloved auteurs in cinema history and does a fabulous Sam Neil impression. 

"Agnes...it's me, Billy..." This week Mike is joined by Rhianna Dhillon to explore two criminally underrated early 70s slasher movies...Black Christmas (1974) and Alice, Sweet Alice (1976). Both movies deal with teenage problems and adolescence discuss the awkwardness of puberty, sex education and bodily fluids. Mike also sits down with Freudian Cinephile Mary Wild who discusses horror cinema from a psycho-analytic perspective. 

We continue the Evolution of the Slasher by looking at the boom in Italian horror in the late 60s / early 70s, particularly the films known as 'Giallo' (or Gialli?) Mike chats to Giallo guru Alan Jones about the history of the sub-genre, its influence on the slasher and gets the lowdown on Giallo pioneer Dario Argento. He is then joined by Dan Martin from the Arrow Video Podcast to review Argento's Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970) and Mario Bava's Bay Of Blood (1971). 

Happy bonus horror treat! Here's the full, interrupted chat with film musician / composer / historian Neil Brand about a history of horror scores. From Nosferatu through to Under The Skin, we cover the trends, the traits and the evolution of the horror score over the last one hundred years. ENJOY!

This week Mike is joined by Ollie Charles as we begin our in depth look at the evolution of the slasher, and review the two movies that are often considered the forerunners to the format, Psycho and Peeping Tom. Mike is also joined by a chat with film composer, musician and historian, Neil Brand for a chat about that Bernard Herman score. 

This week Mike is joined by BFI Programmer Michael Blyth and film collective 'The Final Girls' to discuss the tropes, the peaks and the troughs of the slasher sub genre. What makes the slasher one of the most successful horror sub-genres? Why do we love watching endless Jason or Freddy sequels, when they all pretty much follow the same formula? And is there anything feminist about a sub-genre which celebrates and fetishises the dismemberment of pretty teenage girls? Join us for the Evolution of the Slasher!

Welcome to the Evolution of Horror! Host Mike Muncer and co-host Rob Watts bring you an introduction. They discuss why they love horror, how they got into horror, some of their favourite horror movies, and Mike interviews horror maestro Kim Newman for a brief history of the genre.  Email us: evolutionofhorror@gmail.com Tweet us: @EvolutionPod  Rob Watts is author of Outside of A Dream blog: http://outsideofadream.wordpress.com  Tweet Rob! @RobWatts88