At The Devils Ball

In the first of our two part HOLIDAY SPECIAL DOUBLE FEATURE, we have our friends at Invasion of the Podcast and Strange Highways on to discuss THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL, a particularly strange serving of holiday madness. Collectively, conversation weaves through a myriad as eclectic as the oddball special itself, Nathaniel is particularly out of it due to some adult candy, and madness generally ensues! We're sorry!

In this episode, the guys discuss HELLRAISER:BLOODLINE, a strange patchwork of ideas and concepts that became the cinematic equivalent of a soiled mattress tossed on the side of the road by Dimension. Nathaniel has too much energy, Sammaeal tolerates him, and they have a good time trying to puzzle out this weird but occasionally fun movie.

This week, the guys continue their "Thank You Tour" by inviting old friend Sarah Sinn back onto the show to thank her for being one of our earliest guests and to discuss Peter Jackson's odd but influential little film THE FRIGHTENERS. This discuss Sarah's favorite topic (Jefferey Combs), the films uneven tone, and the excellent cast.

AND NOW...FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! This week, the guys are joined by filmmaker Nick McAnulty to discuss the action movie CLIFFHANGER, a wild story of Sylvester Stallone doing battle with the star of Transparent. With Nick, the guys discuss the value of character actors, the films intense opening sequence, Renny Harlin, and all the wonderful tropes of 90s action star vehicles.

This week, the guys delve into the world of Gothic Horror with Gothic Horror Enthusiast and frequent guest Jamie Alvey! Discussion topics include sexuality, BDSM, gothic tropes and a heavy amount of praise for the late Sir Christopher Lee. 

And now for something completely different! In honor of the late Kevin Conroy, we here At The Devil's Ball have decided to discuss MASK OF THE PHANTASM, the film extension for arguably the greatest animated superhero show, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. We discuss the film's strengths and weaknesses, Mark Hamill's Joker, the surprising emotional nuance and, of course, the great work Conroy did as a voice actor.

Hello, boils and ghouls! This week we have a 90's classic in TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT, done at the behest of one of my favorite guests, the amazing Jessica Scott! With Jessica, we discuss creature designs, tonal balances and the incredible cast of character actors doing amazing work! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! This week we discuss the made-for-BBC mockumentary GHOSTWATCH, a program so convincing it terrified a nation. Of sorts. We discuss the film's influence on "found footage," ghost hunting shows and reality television, as well as mention some Halloween recommendations and non-traditional holiday viewing. Be safe out there!

For the second Halloween special, the guys invite back Mi Chelle Nessk, Jamie Alvey and Violet of HEAR US SCREAM to discuss a favorite halloween activity: Haunts, where actors leap out in crazy costumes and scare the devil out of you. We also take the time to discuss the upcoming second volume of HEAR US SCREAM and talk about the holiday in general!

This week, the guys celebrate Sammaeal's birthday and continue Halloween month with the first attempt to reboot the Halloween franchise: Halloween H20, a film that can't decide if it's a toothless slasher or a pretty good drama about PTSD! But Josh Hartnett is good in it. The film, that is. He's not in the episode.