Caliber 9 From Outer Space

Sammy from the Gentlemen's Guide to Midnite Cinema is back to sing a love song to the Spaghetti Western with us. Well, not sing, exactly, but we sure do talk a lot about them. It's a bumper-length episode to cover this beloved genre for us, and we focus on a double feature of The Great Silence (1968), directed by Sergio Corbucci and Keoma (1976), directed by Enzo G. Castellari.

We will be announcing a Spoiler Territory section for both films, so if you haven't seen them before you listen, you can nevertheless avoid spoilers for The Great Silence by skipping ahead to the 1:22:41 mark, and for Keoma by skipping ahead to 2:26:05.

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on [email protected]

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM. Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

Samm Deighan joins us today to talk about the cinema of resistance, as profiled in her fantastic new book, Revolution in 35mm: Political Violence and Resistance in Cinema from the Arthouse to the Grindhouse, 1969-1990. In addition, we discuss a double feature plucked from the pages of this fantastic book: Pierrot le Fou (1965), directed by Jean-Luc Godard, and The Awakening of the Beast (1970), directed by José Mojica Marins.

Samm is one of the finest film historians working today in the cult and exploitation cinema space (and beyond), and we were super excited to have her on the show. Our discussion takes in the diverse and fascinating world of cinematic political violence but we also take the time to marvel at Coffin Joe's plucky provocation, recognise Godard as one of film's most important innovators and bemoan the ridiculously long runtime of modern superhero movies.

It's not really possible to spoil The Awakening of the Beast, but we will call out Spoiler Territory for Pierrot le Fou. If you want to skip ahead from that point, you can rejoin the conversation at the 1:12:20 mark to avoid spoilers.

Buy Revolution in 35mm here.

Join Samm Deighan's Patreon here.

Listen to Samm's great podcast, Eros + Massacre here.

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on [email protected]

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM.

Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

Happy Halloween! We're dropping this week's episode two days early to chime in on the spooky holiday fun. Dr Ethan Lyon gets all devilish with us as we check out Haxan (1922), directed by Benjamin Christensen, and then Beyond the Door (1974), directed by Ovidio Assonitis. In our usual roundabout way, our discussion of these films leads us to some unexpected questions such as: Is Halloween America's greatest ever export? Is the hyrax nature's sleaziest rodent? Are Beatrix Potter's idyllic stories actually a horrifying animal dystopia in disguise? And last but not least, how advisable is it to play wind instruments through your nose?

It's not really possible to spoil Haxan as it doesn't have a conventional plot, but we will call out Spoiler Territory for Beyond the Door. If you want to skip ahead from that point, you can rejoin the conversation at the 1:51:18 mark to avoid spoilers.

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on [email protected]

Rob's alternate sountrack for Haxan can be found on Spotify here

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM.

Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

Life is too short not to binge William Friedkin movies so this week we're bringing you a deep Friedkin double feature. Jerry McGlothlin and Bryce Hamilton are in the house to discuss To Live and Die in LA (1985) and Bug (2006). Strap in and prepare to hear the best Chicago accent this side of Glasgow (Chiglasgo?), the Oxford English Dictionary's most proper usage of pornographic terms, and a thorough rundown of the frankly alarming proliferation of police forces operating inside the USA. Paranoia is in the air. The check is in the mail, and we love you, and we promise not to... well, let's leave the blue language for the podcast.

We will be announcing a Spoiler Territory section for both films, so if you haven't seen them before you listen, you can nevertheless avoid spoilers for To Live and Die in LA by skipping ahead to the 1:04:54 mark, and for Bug by skipping ahead to 1:35:38.

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on [email protected]

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM. Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

The exploitation world of Star Wars rip-offs: you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. This week, we're joined by part-time Dark Lord of the Sith, Walter Kafka, to check out Starcrash (1978), directed by Luigi Cozzi, and The Man Who Saved the World - better known these days as Turkish Star Wars (1982), directed by Çetin İnanç.

In all honesty, we don't think it's possible to spoil these two slices of psychedelic sci-fi wonderment, so there will be no Spoiler Territory this week.

Buckle in for intergalactic David Hasselhoff hair, Caroline Munro in a vinyl bikini, diabolical Joe Spinell in a giant clawship and some absolutely mindbending insanity from the otherworldly desertscape of Cappadocia, Turkey.

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on [email protected]

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM. Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

Stream / Buy "Eating the Cats" by The Kiffness here: https://onerpm.link/EatingTheCats

Ninjas ruled in the 1980's! James Eldred from the Cinema Oblivia podcast joins us this week to discuss two underground ninjasploitation classics: Miami Connection (1987), directed by YK Kim and Richard Park, and Ninja Terminator (1985), directed by Godfrey Ho. As well as marvelling in the bizarre delights of these insane films, we discuss the place of ninjas in the popular imaginations of Eastern and Western audiences, and also get an impromptu tour through the recesses of James' arcane knowledge of obscure prog rock and Japanese techno. Oh my God!!!

We will be announcing a Spoiler Territory section for both films, so if you haven't seen them before you listen, you can nevertheless avoid spoilers for Miami Connection by skipping ahead to the 1:06:52 mark, and for Ninja Terminator by skipping ahead to 1:50:38.

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on [email protected]

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM. Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

About face! Sakana joins us this week to check out some seminal body-horror films: Eyes Without a Face (1960), directed by Georges Franju, and The Awful Dr Orlof (1962), directed by Jess Franco. Doctoral God complexes, the French scars of Nazi occupation, and the proliferation of blind killers in European films of the 1960's - we discuss all this and more.

We will be announcing a Spoiler Territory section for both films, so if you haven't seen them before you listen, you can nevertheless avoid spoilers for Eyes Without a Face by skipping ahead to the 1:15:10 mark, and for The Awful Dr Orlof by skipping ahead to 1:52:29.

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on [email protected]

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM. Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

Nick Langdon joins us this week to tinker and tailor another intriguing double feature discussion. We check out Funeral in Berlin (1966), directed by Guy Hamilton, and The Soldier (1982), directed by James Glickenhaus. We'll dive deep into Cold War lore and the joy of "shabby" spy stories, while exploring the usual array of oblique asides such as gratuitous blood squibs, phallic bollards, Uzi pirouettes and Klaus Kinski's manic desire to steal the tightest ski pants in the Alps.

We will be announcing a Spoiler Territory section for both films, so if you haven't seen them before you listen, you can nevertheless avoid spoilers for Funeral in Berlin by skipping ahead to the 1:08:13 mark, and for The Soldier by skipping ahead to 1:41:26.

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on [email protected]

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM.

Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

Al joins us once again to discuss Five Dolls For An August Moon (1970), directed by Mario Bava, and My Sister in Law (1976), directed by Lucio Fulci. Our conversation ranges across such topics as aristocratic Italian actors, the advisability of wearing budgie-smugglers at a weekend house party, the many riffs of Agatha Christie's seminal slasher-whodunit, Muppets songs lifted from Mondo films, and of course a deep appreciation of the work of the great Edwige Fenech (including how to say her name properly).

We will be announcing a Spoiler Territory section for both films, so if you haven't seen them before you listen, you can nevertheless avoid spoilers for Five Dolls For An August Moon by skipping ahead to the 59:59 mark, and for My Sister in Law by skipping ahead to 1:52:13.

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on [email protected]

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM. Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

This week, special guest Jerry McGlothlin joins Joe and Rob to check out Contraband (1980), directed by Lucio Fulci, and then The Astrologer (1976), directed by Craig Denney. Explicit gory gang violence followed by gratuitous sidereal astrology and the awesome delusional ego of Craig Denney. It's a hell of a combo.

It's not really possible to spoil The Astrologer, but we will call out Spoiler Territory for Contraband. If you want to skip ahead from that point, you can rejoin the conversation at the 1:11:31 mark to avoid spoilers.

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on [email protected]

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM.

Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

Check out Lead, White and Blue by Wesley Sharer