Caliber 9 From Outer Space

In this brief revival of the Sundance Film Festival's Midnight program, Mike Willden from Watch Skip Plus swings by to discuss Space Truckers (1996), directed by Stuart Gordon, and The Convent (2000), directed by Mike Mendez. Join us as we regale you with tales of Charles Dance and his low energy wang, George Wendt getting his butt sucked into space, Dennis Hopper trapping women into marriage and Adrienne Barbeau killing demonic nuns with gay abandon.

We don't think you can really spoil The Convent, which is more interested in horror homage than any kind of actual storyline, but we will call out Spoiler Territory for Space Truckers. If you want to skip ahead from that point, you can rejoin the conversation at the 1:08:21 mark to avoid spoilers.

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

And the truth is, he didn’t die an ordinary man. In this bonus episode, Rob and Joe welcome Sammy from The Gentlemen’s Guide to Midnite Cinema back on the show to pay tribute to the troubled genius of Ozzy Osbourne, a man whose life encompassed precipitous highs and very dark lows, but whose impact on the worlds of music and, indirectly, film  - not to mention pop culture at large - was immeasurable. Along with a discussion of his life and music, they also dive deep into Mario Bava’s seminal 1963 horror masterpiece, Black Sabbath, the film from which the band took its name.

After much dithering, the guys do eventually go into Spoiler Territory for the film – if you want to avoid those, the place to duck out and return later is 1:16:50.

RIP Ozzy.

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

"Fire in the Sky" by Ozzy Osbourne

Red sky in morning, brutal prison guards' warning. Red sky at night, there'll be trouble in flight! Mike White from The Projection Booth podcast joins us to discuss a couple of Japanese exploitation classics: Prisoner Female Scorpion: #701 (1972), directed by Shunya Ito, and Goké, Body Snatcher From Hell (1968), directed by Hajime Sato. Gorgeous visuals and heinous humanity will be the twin themes today.

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 Prisoner Female Scorpion: #701 by skipping ahead to the 1:21:24 mark, and for Goké, Body Snatcher From Hell by skipping ahead to 2:05:43.

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

"Dark Lady" by The Scorpions

It's business up front and party at the back this week - as long as the business up front is Silly-Beggars and the party involves hogs, testosterone and a psychotic Lance Henrickson making alarming threats. We're joined this week by film-maker Ted Bennett (Reel Terror) to conduct a frequently irreverent discussion on bizarre Jackie Chan vehicle City Hunter (1993), directed by Wong Jing, followed by explosive two-wheeler vehicle Stone Cold (1991), directed by Craig R. Baxley.

These films are nonsensical and all about the ride, so we don't bother calling out a Spoiler Territory section for either of them. If you are on tenterhooks about the dramatic resolution of either of these films, please watch them before listening (our advice: don't worry too much about that).

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

Justin Kerswell from The Hysteria Lives and The Hysteria Continues pops in to discuss Patrick (1978), directed by Richard Franklin, followed by its notorious and wholly unexpected Italian rip-off, Patrick Still Lives (1980), directed by Mario Landi. Toxic masculinity, screaming cat-fights, Holly Hockeysticks cheer in the face of psychic assault and full body impalement: these movies have similar titles but they're worlds apart. In fact we're still not sure what world Patrick Still Lives is on.

It's not really possible to spoil Patrick Still Lives whose mystery plot makes little sense and takes a back seat to sleaze in any case, but we will call out Spoiler Territory for Patrick. If you want to skip ahead from that point, you can rejoin the conversation at the 1:19:47 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

"Patrick" by Goblin

What the bloody hell is going on?!?! Curses flying thick and fast all over the place. Adam drops by to talk A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), directed by Tony Ching, and Kadaicha (1988), directed by James Bogle. Dark magic and people getting engulfed by giant tongues (or is that just the biggest eel I've ever seen in my life?) Also, Tom Cruise's messiah complex, Sonny Chiba's cowboy yakuza, Australia's difficult racial history and gratuitous Neighbours references. It's an eclectic mix!

No Spoiler Territory section for either film this week. We do discuss the endings but these aren't films that can really be spoiled, so our advice is not to worry too much!

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

Listen to the Warumpi Band wherever you find good music.

We love a mismatched double feature, and this is a doozy. Charlie Adlard is back to discuss a couple of films that couldn't be more different. We reflect on Dario Argento's masterpiece of phantasmagoric horror, Suspiria (1977), followed by Gerry Anderson's own childlike dream of mecha joy: Thunderbirds Are GO (1966), directed by David Lane.

One thing these films have in common? Plot is entirely secondary in importance, and as such, we don't bother calling out a Spoiler Territory section for either of them.

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

For the best overview of Charlie Adlard's amazing career as one of the world's foremost comic book artists, go to charlieadlard.com His latest book, Heretic is available on Amazon and via all good booksellers. Look out for his upcoming book, Altamont, which is slated for an English language release later in 2025.

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

Computer game adaptations: perhaps the least respected form of film-making around. And let's face it, the ratio of good films to bad films is pretty darn low. This week, we team up with the guys from the Grandad and Mr Tech gaming podcast to have a close look at two much maligned entries in this subgenre: Street Fighter (1994), directed by Steven E. de Souza, and Mortal Kombat (1995), directed by Paul W.S Anderson. Tune in, sit back, and FINISH IT!!!

Let's just say, plot is somewhat secondary in importance to the conception of both of these films. so we won't be announcing a Spoiler Territory section for either of them. If you are on tenterhooks about the dramatic resolution of either of these films, please watch them before listening (our advice: don't worry too much about that).

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

Just which cop is the biggest bastard? Lieutenant Crow or Inspector Cliff? Bryce joins us to discuss a couple of tales of cops gone off the rails. First up: Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989), directed by J. Lee Thompson, and Mafia Junction a.k.a. Super Bitch (1973), directed by Massimo Dallamano.

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 Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects by skipping ahead to the 1:14:20 mark, and for Mafia Junction by skipping ahead to 1:46:31.

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, we are trapped inside and beset by unnameable horrors in a dark corner of the Great White North. Sammy from the Gentlemen's Guide to Midnite Cinema pops in to discuss Pontypool (2008), directed by Bruce McDonald, followed by the notorious SOV act of lunacy, Things (1989), directed (if that's what you can call it?) by Andrew Jordan. As well as pondering the profound cultural influence of language as a thing in and of itself, we also tackle some other philosophical questions such as: The possibly Saxon origins of the word, "fart". Kettle or urn, which is better? And just what the hell does "no cap" mean?

It's not really possible to spoil Things (because it's not really possible to understand the plot, assuming there is one), but we will call out Spoiler Territory for Pontypool. If you want to skip ahead from that point, you can rejoin the conversation at the 1:33:23 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