Caliber 9 From Outer Space

It's another director spotlight this week, as Al stops by to discuss a couple of Riccardo Freda joints. Freda was a diverse journeyman of the Italian film industry who produced most of his output before the heyday of Italsploitation, but his late career tilts at giallo and horror were... unusual, to put it mildly. We dive deep into his Dublin-set giallo, The Iguana With the Tongue of Fire (1971), and his bizarre hippiesploitation / gothic horror / Satanic gore fest, Tragic Ceremony (1972).

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 Iguana With the Tongue of Fire by skipping ahead to the 1:25:47 mark, and for Tragic Ceremony by skipping ahead to 2:18:24.

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 talking about one of the great directors of the New Hollywood era, George Roy Hill. Sakana joins us once again to celebrate the work of this master storyteller: we will check out his divisive box office failure, The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), and his raucous, subversive sports comedy Slap Shot (1977). Death defying air stunts, stunted pretty boys, and ultraviolence on the ice rink - there's a lot to chew on here.

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 Waldo Pepper by skipping ahead to the 1:28:56 mark, and for Slap Shot by skipping ahead to 2:16:09.

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

War is hell. Vive le revolution! Conflict is on the menu this week as Nick Langdon drops by to discuss The Battle of Algiers (1966), directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, and Battle of the Commandos (1969), directed by Umberto Lenzi. A legendary treatise on how to both wage a guerilla resistance and combat one, plus an object lesson in how NOT to conduct a commando mission - even if you are Jack Palance with a shonky Scottish accent!

The Battle of Algiers has an unusual narrative structure which is not really spoilable and it's hard to imagine how we could spoil Battle of the Commandos more than it already is. So, we won't be announcing a Spoiler Territory section for either film this week.

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

It's a week for tough cops who chafe under the soft libertarian justice system of modern democracy, dammit! And no cop is tougher than Maurizio Merli. Unless it's Charles Bronson, obviously. Bryce swings by to shoot the breeze and a whole heap of scumbag criminals, as we discuss 10 to Midnight (1983), directed by J. Lee Thompson, followed by Rome, Armed to the Teeth (1976), directed by Umberto Lenzi.

We don't think you can really spoil Rome, Armed to the Teeth, which only has a passing acquaintance with its own plot, but we will call out Spoiler Territory for 10 to Midnight. If you want to skip ahead from that point, you can rejoin the conversation at the 1:07:38 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

We are very late to the wake, but better late than never. Earlier this year, in close succession, we lost a couple of legends of film: Gene Hackman and Wings Hauser. In this bonus episode, Rob and Joe talk about the contrasting careers of these two great talents: one of them widely celebrated, the other probably underappreciated. Then we have a close look at the only film collaboration between them: Ted Kotcheff's Uncommon Valor (1983), which starred Hackman and was written and produced by Hauser.

We do have a Spoiler Territory section for Uncommon Valor, so you can skip ahead to the 1:07:30 mark to avoid spoilers if you haven't seen the film.

RIP Gene. RIP Wings.

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

I dunno, man - I think this mutually-agreed arrangement is a little undercooked. Mike White drops by again to discuss Raw Deal (1948), directed by Anthony Mann, and then, you guessed it, Raw Deal (1986), directed by John Irvin. Listen as we gasp in wonder at Mann's sumptuous shadowy cinematography and Arnie's enormous pectorals. What do these films have in common other than their names? Probably not a lot, but we sure have a lot of fun discussing them.

It's not really possible to spoil Raw Deal '86 because that would require you to be able to make some sense out of its plot, but we will call out Spoiler Territory for Raw Deal '48. If you want to skip ahead from that point, you can rejoin the conversation at the 1:06:02 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

Our closing music this week comes courtesy of Seven Ascended Masters and their track "No The World Is Not A Fkin Sim" (T. Morton) © 2025. Find more from their back catalogue on SoundCloud

The horror genre exists to probe our latent fears, and the so-called "Duality of Man" has been a huge theme across so much film and literature. This week, writer and video artist Graham Williamson joins us to discuss a couple of interesting meditations on transformation and duality: Ginger Snaps (2000) directed by John Fawcett and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osbourne (1981), directed by Walerian Borowczyk. Forget Duality of Man: what about the Duality of Woman? Or the Duality of Man and Woman and anything else we can be?

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 Ginger Snaps by skipping ahead to the 1:00:09 mark, and for The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osbourne by skipping ahead to 1:52:51.

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

Forget the threat of AI to our livelihoods... what about the murderous CYBORGS that countless B-movies have taught us are coming to get us any moment now?! This week, Al (the person, not the AI) joins us to check out Steel and Lace (1991), directed by Ernest D. Farino, and American Cyborg: Steel Warrior (1994), directed by Boaz Davidson.

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 Steel and Lace by skipping ahead to the 1:09:03 mark, and for American Cyborg: Steel Warrior by skipping ahead to 2:06:41.

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

Half ape. Half reptile. Half we don't know what. Dr Ethan Lyon is not a horror from the murkey deeps but he is a huge fan of the films of Matt Farley and the folks from Motern Media, and he joins us this week to discuss two microbudget gems: Don't Let the Riverbeast Get You! (2012) and Magic Spot (2022), both directed by Charles Roxburgh.

We don't think we spoil either of these films in the dissussion, so there's no Spoiler Territory section this week.

If you're in the UK, join us at Dr E's Motern Media Madness event over the Easter weekend!

Buy tickets here for Local Legends.

Buy tickets here for Magic Spot.

Buy tickets here for Don't Let the Riverbeast Get You!

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

By gar, it's a good old fashioned Letterboxd Collab! Dr Ethan Lyon and Sakana join forces to help us deliver a little shot of bonus episode classic western joy, as we share our thoughts on Anthony Mann's Winchester '73 (1950). Jimmy Stewart in dark and vengeful mode, Shelley Winters as comely young blonde, Stephen McNally being dastardly, Dan Duryea sliming up the screen (bless his cotton socks) and Rock Hudson as a politically incorrect Indian Chief. All saddled up and ridden like the clappers by the great Anthony Mann. Yee har!!!

We do have a Spoiler Territory section for Winchester '73, so you can skip ahead to the 1:02:57 mark to avoid spoilers if you haven't seen the film.

If you're in the UK, join us at Dr E's Motern Media Madness event over the Easter weekend!

Buy tickets here for Local Legends.

Buy tickets here for Magic Spot.

Buy tickets here for Don't Let the Riverbeast Get You!

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