Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

Without even knowing it, Doc gets revenge on Jeff Mohr for suggesting Night of the Lepus as a Decades of Horror 1970s topic. In the spirit of that campy classing, mixing in elements of classic Eighties schlock Critters and Killer Klowns from Outer Spaces comes Cute Little Buggers (2017) from director Tony Jopia. Jeff is on board, armed with bottles of "Bugger Killer" to review the film about killer bunnies hungry for human flesh and primed to repopulate the world alien style. Oh, my. Jeff shares his appreciation for the plot, the effort, and the inclusion of Caroline Munro in an extended cameo role but confesses that much of the film is lost on him, disliking the film but selling it all the while. Check out his review below.

The Grue Crew is stuck in the traps of JIGSAW but doesn't seem to be too bothered since he at least switched Netflix on to stream STRANGER THINGS Season 2. Yes, the show everyone's talking about and the film series people cringe from vague memories of are here as fodder for the Horror News Radio crew. Joining them is award-winning filmmaker Christopher G. Moore, who suffers through the elaborate traps to get the sweet relief of his favorite show still running. But is everyone in agreement? Listen to Horror News Radio to find out! Dave Dreher also slips in some Horror News of the Week, in where we discuss the return of John Carpenter to the director's chair, ghosts crossing with Helen Mirren in the Winchester trailer and Rob Zombie resurrecting The Firefly Family. Oh, what horrors indeed!

As always, the HNR Grue-Crew would love to hear from you, the listeners, the fans. You can always reach out via email at feedback(AT)horrornewsradio(DOT)com or find us on Twitter: Doc Rotten | Dave Dreher | Thomas Mariani. Also, like us on Facebook and join the Horror News Radio Facebook Group.

Horror News Radio Episode 239 – Stranger Things Season 2 (2017) – Jigsaw (2017) Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

• 1 Spierig Brothers strike again with a trailer for WINCHESTER
• 2 Rob Zombie to resurrect The Firefly Family
• 3 John Carpenter Comes Out of Retirement
• 4 Channel Zero Season 3 Synopsis
• 5 Primal Rage Trailer

• Jigsaw (2017)
• director: The Spierig Brothers
• cast: Tobin Bell, Mandela Van Peebles, Matt Passmore, Callum Keith Rennie, Cle Bennett, Laura Vandervoot

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  • Favorite line from the ROBOCOP Trilogy
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• Stranger Things Season 2 (2017)
• creators: The Duffer Brothers
• cast: Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobbie Brown, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Mazzarotto, David Harbour, Sean Astin, Paul Reiser

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Marvel returns to Asgard with Thor: Ragnarok (2017), the third in the Thor series of films. However, this addition to the franchise brings far more spirit, color, life, and humor to the sometimes stiff characters. Director Taika Waititi along with writers Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost may have created the most accessible and hilarious Marvel Cinematic Universe movie thus far. While the plot is a bit thin and may waste its opportunity to spotlight Cate Blanchette as Hela, the Goddess of Death, it makes up for that with a terrific cast full of energy and charisma. Chris Hemsworth turns his Thor on end with a brilliant comedic performance while maintaining the action hero elements. Tom Hiddleston returns as fan-favorite Loki and never misses an opportunity to shine. Mark Ruffalo guest-stars as Bruce Banner (and the Incredible Hulk) while Tessa Thompson steals the film as Valkyrie. The film is full of surprises and delights and will surely entertain its audience. Thor: Ragnarok is solid gold! Check out the review from Doc Rotten below with guest review by Christopher G. Moore.

"This is indeed a disturbing universe." Maggie Simpson (James Earl Jones) gives us one of many great quotes the recite endlessly. The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes are just a sliver of the legacy this titan of a show has left behind. With over 600 episodes in nearly 30 years of time, our favorite yellow-skinned cartoon family has seen a lot of things. Celebrity cameos, world-changing event & a gradual dip in quality. The works. Now, join Decades of Horror 1990s and Beyond for a journey through all of the anthology Halloween episodes that have aired from 1990 all the way to the most recent 28th entry as the October haunts season concludes!

Decades of Horror 1990s And Beyond Episode 29 – The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Retrospective (1990 - 2017)

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror is has been an annual staple for America's longest-running sitcom since it's second season. Starting off with segments that adapt Edgar Allen Poe or parody Amityville Horror, The Simpsons certainly has changed in the intervening years. The segments have grown more gruesome, the parodies more modern and the jokes... few and far between? I know. Someone saying The Simpsons has declined in quality on the internet. Shocker! Still, Simpsons THOH episodes always have something curious about them even at their absolute worst. The animation is usually quite elaborate, turning Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie & all our favorite Springfieldians into something off-kilter and Alf Clausen's music was always an ethereal joy.

To talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of all this, Thomas Mariani has recruited three terrifying treehouse dwellers and fellow lifelong The Simpsons fans Yonathan Habtemichael, Kaycee Jarrard and Scott Johnson. All three describe their passionate love for the classic years before groaning (and in some cases, sticking up for) the modern years that are so derided. Simpsons THOH segments of old are praised for their consistent laughs, imagination, and cultural impact. More modern stories are... given a bit less praise. Yet, there's still some love to go around for underrated gems and for the most peculiar episode: a Halloween Simpsons episode that is an anthology with no continuity?! Well, if you asked how that happened... a wizard did it. Happy Halloween Everybody... oh, it's November 1st? D'OH!

We want to hear from you – the coolest, most gruesome fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1990s And Beyond podcast hosts at [email protected] or tweet Thomas @NotTheWhosTommy. Also, make sure to give us some love via iTunes reviews and ratings. Helps us get more notice along the way.

The intro and outro is "Suck City" by Black Math. Look for more of their music via Free Music Archive.

Batman Returns (1992)

The selection at the 2017 edition of the New York City Horror Film Festival was spectacular. Opening the Halloween weekend event is the psychological horror thriller 3 (2017) from director Lou Simon. Rafe Telsch steps in to provide his take on this little gem praising the film as a model of what other independent filmmakers should follow and give high marks for actor Mike Stanley. And, yes, Rafe does explain the meaning of the film's simple one-word title, 3. Check out his review below.

Throughout October, Netflix has been providing genre fans with an ample amount of horror content from Stranger Things Season 2 to The Babysitter and so much more. Jeff Mohr is here to give his review of yet another Stephen King adaptation, the haunting film 1922 (2017) from director Zak Hilditch. The film features Thomas Jane, Molly Parker, Dylan Schmid, and Neal McDonough. While not at graphic as It or some other King films, it is no less harrowing and gripping. 1922 owes much of its success to the terrific performance from its lead Thomas Jane who, much like Carla Gugino in Gerald's Game, gives the performance of his career calling back to the quality of his role in The Mist. Jeff even suggests that this may be even better than the critically praised Gerald's Game which premiered on Netflix just a few short weeks prior. Halloween 2017 has been a good month for horror.

"You are now in my domain gentlemen, and you shall not leave." Doc Rotten is still on hiatus, diligently working on the next issue of the Gruesome Magazine quarterly print and electronic editions, but Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr are back, along with guest-host Joey Fittos, to take that familiar journey from Transylvania to England, this time as told by producer/director Dan Curtis in 1974's Dracula.

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 61 – Dracula (1974)

Originally released as Bram Stoker's Dracula until the rights to that name were acquired for Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 version, the film is now sometimes referred to as Dan Curtis' Dracula. This TV movie was scheduled to premiere in October 1973 but was preempted by news coverage of an unfolding historical event and rescheduled for February 1974.

This episode's Grue Crew discuss Emmy winner Curtis' start as the creator and executive producer of the daytime, horror/soap opera Dark Shadows (1966-71). He then went on to direct and produce a number of horror-related movies in the 1970s: The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973), several TV-movie adaptations of well-known horror novels, and the theatrically released Burnt Offerings (1976).

Though your hosts find the script lacking in places, they do give props to frequent Curtis collaborator and horror icon Richard Matheson, who penned the screenplay for this version of Dracula. Despite this script's faults, Curtis and Matheson do use a plot device lifted from Dark Shadows that doesn't appear in Bram Stoker's novel or any previous film versions but is used again by Coppola in Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Academy Award winner Jack Palance tackles the title role. Curtis and he had worked together before on another TV movie, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968). Chad, Bill, and especially Jeff, appreciate the feral quality of Palance's performance, but Joey says, "He's not my Dracula." The rest of the cast - Nigel Davenport (Van Helsing), Murray Brown (Jonathan Harker), Fiona Lewis (Lucy), Penelope Horner (Mina), and Simon Ward (Arthur) - don't have much to work with, possibly leading to their seemingly lackluster performances. The crew also point out that many of our listeners may recognize Sarah Douglas, one of Dracula's brides, who later played Ursa in Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980).

When all's said and done, Mr. Fittos gives Dracula (1974) thumbs down. Though Chad and Jeff admit it doesn't hold up to impressions from their first viewings, the other hosts think it is worth the watch for Palance's performance.

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at [email protected].

"You are weird. Thank God you're weird. The last one was so normal, it was disgusting." Elizabeth Solley (Jamie Lee Curtis) loves herself some weirdos. Including the weirdest man of all: Tom Atkins without a mustache! Halloween is getting pretty foggy for Decades of Horror 1980s as they one of the first horror films of the decade: John Carpenter's The Fog. Hopefully, our intrepid hosts can avoid being sucked in the misty moors of Antonio Bay in time for the 100th-anniversary celebration. Or, the very least, with enough time to catch Stevie Wayne's (Adrienne Barbeau) late-night broadcast. Join us as the Halloween Haunts season ends!

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 122 – The Fog (1980)

The Fog is pretty interesting on a career path level for Carpenter. Post the major success of Halloween, but before he would rule the 1980s with a varying amount of genre work. The Fog sticks out a bit more. A ghost story without much gore, inst of ad using atmosphere to build up the tension rather than excessive violence that would color the slasher craze later that very year. It's an ethereal spooky example of how to build up the environment of Antonio Bay, allowing for silhouettes of the monsters to play horrific tricks on our eyes and creep us out just when it's too late.

To discuss everything The Fog, Christopher G. Moore, Doc Rotten and Thomas Mariani discuss everything in the misty moors that remain unseen. They debate the effectiveness of some of these characters, how much this is a Carpenter movie and ask where the ghost of Atkins' moustache really is. Plus, they wonder just how American Christopher Lee could possibly be. It's a spooky Halloween edition you won't want to miss! Stay in and tune the radio from Stevie Wayne's channel to hear it all!

We want to hear from you – the coolest, most gruesome fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at [email protected] or [email protected].

Special thanks to Neon Devils for their awesome song Bone Chillin!

Also, don't forget our Patreon Poll where people who contribute as low as $1 a month can pick the second episode of Decades of Horror 1980s! Voting ends November 5th.

The Beyond (1981)

John Kramer returns - as does the Saw series - with Jigsaw (2017) from the Spierig Brothers (Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig), the directors behind Undead, Daybreakers, Predestination, and the upcoming Winchester: The House That Ghosts Builts. Tobin Bell returns in the title role while his costars Matt Passmore, Callum Keith Rennie, Hannah Emily Anderson, Cle Bennet, Laura Vandervoort, and Paul Braunstein attempt to survive the night. Rafe Telsch steps up to tackle the latest theatrical release and shares his thoughts on the film and how is sizes up the previous seven films in the franchise that once owned Halloween. Check out the review below.

Paul Cardullo returns with another edition of Groovy Gory Gruesome Gold with a killer Blu-ray release from Arrow Film, the iconic and legendary splatterfest Blood Feast (1963) from the Godfather of Gore, Herschell Gordon Lewis. Paul shares his love for this film and this edition. The film holds up surprisingly well...for what it is and the special features are well worth the Blu-ray, which includes a second 1963 feature from the maverick director, Scum of the Earth. Check out Paul's review below.