Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) and Dante Bishop (Edwin Hodge) are back again to survive another night of murder and mayhem with The Purge: Election Year. This year, Leo must save Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) from the killers sent to assassinate her on purge night. Director James DeMonaco proves "three times a charm" with the best Purge film yet. Still, the Black Saint refuses to witness the madness. Dave, Doc and Thomas recap and review the flick enjoying its horror elements and its not-so-subtle political statements. Have you purged?

"If you hide your farts from your friends, what else are you hiding?" There may be no other film like Swiss Army Man featuring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. Yes, this is the film about a farting corpse. While it may not have much along the lines of horror, it does deliver one of the year's best films with a dark, dark sense of humor and with something to say. If you love Jurassic Park, there are some fun references to the film throughout.

Dave arrives just in time to present this week's Horror News of the Week with information about The Warriors coming to TV, Carrie getting the Scream Factory treatment and the Grue-crew remembering director Robin Hardy who passed away at 86. R.I.P., sir. Not only are the Grue-crew going to Dragon*Con this year, Doc and Gruesome Magazine writer Paul Cardullo are heading to GenreBlast Film Festival in Culpepper Virginia this August 19 - 21, 2016.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Vixen, the voice of reason, are back again this week to give you the best in horror as they recap, review and obliterate all that is horror this week! Oh, and don't forget - Stump the Saint! (Brought to you by Gruesome Magazine)

Horror News Radio Episode 170 – The Purge: Election Year (2016) – Swiss Army Man (2016) Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

• Featured Review: The Purge: Election Year (2016) Years after sparing the man who killed his son, former police sergeant Barnes has become head of security for Senator Charlie Roan, a Presidential candidate targeted for death on Purge night due to her vow to eliminate the Purge.
  • d. James DeMonaco
  • w. James DeMonaco
  • c. Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williams

• What Have You Been Watching: Swiss Army Man (2016) A hopeless man stranded in the wilderness befriends a dead body and together they go on a surreal journey to get home.
  • d. Dan Kwan, Danial Scheinert
  • w. Dan Kwan, Danial Scheinert
  • c. Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

• Announcements: DragonCon (2016)
  • DragonCon (2016) September 2 - 5, 2016: http://dragoncon.org
    • Look for The Black Saint, Doc Rotten, Thomas Mariani, Christopher G. Moore and Bill Mulligan on various panels on the Horror Block
• Support HNR: Patreon & Horror T-Shirts
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/patreon
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/tees
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/blacula
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/thecar
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/lopan
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/hnrshirt
• Horror News of the Week: 6/13/2016
  • R.I.P. Robin Hardy, director of The Wicker Man
  • Director George Romero, Night of the Living Dead, receives his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • The Russo Brothers are bringing The Warriors to TV
  • Scream Factory is releasing a 40 anniversary Blu Ray release of Brian DePalma's Carrie
  • Curmudgeon John Carpenter, Halloween, appeared Mark Maron's WTF podcast and dissed modern horror big time
• Stump the Saint: w/ prizes supplied Gruesome Magazine

"There's only ONE thing wrong with the Davis baby... IT'S ALIVE" - the tagline for It's Alive is one of the better examples of what a great tagline can do for a film. The film originally released in 1974 to mediocre returns, came back strong with a more focused marketing campaign in 1977 to become a huge hit. The tagline along with a powerful but simple trailer of a baby carriage with the creatures claw sticking out of it drove viewers into the theaters to the tune of $39 million. The Black Saint and Doc Rotten tackle another groovy horror film from the 1970s.

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 37 – It's Alive (1974)

The Black Saint shares his reaction to that trailer and how It's Alive affected him upon seeing it in the theaters. He and Doc share their thoughts on the cast (John P. Ryan and Sharon Farrell), the gore (what little there actually is) and the special effects. Yes, the baby creature is designed by the one and only Rick Baker in an early puppet effort. The design is fantastic and the film follows the tried-and-true adage of showing very little of the monster throughout the film. One of the more powerful scenes is the aftermath of the birthing of the Davis baby with carnage and bloodshed splattered about the dead bodies. Great stuff of nightmares.

Of course much of the film's success and tone is due to the unique talent that is writer/director Larry Cohen. It's Alive is his crowning achievement spawning two sequels also written and directed by Cohen. It Lives Again would quickly follow in 1978 and It's Alive III: Island of the Alive would come a decade later in 1987. The film benefits from a terrific performance from John P. Ryan and a quick pace. Doc Rotten and the Black Saint return to the days where a bloodied puppet can give goose pimples more goose pimples as they recap and review It's Alive.

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] or [email protected].

Not many shark films can stand beside Jaws as a great film featuring a killer great white or his finned friends. The Grue-crew wade out to the theaters this weekend to determine if THE SHALLOWS from director Jaume Collet-Serra can claim one of those coveted positions. All indications are that Blake Lively and cinematographer Flavio Martínez Labiano have succeeded where many have failed with a tight taunt thriller.

Thomas chimes in with a thoughtful review of NEON DEMON from acclaimed director Nicolas Winding Refn featuring Elle Fanning as a young model who quickly becomes a threat...and pays the price. Dave takes charge with this latest edition of Horror News of the Weeks featuring tidbits about the trailer for Ouija: Origin of Evil, Universal looking to cast The Rock in The Wolfman and Ghostbusters calls in a retooling of their theme song for this summer's blockbuster remake.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Vixen, the voice of reason, are back again this week to give you the best in horror as they recap, review and obliterate all that is horror this week! Oh, and don't forget - Stump the Saint! (Brought to you by Gruesome Magazine)

Horror News Radio Episode 169 – The Shallows (2016) – Neon Demon (2016) Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

• Featured Review: The Shallows (2016) A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills..
  • d. Jaume Collet-Serra
  • w. Anthony Jaswinski
  • c. Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Brett Cullen

• What Have You Been Watching: Neon Demon (2016) When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has.
  • d. Nicolas Winding Refn
  • w. Nicolas Winding Refn
  • c. Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves

• Announcements: DragonCon (2016)
  • DragonCon (2016) September 2 - 5, 2016: http://dragoncon.org
    • Look for The Black Saint, Doc Rotten, Thomas Mariani, Christopher G. Moore and Bill Mulligan on various panels on the Horror Block
• Support HNR: Patreon & Horror T-Shirts
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/patreon
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/tees
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/blacula
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/thecar
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/lopan
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/hnrshirt
• Horror News of the Week: 6/13/2016
  • The trailer for Ouija: Origin of Evil has the Grue-crew questioning Doc's appreciation for Mike Flanagan
  • Nic Cage and Selma Blair star in the oddly titled horror film Mom and Dad
  • Universal is rumored to be hunting Dwayne Johnson as the star of The Wolfman
  • Bryan Fuller teases Fannibals with hints that renewed talks about a Hannibal fourth season can begin August 2017
  • And, finally, just what Ghostbusters reboot needs - a crappy reworked theme song
• Stump the Saint: w/ prizes supplied Gruesome Magazine
  • Special Double Round Episode!

The Grue-crew gather to take a look at the long delayed US release of the Eli Roth produced flick, CLOWN. The film is from director Jon Watts and features Andy Powers (check out the Gruesome Magazine Interview here), Laura Allan and Peter Stromare. Watts, who also directed Cop Car which Thomas discussed on HNR episode 124, is set to direct Marvel's first foray into Sony's Spider-Man cinematic universe with Spider-Man: Homecoming. The effects are strong, the gore is plentiful and the lore is interesting, providing Watts a great venue to expand his short into a feature length film.

Eli Roth appears in Horror News of the Week as David Dreher reveals Roth's upcoming directorial effort, the remake of Death Wish featuring Bruce Willis. New Line has announced another Conjuring spin off movies featuring The Nun from The Conjuring 2. And the Grue-crew take a look at the career of Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Fright Night, Green Room) who tragically lost his life this week -far too soon- at the age of 27.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Vixen, the voice of reason, are back again this week to give you the best in horror as they recap, review and obliterate all that is horror this week! Oh, and don't forget - Stump the Saint! (Brought to you by Gruesome Magazine)

Horror News Radio Episode 168 – Clown (2016) Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

• Featured Review: Clown (2016) A loving father finds a clown suit for his son's birthday party, only to realize that it is not a suit at all.
  • d. Jon Watts
  • w. Jon Watts and Christopher Ford
  • c. Andy Powers, Laura Allan, Peter Stromare

• Announcements: DragonCon (2016)
  • DragonCon (2016) September 2 - 5, 2016: http://dragoncon.org
    • Look for The Black Saint, Doc Rotten, Thomas Mariani, Christopher G. Moore and Bill Mulligan on various panels on the Horror Block
• Support HNR: Patreon & Horror T-Shirts
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/patreon
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/tees
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/blacula
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/thecar
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/lopan
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/hnrshirt
• Horror News of the Week: 6/13/2016
  • Rest in peace Anton Yelchin, the actor known for Star Trek, Fright Night and Green Room
  • The Conjuring 2 spawns a spin-off about The Nun
  • Bruce Willis stars in the upcoming remake of Death Wish directed by Eli Roth
  • Showtime and John Logan call it quits for Penny Dreadful at the conclusion of 3 seasons
  • The trailer for Rob Zombie's 31 debuts
• Stump the Saint: w/ prizes supplied Gruesome Magazine

"They will make cemeteries their cathedrals and the cities will be your tombs." - the tagline for Demons only begins to hint at the bizarre story behind Lamberto Bava's creature feature described in another tagline as "an Orgy of Bloodshed." All the characteristics of 80s Italian horror films are here: a cast of unusual characters, a nonsensical plot and graphic, bloody special effects. And that's not the half of it. Thomas Mariani, Doc Rotten and Christopher G. Moore tackle another gruesome horror film from the 1980s. Guest-host, The Black Saint (Horror News Radio) joins the crew to discuss Demons.

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 85 – Demons (1985)

During the summer of 1986, the latest horror film from Italian genre favorite Laberto Bava (son of the legendary Mario Bava) made its Stateside debut. Produced and co-written by Dario Argento (Deep Red, Suspiria), Demons would become an 80s horror classic featuring memorable, gory effects (by Sergio Stivaletti) of people transforming into monsters. The talent involved is extraordinary, including Michele Soavi (The Church, Cemetery Man) as assistant director. The film became a huge hit on VHS and produced a series sequels, many of which are in name only capitalizing on the name brand this film became.

In the film, friends Cheryl (Natasha Hovey) and Hannah (Fiore Argento) attend a special advanced screening of a new horror flick. Another patron, Rosemary (Geretta Geretta) cuts herself on a prop mask from the film hanging in the lobby. Before long she transforms into a demon attacking and infecting others now locked inside the theater. Cheryl and Hannah, along with new found friends George (Urbano Barerini) and Ken (Karl Zinny) fight to escape and survive. Check out the review of Demons from Thomas, Doc and Christopher along with guest-host The Black Saint.

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].

For most of the podcast, the Grue-crew - along with guest-host Christopher G. Moore - shares their love for the hit summer horror film of 2106, The Conjuring 2. James Wan returns to the genre to give fans one of the better horror films of past few decades. The film is full of startling images, horrific jumps, nightmarish creatures and brilliant direction. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as Ed and Lorraine Warren while Madison Wolfe makes an impressive turn as the possessed Janet.

For the What Have You Been Watching segment, things take a 180 turn as Thomas and Doc review the film Warcraft. While the film contains great special effects, the story and the acting are atrocious - some of the worst seen this year. It's a bunch of nonsense and HNR shares their thoughts. Meanwhile, Dave returns with Horror News of the Week and Santos endures a double length edition of Stump the Saint.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Vixen, the voice of reason, are back again this week to give you the best in horror as they recap, review and obliterate all that is horror this week! Oh, and don't forget - Stump the Saint! (Brought to you by Gruesome Magazine)

Horror News Radio Episode 167 – The Conjuring 2 (2016) – Warcraft (2016) Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

• Featured Review: The Conjuring 2 (2016) Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.
  • d. James Wan
  • w. Carey & Chad Hayes
  • c. Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe, Frances O'Connor, Simon McBurney

• What Have You Been Watching: Warcraft (2016) The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people, and their home.
  • d. Duncan Jones
  • w. Charles Leavitt and Chris Metzen
  • c. Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Clancy Brown, Daniel Wu

• Announcements: DragonCon (2016)
  • DragonCon (2016) September 2 - 5, 2016: http://dragoncon.org
    • Look for The Black Saint, Doc Rotten, Thomas Mariani, Christopher G. Moore and Bill Mulligan on various panels on the Horror Block
• Support HNR: Patreon & Horror T-Shirts
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/patreon
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/tees
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/blacula
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/thecar
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/lopan
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/hnrshirt
• Horror News of the Week: 6/13/2016
  • Tales From The Crypt accepting story ideas from fans
  • Death Note adds Jason Eisener as the second unit director
  • Check out the first 5 minutes of the Friday the 13th Video game
• Stump the Saint: w/ prizes supplied Gruesome Magazine
  • Special Double Round Episode!

Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) returns to TV with another adaptation of one of his comic book horror series properties. Airing on Cinemax is OUTCAST, a tale of Kyle Barnes dealing with his encounters with the supernatural. Fan favorite director, Adam Wingard (You're Next, The Guest), helms the pilot episode "A Darkness Surrounds Him." The Grue-crew gather to review the first outing of the series while The Black Saint shares a great story featuring an...egg roll. You don't want to miss this!

Chad Hunt joins the Grue-crew this week to take a look a TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS on this week's What Have You Been Watching segment. The Grue-crew talk about Bebop & Rocksteady, Krang and a whole lot of pizza. The gang praises the CG effects while panning the human characters woefully underdeveloped and unneeded. Still the film is stupid fun.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Vixen, the voice of reason, are back again this week to give you the best in horror as they recap, review and obliterate all that is horror this week! Oh, and don't forget - Stump the Saint! (Brought to you by Gruesome Magazine)

Horror News Radio Episode 166 – Outcast (2016) – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

• Featured Review: Outcast (2016) s01e01 "A Darkness Surrounds Him" Mother was possessed by an evil spirit, he goes to help a priest who performs an exorcism on a young boy.
  • d. Adam Wingard
  • w. Robert Kirkman
  • c. Patrick Fugit (Kyle Barnes), Philip Glenister (Rev. Anderson), Wrenn Schmidt (Megan Holt), David Denman (Mark Holter)

• What Have You Been Watching: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) An Eye for an Eye. A woman is plunged into a bloody murder mystery when she returns to the small town where she was born and her parents were killed.
  • d. Dave Green
  • w. Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec
  • c. Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Laura Linney, Stephen Amell, Tyler Perry, Brian Tee, Stephen Farrelly (Rocksteady), Gary Anthony Williams (Bebop)

• Announcements: DragonCon (2016)
  • DragonCon (2016) September 2 - 5, 2016: http://dragoncon.org
    • Look for The Black Saint, Doc Rotten, Thomas Mariani and Bill Mulligan on various panels on the Horror Block
• Support HNR: Patreon & Horror T-Shirts
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/patreon
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/tees
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/blacula
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/thecar
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/lopan
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/hnrshirt
• Stump the Saint: w/ prizes supplied Gruesome Magazine
  • Winner of the Horror News Radio T-Shirt: Morgan Ford

"Hell has just been relocated!" - the tagline for Galaxy of Terror is short and sweet, no where near as convoluted and odd as the film itself. The Roger Corman cult classic from director Bruce D. Clark features an extraordinary cast, including Robert Englund, Sid Haig, Ray Walston and Eric Moran, and a series of scattershot special effects drenched in Eighties drippy, gooey goodness. Thomas Mariani, Doc Rotten and Christopher G. Moore tackle another gruesome horror film from the 1980s.

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 84 – Galaxy of Terror (1981)

Looking at the cast and crew roster for Galaxy of Terror is a preview of faces and game changers in the future of horror and sci-fi films. While Roger Corman is responsible for many of the low budget horror classics of the past few decades, he is also responsible for recognizing and nurturing talent. The cast contains Robert Englund who would soon become better known as Willie in the V TV show and Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street films. Even though Sid Haig had made a mark in films such as Spider Baby and Pit Stop, Rob Zombie would later make him a modern icon of horror as Captain Spaulding in House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects. But is may be the second unit director - and also production designer - James Cameron who may be the most remarkable addition to the crew. Also, of note, a very young Bill Paxton was employed as the set decorator.

Cast and crew aside, the film has a number of out of this world, crazy set pieces from Edward Albert leaping into "Gymkata" action moves to a mutated worm attacking and molesting Taaffe O'Connell in a memorable, but morally questionable, scene. Robert Englund gives us a hint at his darker side when his character faces his evil twin. And Sid Haig endures a painful death at the hands of his own crystal weapons, "I live and I die by the crystals!" Galaxy of Terror is a unique blend of horror and sci-fi from the wacky crew at New World productions. Check out the review from Thomas, Doc and Christopher.

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].

Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr return for another spin in Marvel's X-Universe with X-MEN: APOCALYPSE. Bryan Singer directs another sequel featuring all your favorite merry mutants: Professor X (James McAvoy), Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Quicksilver (Evan Peters), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Havok (Lucas Till), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Angel (Ben Hardy), Storm (Alexandra Shipp) and Psylocke (Olivia Munn). If you're exhausted reading that list, wait until you see this stuffed to the max super hero flick. The Grue-crew along with guest host Chad Hunt share their opinions, listen if you dare!

Dave shares more updates and rumors for the HORROR NEWS OF THE WEEK segment discussing Halloween returning via Blumhouse and John Carpenter, Carpenter's The Thing returns once again from Scream Factory and Dan Aykroyd praises the return of Ghostbusters. For the What Have You Been Watching segment, the Grue-crew dive deep into the Chiller/Netflix series, Slasher.

Co-hosts Doc Rotten, Santos (The Black Saint) Ellin Jr., Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Vixen, the voice of reason, are back again this week to give you the best in horror as they recap, review and obliterate all that is horror this week! Oh, and don't forget - Stump the Saint! (Brought to you by Gruesome Magazine)

Horror News Radio Episode 165 – X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) – Slasher (2016) Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

• Featured Review: X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) With the emergence of the world's first mutant, Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.
  • d. Bryan Singer
  • w. Simon Kinberg, Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty w/ Singer
  • c. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters, Josh Helmen, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Lucas Till, Kodi Smith-McPhee, Ben Hardy, Alexandra Shipp, Lana Condor, Olivia Munn and ... Hugh Jackman

• What Have You Been Watching: Slasher (2016) s01e01 "Pilot" An Eye for an Eye. A woman is plunged into a bloody murder mystery when she returns to the small town where she was born and her parents were killed.
  • created by Aaron Martin
  • c. Katie McGrath, Brandon Jay McLaren, Steve Byers, Christopher Jacot, Jessica Sipos and Dean McDermott

• Announcements: DragonCon (2016)
  • DragonCon (2016) September 2 - 5, 2016: http://dragoncon.org
    • Look for The Black Saint, Doc Rotten, Thomas Mariani and Bill Mulligan on various panels on the Horror Block
• Support HNR: Patreon & Horror T-Shirts
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/patreon
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/tees
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/blacula
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/thecar
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/lopan
  • http://horrornewsradio.com/hnrshirt
• Horror News of the Week: 05/31/2016
  • Michael Myers is set to return once again...again...this time from Blumhouse
  • When Friday the 13th finally returns to the big screen it will reinvent the origin of Jason
  • Scream Factory has announced the return of John Carpenter's The Thing on Bluray
  • Dan Akroyd is thrilled about the return of Ghostbuster, highly praising the new film
• Stump the Saint: w/ prizes supplied Gruesome Magazine
  • Horror News Radio T-Shirt

"Abracadabra, I sit on his knee. Presto chango, and now he is me. Hocus Pocus, we take her to bed. Magic is fun; we're dead." - the tagline for Magic seeds the undercurrent of fear that permeates this classic and classy horror film from 1978. The film features a young, pre-Hannibal, Anthony Hopkins in two roles, one being Corky the magician who uses a vantriquilist dummy to give his act a much needed angle and the voice of the dummy named Fats. Burgess Meredith and Ann-Margret co-star in a tale of madness, murder and mayhem. The Black Saint and Doc Rotten tackle another groovy horror film from the 1970s.

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 36 – Magic (1978)

The Black Saint returns to discuss a film dear to his heart - or, at least, dear to his phobia about "dummies" and dolls. If you have listened to episodes of Horror News Radio, you will have heard this topic mentioned quite often. In addition to key episodes of Twilight Zone and a few similar horror films in the 70s, it is Richard Attenborough's Magic (1978) that cemented this fear in the Black Saint. This fear is not ill-found, the trailer for the film alone is one of the more frightening trailers of the decade along with Jaws, Exorcist and Suspiria.

The host of Decades of Horror 1970s bravely joins his co-host Doc Rotten to cover Magic as they dive into the incredible performance by Anthony Hopkins, the lovely addition of Ann-Margret as Hopkin's love interest and the 1970s horror film staple Burgess Meredith in one of his best feature roles this side of Mickey (Rocky 1976), Then, of course, ample time is dedicated to discussing Fats, the disturbing ventriloquist dummy voiced by Hopkins. Richard Attenborough shows off his attention to detail and mood in his directing of the film with one specific scene the perfectly illustrates Corky's descent into madness as Ben Greene (Meredith) confronts him about Fats. The best 5 minutes ever. Chilling!

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] or [email protected].