Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

"Forty years at sea and you end up being a straight man for a smart-ass comedian." Good heavens, the Captain is a party pooper. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they take a cruise on the Death Ship (1980).

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 267 – Death Ship (1980)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Gruesome Magazine is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/), which now includes video episodes of Decades of Horror 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

A mysterious ghostly freighter rams and sinks a modern-day cruise ship whose survivors climb aboard the freighter and discover that it is a World War II Nazi torture vessel.

• Directed by: Alvin Rakoff
• Writing Credits: John Robins (screenplay by); (story by) Jack Hill and David P. Lewis
• Selected Cast:
  • George Kennedy as Captain Ashland
  • Richard Crenna as Trevor Marshall
  • Nick Mancuso as Nick
  • Sally Ann Howes as Margaret Marshall
  • Kate Reid as Sylvia
  • Victoria Burgoyne as Lori
  • Jennifer McKinney as Robin Marshall
  • Danny Higham as Ben Marshall
  • Saul Rubinek as Jackie
  • Murray Cruchley as Parsons (as Lee Murray)
  • Doug Smith as Seaman No. 1
  • Anthony Sherwood as Seaman No. 2 (as Tony Sherwood)
  • Andrew Semple as Strangled Sailor (uncredited)

Death Ship (1980) has a great poster and a decent cast (George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Sally Ann Howes, Nick Mancuso, Victoria Burgoyne, Kate Reid, and Saul Rubinek). Its premise is also promising: A WW2 Nazi torture ghost ship rams and sinks a modern-day cruise ship and wreaks havoc with the nine survivors. To top it off, the film is co-scripted by Jack Hill (Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told; 1967) and David P. Lewis. The ingredients appear to be a potent combination, but do they combine to create a palatable whole? Of course, the Grue Crew has some thoughts on the matter. Check out their talkabout and discover the Gruesome truth.

At the time of this writing, Death Ship is available to stream from Amazon Prime and Tubi, and is also available on physical media as a Blu-ray formatted disc from Scorpion Releasing.

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine's Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode's film, chosen by Crystal, will be Prom Night (1980)! Jamie Lee Curtis stars in her third of five horror films released 1978-1981. Slasher time, everyone!

Please let them know how they're doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at [email protected].

"Don't stand there like a blithering idiot… and don't give me that shocked routine!" Blithering idiot? Maybe. Shocked Routine? Never. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they dive into Craze (1974), a star-packed feature directed by Freddie Francis.

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 223 – Craze (1974)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

A nutty antique dealer starts to sacrifice women to an African idol.

• Directed by: Freddie Francis
• Writing Credits: Herman Cohen, Aben Kandel; (from 1967 novel, The Infernal Idol, by) Henry Seymour
• Selected Cast:
  • Jack Palance as Neal Mottram
  • Diana Dors as Dolly Newman
  • Julie Ege as Helena
  • Edith Evans as Aunt Louise Nash
  • Hugh Griffith as Solicitor
  • Trevor Howard as Supt. Bellamy
  • Michael Jayston as Detective Sgt. Wall
  • Suzy Kendall as Sally
  • Martin Potter as Ronnie
  • Percy Herbert as Detective Constable Russet
  • David Warbeck as Detective Wilson
  • Kathleen Byron as Muriel Sharp
  • Marianne Stone as Jane – Barmaid
  • Dean Harris as Ronnie's Friend

The Grue Crew anxiously awaited a watchable streaming version of Craze (1974) for years. Why? With three Oscar winners (Freddie Francis, Jack Palance, Hugh Griffith) and two Oscar nominees (Dame Edith Evans, Trevor Howard), and a story that includes a witch's coven, a psychopathic killer, and a demon named Chuku, it must be a good movie, right? Well, "good" is such a subjective term, but nary a one of the crew uses that word as a descriptor of Craze. However, it almost makes you hungry as Jack Palance chews the scenery with relish, which is unquestionably worth watching.

At the time of this writing, Craze (1974) is available to stream from Tubi.

Gruesome Magazine's Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Chad, will be Moon of the Wolf (1972), with David Janssen, Barbara Rush, Bradford Dillman, John Beradino, Geoffrey Lewis, and Royal Dano, and based on Les Whitten's novel. 70s TV horror, anyone?

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

"Beware of the currents of the lake. It's dangerous to dream. Stay Awake. The nix pretends to be asleep. Above him lilies gently sweep." The Grue Crew love some Norwegian poetry in their folk horror. Join this episode's Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guest Gregory Crosby – as they check out some folk horror, Norwegian-style, in Lake of the Dead (1958).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 185 – Lake of the Dead (1958)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

Synopsis: Six Oslo friends travel to the Østerdalen Valley to visit reclusive Bjørn Werner, Liljan's brother, living in a remote cabin. A horrible tragedy occurred at a nearby lake, and legend has it that whoever stays in that cabin will meet the same end. The unsuspecting visitors realize that Werner is missing, and a series of unexplained incidents that chill the bone to the marrow are set in motion.

• Directed by: Kåre Bergstrøm
• Writing Credits: Kåre Bergstrøm (writer); André Bjerke (1942 novel by) (as Bernhard Borge)
• Music by: Gunnar Sønstevold
• Cinematography by: Ragnar Sørensen
• Selected Cast:
  • Erling Lindahl as Kai Bugge
  • Bjørg Engh as Sonja Borge
  • Henny Moan as Liljan Werner
  • André Bjerke as Gabriel Mørk
  • Per Lillo-Stenberg as Bjørn Werner
  • Øyvind Øyen as Bråten
  • Georg Richter as Harald Gran
  • Inger Teien as Eva, Bjørn's Girlfriend
  • Leif Sommerstad as Tore Gråvik
  • Henki Kolstad as Bernhard Borge

Norway has produced a multitude of good horror movies, but it all started in 1958 with Lake of the Dead (De dødes tjern). Voted fourth best Norwegian film of all time by 101 critics in 1998, Lake of the Dead is a mystery that is part ghost story, part insane killer, and sports its own psychiatrist as a cast member; just for the insane part, you see.

Based on a 1942 novel of the same title, the film also includes an actor playing the writer of that novel and the actual writer of the novel playing another character. Clear? And then there's the scene called one of the most memorable scenes in Norwegian film history. Gregory Crosby joins the Grue Crew, and they have plenty to talk about.

At the time of this writing, Lake of the Dead (1958) is available to stream from Shudder, AMC+, and Tubi. It's also available on physical media as one of 20 films in All The Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium Of Folk Horror |Blu-ray + CD| from Severin.

Gruesome Magazine's Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Next in their very flexible schedule – this one chosen by Chad – is The Werewolf (1956)! Director Fred F. Sears (The Giant Claw, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers) gives us a different take on the werewolf trope, though the werewolf makeup might look a little familiar. The Grue Crew can't wait!

Please let them know how they're doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at [email protected]

To each of you from each of them, "Thank you so much for watching and listening!"

"Stay in the car. ... Stay In The Car! ... GET BACK IN THE CAR!!" No one ever follows directions in horror movies. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr, and guest Dirk Rogers – as they try to figure out precisely what is going on in Xtro (1982).

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 266 – Xtro (1982)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Gruesome Magazine is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of Decades of Horror 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

An alien creature impregnates a woman who gives birth to a man who was abducted by aliens three years ago. The man reconnects with his wife and son for a sinister purpose.

• Directed by: Harry Bromley Davenport
• Writing Credits: Iain Cassie, Robert Smith; (story by) Harry Bromley Davenport, Michel Parry; Jo Ann Kaplan (additional dialogue "Americanized")
• Produced by:
  • Robert Shaye (executive producer)
  • Mark Forstater (producer)
  • James Crawford (associate producer) (as James M. Crawford)
• Music by: Harry Bromley Davenport
• Cinematography by: John Metcalfe
• Special Effects by:
  • Tom Harris (mechanical effects / special effects supervisor)
  • Francis Coates (Creature Effects)
• Selected Cast:
  • Philip Sayer as Sam Phillips
  • Bernice Stegers as Rachel Phillips
  • Danny Brainin as Joe Daniels
  • Maryam d'Abo as Analise Mercier
  • Simon Nash as Tony Phillips
  • Peter Mandell as Clown
  • David Cardy as Michael
  • Anna Wing as Mrs. Goodman
  • Robert Fyfe as Doctor
  • Katherine Best as Jane
  • Robert Pereno as Ben
  • Sean Crawford as Commando (credited as Tok)
  • Tim Dry as Monster (credited as Tik)
  • Susie Silvey as Woman in Cottage
  • Arthur Whybrow as Mr. Knight
  • Anna Mottram as eacher
  • Robert Austin as Van Driver
  • Vanya Seager as Paula Phillips

Xtro (1982) is one of those movies. Either you love it… or you say, "WTF?" Or maybe both! Luckily, the 80s Grue-Crew are joined by guest host Dirk Rogers, an Xtro fan, to help sort out the mess and to point out why he likes it so much. It took a while for the crew to get the finer points, so you'll have to check out the episode to see if any of Dirk's teachings sink in.

The film depicts an alien impregnating human women with a "plunger" appendage and giving an eleven-year-old boy the power to bring anything he can imagine into reality. How could one expect anything but a five-ring circus?

At the time of this writing, Xtro is available on physical media as an all-region import Blu-ray formatted disc from Second Sight Films.

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine's Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode's film, chosen by Bill, will be Death Ship (1980)! Co-written by Jack Hill (Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told; 1967) and starring George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Nick Mancuso, Sally Ann Howes, Kate Reid, and Victoria Burgoyne. Yo, baby!

Please let them know how they're doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at [email protected].

"I've decided to end the world. They all have to go." Well, you can forget about cleaning the house, then. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out some Indigenous American culture infused with apocalyptic horror in Nightwing (1979).

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 222 – Nightwing (1979)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Killer bats plague an Indian reservation in New Mexico.

• Directed by: Arthur Hiller
• Writing Credits: Steve Shagan & Bud Shrake & Martin Cruz Smith; (1977 novel by) Martin Cruz Smith
• Music by: Henry Mancini
• Cinematography by: Charles Rosher Jr. (director of photography) (as Charles Rosher)
• Visual Effects by: Carlo Rambaldi (special visual effects)
• Selected Cast:
  • Nick Mancuso as Youngman Duran
  • David Warner as Phillip Payne
  • Kathryn Harrold as Anne Dillon
  • Stephen Macht as Walker Chee
  • Strother Martin as Selwyn
  • George Clutesi as Abner Tasupi
  • Ben Piazza as Roger Piggott
  • Donald Hotton as John Franklin
  • Charles Hallahan as Henry
  • Judith Novgrod as Judy
  • Alice Hirson as Claire Franklin
  • Pat Corley as Vet
  • Charlie L. Bird as Beejay (as Charlie bird)
  • Danny Zapien as Joe Mamoa
  • Peter Prouse as Doctor
  • José Toledo as Harold Masito (as Jose Toledo)
  • Richard Romancito as Ben Mamoa
  • Flavio Martinez as Isla Laloma (as Flavio Martinez III)
  • Lena Carr as Pregnant Woman
  • Virginia P. Maney as Old Squaw
  • Wade Stevens as Ambulance Attendant
  • Robert Dunbar as Helicopter Pilot
  • John R. Leonard Sr. as Helicopter Pilot

When a shaman decides the world must end and all must die, he performs a ritual that releases a very large and murderous Desmodus rotundus colony, commonly known as a guano-load of vampire bats! Nightwing (1979) is the only venture into horror for director Arthur Hiller and writer Martin Cruz Smith. Even so, the 70s Grue-Crew are bat-guano-crazy over their movie. Between the story, the bats, and the cast (Strother Martin's in the house!), there is plenty of fuel for their talkabout!

At the time of this writing, Nightwing (1979) is available to stream from YouTube and PPV from Prime and AppleTV. The film is available on Blu-ray formatted physical media as part of a double-feature with Shadow of the Hawk (1976) from Mill Creek Entertainment.

Gruesome Magazine's Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Jeff, will be Craze (1974), directed by Freddie Francis and sporting a bunch of Oscar winners. It's got to be great, right? Right? Why are you laughing?

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

"You caught me unprepared. I've been cooking over a hot creature all day." This is just a little romantic banter when she is actually sciencing with the creature all day. Join this episode's Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Jeff Mohr, and guests Bill Mulligan and Ralph Miller III – as they observe the genius that is Ray Harryhausen in 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)!

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 184 – 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

While returning from the U.S.'s first trip to Venus, a spaceship crash-lands off the coast of Sicily. A dangerous, lizard-like creature comes with it and quickly grows gigantic.

• Directed by: Nathan Juran
• Writing Credits: Robert Creighton Williams (as Bob Williams) & Christopher Knopf; (story by) Charlott Knight, Ray Harryhausen (uncredited)
• Produced by: Charles H. Schneer (producer)
• Visual Effects by: Ray Harryhausen (technical effects created by)
• Selected Cast:
  • William Hopper as Col. Robert Calder
  • Joan Taylor as Marisa Leonardo
  • Frank Puglia as Dr. Leonardo
  • John Zaremba as Dr. Judson Uhl
  • Thomas Browne Henry as Maj. Gen. A.D. McIntosh (credited as Thomas B. Henry)
  • Tito Vuolo as Commissario Unte
  • Jan Arvan as Signore Contino
  • Arthur Space as Dr. Sharman
  • Bart Braverman as Pepe (as Bart Bradley)
  • Ray Harryhausen as Man Feeding Elephant (uncredited)

Ray Harryhausen's 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) is Jeff's pick and holds a place in his heart as a favorite from childhood. To do this film justice, the Grue-Crew invited two guest hosts, Ralph Miller III and Bill Mulligan, both lifelong Ray Harryhausen and stop-motion-animation fanatics and special effects artists. As a result, Daphne, Jeff, and their guests record a record-length Classic Era episode. There is so much to talk about and… well, only a few sidetrack discussions. Let's face it. Who doesn't love the Ymir? If you make it to the end of the episode, you can say hello to our little friend. It's a Ralph Miller creation, and it is so much fun!

At the time of this writing, 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) is available to stream from the Classic Sci-Fi Movie Channel, the Classic Horror Movie Channel, Wicked Horror TV, Hoopla, Tubi, and various PPV sources. It's also available on physical media as a 50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Gruesome Magazine's Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Next in their very flexible schedule – this one chosen by Daphne – is Lake of the Dead (1958, De dødes tjern)! It's time for a Norwegian folk horror/mystery. Yah, sure.

Please let them know how they're doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at [email protected]

To each of you from each of them, "Thank you so much for watching and listening!"

"Let's get one thing straight! A successful semester to me means making out with as many cute boys as possible. Let's put it this way: anything in pants!" That quote doesn't age well but Lucio Fulci never was politically correct. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out more of Lucio Fulci's innovative deaths in Aenigma (1987).

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 265 – Aenigma (1987)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Gruesome Magazine is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of Decades of Horror 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

The spirit of a comatose teenage girl possesses the body of a newcomer to her girls' boarding school to enact bloody revenge against the elitist coeds responsible for her condition.

• Directed by: Lucio Fulci
• Writing Credits: Lucio Fulci, Giorgio Mariuzzo
• Selected Cast:
  • Jared Martin as Dr. Robert Anderson
  • Lara Lamberti as Eva Gordon (as Lara Naszinski)
  • Ulli Reinthaler as Jenny Clark
  • Sophie d'Aulan as Kim Wilkins
  • Jennifer Naud as Grace O'Neal
  • Riccardo Acerbi as Fred Vernon
  • Kathi Wise as Virginia Williams
  • Milijana Zirojevic as Kathy (as Mijlijana Zirojevic)
  • Dragan Bjelogrlic as Tom (as a different name)
  • Ljiljana Blagojevic as Ms. Jones (as Lijlijana Blagojevic)
  • Franciska Spahic as Joanne
  • Dusica Zegarac as Mary
  • Zorica Lesic as Miss James
  • Rade Colovic as Tom
  • Lucio Fulci as Police Inspector (uncredited)

Travel with the 80s Grue-Crew to St. Mary's College, an all-girls school in Boston (not really Boston, but hey, it's the movies) for a Lucio Fulci homage to Carrie (1976), with a heavy dose of Patrick (1978) and a dusting of Suspiria (1977). The students and faculty in the school all seem to be sociopaths. The problem is, who do you root for? This Italian-Yugoslavian joint production is not one of Fulci's best, but it's certainly watchable, and, as usual, the victims are dispatched with style. Escargots anyone? Enjoy the Grue-Crew's talkabout!

At the time of this writing, Aenigma is available to stream from Wicked Horror TV, Shudder, Screambox, and Tubi, and on physical media as a Blu-ray formatted disc from Severin.

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine's Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode's film, chosen by Jeff, will be Xtro (1982)! Yikes!

Please let them know how they're doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at [email protected].

"This is the voice of World Control. I bring you peace. It may be the Peace of Plenty and Content or the Peace of Unburied Death." Is that a multiple-choice question? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out some apocalyptic science fiction and horror with Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)!

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 221 – Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Thinking this will prevent war, the US government gives an impenetrable supercomputer total control over launching nuclear missiles. But what the computer does with the power is unimaginable to its creators.

• Directed by: Joseph Sargent
• Writing Credits: James Bridges (screenplay); D.F. Jones (based on his 1966 novel Colossus)
• Cinematography by: Gene Polito (director of photography)
• Visual Effects by: Albert Whitlock (special photographic effects)
• Selected Cast:
  • Eric Braeden as Dr. Charles Forbin
  • Susan Clark as Dr. Cleo Markham
  • Gordon Pinsent as The President
  • William Schallert as CIA Director Grauber
  • Leonid Rostoff as Russian Chairman
  • Georg Stanford Brown as Dr. John F. Fisher
  • Willard Sage as Dr. Blake
  • Alex Rodine as Dr. Kuprin
  • Martin E. Brooks as Dr. Jefferson J. Johnson (as Martin Brooks)
  • Marion Ross as Angela Fields
  • Dolph Sweet as Missile Commander
  • Byron Morrow as Secretary of State
  • Lew Brown as Peterson
  • Sid McCoy as Secretary of Defense
  • Tom Basham as Thomas L. Harrison
  • Robert Cornthwaite as First Scientist
  • James Hong as Dr. Chin
  • Serge Tschernisch as Translator (as Sergei Tschernisch)
  • John Davey as Military officer on phone (uncredited)
  • Paul Frees as Colossus (voice) (uncredited)
  • Fred Holliday as Military Computer Entry – Missile Launch (uncredited)
  • Robert Quarry as Scientist (uncredited)
  • Don Ross as Logan US Air Force (uncredited)
  • William Traylor as Party Guest (uncredited)

Given the current state of humankind, it makes perfect sense to turn planet management over to a supercomputer, right? Enter Charles Forbin and Colossus, his mountain-size, 70s-style, omnipotent computer. Of course, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley and leave us nothing but grief and pain, for promised joy!" (Robert Burns) And they "gang agley" in a hurry!

The Grue-Crew are agog at the cast – Eric Braeden, Susan Clark, Gordon Pinsent, and a mountain-full of recognizable character actors, many of whom have horror cred – so there is much fodder for their talkabout! By the way, is it still science fiction if it's happening today?

At the time of this writing, Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) is available to stream from Vimeo, and is available on Blu-ray formatted, physical media from SHOUT! Factory.

Gruesome Magazine's Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Doc, will be Nightwing (1979), adapted from the 1977 novel by Martin Cruz Smith. Vampire bats, fellow babies!

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

"If I would have been sober, which I admit doesn't happen very often, but, it would have been an entirely different story! Entirely different." Yes. Things are always different when you're sober. Join this episode's Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they share the hilarity of Roger Corman's The Raven (1963)!

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 183 – The Raven (1963)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

A magician, who has been turned into a raven, turns to a former sorcerer for help.

• Directed by: Roger Corman
• Writing Credits: Richard Matheson (screenplay); Edgar Allan Poe (poem, 1845)
• Executive Producers: Samuel Z. Arkoff, James H. Nicholson
• Producer: Roger Corman
• Music by: Les Baxter
• Cinematography by: Floyd Crosby (director of photography)
• Editing by: Ronald Sinclair
• Production Design/Art Direction by: Daniel Haller
• Selected Cast:
  • Vincent Price as Dr. Erasmus Craven
  • Peter Lorre as Dr. Adolphus Bedlo
  • Boris Karloff as Dr. Scarabus
  • Hazel Court as Lenore Craven
  • Olive Sturgess as Estelle Craven
  • Jack Nicholson as Rexford Bedlo
  • Connie Wallace as Maid
  • William Baskin as Grimes
  • Aaron Saxon as Gort
  • Leo Gordon as Grimes (voice) (uncredited)
  • Dick Johnstone as Roderick Craven (uncredited)

This episode is Doc's pick, and he identifies it as one of the three films that made him a monster kid! With that in mind, it's no surprise that The Raven (1963) is loaded with horror cred – Karloff, Price, Lorre, Hazel Court, Nicholson (Jack, that is), Corman, Matheson, Poe – all at the top of their game delivering this horror comedy with skillful glee. You get your man-to-bird-to-man-back-to-bird transformation, bodies in coffins, magic wands going limp, and a magician's battle of the century. The Classic Era Grue-Crew have a magical time in this talkabout!

At the time of this writing, The Raven (1963) is available to stream from Amazon Prime, Tubi, PlutoTV, and Freevee. It's also available on physical media as a Blu-ray disc from KL Studio Classics.

Gruesome Magazine's Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule – this one chosen by Jeff – is 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)! Harryhausen! Perry Mason's Paul Drake (William Hopper)! Earth vs. the Flying Saucers' Joan Taylor! A fast-growing creature from Venus running amok in Rome, fighting an elephant, and carousing on the Colosseum. What's not to like?

Please let them know how they're doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at [email protected]

"Uh, if you take a black cat and broil it in the oven, and you peel off the skin on the bones and take it off… and you chew on the bone, you'll be invisible." Just a little something for show and tell. Don't try it at home, children. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out some very weird parents in the aptly titled film… Parents (1989).

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 264 – Parents (1989)

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Gruesome Magazine is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/), which now includes video episodes of Decades of Horror 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

A young boy living in 1950s suburbia suspects that his parents are cannibalistic murderers

• Director: Bob Balaban
• Writer: Christopher Hawthorne
• Selected Cast:
  • Randy Quaid as Nick Laemle
  • Mary Beth Hurt as Lily Laemle
  • Sandy Dennis as Millie Dew
  • Bryan Madorsky as Michael Laemle
  • London Juno as Sheila Zellner (as Juno Mills-Cockell)
  • Kathryn Grody as Miss Baxter
  • Deborah Rush as Mrs. Zellner
  • Graham Jarvis as Mr. Zellner
  • Helen Carscallen as Grandmother
  • Warren Van Evera as Grandfather
  • Wayne Robson as Lab Attendant
  • Uriel Byfield as Little Boy
  • Mariah Balaban as Little Girl
  • Larry Palef as Announcer

You might not get what you're expecting in Bob Balaban's Parents (1989). Labeled as a horror comedy and starring Randy Quaid, one might expect some wild-and-crazy, whack-a-doodle hijinx. Instead, you get the button-down collar, tie-and-lab-coat-wearing version of Mr. Quaid, and some very dark humor with a heavy emphasis on dark. Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt are the parents of Michael (Bryan Madorsky), an emotionally flat and expressionless kid living a nightmare with his parents. Enter Sandy Dennis as Millie Dew, the school social worker, who jumps right into the frying pan. Literally. Mileage may vary regarding outright laughs, but the Grue-Crew enjoyed the watch and have much to discuss.

At the time of this writing, Parents is available to stream from Tubi and on physical media as a Blu-ray disc from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine's Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode's film, chosen by Chad, will be Aenigma (1987). It's Fulci time!

Please let them know how they're doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at [email protected].