Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

Netflix continues the horror love as it unleashes Veronica! This Spanish language horror film from [rec] director Paco Plaza is sparking the world a flame. Is it too scary to keep your browser up? Well, Doc Rotten, Thomas Mariani, Dave Dreher, Vanessa Thompson and special guest from Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Jeff Mohr are here to argue this. Do the scares transcend the language barrier or do they get lost in translation? Tune in to find out! Along the way, Dave returns to Horror News of the Week with a bevy of film news. Rob Zombie resurrects the Firefly Clan for 3 From Hell? Shout Factory buys the rights to Roger Corman's filmography? The director of The Void is making... a new Leprechaun movie?! We don't make it up. We just report it. Plus, Thomas steps in with another edition of Phantom Factor! Lots of fun to go around!

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 259 – Veronica Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

• Thomas' guest spot on The Horror Returns' Greatest Horror Sequels March Madness Bracket

• WTF: The Void Director to Continue the Leprechaun franchise with Leprechaun Returns?!
• Prepare to be Corman-ized! Shout Factory buys rights to the film library of Roger Corman
• Don Coscarelli slated to recount his career in True Indie due this fall
• James Wan and Shawn Levy team up with Netflix for There's Someone Inside Your House
• Rob Zombie Confirms Firefly Clan Film '3 From Hell' is Filming

• Veronica (2018)
• director: Paco Plaza
• cast: Sandra Escacena, Bruna Gonzalez, Claudia Placer

• Vote in our 5th Anniversary Poll! You can vote on the best 5 films of our 5 years, with write in options and feedback section abound!
• Gruesome Magazine is up for a Rondo Award! Voting ends April 8th!

• Patrons at Patreon who donate as low as $1 can vote for an exclusive HNR podcast and one Decades of Horror episode every month!

• Our Game Show Segment In Which You the Listeners Forge Suggestions For The Grue Crew To Guess!
• This week's topic: Foreign Frights
• Those who enter in March will be in contention to win a copy of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema!

• Patreon
• HNR & Gruesome Magazine T-Shirts

"Do you read Sutter Cane?" It's the question on everyone's lips. Well, everyone except John Trent (Sam Neill), an insurance investigator out to find the truth. Always has the upper hand on any situation, including the disappearance of mega successful horror author Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow). Of course, the world of Cane has so much more to reveal to Trent. Sights that may just make his head explode into a million pieces... or just wander in an endless existence. Whatever is the will of the Elder Gods behind it all. Join us as we sink further In the Mouth of Madness for Decades of Horror 1990s And Beyond!

Decades of Horror 1990s And Beyond Episode 39 – In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

In the Mouth of Madness was quite the departure for John Carpenter. Coming of the heels of the disastrous turn to comedy that was Memoirs of the Invisible Man, this Lovecraftian dip into unimaginable horror wasn't quite what usually fit the image of Carpenter's filmography. Then again, maybe it did? The mysterious terror of Halloween's "The Shape", the cosmic unknown realms of Prince of Darkness and the underground society of those controlling us in They Live have Lovecraftian themes. In the Mouth of Madness just made it all the more literal with direct references to the works of HP Lovecraft and some demonic Eldrich Gods added into the mix.

To comment on all of this madness, Thomas Mariani inlists Caitlin Turner, Adam Thomas and Paul Cardullo to talk In the Mouth of Madness. It's a Lovecraftian Lovefest as the four all praise this as one of Carpenter's more underrated works. Paul praises the lack of what we see from the monsters. Adam considers Sam Neill's performance to be only second to Jurassic Park. Caitlin praises the ability to adapt Lovecraft without being a direct adaptation. Thomas is just staring deep into Sutter Cane's blue dueling pupils. Visit Caitlin's book blog mentioned in the show here and about The Hateful Life and Spiteful Death of The Man who Was Vigo the Carpathian here.

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.

The Others (2001)

"What he doesn't know about vampirism wouldn't fill a flea's codpiece." Wow! He must know a lot about vampires, right? Of course, the quote is referring to this episode's subject. Join your faithful Grue Crew - Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they feint, parry, and lunge along with this vampire swashbuckler Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter from Hammer Films.

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 71 – Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)

After killing his mother and sister when they became vampires, Captain Kronos (Horst Janson) has dedicated his life to hunting vampires. As Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter begins, Kronos is summoned by his old friend Dr. Marcus (John Carson) when young women in his village have the life sucked out of them, their corpses looking like old women. Kronos arrives with Grost (John Cater), his hunchbacked partner, and Carla (Caroline Munro), a young woman they rescued from a pillory along the way. (No dancing on Sunday!) After dispatching a multitude of ne'er do wells while demonstrating his master swordsmanship, Kronos, and his comrades zero in on the Durward family and their matriarch (Wanda Ventham) as the probable source of the vampire, even as more women die.

Known primarily for his writing, Brian Clemens adds the director's chair to his duties for Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter for only the second time in his career and his only feature film. Filmed in 1972 but not released until 1974, the film reveals a studio in decline. The film was intended to be the first of a new series but after an inadequate marketing campaign and a dismal performance at the box office, the idea was scrapped.

The Grue Crew admits Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter has some problems. Chad thinks the idea has promise but isn't executed very well. Doc admits having trouble staying awake during the middle section but loves the setup and the finale. According to Bill, there could have been better insults than calling the bad guys Ratface, Fatty, and Big Mouth. Jeff has questions about some of the details in the story and feels there are gaps in the exposition, both in the showing and the telling.

Despite its flaws, the Grue Crew highly recommends Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter as part of the Hammer Films canon. This version of a vampire film has a lot to offer - a swashbuckling vampire hunter, Caroline Munro, a spaghetti western style showdown, Caroline Munro, burying dead toads for vampires to bestrode, Caroline Munro, Kronos with a bag over his head, Caroline Munro, and don't forget Caroline Munro. No matter what, Chad wants to make sure you don't forget Caroline Munro. Come on Chad! Who can forget Caroline Munro?

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].

Horror on TV has never been as spectacular as it is at present, genre fans are getting everything from Stephen King adaptations to American Horror Story to franchise reboots on the small screen. None have been as deliriously gory and fun as the addition of Ash Vs The Evil Dead on Starz. For the first two seasons, Thomas covered the show in written form but we're mixing it up for season 3. Now, each week Thomas, Dave and Doc will cover the show on a weekly basis. On this episode "Unfinished Business," Brock Williams returns to visit with Ash ala A Wonderful Life to reveal a key moment of Brock's past. Ruby discovers what's up when she resurrects Dalton's body for one final shot at the truth. Meanwhile, Kelley teams up with Brandy to face off against Deadite Pablo. Join Doc Rotten, Dave Dreher, and Thomas Mariani as they discuss Ash Vs The Evil Dead.

Strangers: Prey At Night is the sequel no one was anticipating nor wanted. 10 years after the original and with none of the original cast or crew involved? It sounds like something destined to fail. Yet... The Grue Crew may have liked it more than you'd think. Strangers: Prey At Night isn't the only film on the docket, though. The genre-lite escapades of Thoroughbreds is also up for discussion as genre favorite Anya Taylor Joy joins up with a fellow teen played by Olivia Cooke with sociopathic tendencies. Yet, the true monster may not be who it seems. Plus, there's a small review for Disney's big release A Wrinkle In Time, the film that has so much creativity bursting at the seams... but maybe doesn't come together too well. Dave Dreher is out this week, so Doc Rotten, Thomas Mariani and Yonathan Habtemichael have to take on Horror News of the Week by themselves. There's plenty of stories of premieres from South By Southwest, a Jake Gyllenhaal horror film coming to Netflix and... Tommy Wiseau as The Joker? What a funny story, Doc. Ha ha ha! Then, Thomas closes things out by unmasking Phantom Factor! It's a packed night, but worth every second.

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 258 – Strangers: Prey At Night Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

• SXSW Recap!
  • A Quiet Place
  • Unfriended: Dark Web
  • Ready Player One
  • Upgrade
  • Blood Fest
• Nightcrawler Director's Netflix Horror Film
• Tommy Wiseau is The Joker? ha ha ha

• Strangers: Prey At Night (2018)
• director: Johannes Roberts
• cast: Bailee Madison, Lewis Pullman, Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson

• Look for Grue Crew members at the FantasticRealm screening of Jaws 3D… in 3D!
  • In September, we are looking to return to the Carolina for Friday the 13th 3-D and Amityville 3-D both in glorious 3D. More on this in the coming weeks.

• Be sure to keep up with the Flash Forward Friday Forcast each week on Gruesome Magazine

• Thoroughbreds (2018)
• director: Corin Finley
• cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Olivia Cooke, Anton Yelchin

• Patrons at Patreon who donate as low as $1 can vote for an exclusive HNR podcast and one Decades of Horror episode every month!

• A Wrinkle In Time (2018)
• director: Ava Duvernay
• cast: Storm Reid, Levi Miller, Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine

• Our Game Show Segment In Which You the Listeners Forge Suggestions For The Grue Crew To Guess!
• This week's topic: Macabre Mask of Horror
• Those who enter in March will be in contention to win a copy of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema!

• Patreon
• HNR & Gruesome Magazine T-Shirts

"Keep behind me. There's no sense in getting killed by a plant." Hmm, a killer plant, you say? Maneater of Hydra (1967)? We already did that in episode 2. The Thing from Another World (1951)? Nope, that was episode 7. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)? Wrong again. That was episode 24. Little Shop of Horrors (1960)? Huh-uh. We haven't done that one yet, but that's not a bad idea. No, this episode's film is none other than The Day of the Triffids (1963), based on John Wyndham's classic, 1951 science fiction novel of the same name. Join Chad Hunt and Jeff Mohr, along with guest host Adam Thomas, as we blindly tiptoe through the triffids with you.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 30 – The Day of the Triffids (1963)

The first thing your faithful Grue Crew learned is the writer credited with The Day of the Triffids did none of the writing. Philip Yordan, listed as the writer on screen, was really a front for the actual screenwriter, blacklisted Bernard Gordon. The director of record is Steve Sekely, who did do the initial direction. The finished product was deemed too short, however, and Freddie Francis was brought in to direct a parallel storyline taking place entirely with a couple in a lighthouse.

The Day of the Triffids opens with Bill Masen (Howard Keel), blinded in an accident, about to get his bandages removed. At the same time, the rest of the world is experiencing a blindingly spectacular meteor shower. No really. Everyone who looks at it, which is nearly everyone, is blinded. The meteor shower also brings some magic which causes the walking, stalking, man-eating plants known as triffids to rapidly grow to a height of 8-10 feet. It turns out that triffids breed faster than rabbits and grow faster than weeds, and begin to feed on the blind and helpless humans.

Bill, who can see (remember the bandages), heads out through the devastated city and across the countryside. On his way, he encounters several other sighted people: Karen (Janina Faye), a young girl who escapes a train crash; Christine Durrant (Nicole Maurey), a French woman who owns a large chateau in which she is housing rescued blind children and adults; Mr. Coker (Mervyn Johns), an elderly man who is helping Miss Durrant; and a band of escaped convicts. None of these sighted people meet the also sighted Karen and Tom Godwin (Janette Scott and Kieron Moore) who are the only characters in the added lighthouse scenes.

Adam can't stop bringing up how a few of the characters really abandon the blind people at the home and leave them at the mercy of the sighted convicts. He means, they're really, really abandoned! Jeff once again extols the virtues of a John Wyndham novel and is amazed at what a good cliff diver Howard Keel is. Chad loves the scenes in the lighthouse and the relationship between the Goodwins. Rest assured, the three hosts consider The Day of the Triffids to be a bona fide genre classic, worthy of a Decades of Horror: The Classic Era treatment. Seriously, who hasn't heard of triffids?

We plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule is Dead of Night (1945), selected by Jeff Mohr.

Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era and what films you'd like to hear us cover! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we're just four nutjobs talking about the films we love. Send us an email or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, Stitcher, the Horror News Radio App, or the Horror News Radio Facebook group.

To each of you from each of us, "Thank you for listening!"

Horror on TV has never been as spectacular as it is at present, genre fans are getting everything from Stephen King adaptations to American Horror Story to franchise reboots on the small screen. None have been as deliriously gory and fun as the addition of Ash Vs The Evil Dead on Starz. For the first two seasons, Thomas covered the show in written form but we're mixing it up for season 3. Now, each week Thomas, Dave and Doc will cover the show on a weekly basis. On this episode "Apparently Dead," Ruby reveals herself to Ash as she tries to strengthen her bond with Brandy to defeat The Prophesized One. Meanwhile, Pablo and Dalton continue to spar, unsure of one another. Join Doc Rotten, Dave Dreher, and Thomas Mariani as they discuss Ash Vs The Evil Dead.

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 Ash vs The Evil Dead – Episode 3 - Apparently Dead

Bigfoot just got a Predator-style makeover! Primal Rage breathes new life into The Missing Link as he hunts down a young couple lost in the woods with his hunting skills. Bows and arrows. Tactful stealth. The ability to just tear people in half. All service his... Primal Rage. The Grue Crew are joined by Vanessa Thompson to discuss Bigfoot but that's not all! Dave Dreher has witnessed sightings of Horror News of the Week, detailing horror winning big at the Academy Awards, a potential new season of Dexter and a House Shark may be swimming in close waters! Plus, Phantom Factor gets pretty hairy!

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 257 – Primal Rage Subscribe – iTunes – Facebook – Stitcher

• Horror wins big at the Oscars! Best Picture, Director, Production Design & Score for THE SHAPE OF WATER! Also, GET OUT for Best Original Screenplay for Jordan Peele!
• Dexter Season 9 on the way?
• House Shark asks you to strap the toilet seat down tight
• Horror has a new name - It's Banner and it's Immortal
• Zak Bagan's makes his first foray into feature films with Demon House

• Primal Rage (2018)
• director: Patrick Magee
• cast: Casey Gagliardi, Andrew Joseph Montgomery, Eloy Casados

• Look for Grue Crew members at the FantasticRealm screening of Jaws 3D… in 3D!
  • In September, we are looking to return to the Carolina for Friday the 13th 3-D and Amityville 3-D both in glorious 3D. More on this in the coming weeks.

• Be sure to keep up with the Flash Forward Friday Forcast each week on Gruesome Magazine

• Patrons at Patreon who donate as low as $1 can vote for an exclusive HNR podcast and one Decades of Horror episode every month!
• Thanks to new Patrons!
  • Itburnswenipe
  • Jay Pena
  • Damian Osoteo
  • Louis Franco

• Our Game Show Segment In Which You the Listeners Forge Suggestions For The Grue Crew To Guess!
• This week's topic: Hairiest of Horrors
• Congrats to Ryan Lindley for winning the February Horror Pack Prize!
• Those who enter in March will be in contention to win a copy of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema!

• Patreon
• HNR & Gruesome Magazine T-Shirts

"Alright you primitive screwheads, listen up! You see this? This... is my BOOMSTICK!" One of many unforgettable one liners that Ash (Bruce Campbell) spouts in Army of Darkness. The third in writer/director Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy is the cult favorite. For many, it's the first film in the franchise they saw. It gave us the most recurring pop culture variation on Ash as a character. The strapping hero with a quippy zinger and a chainsaw hand at the ready. Now, with Ash vs Evil Dead Season 3 in full swing, it's only natural to take a look back at the film that makes many a fan scream "Hail to the King, Baby."

Decades of Horror 1990s And Beyond Episode 38 – Army of Darkness (1993)

After the first Evil Dead was made for peanuts and Evil Dead II raised the production up to a modest low budget, Army of Darkness is a true studio blockbuster. Which is pretty odd considering the meager cult status of the first two. Yet, Universal and Dino De Laurentiis allowed Sam Raimi to go hog wild. And hog wild he did go. Pit demons, man eating books and an army of evil skeletons. All while having B movie sharp chin Campbell at the center. Between the surreal imagery and cartoonish slapstick, Army of Darkness is either your favorite of the trilogy or the one where it goes too far.

To debate this very topic, Thomas Mariani counts on the steel of Chad Hunt, Christopher G. Moore and Sam Brutuxan to break it down. Sam initially started with Army of Darkness and fell in love with the over the top comedy of the series. Christopher appreciated the darker roots of the original two and felt Army of Darkness went off the rails. Chad and Thomas just appreciate the weird Sam Raimi fly by the seat of your pants with the whole trilogy. The four ask the important questions about Army of Darkness. How did Ash get so buff within the span of a week in which the trilogy takes place? Does Ash vs Evil Dead carry on the legacy of the franchise well? Do skeletons have sex drives? All the answers are a click away!

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.

In The Mouth of Madness (1995)