Dismembering Horror

Time to get our slither on! So many “slithers” slithering all over the place! It’s fun to think about how many familiar faces came through this slimy, slippery, ooey, gooey, spacey, homage-y, hometown-horror film. Harkening back to so many horror greats of the past such as “The Blob,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “The Thing,” “Night of the Creeps,” and so on, “Slither” delivers, as well as firmly planting James Gunn’s name, voice and style into the conversation. Earning a solid “rent” from both Ryan and Tim, it was worth revisiting this (kinda?) classic.

Slither (2006)

Written and Directed by James Gunn

Where we watched: Amazon rental

RecommenDEADtions:  Long Weekend / The House That Jack Built

Next week’s film: “Black Sabbath” (1963)

Let’s head to a Poland for a wedding extravaganza, featuring some buried bones, lots and lots of alcohol, and a possessed groom! What more could you ask for? Well for starters, maybe a better ending (zing)! Actually, there were some really cool things going on in “Demon,” even if it didn’t quite leave us completely satisfied. There was a good creep factor, plus SO MUCH DAMPNESS (something Tim particularly loves). “Demon” earned a “rent” from Tim and an “avoid” from Ryan, giving it a spot amongst one of our rare more divisive films.

Where we watched: Shudder

Demon (2015)

Directed by Marcin Wrona

Written by Marcin Wrona, Pawel Maslona

RecommenDEADtions:  Turkey Shoot / In Search of Darkness

Next week’s film: “Slither” (2006)

The nostalgia train is coming into the station this episode, carrying an evil carnival from many 80’s children’s imaginations. Now we won’t say that everything holds up from the memories of our own childhoods, but there is some fun stuff and worthwhile moments in “Something Wicked This Way Comes.” A surprisingly spooky Disney outing made when they were trying to darken up their brand, it earned a “rent” from Ryan and a “stream” from Tim. Autumnal menace and practical effects galore carry the film, along with the kind of foundational storytelling that can’t help but strike a chord.

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Directed by Jack Clayton

Written by Peter Douglas

Where we watched: DVD

RecommenDEADtions: Tokyo Olympiad / Preacher (TV show)

Next week’s film: “Demon” (2015)

Let’s get wack-a-do with Ken Russell! This week we took some laudanum and tripped our faces off to the tune of a harpsichord and an ever-insane Gabriel Byrne. "Gothic" tells the apparently famous story of the night Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Doctor Polidori, and Mary Shelley all went a little nutso and conceived of some monstrous tales (most noteworthy being of course Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein"). With a style only Ken Russell can make work in a flamboyant, mesmerizing and unrelenting way, Ryan and Tim both had to tell themselves to “rent” it.

Gothic (1986)

Directed by Ken Russell

Written by Stephen Volk

Where we watched: Amazon rental

RecommenDEADtions: Ju-On: Origins (Netflix series) / Horse Girl

Next week’s film: “Something Wicked This Way Comes” (1983)

And here we go into the 100's! Into a new phase of our show, just like two siblings finding the haunted house of their dreams on a cliffside where they must solve the mystery of the haunting in order to live in peace. Oh, and that just happens to be the premise of this week’s film, "The Uninvited."  In a simpler time before ghosts had ever been depicted as actual entities, this film harkened the world into a new era of how films depict ghosts that haunts us to this day. With stunning effects that hold up even now, and a twisty-turny story that unravels right up to the end, the guys had plenty to say even if it was just a "stream" for Tim and a "rent" for Ryan.

The Uninvited (1944)

Directed by Lewis Allen

Written by Frank Partos and Dodie Smith

Where we watched: Blu-ray

RecommenDEADtions: Portrait of a Lady on Fire / I'll be Gone in the Dark

Next week’s film: “Gothic” (1986)

PART 2 of our 100th episode retrospective! We go through each of our bottom nine films, really sinking our teeth into why these films did not work for us. Then, for our “Things of Note” section, we see if we can recall the most indelible moments from all of the first 99 films we’ve watched. THEN, we honor our favorite “Scream Queens” as a nod to the wonderful women of horror who have starred in the films we’ve covered. And last but not least, we offer our thoughts on how doing this podcast as a whole has been thus far.

Next week’s film: “The Uninvited” (1944)

WE MADE IT TO 100 EPISODES! Can you believe it, fiends? We had so much to cover that we had to split the episode into TWO PARTS! 99 films is a lot of horror, so to celebrate we first check in with the age old question, “Why horror?” Then we really get into it with taking a look back at each of our top nine favorite films, going back in depth over WHAT WORKED and why these nine stood out above the rest. You won’t want to miss it (and remember to make sure to stick around for PART 2)!

Next week’s film: “The Uninvited” (1944)

It’s official, the final double digit episode has arrived! This week’s film did not disappoint by allowing us to celebrate in a fittingly horror-centric way…that’s right, we got to visit the “Carnival of Souls!” With some wonderful otherworldly storytelling, rife with creepy dudes, and a hint of twilight zone eeriness, we had as much fun as you’d want from a trip to the carnival. The film’s themes concerning being a woman in a patriarchal world were surprisingly effective and (unfortunately are still) relevant. An independent film that grew into a cult classic, “Carnival of Souls” is well worth the watch, earning a “rent” from Tim and a “buy” from Ryan.

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Directed by Herk Harvey

Written by John Clifford

Where we watched: The Criterion Channel

RecommenDEADtions: Paris Is Burning / Perry Mason (TV show)

Billy Idol said it best: “Now all I can do, Love what was once, So alive in you, But it's gone from your eyes, I better realize…” And that’s exactly what the obsessed doctor in “Eyes Without a Face” needed to realize! You can’t just go around killing people to make your daughter “normal” again! Earning a solid double “rent” from the guys, there was plenty to surgically slice and dice. With fantastic makeup, design, and performances, this classic did not disappoint.

Eyes Without A Face (1960)

Directed by Georges Franju

Written by Boileau-Narcejac, Jean Redon and Claude Sautet

Where we watched: The Criterion Channel

RecommenDEADtions: King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis / The Skin I Live In

Lon Chaney stuns as the titular character in the original film adaptation of the french novel. Going all the way back to 1925, or 1929, or 1930 or… well, whichever year the version you watched is listed as, there is no doubt that "The Phantom of the Opera" set the stage for some tremendous horror filmmaking to come, not to mention inspiring a gem of a musical. Ryan and Tim discuss the nuanced elements that morphed over the years into the “love me for what’s on the inside!” themed versions of this tale. With amazing imagery, film techniques, and majestic sets, this week's film earned a “rent” from both Ryan and Tim.

The Phantom of the Opera (1925/1929)

Directed by Rupert Julian

Written by Gaston Leroux

Where we watched: Blu-ray

RecommenDEADtions: 12 Years A Slave / Alone (Series)