Don't Read The Latin

“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” ― Arthur C. Clarke

Lock all your windows, grab your tinfoil hats and your shotguns, and get ready to hide in your closets, because they're almost here! The aliens are coming!

.... Okay, well, no. Probably not. But the latest episode of Don't Read the Latin! is here, and that's almost as scary! You can put your shotgun down, but you might want to hold on to that tinfoil hat.

Join Jennifer and Michael as they talk about their favorite alien horrors, a heaping handful of guilty pleasures, and a few movies that just didn't work for them. And stick around for the end, for a discussion of just why movies about aliens scare us so much, and for a few words about Michael's experiences with UFOs in his childhood!

Put on the headphones, lean back, and try to ignore the strange tall figures and the blinding bright light -- the experiment is about to begin ....

Hey, everyone! Join us as we delve into the occult reaches of a subject that .... it turns out we don't really know a lot about! (I resisted the urge to say, a hell of a lot about. Don't you admire my restraint?) This time, the subject on deck is Demons, Devils, and Possession, and while that idea sounded good when we first discussed it, our research soon showed that there were approximately one million films on this subject in the 50's, 60's, and 70's that we just flat-out have not seen.

Regardless, we soldiered on, and we talked about some of the best -- and worst! -- devilry we've witnessed on the silver screen. Enjoy! As always, tell your friends, reblog and retweet the hell out of this episode (sorry -- my restraint only goes so far), and if you would be so kind, rate us on iTunes! Thanks much. See you in two weeks!

Other Stuff We Talked About

Here's the new review Michael mentioned for his novel: Still Life – Michael Montoure | The Reader In the Tower.

And here's a picture of the Exorcist III art print that Jennifer mentioned. Click the image to view it full-sized. The artist is Slippery Jack, and that link goes to his Big Cartel page if you'd like to pick up a print of your own.

Finally, when we talked about Rosemary's Baby in this episode, we discussed whether or not you ever see the baby's eyes. Michael thought we didn't, and Jennifer was pretty sure that we at least saw a flash of them. Here's the scene in question, and we do see a quick flash of inhuman yellow eyes -- but Michael thinks it looks more like it might be a flashback to the face of the devil seen during the baby's freaky, dreamlike conception scene. Compare the two, decide for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv3p8kIyqLI

Hello, boys and ghouls, welcome back once again to another episode of Don't Read the Latin! This time, after our in-depth two-part episode on the 80's, we're going to dive into a, well, slightly less-loved decade, but one that still has more than a few gems in it. Join us, won't you? You'll learn more about Jennifer's seemingly random Hollywood crushes, the too-cool-for-film-school pretentiousness of The Addiction and The Prophecy, and which movie features Billy Zane at his Billy Zaniest!

Bonus YouTube Videos!

In our discussion of Stigmata (oh, Stigmata, you're not a good movie, but we kind of like you anyway), Jennifer brings up a Chumbawumba song from the soundtrack that's really kind of awesome. If you've only ever heard that "I get knocked down" drinking song of theirs, you really need to put this in your ear-holes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__YHRv5VuDI

Finally, here's the channel introduction for Count Jackula, the horror review show that we mention:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ncUHtKUJp8#t=42

Happy New Year! 2014 was a great year for horror -- if you were willing to dig for it. While there were only a mere handful of big studio releases -- and they were uniformly disappointing -- there were a lot of fantastic indie films out there, which generally received limited theatrical releases, assuming they didn't go straight to Netflix or VOD.

Jennifer and Michael walk you through the best this past year had to offer, with special guests Jeff Harris from Fanboy News Network and Jillian Venters from Gothic Charm School. Let us know what you think, and tell us if there are any gems we missed.

(We also recorded the “Geek Culture Review Of 2014″ episode of Fanboy News Network that day, in one long epic podcasting session. You should definitely check that out, too!)

It's almost Christmas, and you know what that means -- ghost stories! (Well, according to Charles Dickens, anyway.)

We already covered Haunted Houses back in Episode Nine, but this time we're getting out of the house and exploring haunted apartment buildings, orphanages, and more! Remember, kids, ghosts can strike anywhere at any time. Happy Holidays!

Whether you love them or hate them, the horror remake is here to stay. (Hollywood loves to feast on its own dead.) Join Jennifer and Michael as they delve into the best, the worst, and the most completely pointless.

"That puppet he made – it fucking hates everybody and wants everybody to die. Good thing it's made entirely out of Nerf™."

Triskadekaphobiacs beware! This is our thirteenth episode! Spoooky!

Hopefully it won't be unlucky for you! It was a little unlucky for us, in that, for whatever reason, it took somewhat longer than normal to edit. (Around eight hours. Yes, really.) Which is why it didn't get posted last Friday. But it's finally here!

This time, we're talking about Creepy Dolls -- everything from evil possessed dolls who will straight-up kill you, to simple inanimate objects someone has formed an unnatural attachment to, and everything in between.

 

Look At Our Shorts!

(Sorry, sorry. I'm twelve.) Here are the short films we mentioned over the course of the episode, for your viewing pleasure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGZX31687ho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl6hNj1uOkY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM2Rkqvd5uY

 Bonus Link!

All this and a bonus link? I know, we spoil you. Check out the radio dramas that Jennifer strongly recommended this episode: TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE!

Oh my God, you guys, you guys -- Halloween is coming!

Or at least, it was when we recorded this episode, but now it's November 1st. A little anticlimactic, we realize.

This time out, we discuss those bloodsucking fiends, those children of the night, those stalwart standbys of the Halloween silver screen: vampires! From the good, the bad, to the ridiculous, we discuss all the vampires we have known and loved.

Welcome to another Halloween season episode of your favorite horror movie podcast! (At least, we assume we're your favorite horror movie podcast. If we're not, please don't tell us.)

In this episode, Jennifer rants about Kevin Smith, whose recent film, "Tusk," seems to be one inside joke aimed at the fans of podcast. (We here at Don't Read the Latin promise that if we ever make a movie of our own, we're not going to just pander to our existing fanbase -- we intend to pander to everyone.)

We also talk about economy of storytelling, Harlan Ellison, Jen's Big Black Gothic Yard Sale, and Michael's upcoming Halloween reading!

No Context For You

"Speaking of soft-core pornography .... "

"I'm Aware I'm making poor choices."

"I have a whole bunch of 'Night of the ... ' movies."

Speaking of Michael's Halloween reading:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaEicGF8hNg

"Welcome to DRTL, the podcast that is not about Beastmaster."

It's October! It's October! That means that this whole next month is, effectively, Halloween. We got a little excited.

This time, we're talking about movies that take place on or around Halloween.  (Yes, including the original Halloween.) How many of them do you think you can watch this month?

 

Finally here's a .... a .... Call it a "bonus video." (It will make sense once you listen to the episode, honestly.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfNT_vOH8E8