HERE'S EVERYTHING YOU MISSED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS!!

The gang is back together and we're talking about our top 5 (sometimes 10) underrated films released between the years 2000 and 2025 (don't give me that whole "2001 is the first year of the 21st century" spiel, alright, let it go). Join Gabe and Patrick Ripoll, along with call ins from previous Genre Grinder guests Jim Laczkowski, Luana Saitta, Chloe Waryan, Tyler Foster, Kristine Fisher, and 96 Greers co-host Barry Linn.

So get your watchlists ready and get in the comments or email me to tell me your top 5 underrated films of the first quarter of the 21st century (again, keep your opinions about what year was the first of the 21st century to yourself, just let me have this).

00:00 – Intro and Gabe & Patrick's first two

16:57 – Jim's list

25:17 – Gabe & Patrick's next two

36:15 – Luana's list

44:19 – Chloe's list

50:35 – Gabe & Patrick's next two

58:23 – Tyler's list (featuring Gabe)

1:30:35 – Gabe & Patrick's next two

1:43:03 – Barry's list

1:46:51 – Kristine's list

1:54:36 – Gabe & Patrick's last two and outro

You can find more of Patrick and Barry on the 96 Greers podcast!

You can find more from Jim at his Linktree! You can find Luana's story writing at the following links:

• Love's Red Blossom

• The Dream Quest of Well-known Kawtar

• Hedging Your Bets (part of Wyngraf Romance Special 2025)

• New Edge Sword & Sorcery 2025 (pre-order)

You can find more Chloe at the Chloe's Not Scared Substack!

You can find more or Tyler right here on the Genre Grinder Website!

You can join Kristine's Music League here!

I used a lot of music on this episode so here's a track list, though that might spoil some of the picks for some of you, so proceed with caution:

"Land of the Dead" by The Misfits

"Galaxies" by Laura Veirs

"Makin' Some Noise" by Tom Petty

"Schweden Schweden" by Ebba Grön

"Lagaan... Once Upon a Time in India" by A.R. Rahman & Anuradha Sriram

"Night Club Fight" by Fajar Yuskemal & Aria Prayogi

"Fish Story" by Kazuyoshi Saito

"Horizon Of Computation" by Morgan Coy

"Friends Come in All Sizes" by David Newman (feat. Robin Williams)

"Digital Versicolor" by Glass Candy

"Hail Halyx" performed by Shelly Regner, Roger Freeland, Jeff Hoeppner, Brendan McCreary, Selena Moshell, and Ryan Dean

YOU DIDN'T CUT YOUR CARBON EMISSIONS AND NOW WE'RE UP TO OUR EYEBALLS IN SMOG MONSTERS, MUTANT ISOPODS, AND VENGEFUL NATURE SPIRITS!! We've already covered natural disasters and killer animals on Genre Grinder, but what about some specifically man-made environmental horrors? Well, that's where Gabe and returning guest Justin Clark come in. After last month's epic seven-movie podcast, we're dialing things back to a more manageable three films, all from different countries and different decades. First up is the Toho kaiju classic, Yoshimitsu Banno and Teruyoshi Nakano's Godzilla vs. Hedorah (aka: Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, 1971), followed by Barry Levinson's eerie mockumentary The Bay (2012), and Lee Haven Jones' Welsh folkhorror film The Feast (Welsh: Gwleðð, 2021). 00:00 – Intro 4:09 – Godzilla vs. Hedorah 49:41 – The Bay 1:24:28 – The Feast 1:51:02 – Outro

WRIGGLING WORMS, CRAWLING BUGS, SLITHERING SNAKES, WITCHCRAFT, RITUALS, AND BODILY FLUIDS OF EVERY COLOR IMAGINABLE!! Once upon a time, three brothers named Shaw started a film studio in Hong Kong. That studio grew into a Southeast Asian powerhouse, building its reputation on wuxia, kung fu, period dramas, comedies, and, in the mid '70s, horror. The special Shaw brand of horror, defined by black magic rituals, wild visuals, and exploitation spectacle was, in part, spearheaded by two filmmakers – Ho Meng-Hua and Kuei Chih-Hung.

Join Gabe and special guest host Stefan Hammond, author of Sex & Zen and a Bullet in the Head (with Mike Wilkins, 1996), Hollywood East (2000), and More Sex, Better Zen, Faster Bullets (2020), as they explore the history of the studio and films of these two maverick directors. This is a particularly packed episode, covering Shaw's horror films in general, but focusing mostly on Ho's Black Magic (1975), Black Magic 2 (1976), and The Oily Maniac (1976), and Kuei's Killer Snakes (1974), Hex (1980), Bewitched (1981), and The Boxer's Omen (1983). 00:00 – Intro (a brief history of Shaw and Southeast Asian horror) 20:20 – Ho Meng-Hua, Black Magic, and Black Magic 2 53:52 – The Oily Maniac (and more Ho) 1:01:24 – Kuei Chih-Hung and The Killer Snakes 1:33:28 – Hex, Bewitched, and The Boxer's Omen (and more Kuei) 2:06:32 – Outro

HERE COMES THE BRIDE, ALL DRESSED IN …BLACK!?! RIDING A BROOM AND CLUTCHING A CAT?!? It's intractable imps, saucy sorceresses, and weird women on this episode of Genre Grinder, all falling in love and putting their spell on unsuspecting men. Join Gabe and returning guest Luana Saitta as they look at three entries in the surprisingly prevalent subgenre of movies where men accidentally marry witches or women, who, unbeknownst to their husbands, become witches. This month's titles include René Clair's I Married a Witch (1942), based on the novel The Passionate Witch by Thome Smit & Norman H. Matson (1941), Richard Quine's Bell, Book, and Candle (1958), based on the 1950 play by John Van Druten, and Sidney Hayers' Night of the Eagle (aka: Burn, Witch, Burn, 1962), based on the novel Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber (1943/52). Outro song: "The Devil's Widow" by Blood Ceremony You can find Luana's storywriting at the following links: Love's Red Blossom: https://swordsandsorcerymagazine.com/loves-red-blossom/ The Dream Quest of Well-known Kawtar: https://swordsandsorcerymagazine.com/the-dream-quest-of-well-known-kawtar/ Hedging Your Bets (part of Wyngraf Romance Special 2025): https://wyngraf.itch.io/wyngraf-romance-special-2025 New Edge Sword & Sorcery 2025 (pre-order): https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/brackenbooks/new-edge-sword-sorcery-2025

ADULTERY, MANIPULATION, AND MURDER, RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES AND SLATHERED ACROSS YOUR TELEVISION SCREEN!!

In the early days of mainstream cable, on the cusp of the Menendez Brothers and O.J. Simpson trials, the big three American networks struck gold with sensationalistic docudramas – several of which were based on the true crimes of notorious women. Join Gabe and returning guest Kristine Fisher as they take a look at three famous crimes and five made-for-TV movies based on them.

The films we're covering this month include Joyce Chopra's Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story (1991), Dick Lowry's A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story (1992) and its sequel, Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter (1992), and two Amy Fisher movies, John Herzfeld's Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story (1993) and Andy Tennant's The Amy Fisher Story (1993).

I apologize that Kristine's mic picked up everything from her typing her notes, to the traffic outside, and even my own voice, creating a reverb effect. I didn't notice while we were recording and have tried to minimize the issue in editing.

00:00 – Intro

05:11 – Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story

25:08 – A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story and Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter

54:47 – Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story

1:13:06 – The Amy Fisher Story

1:33:19 – Outro

Outro song: "Dangerous" by Wildfire, feat. Emiliano Obregón: https://soundcloud.com/afterdreams/dangerous-roxette-cover

ALRIGHT, YA HOSERS, GRAB YOUR PLAID TRAPPER HAT, YOUR MOOSEHEAD, AND YOUR BIGGEST BOWL OF POUTINE – WE'RE CHECKING OUT SOME CANADIAN HORROR MOVIES!

You can't talk about the greatest horror and exploitation films of the '70s and '80s without including our neighbors to the North. Canadian horror – or canuxploitation – is a broad subject that covers several subgenres, so Gabe and returning guest Jim Laczkowski have limited their scope to four favorites that don't include David Cronenberg or Bob Clark: Alan Ormsb & Jeff Gillen's Deranged (1974), Peter Carter's Rituals (aka: The Creeper, 1977), Murray Markowitz's I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses (1978), and Sandor Stern's Pin (1988).

00:00 – Intro (What is canuxploitation?)

09:52 – Deranged

28:45 – Rituals

55:22 – I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses

1:12:32 – Pin

1:34:56 – Outro and recommendations

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS. A WINDSWEPT FIELD. TWO SUN-BEATEN MEN IN WIDE-BRIMMED HATS. ITCHY TRIGGER FINGERS. THE MUSIC CRESCENDOS. THE FINAL SHOWDOWN.

After a short break and some technical difficulties, Gabe and Patrick are back to finish what they started, looking back at 15 spaghetti westerns released in the year 1968. We saved some the greatest movies and the hottest takes for last – Sergio Corbucci's The Mercenary (Italian: Il mercenario), Enzo G. Castellari's Kill Them All and Come Back Alone (Italian: Ammazzali tutti e torna solo), Corbucci's The Great Silence (Italian: Il grande silenzio), and Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (Italian: C'era una volta il West).

Check out Part 1 and Part 2 first.

Check out the complete list of films here: https://letterboxd.com/gabepowers/list/the-spaghetti-westerns-of-1968/

00:00 – Intro (What have we already covered?)

04:11 – The Mercenary

36:52 – Kill Them All and Come Back Alone

55:54 – The Great Silence

1:29:36 – Once Upon a Time in the West

2:06:31 – Outro (What have we learned?)

WHAT'S BETTER THAN A SCARY STORY? SEVERAL SCARY STORIES COLLATED INTO A SINGLE MOVIE WITH A SPOOKY WRAPAROUND SEGMENT!

Gather 'round the campfire, boils, ghouls, and non-binary creatures of all ages while we take a look at those little groupings of shorts known as Anthology or Portmanteau Horror. Join Gabe and first time special guest Chloe Warayan (https://chloesnotscared.com/) as they take a look at a cavalcade of titles from across the decades – Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, and Robert Hamer's Dead of Night (1945), Freddie Francis' Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), Jeff Burr's From a Whisper to a Scream (aka: The Offspring, 1987), and Jovanka Vuckovic, Annie Clark (aka: St. Vincent), Roxanne Benjamin, and Karyn Kusama's XX (2017).

00:00 – Intro (a brief history of Anthology Horror)

06:09 – Dead of Night

42:33 – Dr. Terror's House of Horrors

1:09:39 – From a Whisper to a Scream

1:37:19 – XX

1:55:25 – Outro

If you are in a position to make the world a better place, please consider the following fundraisers:

• Gender/Justice

• HRT – Harm Reduction Toolkit (Omprakash HRT supply fundraiser)

• Black LGBTQIA Migrant Project (BLMP)

• Tigerrs: Minnesota Trans Intersex Gender-Expansive Revolutionary Resources & Services

And please check out our merch on Genre Grinder Cares. All profits are going to charity!

HOP ALONG, CASSIDY – OR WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS – AND TUCK IN FOR A SECOND HELPING OF PASTA & MEATBALLS WITH A SIDE OF BULLETS & GRIT!

Welcome back for part two of Gabe and Patrick's three-part look back at the Spaghetti Westerns of 1968. This is going to be the longest of the three episodes, because we're rappin' about six films – Ferdinando Baldi's Hate Thy Neighbor (Italian: Odia il prossimo tuo), Gianfranco Baldanello's Black Jack, Giulio Petroni's A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof (Italian: ...e per tetto un cielo di stelle), Gianfranco Parolini's If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death (Italian: Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte), Sergio Sollima's Run, Man, Run (Italian: Corri uomo corri), and Giuseppe Colizzi's Ace High (Italian: I quattro dell'Ave Maria).

This episode was culled from two different recording sessions so please excuse any inconsistencies in sound quality. My nose was also very stuffy.

Check out the complete list of films here: https://letterboxd.com/gabepowers/list/the-spaghetti-westerns-of-1968/

00:00 – Intro (what have we already covered)

01:11 – Hate Thy Neighbor

20:49 – Black Jack

39:34 – A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof

1:11:49 – If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death

1:27:30 – Run, Man, Mun

1:51:30 – Ace High

2:11:57 – Outro

PREPARE YOUR SIX-GUNS AND YOUR BOLOGNESE AS WE DIG INTO THE TWO-FISTED ITALIAN COWBOY TALES OF THE BIGGEST YEAR IN SPAGHETTI WESTERN HISTORY! Welcome to another multi-part exploration of a single year in genre filmmaking. Join Gabe and returning guest Patrick Ripoll as they follow up their series on the slasher films of 1981, the gialli of 1971, and the giant monster movies of 1957 with a look at the spaghetti westerns of 1968. Gabe, a superfan and massive nerd, narrowed down a list of seventy-seven (that's 77) films to the 15 he thinks best represent this jam-packed and particularly uneven year for the genre. In episode one of what will (probably) be three total episodes, we discuss Ferdinando Baldi's Django, Prepare a Coffin (Italian: Preparati la bara!), Giorgio Capitani's The Ruthless Four (Italian: Ognuno per sé), Lina Wertmüller & Piero Cristofani's The Belle Starr Story (Italian: Il mio corpo per un poker), Enzo G. Castellari's Johnny Hamlet (Italian: Quella sporca storia nel west), and Giorgio Stegani's Beyond the Law (Italian: Al di là della legge). Check out the complete list here: https://letterboxd.com/gabepowers/list/the-spaghetti-westerns-of-1968/ 00:00 – Intro: What is a spaghetti western? Why 1968?

14:13 – Django, Prepare a Coffin

35:37 – The Ruthless Four

56:00 – The Belle Starr Story

1:20:01 – Johnny Hamlet

1:36:24 – Beyond the Law

1:52:12 – Outro