HORROR 101 with Dr. AC

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2007/09) d. Oren Peli (USA) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (2010) d. Tod Williams (USA) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (2011) d. Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman (USA) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (2012) d. Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman (USA) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES (2014) d. Christopher Landon (USA) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION (2015) d. Gregory Plotkin (USA) Paramount's plucking of this microbudget feature from obscurity and its nimble (some might say omnipresent) word-of-mouth marketing scheme will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest Cinderella stories in horror history. Shot for a paltry $11,000, writer/editor/producer/director Oren Peli's first-person account of a young couple plagued by inexplicable happenings in their new suburban home works surprisingly well under its own limitations, or perhaps because of them. Like its stylistic and spiritual companion piece, 1999's The Blair Witch Project (itself another stunning, out-of-nowhere indie success story), PA's strengths lie in its ability to tap into primal, everyday fears: a new building's unexplained creaks and groans, a partner's emotional swings, etc. Other recent features have utilized the now-familiar camcorder POV "found footage" convention, some of them admirably, but what sets Peli's feature apart is its simplicity and courage to allow mundane objects/events, like Blair Witch's stone piles and stickmen, to take on heightened significance. It's a deceptively simple high-wire act that works better than it has any right to, and while not a perfect (or even a "great") film, it contains more genuinely creepy and unsettling onscreen moments than all of Hollywood's big budget remakes of the last three decades put together. Join AC and his amazing panel of guests (Amy Pearson, Frank Merle, Brett Neveu, Anna Maurya, Chelsea David) as we celebrate the one that truly, for better or worse, kicked off the found footage barrage of the 21st Century, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY! --------------------------------- CHELSEA DAVID is an actor, budding mental health professional, and spicy food eater, deeply obsessed with all things horror. A Louisiana native and former Chicagoan of a decade, she can be found bouncing around the country at any given moment. You'll hear her laugh before you see her. ANNA MAURYA is a film fan stuck in Ohio. They have been a guest on Raiders of the Podcast, a contributor to Hidden Horror, and they generally dislike writing about themselves in the third person. FRANK MERLE is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker originally from Chicago, IL. He has written and directed several award-winning and critically-acclaimed films, including The Employer (2013), starring Malcolm McDowell and Billy Zane, and From Jennifer (2017), starring Derek Mears and Tony Todd. Next up is Namaka, a dark fantasy starring Jamie Kennedy and David Howard Thornton. BRETT NEVEU is a professor at Northwestern University where he teaches writing for the screen and stage. His film/TV screenplays include Eric LaRue (dir. Michael Shannon) and Night's End (dir. Jennifer Reeder) with Shudder/AMC. Past theatre productions include Revolution with A Red Orchid Theatre, Verböten with House Theatre and Red Bud with The Royal Court Theatre. Brett is also a recipient of a Steinberg/ATCA New Play Citation, The Marquee Award from Chicago Dramatists, The Ofner Prize for New Work and the Emerging Artist Award from The League of Chicago Theatres. AMY PEARSON is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Durham University. In addition to being a whopping great horror enthusiast, she's also a power lifter, photographic model, and aerialist. ------------------------------------------------------------ Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most importantly, Keep Sharing the Scare!

AUDITION (1999) d. Takashi Miike (Japan/S. Korea) After seven years of mourning and encouraged by his teenage son to find a new wife, widower Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) seeks the advice of a colleague within the film company for which they both work. Together, they hit upon the perfect plan: Staging an audition for actresses, ostensibly for a new feature project, but in reality hoping to find the new ideal woman to share Aoyama's life. While interviewing a series of candidates, the lonely widower becomes enchanted by Asami (Eihi Shiina), a quiet, young woman, who is immediately responsive to his charms. The two seem to instantly fall for each other, but things take a very dark and twisted turn (or three) as we discover Asami isn't all she seems to be.... One of the titles that launched the international J-horror wave of the early 21st century, Audition exploded onto the festival circuit to a chorus of awards and praise, catapulting director Takashi Miike into the consciousness of cinephiles around the world and paving the way for future off-kilter offerings as Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q, and The Happiness of the Katakuris. Playing with temporal constructs and toying with audience genre expectations (it's a slow burn… but, hey, what's that bag doing there?) and concluding with one of the most agonizing climaxes in recent memory. (The phrase "Kiri kiri kiri kiri" will haunt your nightmares for weeks.) Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (John Reskusich, Michelle Kisner, Raul Benitez, Cati Glidewell aka The Blonde in Front, Dominic Conti) as they discuss Miike's exploration of pain, trauma, relationships, and how the film predicted the rise of Tinder! --------------------------------- RAUL BENITEZ is a film programmer in Chicago for over 15 years. Raul currently is the Senior Programmer at the Midwest Film Festival, and the After Dark programmer at the Chicago International Film Festival. Raul also programs at Comfort Station Logan Square, Full Spectrum Features, and the Nightingale Cinema. DOMINIC CONTI is a Chicago-based writer and actor. His first novel, Your Book Club, is now available. (Orders can be placed at [email protected], or you can just say hi.) CATI GLIDEWELL (aka The Blonde in Front) is a Chicago-based film critic, lifelong cinephile, film festival jury member, and a member of Chicago Indie Critics since 2020. You can find her on all social media platforms, as well as Post mortem radio and Radio of horror on YouTube. MICHELLE KISNER is a film critic, freelance writer, and physical media advocate. She has contributed to several websites to include The Cultural Gutter and The Movie Sleuth and is also a member of the Michigan Movie Critics Guild. JOHN RESKUSICH, a lifelong lover of movies and comic books, dwells in St. Louis, Missouri. ---------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most importantly, Keep Sharing the Scare!

PONTYPOOL (2008) d. Bruce McDonald (Canada) Pontypool, celebrating its 15th anniversary, is a fiercely intelligent variation on the "zombie/infected hordes" theme, indelibly anchored by film/TV veteran Stephen McHattie's charismatic central performance. Exiled to the wastelands of rural Ontario, former shock jock radio personality Grant Mazzy finds himself caught up in increasingly bizarre circumstances as reports pour in of a deadly, murderous virus sweeping the surrounding area. Director Bruce McDonald cultivates an increasingly claustrophobic atmosphere within the radio station's confines, further heightened by the on-air team's frantic attempts to provide listeners with information (little of which is known or forthcoming). Pontypool is smart and sharp, cruel and clever, dire and dark and full of surprises. Lisa Houle does well as Sydney, our harried program director, as does Georgina Reilly as Laurel-Ann, the comely, ex-military tech director, but it's McHattie's dulcet, whiskey-honed voice tearing into screenwriter Tony Burgess' dialogue (adapted from his novel, Pontypool Changes Everything) with undisguised relish that you'll remember as the credits roll. AC is joined by another fantastic group of horror fans: Mike Mayo, Steve Griffes, Chris Scales, and Anna McKibben. -------------------------------------- CHRIS SCALES is a lifelong horror fan who contributes movie reviews to various horror sites, runs fan panels at various conventions, and is an aspiring horror screenwriter. ANNA MAURYA is a film fan stuck in Ohio. They have been a guest on Raiders of the Podcast, a contributor to Hidden Horror, and they generally dislike writing about themselves in the third person.

STEVE GRIFFES is the Director of Outreach and Events at University of Michigan Library and is a lifelong horror fan. He spends his spare time nerding out over punk and indie rock, barrel-aged beer, veggie food, and boosting horror content created by LGBT people. He wrote the Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural essay for Hidden Horror. MIKE MAYO has written several books about film and popular culture, among them VideoHound's Horror Show and American Murder. He is also the author of the Jimmy Quinn historical suspense novels set in Prohibition-era New York. -----------------------------------------Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

SAW (2004) d. James Wan (USA) SAW II (2005) d. Darren Lynn Bousman (USA) SAW III (2006) d. Darren Lynn Bousman (USA) SAW IV (2007) d. Darren Lynn Bousman (USA) SAW V (2008) d. David Hackl (USA) SAW VI (2009) d. Kevin Greutert (USA) SAW 3D (2010) d. Kevin Greutert (USA) JIGSAW (2017) d. Michael Spierig / Peter Spierig (USA) SPIRAL (2021) d. Darren Lynn Bousman (USA) SAW X (2023) d. Kevin Greutert (USA) Before there was "The Saw Franchise," there was just SAW, a relatively low-budget thriller from a pair of Australian horror kids who wanted to make a good impression. The movie, shot in a mere 18 days, exploded at the box office in October 2004 to become one of the most profitable horror features of all time, much to the surprise of its participants and creators. The rest, as they say, is history. While it is great fun to detail the multitude of quibbles and logistical flaws that show up throughout, there's no denying that SAW sparked the imagination of a hungry horror landscape littered with J-horror remakes and Scream pretenders. Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Jason Coffman, Katie McLean Hainsworth, Nicola McCafferty, Daniel Millhouse) as we celebrate the highs and lows of this epic franchise! ------------------------------------------------- JASON COFFMAN is the Unrepentant Cinephile. Former contributor to Daily Grindhouse and Film Monthly (RIP). Director of Housesitters and occasional "recording artist." Proud owner of 35mm prints of Andy Milligan's Guru, the Mad Monk and Zalman King's Two Moon Junction. On Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/rabbitroom/ KATIE MCLEAN HAINSWORTH is a Chicago-based performer/writer, whom you can regularly find on both the DARK NEXUS and FAWX & STALLION podcasts. She's happily guested on HORROR 101 a few times as well as on Roll For Impact's THE STRANGER. NICOLA MCCAFFERTY is a PhD candidate in the department of Radio, Television, and Film at Northwestern University whose current research focuses on how screen representations of nonhuman women (think mannequins, cyborgs, and humanoid aliens) help us gain insights into the categories of both humanity and femininity. Outside of grad school, Nicola has a few stray bylines at Dread Central and runs an Etsy store (http://vvitchroom.etsy.com/), where she sells enamel pins, stickers, and prints inspired by horror and cult films from the 1960s to today DANIEL MILLHOUSE joyfully returns to review films with Dr. AC and friends! As an Assistant Professor at the College of DuPage, he cherishes his Theatre, TV/Film, and Motion Capture acting experiences. He is one mischievous, charming, goofball. ----------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most importantly, Keep Sharing the Scare!

LEFT BANK (aka LINKEROEVER) (2008) d. Pieter Van Hees (Belgium) CUB (aka WELP) (2014) d. Jonas Govaerts (Belgium) Tonight's double feature takes us across the ocean to Belgium, a land renowned for lace, beer, chocolate, waffles, and a small but notable number of horror titles, including two films we're going to be discussing tonight: Pieter Van Hees' Left Bank from 2008 and Jonas Govaerts' Cub (aka Welp) from 2014. In Left Bank, Olympic-caliber track runner Marie is sidelined due to a case of severe anemia, causing her to spiral into a deep depression until she begins a fiery affair with champion archer Bobby. Upon moving in with her new paramour, she gradually becomes aware of his apartment building's mysterious and sinister past, as well as being increasingly haunted by surreal nightmare visions. Cub sees a group of scouts heading off for an outing in the Ardenen mountains (Wallonia, the southeast section of Belgium, along the French border). As with any assembly of lads, there are alliances and enemies, but young Sam is the clear outcast of the bunch. To exacerbate matters, Sam catches sight of what he believes to be campfire legend "Kai," a feral lycanthrope-like youth residing in the woods, preying upon interlopers. Is Kai real, or is Sam's overactive imagination leading to madness? More importantly, who's setting all the intricate (and lethal) booby-traps in the woods? AC is joined once again in the studio by good friends and local Brussels dwellers, filmmaker Gert Verbeeck (ATP, Sharksploitation) and author/editor Vanessa Morgan (When Animals Attack, Evil Seeds) to chat about their countrymen's noble efforts. -----------------------------

VANESSA MORGAN is the author of several horror novels and film guides (When Animals Attack, Strange blood, Evil Seeds) – available from Amazon https://amzn.to/3Hzm0wN. She's also the creator of Traveling Cats, the first travel blog for cat lovers – https://traveling-cats.com. GERT VERBEECK is a filmmaker, musician and writer from Brussels, Belgium. He likes his books, movies and music diverse, nuanced and intense. This reflects his look on life as well, with a little sense of humor added. -------------------------------------Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most importantly, Keep Sharing the Scare!

SHATTER DEAD (1994) d. Scooter McCrae (USA) When the Angel of Death impregnates a mortal woman, people stop being able to die. As the living human population dwindles, the line begins to blur as to which is considered the dominant race and who are the monstrous aberrations. Tonight's selection, SHATTER DEAD, is a shining example of why "Shot-on-Video" horror films are, as author S.A. Bradley puts it, "the punk rock of horror," where lack of funds simply means more room for unlimited creativity and imagination, breaking ground and breaking rules. Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Aaron AuBuchon, S.A. Bradley, Derrick Carey, John McDevitt) as we honor writer/director Scooter McCrae's astonishing DIY effort on its 30th anniversary of release. Hopefully it opens a Pandora's Box into the world of SOV horror for YOU!! ----------------------------------------- AARON AUBUCHON is a film professor and writer, and also an editor, director, motion graphics artist and producer. He is also co-host of the Discover the Horror podcast. https://discoverthehorror.com/ S.A. BRADLEY hosts the "Hellbent for Horror" podcast, is the author of "Screaming for Pleasure: How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy," and lectured at Webster University and The College of Idaho. His show, "My Horror Manifesto," played in NYC. DERRICK CAREY has worked in front of and behind the camera for almost 20 years, as a director, producer, editor, sound man, colorist, and actor. He is also the driving force behind the Astro Radio Z podcast. https://linktr.ee/AstroRadioZ JOHN MCDEVITT is a lifelong cinephile who programs two recurring film events in Chicago: SUPER-HORROR-RAMA!, a weekly horror gathering with film screenings at Sideshow Gelato, and Fetish Film Forum, a monthly screening series about fetish, kink, leather, and BDSM at the Leather Archives & Museum. John is fascinated by all genres of cinema and appreciates horror most of all for its willingness to explore what makes us uncomfortable and for the compassion it often extends to its characters and the viewer.-------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most importantly, Keep Sharing the Scare!

BLACK SABBATH (1963) d. Mario Bava (Italy) Following the success of Roger Corman's comic exploration of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven in 1963, Boris Karloff found himself in high demand with American International Pictures. In addition to The Terror, notoriously shot in two days on the Raven's sets, the horror icon appeared in The Comedy of Terrors for Jacques Tourneur (alongside Raven co-stars Vincent Price and Peter Lorre), and tonight's selection, the masterful anthology Three Faces of Fear, or, as it was better known for its Stateside release, BLACK SABBATH. Director Mario Bava, having made his official directorial debut with Black Sunday in 1960 with AIP, was approached by Sam Arkoff and James Nicholson for another horror offering, this time in color. Bava, having already begun exploring his signature color schemes in Hercules in the Haunted World two years prior, jumped at the chance to work on three separate stories, with Karloff serving not only as the host but the star of one of the segments. The final results were successful, despite, or some might argue, because of AIP's re-dubbing, reordering, and reshooting pieces of Bava's original cut. AC is joined in the studio by four of his favorite horror pals, all of whom contributed essays to the award-winning Hidden Horror: Lawrence P. Raffel, Nile Arena, David Schmidt, and David Lee White! Enjoy the conversation as they celebrate one of my personal favorite Italian genre offerings - perfect for introducing fans to both AIP's gothic horrors and Bava's particular visual aesthetic. -------------------------------- NILE ARENA is the co-founder of Cicada Cinema and a member of Fabuloso Comedy. LAWRENCE P. RAFFEL started Monsters at Play in 2000, a DVD review site that started out as an experiment that grew into a thriving genre community. He joined with FEARnet (a multi platform horror network) in 2006, and oversaw editorial and all digital assets for FEARnet.com until 2014. DAVID SCHMIDT is a lifetime horror fan and filmmaker, and his work can be found at swordandcloak.com and @cinegeek . DAVID LEE WHITE is a playwright and performer based in New Jersey. His plays "Slippery as Sin" and "Ways to Be Happy" have just been published by Next Stage Press. Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most importantly, Keep Sharing the Scare! ------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most importantly, Keep Sharing the Scare!

FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER (1984) d. Joseph Zito (USA)

One of the most influential modern horror films, 1980's surprise hit from producer/director Sean S. Cunningham, FRIDAY THE 13th, spurred a spate of sequels and imitators. By 1984, however, interest in the slasher genre seemed to be fading (only to be reinvigorated by a certain resident of Elm Street, but that's another show), and so the executives at Paramount decided to put their "disreputable" cash cow, Jason Voorhees, out to pasture. While admittedly low on realism, The Final Chapter That Wasn't is high on shock value and good jumpy scares. Director Joseph Zito takes the helm delivering exactly what devotees of the series craved: an attractive cast, ample nudity, decent acting, adequate storyline, hockey masks, and most importantly, lots and lots of brilliantly bloody deaths, brought to sanguinary life by makeup wizard Tom Savini, displaying some of his finest work outside of George Romero's Dead series. Screenwriter Barney Cohen's able script provides the characters with less-than-painful dialogue, and the unsuspecting hedonists are up to the task. Tonight, AC and his awesome panel of guests (Jessalyn Abbott, Fraser Coffeen, Dave Kosanke, Lawrence P. Raffel, Larry Sternshein) celebrate Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter: 40 Years Later. A fitting send-off that could have been a satisfying omega to the series… if it hadn't ended up making oodles of money, leading Paramount to revive the series the very next year. But, again, that's another story. -------------------------------------------- JESSALYN ABBOTT is a writer, producer and editor. She produced and edited LIKE ME which premiered at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival and was nominated for a grand jury award. Her most recent effort, PuLL: A Dark Comedy, is currently in preproduction. FRASER COFFEEN is the co-host of Creepy History, a podcast dedicated to all the creepy stuff you wish they taught you in High School. He's been published in Horror Homeroom magazine and How to Analyze and Review Comics. DAVE KOSANKE wrote, edited, designed and published Liquid Cheese fanzine for 25 years. During that time, he also freelanced for HorrorHound and Ultra Violent magazines, and currently writes for Late Night Snack, a fanzine dedicated to cult cinema. LAWRENCE P. RAFFEL started Monsters at Play in 2000, a DVD review site that started out as an experiment that grew into a thriving genre community. He joined with FEARnet (a multi platform horror network) in 2006, and oversaw editorial and all digital assets for FEARnet.com until 2014. LARRY STERNSHEIN is a lifelong movie fan in Colorado and host of the movie memories podcast "Reel Early." Not only does he love talking about horror and action cinema, but is also a big pro wrestling fan. ---------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most importantly, Keep Sharing the Scare!

GODZILLA (2014) d. Gareth Edwards (USA) GODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023) d. Takashi Yamazaki (Japan) Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Dan Caffrey, Barry Kaufman, Michelle Kisner, Mark Matzke, Lee Price) for the second half of our special TWO-PART EPISODE celebrating 70 years of Godzilla! Tonight, we'll discuss the first installment of what would come to be known as the Legendary Monsterverse, 2014's Godzilla, as well as last year's Oscar-winning critical and box office smash, Godzilla Minus One. Get ready to rumble!!! --------------------------------------- DAN CAFFREY is a Brooklyn-based playwright, screenwriter, podcaster, and lifelong horror fan Caffrey currently co-hosts The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast and Halloweenies: A Horror Franchise Podcast, both on Bloody Disgusting's podcast network, Bloody FM. He received his MFA In Playwriting from UT Austin and has also written as a cultural critic for The A.V. Club, Consequence, Pitchfork, Vox, and elsewhere. His favorite horror movie is Halloween. His favorite movie-movie is also Halloween. (https://www.dancaffreywrites.com/) BARRY KAUFMAN has been committed to spreading the gospel of obscure horror and science-fiction cinema since writing the fanzines Monsters of Japan and Demonique in the 1970s and 80s. He ran All-Horror Video out of a house in the woods in Homewood, Illinois through the 1980s, followed by his shop The House of Monsters in Chicago from 1996 to 2007. He now vends at genre related shows and programs festivals in the Chicago area featuring his inconspicuous film favorites. MICHELLE KISNER is a film critic, freelance writer, and physical media advocate. She has contributed to several websites to include The Cultural Gutter and The Movie Sleuth and is also a member of the Michigan Movie Critics Guild. MARK MATZKE is the narrative voice of numerous Small Town Monsters documentaries such as "Sasquatch Unearthed." He's featured on STM's YouTube series "UFOs Revisited," and has written for Stephen Bissette's upcoming "Cryptid Cinema 2," Nostalgia Digest and G-FAN. LEE PRICE is dedicated to preserving and celebrating our history, culture, and monster movies through his work with the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts and freelance writing. Occasional guest blogger at "Wonders in the Dark." https://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/ --------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most importantly, Keep Sharing the Scare!

GOJIRA (aka GODZILLA) (1954) d. Ishiro Honda (Japan) SHIN GODZILLA (2016) d. Hideaki Anno (Japan) From his dark and imposing origins in 1954 to the rambunctious, bellowing, drop-kicking superhero of the 1970s to his resurgence on both sides of the Pacific in the 1990s and 2000s, Godzilla's significance to the giant monster genre cannot be understated. 70 years, 30 official Toho films, and five Hollywood efforts later, The Big G still stands head and shoulders above the rest. Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Dan Caffrey, Barry Kaufman, Michelle Kisner, Mark Matzke, Lee Price) for this special TWO-PART EPISODE as we celebrate 70 years of Godzilla, the true King of the Monsters! --------------------------------------- DAN CAFFREY is a Brooklyn-based playwright, screenwriter, podcaster, and lifelong horror fan Caffrey currently co-hosts The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast and Halloweenies: A Horror Franchise Podcast, both on Bloody Disgusting's podcast network, Bloody FM. He received his MFA In Playwriting from UT Austin and has also written as a cultural critic for The A.V. Club, Consequence, Pitchfork, Vox, and elsewhere. His favorite horror movie is Halloween. His favorite movie-movie is also Halloween. (https://www.dancaffreywrites.com/) BARRY KAUFMAN has been committed to spreading the gospel of obscure horror and science-fiction cinema since writing the fanzines Monsters of Japan and Demonique in the 1970s and 80s. He ran All-Horror Video out of a house in the woods in Homewood, Illinois through the 1980s, followed by his shop The House of Monsters in Chicago from 1996 to 2007. He now vends at genre related shows and programs festivals in the Chicago area featuring his inconspicuous film favorites. MICHELLE KISNER is a film critic, freelance writer, and physical media advocate. She has contributed to several websites to include The Cultural Gutter and The Movie Sleuth and is also a member of the Michigan Movie Critics Guild. MARK MATZKE is the narrative voice of numerous Small Town Monsters documentaries such as "Sasquatch Unearthed." He's featured on STM's YouTube series "UFOs Revisited," and has written for Stephen Bissette's upcoming "Cryptid Cinema 2," Nostalgia Digest and G-FAN. LEE PRICE is dedicated to preserving and celebrating our history, culture, and monster movies through his work with the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts and freelance writing. Occasional guest blogger at "Wonders in the Dark." https://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/ --------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most importantly, Keep Sharing the Scare!