Imported Horror

Gloves? Check. Knife? Check. Splashy neon colors and a gore-geous movie theater? Double check. Spend the afternoon with us as we talk slashers, siestas, movie screenings and the innovative "The Last Matinee." We also discuss The Devils, Shudder's upcoming and famously controversial drop.

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 3. Quality: 5. Enjoyment: 5 (Marcus & Melissa) / 4 (Grady)

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Interview: Director Maximiliano Contenti Discusses the Influences Behind THE LAST MATINEE," by Heather Wixson for Daily Dead

"A Chat With Ricardo Islas, Star Of 'The Last Matinee' (2021) – Interview," by Tiffany Blem for PopHorror.com

"What time do people eat in Uruguay," by the Guru of Guru'Guay

"Vote for the 2022 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards"

Last year, a trippy neo-western appeared in the Chainsaw Awards. Bacurau works well as a western, but its horror award nominations and complicated trailer confuse our crew this week. Also, can we all geek out about Spine of Night?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 1 (Marcus) / 2 (Melissa & Grady). Quality: 3. Enjoyment: 2.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: THE CREATORS OF "BACURAU," THE MUST-SEE THRILLER NOW ON-LINE, PART ONE," by Michael Gingold for Rue Morgue

"The Violence of Power Relations: Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles on Bacurau," by Fabio Andrade in Filmmaker Magazine

If you're in the mood for found footage horror from the aughts, we've got great news. Get ready for animal-enhanced screams, nostalgic vibes and the shakiest of shaky cams as we dial the clock back to 2007 for "Rec." The crew also unpacks where to find the subbed version and why dubs might make an easier watch.

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 4. Quality: 5. Enjoyment: 5 (Marcus and Melissa), 3 (Grady)

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Exclusive Interview with Oriol Tarragó, Sound Designer of 'Rec' and 'Rec 2,'" by Miguel Isaza for Designing Sound

"'[REC] 3' trailer," by Clark Collis for Entertainment Weekly

"REC (2007) / Quarantine (2008): side-by-side comparison," by Matt Skuta on YouTube

"The debate over subtitles, explained," by Aja Romano for Vox

"No Country for Subtitles (Just Voices)," by Erik Olsen for The New York Times

Stop motion animation is unnerving even when it's trying to be cheery. When it's leaning into isolation and despair, it's downright horrifying. This week, the crew unpacks materialism and fantastic voice acting in a compelling stop motion anthology. We also highlight four Ukrainian horror movies.

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 2 (Marcus & Grady), 3 (Melissa). Quality: 5. Enjoyment: 5.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Interview: The House Director Paloma Baeza Talks Inspirations Behind Story Three And Her Love For Cats," by Raven Brunner in Game Rant.

"Behind the Scenes of The House, Netflix's New Ode to Stop-Motion Animation," by Ritupriya Basu in Eye On Design

"Netflix's 'The House' Three Endings Explained," by Victoria Stube in Collider

"Earnings From Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's 'Gulliver Returns' Will Support Country's Defense," by Naman Ramachandran in Variety

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is an ongoing atrocity. We haven't reviewed any Ukrainian movies but did discuss The Golem, which was filmed near Kyiv, so we're re-releasing that episode this week. The landscape is beautiful.

We've also removed reviews of Russian and Russian-financed horror movies from our podcast feed. We'll discuss Ukrainian horror movies during our next regular episode next week.

Our episode on The Golem first aired on December 5, 2019.

A high schooler wakes up to find her high school abandoned and haunted. Are ghosts scarier than a military dictatorship? This week, the crew dials the clock back to 1962 Taiwan for Detention. They also explore the "New French Extremity" collection debuting on Shudder next week.

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 4 (Marcus and Melissa) / 3 ( Grady). Quality: 5/5/4 Enjoyment: 5/5/4

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Interview with John Hsu: It Was Like a Collective Trauma no One Wanted to Face," by Panos Kotzathanasis for Asian Movie Pulse

"INTERVIEW: Adapting 'Detention' to screen was a challenge: Hsu" in the Taipei Times

"For decades, no one spoke of Taiwan's hidden massacre. A new generation is breaking the silence," by Amy B Wang for The Washington Post

"Taiwan Families Receive Goodbye Letters Decades After Executions," by Paul Mozur for The New York Times

"Shudder March 2022 Schedule Announced," by Mirko Parlevliet for Vital Thrills

It's felt like the year of Dick Maas at Imported Horror. We've got an unashamed nostalgic attachment to Dutch B-cult classic Amsterdamned, which we watched this summer, and we're finishing the year with the yule tide terrors of Saint. The crew explores differences between Dutch and American holidays, including the super racist "Zwarte Piet" tradition. Plus, we look back on 2021 and forward to plans for the new year.

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 1. Quality: 3 (Marcus & Melissa) / 4 (Grady). Enjoyment: 3 / 5 / 4

2002 called. It wants its bad, punny movies back. But nobody answered because we were too busy watching a sophomoric horror comedy that isn't quite as outrageous as you might think. Also, Melissa confesses an irrational fear of country music and the crew explores new foreign horror releases dropping this week.

Motion Picture Terror Scale: lol, nope. Quality: 2 (Marcus), 1 (Melissa) and 2 (Grady). Enjoyment: 3/2/3

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Fantastic Fest 2018: Chatting with Olivier Afonso, Director of GIRLS WITH BALLS," by Dan Tabor in Cinapse

If you'd never heard of vampires, would you know they were monsters? Or would you assume they were divine? This week, the crew unpacks the pros and cons of bad religion, tragic characters and a dog that deserved better. Plus, Shudder's dropping a bunch from overseas this week and one may - or may not - include a bear.

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 3 (Marcus) / 4 (Melissa) / 3 (Grady). Quality: 3 / 4 / 4 Enjoyment: 2 / 5 / 4

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Mike Flanagan Explores His Private Horrors in 'Midnight Mass'" by Darryn King in The New York Times

"Midnight Mass creator dissects the big twists and turns of his addicting horror series," by Nick Romano in Entertainment Weekly

"'Midnight Mass' Is Creator Mike Flanagan's Most Vulnerable Work, 11 Years in the Making," by Aaron Pruner in Thrillist

"How to Start a Cult" in WikiHow

It's 1983 and there's hypnotic red fog everywhere. Say no to drugs. Say yes to macaroni and cheese and raw, uncut revenge. Get real weird with us this week as we spend time with Mandy, a cult horror hit featuring Nic Cage and a horrifying cult. Also, there's something for everyone in the coming soon section this week.

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 4 (Marcus) / 3 (Melissa) / 2 (Grady). Quality: 5 / 4 / 4. Enjoyment: 4 / 3 / 4

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Panos Cosmatos on Crafting His Heavy Metal Valentine, Mandy," by Nick Allen for RogerEbert.com

"The Oral History of Cheddar Goblin, the Mac & Cheese-Loving Mascot in 'Mandy'" by Jennifer Vineyard in Thrillist

"Cheddar Goblin commercial" on YouTube