Long Legged Beasties

One Cut of the Dead isn't really a horror movie, it's a horror movie inside a comedy. But that doesn't stop us from categorizing it, or at least the movie within the movie. Shin'ichirô Ueda directed and wrote this marvelous take and re-take on zombie horror that has a cast in a schlock horror movie trying to survive a zombie outbreak and over-the-top director. Make sure you stick around for the third act, though, it's a doozy.

Set during the heat of the 1980s Cold War, Russian sci-fi horror flick Sputnik drops viewers into the dark corners of nationalist pride and militaristic hubris. The film's Russian cosmonaut is both a national hero and potentially deadly weapon when he returns to earth with an unwelcome alien hitchhiker inside. In this episode, we talk about the cultural differences found in this excellent Russian movie and what does and doesn't work in director Egor Abramenko's unusual take on a common alien tale.

Before life, uh, found a way or he had ever heard of a melt stick, Jeff Goldblum was breaking hearts and changing the world as inspired loner scientist Seth Brundle (and later, lady-killer Brundlefly) in the masterful recreation of The Fly. In this episode, we explore the 1986 David Cronenberg classic with the help of our pal Ludwig Kietzmann.

David Slade may have directed one of the glimmer-tastic Twilight Saga flicks, but his take on Steve Niles' horror comic miniseries 30 Days of Night earned him all of the vampire bonafides he will ever need. In this latest episode, we explore the unique flavor of bloodsucker found in Barrow, Alaska's polar night, why this action-horror movie works so well, and how the ending left us a little ... cold. 

The weeping woman, or La Llorona, is a Hispanic legend that traces its origins back to the 16th century. We've seen a number of films based on the chilling tale of a spectral woman in anguish over her drowned children, but none have been as compelling as this latest. Director Jayro Bustamante blends the haunting narrative and lush cinematography to delve into the atrocities of the very real Guatemalan genocide of native Mayans.  La Llorona, and Maria Mercedes Coroy's hypnotic performance as the titular figure, is a prime example of how modern horror movies have grown to become a powerful form of expression and a deft tool for dissecting real-world horrors.

It’s been more than 120 years since H.G. Wells released the serialized tale of a scientist driven mad after turning himself invisible. In the intervening years, The Invisible Man has given life to a slew of movie creations. Most recently, the talented Leigh Whannell (Saw, Dead Silence, Insidious) used its underlying themes to create a powerful tale about gaslighting, emotional abuse, and fear. In this episode, we’re joined by IGN’s executive editor of features Lucy O’Brien to discuss the unsettling take on the classic.

Who's up for a little Norwegian folk horror? This week's episode delves into director Ari Aster's Midsommar, a more unsettling follow-up to Aster's already pretty frigging unsettling Hereditary. While the two movies aren't tied together by story, both highlight Aster's rising influence as an auteur horror filmmaker. Fortunately, we have the talented Rob Savage -- director of 2020's most captivating horror movie, Host -- on hand to talk about Aster's work, how one delineates horror from not-horror and, of course, to help us put this one in its proper place.

In this week's episode, we sit down with Kinda Funny's Greg Miller to discuss one of the best horror movies of 2020: Host. Filmed during the pandemic, Rob Savage's indie masterpiece is very much a product of its time; both in how it was created and the way in which it encapsulates the sense of isolation and fear everyone seems to be struggling with these days. In the 57-minute movie, a group of friends gathers over video conference software Zoom to hold a seance. Things do not go well.

Candyman, Candyman, Candyman. I sure hope you weren't sitting in a darkened bathroom staring at a mirror when you read this. In this week's episode, we explore the intricacies and nuance of 1992 classic Candyman. Directed by Bernard Rose and starring Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Kasi Lemmons and, yes, Vanessa Williams, Candyman is a story about an urban legend that turns out to be true ... and hungry for a little notoriety and a lot of revenge. With the remake of this Clive Barker movie in the wings, its time we try to categorize just what's going on in Cabrini-Green.

In this week's episode, we break down the wonderful found-film horror flick Hell House, LLC. Joining us for the discussion is Dr. Elisa Melendez, a pop culture sociologist who loves bad movies, writing songs, and gave voice to Borderland 3's Tyreen Calypso. Hell House, LLC, directed and written by previous LLB guest Stephen Cognetti, is a classic haunted house flick, but that doesn't make it any easier to pigeon hole.