Podcast | JOHNNY HAS THE KEYS

The Mummy (1932) – A team of British archaeologists led by Sir Joseph Wemple (Arthur Byron) discover the mummified remains of the ancient Egyptian prince Imhotep (Boris Karloff), along with the legendary scroll of Thoth. When one archaeologist recites the scroll aloud, Imhotep returns to life but escapes. Several years later, Imhotep has taken on the guise of a wealthy man, as he searches Egypt for his lost love, who he believes has been reincarnated as the lovely Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann).

The Mummy (1959) – In the 1890s a team of British archaeologists discover the untouched tomb of Princess Ananka but accidentally bring the mummified body of her High Priest back to life. Three years later, back in England, a follower of the same Egyptian religion unleashes the mummy to exact grisly revenge on the despoilers of the sacred past.

Welcome to another of this season’s double features, and what better topic to delve into than our beloved mummies? Join us as we take on two classic studios and their original takes on the cursed character, both Universal and Hammer. Listen as we discuss the pros and cons of both films, their iconic casts, placement in history, and color vs. black and white! Listen as Johnny Has the Keys awakens, stumbling for our crypt in seeking vengeance from those that disturbed our ancient slumber.

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Catharine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) is a psychotherapist who is part of a revolutionary new treatment that allows her to literally enter the mind of her patients. Her experience with this method takes an unexpected turn when Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn), an F.B.I. agent, seeks her help. Notorious serial killer, Carl Stargher (Vincent D’Onofrio), whose method of operation is to abduct and imprison women for 40 hours until they are slowly drowned, was caught, but is now in an irreversible coma. Novak needs Deane to explore the twisted mind of Stargher to find the current victim (still alive). However, Stargher’s damaged personality poses unprecedented dangers that threaten to foil their plans.

Tarsem Singh’s The Cell (2000) is a spectacular genre-hybrid film, featuring intoxicating elements of both sci-fi and crime/procedural dramas, serial killers to be specific. Join us as we discuss this overlooked gem, including its fantastic script, amazing visuals, and a solid cast. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys ventures into the mind of a sick and depraved serial killer, seeking that one hidden clue that will not only save the missing victim but perhaps the heroine of the story as well.

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Metal music, painting, and family are the passions of struggling painter, Jesse, who lives a happy life with his wife and daughter. Things look brighter when Jesse finds a huge old house in rural Texas, selling at a cheap price because of its mysterious past. They move in and Jesse converts the barn into a studio. But soon, his work takes on a new, darker flavor – and things get even more ominous when the hulking, unbalanced son of the former owners appears on the doorstep. Jesse’s family won’t be safe until they quiet the Devil himself.

The devil made me do it is not only the perfect idiomatic phrase for director Sean Byrne’s The Devil’s Candy (2015) but is also quite literally the plot. Join us as we discuss the pros, cons, and keys of this striking film, including its incredibly talented director and cast. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys gets a great deal on a house, haunted not simply by its past and specters of the night, but by the devil himself!

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• The Devil’s Candy (2015)

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• CONTACT JOHNNY HAS THE KEYS

Set several centuries into the future, the abandoned Alita is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido, a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past.

Alita: Battle Angel (2019) is a fast-paced, sci-fi, action-adventure brought to us by renowned cinematic director Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids; Elmaricahi). Join us as we discuss its pros and cons, including its anime origins, its translation to an enormous CGI-packed film, and its place in the overall canon of science fiction cinema. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys, sorts through the refuge, scavenging for the salvage of long-ago heroes and acknowledging their place in the present-day world.

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A giant asteroid is heading toward Earth! Two space-station astronauts, Commander Jack (Robert Horton) and Commander Vince (Richard Jaeckel), disembark from a nearby space station to blow it up. The mission is successful, and they return to the station, unknowingly bringing with them a gooey green substance that mutates into one-eyed tentacled monsters that feed off electricity. Soon the station is crawling with them!

The moon is made of cheese! Not really, but there is plenty of high-grade cheese in cinematic outer space and The Green Slime (1968) is cut from the golden wheel. From its solid B-Movie cast, its ridiculous storyline, its Japanese-US production values, and its fabulously groovy score (think Barbarella), The Green Slime (1968) is a treasure chest loaded with the utmost quality, aged curds (and keys). Join us as we discuss why this ridiculous movie holds a dear place in our hearts. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys journey into space on toy rockets and battle one-eyed tentacled, electricity-spewing monsters to save our favorite 1960s Bond girl!

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• The Green Slime (1968)

Open the door you’ll find the secret
To find the answer is to keep it
You’ll believe it when you find
Something screaming ‘cross your mind
Green slime
What can it be, what is the reason
Is this the end of all that breathes, and
Is it something in your head?
Will you believe it when you’re dead?
Green slime, green slime, green slime

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Just before the destruction of the planet Krypton, scientist Jor-El (Marlon Brando) sends his infant son Kal-El on a spaceship to Earth. Raised by kindly farmers Jonathan (Glenn Ford) and Martha Kent, young Clark (Christopher Reeve) discovers the source of his superhuman powers and moves to Metropolis to fight evil. As Superman, he battles the villainous Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), while, as novice reporter Clark Kent, he attempts to woo co-worker Lois Lane (Margot Kidder).

What better way to soar into a new year than with the original Superman (1978)? This movie holds a nostalgic place in many of our hearts but isn’t really as good as its sequel you may recollect (as we did). Join us, as we discuss the pros and cons of this now classic film, its ambitious screenplay, solid director, and many players (all talented but some terribly miscast). Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys flees a dying planet in search of a new home, one where a man can fly.

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• Superman (1978)

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Strange things occur as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centennial. Inanimate objects spring eerily to life. The Reverand Malone (Hal Holbrook) stumbles upon a dark secret regarding the town’s founding. A radio announcer, Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau), witnesses a mystical fire. A hitchhiker (Jamie Lee Curtis) discovers the mutilated corpse of a fisherman. Accompanying these occurrences is a mysterious, iridescent fog that descends upon the village. Soon, people die.

Happy Carpenter Christmas to us all. The Fog (1980) is a keeper. This one is steeped in nostalgia for both David and me and, though it has flaws, it is a lushly shot mood piece that remains suspenseful even today. Join us as we discuss the reasons Carpenter was so good in his early days and speculate why his brilliance has dissipated with more current films. Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys prepares to celebrate the forty-two-year-old classic for the holidays, hopefully avoiding angry wronged ghosts (or the director himself) seeking vengeance.

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• The Fog (1980)

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When horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) goes missing, insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) scrutinizes the claim made by his publisher, Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston), and endeavors to retrieve a yet-to-be-released manuscript and find out the writer’s whereabouts. Accompanied by the novelist’s editor, Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), and disturbed by nightmares from reading Cane’s other novels, Trent makes an eerie nighttime trek to a supernatural town in New Hampshire.

John Carpenter has made some wonderful movies. In the Mouth of Madness (1995) is not one of them. Join us as we discuss the many reasons this third entry into Carpenter’s self-proclaimed “apocalypse trilogy” falls short of his past brilliance. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys travels to the creepy little hamlet of Hobb’s End where, though awful things lurk, there is much more to dread than Lovecraftian monstrosities.

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• In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

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In 1997, a major war between the United States and the Soviet Union is concluding, and the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a giant maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president (Donald Pleasence) is taken hostage by a group of inmates. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.

Welcome to dystopian Manhattan in 1997, where only the savvy and savage survive. Escape from New York (1981) is one of those wonderful early Carpenter films with a certain je nais se quois (unlike many of his latter efforts). Join us as we discuss the film’s strengths and weaknesses, including the solid cast, crew, and cinematography. Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys has 24 hours to infiltrate the maximum security prison of Manhattan, rescue the President of the United States, and avoid global annihilation!

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While investigating a series of mysterious deaths, Sergeant Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) finds a young girl (Sandy Descher) who cannot speak. As Peterson joins forces with FBI agent Robert Graham (James Arness) and scientist Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn), he discovers that all the incidents are because of giant ants that atomic radiation has mutated. Peterson and Graham, with the aid of the military, attempt to find the queen ants and destroy the nests before the danger spreads.

It’s been a while since we covered a Big Bug movie, so why not start with the one that started them all? Them! (1954) is a picnic basket of wonderful cinematic nostalgia and we all know what crashes a pleasant picnic in the 1950s: giant ants! Join us as we discuss why this film is a gold standard genre classic, including the star-studded cast (both primary and secondary), the script, and the fantastic (for the time) special effects. Listen, and Johnny Has the Keys goes deep down in the tunnels of Los Angeles, fighting enormous lethal insectoids, searching for the queen’s nest before the eggs hatch, migrate, and wipe out humanity!

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