Retro Sleepover

Let me transport you back to the late 1970s, where you sit in front of your television waiting for the next Halloween special. You've got your bowl of candy corn and a glass bottle of cold Coca-Cola all ready to go. Here is the big moment -- you are suddenly inundated with monochrome characters trying to have fun on Halloween when the only non-monochrome character, a witch, tries to spoil the fun.

In your bag this week, the treat is this nearly forgotten Halloween gem about two kids becoming monsters and the monster becoming part of the town. Let's deep dive into this 70s versin of a Halloween special!

Get ready for a heavy dose of nostalgia, autumn wind, and old-school horror! In this very special late-night, lights-off Halloween episode of Retro Sleepover, the crew turns back the clock to 1988. This week, we aren't talking streaming, DVDs, or VHS—we're diving straight into the unique experience of watching a network television broadcast of a horror classic right from your living room.

Joining host Ron Marti are regular horror crew staples Jay of the Dead and Gillman Joel for a deep-dive discussion on the television broadcast cut of Halloween II (1981) as it aired on WLVI in the Boston area.

In this episode, we explore how watching 1980s network television cuts of classic slashers (Halloween II, The Terminator, Dawn of the Dead) created a unique viewing experience complete with local commercials, broadcast censors, and altered runtimes.The crew debates the merits of Rick Rosenthal's 1981 hospital-bound sequel, discussing its pacing, atmosphere, and why some fans hold it as the ultimate seasonal favorite. This includes a breakdown of the classic deleted scenes featured in the television cuts versus the theatrical version—including extra gore, alternate character fates, and the infamous missing hospital staff scene. Join us for a trip down memory lane reliving vintage late-night television commercial breaks, public service announcements, and local New England broadcast quirks from October 1988. Links & Resources Mentioned

• Halloween II (1981) WLVI TV Cut (October 1988 Broadcast): Archive.org Recording Link

• Halloween II 10-Minute Deleted Scenes Archive: Deleted Scenes

• Jay of the Dead's Podcasts: New Horror Movies - Horror Movie Weekly - Considering the Cinema - Movie Podcast Weekly

• Gillman Joel's Channel: Mom and Pop Video Shop - Spooky Flix Fest 2026

"Always remember the past, live in the present, and look forward to the future. We'll see you at the next sleepover!"

Contact the Show:

• Email: [email protected]

• Facebook: Retro Sleepover on Facebook

Welcome back! Open your bag up for me to drop in a treat in the form of a small discusssion about trick-o-treat bags of the past! Fast Food pails? No thank you. Pillowcases? I admire your optimism, but put them aside. Today, we are taking a fun-sized look at those icons of the past. Whether you got them from the grocery store, a restaurant or a gas station, bright yellow or orange trick-or-treat bags would bring you right to the Hallowen season.

If you were lucky, your trick-or-treat bag of choice would give you tirck-or-treating rules to live by. Wear bright clothing! Don't get hit by cars! Don't eat razorblades!

All rules we should live by every day, not just on Halloween.

Welcome back to another late-night, glow-in-the-dark edition of Retro Sleepover, where we're dimming the lights, popping a fresh VHS tape into the VCR, and cracking open a cold soda to soak in pure, uncut Halloween nostalgia . Tonight's episode wraps you entirely in that crisp, late-September evening air, setting the mood with the static hum of retro horror news, warm memories of midnight creature features, and the unmistakable screech of late-1980s animated Halloween decorations lurking in store aisles .

Our main feature: a deep dive into the lost, magical world of classic Halloween promotions . We revisit the glory days of cardboard store standees, mail-in sweepstakes, and legendary horror hostesses taking over soda displays after being deemed a little too scandalous for beer campaigns . Were you the infamous walk-on for A Nightmare on Elm Street 4? How creepy is Grimace? Grab your plastic trick-or-treat bucket, turn down the lights, and press play.

Happy Halloween season!

My porch light light is on, so come and knock on my door, I have a treat for you! Throughout the season we will be delivering these fun-sized episodes into your McBoo pail about little snippets of Halloween past for you to devour between our larger episodes.

In our first Trick or Treat of the season, we discuss Kooky Spooks - the Halloween costume/makeup fad from the late 70s that lasted until the early 90s in some form or fashion. Remember those commercials that had kids dressed up with what was basically beach balls on their heads? Welcome to Kooky Spooks!

Happy 1-Year Anniversary to Retro Sleepover! To celebrate a full year on the air, host Ron Martin wraps up the summer series by diving deep into the ultimate childhood rite of passage: the sleepover.

From the high-stakes ritual of claiming the best sleeping bag spot to late-night video store runs, off-brand soda, and staying up way past 2:00 AM, this episode explores why sleepovers were the one time as kids we felt in complete control of our own narrative.

Hear personal stories from Ron and his plethora of guests, Doc Shock, Darien Brock and Jay of the Dead. Some stop by for the sleepover while others call in. Great stories are told from an ill-fated first sleepover, to the revenge of a hand all the way to solving a decades old mystery in West Virgnia! There's even original music making its podcast debut. You'll never look at Excitebike the same way again.

Find Doc Shock on the following podcasts:

Jay of the Dead's New Horror Movies

Considering the Cinema

Land of the Creeps

The DVD Infatuation Podcast

Find Darien Brock on The Padded Room Podcast

Find Jay of the Dead on the following shows:

Jay of the Dead's New Horror Movies

Considering the Cinema

Movie Podcast Weekly

Horror Movie Weekly

As always, if you like the content, share, subscribe, leave a review and tell a friend!!!

Remember when beating the summer heat meant hurling your body at top speed onto a three-millimeter sheet of yellow vinyl stretched over a bed of hidden rocks and pinecones? Welcome to the wild, largely unregulated era of 1970s, 80s, and 90s water lawn toys.

In this episode, we dive headfirst into the chaotic history of suburban summer survival. We trace the slippery evolution of classic backyard staples, from the shin-shattering erratic flight of the 1970s Wham-O Water Wiggle to the legendary rise of the Crocodile Mile and its famously unforgiving inflatable launch pad.

Grab an ice pop, mind the dead yellow patch of scorched grass on the lawn, and join us for a hilarious look back at the bruises, dish-soap hacks, and sheer adrenaline that made 20th-century summer backyards unforgettable.

Grab your sleeping bag, crack open a soda, and tune into Retro Sleepover, your bi-weekly deep dive into all things 70s, 80s, and 90s nostalgia! In this episode, Ron sits down with special guest Jay of the Dead to revisit the groundbreaking 1984 animated series The Transformers (Generation 1, Season 1).

Why did the original airing order feel so jumbled? The guys break down how licensing agreements, toy production timelines, and syndicated broadcast models scrambled the intended chronological run of Season 1. From shifting scale and disappearing animation layers to characters swapping colors or appearing in scenes before they were officially introduced, G1 Season 1 is legendary for its animation quirks. Ever notice how severely outnumbered the bad guys were? We analyze the numerical imbalance between the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, and how the writers kept the stakes high despite the odds. The introduction of the Constructicons gave us Devastator, the very first Combiner. The guys explore whether the huge popularity of Voltron in the early 80s influenced Hasbro and Sunbow to bring a giant combined mecha into the Transformers universe. Why Megatron ever kept Starscream around remains one of animation's greatest mysteries. We celebrate Starscream's classic, shameless ambition to usurp leadership and his iconic backstabbing personality.

• Favorite Transformer Showdowns

  • Ron's Pick: Thundercracker — Diving into the blue Seeker's underrated dynamic, sonic booms, and place among the original Decepticon jets.

  • Jay's Pick: Ravage — Examining why Soundwave's iconic, panther-like cassette minion steals every scene he's in.

• Devastator & The Voltron Connection

Key Takeaways & Discussion Points

1. Production Realities: G1 was essentially designed to sell toys, leading to rapid character introductions that often outpaced the story logic.

2. Combiner Tech: Devastator set the gold standard for multi-robot combination that became a staple for the franchise in later seasons.

3. Voice Acting Greatness: Outstanding vocal performances (like Chris Latta as Starscream) gave paper-thin archetype tropes lasting personality and charm.

Enjoying the show? Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share Retro Sleepover with fellow retro pop culture fans! What was your favorite G1 Transformer growing up?

Check out Jay of the Dead on the following podcasts:

Jay of the Dead's New Horror Movies

Considering the Cinema

Horror Movie Weekly

Pop open a can of Jolt Cola, lay down your best piece of cardboard, and dust off your high-tops. In this episode, we are diving deep into the holy trinity of mid-80s hip-hop and street culture cinema: Breakin' (1984), Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984), and the legendary Def Jam origin story, Krush Groove (1985).

We explore how these low-budget, high-energy films took a regional New York and LA subculture and blasted it directly into mainstream global consciousness. Whether you are here for Turbo's iconic broom-dancing scene, the ultimate sequel naming meme, or to see a baby-faced Run-D.M.C. dominate the screen, we've got you covered.

The Films at a Glance Film Release Year Primary Vibe / Style Iconic Soundtrack Standout Breakin' 1984 Pure West Coast street dance culture meets classical jazz-dance clashes. "There's No Stopping Us" by Ollie & Jerry Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo 1984 Technicolor, high-camp community activism fueled by gravity-defying moves. "Electric Boogaloo" by Ollie & Jerry Krush Groove 1985 Gritty, authentic East Coast hip-hop origin story and label-building drama. "Krush Groovin'" by Krush Groove All Stars

Listener Challenge: Can you spot a teenage Jean-Claude Van Damme dancing in the background of the first Breakin' movie? (Hint: Check out the first beach dance scene. Yes, he is wearing a black unitard.)

Grab your flashlights and pass the snacks—we're having a horror sleepover! In this episode, we deep dive into the legendary 1970s run of the master of terror himself, Stephen King. From his explosive debut with Carrie to the nightmare-inducing short stories of Night Shift, we trace King's early biography and his meteoric rise to success.

Joining the late-night chat is Darien Brock from The Padded Room Podcast. Together, we bring centuries of collective horror obsession to the table to debate the ultimate genre questions: Where does Brian De Palma's Carrie rank in the gritty hierarchy of 70s cinema? Which massive epic reigns supreme: IT or The Stand? And why do the book and movie versions of The Shining feel like two completely different beasts?

Plus, we crown the best decade for horror movies and start the podcast with Retro Pop Culture News featuring Masters of the Universe and a Blockbuster-themed speakeasy.

Featured Links:

• Check out Darien's show: The Padded Room Podcast

• Revisit the archives: The Resurrection of Zombie 7