Scream Scene Podcast

We're excited to make our way to Egypt for the country's first horror film! It's AL QASR AL MAL'OUN aka THE CURSED PALACE from 1962 and director Hassan Reda! This old dark house flick brings together horror and giallo tropes into a unique, though a little old fashioned, story.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 37:50; Discussion 49:08; Ranking 58:53

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Sometimes you come across a movie that's just a little unfortunate. Maybe it needed another rewrite. Maybe it needed a more experienced director. In any case, our monster here is... just a guy with a skin condition... It's HAND OF DEATH (1962, Nelson) starring John Agar as our guy! ...at least the music by Sonny Burke is good?

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 26:05; Discussion 35:46; Discussion 49:07

This episode has been re-uploaded due to issues with the RSS feed.

Sometimes you come across a movie that's just a little unfortunate. Maybe it needed another rewrite. Maybe it needed a more experienced director. In any case, our monster here is... just a guy with a skin condition... It's HAND OF DEATH (1962, Nelson) starring John Agar as our guy! ...at least the music by Sonny Burke is good?

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 26:05; Discussion 35:46; Discussion 49:07

Ahh yes, the classic question: Horror or thriller? We ask this as we watch THE COUCH (1962) from director Owen Crump! The film stars Grant Williams, Shirley Knight, and Onslow Stevens, with a screenplay by PSYCHO author Robert Bloch.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 14:54; Discussion 23:19; Ranking 50:09

Your hosts travel to Spain for the first Spanish horror film! GRITOS EN LA NOCHE aka SCREAMS IN THE NIGHT aka L'HORRIBLE DOCTEUR ORLOFF aka THE AWFUL DR. ORLOFF comes from Spanish director Jesús Franco as he maps his DARK EYES OF LONDON fanfic on to an EYES WITHOUT A FACE rip-off. But how does he balance delivering exposition versus exploitation through the female form? Well, just make different edits of the movie!

We also give context on Francoist Spain and why we're only seeing a Spanish horror movie in the 1960s.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 57:20; Discussion 1:12:08; Ranking 1:29:33

Look, it's not that we don't like Ray Milland. He's just a little... milquetoast? That being said, your deadicated hosts did enjoy him in Roger Corman's THE PREMATURE BURIAL (1962)!

In this week's episode, we talk about Edgar Allan Poe's short story, the fear of being buried alive, and the pettiness of American International Pictures when dealing with Roger Corman.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 29:42; Discussion 43:50; Ranking 1:00:02

From b-movie writer/director Roberto Mauri comes LA STRAGE DEI VAMPIRI (1962), aka Slaughter of the Vampires, aka Curse of the Blood Ghouls! This Italian horror borrows much from Dracula, but still manages to show off aesthetically -- in both cinematography and its female stars.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 8:24; Discussion 16:52; Ranking 33:39

Larry "schlockmeister" Buchanan directs, writes and edits THE NAKED WITCH (1961)! Your deadicated hosts aren't sure what to make of this exploitation flick, but they can at least agree it's an interesting artifact of early American folk horror! The film stars Libby Hall, Robert Short and Jo Maryman.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 18:14; Discussion 28:35; Ranking 46:28

The 1960s saw a range of different anxieties, from nuclear annihilation to the terror of teen street gangs. This week, we watch a film that brings these anxieties together in THE DAMNED (1961, Losey)! Adapted from H.L. Lawrence's novel THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT (1960), Hammer Horror tries to make their own VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, unfortunately while relying on a director and writer more interested in philosophical ideas...

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 39:17; Discussion 1:02:08; Ranking 1:29:17