Scream Scene Podcast

Like a snake eating its own tail, William Castle presents HOMICIDAL (1961), his take on Hitchcock's PSYCHO (1960), which was Hitchcock's take on Castle's gimmick approach to horror! With twists and turns throughout the movie, your deadicated hosts do their best to avoid spoilers until the synopsis.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 21:24; Discussion 40:18; Ranking 1:40:20

And to be completely clear, trans rights are human rights!

Would you still love me if I was a mermaid? With that as the central question, your hosts tackle NIGHT TIDE (1961) from writer/director Curtis Harrington! The film takes inspiration from William Hope Hodgson and Edgar Allan Poe, and stars Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson and Gavin Muir.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 36:30; Discussion 48:34; Ranking 1:20:26

A female-led psychological horror movie in black and white? What is this, 1940's RKO? Nope, it's the latest from Hammer Film! Director Seth Holt takes on Jimmy Sangster's gothic thriller script for TASTE OF FEAR (1961) and magic is truly made! The film stars Susan Strasberg, Ronald Lewis, Ann Todd and Christopher Lee.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 23:46; Discussion 35:54; Ranking 1:07:08

Your hosts travel to Nevada for THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS (1961), directed by Coleman Francis and starring Tor Johnson! But does this indie horror land more towards Ed Wood charm or W. Lee Wilder incompetence? While we decide, we share facts about the Nevada Test Site, nuclear experiments and John Wayne's 1956 film THE CONQUEROR.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 27:20; Discussion 35:42; Ranking 45:08

If your beloved pet cat witnessed your murder... would it take revenge on your behalf? In THE SHADOW OF THE CAT (1961), the answer is YES! This latest entry from Hammer Productions is directed by John Gilling and stars Andre Morell, Barbara Shelley, William Lucas and Bunkie as Tabitha the cat!

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 10:44; Discussion 18:00; Ranking 32:40

At last, your deadicated hosts make it to the first werewolf picture in colour: it's THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961) from Terence Fisher! Starring Oliver Reed and adapting Guy Endore's THE WEREWOLF OF PARIS (1933), how does the film's lycanthropy stack up against the tried-and-true formula in past iterations?

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 44:28; Discussion 58:14; Ranking 1:25:52

With THE SNAKE WOMAN (1961), director Sidney Furie reminds us that the past isn't always better and the content-entertainment-churning machine has been hard at work since the beginning. The film stars Susan Travers, John McCarthy and Elsie Wagstaff, and includes a surprising amount of accurate snake facts!

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 11:28; Discussion 27:08; Ranking 45:02

From Canadian director Sidney J Furie comes DOCTOR BLOOD'S COFFIN (1961), a British horror film... in colour?! The film stars Kieron Moore, Hazel Court and Ian Hunter in a typical mad scientist plot with a thriller/rom-com spin.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 11:53; Discussion 24:30; Ranking 42:51

Welcome to 1961! For our first film of the year, we cover the very first zombie movie in colour... THE DEAD ONE! From writer/director Barry Mahon, this voodoo zombie movie takes place on a Louisianan plantation, but will it mine the full depth of the horror available?

Edited to add: A listener let us know the original upload of this episode lost the last few minutes, so we've re-uploaded as of Dec 28!

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 44:06; Discussion 51:04; Ranking 1:10:06

We fast-forward through all THE TELL-TALE HEART adaptations over the decades to find ourselves at the 1960 version from director Ernest Morris! With an expanded story, will this adaptation keep you awake at night or wither beneath the floorboards? Starring Laurence Payne, Adrienne Corri and Dermot Walsh.

Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 24:49; Discussion 35:32; Ranking 53:01