Slashers Podcast

Happy Pride Month to all our wonderful Mutant Goons!

We are celebrating the LGBTQ+ community all month long with everything horror related--be it films, directors, actors, musicians, etc…  We are very excited to share our thoughts with you this month on 1980’s Cruising, starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, and Karen Allen.  There are also some young faces/cameos from Ed O’Neil, James Remar and William Russ.

Cruising follows a “young” cop undercover in the underground S&M world of New York City, trying to catch a serial killer who targets gay men.

The film is super dark, super gritty, and a bit of a slow burn.  In addition, it’s an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Gerald Walker; and was adapted for the screen and directed by The Exorcist’s William Friedken.  There are a lot of juicy details in the making of this film, so we encourage you to kick back and listen to the chisme as it unfolds.

The ending leaves much to the imagination where Pacino’s Steve Burns is concerned.  We also discuss who we think should play these characters and who would direct this if and when there is a remake.  What do you think?  Let us know your thoughts about that in the comments!

This week's "Hidden Track" is Oh the Humanity! with their song Wit's End.https://ohthehumanitymass.bandcamp.com/ ;  https://www.hellmindedrecords.com/ohthehumanity

If  you ever have feedback or recommendations on future episodes,  please   let us know at [email protected]. You can always find us  on our social media: Instagram, Twitter, Slasher App: @slasherspod Facebook: /slasherspod Reddit: u/slasherspod https://www.youtube.com/c/slasherspodcast

You can find our merch, and links to all our online presence here: linktr.ee/slasherspod

Theme song is I wanna Die by Mini Meltdowns. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZAk6lUDsaJj8EAhrhzZnh ;    https://minimeltdowns.bandcamp.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our next installment of MAYbe It's Horror is Paul Verhoeven's masterpiece: Robocop. 

Verhoeven had passed on this project until the intervention of his wife and Barbara Boyle encouraged him to look past a seemingly silly title. After reading the script, then dozens of Judge Dredd comics, Verhoeven dove into the film so deeply that he even ended up making a cameo (in the night club). 

On this episode, we feature director and friend, Price James, who will shamelessly admit this is his favorite film. Follow him on Instagram @fisherpricejames to see his upcoming projects, including a Barbie version of his Action Man: Battlefield Casualties ad. 

During our discussion, we talk about everything from Robocop's photo opportunity with Rudy Guliani (which sadly took place with the Boy Scouts and not in front of a landscaping business) to literary references in the film. 

If you know Jake, his obsession with Robocop is nearly as old as his fascination with dinosaurs. Well guess what? He even crowbars in a reference to Robocop: The Future of Law Enforcement issue 7 from Marvel, which published in 1990, depicting our favorite chrome-clad cop fighting cloned dinosaurs. 

The music was by Basil Poledouris. We discuss the nature of his work and how its satirical style almost becomes a character in this film and that of Starship Troopers, which Verhoeven also directed. Also, side note, did you know he did the music for Hot Shots! Part Deux?

Stop-motion animation was done by Academy Award Winning effects designer, Phil Tippett. 

The actors were truly remarkable. Peter Weller plays Alex James Murphy, who is by no means an everyman, rather a what every man aspires to be. His foil, is Kurtwood Smith as Clarence Boddicker. He embodies slime and scum and everything you love to hate on celluloid. Nancy Allen, who many remember from her role in Carrie, is Anne Lewis, a tough, but tremendously lovable cop. Ronny Cox plays Dick Jones, who is just a nasty person. Imagine rubbing your poop hands in someone's hair after the horrors of 2020?! Last there is Miguel Ferrer as Bob Morton, the guy who gets the poop in the hair!

Do you want to know how Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner conceived of the film? Details on filing in Texas? Budget? Costuming? Mime coaches?! Well, get in the car, because I usually drive when I'm breaking in a new partner.

Oh, and as a lil extra sizzle for each of those seemingly rhetorical questions: on the set of Blade Runner, it was over budget and over 100 degrees, Rob Bottin designed it but was feuding with Verhoeven so badly that he stopped coming to set, and Juliard professor of movement, Moni Yakim (who just had a new documentary published about him: Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy). 

This week's "Hidden Track" is Ritual Scars by The Cult Sounds off their new record Death of a Star. https://thecultsounds.bandcamp.com/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/7rZOFb043lVYEmovDuG7dz

If you ever have feedback or recommendations on future episodes,  please  let us know at [email protected]. You can always find us  on   our  social media: Instagram, Twitter, Slasher App:  @slasherspod Facebook:   /slasherspod Reddit:   u/slasherspod https://www.youtube.com/c/slasherspodcast

You can find our merch, and links to all our online presence here: linktr.ee/slasherspod

Theme song is I wanna Die by Mini Meltdowns.   https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZAk6lUDsaJj8EAhrhzZnh ;   https://minimeltdowns.bandcamp.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another thrilling installment of MAYbe It's Horror is upon us with the 2001 cinematic masterpiece, Freddy Got Fingered.

The film stars Tom Green, who also directed and wrote the film, along with his friend, Derek Harvie. 

The film was nominated for a total of eight Razzie Awards, winning five: worst screenplay, worst actor, worst director, worst screen couple, and worst picture, though it lost for worst supporting actor, worst supporting actress, and worst movie of decade.

We compare the film to its contemporaries: Tomcats, American Pie, Say It Isn't So, Joe Dirt, and so forth. 

Rip Torn plays Green's onscreen father, Jim Brody. We talk about his depiction, the comparisons to Green's real-life, and whether or not he did in fact do the Freddy fingering. 

Marisa Coughlan plays Betty Menger, Green's differently-abled significant other, whose passions are rocket propulsion and fellatio. 

Harland Williams plays Darren, the only functional person in the film.

We also talk about the saddest misfortune of this film, the fact that all of Stephen Tobolowsky's scenes were cut due to homophobic screen-testers. Sadly, as the film is now owned by Disney, it seems the likelihood of the long-desired Director's Cut will never happen. 

We also discuss X-Ray Cat and Zebras in America by Beavis and Butthead alum, Chris Prynoski. 

How does this film compare to The Breakfast Club with Anthony Michael Hall and Kazam with Shaquille O'Neil? We talk about it. 

Did you know some poor MF was arrested over this film in 2016? For a warrant from 2002! That is the slothly hand of justice working wonders. 

This week's "Hidden Track" is Hellfir, with their song, Conquerors. You can find them at hellfiremetal.com and @hellfiremetal

If you ever have feedback or recommendations on future episodes, please  let us know at [email protected]. You can always find us  on  our  social media: Instagram, Twitter, Slasher App: @slasherspod Facebook:   /slasherspod Reddit:  u/slasherspod https://www.youtube.com/c/slasherspodcast

You can find our merch, and links to all our online presence here: linktr.ee/slasherspod

Theme song is I wanna Die by Mini Meltdowns.  https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZAk6lUDsaJj8EAhrhzZnh ;  https://minimeltdowns.bandcamp.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MAYbe it's a horror movie continues! This week, we are doing Toys, starring the late and great, Robin Williams. 

This inexcusably unsettling movie was a 10-year passion project by writer/ director, Barry Levinson (and then wife, Valerie Cutrin). It is inarguably polarizing, because while it was nominated for a Razzie for worst director, it also received Oscar nominations for Art Direction and Costume Design.

Joan Cusack plays robot, Alsatia Zevo, which is oddly similar to Bicentennial Man, also starring Williams. The film also features a pre-Halloween H20 and Deep Blue Sea LL Cool J, who not so subtly wishes to engage in coitus with his cousin-robot. 

Post-Princess-Bride, but pre-House-of-Cards Robin Wright plays the love interest with a charming southern drawl. Can she just talk like that all of the time?

Italian designer, Ferdinando Scarfiotti, spent one year working on this film. You know, the Academy Award Winning designer behind The Last Emperor and Scarface. 

The music was by Hans Zimmer and Trevor Horn, featuring Tori Amos and Enya. 

Jake also sits down with writer/ director, Richard W. Haines. While you may know him from Troma's Class of Nuke 'Em High, Haines went on to found his own competing studio: New Wave Film Distribution. His own films include Space Avenger, Head Games, and Splatter University. He also is an accomplished author, writing film treatises such as Technicolor Movies, but also novels like Production Value, Reel Danger, and The Anastasia Killer. 

If you ever have feedback or recommendations on future episodes, please let us know at [email protected]. You can always find us  on  our social media: Instagram, Twitter, Slasher App: @slasherspod Facebook:  /slasherspod Reddit: u/slasherspod https://www.youtube.com/c/slasherspodcast

You can find our merch, and links to all our online presence here: linktr.ee/slasherspod

Theme song is I wanna Die by Mini Meltdowns. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZAk6lUDsaJj8EAhrhzZnh ; https://minimeltdowns.bandcamp.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The end is nigh, even though you wish the end was nah. 

Sorry gang, this is our last episode of No April, Only Zuul (aside from our Patreon bonus). What did you think? Was this whole month worth it? Are you overloaded? Are you there, god? It's me Janosz.

This episode is a barbarous melee of button mashing mayhem as we talk about literally every Ghostbusters game (that is worth commenting on). 

We talk Nintendo, Sega, arcade, PC, Amiga, Atari, pinball, mobile games, pachinko, The Real Ghostbusters, Extreme Ghostbusters, and more. I would type it all out, but the metadata really has not helped out downloads, so I won't bore you. 

Find out your hosts' favorite games, if they hold up, and what they would want in their perfect Ghostbusters game. 

This episode also features an interview with artist and game designer, Ben Jelter: https://www.benjelter.com/ ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uSm3hIM0-o&t=5s&ab_channel=DanaJennings

Check out Ben's fantastic Gameboy game Opossum Country: https://benjelter.itch.io/opossum-country

If you ever have feedback or recommendations on future episodes,  please   let us know at [email protected]. You can always find us on  our   social media: Instagram, Twitter, Slasher App: @slasherspod  Facebook:   /slasherspod Reddit: u/slasherspod    https://www.youtube.com/c/slasherspodcast

You can find our merch, and links to all our online presence here: linktr.ee/slasherspod

Theme song is I wanna Die by Mini Meltdowns.    https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZAk6lUDsaJj8EAhrhzZnh ;    https://minimeltdowns.bandcamp.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since we are in our third week of No April, Only Zuul, it’s only fitting that we discuss and dissect all of the animated content that the Ghostbusters Universe has provided us.  

Adam and Doug go into the magic that is The Real Ghostbusters--the OG animated series--before segueing into Slimer and The Real Ghostbusters and all of the trivia in between.  We talk about the other DIC Entertainment properties from Inspector Gadget, Hello Kitty, Sonic, Super Mario, and like 15 others. Oh, and because it is obligatory any time anyone mentions this franchise, we talk about how integral J. Michael Straczynski  was to the show. 

Ade gushes on the awesomeness that is Extreme Ghostbusters. Made by Adelaide Productions, the same studio that brought you Jumanji, Men in Black, and Godzilla. Did you know that there was a bizarre light gun game released for this show on PS1 after the PS2 had been out for four years??? AND SEVEN YEARS AFTER THIS SHOW WAS CANCELED!!!

Finally, Jake ends the party with his extensive knowledge on all things comic book related, ranging from Marvel UK, to Now Comics, 88mph, and IDW. He even delves into promotional giveaway comics packed in with British toffee candy things, called Trio. His discussion includes noteworthy creators like Dan Abnet and Andy Lanning, and spans to pretty covers and variations between multiple titles. What issue has a Fantastic Four reference? We talk the art style on every crossover, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, X-Files, and Mars Attacks, and why Dan Schoening's art is second to none! Which crossover does writer, Erik Burnham, want to do next with the comics? Just press play already and find out. 

It’s been a crazy few weeks, but with Ghostbusters, there really isn’t enough time on this planet to dive into every little thing.  This truly has been a fun ride.  Let us know your thoughts and don’t forget to head on over to our Redbubble for some sweet merch.

This week's "Hidden Track" is Miserable Feeling by Attic Stories. You can find them on Instagram @atticstories

If you ever have feedback or recommendations on future episodes, please   let us know at [email protected]. You can always find us on our   social media: Instagram, Twitter, Slasher App: @slasherspod Facebook:   /slasherspod Reddit: u/slasherspod   https://www.youtube.com/c/slasherspodcast

You can find our merch, and links to all our online presence here: linktr.ee/slasherspod

Theme song is I wanna Die by Mini Meltdowns.   https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZAk6lUDsaJj8EAhrhzZnh ;   https://minimeltdowns.bandcamp.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we review the unfairly maligned, Ghostbusters 2. The film came out five years after the firtst, churned out by Columbia Pictures, who was in dire need of a hit after firing their CEO, David Putnam. 

The production was chaotic. While this film did not have the drastic re-writes of the first, it also had a shooting schedule of approximately one-third of the original's 13 month shoot. 

Ivan Reitman returned to direct. He and both of his children had cameos in the film. That's right, Jason Reitman, director of the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife, was in this film! He is at the birthday party Ray and Winston are at (in a scene that was later homaged in TMNT). We talk about the elder Reitman blaming this movie's "failure" (still made over $200,000,000) on the Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, and Jack Nicholson brooding powerhouse: Batman. 

Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis returned to write the film. The original draft was very different, with the action taking place in Scotland, involving subterranean worlds and faerie rings. 

Special effects were completed by Industrial Light and Magic ("ILM"). Stephan Dane, designer of the Ecto-1, proton packs, and ghost trap, came back to this film and designed the giga-meter, slime scooper, and slime blower, but this time the poor boy was entirely uncredited. 

We talk about the new additions to the cast as well! Peter MacNicol played Janosz Poha, who has inarguably one of the most fun accents to impersonate ever (which he allegedly stole from Meryl Streep). 

We also go in depth into the history of the actor who played Vigo the Carpathian, “Wilhelm von Homburg,” born Norbert Grupe. He was the son of a WWII veteran, a boxer, a professional wrestler, and a total creep. 

How 'bout that soundtrack, eh? Bobby Brown, Elton John, and Danny Elfman, just to name a few!

Speaking of music, this week's "Hidden Track" is Certain Doom, by Hrom: https://hromcan.bandcamp.com/ The song is off their album, Legends of the Powerheart: Part II. 

If  you ever have feedback or recommendations on future episodes, please  let us know at [email protected]. You can always find us on our  social media: Instagram, Twitter, Slasher App: @slasherspod Facebook:  /slasherspod Reddit: u/slasherspod  https://www.youtube.com/c/slasherspodcast

You can find our merch, and links to all our online presence here: linktr.ee/slasherspod

Theme song is I wanna Die by Mini Meltdowns.  https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZAk6lUDsaJj8EAhrhzZnh ;  https://minimeltdowns.bandcamp.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here on Slashers, there is No April, Only Zuul. That’t right human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria! An ENTIRE MONTH of Ghostbusters content!

This film was originally written by Dan Aykroyd. It was admittedly a bloated, overly expensive movie for someone with his pull in the industry at the time. Then came Harold Ramis to help parse the script down to something financially viable. Truly, short of a Troma movie, I have never come across a more fluid script in doing this show. A simple search online will reveal numerous drafts of the script, that changed all through shooting, and Bill Murray’s omnipresent improvisation.

The film came from the Aykroyd family’s longstanding fascination and involvement in the paranormal, the occult, and technology (his grandpa, Maurice, tried to make a ghost telephone). Dan often said his two greatest obsessions as a kid were the incorporeal and law enforcement. As you trace the drafts of the script back to the original, this movie was a perfect amalgamation of the two, that became a perfect-er other thing.

Directed by Ivan Reitman, who voiced several characters in the film, and helped shape this into the most successful comedy of all time… until Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (Yes, he changed his middle name from Carson) and Home Alone.

Rarely do we get into alternate casting, but it seems that each and every part in this film aside from Aykroyd’s Ray Stantz was almost played by someone else. We truly almost had a film with Michael Keaton, Eddie Murphy, and John Candy… which makes me want that TV remote from Rick and Morty. Even casting the people in the film was weird, with some acting like dogs and another leveraging his role into making a remake of Razor's Edge, which flopped harder than Ray's fleshy member in that cringy scene in the bed with the ghost... you know the one. 

We also talk about the hugely expansive and intricate cinematic universe for this film including Caddyshack, Casper, Beetlejuice, and Little Shop of Horrors!?

We talk about shooting locations for the film, spanning from Los Angeles to Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 of the NYCFD on 14 North Moore Street. What a nice change of pace from every other movie shot in Georgia and Toronto these days. 

Did you want to know how the special effects and equipment came to be? So did we, so we researched it and then talked about it. Spoiler alert, it was basically one overworked under-credited guy named Stephen Dane, who did it all in like two weeks. How many Ecto-1's did they make for the movie? What was Slimer's original name? And then his other name? Speaking of names, what was almost the name of this film?! WHY DID THEY STEAL THE NAME FROM TWO JOKERS AND THEIR PET APE FROM A 1975 TV SHOW?! ...trust me, we get into it. 

On this episode we talk everything from the production, to the casting, with inspirations and lore in between. You even get a dramatic rendition of Sigourney Weaver’s poem she wrote and performed at the wrap party after shooting ended.

This week’s “Hidden Track” is Eye Roller by Lovebreakers. If you want to stalk them online, the easiest way is through their website, http://www.LOVEBREAKERS.co.uk/, which has links to all their social media.

If you ever have feedback or recommendations on future episodes, please let us know at [email protected]. You can always find us on our social media: Instagram, Twitter, Slasher App: @slasherspod Facebook: /slasherspod Reddit: u/slasherspod https://www.youtube.com/c/slasherspodcast

You can find our merch, and links to all our online presence here: linktr.ee/slasherspod

Theme song is I wanna Die by Mini Meltdowns. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZAk6lUDsaJj8EAhrhzZnh ; https://minimeltdowns.bandcamp.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices