***** DISCLAIMER *****  I do not own the rights of the sound/audio clips in this episode.

'The Silence of the Lambs' is not based on a true story. It is based on the book of the same name written by Thomas Harris. He based the character of Hannibal Lecter on a convicted killer he had met at a prison in Mexico. Gary Heidnik was a  serial killer whose crimes would become the inspiration for the "Buffalo  Bill" character in the movie "Silence of the Lambs." 

In this episode I also discuss my review of the movie, on-screen cameos, character analysis, and why this movie is a timeless classic. 

***** DISCLAIMER - I do not own the rights of the audio clips that are played in this episode *****

In this episode I compare the two versions: Tobe Hooper's 1982 and Gil Kenan’s 2015 version. It's the The Freelings vs. The Bowens. For almost 40 years, director Tobe Hooper’s PG-rated horror classic has existed and made us afraid of closets, new housing developments, televisions that are on past midnight with static and clowns. In my opinion the original Poltergeist keeps its originality and horror feeling. Poltergeist has become one of the movies we will never forget. It take us to the  world of classical effects and keeps us thinking how they achieved that. 

Additionally, Tobe Hooper caught wind that this event actually happened to a family in New York; that is also discussed in this episode. 

***** DISCLAIMER *****  I do not own the rights to the Friday the 13th theme song nor to the audio clip of Jason's Mother; I acquired those from Zedge.

From Sean S. Cunningham's 1980 version to Rob Zombies 2009 version, Friday the 13th has come a long way when it comes to a bloody blockbuster about a hockey mask maniac wielding a rusted machete. However, there is the aspect of the evolving technology in which makes a film better. But, is it the creativity that makes the movie the movie? I will let you decided as you listen to this podcast. 

Who was the Zodiac Killer?

The Zodiac Killer took credit for several murders in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s but he was never caught. The self-proclaimed Zodiac Killer was directly linked to at least  five murders in Northern California in 1968 and 1969 and may have been  responsible for more. He taunted police and made threats through letters  sent to area newspapers from 1969 to 1974, before abruptly ceasing  communication. Despite intensive investigations, no one was ever  arrested for the crimes and the case remains open. The mystery  surrounding the murders has been the subject of numerous books and  movies, including director David Fincher's acclaimed 2007 feature Zodiac. 

For more information regarding the Zodiac, please visit: https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/zodiac-killer  

Opening Audio Clip: CBS News Report (aired October 20, 1969)

As a veteran member of a South Bronx precinct, NYPD Sgt. Ralph  Sarchie (Eric Bana) has seen more than his share of dark and horrifying  events -- so many that they have begun to poison his soul. Sarchie  further finds his beliefs and understanding pushed to the limit when he  and his partner investigate a particularly bizarre  incident. He forms an alliance with a renegade priest (Edgar Ramírez),  who tries to convince Sarchie that real evil -- and demons -- do exist. Ralph  Sarchie is a retired NYPD sergeant and traditionalist Catholic  demonologist. He has written a book, Beware the Night, which details  many of his paranormal investigations; his accounts were later the basis  of the film Deliver Us from Evil.

Retired now, Ralph Sarchie continues to assist those who are in need of spiritual release from the evil within.

The full video of "SARCHIE - Deliver Us From Evil" can be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL4DaJ0aJt0

The Amityville Horror is one of the most iconic and best-known haunted house stories of the past century. Following the publication, a 1977 novel about the incident, a blockbuster film premiered in 1979 that subsequently spawned copious amounts of sequels, reboots, and knockoff films in every decade since. To date, the unassuming and purportedly haunted Long Island home has featured in nearly two-dozen films, and there’s no indication that people will get tired of being spooked by it anytime soon. But what’s the real story that inspired the long-running and popular horror franchise? All of this is covered and more in this episode. 

The audio in the beginning has been provided YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udu6g6gHAi8 

In this episode I talk about what inspired Wes Craven to create the first A Nightmare on Elm Street and the famous villain, Freddy Krueger. As part of A Nightmare on Elm Street oral history (via Vulture), Craven recounted the story that influenced the creation of Freddy Krueger. He recalled a Los Angeles Times article from the 1970s about a family that escaped the Killing Fields in Cambodia. After fleeing to the United States, the young son had disturbing nightmares in which something was chasing him. The terror caused him to be afraid to go to sleep, so he would try to stay awake for days. The boy eventually fell asleep, but his parents heard him screaming in the middle of the night, and he was dead by the time they got to him. And far more psychologically chilling than the parental vendetta that led to the birth of the on-screen Krueger – which also is explained in greater detail in the Vulture oral history.

I also provide movie reviews for the 1984 version, the 2010 reboot, Freddy vs. Jason, & Part3: The Dream Warriors. 

*** DISCLAIMER *** I do not own the rights to the A Nightmare on Elm Street theme song. I downloaded the ringtone from the Zedge website.

Malevolent boxes abound in horror movies (the Rubik’s Cube-like container of “Hellraiser” being one of the most memorable), their contents inevitably wreaking havoc on humankind. The ratty receptacle in “The Possession” is no different: This demon possession movie starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Natasha Calis, and Kyra Sedgwick is basically about a young girl who buys an antique box at a yard sale and she is unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit.

The making of this 2012 horror film, which is loosely based on the true story of a cursed wine cabinet or known as the dybbuk box, was plagued by unfortunate, supernatural occurrences or simply an evil spirit from Jewish lore. And when I say that this movie is based on a true story, which is basically Hollywood’s way of saying that there’s a lot of truth bending going on. But what really happened? What’s the truth behind The Possession? 

Based on a True Story - In 1971, Carolyn and Roger Perron move their family into a  dilapidated Rhode Island farm house and soon strange things start  happening around it with escalating nightmarish terror. In desperation,  Carolyn contacts the noted paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine  Warren, to examine the house. What the Warrens discover is a whole area  steeped in a satanic haunting that is now targeting the Perron family  wherever they go. To stop this evil, the Warrens will have to call upon  all their skills and spiritual strength to defeat this spectral menace  at its source that threatens to destroy everyone involved. 

I also talk about spoilers and easter eggs in which can be found in the movie.

In this episode, I explain the events that transpired in late early 1949 that inspired an author to write a book to later become a Hollywood Horror Blockbuster film.  The Exorcist (1973) claimed to be the scariest film of its era, it had a great negative on the public and those who conveyed in watching the movie. A movie about possession and exorcism, definitely a masterpiece of the horror sub-genre! 

William Peter Blatty won an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and Linda Blair won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and too many other awards to mention.