Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Castle Freak (1995), a Stuart Gordon gothic horror film produced by Charles Band and Full Moon Features. Loosely inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider and The Rats in the Walls, it stars Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton as an American family who inherit an Italian castle and discover a chained, mutilated “castle freak” living in the dungeon.

Join JD and Randy as they discuss the thin script, predictable structure, and heavy reliance on shock value instead of atmosphere. We break down the wasted Lovecraft premise, the uneven pacing, and why strong practical effects and Jeffrey Combs’ presence cannot rescue what feels like a half-formed 90s horror idea built around a poster concept. Tune in to hear why this cult Full Moon entry did not work for us.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language and discussion of sexual violence.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! Yes, we’re doing Fortress again, but this is a completely different film from last week’s 1992 dystopian prison movie. Fortress (1985) is an Australian horror thriller directed by Arch Nicholson and written by Everett DeRoch, the writer of Razorback and Link. When a rural one-room schoolhouse is invaded by masked criminals, a teacher and her nine students are kidnapped and forced into a brutal fight for survival in the outback.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s wild tonal shifts, cartoon-masked villains, and shocking escalation from hostage drama to full-blown survival horror. We discuss its HBO cult status, disturbing final act, and why this outback nightmare leaves such an impression. Please note this episode was recorded remotely and audio quality may vary. Tune in for our full take on this intense and unexpected 80s thriller.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Fortress (1992), a cult sci-fi action thriller directed by Stuart Gordon and starring Christopher Lambert, Kurtwood Smith, and Loryn Locklin. Set in a near-future America with strict population control, the film follows a couple imprisoned for having a second child and sent to a privately run desert prison designed to break both body and mind.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s prison escape structure, body-horror elements, and surprisingly strong practical effects. We discuss Kurtwood Smith’s unsettling villain, Jeffrey Combs’ appearance, the film’s corporate dystopia themes, and why this remains one of Stuart Gordon’s most entertaining non-Lovecraft projects. Tune in for our take on its highs, flaws, and cult reputation.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Hundreds of Beavers (2024), a silent indie comedy directed by Mike Cheslik and co-written with Ryland Brickson Cole Tews. Shot in stark black and white, the film follows applejack salesman Jean Kayak as he blows up his livelihood and must survive the wilderness by becoming a fur trapper, all while facing an absurd army of costumed animals.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s live-action cartoon style, Buster Keaton and Looney Tunes influences, video game logic, and nonstop visual gags. We discuss its long festival rollout, physical comedy precision, escalating insanity, and why this two-hour silent farce somehow never wears out its welcome. Tune in to hear why Hundreds of Beavers stands as one of the most original and joyful comedies in recent years.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering The Heat Wave Lasted Four Days (1975), a Canadian crime thriller directed by Douglas Jackson and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Set in Montreal during a summer heat wave, the film follows a television reporter who stumbles into a criminal operation and slowly ruins his life through greed, bad choices, and mounting pressure.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s unusual origins as an English-as-a-second-language teaching tool, its multiple cut versions, and its surprisingly tense ABC Wide World of Mystery presentation. We discuss the stripped-down dialogue, sleazy moral spiral, downbeat ending, and why this obscure Canadian TV movie works better than it has any right to.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Dolls (1987), a gothic horror fantasy directed by Stuart Gordon and produced by Charles Band’s Empire Pictures. When a young girl, her abusive parents, and a group of stranded travellers take shelter in a remote English manor, they discover their elderly hosts are doll makers whose creations punish cruel adults and spare the innocent.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s dark fairy-tale tone, creepy practical effects, and stop-motion killer dolls. We discuss its fast pacing, gothic atmosphere, moral framework, and how this predates Child’s Play and Puppet Master while standing on its own as one of Gordon’s most unsettling films. Tune in to hear why this compact 80s horror gem earns its cult reputation.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Alphabet City (1984), a stylish neo-noir crime drama directed by Amos Poe and shot on location in early 80s New York City. Starring Vincent Spano, Kate Vernon, Jamie Gertz, and Michael Winslow, the film follows a small-time mob runner over one long night as he tries to escape the life after being ordered to burn down his own family’s building.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s music-video energy, neon-soaked cinematography by Oliver Wood, and Nile Rodgers’ electronic score. We discuss its thin but focused story, Fear City atmosphere, and why this feels more like a time capsule of pre-gentrification Alphabet City than a traditional crime thriller. Tune in to hear why this vibe-heavy cult noir works best as a snapshot of a vanished era.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Primal Rage (1988), an Italian-American horror thriller directed by Vittorio Rambaldi and Patrick B. White. Often mistaken for a killer monkey movie, this cult oddity is actually a rage virus horror film where a lab baboon bite turns college students into violent, screaming maniacs.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s Italian horror DNA, uneven pacing, and low-stakes body count. We discuss the misleading premise, the Halloween party massacre, Goblin-adjacent score vibes, and why this plays more goofy than scary. Tune in to hear why this oddball rage virus entry is more curiosity than classic.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Good Boy (2025), an indie horror hit directed by Ben Leonberg and co-written with Alex Cannon. Told almost entirely from a dog’s perspective, this haunted house horror drama follows Indy as he moves with his terminally ill owner to a rural family home where grief, illness, and something possibly supernatural begin to overlap.

Join JD and Randy as they explore the film’s festival buzz, minimalist storytelling, and emotionally heavy tone. We discuss the dog-centred POV gimmick, Larry Fessenden’s appearance, the ambiguous horror elements, and why this unsettling indie stands out among recent low budget horror releases. Tune in to hear why Good Boy lingers long after the credits roll.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Black Christmas (1974), a Canadian horror thriller directed by Bob Clark, also known for A Christmas Story and Porky’s. Set during the holidays, the film follows a sorority house plagued by obscene phone calls and a series of murders, laying the groundwork for the modern slasher film.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s slow-burn tension, restrained violence, and eerie sound design. We discuss its ambiguous killer, unreliable assumptions, and lasting influence on slashers like Halloween and Scream. Tune in to hear why this bleak, unsettling classic still holds up fifty years later. Merry Christmas.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.