Welcome to episode 26 of the horror double bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something far greater than the sum of their parts

I'm Craig Johnson and this week we are entering the world of conspiracies and paranoia, with two films featuring journalist protagonists falling into increasingly dangerous territory. 

First up we return to the Italian giallo, with Short Night of Glass Dolls from 1971, directed by Aldo Lado and starring Jean Sorel, Ingrid Thulin, Barbara Bach and Mario Adorf. Then we jump forward to 2012 and our second faux documentary of the series, with The Conspiracy from director Christopher MacBride starring Aaron Poole and James Gilbert.

Along the way we will be discussing the careers of Aldo Lado and Jean Sorel, the not so secret societies the Bilderberg Group and The Bohemian Grove, the cognitive biases that come in to play with conspiracy theories and much more.

References

Short Night of Glass Dolls

Darkening the Italian Screen Part Two edited by Eugenio Ercolani, 

88 Films blu ray restoration of the movie - When Butterflies Turn to Glass & Czech Mate 

Celluloid Dreams 4k restoration special features

https://movieplayer.it/articoli/aldo-lado-intervista-monica-vitti-censura-ennio-morricone_20793/

https://www.globalist.it/culture/2021/12/01/non-ho-mai-rivisto-i-miei-film-aldo-lado-regista-di-cult-come-la-corta-notte-delle-bambole-di-vetro-si-racconta/

https://www.filmtv.it/articoli/105/pupi-avati-racconta-salo-di-pasolini/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Sorel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Thulin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Adorf

The Conspiracy 

https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/46916/the-conspiracy-exclusive-q-a-with-director-christopher-macbride/

https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/interview-christopher-macbride-the-conspiracy/

https://thatshelf.com/interview-christopher-macbride-aaron-poole/

https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/aaron-poole-the-conspiracy-interview-350691.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-emotional-meter/202401/the-psychology-of-conspiracy-theories

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Meeting

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Grove

Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill

email: [email protected]

youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Welcome to episode 25 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair 2 movies to create something far greater than the sum of their parts

This week we are discussing two movies that use the ghost story as a vehicle to explore themes of family, loss, grief, and instability. First up, we have our first Korean entry in the series with a Tale of Two Sisters from 2003 and director Kim Jee-woon, which stars Im Soo-Jung, Yum Jung-ah and Moon Geun-young. Then we follow this with a trip back to Spain for The Orphanage from 2007 and director J.A Bayona, starring Belen Rueda, Geraldine Chaplin, Roger Princep and Fernando Cayo

Along the way, we’ll be discussing the foundations of Korean horror cinema, the career and movies of director Kim Jee-woon, the folk tale Rose Flower and Red Lotus, the careers of Sergio G Sanchez and J A Bayona, and much more.

References and Sources:

A Tale of Two Sisters

Asia Shock by Patrick Galloway

Korean Horror Cinema written by Alison Pearce

Arrow Films Blu-ray release - interviews with the cast and director as well as the directors commentary

https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=25485

https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=19282

https://www.fangoria.com/kim-jee-woon-a-tale-of-two-sisters/

https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/461562/a-tale-of-two-sisters-a-korean-horror-masterpiece/

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/a-brief-history-of-k-cinema?srsltid=AfmBOop0ogJla4KoWgRPoSLjse0kCpsUsHuJBtBDpNw7JOZhqbFAc9zN

The Orphanage

Imprint Films Blu-ray release - interviews with the cast and crew, and a behind the scenes making of documentary

The Spanish Fantastic: Contemporary Filmmaking in Horror Fantasy and Sci-fi by Sheila Rowan leg

Spanish Horror Film by Antonio Lazarro Rebol

https://www.europapress.es/cultura/cine-00128/noticia-belen-rueda-enfrenta-primer-papel-protagonista-orfanato-representara-espana-oscar-20071009175718.html

https://culturevulture.net/film/an-interview-with-the-filmmakers-of-the-orphanage/

https://www.female.com.au/juan-antonio-bayona-the-orphanage-interview.htm

https://www.hollywood.com/general/the-orphanage-juan-antonio-bayona-sergio-sanchez-57174730

https://www.ioncinema.com/news/uncategorized/interview-juan-antonio-bayona-sergio-sanchez-the-orphanage

https://www.fangoria.com/interview-screenwriter-sergio-g-sanchez-on-giving-birth-to-the-orphanage-and-collaborating-with-guillermo-del-toro/

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Welcome to episode 24 of the horror double bill the podcasts where each week we combine two movies to create something far greater than the sum of their parts

This week we are returning to the theme of childhood, only this week it is the kids and not the adults who are in peril. 

First up we have The Night of the Hunter from 1955, the only film ever directed by the great actor Charles Laughton and starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish. Then we’ll be heading back to Mexico for the quite brilliant Tigers are Not Afraid from 2017 written and directed by Issa Lopez and starring Paolo Lara Juan Ramon Lopez Hansel Casillas and Rodrigo Cortez.

Both of this week’s movies juxtapose fairytale imagery with the grim realities of murder corruption and crime, depicting their young protagonists as casualties of societal and financial collapse, the first through the great depression of the 1930s and the second through the rise and reach of gang culture in present day Mexico. 

Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter by Simon Callow, published by BFI film classics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression

https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Depression

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis_Grubb

https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/51604

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Laughton

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1657-the-night-of-the-hunter-holy-terror?srsltid=AfmBOorxu8VtTUmkrWGymPa25wN6Nvim63PVF9ojmLW3GxYI2e3PQRK7

Tigers Are Not Afraid

Shudder blu-ray release extras: directors commentary, behind the scenes making of feature, Q&A with Issa Lopez and Guillermo Del Toro

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/mexico

https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/interview-issa-lopez/

https://insessionfilm.com/interview-issa-lopez-director-writer-of-tigers-are-not-afraid/

https://deepestdream.com/issa-lopez-talks-dream-narrative-behind-tigers-are-not-afraid/

https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/299293/tigers-are-not-afraid-and-neither-is-director-issa-lopez/

https://www.hola.com/us/entertainment/20240111354355/issa-lopez-mexican-force-behind-season-4-true-detective/

https://videocine.com.mx/noticia/entrevista-paola-lara-vuelven/

https://producaocultural.procomum.org/2012/01/11/1525

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artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Welcome to episode 23 of the Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we combine two movies to create something far greater than the sum of their parts

This week we are exploring the great outdoors with two films that fall into the sub genre of backwoods horror, though to be fair the second one is more backwoods adjacent

First up we wade through the swamps of Louisiana with Southern Comfort from 1981 and director Walter Hill, starring Keith Carradine, Powers Booth, Fred Ward, and Peter Coyote. Then we travel to 2005 and the Appalachian Mountains with The Descent from director Neil Marshall, starring Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Akex Reid and Myanna Buring.

Along the way we’ll be discussing the origins of the back woods horror sub-genre, exploring some of the classic and if we’re honest not so classic entries, discussing the career of Walter Hill, debating whether Southern Comfort is an allegory for the Vietnam war and much much more.

Sources & References

Introduction and both movies

The Rural Gothic in American Popular Culture Backwoods Horror and Terror in The Wilderness by Bernice M Murphy

The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Gothic Volume 1 edited by Clive Bloom

Southern Comfort 

interviews, commentaries and documentaries that can be found on the Vinegar Syndrome special edition blu-ray release of the film

Men, Women and Chainsaws by Carol J Clover

https://thequietus.com/culture/film/film-southern-comfort-walter-hill-40-anniversary/

https://brightlightsfilm.com/human-frailty-swallowed-whole-on-walter-hills-southern-comfort-1981/

https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/56697

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Hill

https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/56697

The Descent

The Making of The Descent by Janine Pipe and Neil Marshall

https://youtu.be/gqx5snAahzA?si=6-3pqO6_B8313zFn

https://www.dreadcentral.com/interviews/3370/marshall-neil-the-descent/

https://theasc.com/articles/the-descent-creepy-crawlers

https://www.horrorthriller.com/Movies/Directors/N_Marshall/Centu_rion_Inter_view.html

Contemporary British Horror Cinema Industry, Genre and Society by Johnny Walker

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Marshall

https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time/all-voters/neil-marshall

Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill

email: [email protected]

youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Welcome to episode 22 of the Horror Double Bill the podcast where each week we combine two movies to create something for a greater than the sum of their parts

This week we are exploring religious fanaticism, the dangers of group think, cult mentalities, and discussing our first folk horror of the series, as well as our first pseudo-documentary.

First up we have Matthew Hopkins Witchfinder General from 1968 and director Michael Reeves starring Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Hillary Dwyer and  Rupert Davies. Then we travel forward in time to 2013 and the sacrament from right a director Ti West starring AJ Bowen Joe Swanberg Jean Jones and Amy Seimetz.

Along the way will be discussing the all too brief career of Michael Reeves, the real witch finder Matthew Hopkins, Vincent Price, Ti West, the rise and fall of media company Vice, and much more

Mods and Shockers Book

https://webelongdead.co.uk/product-category/books/

Witchfinder General

https://youtu.be/ZsXo5oY1m7g?si=pN7OZndjltvClmXS

https://youtu.be/7tWNBXl1pVM?si=EuWldCAJ0yspJQM-

Witchfinder General by Ian Cooper 

British Film Makers – Michael Reeves by Benjamin Halligan

Beasts in the Cellar - The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tensor by John Hamilton

Folk Horror on Film edited by Louis Bayman and KJ Donnelly 

https://flexiblehead.blog/2011/10/07/witchfinder-general/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Hopkins

https://medium.com/@Witches7Hunt/first-witch-who-was-elizabeth-clarke-fbcba944b7b9

The Sacrament

Interviews with AJ Bowen, Amy Seimetz and Gene Jones that appear as special features of the Second Sight Blu Ray release

https://youtu.be/IpHIXtzzSlQ?si=mhqTSLol0n1gCyt8

https://youtu.be/VamKMnRAHB4?si=QmMPc02Vraz3jMmT

https://youtu.be/okOXHN2COBY?si=0HrUy-dbGPcWgGYi

https://youtu.be/rCErUAOiCBE?si=n9vj5yfBV026pj4d

https://youtu.be/fmr0PtkncWY?si=TlNCvyfO1FhoeuaV

https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2024/mar/25/the-rise-and-fall-of-vice-media-podcast

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Media

Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill

email: [email protected]

youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Episode 21: Cat People (1942) & The Company of Wolves (1984)

Welcome to episode 21 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two films to create something far greater than the sum of their parts.

This week – after a very short break - we are back with the shapeshifters with two films that use metamorphosis as metaphor for sexuality, albeit with very different interpretations.

First up we have Cat People from 1943 and legendary producer Val Lewon. Directed by Jacques Tourneur it stars Simone Simon, Tom Cowway, Kent Smith and Jane Randolph. Then we follow this with The Company of Wolves from 1984, directed by Neil Jordan and staring Angela Lansbury, Sarah Patterson, David Warner and – in a blink and you’ll miss it cameo, the late great Terrence Stamp.

 Along the way, we will be discussing the history of RKO Studios, director Jacques Tourneur, actor Simone Simon, author Angela Carter and much much more. 

Sources

RKO Pictures:

https://www.britannica.com/art/history-of-film/Post-World-War-I-American-cinema

https://www.britannica.com/money/RKO-Radio-Pictures-Inc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_Booking_Offices_of_America

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark%3A%2F13030%2Fkt267nd72c

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RKO_Pictures

Cat People

https://youtu.be/rYLQTFUN7yI?si=LEACT0CJNyBvtoaD

Cat People by Kim Newman (BFI classics) 

Val Lewton the reality of terror by Joel E Siegel

Jacques Tourneur The Cinema of Nightfall by Chris Fujiwara 

The Company of Wolves

The Company of Wolves by James Gracie (Devils Advocates)

 https://youtu.be/7GMb_VPoLr4?si=K52Do2OwxvB48Ndm

https://youtu.be/uzro7hXvp4c?si=TCk44HyEB2rBlPQr

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youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Welcome to episode 20 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two films to create something far greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are exploring the horrors of ageing and identity with two movies that take the viewer on a disorienting journey into the price of reinvention and rejuvenation

First up we have Seconds from 1966 and director John Frankenheimer, featuring a career best performance from former matinee idol Rock Hudson alongside Salome Jen and Will Geer. Then we bring ourselves bang up to date – nearly - with the Substance from 2024 and director Coralie Fargeat, featuring a career best performance from Demi Moore alongside Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid.

References

Seconds

Seconds by Jez Conolly and Emma Westwood

The directors commentary on the Masters of Cinema blu ray release

https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/22848?

https://theasc.com/magazine/nov97/seconds/pg1.htm

https://theasc.com/articles/aces-of-the-camera-james-wong-howe-asc?

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/08/a-second-life-for-em-seconds-em-the-1966-cult-classic-that-made-audiences-sick/278930/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frankenheimer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Hudson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seconds_(1966_film)

https://youtu.be/FV2LuK8wVsg?si=z-IZcYN5eF6ZB0h4

https://youtu.be/UjT-db11ZwM?si=W9L12SzTFjBuSDrZ

The Substance

https://www.hammertonail.com/interviews/coralie-fargeat/

https://www.screendaily.com/features/coralie-fargeat-on-making-the-substance-her-own-way-everything-had-to-be-in-excess/5199519.article

https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/coralie-fargeat-feminist-body-horror-the-substance-1235048769/

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/sep/14/we-can-be-violent-to-ourselves-brutal-demi-moore-on-body-image-reinvention-and-her-most-shocking-role-yet

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/demi-moore-on-the-substance-and-resisting-a-toxic-beauty-culture/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Substance

https://youtu.be/8H64HNvXrqU?si=tJyXTPL6niEzfnZM

https://youtu.be/UMicrbtjFKU?si=vAM0EnUtOI-qMsSR

https://youtu.be/BKcMm5RG2M4?si=fn0a134K_Vz5lCBi

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/the-substance-shot-list-coralie-fargeat-awards-insider

https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a62297701/the-substance-coralie-fargeat-interview/

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This week we are exploring the horrors of Artificial intelligence and tech noir with two films from very different eras but similar fears and concerns. 

First up is Colossus: The Forbin Project from 1970, directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Eric Braden, Susan Clark, Gordon Pinsett, and William Schallert. Then we jump forward nearly half a century to 2018 with Upgrade, written and directed by Leigh Whannell, and featuring Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson, and Benedict Hardy. 

Both of these films imagine worlds where technology outpaces human intelligence and in which something designed as a helpful tool quickly mutates into something far more sinister. Between them, the two address themes including autonomy, privacy, the arrogance of sciences, and the fallibility and future of our species. 

References used:

https://www.wired.com/2017/03/ridley-scott-video/

https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/jean-luc-godards-dystopian-sci-fi-classic-alphaville-turns-50

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terminal_Man_(film)

https://www.bangor.ac.uk/news/2024-10-09-the-terminator-at-40-james-camerons-dark-vision-is-more-relevant-than-ever

Colossus The Forbin Project

https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23505-THE-FORBIN-PROJECT?cxt=filmography

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Braeden

https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/colossus-the-forbin-projects-eric-braeden-retrospective-interview

The directors commentary on the blu ray release of the movie from Spirit Entertainment

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus:_The_Forbin_Project

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Whitlock

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_(novel)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._F._Jones

Upgrade

An interview with Leigh Whannell titled "Man.Machine.More" that appears on the Second Sight blu ray release

https://www.avclub.com/saw-creators-leigh-whannell-and-james-wan-1798222299

https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/leigh-whannell-upgrade/

https://thenerdstemplar.com/2018/05/29/interview-leigh-whannell-upgrade/

https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/01/leigh-wannell-upgrade-interview/

https://punchdrunkcritics.com/2018/06/interview-upgrade-director-leig/

https://rue-morgue.com/exclusive-upgrade-interview-pt-1-leigh-whannell-and-logan-marshall-green-on-practical-effects-and-who-almost-directed/

https://dailydead.com/sxsw-2018-interview-leigh-whannell-logan-marshall-green-and-betty-gabriel-talk-upgrade/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEqZipI7eyc

Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill

email: [email protected]

youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Episode 18: The Uninvited (1944) & The Changeling (1980)

Welcome to episode 18 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two films to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are exploring the horrors of the haunted house which strangely enough is very different to the trope of the old dark house that we discussed back in episode 12.

First up we have The Uninvited from 1944, directed by Lewis Allen and starring Ray Milland, Gail Russell, Ruth Hussey, and Donald Crisp then we jump forward in time to 1980 with the changeling directed by Peter Medak, and starring George C Scott Trish Vandeveer and Melvin Douglas

Along the way we will be discussing Hollywood’s rather strange early reluctance to depict ghosts in the horror genre, The career of Ray Milland, the tragedy of GAIL Russell, the somewhat dubious true story behind the movie The changeling, the career and controversies surrounding George C Scott and much more.

Sources & References

The Uninvited (1944)

Extras and commentary on the Criterion Collection Blu Ray release of the film and an interview with Lewis Allen that was included in the Criterion Collection accompanying booklet

Danse Macabre by Stephen King

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/2934-the-uninvited-spirits-by-starlight

https://ladailymirror.com/2007/07/05/gail-russell/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural_(film)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Uninvited_(1944_film)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Russell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Milland

The Changeling (1980)

Extras and the directors commentary on the second sight pictures blu ray release of the film

https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/denver-house-inspired-horror-film

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_C._Scott

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvyn_Douglas

https://montecristomagazine.com/arts/horror-classic-changeling#gsc.tab=0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Changeling_(film)

Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill

email: [email protected]

youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Episode 17: Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971) & Symptoms (1974). Fall into madness. 

Welcome to episode 17 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two films to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are exploring the horrors of autumn, with a double bill of movies that use the tuning of the seasons as metaphors for the increasingly fragmented psyches of their protagonists. 

 First up we have Lets Scare Jessica to Death from 1971, then we follow this with Symptoms from 1974

Both movies use the beauty of their respective autumnal landscapes as a serene backdrops for their increasingly nightmarish scenarios. The crisp leaves muted colours and early morning mists of Connecticut in the US and Hillingdon in Great Britain gradually morphing from a place of sanctuary, escape and tranquillity one of slow stultifying death and decay. Released at the start of the 1970s, and with an emphasis on alternative and creative lifestyles, both also can be said to represent the demise of the love generation, as the hope and optimism of flower power gave way to Vietnam, civil unrest and the winter of discontent. 

Sources:

House of Psychotic Women by Kier La Janisse

 https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/death-of-the-60s-dream-1969/

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/discussion/did-the-sixties-dream-die-in-1969?utm_source=chatgpt.com 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Free_Concert

https://sfist.com/2017/03/02/what_was_the_summer_of_love_an_expl/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_of_Love

Hancock on Hancock by John Hancock

Imprint blu ray special edition of lets Scare Jessica to Death (special features)

https://screenanarchy.com/2006/10/interview-with-director-john-hancock.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Scare_Jessica_to_Death

BFI blu ray special edition of Symptoms (special features)

English Gothic by Jonathan Rigby

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youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)