Trauma Box

This week, to ring in October, star of stage and screen Sam Pancake graces the Traume Box with his presence. We regretfully watched the 1991 made for tv version of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, starring the luminous Redgrave sisters as two codependent hags jockeying for dominance in an empty Hollywood mansion. The experience was as disquieting as it sounds, but there were lots of fun diversions along the way. If you're in the LA area, go see Sam's hilarious and touching one man show in November:

https://ci.ovationtix.com/36684/production/1291297?performanceId=11868574

Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Patreon, and dear God check out Sam's podcasts, The Monday Afternoon Movie Club and OhI The Horror!

What is a mausoleum but a box of trauma? This week, Tyler and Shawn exhume 1983's Mausoleum, a magnificent piece featuring the bountilful gifts of Bobbie Bresee and MARJOE GORTNER. Marjoe, for the uninitiated, was an ordained Evangelical preacher at age 4, who came to reject the church in his teen years, and the man's unusual talents are not wasted in the gutters of early 80s trash cinema. We've also got killer dance sequences, negligees, and ooze and goo galore in this week's episode, so check it out on Apple Music and Spotify. And don't forget to join our Patreon at patreon.com/traumaboxpodcast

Tyler and Shawn welcome Chris Miller aka Gunnar Haslam aka La Synthese Humaine (AND aka Shawn's co-host on the Base Camp Beta podcast) onto the Trauma Box this week for a treacherous dive into James Bond's verboten-era with License to Kill. Sometimes described as the "Cannon Group Bond" film, License to Kill sees the heritage franchise floundering with a brand of charmless, post-Temple of Doom nihilism, but we blast through it with a heroism that surely trumps that of Timothy Dalton's Bond. We also talk about the logistics of underwater fight sequences, cinematic depictions of imaginary Central American countries, and the oh-so-tempting possibility of Shia LeBeouf playing James Bond. Check it out on Apple Pocasts and Spotify!

Tyler and Shawn ring in their *twentieth* episode with a celebration of American Ninja! This absolute stone-cold staple of the video store shelves had somehow evaded both of our watchings over these many decades, and let us tell you, this omission was a real joy to shore up. We talk trash film history via Golan and Globus's Cannon Group, the ninja craze of the 1980s, Michael Dudikoff's sexy broodings, etc etc etc! Check it out on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and don't forget to scope us at patreon.com/traumaboxpodcast

The Trauma Box drives Tyler and Shawn to the steamy streets of Two Moon Junction, Zalman King's (of Red Shoe Diaries notoriety) directorial debut. We're no longer in the land of the erotic thriller or the erotic comedy; Two Moon Junction is a film that can only be described as *erotica.* Expect sexy carnies with Fabio-grade pecs, a saxophone-rich soundscape, excessive Freudianisms, excessive-excess, and lots and lots (and lots) of Sherilyn Fenn. My goodness. Check it out on Apple Podcast/Spotify, and scope what we're up to on patreon.com/traumaboxpodcast

Tyler and Shawn return to the nebulous space-time of the peplum, also known as the sword & sandals flick, a glorious cinematic domain that, typically, casually muddies grimdark Medieval tropes and Orientalist fantasy with a dash of magic and a dose of absurd masculinity. These films were essential VHS store shelf-fodder - unfortunately, Deathstalker 2 deviates from genre form with a heaping dollop of Police Academy-esque humor courtesy of the eternal troublemaker, Jim Wynorski. We also talk about the ruination of Star Wars franchise, orcs, fantasy aritst Boris Vallejo, and of course, being traumatized by Alejandro Jodorowsky films. Check it out on Apple Podcasts or Spoity - and do scope out our Patreon, where we've started uploading some sweet Bonus Content!

Tyler and Shawn fall into The Dead Pit this week, Brett Leonard's (of later Lawnmower Man fame) ham-fistedly Freudian asylum-centric zombie flick. It's a real hoot, and we talk about Italian aesthetics in American films, cinematic portrayals of mental health facilities, and the puzzles of digital reverb. Listen on Apple Music and Spotify, and check out our Patreon at www.patreon.com/traumaboxpodcast

The Box goes bawdy again with Candy Stripe Nurses, a Julie Corman-produced sex comedy romp from 1974. This VHS box has haunted us for decades, and it delivers the goods in era-appropriate style with sass and grass galore. We talk American film history, LA culture, 70's sex-positivity, *and more*! Tune in at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.

It's Ghoulies time! Perhaps *the* ur-frightening VHS box, few of our generation made it through the 80s without confronting the terrifying image of a ghoulie popping out of a toilet seat. Michael Guggino - musician, sound technician, and cousin-of-Shawn - joins us to plumb these depths, and we talk about farting on Ghost Hunter, the myth of the primal father, and of course, plenty of childhood trauma. Scope the latest episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc, and check out our Patreon where we'll be dropping some extra special treats soon.

Giallo-horror master Lucio Fulci makes a visit to the Trauma Box with his 1984 headscratcher Murder Rock. This Flashdance-indebted (?) giallo features more murder than rock, and it doesn't have all that much murder, but Tyler and Shawn roll with the many confusing punches. But really, what's not to love here? Hop into the Trauma Box this week for stylish interiors, sexy Italians, bizarrely inappropriate dance sequences, and a pretty shitty Keith Emerson score!