Video Monsters

Halloween is over. The days are growing colder as the nights grow longer. The leaves change and fall and it feels like the winter season is upon before they even hit the ground. The holidays approach and suddenly we’re spending more time at home, bundled up with our loved ones, taking time to reflect on what really matters to us: friendship, charity, art, a pair of cozy socks, a warm cup of coffee. All the little pleasures in life that keep us going. We all have different things we’re grateful for, but there’s one thing in particular that every single human being on this planet can agree matters most of all. It’s a thing that transcends all of our differences, overcomes all cultural barriers, and bridges all political divides. That thing we cherish above all else is, of course…. Thomas Jeffrey Hanks.

November is the month of HANKSGIVING on the Video Monsters Podcast! A joyous occasion in which we celebrate and take comfort in the works of our beloved dad, Tom Hanks. We decided that the best way to give ‘Hanks this season is by highlighting some films in his oeuvre that we feel are underappreciated, underseen, or overshadowed by the canonical classics we all already know and love. Up first, we’re hanging with Hanks in Joe Dante’s THE ‘BURBS (1989). Nathan, Eric, and Dan discuss Tom Hanks’s prowess as a physical comedian, how this film may be a secret sequel to BIG, why the “heroes” of this story might actually be the villains, and how the illusion of safety in the suburbs makes them a perfect front to hide true horrors. So crush those empty beer cans, throw the garbage out in the street, call up the pizza dude, and guard your femur because you never know what kind of lunatics might be lurking in THE ‘BURBS!

If you enjoyed this episode, come join the Video Monsters crew on Discord!! Hangout episodes are live (and unedited!) every Tuesday night starting around 9:00pm EST. Listen and chat along with us in the Discord chat and we’ll even give you a shoutout on the episode!

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

The Video Monsters share their thoughts on the 13th annual Knoxville Horror Film Festival, which was hosted Oct. 21st - 24th at the Parkway Drive-In and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Sadly, only one-third of our Monster triumvirate were able to make it down for a day of the festival.  But, Nathan is happy to report that his return to the cinema -- after an almost two-year absence -- was even more glorious than he anticipated. Tears may have been shed. Nathan shares his thoughts on the short films THE LAKE PARASITE and VERIFIED and features: KING KNIGHT, MAD GOD, and HELLBENDER. Meanwhile, since we all couldn’t make it to the festival in person, we had a little KHFF-at-home experience and discuss our recent watches of some of the classic films that screened this year, including POPCORN (1991), TRICK OR TREAT (1986), and POSSESSION (1981). So grab your vaccine card, hit the concession stand, snag some Central Cinema merch, and prepare yourself for juvenile jokes about Sam Neill’s ass because that’s how we celebrate the most wonderful time of the year at the Knoxville Horror Film Festival!

If you enjoyed this episode, come join the Video Monsters crew on Discord!! Hangout episodes are live (and unedited!) every Tuesday night starting around 9:00pm EST. Listen and chat along with us in the Discord chat and we’ll even give you a shoutout on the episode!

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

Hangout episode with Nathan, Eric, and Dan. Recorded live on the Video Monsters Discord server, 10/19/2021. On this episode, the Video Monsters are talking ALL THE SPOILERS!!! Nathan ponders the question “Can a movie really be spoiled?” Eric and Dan answer with an unequivocal “Yes” before digging into what it actually means for something to be “spoiled” and how that affects the way we experience a movie. The bulk of the discussion centers around recent releases like MALIGNANT, HALLOWEEN KILLS, and MIDNIGHT MASS so consider this your official SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t seen those yet. Then, we close out the show with our TRANSPORTATIONSPLOITATION pick of the week: DEEP RISING (1998).

If you enjoyed this episode then come join us on Discord! Chat with us throughout the week, let us know what you’re watching, what you think we should cover, and come out for our live virtual hangout episodes Tuesday nights starting around 9:00pm EST.

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

Film producer -and Mayor of Video Monsters- David Lawson Jr (SHE DIES TOMORROW, SYNCHRONIC, AFTER MIDNIGHT) boards the Video Monsters express to discuss his pick for our Transportationsploitation series, TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016). This South Korean horror film from director Sang-ho Yeon is widely regarded as one of the best zombie movies of the past decade; no small feat considering how much the undead have proliferated in pop culture during that time period. TRAIN TO BUSAN sets itself apart with a claustrophobic setting, inventive action set pieces, and a uniquely visceral depiction of zombies that makes them feel all the more terrifying. But the bulk of Nathan and Eric’s conversation with Dave will focus on how the political subtext and simple emotional hook of a dad just trying to protect his daughter are what truly make this a standout zombie picture. Well, that and daddy Ma Dong-seok’s massive arms, which are perfect for both f**king up zombies and wrapping you up in a warm bear hug. Speaking of wrapping up… let’s do that. So grab your favorite scarf, meet us where the flowers bloom and, for the love of God, don’t forget to close the door behind you as we board the TRAIN TO BUSAN.

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

Bill Fulkerson (co-writer/co-director of SURVIVAL OF THE FILM FREAKS and host of the OUTSIDE THE CINEMA podcast), joins the Video Monsters to discuss his TRANSPORTATIONSPLOITATION pick, Richard Franklin’s ROADGAMES (1981). This early Ozploitation flick is a pitch-perfect Hitchcock pastiche about a charming truck driver (Stacy Keach) who unintentionally gets swept up in the hunt for a serial killer. It’s essentially REAR WINDOW on the road. Despite its premise and the implied sleaziness of its poster, ROADGAMES is surprisingly just as much a laid back hangout movie as it is a cat-and-mouse road thriller. Nathan, Eric, Dan, and Bill discuss the wonderful performances of Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis, the screenplay that’s deceptively well structured despite how loose and fun the movie feels, the way Franklin remixes Hitchcock tropes to constantly keep the audience on edge, and so much more. And, of course, there’s no way one could cover this movie without getting into an extensive side conversation on the film career of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson! Right?! So hitch up your trailer, hide your dingo, keep those guitar strings handy, and watch out for rogue rabbits because it’s time to play some ROADGAMES!

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

Hangout episode with Nathan, Dan, and special guest Corey Simpson. Recorded live on the Video Monsters Discord server, 10/5/2021. Eric is MIA in Florida this week because he’s the worst. Nathan and Dan perform their civic duties and rightfully give Eric the grief he deserves before moving on to this week’s movies. Dan’s picks include Italian Lovecraftian nunsploitation classic, DARK WATERS (1993), and the unassuming parental horrors of THE WITCH IN THE WINDOW (2018). Nathan preaches the gospel of another Italian “classic” (of copyright infringement), CRUEL JAWS (1995), before moving on to discuss an actual classic, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1974). Meanwhile, Corey argues for THE RUNNING MAN’s (1987) inclusion in the horror canon and recommends the spellbinding witchery of the first Soviet horror film, VIY (1967). Finally, Corey completes his Video Monsters initiation with a rousing round of our favorite movie party game, PITCHSTORM!

If you enjoyed this episode, come join the Video Monsters crew on Discord!! Hangout episodes are live (and unedited!) every Tuesday night starting around 9:30pm EST. Listen and chat along with us in the Discord chat and we’ll even give you a shoutout on the episode!

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

The Video Monsters are once again joined by friend and fellow film freak, Kyle Kuchta (co-director, SURVIVAL OF THE FILM FREAKS), to discuss CREEP (2004) as we keep moving right along with our Horror in Motion (or, Transportationsploitation) series.  This feature-film directorial debut of Christopher Smith harkens back to gothic horror (with a splash of 80s creature features) as it presents an incredibly solid horror movie that can be enjoyed as either a simple monster story of things that go bump in the night, or as a more complex story with deeper meanings of classism and the hell that women experience with sexual assault.  So grab your metro pass, stay away from the windows, and don’t forget George Clooney’s number as we board the last podcast of the night with our review of CREEP!

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

Hangout episode with Nathan, Eric, and Dan. Recorded live on the Video Monsters Discord server, 9/21/2021. The Video Monsters pay tribute to our lord and savior, Stephen King, on the most holy occasion of his birthday before jumping into what we’ve been watching lately. Movies discussed include transportationsploitation picks like DEATH SHIP, SOUTHBOUND, BELOW, and DEAD CALM plus a few non-vehicular outliers like GRAVEYARD SHIFT, MALIGNANT, THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, THE MUMMY (1932), and SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIME BOWL-O-RAMA (which leads us down the delightfully demented filmography of its absurdly prolific director, David DeCoteau.) We cap off the night by finally giving Dan a chance to play a round of PITCHSTORM, and… let’s just say that we’re expecting producers to give us a call any minute once they hear his pitch.

We’ve had such a good time recording these hangout episodes. If you’re enjoying them nearly as much as we are then come join us on Discord. We got lively chats going throughout the week, and live episodes like this every Tuesday night starting around 9:30pm EST.

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

It may sound like a trick, but we have a very special treat for our listeners. For the first time ever, the Video Monsters are joined by an actual video monster. Hailing all the way from Transylvania, we’re interviewing the one, the only, the immortal… Count Dracula! This is not a joke. The ACTUAL Dracula is stopping in to promote his new TV show DRACULA’S KUNG-FU THEATRE, where he shows a variety of classic martial films ever Friday night at 10pm E|P on Retro TV (and later on demand at watch.itsrealgoodtv.com). Eric may have lost his mind a little bit when he learned that vampires are actually real, so Nathan and Dan picked up the slack for the chat with Drac. They, of course, used this opportunity not only to talk to the legendary Count about his favorite kung-fu flicks but also to find out what inspired him to create this show, what are some common misconceptions about him, and what he thinks about the way he’s been portrayed in media over the last century. So put away those stakes, douse your torches, and leave your pitchfork in the barn because you’ll have nothing but love for creatures of the night after listening to our interview with Dracula!

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

Eric Pennycoff (writer/director of SADISTIC INTENTIONS) joins the Video Monsters to discuss Jonathan Mostow’s underrated 90s action thriller BREAKDOWN (1997). We’re absolutely thrilled that he picked this for our TRANSPORTATIONSPLOITATION: or HORROR IN MOTION series because this flick rocked our engine blocks and deserves far more love than it’s received over the years. In this episode, we lament the death of the era when mid-budget studio movies were made for adults, discuss the incomparable face acting of Kurt Russell, talk about the spiritual connections this shares with Steven Spielberg’s DUEL, and just generally drool over the lean, mean practical craftsmanship on display in every ounce of this movie’s DNA. So grab a pack of donuts, crank up the A/C in your luxurious ‘96 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and be prepared to have that Tom Petty song stuck in your head for at least a week after listening to our review of Jonathan Mostow’s BREAKDOWN.

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons