Hellbent for Horror

Izzy Lee is a take-no-prisoners indie filmmaker whose 20-plus genre short films garnered praise from Fangoria, Dread Central, the A.V. Club, and EW.com.  And then came the pandemic. However Izzy Lee rose from the ashes and came back tougher than ever, with her first published novella (I Can See Your Lies) and her feature-length film directorial debut, HOUSE OF ASHES. Join me as Izzy talks about cr...

Although 2024 has passed, so many horror films were released that I am still playing catch-up to see them all! You might have loved some and hated others, but there's no denying that the horror genre flourished in 2024 and continues to be one of our most diverse storytelling styles. From traditional Gothic stories to deconstructed slashers to experimental monster movies to international versions o...

It's time for more Horror for the Holidays, and this year, we have double the chills and thrills to celebrate! First, the tradition of telling ghost stories for Christmas gets a new annual series from Severin Films called The Haunted Season , and the first episode streams on Shudder through December, with a new film every Christmas season!   My guests are acclaimed author, producer, and filmmaker...

Welcome to PART TWO of our dive into Hong Kong CAT III films, the classification of the most outrageous, transgressive, explicit, and violent films. These films, made by a group of wild and unpredictable filmmakers, thrived from 1988 until the British Handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. Hong Kong audiences loved these extremely unhinged movies, and their reputation spread across the globe! Joi...

The UK created the Video Nasties list.  The MPAA created NC-17.  And Hong Kong had CATEGORY III films. It is probably the least widely known classification of outrageous, transgressive, explicit, and violent films. From 1988 to the British Handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, the government tried to tame a group of wild and unpredictable filmmakers.  Instead of killing business, the new rating...

Happy Halloween! Hellbent for Horror returns from the dead (and grateful to be here) to start more conversations. I've missed you all! The best-kept secret of long-term horror fans may be that we don't necessarily watch merely to be scared. What captivates us is the element of surprise. If you can't scare us, surprise us. How do you surprise horror fans who have seen it all? Join me as I give my o...

Like it or not, failure is a part of creation, invention, and art. Sometimes, failure forces improvisation that creates something amazing; other times, not so much.  So, I wanted to look at failure in horror: how some filmmakers overcame major setbacks and Acts of God, but also look at the movies centered around human error, where one mistake creates a chain reaction that leads to death, dismember...

Join me as I talk with Del Howison, the co-owner of Dark Delicacies, the world-renowned book and collectibles store in Burbank dedicated to horror and fantasy that celebrates 30 years as America's home of horror (and is the oldest horror bookstore in Los Angeles.)  Del discusses his career as an author, actor, and bookseller and how a horror superfan grew up to create an oasis for fellow horror fa...

For the last 25 years, Cinema Wasteland has been a Mecca for horror movie maniacs. The legendary convention draws cineastes in and turns them into repeat visitors, "Wastelanders." As CW reaches its Silver Anniversary, many Wastelanders ask, " How long will this go on?"   Join me as I discuss Cinema Wasteland's ongoing saga and interview veterans and newcomers, trying to define what makes this show...

The 96th Academy Awards Ceremony is upon us, but we fans know that the only award that matters is if you recommend a horror movie to your friends and they love it! In reality, 2023 was such a good year for horror movies that I needed two episodes to cover my favorites! Join me as we celebrate PART TWO of the "Killer Elite," a list of horror movies that surprised me and that I recommend to horror f...

The 96th Academy Awards Ceremony is in a few weeks, but the annual outrage over the lack of horror movie nominations is in full swing.  We fans know that the only award that matters is if you recommend a horror movie to your friends. In reality, 2023 was a damn good year for horror movies , with diverse styles and subgenres to satisfy any horror fan's tastes, and I have so many recommendations I n...

It's Time for our annual Christmas Ghost Story!   We return to the Grandfather of the modern ghost story, M.R. James.   Join me as I read his classic short story, A View From a Hill , and find out what a "Borgia Box" is! Happy Holidays to everyone!   I hope you enjoy the show!   Story: A View From a Hill from the collection A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories (1925)  

  Horror movie collectors live to find those rare movies that eluded us. These are the movies that are so obscure and bizarre that it becomes a quest to see them and pass them on to other fans. Join our guest,  Roxanne Guarino  (Cinema Insomnia with Mr. Lobo), author of the new zine The Craziest Movies You Never Saw , as we discuss the growing lost media culture, legendary "Holy Grails" of horror...

  Welcome to "Tape Two" of S.O.V. (shot on video) movies that prove that Horror is the Punk Rock of Cinema! For decades,  fans made movies without Hollywood, money, or distribution deals . Following the DIY ethos, regional horror movies sprung up everywhere and told crazy, original, and personal stories and created a subculture. Just like punk rock did!   Join me as I curate a list of movies that...

Horror is the Punk Rock of Cinema, and S.O.V. (shot on video) movies prove it! For decades, fans made movies without Hollywood, money, or distribution deals . Following the DIY ethos, regional horror movies sprung up everywhere and told crazy, original, and personal stories and created a subculture. Just like punk rock did!   Join me on "Tape One," where I discuss the long history of renegade movi...

Happy Halloween! Join me as I talk about all of the little annual "rituals" I do around Halloween, including books, movies, decorations, old memories of Samhains gone by, and new "ritual bits" added this year! I hope you enjoy the show! Books Discussed: Ghost Story -Peter Straub Books of Blood- Clive Barker The Year's Best Hardcore Horror- Edited by Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax Chain Saw Con...

Legendary Filmmaker William Friedkin died on August 7th, 2023, a few months before the 50th Anniversary of THE EXORCIST. As his legend would dictate, Friedkin was a bit of a demon himself to those who worked with him and opposed him. "Hurricane Billy" would do anything for a shot, even at the risk of life and limb.  Join me as I take a personal look at my utter fascination with the director, whose...

Three years of the pandemic is enough. We stared into the abyss, and it changed us. And horror movies got us through. Horror movies also told us the scary and ugly truth about how monstrous we were. As we spent our Seasons in the Abyss, here are some trends I noticed... and NO ZOMBIE MOVIES INCLUDED! PART ONE OF TWO. Movies Discussed:  SYNCHRONIC (2020) ST. MAUD (2021) DEMENTER (2021) THE VIGIL (2...

Here's my Postmortem on the 2022 Christmas Holiday Season, where I discuss Killer Santas, Trolls, Yule Logs, and the death of "The War on Christmas!"  Movies Discussed: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983) TROLL (2022) CHRISTMAS, BLOODY CHRISTMAS (2022) THE MEAN ONE (2022) VIOLENT NIGHT (2022) ADULT SWIM'S YULE LOG (2022)

Happiest of Holidays to you!  Just in time for Christmas Eve is the Hellbent for Horror Annual Christmas Ghost Story! Keeping the old British tradition going, I've been reading ghost stories for Christmas over the last few years. Because Christmas and horror go together like cookies and milk and Santa! This year's story is M.R. James' "Casting the Runes," which is the story that was adapted into t...

Join acclaimed horror author Vince V. Cava (CREEPYPASTA, JUST A LITTLE TERRIBLE) as we look at how comedy and horror work together (or not). We discuss Bizarro horror, Creepypasta, crazy Anime, and "the Amazon Smut Illuminati." This is a pre-recorded live podcast from the FAN EXPO-SAN FRANCISCO performed on Black Friday (11/25/2022). I hope you enjoy the show! MOVIES: SCANNERS (1981) CREEPSHOW (19...

It's no surprise that I love Halloween and that I love decorating my place into a haunted House for Trick-or-Treaters to enjoy.  But there is a specific history behind my love of Halloween, and in this episode, I'm going to "open a vein" and give you more insight into what makes me believe that horror brings people together and, for some of us, frees us and gives us purpose. Special Edition: I rea...

Every town has ghosts and the late George Romero is Pittsburgh's beloved boogeyman! Romero still looms large there, and I was honored to visit the George A. Romero Archival Collection (1962-2017) at the Hillman Library at the University of Pittsburgh. Horror Studies Collection Coordinator Ben Rubin sat for an interview and gave me a tour of the vast collection that documents his career through the...

Freddy's glove! Jason's machete! Jigsaw's mask! Leatherface's Chainsaw! Like any religion, horror and sci-fi movies can be such a spiritual experience for fans that props and costumes can become holy relics . Join my guests, James Azrael and Ernesto Avina, partners, and curators of The Horror & SciFi Prop Preservation Association (HSPPA), as they discuss passion, obsession, and how art is in the e...

Before the MCU became mainstream and before horror films won Oscars, Horror Hosts  helped create the Monster Kid Culture and legitimize fandom and genre conventions. My guest, John Stanley , was not only the legendary host of Creature Features on KTVU-2 from 1979-1984 , but also a novelist, film critic, and horror film director (NIGHTMARE IN BLOOD). Join us as we talk horror host history straight...