Puppet Masters / Castle Freaks

We're completing the WITCHOUSE trilogy on our show, and we're fortunate to be guided through these two underseen sequels by none other than director JR Bookwalter! The prolific horror writer and director takes us through the fascinating production of these two films, which bridge the gap between the end of the Romanian era of Full Moon and the beginning of their return to America.  Hosted by Jarro...

It's time for another wild Kushner-Locke-era Charles Band film! Filmmaker Addison Binek (PSYCHO APE) joins us for HIDEOUS, a horror-comedy set in the world of high-end human oddity training. Featuring some distinctive tiny terrors and the PM/CF debut of the great Jaqueline Lovell!  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: puppetmaste...

People's worst nightmares start to manifest in a secret government bunker in SHADOWZONE! This fun thriller in the vein of John Carpenter's THE THING boasts some surprising star power, including industry legend James Hong and Oscar winner Louise Fletcher. We're joined by Chris Bahr as we discuss one of the very first Full Moon movies! Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle H...

The filmmaking couple behind Switchblade Cinema, Alix Austin and Keir Siewert, join us for one of the absolute strangest Empire movies out there: THE CALLER, a sparse two-hander that feels like a filmed play! Starring Malcolm McDowell and Madolyn Smith, THE CALLER is twisty and ambitious swing for Band and company, but is it different enough to truly stand out?  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve...

Corey Stevenson and Zak Shaffer from the great Podcasting After Dark join the platoon this week for the Bilson and DeMeo-scripted pulp serial treat ZONE TROOPERS! The movie is a gleeful genre mashup (think E.T. meets the Howling Commandos and you're halfway there), featuring a cast full of holdovers from TRANCERS and a great, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Gun...

Filmmakers and writers Justin Martell and Seager Dixon join us this week as we explore the campy magical horror film SPELLCASTER! The film was shot in 1986 and was banking on the  popularity of its star, New Wave rocker Adam Ant, but the film wasn't released until late 1992, and went largely unseen. Is it worth gazing into your crystal ball to find a copy?   Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Gun...

An offshoot of the mid-70s "porno chic" era, the "erotic musical comedy based on public domain stories" subgenre remains one of the weirdest fads in film history, and Charles Band was there on the ground floor. This week, we're talking about two of his earliest projects, the ribald erotic comedies CINDERELLA and FAIRY TALES! We're joined by writer, filmmaker, and exploitation film historian Michae...

Filmmaker and writer Jed Shepherd (HOST) joins us this week for a trilogy of films from a true visionary: Tim Kincaid. The 80's shlockmeister attempted to graduate from pornography into mainstream filmmaking with a trio of Wizard Video releases that truly defy description and just have to be seen to be believed. Whether it's the sleazy alien thrills of BREEDERS, the insane fantasy of ROBOT HOLOCAU...

Though it's largely forgotten today, PARASITE was a crucial launching point for a lot of very important careers, not the least of which was Charles Band himself. Band teamed up with some future visionaries (SFX artist Stan Winston, star Demi Moore) to attempt to revitalize the 3D movement, and for a few years they nearly succeeded! We're thrilled to be joined by Fangoria editor-in-chief Phil Nobil...

It's time for the next chapter of our SUBSPECIES retrospective! Michelle and Radu's journey continues with BLOODLUST: SUBSPECIES III, shot at the same time as the acclaimed second film. Then, we're looking at VAMPIRE JOURNALS, the series spin-off that may just be the best-looking Full Moon movie, period. Michael Varrati is back on the show to help us sort through Ted Nicolaou's Romanian vampire sa...

Cecil Trachenburg is back this week as our cinematic tour of Eastern Europe continues, this time with the surprisingly smart and elegant DARK ANGEL: THE ASCENT! Starring model Angela Featherstone as a rise demon who becomes an earthly avenger, the film is one of Full Moon's more accomplished early efforts.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCam...

Charles Band makes his biggest push yet at builidng out his Marvel-esque shared universe with two back-to-back superhero flicks! Filmmaker Nathan Faudree (SITE 13) joins us as we talk about sci-fi saga MANDROID and it's pulpy direct sequel INVISIBLE: THE CHRONICLES OF BENJAMIN KNIGHT! Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: puppetma...

The boys of Neon Brainiacs join us on our magical trip back to Moonbeam territory for PET SHOP! This kid-friendly bit of fluff boasts some cuddly critters and weird space cowboys in a weird attempt at a budget Tim Burton family flick.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @pu...

A robot warrior. A scientist. A mercenary. A ninja. What happens if we put them all in the Florida swamps and sent rednecks after them? Let's find out, with the high-octane thrills of ELIMINATORS! Black VVideo's Shea Mossefin returns for this gleeful genre pastiche that seems to be every 80s B-movie in one.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCa...

Hollywood gets haunted this week in the surprisingly audacious 2012 direct-to-Redbox feature THE DEAD WANT WOMEN! Starring the ubiquitous B-movie legend Eric Roberts, this film starts off with a bang in Hollywood's roaring 20's to tell it's sleazy tale of fame, sex, and the occult. Writer Jerry J. Sampson joins us this week for this wild romp.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme son...

We're back in Toulon's territory this week for a pair of PUPPET MASTER sequels that at one point were going to be one theatrically-released film! PUPPET MASTER scholar Nat Brehmer returns to the show as we talk through parts 4 and 5 of Full Moon's flagship, as the puppets transition from baddies to goodies and take on a new threat from the demonic underworld.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve G...

Charles Band wasn't going to let a tiny thing like a massive global pandemic stop him from making movies. Released only one month after the lockdown was initiated, CORONA ZOMBIES was cobbled together from two wildly different films, with wraparound footage of a ditzy blonde and her search for toilet paper brought in to tie it together. It's as chintzy and dumb as it sounds, but it's also a testame...

One of the only female-directed films in the entire Empire/Full Moon canon, Anita Rosenberg's ASSAULT OF THE KILLER BIMBOS is a funny, sunny sexploitation romp that's just a little bit smarter than it has to be. Returning guest Becky Darke joins us to discuss the film's weirdly tragic cast, the relative merits of being a bimbo, and whether or not this film inspired THELMA & LOUISE (sounds far-...

An all-girl rock band in the future must make it across the galaxy for a high-end gig; sounds like the perfect set-up for a cult movie doesn't it? But Albert Pyun's barely-released VICIOUS LIPS from 1987 has much weirder ideas in store. We dig into the production with returning guest Doug McCambridge, who helps us try to make sense of all the catfighting, big wigs, and bizarre plot developments. ...

The oft-overlooked precursor to one of the great bad movies of all time, TROLL was a mid-grade hit for Empire that has cast a surprisingly long shadow. From introducing a few major careers to possibly inspiring one of the most beloved literary characters of all time, this modest GREMLINS knock-off has had more of a cultural footprint than you might expect. We're joined this week by author and arti...

Over his career spanning nearly 50 years, Jeff Farley has designed makeup and special effects for hundreds of films. From major productions like THE BLOB (1989), ALIEN 3, and DEATH BECOMES HER to tiny Full Moon projects like BLOOD DOLLS, EVIL BONG 2, and GINGERDEAD MAN 3, Farley's done just about everything the effects world has to offer. We spoke with Jeff about his experience, the films that ins...

One of the briefest and strangest sublabels in Full Moon's history, Filmonsters was trying to capitalize on a very specific niche, namely the success of the GOOSEBUMPS TV series and it's subsequent VHS spin-offs. These two family-friendly riffs on classic Universal Monsters were intended to be part of a longer series, but petered out after only two simultaneously-released entries. Actor, writer, a...

Before he became one of Hollywood's most in-demand blockbuster filmmakers, Renny Harlin was just a brash kid from Finland who proved his chops with a small American horror film called PRISON, starring some nobody named Viggo Mortensen! Returning guest Scott Weinberg joins us as we unearth this neglected gem of a horror flick, featuring an amazing bench of character actors and some memorably grueso...

After the collapse of Empire, Stuart Gordon's ROBOT JOX got a delayed release under a new distributor, and Charles Band was quick to respond with not one but two films that marketed themselves as direct follow-ups to Gordon's mech-battling adventure, even if that wasn't exactly true. 1990's CRASH & BURN is more of a locked-room murder mystery than a mech fighter, and 1993's ROBOT WARS, while d...

Some sororities raise money through car washes or bake sales, but the girls of Delta Delta Pi make their money with their meat pies... just don't question where the meat is coming from. We're talking about DELTA DELTA DIE, a highly campy 2003 horror comedy that features iconic B-movie scream queens Brinke Stevens and Julie Strain! We're joined by author and journalist Heather Wixson for this fun l...