HORROR 101 with Dr. AC

KILL, BABY... KILL! (1966) d. Mario Bava (Italy) A BAY OF BLOOD (1971) d. Mario Bava (Italy) Equal parts conjurer of Gothic nightmares, pioneer of modern cinematic violence, and astonishing visual stylist, Italian filmmaker and horror legend Mario Bava'has delivered so many genre high water marks that it's difficult to keep track. From the black-and-white splendor of Black Sunday to the hypnotic c...

THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961) d. Terence Fisher (UK) SCREAM OF FEAR (aka Taste of Fear) (1961) d. Seth Holt (UK) THE TERROR OF THE TONGS (1961) d. Anthony Bushell (UK) THE SHADOW OF THE CAT (1961) d. John Gilling (UK) While Hammer Films is most often remembered for its Gothic reimaginings of Dracula, Frankenstein, and other classic monsters, the year 1961 showcased an adventurousness and willin...

FRAILTY (2001) d. Bill Paxton (USA) For those who only know beloved actor Bill Paxton from his outrageous comic supporting turns or solid leading man roles, watching him bring Brent Hanley's high concept story to exquisitely shaded light is a bit of a revelation. A mysterious young man, Fenton Meiks (played by Matthew McConaughey) walks into a Texas FBI building and reveals to Agent Doyle (played...

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (1986) d. Tobe Hooper (USA) LEATHERFACE: TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III (1990) d. Jeff Burr (USA) TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE NEXT GENERATION (1995) d. Kim Henkel (USA) THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2003) d. Marcus Nispel (USA) THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING (2006) d. Jonathan Liebesman (USA) TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D (2013) d. John Lussenhop (USA) LEATHERFACE (2017)...

THE CRAFT (1996) d. Andrew Fleming (USA) THE CRAFT: LEGACY (2020) d. Zoe Lister-Jones (USA) Directed by Andrew Fleming and written by Peter Filardi, The Craft follows four teenage girls, Sarah (Robin Tunney), Rochelle (Rachel True), Bonnie (Neve Campbell), and Nancy (Fairuza Balk) who form a coven and discover that their growing magical abilities come with consequences. While the film delivers mem...

THE OMEN (1976) d. Richard Donner (USA) DAMIEN: OMEN II (1978) d. Don Taylor (USA) THE FINAL CONFLICT (1981) d. Graham Baker (USA) OMEN IV: THE AWAKENING (1991) d. Jorge Montesi/Dominique Othenin-Girard (USA) THE OMEN (2006) d. John Moore (USA) THE FIRST OMEN (2024) d. Arkasha Stevenson (USA) The success of William Friedkin's The Exorcist in 1973 sparked any number of cheapie imitations, spawning...

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) d. Don Siegel (USA) INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978) d. Philip Kaufman (USA) BODY SNATCHERS (1993) d. Abel Ferrara (USA) THE INVASION (2007) d. Oliver Hirschbiegel (USA) The theme of an alien entity occupying or replacing the bodies of those nearest and dearest to us had been utilized in horror cinema throughout the years. But it is producer Walter Wanger...

DUEL (1971) d. Steven Spielberg (USA) Adapted by Richard Matheson from his original short story, Duel follows traveling salesman David Mann (Dennis Weaver) as a routine drive through the California desert turns into a relentless pursuit by a mysterious tanker truck and its unseen driver. Director Steven Spielberg and his expert team exploit that simple premise with remarkable precision. Every stre...

HOMICIDAL (1961) d. William Castle (USA) MR. SARDONICUS (1961) d. William Castle (USA) Few filmmakers in American horror are remembered as vividly—or as superficially—as William Castle. Mention his name and most movie fans immediately think of outrageous theatrical gimmicks: skeletons flying over audiences, theater seats rigged with buzzing devices, or insurance policies handed out in the lobby. B...

THE HOWLING (1981) d. Joe Dante (USA) AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981) d. John Landis (UK/USA) In the spring and summer of 1981, werewolf cinema underwent a radical transformation—not through one film, but two. Released just months apart, The Howling and An American Werewolf in London didn't just revive a fading subgenre—they redefined what cinematic horror could look and feel like. Directed...

PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006) d. Guillermo del Toro (Mexico/Spain) Revisiting Guillermo del Toro's metaphorical masterpiece combining dark real-world horror (Franco's civil war-torn Spain) with children's fantasy, it's a little surprising to realize that this, his last Spanish-language movie, was released two decades ago. For me personally, whether directing (Cronos, The Devil's Backbone) or producing (T...

THE HITCHER (1986) d. Robert Harmon (USA) While driving from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker (Rutger Hauer) who introduces himself as John Ryder. Little does Halsey realize that this simple act of kindness will change the course of his road trip, and his life, forever. The Hitcher failed spectacularly during its 1986 release, as a confused fan base and cri...

WHO WANTS TO TALK SLASHERS?? FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2  (1981)  d. Steve Miner (USA) HALLOWEEN II  (1981)  d. Rick Rosenthal (USA) THE BURNING (1981)  d. Tony Maylam (USA) HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME  (1981)  d. J. Lee Thompson (Canada) MY BLOODY VALENTINE  (1981)  d. George Mihalka (Canada) THE FUNHOUSE  (1981)  d. Tobe Hooper (USA) HELL NIGHT  (1981)  d. Tom DeSimone (USA) THE PROWLER  (1981)  d. Joseph Z...

FROM BEYOND (1986) d. Stuart Gordon (USA) DAGON (2001) d. Stuart Gordon (Spain) After the cult success of Re-Animator, Stuart Gordon expanded his visceral, darkly comic take on H. P. Lovecraft with From Beyond (1986) and Dagon (2001). Working with writer Dennis Paoli, Gordon transforms cosmic dread into something immediate, tactile, and perversely entertaining. From Beyond reunites Jeffrey Combs a...

SESSION 9 (2001) d. Brad Anderson (USA) Tonight we're talking about 2001's Session 9, director/co-writer Brad Anderson's exceedingly tense tale of a five-man asbestos removal team tackling cleanup duty at an inactive mental asylum. When lawyer-in-training Steven Gevedon (who co-wrote the intelligent script) discovers a collection of audio recordings of patient sessions, a haunting dual storyline d...

MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE (1986) d. Stephen King (USA) NIGHT OF THE CREEPS (1986) d. Fred Dekker (USA) CHOPPING MALL (1986) d. Jim Wynorski (USA) TERRORVISION (1986) d. Ted Nicolau (USA) KILLER PARTY (1986) d. William Fruet (Canada) If you love horror with a little extra cheese on top, 1986 might be one of the most glorious years the genre ever produced. Tonight, we're digging into five low-budget cult fa...

FRANKENSTEIN (1931) d. James Whale (USA) BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) d. James Whale (USA) SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) d. Rowland V. Lee (USA) THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942) d. Erle C. Kenton (USA) The legacy of Frankenstein is one of the most influential in the history of horror. Released by Universal Pictures in 1931 and directed by James Whale, the film helped define what audiences now recogni...

THE INNOCENTS (1961) d. Jack Clayton (UK) Tonight, we're disussing The Innocents, the spellbinding 1961 screen version of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Producer/director Jack Clayton and cinematographer Freddie Francis conjure a haunting onscreen atmosphere with an eye for hypnotic, symbolic imagery, where the sunlit scenes are frequently more chilling than those set at night. Truman Capote...

DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971) d. Harry Kumel (Belgium/France) VAMPYROS LESBOS (1971) d. Jesus Franco (Spain) THE VELVET VAMPIRE (1971) d. Stephanie Rothman (USA) TWINS OF EVIL (1971) d. John Hough (UK) LUST FOR A VAMPIRE (1971) d. Jimmy Sangster (UK) THE SHIVER OF THE VAMPIRE (1971) d. Jean Rollin (France) THE WEREWOLF VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMAN d. Leon Klimovsky (Spain) 1971 was a remarkable year for t...

LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1971) d. John D. Hancock (USA) Tonight we're talking about director John Hancock's brilliant low-budget psychological chiller, Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971), which combines elements of ghosts, vampires, and zombies, yet manages to find its own uniquely eerie voice. Shot independently in and around Connecticut, over the course of 25 chilly Autumn days on a budget...

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) d. Jonathan Demme (USA) MANHUNTER (1986) d. Michael Mann (USA) HANNIBAL (2001) d. Ridley Scott (USA) RED DRAGON (2002) d. Brett Ratner (USA) HANNIBAL RISING (2007) d. Peter Webber (USA) This week, we're talking about 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, that rare beast that's both mainstream Oscar-winning success as well as a first-rate horror film. A masterful blend of...

DRACULA (1931) d. Tod Browning (USA) DRACULA (Spanish version) (1931) d. George Melford (USA) DRACULA'S DAUGHTER (1936) d. Lambert Hillyer (USA) SON OF DRACULA (1943) d. Robert Siodmak (USA) Released on Feb 14, 1931, Dracula from Universal Studios stands as perhaps the most influential horror film ever made. Directed by Tod Browning with cinematography by Karl Freund, the film was adapted from the...

THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960) d. Roger Corman (USA) LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986) d. Frank Oz (USA) Tonight we're talking about Little Shop of Horrors—a title that refers to two very different movies yet equally beloved cult classics that share a carnivorous plant, a down-on-his-luck florist, and a surprisingly dark sense of humor. Producer/director Roger Corman's The Little Shop of Horrors is...

THE EVIL DEAD (1981) d. Sam Raimi (USA) EVIL DEAD II (1987). d. Sam Raimi (USA) ARMY OF DARKNESS (1992) d. Sam Raimi (USA) EVIL DEAD (2013) d. Fede Alvarez (USA) EVIL DEAD RISE (2023) d. Lee Cronin (USA) Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise is a cornerstone of independent horror cinema, redefining what low-budget filmmaking could achieve. Beginning with The Evil Dead (1981), Raimi combined raw ingenuit...

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951) d. Christian Nyby (USA) THE THING (1982) d. John Carpenter (USA) THE THING (2011) d. Matthijs van Heijningen (USA) Tonight we're discussing Howard Hawks' The Thing from Another World (1951) and John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), two science-fiction horror films that, despite sharing a source in John W. Campbell Jr.'s novella Who Goes There?, reflect very differe...