Scream Scene Podcast

In this adaptation of HG Wells' "The Island of Doctor Moreau," the deadicated hosts dive in to Erle C Kenton's 1932 ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, starring Charles Laughton and Richard Arlen, a film banned in the UK for showing vivisection and its transgressive subject matter. Context setting 00:00; plot summary 28:52; discussion 39:20; ranking 1:16:45

It's a bonus episode! The deadicated hosts find and review Richard Oswald's 1932 UNHEIMLICHE GESCHICHTEN, featuring a journalist (Harald Paulsen) hounding a charismatic murderer (Paul Wegener), which surely has no relation to historical context... Context setting 00:00; plot summary 33:59; discussion 46:41; ranking 1:05:52

Our deadicated hosts review Karl Freund's directorial debut, 1932's THE MUMMY, starring Boris Karloff! We give historical context to both Ancient Egyptian burial practices and the film itself, while discussing the film's tepid middle-of-the-road nature and relationship with racism & colonialism. Context setting 00:00; plot summary 39:32; discussion 47:36; ranking 1:23:52

The deadicated hosts review the second James Whale film for the list: 1932's OLD DARK HOUSE, starring Boris Karloff & a merry cast. What we find locked in the closet is a horror that we all can relate to... This classic goes on to define the genre of Old Dark House horror, and with good reason. From the novel adaptation, to the character-driven horror on screen, we discuss the positives of offerin...

Your deadicated hosts tackle DOCTOR X (1932) by Michael Curtiz, starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, and Lee Tracy! We discuss sssynthetic flesshhhh, two-tone technicolor, and how we feel about horror and comedy... again! Context setting 00:00; plot summary 22:31; discussion 33:40; ranking 1:08:10

From Haiti's history, the film's racist themes, and it's silent film-inspired cinematography, your deadicated hosts dive in to the Halperin Bros' 1932 WHITE ZOMBIE, starring Bela Lugosi! Our first zombie movie! Context setting 00:00; plot summary 42:51; discussion 55:59; ranking 1:27:25

Carl Th Dreyer's 1932 horror film VAMPYR is exhumed and discussed in this episode of Scream Scene! How does it fare in comparison to Epstein's Fall of the House of Usher? Context 00:00; plot summary 32:52; discussion 49:42; ranking 1:23:53

The deadicated hosts cover the film that ruined two men’s careers… 1932’s MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, starring Bela Lugosi, directed by Robert Florey. What happened behind the scenes to make this transgressive horror film so disjointed? Context setting 00:00; plot summary 32:31; discussion 50:03; ranking 1:11:45

Meet Tod Browning's cast of FREAKS from 1932! Our deadicated hosts learn the production history of this unique film, share details about a few of the performers, and discuss how FREAKS fits within a unique horror subgenre. Context setting 00:00; plot summary 25:55; discussion 41:27; ranking 1:01:35

The deadicated hosts rely on their prescription glasses to see just what Frank R. Strayer's 1932 indie horror The Monster Walks is about... family lineage? An ape on the loose? Who knows? Starring Mischa Auer, with Willie Best. Context setting 00:00; plot summary 17:01; discussion 25:30; ranking 40:33

The deadicated hosts uncover the mystery around Rouben Mamoulian's 1931 pre-Code horror film Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde starring Fredric March! Context setting 00:00; plot summary 29:27; discussion 40:56; ranking 1:13:34

The deadicated hosts take on James Whale's 1931 classic Frankenstein! Starring Colin Clive and Boris Karloff. From Mary Shelley's life and the novel's origins, to the film's unique production history, there's all that and more in this terror-filled episode! Mary Shelley and novel background 00:00; film background 33:34; plot summary 51:25; discussion 1:03:30; ranking 1:42:38

This week, the deadicated hosts watch Drácula from 1931, directed by George Melford! We explain just what this Spanish version of Browning's classic film is, how it came to be, and about the stars Carlos Villarías and Lupita Tovar. Context setting 00:00; summary 13:39; discussion 17:07; ranking 42:54

Tod Browning's 1931 Dracula starring Bela Lugosi, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan, and Helen Chandler wows the deadicated hosts as this film defines the American horror genre. Context setting 00:00; summary 40:34; discussion 47:05; ranking 1:21:33

Our deadicated hosts face their first sound picture... Roland West's remake of The Bat... The Bat Whispers (1930)! Starring Chester Morris and Una Merkel, with the history of sound in film, the Great Depression, and more! Context setting 00:00; summary 28:32; discussion 31:30; ranking 52:54

The deadicated hosts travel to France for Jean Epstein's 1928 La Chute de la maison Usher (The Fall of the House of Usher), where we disappoint our film profs in our description of French Impressionism. We also talk about Edgar Allen Poe! Context 00:00; summary 28:41; discussion 33:47; ranking 57:45

The deadicated hosts test even their resolve with Henrik Galeen's 1928 "German expressionist horror" film Alraune, starring Brigitte Helm and Paul Wegener. Context setting 00:00; summary 15:43; discussion 26:37; ranking 36:58

Lon Chaney returns with director Tod Browning and upcoming actress Joan Crawford in 1927's The Unknown! Our deadicated hosts discuss the film's title, the history of American circuses, and whether the film fits in the horror genre. 00:00 context setting; 20:26 summary; 27:23 discussion; 39:40 ranking

It's the film that inspired Universal's horror franchise... Paul Leni's The Cat and The Canary from 1927! Our deadicated hosts talk Leni's boundary-pushing and inventive direction and cinematography, as well as US horror tropes and dental hygiene. Context setting 00:00; summary 15:49; discussion 31:30; ranking 51:30

Our deadicated hosts return to Germany to review our first remake... Der Student von Prag (1926), directed by Henrik Galeen and starring Conrad Veidt and Werner Krauss. We discuss how the remake, German Expressionism, and even Veidt's acting have evolved since our last viewings! Context setting 00:00; summary 22:14; discussion 46:10; ranking 1:02:38

From director Rex Ingram, our deadicated hosts review The Magician (1926), starring Alice Terry, Paul Wegener, and Ivan Petrovich. Based off W. Somerset Maugham's novel inspired by the infamous Aleister Crowley. Context setting 00:00; summary 20:48; discussion 30:48; ranking 53:53

We tackle Roland West's follow up to The Monster... The Bat (1926)! This comedy-horror (thriller?) is based off the 1920 Broadway hit by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood. What are the differences between a horror and thriller? Does comedy affect whether The Bat is a horror film? Our deadicated hosts discuss this and more in this episode. Context setting 00:00; summary 21:53; discussion 30:5...

The deadicated hosts watch the earliest surviving werewolf movie, Wolf Blood: A Tale of the Forest (1925) directed by and starring George Chesebro. Blood transfusions, loup-garou folklore, and Canadian logging operations abound! Context setting 00:00; summary 14:33; discussion 22:42; ranking 37:50

In our longest episode yet, our deadicated hosts cover all things Phantom of the Opera! From the 1925 film's many releases, to the Opera House itself, there's plenty to hear in this review of the 1925/1929 Phantom of the Opera, directed by Rupert Julian & co, starring Lon Chaney. Context setting 00:00; intermission 44:12; summary 46:10; discussion 1:01:21; ranking 1:29:19

Our deadicated hosts return to the US to review Roland West's 1925 horror-comedy The Monster, with the Scream Scene debut of Lon Chaney! Slapstick, the origins of MGM, and Lon Chaney abounds in this Rocky Horror Monster Show of an episode. Context setting 00:00; summary 26:38; discussion 37:17; ranking 47:24.