Classic Horrors Club

It's that time of year again! Join Richard and Jeff as they launch the podcast's annual "Summer at the Drive-In" with two great features: Revenge from Planet Ape (aka Tombs of the Blind Dead) and the final portmanteau from Amicus, From Beyond the Grave. Joining them for the first one in 1976 is Jonathan Angarola from the terrific blog, Concentric Cinema, where you can "journey to the center of gen...

Slow zombies, fast zombies... Voodoo zombies, living dead zombies... British country zombies?!? Yes, and only as Hammer can do them! Join Jeff and Richard for this month's club meeting as they (spoiler alert) praise The Plague of the Zombies (1966.) It may not feature "your" type of zombie, but it's nevertheless a real crowd-pleaser.

If you don't know Peter Lorre, he "became a cinematic icon with his bulging, froglike eyes, accented delivery, and unmatched ability to portray odd, quirky, and menacing characters." For this month's meeting, we delve deep into the life and legend of Peter Lorre, focusing on a dark film from the beginning of his career, M (1931), and a comedic film near the end of his career, The Comedy of Terrors...

Roses are red... Violets are blue... Listen to the new episode... Lest Harry Warden kill you! Thank you to Alistair Hughes and Joshua Kennedy for helping make last year special!

Nothing says Christmas like a killer Santa Claus! "...And All Through the House" is just one highly effective tale from the five-story anthology film from Amicus, Tales from the Crypt (1972.) The characters in each one of them get what's coming to them, whether it's because they're husband killers, wife cheaters, greedy real estate investors, ruthless financiers, or selfish directors of a home for...

Jeff and Richard return to correct a wrong (the "lost" Karloff episode) by recording a brand new retrospective of the life and films of the classic horror legend, Boris Karloff. Among all the "hot takes," they dive deeper into two films: Frankenstein (1931) and Curse of the Crimson Altar, aka The Crimson Cult (1968.) Richard put out the call for listener participation, so we thank Rob Saccone, Bil...

Jeff & Richard arrive at the beginning of a new era in Mexican film history and experience El vampiro (1957) and its sequel, El ataud del vamprio (1958) on the big screen at the Cine Opera in Mexico City. Come for the poor pronunciation of names. Stay for what is perhaps the biggest difference in opinion your two hosts have ever faced.

Sounds like a zombie movie, huh? Or a alien/mutant brain movie. Well, it surprised at least one of us who learned it's more of a body snatcher movie. But why nitpick? Perhaps it's because we can't think what to write about it and should let our mouths do the talking. Join us for... The Brain Eaters (1958)! For extra entertainment this month, we've got a special video companion in which we list our...

Another summer at the drive-in comes to a close with two movies that were surprisingly #1 at the box office the week of Halloween, 1970. As a child, Jeff saw this double-feature at the Enid Drive-In, but as an adult, he and Richard appear at the Middleton Drive-In in Middleton, New York. New York... we know someone who lives there. Might Jonathan swim in to add his two cents worth about Trog and T...

We're back to the drive-in for a 1963 double feature of troubled productions involving the likes of Roger Corman, Jack Nicholson, and Francis Coppola: The Terror and Dementia 13. Listen what happens when a 57-year old child is careless with his words. Out of the resulting turmoil appears podcasting royalty: Chris Franklin of the Fire & Water Podcast Network and The House of Franklinstein. How much...

It's another summer at the drive-in and we're starting with a real double-feature, just like when our two movies were actually shown at the Big Sky Drive-In in 1960... Caltiki, the Immortal Monster, and Tormented. For the next three episodes you can expect starry nights, bustling concession stands, and surprise guests. Now, on with the show...

It's another world premiere movie event as Jeff and Richard are "whooshed" across the pond to London on Friday, February 21st... 1936. There are still seats available, so join us. The "programme" starts at 8:45. There are wonderful Things to Come for you when you listen to this month's episode of The Classic Horrors Club Podcast! In the video companion, Richard sets the stage for Jeff to read exce...

Do you like your calamari so fresh it could crawl off your plate? How about your oysters extra slimy? If so, join Jeff & Richard at the Union Oyster House in Boston, MA on Wednesday, September 18, 1963, for a discussion of a new double feature that just opened at the E.M. Loew's Center theater. Whether you like disembodied hands or underground dwellers, there's something for everyone in this month...

You're invited to a world premiere event as the vortex drops Jeff & Richard into a car at the Tascosa Drive-In in Amarillo, Texas, on August 29, 1958. The stars of "The Sun Demon" appear not only on screen, but also in person!! You will see... I mean, hear... a man change from man to monster before your... ears! Never before attempted in any theater... or on any podcast...

The vortex drops Jeff and Richard in Times Square once again, but nine years after their last visit. Things have changed and one of the original movie palaces is scheduled for demolition. Will they have time to watch Werewolf of London before the wrecking ball swings? And what will they think of it? Eternal thanks to Alistair Hughes and Joshua Kennedy!

Previously on the Classic Horrors Club Podcast... In the remote reaches of an undisclosed location, Jeff and Richard discovered a hidden door in their clubhouse. When they opened it, they were sucked into a vortex and sent tumbling through time and space... Where... and when... have they gone?!? Be sure to check out the Video Companion to learn more about Roland West and the scandal that ruined hi...

It's finally here! Eight years in the making! You're invited to join Rich and Jeff for the 100th meeting of the Classic Horrors Club! There's only one movie star and one movie big enough for the podcast: King Kong (1933.) It's an episode as big as Kong, and a celebration you don't want to miss with participation from some of our listeners and members of our Facebook group page. Grab some champagne...

Putting the "C" in the Classic Horrors Club Podcast, Jeff and Richard finish this year's annual summer at the drive-in with two bonafide classics: Them! (1954) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956.) With a double-time hop, they visit the Tri-City Drive-In in Loma Linda, California, on two different days. Alas, there never was a drive-in double feature for these two films (as far as we know.) J...

The much-maligned Atomic Age films, The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews, both from 1959, may have been made on the cheap, but they accomplish something few Hollywood blockbusters do: inspire our imaginations! Join Jeff and Richard as they travel back in time to the Tri-City Drive-In in San Pedro, California, for the ultimate double-feature that perfectly belongs in the drive-in experience...

Join Jeff and Richard as they travel only a few months into the past to watch two movies released 50 years apart, one of them that's 92-years old! First up is Poltergeist (1982) and then it's Freaks (1932.) If you think that's an odd double feature, consider that the third movie on the triple bill was The Exorcist (1973.) They sure know how to program an evening's entertainment on the big screen a...

Surprise! We're hitting the road early with the first of four summer trips to the drive-in. It's the weekend of June 15, 1973, and Battle for the Planet of the Apes has just opened, giving the Hillcrest Drive-In in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the opportunity to host an unofficial "Go Ape" marathon. We both started our relationship with Planet of the Apes as children, and it's a passion that has consistentl...

For a bit of a change of pace, Jeff and Richard discuss two films where there are as many songs as there are monsters: Phantom of the Paradise (1974) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975.) Both did their time on the Midnight Movie circuit before the advent of home video boosted one's reputation and tarnished the other's.

Jeff and Richard belatedly celebrate the birthday of Ol' Blood and Thunder, or Mr. Murder, Tod Slaughter. Slaughter has been called a British Boris Karloff. Indeed he made a series of films in the 1930s as similar to each other as Karloff's mad scientist movies were in the United States. However, with his roots in the theater, Slaughter was a unique master of Victorian melodrama, perhaps best know...

Jeff and Richard revisit the Hagsploitation subgenre with two films: Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) and Die! Die! My Darling! (1965.) Spoiler alert: we liked them both, but agree that while one is a better movie, the other one is more fun. Do you dare venture a guess as to which is which? The only way to find out for sure is to listen to our latest episode. As Bette Davis swings her meat cle...

We're thrilled to have as our guest award-winning writer, illustrator, and pop culture historian, Rob Kelly, from the Fire & Water Podcast Network! Rob recently provided the commentary track for the VCI Entertainment Blu-ray release of Horrors of the Black Museum (1959.) Besides the fact-filled discussion of that film, Jeff and Richard pair it with Black Zoo (1963.) Both are dark and twisted... bo...