Dismembering Horror

Old Kruges is back in action, hammin’ it up as per usual—but this time he’s got his gloved hands full with some resilient, troubled/gifted teens. Oh, and of course adult Nancy gets in on the action, too! Continuing the debate on what makes a third installment impactful, the guys were thrilled to dismember this one, giving it another “box set buy.” Join us and find out which “Big Bad” we like more:...

Welcome to OCTOBER, the official month of spookiness. This year, the guys decided to cover the 3rd installments of the big three great horror franchises: “Friday the 13th,” “Nightmare on Elm Street,” and “Halloween.” We know what you’re thinking, “but that’s only 3 and there are 4 weeks in October!” Don’t worry, we explain right off the bat before we dismember the 3D masterpiece that marks the daw...

It’s anthology time! This week the guys head overseas once again to South Korea, for a series of tales of terror wrapped in a nice little serial-killer bow. Getting hung up on more than just a couple aspects, “Horror Stories” unfortunately didn’t rise to a level that appealed much to Tim and Ryan. Though in its defense, it did garner two sequels. Like they say, art is subjective, so an “avoid” fro...

Much like the characters in this week’s film, Tim and Ryan agreed for the most part, but ultimately tried to kill each other over their divergent views. Earning a “rent” from Tim up against a hearty “buy” from Ryan, the guys covered a lot of what makes the Universal Monster movies so interesting and how this one, when viewed as part of the canon of films, may benefit from a more contextual viewing...

What an absolutely perfect reimagining/continuation of one of the great, subversive commentaries in horror. Taking all of the best elements of the original “Candyman” and expanding on them was just what the guys were hoping for, whether they knew it or not! From style to substance and everything in-between, “Candyman” delivered so much more than we could cover in a single podcast, but Tim and Ryan...

Our first Vincent Price movie was quite something to behold! Though maybe not the best all around, “The Last Man on Earth” was a thrill nonetheless, providing plenty to dismember. Based on the acclaimed novel “I Am Legend,” which of course has spawned more than one film adaptation, this first take nailed the eerie, post-apocalyptic thing, feeling reminiscent of “The Twilight Zone.” All in all, the...

“The Black Cat in the Bamboo Grove,” or as we know it, “Kuroneko,” is another entry in films we’ve covered by “Onibaba” director Kaneto Shindo, and so far he’s two for two! A beautiful and tragic love story set in a dreamlike feudal Japan only scratches the surface of the many themes swirling around this folktale-based story. Incredibly photographed in black and white, “Kuroneko” was and will rema...

Back to 1957 with the first installment in Hammer Horror's Frankenstein series starring none other than the incomparable Peter Cushing! And although it has its limitations, there was still plenty for the guys to enjoy. Who doesn't love a fresh take on a classic anyway? In color, no less! This one was a fan favorite as well, making a ton at the box office and ushering in six more films in the serie...

"The best found footage film of the decade!" Well, we did not exactly agree with this assessment, but we still had plenty to dismember! So much so, that Ryan gave a rare “avoid” while Tim was able to squeak in a “stream,” due to a few fairly interesting ideas and a couple cool visuals. Ultimately “Noroi: The Curse” was a pretty big miss on the execution of those ideas, and the guys struggled to sa...

Let’s do it like the French do! “Diabolique,” or as its known in France, “Les Diabolique,” is a suspenseful, supernatural, murder-mystery thriller from the mid-1950’s...a twisted and turning, tense tale of deception that, although not without a few issues we address, ultimately was a really well-constructed yarn, with some memorably moody black and white cinematography to boot. Earning a double “r...

This week we tackled a lesser-known film from 1970, but do not sleep on this one! “Equinox” is, as we discuss, the bridge between “The Blob” and “The Evil Dead,” and for that, is essential viewing in the compendium of horror films. Just—listen, just stop asking questions and watch it, it’s awesome: there is a stop-motion flying devil-demon. It’s so cool that Tim changed his rating from “rent” to “...

It’s special guest time! What better film to dismember with our very special guest, math meister and fellow horror fiend Dr. Andrew Williams, than “Event Horizon?” For our third and final installment covering the unofficial Sam Neill-losing-his-mind trilogy, not only did we delve deep into the darkness of cosmic horror, we also touched on the mathematical physics of the film thanks to our guest’s...

Don’t you dare sleep on this week’s film, “Jigoku”: a cautionary murder mystery with an absolutely nutso third act that will leave you in another plane of existence. “Jigoku” or “Hell” which it translates to, is wonderfully moody, visually masterful and cinematically disturbing. Even though the guys felt it waned a bit in the middle, the strangeness and dreamlike nature were enough to earn it a do...

After our previous dismemberment of “Exte: Hair Extensions,” we are once again taking an unpredictable dive into the curious mind of Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono with “Strange Circus”...and it was indeed strange! We found the film’s dream-of-consciousness flow, and twisty reality of the narrative, to be the perfect vehicle for dealing with such extreme subject matter, in that turned-to-11 way that...

It’s that time again: time to get into the sequel of another classic. For this one we get to know the adolescent spawn of satan and all the angst that comes with that ever-so-challenging period in our lives when we hate our dads, fight with our friends, suffer the awkward changes of puberty, and systematically murder anyone who might threaten our standing as the Prince of Darkness positioning them...

1988 was quite the year: Tim turned 10, was living in California, got super scared of Aliens, AND didn’t see this week’s film “Night of the Demons!” Hard to believe it escaped both Tim and Ryan’s young eyes, because chances are they would have loved it. Sadly, as adults the reviews were mixed. Ryan enjoyed the campy ridiculousness, giving it a “rent”, while Tim struggled to get past the derivative...

Get your Dan Stevens fill right here right now with this week’s creepy-cult, folktale film! “Apostle” is a period-piece from the filmmaker that brought us “The Raid,” Gareth Evans. If you’re expecting an action packed punch fest, this isn’t the movie for you (well, save a couple cool scenes). Instead, we get a slow burn with a plethora of creative ideas, though they never quite seemed to coalesce...

Ok, don’t let Tim’s rating fool you. It’s not a condemnation of this film, it’s a matter of taste. That being said, you better strap yourself in and peel those eyelids back for this week’s film “Ichi The Killer,” because you are about to get a real eye-full! This movie is out of control, and the weird, Manga-esque, hyper-stylized, ultra-graphic, sadomasochistic, visual storytelling on display is s...

The aughts: what a time to be alive and making weird horror films. This week’s entry “Splice” fits that bill, and is also a cool exercise in style (both the filmmaking itself and Adrien Brody and Sara Polley’s wardrobe)! This slick attempt at the “get your science on before science gets you” sub-genre, otherwise known as “should we or shouldn’t we do the super unethical experiment” sub-genre of ho...

Based on real events! Barbara Hershey shines in this paranormal thriller that delves into some very upsetting content, but one thing’s for sure; Stan Winston’s full body prosthetic of her being groped by an invisible force is second to none. More like two separate movies, this one never quite reached the level of its more well-known contemporaries, but that didn’t keep it from earning a “rent” fro...

Some call it "the British 'Psycho.'” We just call it groovy cinema. Though maybe not a perfect film like the comparison suggests, “Peeping Tom” is still a colorful, smart thriller. And hey, it’s always fun to play with the filmmaker-making-a-film-within-a-film-on-a-film-set trope, alongside the exploration of psychosis from the point of view of the psycho. The guys had plenty to dismember on the p...

This week we have a stay with “The Tenant,” a film by the extremely problematic Roman Polanski, which we discuss at length prior to our review of the film (and let this serve as a warning for those who may not be interested in hearing about him). We then move forward and focus on the filmmaking and all the contributions of the many other people that contributed to making “The Tenant.” Ultimately,...

Not to be confused with the remake, this pitch perfect 1960 “Village of the Damned” captures all the paranoia, intrigue, suspense, and mystery of the best "Twilight Zone"/"Outer Limits" episodes (and in a crisp, not-too-long-not-too-short running time). This solid entry earned a “rent” and a “stream,” but don’t let that fool you: thanks to a solid story and atmosphere, this British creeper sticks...

No, not teenage angst! “Angst” with a long ‘A’! And boy did this one earn that ‘A’ (+)! After being a bit too much for the faint of heart when it was originally released and being shelved for years, “Angst” has since made its way back into availability: and let it be known this is quite the movie. Ryan and Tim were just on the verges of our top rating, settling on a “rent” for Tim and just over th...

Dario is back with a return to the Giallo genre! Unfortunately, despite the fans this one has, the guys didn’t love this one. With the exception of a few stand out scenes, “Tenebrae” fell short of coming together in a fully complete, cohesive film for Tim and Ryan. The clear Argento-ness that we know and appreciate was there, but at the end of the day the twist didn’t quite work out as well as it...