Hellbent for Horror

In this episode, I outline my Horror Manifesto !  I'm tired of excellent horror movies being relabeled as anything but horror.  This podcast champions horror, and stands up for the horror movie as a beautiful story-telling style. #SayHorror I hope you enjoy the show!   Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here:  http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe   If you like the show, please consider writing...

Television in the 1950's created a unique cultural phenomenon: a late-night show that played horror movies...aimed at kids! The Creature Feature show and the Horror Host tradition are kept alive by a new wave of horror hosts. They do their shows by any means necessary, even without any corporate backing. In this episode, I talk to Horror Host Mister Lobo, whose nationally syndicated show, "Cinema...

2017 was a very good year for horror , and in this episode I talk about some of my favorite horror films of the year.  They run the gamut from slow burns to monsters to ghosts to bloody terrifying.  There were so many first-time directors who made amazing films that I'm hopeful that this may be the start of a new horror era. Happy listening.   Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click h...

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol  is possibly the most popular ghost story in the English language. It may seem weird that Christmas has a famous ghost story, but the reality is that Christmas ghost stories were a tradition in Victorian England. I think the Christmas Ghost Story needs to make a comeback, and so I'm going to talk about the history, and modern examples, and top it off by telling a...

Some horror movies don't play fair. We go to horror movies to feel the exhilaration of being scared, and to experience our fears from a safe distance .  But, some horror movies aren't interested in sending you back into the world like nothing happened. Some movies want you to feel like you got punched in the gut after you watch them. And, like it or not, those movies stick in your memory for a lon...

How does it make you feel when somebody stares at you?   An unflinching stare.  Angry?  Scared?  Anxious?  All of the above?  How about when said eyes belong to a doll?  Depends on the doll, really.  If it's obviously fake, then it's not a problem, but what if it's really life-like?  The "uncanny valley" is a term that refers to a graphic representation of how comfortable we are with unreal faces....

Oh, to have been there in the heyday of Grindhouse Cinema!   Rows of theaters on New York's 42 nd  Street playing classics such as I Drink Your Blood, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS, Three on a Meathook, The Corpse Grinders , and more. These movies are the stuff of cinema legend, and late night video parties...and so are the theaters and audiences that experienc...

I love the spirit of Independent Horror filmmakers, especially fans who are compelled to create, no matter what the odds. In today's episode I interview Nick Hunt, the director/producer/creator of SAFE PLACE. Nick is a true independent spirit, and we talk about the tremendous amount of legwork required to get his movie into production, how lack of experience didn't deter him, and an eye-opening pe...

SEX and VIOLENCE. That volatile combination is both provocative and controversial for most people. It's where we're at our most vulnerable, and Horror gives us the opportunity to confront our darkest emotions in a safe environment. But, only a few horror films dig deep enough to strike a nerve. They brashly go beyond titillation, and blur the line between sex and violence…to take us to dark, and u...

History is full of real-life horror stories.  In this episode I talk with Dr. Harold Aurand, a professor of History at Penn State University, Schuylkill Campus, about true horror stories of history.  We discuss the Great Molasses Flood in Boston, the Johnstown Flood of 1889 in Johnstown, PA, mine disasters, and some more little-known stories.  Truth is often stranger than fiction.  I hope you enjo...

Do you ever wonder how the legends of monsters are born?  What made people think werewolves and vampires were real?  How did the ideas of silver to kill werewolves, and garlic to repel vampires get passed down from generation to generation?  People with mental illness were thought to be visited by ghosts.  Throughout history, before the discovery of microscopic organisms that cause illness, curses...

The movie adaptation of Stephen King's 'It' was hotly anticipated, and broke box office records.   I was curious about the fervent response to this movie, not just by horror fans, but also by mainstream outlets.  After all, the novel came out in 1985, and there was already a miniseries created from it in 1990.   Once I saw 'It,' and thought about the movie, I started thinking about movie adaptatio...

Sometimes, once just isn't enough. And, in the case of Tobe Hooper, it felt right to honor this quirky and often misunderstood artist with a second helping of praise. On this episode, I talk with John Cribbs and Christopher Funderburg, the co-creators of "The Pink Smoke" film review website ( www.thepinksmoke.com ) about the legacy of the late Tobe Hooper.  He's a filmmaker who induces strong opin...

Extreme Horror Films: they are the "Elephant in the Room" for horror fans. These films push the limits of the viewer to such the extent that they even divide the horror community on whether they go too far. A large majority of these films have little, or no, socially redeeming value. And yet... There are a few extreme films that use the violence, and obscenity, and nihilism to create something tha...

We lost another horror master in August 2017 when Tobe Hooper left this mortal coil.   Hooper was a complicated artist, and in this episode, I talk about my appreciation of the man who gave us the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist .  There were varied opinions of the contributions of Tobe Hooper, but I think he was an inspired, surreal filmmaker whose contributions to horror can never be und...

There's a select group of directors who hold the title, "Masters of Horror" for bringing their distinctive styles to the horror film. But, they aren't the only ones who made an impact on horror cinema. There are several acclaimed directors with illustrious careers who took a "Day Trip" into horror. And their entries into the horror movie defied conventions and, on occasion, influenced horror as mu...

Whenever you hit a milestone it's time to celebrate .  This is the 50 th  episode of Hellbent for Horror, and I could think of no better way to celebrate that than to gather a Wretched Roundtable of listeners to talk about the state of the 50-year-old phenomena known as "modern horror."   Joining me on the show are Zena Sade Dixon (the Real Queen of Horror), John Arminio , and Kevin Maher (Kevin G...

Fangoria magazine had been a mainstay of horror fandom for 38 years, but this year they shut their doors.   I remember when Fangoria started, and how fun it was to have a magazine dedicated to horror in all its facets.  In this episode, I talk about Fangoria, how it came to be, and what it meant to the fans and artists in modern horror .  The magazine not only had articles that are still worth loo...

George Romero (1940-2017) has always held a special place in my heart , so it was very saddening to hear of his passing on July 16.  It is hard to say goodbye, and in this episode I talk about George and his career .  It's a eulogy, of sorts, to a maverick filmmaker out of Pittsburgh who never wavered on his vision - from Night of the Living Dead to Survival of the Dead.  RIP, George. Thanks for l...

You don't need Hollywood to make a movie when you can make one in your own backyard!  Who needs a big budget when you've got a big imagination and some friends who are willing (or crazy enough) to get doused in fake blood?  In this episode, I honor the micro-budget horror movie – the movies made with tiny amounts of funds, and huge amounts of passion.  I speak from experience when I say they're a...

Why do we love bad movies?  Well, not all bad movies, but the ones that make you laugh out loud .  The ones that are so bad that they're good.  And to see one of these movies with a group of friends can be a perfect night.  What about a movie marathon of these turkeys?  A lot of these turkeys were intended to be horror movies, and while they're not what they were intended to be, they're still pret...

One reason I love film festivals is that they celebrate creativity.  So I was honored to be asked to judge Etheria Film Night held in early June in Hollywood.  Etheria Film Night is the world's most respected showcase of new horror, comedy, science fiction, fantasy, action, and thriller films made by emerging women directors. I was also able to attend, and cover, the red carpet festivities to talk...

Who says they don't make good horror movies anymore?  I think we're in a good time for creative, creepy horror movies, you just need to know where to look (hint: it's usually not from the major studios).   I made a list of movies  released within the last four years that I liked, and there were too many to put into one episode!  So, this is  Part Two  of  good, recent horror that is worth watching...

Can you sympathize with a monster?  In some cases I think you can.  It depends on the story and how well the story is told and acted.  In this episode J. Blake Fichera (author of the Rondo-nominated book, "Scored To Death: Conversations with Some of Horror's Greatest Composers") returns to the show to discuss the sympathetic monster in horror movies.   George Romero, Fritz Lang, Martin Scorsese, J...

Who says they don't make good horror movies anymore?  I think we're in a good time for creative, creepy horror movies, you just need to know where to look (hint: it's usually not from the major studios).   I made a list of movies released within the last four years that I liked, and there were too many to put into one episode!  So, this is Part One of good, recent horror that is worth watching.  ...