Hellbent for Horror

In this special edition of Hellbent for Horror I review the new movie Blair Witch 2016, directed by Adam Wingard.  This is a sequel to The Blair Witch Project, and I can't help but think of this new movie in relation to the original.  So, that's what I do in this episode.  I recorded some of my thoughts about both movies.  What made the first movie so original?  Does the new movie hold up under th...

Coppola, Scorsese, Friedkin, Altman, Penn, Bogdanavitch, Spielberg… Carpenter? You're damn right. All of these directors earned their place in Cinema History. Each of them made at least one great movie that made an impact where the film changed the direction of how movies look and feel. Each of them influenced a new generation of film directors. And yet, John Carpenter rarely gets included in list...

You tell me: Why is Silence of the Lambs billed as a "psychological thriller," and not a horror film?  It looks and acts like a horror movie.  Or is it that when movies hit it big with the general culture that we can't label them horror movies? I think there are lots of examples of movies billed as "thrillers," or "suspense," or even "drama" that are actually horror movies, and in this podcast I b...

Horror stories are supposed to upset the apple cart. Great stories captivate us.  Some narratives are timeless.  Some comment on the times in which they're born.  And some stories are timeless because their meanings change with time.  Stories can be great in themselves, but sometimes they resonate with something we experienced , our times, our culture, our politics. And sometimes, that isn't prett...

Recently I traveled to Iceland , and I spoke with and interviewed several Icelanders about their native horror folklore and legends.  This land is rich in stories of hidden people, elves, and trolls who interfere in the lives of humans.  In addition,  the land has its own real bloody stories to tell .  In this episode I talk about horror folk tales from Iceland and speculate on the role nature pla...

Continuing with the horror and music theme, I'm focusing this episode on Heavy Metal music.  This hugely popular music bears the brunt of accusations of satanic imagery and messages.   Few actual crimes were influenced by heavy metal, but it became associated with satanic rituals and murders due to a "satanic panic" that gripped the nation in the 1980's.  Did the furor over the music by a "moral m...

How would you like to make a "Cameo" on Hellbent for Horror? I wanted to do something special to thank this community of hellbent listeners! Interaction with others is where the real inspiration for imagination comes from, and I talk about how some listeners have been integral in sparking ideas. Making this podcast has energized and rejuvenated me. We all need a creative outlet, and a place to be...

Music can be scary, even terrifying.   Certain combinations of notes induce nervousness and unease in the listener.  Musicians have known about these intervals for centuries.  They can induce tension, character, and depth into a song, and have been used in music throughout the world since before music theory was even a thing.  In modern music these intervals are the roots of jazz, blues, and rock...

Everywhere in the world has its own local ghost stories – scary places that have haunting reputations.  Then there are people who actually deal with these ghosts and demons.  You've heard the stories, and they've made movies "based on true events" of supposed real hauntings and possessions.  Two famous paranormal investigators were Ed and Lorraine Warren who have been the subject of several movies...

So, what scares you?  Really.  What takes you out of your "horror comfort zone?"   In this episode I talk about my own horror triggers.  I don't rationally believe these things exist. But, somewhere deep inside me…  Triggers often come from events that happen to us as children , and my trigger is no exception.  I talk about some of the movies that REALLY scared me on a primal level, and then talk...

Boo!  You know those scary monsters that haunt your dreams?  Make-up artists and actors make them come to life.  Make-up effects have evolved with film from the beginning of cinema.  Artists delve into the dark parts of themselves to make real horrors we may not have even imagined.  Sometimes the work is so good that the monsters become iconic in our culture.  Can you imagine a time when no one kn...

This is a companion piece to Episode 6, which was about the creation and history of Shock Theater and Horror Hosts. When you're creating podcasts like this, you have great ideas that just don't make the final cut. Sometimes, though, there's just more story to tell. Join me as I dig a little deeper into the world of Modern Horror Hosts . And… I make a confession about my own childhood Horror Host,...

A lot of us were introduced to classic horror films through midnight showings on local TV on Saturday nights. Many of us knew of our local horror host.  The horror host was (and still is) a great American phenomenon full of crazy costumes, clever names, and a lot of charisma.  The greats are still legendary, and horror hosts continue entertaining us on the internet and streaming video outlets.  In...

Warning: Explicit content. What are your limits?  Surely there are some types of horror movies that you will not watch.  Or are there?  There has always been an audience for the disturbing and unsettling image. And there's an intimate relationship between the violence and sensationalism shown in Underground Movies and the anxieties of our culture . In this episode I discuss Exploitation Films and...

This episode is a companion piece to Episode 4, "Blood Oaths and Bar Tabs: Horror Conventions and Cinema Wasteland." In this episode we interview Dave Kosanke , the creator of the long-running and legendary underground fanzine "Liquid Cheese." It is an exhaustive love letter to everything from horror to heavy metal to XXX films. Since 1993, Dave has been a one-man Army. Liquid Cheese is a true fan...

This episode is a companion piece to Episode 4, "Blood Oaths and Bar Tabs: Horror Conventions and Cinema Wasteland" In this episode we interview Bryan Martinez , who is the creator and producer of the popular webcast, "The Giallo Room" ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLXTTivU_q3vlbPbABloKbA ) He's also the creator of FilmDeviant.com ( http://www.filmdeviant.com/ ), as well as writer/director of...

  This episode is a companion piece to Episode 4, "Blood Oaths and Bar Tabs: Horror Conventions and Cinema Wasteland" I traveled to Strongsville, Ohio to Cinema Wasteland and i n this episode we interview Jon Kitley , a lifetime lover of horror in both books and film. He is also a proud member of  the "Algonquin Round Table of Horror." He truly has an encyclopedic knowledge of horror from the 1930...

It's the quest of every ultra-fan: finding fellow obsessives to share in the collective joy.  Fan conventions provide a meeting place and an outlet for like-minded folk.  What's it like to really find your tribe?  In this episode I talk about horror conventions, my pilgrimage to the "Anti-Convention" known as "Cinema Wasteland" and meeting a group of fellow obsessives I call "the Algonquin Round T...

Sharing the movie experience with a theater full of people can be exhilarating or frightening—sometimes both .  You put yourself in the hands of the filmmaker to take that ride, not knowing where or how it's going to end.  In rare cases a movie can provide an audience with an ecstatic, transcendent experience, almost religious in its power that leaves you walking on air afterward and running back...

https://www.facebook.com/hellbentforhorror/ We aren't out of the woods yet...   Welcome to Episode 2.5! This is a companion piece to Episode Two, "If You Aren't Afraid in The Woods, You Haven't Gone Deep Enough", which delved into the world of Folk Horror. Here we'll discuss movies and books I'd loved to have talked about in the episode, but they just didn't fit into "the story" completely, or the...

Scary stories from nights long ago.  The ultimate horror is fear of the unknown, and if you've ever been lost in the woods you might know this one deeply.  We talk about Folk Horror , a little known type of horror that stems from old folklore, the land, and the scary monsters that live deep in Nature .   Show Notes- for Episode 002, ""If You Aren't Afraid in The Woods, You Haven't Gone Deep Enough...

What's the "First Kiss?" The First Kiss is the event that hooks you into your passion and obsession.  Budding horror fans are carefully fed safe increments of scares by kiddie movies with frightening edges that end up with happy endings.  But what are the moments we stumble upon that aren't carefully supervised?  What movies, books, stories are the first reveal of the shock and surge that good hor...

On this podcast we will talk movies, books, music, legends and lore, real-life horror, campfire stories, whatever connects together to tell a story .  The door swings wide, and all are welcome. Whether you love Classic Universal Monsters, Slasher Films, Found Footage Horror, French Extreme Cinema, Korean Ghost Stories, J-Horror, Hammer Films, Amicus Films, Glass Eye Pix, Classic EC Horror Comics,...