Hellbent for Horror

Religion is a comfort to some, and a horror to others.  Some very good horror movies focus on deeds done in the name of the Almighty . The characters in these movies hear voices, or have dreams, and they're compelled to act in strange and horrible ways.  Are they mad?  Are they?  These movies haunt you because there's not an easy answer.  I hope you like the episode.   Thanks for listening. Join t...

For some of us, just being a passive viewer isn't enough. Some of us are compelled to create and share the love for other artists. Writer, filmmaker, journalist, and actress Heidi Honeycutt comes to Hellbent For Horror to talk about the Etheria Film Night (http://www.etheriafilmnight.com) , what it's like to act in Troma horror movies , the state of film journalism, and all things in horror fandom...

Remakes? Sequels? Are they good? Can they be good?   It depends.  I prefer a remake to a sequel for a bunch of reasons.  But that doesn't mean all remakes are good movies.  It depends on how the movie is remade.  Some story updates really work for the time they are made, and others not so much .  Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the classic example of a remake that fires on all cylinders, and rea...

A "Double Feature" that's so big, we needed TWO PODCASTS to tell it! James Hancock (host of The Wrong Reel podcast) returns for Part 2 of our collaboration between our two podcasts, where we discuss the "monsters" at the heart of the movies of Roman Polanski. Sometimes they're literal monsters, sometimes they're figurative, but each of these movies has at least one monster at their center. Join us...

We all have our guilty pleasures.  I have admired John Waters as a filmmaker since I first read about him in the pages of Fangoria magazine back in 1982 .  I love a maverick filmmaker who can manage to make movies outside of the system on a shoestring budget that are original, unique, and fun.  The early films of John Waters fit all of those descriptions.  Some horror tries to gross you out, but f...

Notorious scares delivered on TV!  Back in the early 1970's, Network TV executives started to make original movies to compete against Hollywood. They were fast, cheap and, occasionally, great! Many of these telefilms were horror movies. Some of those network TV-produced movies generated some genuine scares, and sent kids to bed to have nightmares.  Not to mention that some of these movies were the...

I've said before that horror is supposed to upset the apple cart.  It lets us confront fears we can't confront in any other genre.  I like when good stories challenge me, and that includes a challenge to my perspective .  In the last decade or so I've noticed many films directed and/or written by women that have shown me horror stories from different perspectives .  They've unsettled me, and scare...

What does a shark sound like as it gets closer to you? What does October 31st sound like? Or Marion Crane's last thought? When you look up a long flight of stairs in Georgetown, what do you hear? Horror Fans know. When a haunting visual and a haunting score are in perfect harmony, they have the power to enter your memory and trigger your emotions. In this episode, Author J. Blake Fichera joins us...

Death comes for us all.  Our love of horror makes us confront death.  Me?  I'm not so much afraid of death as the act of dying.  The fear of the pain that comes with it.  In this episode, I talk about that human fear of death and dying .  I talk about my own experiences with people dying, and our culture's attitudes about death. And, of course, a couple of scary movies that help reinforce my attit...

Horror and Science Fiction share space on my book and movie shelves. When done right they mix together to achieve scary, imaginative results.  Who can deny the power of Alien, The Terminator, or The Thing?  But there are many, lesser-known films that mix sci-fi and horror.   In this episode I'll talk about some movies I like that mix the two sensibilities.  What about you?  Did I miss your favorit...

A "Creature Double Feature" that's so big, we needed TWO PODCASTS to tell it! James Hancock (host of The Wrong Reel podcast) returns for Part 2 of our collaboration between our two podcasts, where we discuss two early giants of the horror genre, James Whale and Tod Browning.   In this episode, we dive into the morbid, bizarre and provocative films of Tod Browning. If you only know him for the orig...

Don't let THEM in!  Or are you the one they're trying to keep out?   The Us vs. Them mentality is a backdrop for some really good horror stories.  Frankenstein being a great example.  The Monster is the outsider, but yet you sympathize with him.  In these conflicts, horror is uniquely suited to tell some great stories, and give different results .  What makes THEM...them?  How easily can WE become...

Everyone is a fan of something, right?   Some people become obsessed with things.  Most of the time, these obsessions are harmless fun for people.  Sometimes our obsessions involve more than just us, and sometimes these obsessions are inconvenient to people around us.  And then there are the obsessions that endanger people around us . And then there are obsessions that lead to cruel power over peo...

We help the Grim Reaper finish off 2016 in style. Join four members of "The Algonquin Round Table of Horror" as they discuss the high points and the low points of horror movies in 2016. Jon Kitley, Gregg Olheiser, Bryan Martinez and Damien Glonek give their opinions about all things horror-related, new trends snd old films you might have missed the first time around. Let's start 2017 off with a sc...

If you think about it, the imagery around Christmas is really kind of freaky.  A big man in a red suit can get into your house while you're sleeping.  And you leave food out for him!  Ancient tales about the Santa-type characters tell very scary figures who hunt for children during the long nights around the Winter Solstice.  You'd think with all this material that there would be a lot of great Ch...

It seems that when a movie with dark themes is marketed for mainstream appeal that the "horror" description goes out the window in favor of "suspense," "mystery," or "thriller."   There are lots of movies that are billed as "thrillers," which are, in my opinion, horror movies, telling horror stories at their cores .  This is even more the case with movies that get nominated for Best Picture.  In t...

The 1990's was a tough time for American horror movies. But, while the Drive-Ins died and horror movies disappeared from the movie theaters, there was one safe haven left for the horror fan: The Independent Video Store. The time of the "Mom and Pop" video store, before the big studios realized the goldmine of it, was a great time to be a movie fan.  The stores reflected their communities, and were...

The gates have been stormed at the H4H compound! And the result is our first Wretched Round Table , a discussion between four listeners and myself! Listen in as Dan Strauss, Doug Lipski, Kris Zimmerman, and Timothy Gruscinski  share their passions and their stories around the "First Kiss" and more. We talk about horror in movies and in culture, and our own personal connection to the art form. This...

In this month of Thanksgiving when, in America, we feast... I'm thinking about things that feast on us.  The fear of being eaten is primal, and dates back to our caveman days when we were on the menu for all the big predators.  And it's been a mainstay of horror for ages.  The Blob, The Fly (both the original and the David Cronenberg remake ), and countless other movies and books deal with the pri...

Some horrors are all too real, and we're powerless to stop them.   Being bested by a one-celled organism can really put a person in his or her place.   In this episode I talk about REAL body horror , specifically the horror of outbreaks of illness.  Epidemics.  Pandemics.   They've been the topic of good and bad horror alike.  I'm fascinated by the microscopic world, and that these tiny creatures...

What are you dressing up as for Halloween? I have some ideas... This month I went to the  Sinister Creature Con in Sacramento, CA .  This convention focuses on the technicians behind the shock effects, and it's filled with artists demonstrating their work and their passion for everyone to see.  This Convention is the brainchild of Tim Meunier , who also runs the Sacramento horror film festival.  I...

Have you gotten your Halloween scare yet? In this episode, I give a selection of movies to watch for this Halloween season.  My list skips the "old reliables" in favor of some lesser known films you may not have seen before.  It's a mixture of old and new, American and foreign, monsters, ghosts, and some new disturbing characters.  I hope you find at least one in this list that surprises and creep...

My Halloween celebration has a soundtrack.    And, along with all the standards, I collect "non-traditional" horror songs ; ones that induce dread, or shock, maybe even fear.    In this episode I share some of the songs that are mainstays in my October playlist.  Maybe some of these songs will inspire you, and become part of your own celebration of Halloween.  Happy Listening.   If you like the sh...

My biggest thrill doing this podcast is getting to talk to people about this stuff.  I really want to start conversations with you...and now I get to! Recently, an H4H listener named Bradley J. Kornish started an email conversation with me. I decided it would be fun to do a  phone interview with another passionate horror fan!   Bradley J Kornish is the creative force behind Black Ark Studios and B...

Movies last a couple of hours, but you spend significant time with a book.  Reading is a direct upload of words that transition into your own images that go right to your brain.  It can be powerful.   And horror books let you live with the scare and the thrill for days!  In this episode I talk about my love of reading, and how horror stories and books from the library deepened my love of horror, a...