Horror Movie Survival Guide

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) - "You shall drip rubies" Tim Burton's 2007 film version of Stephen Sondheim's genius musical Sweeney Todd is a filthy, bloody Victorian London delight, with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter singing their hearts out as Sweeney Todd, an ex-con barber with murder & revenge on his mind and Mrs. Lovett, the scheming, lov...

The 2008 film Repo! The Genetic Opera is based on a stage musical. Set in the not too distant future, an evil corporation does organ transplants to those in need, but then repossesses those organs if a payment is missed - straight out of the debtors body (while they're alive). Bold visuals, fun casting and buckets of gore means its perfect for our second film in our horror musical round.  Sup...

If swooping/split-screen/colorful/hand-held/mind boggling camera/editing work is your scene, and/or you're super into updated Faustian tales turned rock musicals scored by Paul Williams, Phantom of the Paradise is for you! Written and directed by Brian De Palma, this 1974 film is firing on all guns - taking no less than 5 classic horror tales and sculpting them into this rock mashup! The firs...

COOTIES - "Oh, look. Carnage" 2014 Cooties is a film unafraid to cut apart a chicken on screen before the title even rolls, so you know it ain't afraid to bring the gore! Evil children infected by that very same chicken start hunting down a band of very un-hero like (but adorable!) teachers in a small town elementary school - and when that band of adventurers is lead by none other t...

THE INNOCENTS (1961) Jack Clayton 's 1961 film adaptation of The Innocents is based on the play by William Archibald (with a screenplay punched up by none other than Truman Capote) which is, in turn, based on Henry James' novel The Turn of the Screw. Shot in lush black and white cinemascope, this film is an absolute feast for the senses, with stunning cinematography, opulent costumes, an...

GREEN ROOM (2015) Jeremy Saulnier 's 2015 film Green Room is punk AF. When an out of state punk band suddenly become trapped in a club full of violent skinheads, they have to use their wits and everything within their grasp to try and survive. The cast is top drawer, and the movie is brutal, hilarious and no holds barred. This film is unlike any other! Highly Recommended!  Support the show

This bonkers film from 2017 written and directed by Brian Taylor features Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair as a mom and dad who wake up on a day where all parents inexplicably start murdering their own children. The darkest of dark comedies, this film has your laughs, your gore, and Nicolas Cage smashing a pool table to bits with a sledgehammer. What more could you ask for in a film?  Support the show

David Cronenberg's 1986 film The Fly is a body-horror-machine vs. man- mad-scientist's delight with Jeff Goldblum tearing up the scenery in the best way as Seth Brundle, whose inventions & ambitions will drive him mad, and Geena Davis as the lovestruck journalist who gets swept along in his madness. Goretastic fun!  Support the show

Can you believe it's 2020? We're living in the future! (Except we still cling to our vinyl/VHS analogue past!) Hope you have a great New Year's Eve and we're excited for another year of talking about scary films!  Support the show

Hope whatever you celebrate this holiday season is full of laughter, mirth, horror movies and wise final girl decisions.  Support the show

Ingmar Bergman's 1968 film Hour of the Wolf is his brilliant delve into horror, starring Max Von Sydow as an artist losing his mind and Liv Ullman as his long suffering wife, living together on a remote island that seems to be aiming to drive them apart and insane. An incredible look at marriage, insanity, fame and filmmaking itself.  Support the show

Herk Harvey's 1962 cult classic Carnival of Souls was a first watch for both Teri and Julia, and it blew them both away. Dreamlike, beautiful and haunting, this film is a clear inspiration for countless horror films that came after it, and is worth every moment of your time.  Support the show

Karyn Kusama's 2015 film The Invitation focuses on Will, a troubled man who has suddenly been invited to a gathering at the house he shared with his ex-wife after 2 years of silence. It starts out uncomfortable and just goes downhill from there. A sharp script, good acting and some bloody twists make this one fun.  Support the show

We are so incredibly excited to have another special guest interview this week - with writer/director Michael Varrati ! Julia and Michael have been friends for years, so of course she and Teri were so thrilled to speak with him about Stuart Gordon's FROM BEYOND (1986)! Michael has his own podcast about queer horror Dead for Filth (check out his interview with Julia on that show here ), and ha...

This star studded 2003 film has all the makings of success - based on a novel by Stephen King, written by William Goldman, directed by Lawrence Kasdan - starring Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore, Timothy Olyphant, Thomas Jane, Damian Lewis and Jason Lee. And yet...doesn't quite hit the mark. Actually, is off the mark by a sizeable amount.  Support the show

This 1989 video store classic hinges on a cool premise - what if puppets could murder you? A group of psychics come together to get revenge on their evil nemesis that has crossed them, but they discover their colleague had more tricks up his sleeve than they thought - starting with being dead.  Support the show

In 2011, just before Mike Flanagan directed HMSG favorite Oculus, he directed this low budget film that he kickstarted and shot in his own apartment. The film uses its limited locations to the fullest and Flanagan creates a super spooky film, fraught with human interaction and relationships, angry dead and a hinted at evil underworld just lurking beneath it all.  Support the show

Just in time for Halloween Teri and Julia interviewed Martin himself, Mr. John Amplas!  In addition to starring as the title role in Romero's 1978 film, Martin, he also worked with the maestro on Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Creepshow and Knightriders, as well as acting in many other films and stage productions. Now teaching acting at Point Park University, HMSG got to talk to him about...

Nicolas Roeg's 1973 film Don't Look Now is a masterful film with outstanding performances that pinpoints a grief stricken Venetian gloomy atmosphere with fantastic precision. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland shine as a a married couple living abroad after the accidental death of their daughter - their realism, honesty and love for one another truly comes through, and makes this a fil...

George Romero is best remembered for his Night/Dawn/Day of the Dead trilogy (and rightly so because they're masterpieces) but we'd like to take you deeper into his catalogue, to 1973's Season of the Witch. Romero's eye for cinema is always so keen, even when constrained by budgets, that his films are always a delight to watch, and he'll always focus on characters and a sto...

Edgar Wright' 2004 film is one of the most endearing love letters to horror cinema ever put to film. Simon Pegg's Shaun is the unlikely hero waging war against cannibalistic zombie hordes with his friends and family, and every line, every song, every location is cleverly fraught with meaning (and double meaning) with moments of genuine gore, genuine laughs and genuine tears - this movie...

David Robert Mitchell's break out 2015 smash It Follows feels like a quirky indie film, while delivering some serious scares and introducing a new kind of monster - one that's sexually transmitted and laser focused on finding you, wherever you are. Ambiguous time periods and ethereal lighting transposed with disturbing imagery made It Follows a unique new voice in horror.  Support the sh...

After interviewing the incredible Diane Franklin, we knew we needed to talk about one of her horror films, and TerrorVision (1986) is so much fun, we couldn't resist. A psychosexual -monster-movie-live-action-cartoon of sorts, with all of the actors cranked up to full (and there are so many great actors here to watch joyously chew the scenery!) It's a film made in the 80's, making f...

Diane Franklin is an actress, known for such cult classics as The Last American Virgin, Better Off Dead and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, as well as for her work in the horror films Amityville 2, The Amityville Murders and Terrorvision. Teri and Julia talk to Diane about her start in the business and her memories & experiences working on some of the most loved films of the 1980&apos...

Larry Cohen's 1985 creamsploitation film The Stuff wins for the most unlikely of killers in a horror film - delicious creamy dessert product!  Artwork by Pizza Party Printing Support the show