Hypnogoria

In this final chapter, we look at the heyday of the H certificate, see which movies got the dreaded H, chart the fortunes of horror movies during World War II, and discover how and why the H was replaced with the X certificate in 1951.

In this episode we delve into film censorship in the 1930s, look at the controversies over the new horror talkies, discover why some films were banned, and chart the development of the H certificate!

We begin tracing the history of the infamous H Certificate issued by the British Board of Film Censors - H for Horrific! In this opening chapter, we look at the birth of movie censorship and uncover the often surprising things that caused controversy in the the early days of film!

In this episode we look at a sequel to one of my favourite nonfiction volumes of recent years. Yes, Scarred For Life Volume Two - Television in the 1980s is here!

In this podcast we take a look at an old favourite tome - an anthology of horror tales for children assembled by the legendary Ramsey Campbell himself, and featuring tales from masters of the macabre such as Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson and Brian Lumley! Kid's stuff it ain't!

In this rare radio appearance, we learn why you should never take medical advice from Bela Lugosi! A classic tale guaranteed to keep you in... Suspense!

The first phase of our history of Universal horror draws to close with the great Horror Hiatus of the 1930s - the strange period of cinema history where Hollywood stopped making horror movies! We examine the causes behind it all, untangle the history of horror censorship, and investigate the alleged ban on horror films in the UK in 1930s! 

In this chapter we look at the last movies of the first Universal horror cycle. Firstly The Raven, another Poe inspired movie pairing Karloff and Lugosi, then proto science-fiction horror in The Invisible Ray, and finally meet Dracula's Daughter!

In this chapter we have real life reanimation experiments in Life Returns , unravel the Mystery of Edwin Drood , and meet the Werewolf of London and the Bride of Frankenstein !

The mid 1930s brings madness and mysteries galore! Universal explore the Secret of the Blue Room and The Secret of the Chateau, and introduce us to The Invisible Man and The Man Who Reclaimed His Head! Plus Karloff and Lugosi team up for the first time in another Poe adaption The Black Cat!

This year saw Universal release three new fright flicks - searching for a third horror hit to join their blockbusters Dracula and Frankenstein. Murders in the Rue Morgue had Bela Lugosi bringing Poe's classic tale to the screen. In The Old Dark director James Whale brought us a blackly comic gothic tale. While The Mummy saw the birth of a new movie monster and another ionic role for Boris Karloff!

In this chapter we look at the great flowering of Universal Horror in 1931, the year that saw the release of firstly Dracula starring Bela Lugosi and then Frankenstein starring Boris Karloff. We also discuss the little seen but rather excellent Spanish language version of Dracula too!

In this episode we begin another podcast series, this time charting the history of Universal Horror! In this opening chapter we learn how Universal began and examine the evolution of its horror films, discussing silent hits such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Opera and The Cat and the Canary.

Beginning a new occasional series on assorted tiny terrors, Mr Jim summons up the Ghoulies and traces the exploits of these diminutive demons through four movies! They'll get you in the end!

In this episode we pay a visit to the 'Orrible 'Ouse of Terrible Old Tat to investigate some very rare and rather weird items of science fiction merchandise! First we ask what exactly was a TARDIS Tuner? And why had it never actually appeared in Doctor Who? Then we investigate the Zone Box, a piece of tie-in tat for The Twilight Zone that is as bizarre as it is obscure!

A visit to the Inner Sanctum unearths a vintage chiller for Valentine's Day! A tale of love... well, love, obsession, madness, and murder!

In this episode we look at the 1962 movie version of Jack the Giant Killer , a film that bizarrely exists in to two parallel versions - one a much loved fantasy film feature creature FX magic from Jim Danforth, while the other is one of the strangest musicals ever made!

In this episode we look at various screen versions of the Jack the Giant Killer stories, examining various animated shorts, included an early cartoon from Walt Disney, before comparing Bryan Singer's big budget Jack the Giant Slayer with its mockbuster little brother from The Asylum, Jack the Giant Killer, which went head-to-head in 2013!

In the second episode of our series on Jack the Giant Killer we discover the various legends and old stories than underpin the saga, a journey in which we will encounter the likes of King Arthur, Bluebeard, and Perseus.

In the first episode of a new podcast series, we look at the old tale of Jack the Giant Killer and trace its origins through history and folklore.

A little fireside chat from Mr Jim to wish you a happy New Year and to tell you all about what's coming out from the Great Library of Dreams this year...

For a surprise final show for the year, Mr Jim unearths a rare beast - a tale of terror set on New Years Eve. Hailing from the golden age of radio, we hear the story of Mr. Ramsey, a film writer and is working all the hour's gods send on a film that has a producer that couldn't make up his mind and a Director who makes the picture up as he goes along...

This Christmas we are proud to present a new chapter to our classic In Search of Santa Claus podcast series - an in-depth look at the Jólasveinarnir AKA the Yule Lads - uncovering the origins, family history and development of the 13 Santas of Iceland

As is now traditional, in this festive podcast we have our annual revisit of an episode of the classic BBC series - A Ghost Story For Christmas. This year we have reached 1973 and Lawrence Gordon Clark's adaptation of Lost Hearts by MR James. Join Mr Jim by the fireside for a full commentary on this classic television ghost story.

In the first of our festive episodes, we take a look at a Christmas classic - The Children of Green Knowe . In this podcast, we look at the original book by Lucy M Boston, the sequels it spawned, and its screen incarnations, in particular the BBC four part adaptation from the 1980s.