Saturday Night Freak Show

Colin wants to see if he has a death wish at 120 decibels with Stunt Rock (1978), in which Aussie stuntman Grant Page stars as himself, crossing the ocean to Hollywood and teaming up with the magic-themed hard rockers Sorcery to enliven their pyrotechnic show and romancing a pretty journalist who's along for the ride. Listen as we throw up the horns and rock out while trying to sus out what motiva...

Michaela packs her bags and heads off on A Perfect Getaway (2009) to Hawaii's paradise island of Kaua'i while there's a newlywed killer on the loose and meets up with an American Jedi who's really hard to kill. Milla Jovovich and Steve Zahn are the hapless vacationing travelers, while Timothy Olyphant and Kylee Sanchez are the weirdo free spirits they meet up with who may be a pair of spree killer...

Holly hits the high seas with a Navy SEAL-turned cook who is all that stands between us and nuclear armageddon in Under Siege (1992), a starring vehicle for Steven Seagal which surrounds him with an A+ supporting cast and the biggest budget of his career. Listen as realize that Erika Elaniak's big moment is only 4 seconds long, witness multiple iterations of slaphand stabby-stabby, and watch Tommy...

Sean blasts us into pure '80s cheese with Megaforce (1982)! Barry Bostwick stars as Ace Hunter, leader of the high-tech, elite strike team with tricked-out motorcycles, flying vehicles, and enough one-liners to level a small country. When a ruthless dictator threatens peace, these mercenaries ride in with explosions, mullets, and maximum patriotic absurdity. Listen as we sound off on rocket bikes,...

Colin pits a wolf man against a vampire woman in Night of the Werewolf (1981), the ninth of thirteen films starring "the Spanish Lon Chaney," Paul Naschy, as the lycanthropy-cursed Polish nobleman, Waldemar Daninsky. This time, an evil witch resurrects his ancient nemesis, the vampire Countess Elizabeth Bathory, leading to a fang-vs-claw showdown. Listen as we dig into naked bloodletting, introduc...

Michaela celebrates our 700th episode with warring ninjas and becomes the Ninja Terminator (1985)! Three parts of a magical golden ninja statue are stolen by a trio of ninja warriors. One becomes a mob boss and tries to steal back the other two, resulting in kick-punching mayhem that punches holes in screenplay logic. Cut and paste master Godfrey Ho directs. Listen as we defy the odds to decipher...

Holly hopes to wrestle the power of Grayskull from Skeletor in Masters of the Universe (1987, re-watch), with Dolph Lundgren as the live action version of Mattel's He-Man action figure, teaming up with Courtney Cox to save the Earth from Frank Langella's deliciously hammy villain in this Cannon Films classic. Listen as we get nostalgic for after-school cartoons, toy collecting, mullets, magic and...

Sean takes us underground with Mimic (1997), Guillermo del Toro's first English language feature about a miracle bug fix for Manhattan's roach problem that evolves into something far worse, and a team of scientists find themselves hunted by creatures that have learned to walk on two legs. Listen as New York City filth, mutant cockroach pustules, and extraneous characters get under our skin on this...

Colin wonders what you get if you spell Alucarda (1977) backwards, but instead of what he expects, gets a Mexican satanic panic movie instead! The new girl at a strange convent falls under the spell of the troubled title character who unleashes a torrent of non-stop screaming, woodland orgies, and bloody terror. Listen as we delve into heavy metal chapels, discover the origin of the merkin, and ad...

Michaela steps into the ring with the "the Ben-Hur of karate movies," The Quest (1996), writer-director-star Jean-Claude Van Damme's ambitiously expensive passion project, that finds him on a globetrotting odyssey from the streets of 1925 New York to the hidden temples of Tibet to compete in a legendary, secret tournament. Listen as we pack our bags, log frequent flyer miles via pirate ship, eleph...

Holly’s boarding a Red Eye (2005) with a charming stranger… and it quickly turns into a nightmare at 30,000 feet. Rachel McAdams stars as a young woman who meets the smooth-talking Cillian Murphy at the airport — only to discover he’s a cold-blooded assassin who needs her help pulling off a high-profile hit. Listen as the crew discusses where Red Eye fits in Wes Craven’s legendary filmography, sha...

Sean discovers a beer-swillin', apple chompin' vampire has moved in next door in Fright Night (2011), a remake of the beloved 80s horror classic which casts the late Anton Yelchin as the hapless teen whose mom and girlfriend fall under the spell of Colin Farrell's bloodsucker, with former Doctor Who David Tennant as a Chris Angel-style Vegas occult expert brought in to assist with all the vampire-...

Colin explores the sleazeorama of NYC's grindhouses while hunting down The New York Ripper (1982), from the Italian Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci, an experience in gorenography and bad taste. A psycho who talks like Donald Duck is murdering prostitutes in the Big Apple while the cops close in. Listen as we watch in revulsion as things done with broken bottles, big toes, and delicate eyeballs on t...

Michaela checks all the closets, cupboards, and attics for the Hider in the House (1989) after watching crazy Gary Busey living secretly within the walls of Mimi Rogers' new family home! Lifetime thriller fans take note. Listen as we talk cigarette burn trauma, 1,000 yard death stares, marital drama, skinny dip-spying neighbors and more on this week's exciting episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

Holly tags along with an alien seductress wearing the face of Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin (2013), a movie that plays like an arthouse version of Species. The sexy predator seduces randos throughout Scotland and pickles them in a black ink pool before developing empathy for the human condition and going off-mission. Listen as we dive deep into symbolism, atmosphere, dream logic, and horrif...

Sean gets gnarly by sewing reanimated body parts together like a mad scientist in Bride of Re-Animator (1990)! Doctors Herbert West and Dan Cain are once again building living corpses from discarded bodies but, following in the footsteps of the Universal Monsters that preceded them, dare to create a woman! Listen as we get batty with severed heads, beating hearts, and a parade of freak show grotes...

Colin buys a ringside seat to the title fight matchup of Freddy vs Jason (2003), bringing together the titans of 80s slasher cinema for one last dance. The kids of Springwood have forgotten about Freddy Krueger, so he resurrects Jason Voorhees to generate some carnage, and gets irritated when ole hockey mask steals all the kills. Listen as we talk about the reality of Midwest corn raves, the films...

Michaela insists: don't monkey around with a Primate (2026) as a household pet 'cause they're certain rip your face off! This one, named Ben, gets a case of the Cujos after he's bitten by a rabid mongoose, stalking young revelers through a production designer's Hawaiian dream home. Listen as we get trapped in a pool with hydrophobia, and bear witness to face rippin', leg chompin', head bashin' may...

Holly finds out it's not the Triffids but the trees that are out to get us in The Happening (2008), M. Night Shyamalan's eco-horror opus that finds Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel trying to out run the wind as nature attacks those pesky humans for destroying the planet. Listen as we emphatically proclaim "What? No!" as M. Night steers us from one improbable happening to another on this week's ex...

Sean enrolls in nightmare school with Hell High (1987), in which a repressed biology teacher (Maureen Mooney as Miss Storm) with a tragic past finally snaps after relentless torment from a gang of delinquent students. Listen as we discuss swamp water mayhem, psychotic meltdowns, and teacher terror on this week's exciting episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Colin chases Captain Kirk 'round the moons of Nibia and 'round the Antares Maelstrom and 'round perdition's flames with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise encounter an old revenge seeking foe, slimy earworms, surprise offspring, and middle age. Listen as we get geeky with Romulan ale, Kobyashi Maru tests, Captain Ahab analogies, and bagpipe space funerals o...

Michaela trashes an all-girls' school with her psychic powers in Aenigma (1987), a late career entry from Lucio ("Zombie") Fulci that features a comatose student getting revenge on her jerk-o classmates via astral projection and Renaissance art. Listen as we discuss frozen-in-place horror, death by a billion snails, Fulci vs. Argento rivalry, and more on this week's exciting episode! Hosted on Aca...

Holly splits into multiple personalities while Raising Cain (1992), director Brian De Palma's return to the thriller genre after several bruising failures, reuniting with John Lithgow, who stars as a child psychologist with a more than a couple deadly family secrets. Listen as we dread fear from sharp sundials, infidelity, smoking around children, and satirical psychobabble on this week's exciting...

We take a return trip to hell with Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), the most requested movie of Listener Choice month, following first film survivor Kirsty as she rushes headfirst into the evil labyrinth in search of her dearly departed dad. Little does she know her wicked stepmother has been resurrected by an occultist brain surgeon. Listen as we witness sights of on screen splatter and find out...

Your listener picks month payoff hits the #2 most requested flick When Evil Lurks (2023), in which an Argentine apocalypse finds brothers botching a demon dump and spreading "rotten" rot that ravages rules, livestock, and loved ones with unflinching brutality and zero mercy. Listen as we try to understand the rules of demonic possession, animal child eating, and popcorn brain munching on this week...