Scream Scene Podcast

We head back to poverty row studio PRC for Sam Newfield's DEAD MEN WALK (1943) starring George Zucco, Dwight Frye, Nedrick Young, Mary Carlisle, and George Zucco! The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him... let's test this hypothesis! PRC is the bottom rung of the studio prestige ladder, yet DEAD MEN WALK shows a semblance of talent out of Sam Newfield... so why did Newfi...

It's the film that changed the horror genre, revived RKO, and launched Val Lewton into film history. Your deadicated hosts watch CAT PEOPLE (1942, Tourneur) and dive into the history of women and mental health, sexuality, RKO and CITIZEN KANE, and so much more. Will this classic take the number one spot on the list? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 59:59; Discussion 1:12:14; Ranking 1:43:08

The beautiful, expressionist and noir-inspired film THE UNDYING MONSTER (1942, Brahm) strikes at the heart of Scream Scene's most dreaded question... is this horror or thriller? Starring James Ellison, Heather Angel, John Howard and Heather Thatcher; this is what happens when 20th Century Fox tries to bring together an old dark house, lycanthropy, and a THIN MAN rip-off. But your hosts are mesmeri...

From Monogram Pictures, it's BOWERY AT MIDNIGHT (1942), directed by Wallace Fox and starring Bela Lugosi, John Archer, Wanda McKay, Tom Neal, and Bela Lugosi! Twice the Bela, twice the... fun? Context Setting 00:00; Synopsis 11:52; Discussion 16:37; Ranking 35:54

Surprise! It's our first appeals episode! Your deadicated hosts received an appeal of FREAKS (1932, Browning), currently ranked at #27. Let's discuss whether FREAKS deserves to be higher or lower than DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE (1942, Fleming) -- and whether Ramones' discography should impact a film's ranking! The episodes discussed in this episode are Ep 18 (DER STUDENT VON PRAG 1926), Ep 29 (FREAKS),...

The mummy Kharis returns in THE MUMMY'S TOMB (1942) from Universal Pictures, directed by Harold Young and starring Lon Chaney Jr and Turban Bey. What happens when Kharis comes knocking in small town America? Take a listen to find out! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 21:45; Discussion 38:07; Ranking 49:03

From Universal Pictures comes an unknown horror titled NIGHT MONSTER (1942)! Directed by Ford Beebe and starring Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Ralph Morgan, Irene Hervey, and more. It's an Old Dark House filled with frogs, mysticism, and... wait it's good?! A man gets revenge on the three doctors who ruined his life... meanwhile Dr Harper heads to a Gothic mansion to diagnose a hysterical woman... m...

Your deadicated hosts reveal the origins of 20th Century Fox with DR RENAULT’S SECRET (1942) directed by Harry Lachman and starring our boy George Zucco with excellent acting from J Carrol Naish and Mike Mazurki. And surprise professional wrestling! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 27:07; Discussion 33:52; Ranking 52:17

From the Producers Releasing Corporation comes the Wolf Man ripoff film THE MAD MONSTER (Newfield 1942). The poverty row film stars George Zucco, Glenn Strange, Johnny Downs, & Anne Nagel. But how many more of these vengeful mad scientist plots can your deadicated hosts take? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 19:38; Discussion 36:32; Ranking 47:19.

Bela, brides, and botox! Your deadicated hosts take on another of Bela Lugosi's Monogram Nine with THE CORPSE VANISHES (Fox 1942). Noted as one of his more bizarre Monogram films, your hosts decide just where this botox-inventing horror flick ranks. Context Setting 00:00; Synopsis 11:09; Discussion 36:48; Ranking 48:04

The fourth installment of Universal's Frankenstein franchise storms in with THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942), directed by Erle C Kenton with Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr, Cedric Hardwick, Lionel Atwill and Evelyn Ankers. It's... fine. It offers more questions than answers, but even a competent film is... fine. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 35:59; Discussion 1:04:59; Ranking 1:23:54

Your deadicated hosts review THE MAD DOCTOR OF MARKET STREET (1942, Lewis), the last starring role for Lionel Atwill... but why would would this be the last time he'd star in a film? And what does Market Street have to do with a Polynesian island? Featuring Una Merkel, Claire Dodd, Nat Pendleton, Richard Davies, and a whack of other characters in this over-stuffed film, including John Eldredge, No...

The Universal horror film that solidified werewolf myths and movies to come. It's 1941's THE WOLF MAN directed by George Waggner, written by Curt Siodmak, starring Lon Chaney Jr, Claude Rains, Ralph Bellamy, & Bela Lugosi. We review how the werewolf myth has developed and was solidified by THE WOLF MAN, the history and cultural context around Rromani people, the Nazi allegories in the film crafted...

Entering the ring is MGM's 1941 remake of DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE, directed by Victor Fleming and starring Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, and Lana Turner! The film challenges number one horror film on the list, 1931's DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE starring Fredric March... When you come at the king, you best not miss! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 51:44; Discussion 1:10:33; Ranking 1:40:12

It's yet another "inspired by Edgar Allen Poe" feature for your deadicated hosts... it's Universal Pictures' 1941 THE BLACK CAT (dir Rogell), with no relation to the 1934 horror of the same name. Starring Basil Rathbone, Broderick Crawford, Hugh Herbert, and a very small role for Bela Lugosi, just where on the spectrum from comedy to horror does this film land? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 29:2...

See the INVISIBLE GHOST (1941) with your deadicated hosts! Directed by Joseph H Lewis, the sole screenwriting credit of actress Helen Martin, it's the first of Bela Lugosi's Monogram Nine... but how will it fare when ranked? Is it old-fashioned or homage? Is the story nonsense or genre convention? Are the events psychological or supernatural? We try to sort it all out in this week’s episode! Conte...

Your deadicated hosts travel back to 1934 Mexico to review DOS MONJES, directed by horror-heavyweight Juan Bustillo Oro. And, while there is analysis of the horror genre, there's also in-depth discussion on... Catholicism?! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 13:05; Discussion 30:27; Ranking 56:56

It's a surprise double feature from Scream Scene for Halloween! If that wasn't enough to entice you, your hosts cover MAN-MADE MONSTER (Waggner, 1941) featuring Lon Chaney Jr's horror film debut! George Waggner writes and directs this Universal Studios' horror starring returning icon Lionel Atwill. We had a trick earlier today with HORROR ISLAND, but here's a real treat! Context Setting 00:00; Syn...

Trick or treat, it's Halloween! Universal Studios takes another swing at horror with 1941's HORROR ISLAND, starring Dick Foran, Peggy Moran, Leo Carrillo and Fuzzy Knight. Duelling singing cowboys and more characters you can count feature in this low-budget film directed by George Waggner. But do those ingredients add up to a horror-filled stew? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 17:29; Discussion 31...

Your deadicated hosts travel (further) back in time to review the 1934 Mexican horror classic EL FANTASMA DEL CONVENTO, directed & co-written by Fernando de Fuentes. Do the Google Translate subtitles hold up? How does EL FANTASMA compare to LA LLORONA from 1933? Tune in and find out! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 14:18; Discussion 34:02; Ranking 54:15

When the Devil commands, Karloff obeys! THE DEVIL COMMANDS (Dmytryk 1941) brings together Gothic horror and science fiction with a little big of Hitchcock’s REBECCA (1940). Adapted from William Sloane’s The Edge of Running Water and starring Karloff and Anne Revere, listen to hear how this film brings together a mad scientist and spirit medium for some great results. Context setting 00:00; Synopsi...

It's a fun but dumb spoopy film with Bela Lugosi in THE DEVIL BAT (Yarborough 1940)! It's a surprising hit with your deadicated hosts, despite being produced by the Producers Releasing Corporation, the cheapest poverty row studio there ever was. Starring Bela Lugosi, Suzanne Kaaren, Dave O'Brien, Guy Usher, and Donald Kerr, plus a very early appearance of Arthur Q Bryan, the voice of Elmer Fudd! C...

Where's the line between thriller and horror? Your deadicated hosts try to figure it out after watching THE DOOR WITH SEVEN LOCKS (Lee 1940), released in the US as CHAMBER OF HORRORS! Premiering right when London endured the Blitz, this pulp thriller features Leslie Banks, Lilli Palmer, Roomily Lunge, Gina Malo, and Richard Bird. Plus, a special Halloween announcement for our Patrons of the Night!...

Your deadicated hosts encounter another Boris Karloff mad scientist flick, this time from Monogram Pictures, directed by William Nigh and written by Curt Siodmak. It's THE APE (1940)! We discuss/rant about Hollywood's obsession with apes and ape-like creatures, and rave over the different ape-suit actors from the '40s, including Ray "Crash" Corrigan, featured in this film. Context setting 00:00; S...

Your deadicated hosts return to Universal Pictures for the reboot THE MUMMY'S HAND (1940), featuring Tom Tyler as toilet paper boy Kharis (not Boris Karloff), Dick Foran, Peggy Moran, Wallace Ford, and George Zucco. This is the missing link between the 1932 and 1999 mummy movies, but is there any substance underneath its wraps? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 28:56; Discussion 40:17; Ranking 57:48