The Bloody Pit

Since we will be covering four more Inner Sanctum films in 2024 it was suggested that I might want to acquaint podcast listeners with some of the old radio shows. I love these wonderful horror and suspense tales but most folks have never sought them out. They are quite entertaining as examples of ‘Theater of the Mind’ exercises and, as I explain in my introductions, the Inner Sanctum show may have...

Beth Morris and Troy Guinn visit the show again to discuss another Sherlock Holmes film. This time out we fan away the fog to examine one of the gothic horrors of the series, THE SCARLET CLAW (1944)! Good timing, huh? After all, our detective duo start the tale by being hired by a dead woman! That is creepy.  We talk about the production of the film which started out as a potential return of Moria...

Mark Maddox returns for a discussion of the third Star Trek film – THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK! The odd number films are generally derided but both of us feel the positives outweigh the negatives in this one. Of course, we pick at every nit we can spot but we do also praise the film for the elements that stand tall and resurrect the dead!   We dig into the genesis (he he) of the story with Leonard Nimoy’...

I am joined by Troy Guinn and Jeff Nelson to talk about a Lucio Fulci movie once again! This time we swipe away the fog and try to get a clear look at CONQUEST (1983). This was the director’s one entry in the brief 80’s resurgence of the sword & sorcery genre inspired by the success of CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982) and THE BEASTMASTER (1982) and it has many more detractors than defenders. Where d...

Troy and I dive into the Universal Inner Sanctum films with a conversation about the first two of the series. There is much discussion of Lon Chaney’s pencil-thin mustache and some speculation about the role that Gale Sondergaard might have had in each movie if her casting had worked out.   CALLING DR. DEATH (1943) presents Chaney as a successful psychologist who uses hypnotism as a treatment meth...

**Word of warning – the first fifty minutes of the show has less than great audio. For some reason a buzzing was on the track and the only way I could eliminate it was to crush some of the less loud portions of the sound out. Sadly, this dropped most of the laughter from the amused ladies in the room and causes the softer ends of some words to be lost as well. I’m sorry about this – I’ll work to m...

Mark Maddox and I return to the Star Trek feature films! This time we tackle the big one – the one that kept the franchise alive – STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982). It’s an important film for Trek fans and also an important part of the astonishing list of genre releases from that year. We briefly discuss the other films from 1982 to demonstrate the pivotal nature of the cinema of that time a...

Bob Sargent joins Troy and I to discuss KING OF KONG ISLAND (1968). Or is it just KONG ISLAND? And what connection to King Kong does this movie actually have? Spoiler alert – none! Because Mr. Sargent has a soft spot in his heart (and head) for this bizarre Italian production we examine it for signs of sanity. None were found, but along the way we learned a little about ourselves. Sort of. And for...

This episode allows Troy and I answer a few emails and dart down a couple of rabbit holes that they bring to mind. We talk about giant bug movies, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s career and post apocalyptic movies. A past guest on the show writes in to point out a missed opportunity to discuss MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME! I take the chance to offer a mea culpa about not discussing an important connection b...

We rejoin the Universal Sherlock Holmes series with the fifth entry, THE SPIDER WOMAN (1944). Long considered one of the best of the run Beth, Troy and I relate our opinions in this episode’s rambling discussion. Be aware that spoilers abound! Do we think it is one of the best of the Rathbone Holmes films? Maybe….. We dig into this one pointing out our likes, loves and various concerns about the s...

I’m joined by Bobby Hazzard and John Hudson for our long-delayed discussion of STUNT ROCK (1978). Is it a movie with an actual narrative or is it an episodic mockumentary about stunts and rock & roll? And why is there a stage magic act happening at the same time? We go from the ‘shower thoughts’ genesis of the film all the way through a listing of our favorite moments. Since the film’s director ha...

Troy Guinn joins me to discuss another Universal horror film of the 1940’s! Although it is a mad scientist film THE MAD GHOUL (1943) stands out from the other films of its type in many ways. It’s literate, mature script weaves interesting adult relationships into its fantastical narrative of college student zombification and graveyard surgery. Troy makes the claim that the film would be worth seei...

Author Mark Clark returns to the show for a discussion of the giant bug movies of the 1950’s!   I have always lumped the giant bug movies in with the other giant monster films of the decade but that is a sloppy way to think about these films. The big surprise is that when you separate out the films with various kinds of bugs it turns out there were only eight. Eight! The always ambitious Mark sugg...

Mark Maddox joins me to discuss one of his favorite films of all time - STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979). Does Mark need medication or is he able to back up his opinion of this film that has served as an easy punchline for decades? And what do I think of the film? Will there be an argument? You might already know the answer. Thank goodness for Mark Clark’s fine Start Trek FAQ books that serve...

This is a bit of a hybrid episode of the show. We welcome as a guest the owner and ‘head man in charge’ of Orbit DVD of Ashville, NC – Mr. Marc McCloud! Troy and I have known Marc for decades and were surprised when he got in touch about his childhood trip to the Sid & Marty Krofft amusement part. He joins us to relate his recollections of that 1976 adventure and his subsequent fascination with le...

Lon Chaney Jr. gets little respect for his performance in this Universal Monster classic but Troy and I have a few things to say about that. In fact, we have a few things to say about a number of things in this fun chiller that we think is one of the best horror films of the decade. Indeed, we’re so excited to talk about this one that we almost forgot to use a synopsis of the story for reference b...

For this very special episode five people have gathered to discuss an influential part of their childhood – H. R. Pufnstuf!  In particular we examine the movie that grew out of the children television show’s immense popularity – PUFNSTUF (1970). So, grab your magic flute and come to Living Island for an adventure you’ll never forget – no matter how hard you try. Wild, man! I am joined by Beth, Tro...

Mark Maddox returns to the show to talk about a pair of Italian Muscle Man epics! Both movies tell tales of one of the oldest reoccurring characters of cinema – Maciste! And if you think you’ve never heard of him you might know him under one of several aliases – in this case, Samson. We start with a look at the first of the 1960’s film series, MACISTE IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS which was released...

Troy and I decided to record the Bloody Pit Mail Bag portion of things separately this time to keep the latest show from stretching near the three-hour mark. So, instead of an extended regular episode we present a quick forty minutes of questions, thoughts and our responses to some pretty good questions from listeners to the podcast. We learn about the German fascination with Frankenstein and disc...

FLESH AND FANTASY (1943) is a film that should be much better known both in Horror fan circles and among fans of classic cinema in general. Directed by one of the giants of French cinema transplanted to America Julien Duvivier, this film shows the care and craftsmanship of a fine storyteller working with the full resources of a major studio. Following the template he had used in his earlier film T...

I’m joined by author David Annandale for a deep dive into the poverty Row horror film THE MONSTER MAKER (1944). Even among fans of these low budget efforts this one has a disreputable reputation as an example of the lines that these movies sometimes crossed. It is often singled out as one of the darker and more sadistic horrors of the 1940’s it does its best to creep out the viewer with the first...

This year’s Holiday Horror episode arrives! 2022 was Troy’s pick and he has chosen a British creeper set in the week between Christmas and New Years Eve called THE CHILDREN (2008). It is an underseen horror tale that uses the season effectively even if we question whether the story needed the holiday setting to be accomplish its goal. Still, there are fewer locations that cry out ‘Christmas’ as we...

This episode I welcome writer Julian David Stone to discuss his new novel, It’s Alive! The book explores the struggle to produce FRANKENSTEIN (1931) at Universal Studio. Stone’s story uses the perspectives of Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and studio head Carl Laemmle, Jr. to relate the difficult path to getting that revered classic film off the ground. We get inside the heads of this trio of talented...

Adrian Smith joins me as we return to our long-term discussion of the films of Antonio Margheriti. In the 1980’s he made several ‘military men on a mission’ films for various producers. These movies aped everything from THE DIRTY DOZEN to RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART 2 (1985) accomplishing much with meager budgets. Margheriti’s expertise in special effect work and miniatures were a major help in keepin...

Cort Psyops returns to discuss THE HORRIBLE SEXY VAMPIRE (1970)! Just how many words in this title accurately describe the film’s contents? Woo boy. Your mileage may vary…… Recently rescued from dodgy video presentations by Mondo Macabro, this Spanish oddity is one of the stranger examples of Euro-Horror. We start our discussion remarking that the story behind the making of the film is probably mo...