The Evolution of Horror

The BFI's Michael Blyth returns to the podcast this week to discuss a subject very dear to his heart...the brilliant William Castle. In our first in-depth spoilerific reviews of the series, we discuss Castle's beloved ghostly classic House on Haunted Hill (1959) and his slightly less beloved 13 Ghosts (1960). We also discuss the life and career of horror legend Vincent Price Music by Jack Whitney...

We're BACK! This week Mike is joined by Ghost Stories writer, actor and director Andy Nyman to discuss ghosts in the horror genre. He's then joined by BFI Journalist and editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Films & TV (EOFFT), Kev Lyons to discuss the cinematic origins of the ghost story.  Music by Jack Whitney Follow us on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/evolutionpod Like us on Facebook: https:/...

We complete the Evolution of the Slasher with an end-of-term quiz! For the Final Exam Mike is joined by London Film Quiz host Bryan Ryan. We also do a final round-up of the sub-genre and Mike countdowns down his Top 10 slashers and the listeners top 5 slashers.  Thanks for listening and we'll be back in January 2018!  Music by Jack Whitney Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/evolutionpod Fol...

This week Mike is joined by Telegraph film critic Tim Robey to review David Robert Mitchell's superb 2014 modern horror masterpiece It Follows... Music by Jack Whitney  Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/evolutionpod Find us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/evolutionofhorror Join the FB Group!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/146043106034456/ Tim Robey is film critic for the Telegraph. He ca...

"Let the games begin..." This week Mike is joined by Jonathan Hatfull and Katherine McLaughlin to discuss where the slashers went in the 21st century! They cover (in spoilerific detail) James Wan's 2004 movie Saw and the dawn of torture porn, plus the Final Destination Franchise.  They also discuss what became of Freddy, Jason and Michael in the 21st century, as well as comment on the recent wave...

"What's your favourite scary movie?" The slashers are BACK! This week Mike is joined by Empire's Helen O'Hara to discuss Wes Craven's phenomenal 1996 slasher, Scream. Things then start getting super meta, as Mike and Rob Watts discuss the wave of 90s slasher movies that followed it.  Music by Jack Whitney.    Join the Evolution of Horror discussion group and meet / discuss horror with other listen...

What goes up...must come down.  This week Mike is joined by cinephile Brad Hanson to describe the period that followed the 80s slasher boom...the slasher slump. Brad and Mike discuss why this era is generally thought of as one of the worst for horrors and particularly for slasher movies. They discuss such turkeys as Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, Jason Takes Manhattan, Leprechaun and Rumplest...

One, two, Freddy's coming for you! This week, Mike is joined by critic James King to discuss that most 80s of teen slasher movies, A Nightmare On Elm Street. As well as taking a look at the movie in depth, James and Mike explore the 80s obsession with teen movies, the horror cinema of Wes Craven and the phenomenon of Freddy Krueger.  Theme music by Jack Whitney. Jack can be found on twitter (jack_...

This week Mike is joined by Michael Blyth to give a rundown of the very best of the early 80s slasher boom! From Sleepaway Camp to Slumber Party Massacre, we leave no stone unturned... Theme music by Jack Whitney Michael Blythe is a programmer for the British Film Institute, and is the man behind the BFI Cult strand and BFI Flare. For all information on upcoming events at BFI, visit https://bfi.or...

Chi chi chi ma ma ma... This week Mike is joined by Rob Watts to discuss the most beloved horror franchise of all time. As well as taking an in-depth, spoilerific review, the pair run through the ten sequels that follow and discuss some of the best and worst aspects of the Friday the 13th series.  Theme music by Jack Whitney  Don't forget you can find all our episodes on iTunes and most other Podc...

This week Mike is joined by Boyd Hilton, and the pair get down and dirty to discuss Brian De Palma's controversial erotic slasher, Dressed To Kill. We take a look at the influences De Palma's movie had on 80s/90s erotic thrillers such as Cruising, Blue Velvet and Basic Instinct.  Boyd Hilton a critic, broadcaster, journalist and is entertainment director for Heat Magazine. He also hosts the Heat U...

This week Mike is joined by Chris Hewitt and Jacob Stolworthy to discuss all things HALLOWEEN! We take an in-depth, spoilerific look at John Carpenter's classic 1978 masterpiece and look at the legacy it left behind (i.e. 7 awful sequels and 2 awful remakes). Chris also discusses why John Carpenter is one of the most beloved auteurs in cinema history.  Chris Hewitt is host of the world's biggest m...

This week Mike is joined by Rhianna Dhillon to explore two criminally underrated early 70s slasher movies...Black Christmas (1974) and Alice, Sweet Alice (1976). Both movies deal with teenage problems and adolescence discuss the awkwardness of puberty, sex education and bodily fluids. Mike also sits down with Freudian Cinephile Mary Wild who discusses horror cinema from a psycho-analytic perspecti...

We continue the Evolution of the Slasher by looking at the boom in Italian horror in the late 60s / early 70s, particularly the films known as 'Giallo' (or Gialli?) Mike chats to Giallo guru Alan Jones about the history of the sub-genre, its influence on the slasher and gets the lowdown on Giallo pioneer Dario Argento. He is then joined by Dan Martin from the Arrow Video Podcast to review Argento'...

Happy bonus horror treat! Here's the full, uninterrupted chat with film musician / composer / historian Neil Brand about a history of horror scores. From Nosferatu through to Under The Skin, we cover the trends, the traits and the evolution of the horror score over the last one hundred years. ENJOY! Neil Brand is a film historian, musician and composer. You can find details of his upcoming events...

  This week Mike is joined by Ollie Charles as we begin our in depth look at the evolution of the slasher, and review the two movies that are often considered the forerunners to the format, Psycho and Peeping Tom. Mike is also joined by a chat with film composer, musician and historian, Neil Brand for a chat about that Bernard Herman score.  Podcast music by Jack Whitney (@Jack_Whitney)  For all o...

This week Mike is joined by BFI Programmer Michael Blyth and film collective 'The Final Girls' to discuss the tropes, the peaks and the troughs of the slasher sub genre. What makes the slasher one of the most successful horror sub-genres? Why do we love watching endless Jason or Freddy sequels, when they all pretty much follow the same formula? And is there anything feminist about a sub-genre whic...

Welcome to the Evolution of Horror, a brand new horror movie review and discussion podcast! Host Mike Muncer and co-host Rob Watts discuss why they love horror, how they got into horror, some of their favourite horror movies, and Mike interviews horror maestro Kim Newman for a brief history and introduction to the genre.  Email us: evolutionofhorror@gmail.com Tweet us: @EvolutionPod  Rob Watts is...