The Kulturecast

We end Horrortober with a horror anthology that features one of the true icons of the genre: Black Sabbath. Starring Boris Karloff as the host, it tells three stories about murder, mayhem, and terror, all including Karloff's wraparound. It's a worthy entry into the horror anthology subgenre. Dark Destination's Father Malone joins Chris to talk about the film, Karloff's performance, and other antho...

We near the end of Horrortober with a film that has as many titles as it does murders: A Bay of Blood. Starring Claudine Auger as Renata Donati, a woman who will do anything to collect her inheritance, a massive piece of land on an Italian bay. However, this land is home to murderers along with attracting would-be murderers. The film's influence is felt today. On Seagal's Trevor Gumbel and Wake Up...

We near the end of Horrortober with a Bruce Campbell horror film that we've not only covered once before, but that also isn't named Evil Dead: Bubba Ho-tep. Starring the aforementioned Bruce Campbell as aged "Elvis," he must team up with black JFK to take down a soul-hungry mummy tormenting their east Texas convalescence home. If the premise sounds insane to you, that's because it is, and you need...

We continue Horrortober with a trip back to the time before slasher films and even modern horror all together with a true Val Lewton classic: The 7th Victim. Starring Jean Brooks as Jacqueline, a woman with nothing to live for, it follows her sister as she attempts to find Jacqueline in gothic New York. It is a precursor to Psycho and many 70s horror films including Rosemary's Baby. Pulp Serenade'...

We take a break from Horrortober to take a look at another HBOMax release and a hotly anticipated one at that: Dune. Starring an all-star cast, the film focuses on the upbringing of Paul Atreides, a young man whose future is tied to Dune, the desert planet, and source of the universe's power. It's a CGI epic that offers little else in the way of character development or entertaining story beats. T...

We continue Horrortober with another crossover with the Wake Up Heavy podcast and a film that doesn't seem to know what horror franchise it belongs to: Halloween Kills. Once again starring Jamie Lee Curtis, it is the immediate follow-up to the 2018 film featuring Laurie and the townspeople taking the fight against Michael. It's a tonal mess that isn't sure what it wants to be, but a Halloween film...

We continue Horrortober with a crossover with the Wake Up Heavy podcast as we continue our trend of talking about three horror movies at once: Hellraiser 1, 2, and 3. Each film in the series follows the Lament Configuration, a puzzle box whose opening brings about the arrival of Pinhead and the Cenobites. While the first film is a rather quiet affair, the second and third films amp up the practica...

We continue Horrortober with a giallo film that may not actually be a horror movie, but it's definitely a giallo film for good and bad: The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh. Starring Edwige Fenech as the titular character, she must stop a razor-blade-wielding murder who may have a connection to her past. It has all the hallmarks of giallo but maybe not horror proper. Artist Maggie the Odd joins Chris to...

We kick off our annual Horrortober with some lighter horror fare that doesn't quite thrill and doesn't entirely cause laughter, making it a true thrill-omedy: Arachnophobia. Starring Jeff Daniels as a city doctor who moves with his family to the country, he must help stop an invasive spider species from killing the entire town. It features some gross-out moments and light jump scares but ultimatel...

We finish You've Never Seen September, this year focusing on Elvis Presley, with a film that is as cornball as it gets with the King, Fun in Acapulco. Starring Elvis as a troubled former trapeze artist turned musician, he must get a job and the girl in the exotic land of Acapulco. It's the corniest Elvis film this month, and that's saying something. Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley joins Chris to talk...

We continue You've Never Seen September, this year focusing on Elvis Presley, with the last pre-army Elvis role as well as his personal favorite role, King Creole. Starring Elvis as a troubled youth turned musician, Elvis must navigate the waters of New Orleans' seedy underbelly. It's a little bit James Dean, a little bit Giant, and a whole lot of edgy Elvis. On Seagal's Trevor Gumbel joins Chris...

We kick off You've Never Seen September, this year focusing on Elvis Presley, with a look at one of Elvis's lesser-known films, Roustabout. Starring Elvis as a musician turned titular roustabout, Elvis must ingratiate himself to a carny setup and the woman of his dreams. DC Titan's Richard Hatem and Pulp-Serenade's Cullen Gallagher join Chris to talk about the film, Elvis's career, and Colonel Par...

We end TV Movie Month by looking at a cyberpunk miniseries that shares its DNA with another well-known miniseries: Wild Palms. Starring Jim Belushi as Harry Wyckoff, a patent attorney tasked with finding a long-lost flame's missing son. The job eventually leads him into the high-stakes world of religion, mind control, and virtual reality. It's a wild ride that doesn't necessarily stick the landing...

We near the end of TV Movie Month with a look at the first film in a series of fifteen that follows the exploits of Richard Sharpe in Sharpe's Rifle. Starring Sean Bean as Sharpe, it takes place during the early days of the Peninsular War, where Sharpe is tasked with pushing back the invading French. It's a fun entry and a good start to the long-running series! On Seagal's Trevor Gumbel joins Chri...

We take another break from TV Movie Month to take a look at a film that retcons another film with an almost identical title: The Suicide Squad. Starring Idris Elba, John Cena, Margot Robbie, and a whole host of others, it follows the titular group as they attempt to thwart The Thinker and Starro. It's essentially Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but with blood and gore! The Projection Booth Podcast's Mi...

We continue TV Movie Month with a look at a PBS adaptation of a Kurt Vonnegut short story: Who Am I This Time? Starring Susan Sarandon and Christopher Walken, it is set in a small Midwestern town where the only thing doing is the community theater. Walken and Sarandon play the two leads in the theater's version of "A Streetcar Named Desire," which has unintended consequences on their personal live...

We take another break before TV Movie Month with a trilogy of films that reinvigorates the horror genre and queer identity in the genre: Fear Street. Split into three films, they follow the parallel stories of Shadyside and Sunnyvale, towns torn apart due to a witch's curse. After the witch's curse begins again, a group of teens must figure out a way to stop the curse and save Shadyside. Wake Up H...

We kick off TV Movie Month with a movie that features a whole boatload of famous TV detectives teaming up to stop a mysterious man hunting them: Murder Can Hurt You. Starring a who's who of '70s character actors, the film follows Kojak, Columbo, Starsky and Hutch, and several other TV detectives as they attempt to thwart the Man in White. It's a goofy send-up of '70s TV detectives that doesn't alw...

We take a break before TV Movie Month with a look at a film that's been mired in development hell for almost two decades, for whatever reason: Space Jam: A New Legacy. Starring Lebron James as himself, he must team up with the Looney Tunes in a plot eerily reminiscent of the original film. It's less about the Looney Tunes and more about showing off all of the cool properties that Warner Brothers o...

We end Burt Reynolds Month with a film that is not only one of the frequent guest Cullen Gallagher's favorite but also one that casts Burt in a very different role: Lucky Lady. It stars Reynolds, Gene Hackman, and Liza Minelli as a group of business partners who run rum, trick the law, and fall in love in prohibition-era America. It's a wild film that deserves re-evaluation, especially given its t...

We near the end of Burt Reynolds Month with the film that not only put Reynolds on the map but also lead to a thousand jokes about squealing: Deliverance. Starring Reynolds, Jon Voight, and Ned Beatty are friends who go on a canoe trip down a river in northern Georgia. They found themselves thrust into a trip of terror, danger, and toxic masculinity that will change them forever. Pulp Serenade's C...

We continue Burt Reynolds Month with an entry into Reynold's rather large catalog of cop films that stands out since Reynolds himself directing it: Sharky's Machine. Starring Reynolds and a cavalcade of fantastic character actors, Reynolds plays the titular Sharky, a disgraced cop who stumbles upon a political conspiracy. With some strange choices, both style, and substance, it's more than just a...

We kick off Burt Reynolds Month with a look at one of his films that truly vaulted him into superstardom: Smokey and the Bandit. Starring Reynolds and Jerry Reed, it stars the two as the Bandit and Snowman, who are tasked with transporting Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta in 28 hours. The film traded in the trucking culture of the 70s along with a heavy helping of sex appeal courtesy of Reynol...

We end the second annual Jess Byard June with a film that is on the list for being one of the worst of all time, a true dud: Cool World. Starring Brad Pitt and Gabriel Byrne, it centers on the two as a displaced police officer and a comic book artist both attempting to escape an animated reality called "Cool World" While it may sound like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", that comparison begins and ends...

We continue the second annual Jess Byard June with a look at what is widely considered to be Bakshi's best film: American Pop. Centering around an immigrant Jewish family, it tells the story of four generations that attempt to break into the music industry and make a name for themselves. It's the quietest and most reflective of his works and one that stands out due to its soundtrack. Scary Stories...