Scream Scene Podcast

All the way from the carboniferous period, it's THE MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS (1959)! Directed by Irvin Berwick, this flick is made up of Universal Pictures' laid off staff and disgruntled workers on a CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON template. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 12:56; Discussion 29:48; Ranking 43:34

Hello dear Creatures of the Night, this week got away from us. In lieu of our regular episode, I’ve prepared a spooky music playlist that I hope will delight: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0KeFTGk9fHaNtCvXNL6IFW?si=043539c0ae5f448d We’ll be back next Wednesday night!

If you had a traumatic past that was repressed in your memory, would you want to be told? From director Roy Del Ruth comes THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE (1959), starring Beverly Garland, Richard Crane and Lon Chaney Jr! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 14:57; Discussion 27:41; Ranking 47:31

Sequels have to walk a tightrope of meeting expectations set by the original while offering more than a rehash of the same plot. Your deadicated hosts see how RETURN OF THE FLY (1959, Bernds) fares with this balancing act! The films stars Brett Halsey, David Frankham and, returning from the original, Vincent Price. Editor's Note: Throughout the episode, Ben mistakenly says "Bill Nye" when describi...

A special Halloween horror-adjacent bonus episode! This month, your hosts cover THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD (1949) from directors James Algar, Clyde Geronimi and Jack Kinney. We cover Disney studios, the development of its animation, and why ICHABOD isn't as good as you wish! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 55:04; Discussion 58:44

A monster by any other name would spook as sweet... it's THE MANSTER (1959) aka SŌTŌ NO SATSUJINKI aka THE SPLIT from directors George Breakston and Kenneth G. Crane! An American/Japanese co-production, this schlocky-titled film is anything but as it tackles themes of masculinity and alcoholism. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 10:15; Discussion 29:07; Ranking 45:17

It is yet another TOKAIDO YOTSUYA KAIDAN (1959), but this time from experienced horror director Nobuo Nakagawa! Balancing a return to its kabuki roots with a forward-looking use of colour and surrealism, this horror takes your hosts by storm! The film stars Shigeru Amachi, Katsuko Wakasugi and Shuntaro Emi. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 28:53; Discussion 44:01; Ranking 1:00:54

Kinbei, how could you do this to me?! Your deadicated hosts watch KAIDAN KAGAMI-GA-FUCHI (1959), the difficult-to-obtain horror from director Masaki Mori! The film stars Shôzaburô Date, Jôji Ôhara and Reiko Seto. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 8:58; Discussion 17:58; Ranking 26:47

From director Kenji Misumi and starring the prolific actor Kazuo Hasegawa comes YOTSUYA KAIDAN (1959)! This adaptation of the iconic kabuki play offers a unique remix of classic moments, but at what point do we lose the original intent of those scenes? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 32:15; Discussion 44:26; Ranking 53:48

You'll never see it coming! It's INVISIBLE INVADERS (1959) from producer Robert E. Kent and director Edward L. Cahn! Starring John Agar, Philip Tonge, John Carradine and Robert Hutton, what moral imperatives will this DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL-rip off impart? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 10:37; Discussion 25:21; Ranking 37:07

The infamous lost film arrives on the podcast with September's bonus horror adjacent episode. This month we watch a reconstruction of Tod Browning's LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT (1927) by producer Rick Schmidlin! The film stars Man of a Thousand Faces Lon Chaney in one of his most iconic disguises. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 36:31; Discussion 50:00

Your deadicated hosts return with THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE (1959) from director Edward L Cahn! The film is said to be written, produced and directed to scare the daylights out of you -- but will it? And how do shrunken heads factor in here? Listen to find out! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 20:47; Discussion 33:39; Ranking 49:24

From Mexico and director Fernando Mendez comes MISTERIOS DE ULTRATUMBA (1959), translated as "mysteries from beyond the grave" but released in the U.S. as BLACK PIT OF DR. M! Discover the weird atmosphere of this high point of 1950s Mexican horror. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 7:36; Discussion 21:25; Ranking 32:47

Our first weird Western and it comes to us from Universal Pictures: It's CURSE OF THE UNDEAD (1959), directed by Edward Dein and starring Eric Fleming, Michael Pate and Kathleen Crowley! Will our small town preacher fight off the gunslinging vampire? Listen and find out! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 15:26; Discussion 29:18; Ranking 38:37

For July's horror adjacent movie, we chant his name three times in order to watch BEETLEJUICE (1988)! An early Tim Burton film with memorable performances from Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones and Winona Ryder, we discuss how the film works, doesn't work, and whether it holds up today. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 1:28:41; Discussion 1:37:48

Ed Wood's once-thought-lost film, NIGHT OF THE GHOULS (1959), terrorizes the neighbourhood once more! We discuss Ed Wood's career, film hobbyist/"archivist" Wade Williams, and the effects of creative burnout. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 31:28; Discussion 37:50; Ranking 48:29

Let's travel to Japan for their response to Hammer's DRACULA... it's ONNA KYÛKETSUKI (1959) aka LADY VAMPIRE from director Nobuo Nakagawa! This episode features a look at the Japanese film industry and the relationship between vampires and Catholicism! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 26:20; Discussion 35:52; Ranking 47:41

It's an amusement park ride through horror -- it's HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959) from director William Castle and starring Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Carolyn Craig, Richard Long, Alan Marshal, Elisha Cook Jr and Julie Mitchum! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 28:25; Discussion 49:50; Ranking 1:05:56

Your dedicated hosts travel back to 1926 for F.W. Murnau's FAUST - EIN DEUTSCHE VOLKSSAGE, translated as FAUST - A GERMAN FOLKTALE! We cover the many iterations of Faust: The man, the myth, the legend. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 59:20; Discussion 1:17:36; Ranking 1:44:39

For June's horror adjacent movie, we turned our horrific eyes upon 1959's THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES from Hammer Film Productions! We see the return of director Terence Fisher, actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, as well as how Hammer handles a non-horror Gothic film... Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 1:04:35; Discussion 1:10:29

This week your hosts head to Norway for DE DØDES TJERN (1958), translated as LAKE OF THE DEAD, from director Kåre Bergstrøm! What happens when a group of friends go to a lone cabin in the woods near a haunted lake? ...Murder! Your hosts talk Norwegian film, Riksmål and the Norwegian language conflict, and author André Bjerke. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 35:07; Discussion 45:40; Ranking 1:09:29

Your deadicated hosts address an appeal to reconsider the ranking of the 1931 DRACULA from Tod Browning, currently ranked at #22. We discuss the Philip Glass score and the impact it has on the atmosphere and horror of the overall film.

Your deadicated hosts wrap up 1958 with CORRIDORS OF BLOOD, directed by Robert Day and starring Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee! With a cast and title like that, well, it's gotta be something special! ...right? Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 15:34; Discussion 25:47; Ranking 44:05

Evolution, coelacanths and cavemen?! Oh my! Something stalks this college but spoiler alert: It's not teens... it's MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS (1958) from director Jack Arnold! The film stars Arthur Franz, Joanna Cook Moore and Troy Donahue for the latest Jekyll and Hyde riff. Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 18:34; Discussion 39:35; Ranking 51:39

You've seen it before: mad scientist creates monster; henchman falls in love with girl... but what if monster IS girl?? It's FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER (1958) from director Richard Cunha and starring John Ashley, Sandra Knight, Sally Todd and Donald Murphy! Context setting 00:00; Synopsis 15:14; Discussion 36:31; Ranking 55:32