Like the event itself, apocalypse month continues with the 1964 Richard Matheson “I Am Legend” adaptation “The Last Man on Earth”. Mopey old Vincent Price uninspiring wanders a city lazily killing vampires, but don’t let Charlton “Omega Man” Heston’s jealous opinion of the film turn you off from the best adaptation of the novel yet. Let’s just say it was good neither had been made before him and VP worked together on The Ten Commandments...
Episode 168 - Apocalypse Month 1: The Birds (1952)
In kicking off apocalypse month, the duo discuss Daphne Du Maurier's strangely underappreciated 1952 short story "The Birds." The short story, unburdened by the silly love story and subplots of the Northern California-based 1963 Hitchcock adaptation, is more naturalistic, direct, ominous, pessimistic and, in our opinion, far superior.
The Deliciousness of Hamantaschen and Nachos: Episode 167 - Cookin' with Clint Smith
The boys are back with another episode of their usual weekly cooking podcast to discuss Taco Bell Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries, the history of hamantaschen, and a hastily eaten Chilean wild boar. The duo also sit down with chef Clint Smith to talk scallops, risotto, and the perfect cooked chicken dinner. Just another totally normal episode of The Deliciousness of Hamantaschen and Nachos.
Apocalypse Month Intro
Like you all, we’re trapped in our homes, but we decided to drop a new episode to relieve you of 16 minutes of dreariness. Think of it as a trailer for next month’s episodes, a theme we were going to cover long before all this started up. It’s tough being the podcast Nostradamus.
Episode 166 - Shapes: Cube (1997)
The duo wrap up Shape month with the OG shape-based science fiction thriller that inspired the others, Cube (1997). Here's a film primed for a remake: a great premise, with Off-Off Broadway caliber dialogue and acting. Too bad the planned remake unimaginatively called "Cubed," is trapped in its own cube of development hell.
Episode 165 - Shapes: Triangle (2009)
Everyone can agree that a Triangle is the most vicious, stabby shape out there. Can Triangle, the 2009 British-Australian "seafarers stranded on a derelict boat" film ever hope to compare? Well, this film's plot isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Triangle. The last week's title was more appropriate. Come see what we mean and have a listen.
Episode 164 - Shapes: Circle (2015)
One Shape To Rule Them All! Shape Month kicks off with "Circle," the 2015 science-fiction horror film where fifty people wake up in a room around the titular circle, every few minutes someone dies, and they realize they get to "vote" for the victim. It sounds like an extended Twilight Zone episode ... and it kind of is, but is a bit better than that sounds. You're always invited inside our circle, come listen!
Grey Seas are Dreaming of my Death Hodgsonian Spectacular!
Some people will call it an infomercial, but we call it a way for you to give back a little for all the hours of enjoyment you’ve sucked out of us over these long years. That’s right, we’re shilling GREY SEAS ARE DREAMING OF MY DEATH, our William Hope Hodgson RPG Kickstarter, but also providing you with over 3 hours of Hodgsonian content in our longest episode ever! A mere $5 before March 2nd gets you the game, and is not our 160+ hours of podcasting worth that to you? AREN’T WE WORTH IT TO YOU?!?!?
Episode 163 - Horror Roundup, February 2020, Part 3
As roundup season draws to a close, we finish strong with our highest ratio of recommendations yet: Pyewacket, Psychomania, Lake Bodom, Underwater, Lake Mungo, Leviathan, Little Monsters, Deep Star 6, It Chapter 2, and Tammy and the T-Rex. We recommend more films than you can shake a stick at, if you’re very weak in the stick shaking game that is. Also, the secret Derek and JR project Grey Seas Are Dreaming Of My Death is now live!
Episode 162 - Horror Roundup, February 2020, Part 2
We’re back with another roundup, rounding up another bunch of things for your listening enjoyment. Feast your ears upon Beast, Pilgrim, Demon, The Marshes, The Red House, In the Shadow of the Moon, The Haunting of Hill House, Robert W. Chambers’ King in Yellow stories, The Criterion Godzilla Collection, and Arkham Horror 2nd Edition. Be sure to listen close so you’re not one of those suckers who buys Arkham Horror 3rd Edition by mistake.
Episode 161 - Color Out Of Space (2019)
The duo saw Richard Stanley speak about his plans for Color Out of Space about two years ago, so we would be remiss if we didn’t see how it turned out. We wade through the chuckling hipster-throngs that cling to Nicholas Cage releases like barnacles to give our thoughts on this relatively high profile adaption of Lovecraft’s personal favorite story, “The Color Out of Space” [there will always be a THE to us!“
Episode 160 - Horror Roundup, February 2020, Part 1
We said we’d take January off, like always, but JR thought you really needed to hear our opinions on Luz, so here we are. We also cover Nightmare Cinema, The Head Hunter, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Starfish, Shocker, The Black Hole, Sweetheart, and Nekrotronic. Haven’t you all missed us?
2019 Christmas Bonus - Treevenge (2008)
Your work may not have given you a Christmas bonus, but we sure will! It’s not worth spending a whole episode covering Treevenge, because it’s only 16 minutes long, but talking about it for 19 or so minutes, sure. This is possibly the highest rated thing we have covered on the show, so check it out before you get a stump in the face.
Episode 159 - Merry Christmas 12: The Children (2008)
Happy Crimbo! The duo end our holidays with The Children, the 2008 British horror film that asks the question that other movie already asked: who CAN kill a child? There’s a bit of a split on this one, with J.R. actually liking it (with caveats), with Derek complaining like an old person that it was too loud and hard to tell what was going on. Though he isn’t wrong. It’s on Amazon Prime so go watch and join in.
Episode 158 - Merry Christmas 11: Dead End (2003)
The duo cover Dead End, the 2003 horror film riff on the Twilight Zone trope of a family being stuck on a never-ending road while creepy things are afoot. This is nominally a holiday movie, as the family is traveling for the holidays; although if you think us calling it a holiday film is misleading, just look at that title: there’s no Dead End?! A Dead End is the exact opposite of their problems! Come learn about the the surprise runaway DVD success of 2003, where the attitudes are pure 90s.
Episode 157 - Merry Christmas 10: I Trapped The Devil (2019)
It’s holiday time, so the duo review what is nominally a holiday movie, the 2019 “tone poem” I Trapped The Devil, essentially a modern riff on Charles Beaumont’s short story / Twilight Zone episode “The Howling Man,” extended to feature length. Come and listen to see how it all pans out, if you want to stay off the naughty list that is.
Episode 156 - BONUS Horror Roundup, November 2019
Some hard dolla dollas are probably the bonus you’re looking for, but we are offering you something better, time. Which is also money I guess. Thanks to us putting ourselves on the line you can judge whether experiencing any of these is worth it to you: Tigers are not Afraid, The Furies, The Institute, Full Throttle, Haunt, Creepshow, The Lighthouse, Overlord, Parasite, Kwaidan, and Wounds. Yeah, I know, I’d rather have the money too…
Episode 155 - Ken Greenhall 5: Baxter (1989)
At last, our long national Ken Greenhall nightmare is over. The duo discuss Baxter (1989), the existential French horror film adaptation of Ken Greenhall’s short novel Hellhound (1977), and analyze all the ways the film follows and diverges from the source material, including ONE PRETTY BIG IMPORTANT change that is quite interesting, quite interesting indeed.
Episode 154 - Mike Flanagan 8: Doctor Sleep
In our 10th episode covering the work of Mike Flanagan we watch his second Stephen King adaptation, and the third Stephen King adaptation released in the theaters this year. Does a 152 minute sequel to The Shining cause us to (insert positive “sleep” based pun), or (insert negative “sleep” based pun) instead? Join us live from Childwickbury Manor as we exhume Stanley Kubrick to see if he’s spinning faster than when “Ready Player One” was released.
Episode 153 - Horror Roundup, November 2019
When hanging out in NYC some people go to Times Square, others to The Statue of Liberty, and still others just sit around and talk about horror. The boys discuss: Head Count, In The Tall Grass, Full Throttle, Creepshow, One Cut of the Dead, The Institute, and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, the book AND the movie. Better than a stroll through Central Park? YOU BE THE JUDGE.