I’m here to remind you that you used to love horror movies…and you secretly still do!

Legendary Filmmaker William Friedkin died on August 7th, 2023, a few months before the 50th Anniversary of THE EXORCIST.

As his legend would dictate, Friedkin was a bit of a demon himself to those who worked with him and opposed him. "Hurricane Billy" would do anything for a shot, even at the risk of life and limb.

Join me as I take a personal look at my utter fascination with the director, whose work captivated me at an early age, and how his persona left me conflicted. Love him or hate him, Friedkin made you take notice.

I hope you enjoy the show!

Movies Discussed:

THE PEOPLE VS. PAUL CRUMP (1962)

GOOD TIMES (1967)

THE NIGHT THEY RAIDED MINSKY'S (1968)

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY (1968)

THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)

THE EXORCIST (1973)

SORCERER (1977)

DEAL OF THE CENTURY(1983)

TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA (1985)

KILLER JOE (2011)

Three years of the pandemic is enough. We stared into the abyss, and it changed us. And horror movies got us through.

Horror movies also told us the scary and ugly truth about how monstrous we were. As we spent our Seasons in the Abyss, here are some trends I noticed... and NO ZOMBIE MOVIES INCLUDED!

PART ONE OF TWO.

Movies Discussed: 

SYNCHRONIC (2020)

ST. MAUD (2021)

DEMENTER (2021)

THE VIGIL (2021)

RELIC (2022)

HIS HOUSE (2020)

HOST (2020)

DASHCAM (2022)

Here's my Postmortem on the 2022 Christmas Holiday Season, where I discuss Killer Santas, Trolls, and Yule Logs, and the death of "The War on Christmas!"

Movies Discussed:

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)

A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983)

TROLL (2022)

CHRISTMAS, BLOODY CHRISTMAS (2022)

THE MEAN ONE (2022)

VIOLENT NIGHT (2022)

ADULT SWIM'S YULE LOG (2022)

Happiest of Holidays to you! 

Just in time for Christmas Eve is the Hellbent for Horror Annual Christmas Ghost Story!

Keeping the old British tradition going, I've been reading ghost stories for Christmas over the last few years. Because Christmas and horror go together like cookies and milk and Santa!

This year's story is M.R. James' "Casting the Runes," which is the story that was adapted into the excellent 1957 film directed by Jacques Tournier, Night of the Demon, released as Curse of the Demon in the USA. 

Enjoy the show, and stay safe and spooky into 2023!

CASTING THE RUNES (1911)  by M.R. James

NIGHT OF THE DEMON, aka, CURSE OF THE DEMON (1957)

Join acclaimed horror author Vince V. Cava (CREEPYPASTA, JUST A LITTLE TERRIBLE) as we look at how comedy and horror work together (or not). We discuss Bizarro horror, Creepypasta, crazy Anime, and "the Amazon Smut Illuminati."

This is a pre-recorded live podcast from the FAN EXPO-SAN FRANCISCO performed on Black Friday (11/25/2022).

It's no surprise that I love Halloween and that I love decorating my place into a haunted House for Trick-or-Treaters to enjoy. 

But there is a specific history behind my love of Halloween, and in this episode, I'm going to "open a vein" and give you more insight into what makes me believe that horror brings people together and, for some of us, frees us and gives us purpose.

Special Edition: I read my short story, THE RELEQUARIANS. 

I hope you like the show!

Every town has ghosts, and the late George Romero is Pittsburgh's beloved boogeyman!

Romero still looms large there, and I was honored to visit the George A. Romero Archival Collection (1962-2017) at the Hillman Library at the University of Pittsburgh.

Horror Studies Collection Coordinator Ben Rubin sat for an interview and gave me a tour of the vast collection that documents his career through the ups and downs and how Pittsburgh became "the Zombie Capitol of the World."

I hope you like the show!

Special thanks to Ben Rubin and the Hillman Library at the University of Pittsburgh for their kind cooperation.

Movies Discussed:

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

The Amusement Park (1975)

Martin (1977)

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Creepshow (1982)

Day of the Dead (1985)

Monkey Shines (1988)

Tales From the Darkside (1990)

Two Evil Eyes (1990)

Night of the Living Dead (1990)

The Dark Half (1993)

Jacaranda Joe (short film) (1994)

Bruiser (2000)

Land of the Dead (2005)

Freddy's glove! Jason's machete! Jigsaw's mask! Leatherface's Chainsaw!

Like any religion, horror and sci-fi movies can be such a spiritual experience for fans that props and costumes can become holy relics.

Join my guests, James Azrael and Ernesto Avina, partners, and curators of The Horror & SciFi Prop Preservation Association (HSPPA), as they discuss passion, obsession, and how art is in the eye of the beholder.

What is the "Holy Grail" of movie props? Might it be...the Holy Grail itself?

Props! Monsters! Museums! What more could you want?

Would you believe that at the center of their story are...cupcakes?

Listen and find out what the hell that even means!

I hope you like the show!

Movies Discussed:

It's Just a Game (2018)

So What? (Dee Snyder music video- 2016)

Pieces (1982)

Motel Hell (1980)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

Paul Taylor (Pinhead- Hellraiser Judgment -2018)

Enrique Murciano

Harry Potter Hufflepuff

Seed of Chucky (2004)

Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Boogie Nights (1997)

Wishmaster (1997)

The Exorcist (1973)

Jason X (2001)

Trilogy of Terror (1975)

Puppet Master (1989)

Troll (1986)

Resident Evil (2002)

Inglorious Basterds (2009)

Tusk (2014)

Se7en (1995)

Hellraiser (1987)

Before the MCU became mainstream and before horror films won Oscars, Horror Hosts helped create the Monster Kid Culture and legitimize fandom and genre conventions.

My guest, John Stanley, was not only the legendary host of Creature Features on KTVU-2 from 1979-to 1984, but also a novelist, film critic, and horror film director (NIGHTMARE IN BLOOD).

Join us as we talk horror host history straight from the source, what it was like to be there when ALIEN, PHANTASM, and even STAR TREK first premiered, and how fans resurrected the horror host culture!

Get John Stanley’s newest book, “The Career that Dripped Horror” and any of his books and DVDs here:

I hope you enjoy the show!

Films, folks, and shows discussed:

NIGHTMARE IN BLOOD (1977)

CREATURE OF THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951)

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)

CREATURE FEATURES- KTVU (1971-1984)

ALIEN (1979)

PHANTASM (1979)

ROBERT BLOCH

RAY BRADBURY

STEPHEN KING

LEONARD NIMOY

Music and Horror are kindred spirits. And many of us love it when music and horror meet in the shadows of our imaginations. 

Join my guests, the hosts of the excellent DISCOVER THE HORROR PODCAST as we look at how we were attracted to the dark side of music, our influences, and how many different ways music express that darkness.

This is a joint podcast with my good friends from Discover the Horror and the music conversation, focusing on horror movie soundtracks, continues on their podcast. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Biup3H 

What do Rupert Holmes and Black Sabbath have in common? Listen and find out!