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WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? (1976) d. Narciso Ibáñez Serrador (Spain)  Narciso Ibáñez Serrador's taboo-smashing classic, Who Can Kill a Child (1976), is a movie that packs a lethal punch both in terms of onscreen mayhem and intellectual philosophizing.  When a couple of English tourists (Lewis Fiander, Prunella Ransome) arrive on an isolated Spanish island, they begin to discover the mutilated corpses of adults and eventually realize the shocking truth: These innocent-looking youngsters have massacred their elders, exploiting the grownups' reluctance to defend themselves against the children. Like his terrifying La Residencia (aka The House that Screamed) from 1969, Serrador mines a rich vein of audience manipulation by making his antagonists the "untouchable" fresh-faced youth, while the film (loosely based on Juan Jose Plans' novel, El juego de los niños) also pays homage to such obvious influences as Village of the Damned, Night of the Living Dead, and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, with the island village's tykes standing in for the avian threats. With sparse dialogue, oft-blinding outdoor daylight settings courtesy of Goya-award winning cinematographer José Luis Alcaine, dread-filled atmosphere, and its downbeat/upbeat ending, Who Can Kill A Child is an unusual, provocative and extremely well made picture that provides a welcome change of pace from well-worn genre conventions. Join AC and his fabulous panel of guests (Ashley Lamers, John McDevitt, Mackenzie Parker, Elena Romea) as we celebrate a half-century of this groundbreaking masterpiece of Spanish horror from one of the true masters of the genre, delivering biting social commentary on gender roles, political inequity, and tyranny against one's fellow humans while elegantly delivering a sinister and spellbinding thriller that will stick with you for days! ---------------------------------------------- ASHLEY LAMERS is a professional counselor, animal advocate, coffee enthusiast, straight edge vegan feminist, and horror lover with a "do no harm, take no shit" sensibility. She has two cats, a business, and many opinions.  JOHN MCDEVITT is a lifelong cinephile who programs two recurring film events in Chicago: SUPER-HORROR-RAMA! and Fetish Film Forum, a monthly screening series about fetish, kink, leather, and BDSM at the Leather Archives & Museum. John is fascinated by all genres of cinema and appreciates horror most of all for its willingness to explore what makes us uncomfortable and for the compassion it often extends to its characters and the viewer. MACKENZIE PARKER is a filmmaker living in Los Angeles. He studied at Northern Illinois University and the Moscow Art Theater. He has worked on TV shows such as Sons of Anarchy and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and is currently working as a staff editor for Digital Alliance.  ELENA ROMEA is the creator behind SpanishFear.com and Horror Rises from Spain. A researcher in literature and cinema, she holds a Ph.D. in Spanish Studies with a dissertation about the filmmaker José Val del Omar. Her work explores themes of estrangement, horror, myth, and cultural conflict. -------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

THE BEYOND (1981) d. Lucio Fulci (Italy) THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981) d. Lucio Fulci (Italy) Italian director Lucio Fulci's 1981 pairing of The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery represents perhaps the most beloved period of his career, especially by horror fans. Paradoxically, these films are also why his wider cinematic career is often overlooked. By this point, Fulci was already a veteran filmmaker who had worked across comedy, westerns, crime films, gialli and historical dramas. But these days, The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery—alongside Zombie and City of the Living Dead—have become almost a shorthand for what "a Fulci film" is. The Beyond follows a young New Yorker (played by Catriona McColl), who inherits a Louisiana hotel unknowingly built over one of the seven gates of Hell. As she attempts to renovate and reopen the building, increasingly inexplicable deaths and supernatural phenomena signal that the gateway is opening again. Those who love The Beyond love it precisely because it seems to operate according to nightmare logic rather than a conventional narrative: the plot is merely an excuse for Fulci and screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti to construct a succession of visceral images such as rotting corpses, carnivorous spiders, blind ghosts, exploding head shots, and an unforgettable vision of the afterlife. Its atmosphere of Southern Gothic decay, combined with Sergio Salvati's photography and Fabio Frizzi's hypnotic score, give it a dreamlike quality that immediately distinguishes it from straightforward splatter. The House by the Cemetery feels inspired by other popular haunted house movies of the era like The Shining and The Amityville Horror, but Fulci makes the material distinctly his own through his fascination with irrationality, narrative threads that go seemingly nowhere, and sudden eruptions of brutality. When the Boyle family moves into an isolated New England house, their young son Bob becomes convinced that something terrible is living within. The combination of eerie atmosphere, disjointed storytelling, and outrageous violence have earned many fans over the ensuing years. Together, these two films represent a particular moment in Fulci's career when he became indelibly linked with extreme horror. Their gore and visual imagination made him a hero to genre fans, while their surrealism, dread-filled atmosphere, and strange visual poetry made it clear he was more than a mere purveyor of exploitation fodder. Join AC and his amazing panel of guests (Sarah Binion, Jon Kitley, Bryan Martinez, Jimmy Seiersen) as we celebrate 45 years of The Beyond and The House By The Cemetery, the double-barreled blessing and curse of Lucio Fulci, The Italian Godfather of Gore… and yet so much more. -------------------------------------------- SARAH BINION is a self-taught horror fan who has turned the simple question "What's your favorite horror movie?" into a personal mission to uncover hidden gems and overlooked masterpieces in the genre. JON KITLEY has been running his website, Kitley's Krypt for 25 years. He's a columnist for HorrorHound magazine, a co-host on the Discover the Horror podcast, and attends multiple conventions and all-night horror movie marathons at the drive-in theaters! https://kitleyskrypt.com/ BRYAN MARTINEZ is the creator of The Giallo Room and is also the writer and director of the short films Gelato Giallo and My Friend Lisa (check em out on YouTube). He has had a passionate love affair with Giallo since he first watched a Spanish-dubbed version of All the Colors of the Dark at the tender age of 8. JIMMY SEIERSEN from Sweden has written essays for the HORROR 101 and HIDDEN HORROR books, been a short film programmer for Lund Fantastic Film Festival (2010–2022), and creates short films that eventually make their way to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmySeiersen ----------------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

POSSESSION (1981) d. Andrzej Zulawski (France/West Germany) Tonight, we dive deep into the abyss of challenging cinema with Andrzej Zulawski's Possession (1981). Deliberately abrasive and queasy, the idiosyncratic Polish director's best known film assails its audience from the opening scenes and never lets up for a second, leaving the viewer exhausted, exasperated, and exhilarated. Returning home from a vaguely defined covert mission, Mark (played by the late great Sam Neill) is alarmed to find that the relationship with his wife Anna (Isabelle Adjani) has disintegrated into complete hostility and disgust. He soon discovers that she has taken up with several lovers, one of which might not be entirely… human. (F/x wizard Carlo Rambaldi designed the memorable creature effects.) A technically astounding film, with Bruno Nyutten's cinematography swirling about the locations and characters with orgiastic glee while Andrej Korzynski's electronic score buzzes and pops. Neill and Adjani unleash extraordinary high-wire performances that rival anything these fine artists have done before or since (Adjani would win Best Actress Awards from both Cannes and the Cesars, and after witnessing her wrenching, utterly selfless showstopping aria of suffering in the train tunnel, who could deny her?) and they are surrounded by a marvelous ensemble of quirky and compelling players that toy with each other and the audience. Brutally trimmed by 50 minutes (!) with entire sequences reshuffled, the original U.S. and UK releases were as notorious a bit of butchery as they come – the already challenging movie (later labeled as a Video Nasty by the British Board of Film Censors) floundered and disappeared. Thankfully, it has since reappeared on home video in its complete form, and we hope tonight's conversation continues to boost and brighten its signal, attracting further rediscovery by fans worldwide. Join AC and his bravura panel of guests (Nile Arena, Emily Barney, Dominic Conti, Sophie Gordon, Thomas Puhr) as we celebrate 45 years of POSSESSION! ------------------------------------ NILE ARENA has created cinema collectives, worked the film festival circuit, and lent his voice to podcasts dedicated to the silver screen. His literary/weird fiction journal, Success Stories, is available now at some of the places books are sold. EMILY BARNEY studies Czech language and is obsessed with Czech and Slovak movies. She's appeared on The Projection Booth Podcast's Czechtember series, and blogs at emily-barney.com. She's also a lifelong horror and cult movie fan, the weirder the better. DOMINIC CONTI is a Chicago-based writer and actor. His first novel, Your Book Club, is now available. (Orders can be placed at [email protected], or you can just say hi.) SOPHIE GORDON is a film programmer, filmmaker, and musician based in Chicago. She currently programs international feature films at the Chicago International Film Festival, specializing in Latin American and LGBTQ+ cinema. As a filmmaker, she crafts queer genre films, and as a musician performs under the name Fina.  THOMAS M. PUHR's writing has appeared in Bright Lights Film Journal and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. His book, Fate in Film: A Deterministic Approach to Cinema, is available from Wallflower Press. He is the co-host of Gut Punch, a new film podcast from Beneficial Shock! Magazine. -------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

CARRIE (1976) d. Brian De Palma (USA) THE RAGE: CARRIE 2 (1999) d. Katt Shea (USA) CARRIE (2002) d. David Carson (USA) CARRIE (2013) d. Kimberly Peirce (USA) Based on Stephen King's first published novel, 1976's Carrie holds the distinction for being the first filmed adaptation of one of his works. A truly landmark American horror movie that combines supernatural terror with a powerful story about adolescence, cruelty, repression, and revenge, the film stars Sissy Spacek as the titular and telekinetic Carrie White, a shy, awkward high-school student bullied by her classmates and controlled by her extremely religious mother, Margaret White, indelibly played by Piper Laurie. Brian De Palma's direction is central to the film's impact, using slow motion, split screens, dramatic camera movements, and unsettling visual compositions to build suspense and emphasize Carrie's psychological experience. And screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen perfectly translates the spirit of King's novel without being slavishly faithful to the plot and narrative incident. Spacek makes Carrie both frightening and deeply sympathetic, and Piper Laurie's operatic turn as the zealot matriarch became instantly iconic, with both actresses nominated for Oscars that year, a true rarity for the time. And they are surrounded by numerous young performers at the beginning of their soon-to-be illustrious careers, including Amy Irving, Nancy Allen, William Katt, Betty Buckley, and a certain young upstart named John Travolta. Ultimately, Carrie stands as one of the great achievements of 1970s horror, a relatively small production that has earned a lasting place in cinema history. Beyond its justifiably famous prom sequence and supernatural leanings, King's rich portrait of loneliness, peer pressure, and the desperate longing to be accepted resonates as strongly with viewers today as it did 50 years ago. What makes Carrie so rewarding to revisit, time and again, is watching De Palma and his creative team turn teenage anxiety into a true cinematic nightmare classic. ------------------------------------------------------ JENN ADAMS is a writer and podcaster from Nashville, TN. She co-hosts The Loser's Club: A Stephen King Podcast, The Lady Killers: A Feminine Rage Podcast, Murder Made Fiction, and The Girls on The Boys. She is a contributor and columnist for Bloody Disgusting, Rue Morgue and Dread Central and creator of the Strong Female Antagonist blog. JOHN W. BOWEN has been a columnist, reviewer and feature writer for Rue Morgue magazine since 1999, and has also written sporadically for more (...cough...) "civilized" publications, including the Kingston Whig-Standard, The Toronto Star and Kingston Life Magazine. Born in Dallas and raised in Kingston, Ontario, he is also a professional musician and recovering strip club DJ. LIN MORRIS is a writer who makes his living doing something else entirely. His novels Spot the Not and The Marriage Wars are both available on Amazon. The first movie he recalls seeing is Two on a Guillotine at the Super 99 Drive-In at much too young an age, and he's been a horror fan ever since. Despite the strenuous efforts of his parents, he remains stubbornly left handed. ----------------------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES (1966) d. John Gilling (UK) THE REPTILE (1966) d. John Gilling (UK) ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. (1966) d. Don Chaffey (UK) THE WITCHES (1966) d. Cyril Frankel (UK) For nearly a decade, Hammer had built its reputation on sumptuous Gothic horror, with mysterious castles, suspicious villagers, and iconic monsters, usually with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing topping the bill. But by 1966, Hammer was looking outward, experimenting with new monsters, new settings, and even entirely new genres. With The Plague of the Zombies, starring André Morell, Diane Clare, Jacqueline Pearce, and John Carson, director John Gilling gives us a nightmare rooted in rural Cornwall, where the dead are being turned into obedient, shambling workers. The famous graveyard sequence remains one of Hammer's most striking set pieces, while also setting itself apart from other zombie films in a number of ways, making one wish Hammer had gone back to the well for more. Gilling also directed The Reptile (on the same sets, in fact), another distinctly different kind of Hammer horror. With Noel Willman, Jennifer Daniel, Ray Barrett, Jacqueline Pearce, and Michael Ripper, the film sees a remote village plagued by mysterious deaths, with another exotic and ancient curse at play. Jacqueline Pearce is exquisite as the young shapeshifting maiden at the center of the story, with veteran Roy Ashton delivering one of his most iconic monster makeup designs. One Million Years B.C. represented perhaps the biggest departure the studio, with Hammer taking its taste for spectacle to an entirely different level. Directed by Don Chaffey, and featuring John Richardson and Raquel Welch as loincloth-wearing star-crossed members of different prehistoric tribes, with stop-motion maestro Ray Harryhausen returning to his roots to deliver some of the most authentic and anatomically correct dinosaurs ever seen on screen. The result was a box office smash, with Welch's iconic pin-up poster art becoming an indelible piece of pop culture history. Finally, The Witches, directed by Cyril Frankel, explores psychological and supernatural horror through a more contemporary lens. In her final big screen role, Joan Fontaine plays a former missionary who becomes entangled in increasingly sinister events after moving to a quiet English village. While the film never reaches the heights of Hammer's more celebrated efforts, it is laudable for continuing to take risks and break ground for future occult-themed efforts such as The Devil Rides Out. Join AC and his amazing panel of guests (Stan Hyde, Barry Kaufman, Alan Tromp) as we step back 60 years to delight in the monstrous, magical, murderous, and Mesozoic world of Hammer! -------------------------------------------------------- STAN HYDE teaches, examines, and consults on international film programs for students (International Baccaluareate's Film Course), as well as writing about model making, film history, and some fiction. He is winner of the Mangled Sky-Scraper Award for helping bring G-FEST, the annual Godzilla Convention in Chicago, to life since 1995, and is a 2021 Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association Hall of Fame recipient for his work with science fiction conventions, clubs, and fanzines. BARRY KAUFMAN has been committed to spreading the gospel of obscure horror and science-fiction cinema since writing the fanzines Monsters of Japan and Demonique in the 1970s and 80s. He ran All-Horror Video out of a house in the woods in Homewood, Illinois through the 1980s, followed by his shop The House of Monsters in Chicago from 1996 to 2007. He now vends at genre related shows and programs festivals in the Chicago area featuring his inconspicuous film favorites. ALAN TROMP is a golden age Monster Kid, who has published articles in Filmfax, Twilight Zone Magazine, and We Belong Dead publications in the UK. He was scriptwriter for the shot-on-video nightmare, The Soul Eaters. ------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH (1986) d. Richard W. Haines / Lloyd Kaufman (USA) CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH PART II: SUBHUMANOID MELTDOWN (1991) d. Eric Louzil (USA) CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH PART III: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE SUBHUMANOID (1994) d. Eric Louzil (USA) RETURN OF CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH (2013) d. Lloyd Kaufman (USA) RETURN TO RETURN OF CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH (2017) d. Lloyd Kaufman (USA) POULTRYGEIST: NIGHT OF THE CHICKEN DEAD (2006) d. Lloyd Kaufman (USA) Few independent film companies have cultivated a cinematic identity as unmistakable—or as gloriously unhinged—as Troma Entertainment. Founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, the New York-based outfit built its reputation by giving audiences the movies Hollywood wouldn't touch: outrageous, irreverent, low-budget spectacles that mixed horror, comedy, sex, punk attitude and social satire. Released in 1986, Class of Nuke 'Em High is one of the best examples of the Troma formula. Directed by Richard W. Haines and Lloyd Kaufman, the film transforms the familiar high-school horror movie into a radioactive free-for-all, with Tromaville High sitting dangerously close to a nuclear power plant. Students mutate, the honor society goes spectacularly bad, and the school becomes ground zero for a gleefully tasteless collision of sci-fi, splatter and teenage rebellion. In between the Nuke 'Em sequels and reboots, we got Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, Lloyd Kaufman's magnificently deranged 2006 splatter musical. Set in an American fast-food restaurant built atop an ancient burial ground, Poultrygeist unleashes chicken zombies upon unsuspecting diners while skewering corporate fast food, consumer culture and American excess. Put together, the films demonstrate that Troma's secret weapon was never simply blood, guts or shock value. Class of Nuke 'Em High and Poultrygeist turn exploitation cinema into a playground for satire, DIY filmmaking, and sheer creative lunacy. Forty years after Tromaville High first glowed green, Troma is still proving that sometimes the best way to make movies is to consult the rulebook... and then blow it the cluck up. Join AC and his Troma-loving panel of guests (Zack Beins, Dave "M" Gray, Jonathon Lucas) as we celebrate 40 years of NUKE 'EM HIGH and 20 years of POULTRYGEIST!  ---------------------------------------------- ZACK BEINS is a filmmaker from Denver, CO.  He has made several films and music videos including The Misled Romance of Cannibal Girl and Incest Boy, and Atom the Amazing Zombie Killer. Zack has a lifelong passion for cinema and cult films. His love of celluloid brought him to Tromaville where he worked on Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006) and volunteered at the TromaDance Film Festival, and now hosts the Talkin' Troma podcast with the Loudspeaker network! DAVE "M" GRAY is currently a test subject in a subterranean mad science lab and allowed to send proofs of life to Raiders of the Podcast (raidersofthepodcast.blogspot.com or anywhere you podcast) and Twitch (twitch.tv/sh4ggyr4nd) weekly. JONATHON LUCAS is a horror fiend from Australia whose love for the genre predates his brain's ability to form memories. He contributed the essay for At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul for Hidden Horror. ------------------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

SCREAM (1996) d. Wes Craven (USA) SCREAM 2 (1997) d. Wes Craven (USA) SCREAM 3 (2000) d. Wes Craven (USA) SCRE4M (2011) d. Wes Craven (USA) SCREAM (2022) d. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin/Tyler Gillett (USA) SCREAM VI (2023) d. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin/Tyler Gillet (USA) SCREAM 7 (2026) d. Kevin Williamson (USA) By the mid-1990s, the slasher cycle that had produced Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street had become increasingly formulaic, with audiences being fed a stream of quote/unquote "psychological thrillers." True horror was, in many respects, considered "dead." Kevin Williamson's ingenious screenplay understood exactly why audiences had become tired of slashers—and then made that familiarity part of the entertainment. Its characters know the rules of horror movies, discuss them openly, and understand the clichés that traditionally govern who lives and who dies, balancing sharp humor, suspense, mystery, and brutal violence. The result was both a celebration of the slasher tradition and a clever reinvention of it. The commercial and critical success of Scream, as directed by Wes Craven, also helped breathe new life into the genre, inspiring a wave of imitators, including beloved fan favorites I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend, and countless other late-1990s and early-2000s slashers. A major part of Scream's lasting success can also be attributed to its unforgettable central characters, particularly Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), and Deputy Dewey Riley (David Arquette).. Audiences came to regard them as old friends, and their enduring popularity yielded a horror franchise with a genuine emotional legacy. Today, Craven's achievement appears even more significant than it did 30 years ago. Just as A Nightmare on Elm Street kept the slasher alive in 1984 when the genre was beginning to run out of steam, Scream gave horror another desperately needed shot in the arm in 1996. Craven and Williamson didn't merely revive horror – they carved a path which allowed the genre to evolve, and that is something to scream about. Join AC and his amazing panel of guests (Anna Ceragioli, Alex DiVincenzo, Daniel Millhouse, Jordy Sirkin, Ciara Wylie) as we celebrate three decades of SCREAM!! -------------------------------------------- ANNA CERAGIOLI is a Chicagoan who lives for horror movies. From throwing horror-themed dinner parties, playing Monster Bash in her pinball league, or chilling with a Goblin vinyl, it's all horror all the time for her. ALEX DIVINCENZO is a Massachusetts-based independent filmmaker, journalist, and content creator. He runs the website Broke Horror Fan, through which he produces a line of modern genre films on VHS. He can be found spending too much time on social media @brokehorrorfan DANIEL MILLHOUSE joyfully returns to review films with Dr. AC and friends! As an Assistant Professor at the College of DuPage, he cherishes his Theatre, TV/Film, and Motion Capture acting experiences. He is one mischievous, charming, goofball. JORDY SIRKIN is the horror-obsessed critic behind Jordy Reviews It (jordyreviewsit.com). Slashers, creature features, paranormal haunts, and everything in between, she's an avid fan of the macabre, and a HUGE enthusiast of practical effects. Since 2015, she's been reviewing genre films and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok at @jordyreviewsit CIARA WYLIE is a lifelong horror fan and co-creator of Deep Cuts Horror Trivia in Chicago, IL. In her free time she can be found screaming into the uncaring void about Final Destination 3. ------------------------------------------------------ Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (1972) d. Amando de Ossorio (Spain/Portugal) RETURN OF THE BLIND DEAD (1973) d. Amando de Ossorio (Spain) THE GHOST GALLEON (1974) d. Amando de Ossorio (Spain) NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS (1975) d. Amando de Ossorio (Spain) Writer/director Amando de Ossorio's Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972) represented a landmark achievement that introduced an entirely new monster into the genre, the haunting Knights Templar (based on the legitimate historical figures who fought in the Crusades and were later put to death for their efforts), complete with shabby robes, skeletal faces, grizzled facial hair, shiny swords, and a quenchless thirst for human blood. In fact, the early scenes of this zombie flick (yes, we'll call them zombies for now) are so overwhelming in their thick gloomy atmosphere that viewers cannot help but admire the sheer confidence and audacity executed in bringing them to the screen. Ossorio provides a brief introductory setup of three romantically entwined companions on a train ride through the Spanish countryside, then embarks on a breathtaking twenty-minute, nearly dialogue-free episode that must be experienced to be believed. During this astounding sequence, Anton Garcia Abril's jangling, chanting, percussive musical score and lively environmental soundtrack combine with Ossorio's eerie visuals to create an intoxicating dream-like aura. In addition to Ossorio's prolific career, which features titles such as Demon Witch Child, The Loreley's Grasp, The Sea Serpent, and Night of the Sorcerers, the success of The Blind Dead spawned three more loosely connected entries in the series over the next three years: Return of the Blind Dead, The Ghost Galleon, and Night of the Seagulls. Together, they form an unforgettable quartet of thrills and chills, staking out an undeniable place in Spanish horror history. Join AC and his incredible panel of guests (Darren Callahan, Damien Glonek, Ryan Olson, Jimmy Seiersen, Alan Tromp) as we celebrate a half-century of THE BLIND DEAD! ---------------------------------------------------- DARREN CALLAHAN is an award-winning writer, director, and composer who has written drama, fiction, and non-fiction for many major outlets, mostly focused on the horror genre. He has also released nearly 100 records, from pop to noise to ambient to film soundtracks.  His website is darrencallahan.com and his IMDB is http://www.imdb.me/darrencallahan. DAMIEN GLONEK is best known as the co-creator of Living Dead Dolls, which holds the record for the longest continuously running horror-themed dolls. He is also co-host of the horror podcast, Discover the Horror. In Damien's spare time, he collects horror movie posters, watches horror movies, reads about watching horror movies and talks about reading and watching horror movies to anyone that will listen.  RYAN OLSON (aka S. Ravenlord of The Cold Beyond music group) is the owner of Deadspeak Design and Night World Records, as well as a member of the Synapse Films street team and a regular on the Synapse Films podcast. His work has been featured in Liquid Cheese, Horrorhound, & Evilspeak Magazines. JIMMY SEIERSEN from Sweden has written essays for the HORROR 101 and HIDDEN HORROR books, been a short film programmer for Lund Fantastic Film Festival (2010–2022), and creates short films that eventually make their way to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmySeiersen ALAN TROMP is a golden age Monster Kid, who has published articles in Filmfax, Twilight Zone Magazine, and We Belong Dead publications in the UK. He was scriptwriter for the shot-on-video nightmare, The Soul Eaters.  ----------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

THE FLY (1986) d. David Cronenberg (USA/Canada) THE FLY II (1989) d. Chris Walas (USA/Canada) After years of building a reputation as a fiercely intelligent filmmaker that deftly combined gooey special effects, challenging technical concepts, and emotional narrative heft, Canadian David Cronenberg finally hit the jackpot in this updating and reimagining of the 1958 classic, The Fly. Rather than the simple swapping of heads and hands, brainy inventor Seth Brundle (played to perfection by Jeff Goldblum) sees his transporter pods inadvertently become gene splicers when a wayward fly enters the equation. Watching the slow and horrifying evolution as the insect's characteristics make themselves known is where Cronenberg's customary gross-outs excel, courtesy of Chris Walas' Oscar-winning effects. But it is Goldblum's brilliant muti-layered characterization (often beneath pounds of makeup) of a man at war with his own body that sticks in the memory and gives the film its heart. Geena Davis gives an equally strong performance as a reporter who is first attracted to the project as a story idea, but ends up falling in love with the doomed scientist, while John Getz turns in a terrific sleazy portrait as Davis' boss (and ex-lover). Howard Shore's musical score is one of his best, and he is joined by numerous other Cronenberg collaborators, such as editor Ronald Sanders, cinematographer Mark Irwin, costume designer Denise Cronenberg, and production designer Carol Spier. Join AC and his buzz-worthy panel of guests (Dan Caffrey, Jon Kitley, Eli LaChance, J. Luis Rivera, Chris Scales) as we celebrate 40 years of David Cronenberg's THE FLY!!  ------------------------------------------------------ DAN CAFFREY is a Brooklyn-based playwright, screenwriter, podcaster, and lifelong horror fan. Caffrey currently co-hosts The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast and Halloweenies: A Horror Franchise Podcast, both on Bloody Disgusting's podcast network, Bloody FM. He received his MFA In Playwriting from UT Austin and has also written as a cultural critic for The A.V. Club, Consequence, Pitchfork, Vox, and elsewhere. His favorite horror movie is Halloween. His favorite movie-movie is also Halloween. (https://www.dancaffreywrites.com/) JON KITLEY has been running his website, Kitley's Krypt for 25 years. He's a columnist for HorrorHound magazine, a co-host on the Discover the Horror podcast, and attends multiple conventions and all-night horror movie marathons at the drive-in theaters! https://kitleyskrypt.com/ ELI LACHANCE is a horror writer, chemist, and paleontology enthusiast. He is currently starting his last year in UMSL's MFA in creative writing program. He resides in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife, dog, and two cats, one of which may be the living dead. Some of his writing can be found in Medium Chill and on Channel-31.com. When he's not writing, he loves walking with his dog, bird watching, and hunting fossils. https://channel-31.com/ J. LUIS RIVERA is a Mexican filmmaker and cinephile whose love for movies began early in his life with Cronenberg's The Fly as a kid. Director of several horror short films, he is currently developing his first feature-length film. CHRIS SCALES is a lifelong horror fan, aspiring horror screenwriter, and horror panelist.  ------------------------------------------------------ Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

RODAN (1956) d. Ishiro Honda (Japan) MOTHRA (1961) d. Ishiro Honda (Japan) Rodan (1956) and Mothra (1961) stand among the most trendsetting films in the history of Japanese cinema, introducing two iconic monsters whose legacies have endured for decades. Produced by Toho, both films expanded upon the success of Godzilla (1954), demonstrating that giant monsters could represent far more than simple destructive forces. Each creature possessed its own distinct identity, symbolism, and mythology, helping create a growing kaiju universe, a rich collection of memorable characters rather a single monster. Released 70 years ago, Rodan introduced audiences to a colossal prehistoric pteranodon awakened by humanity's intrusion into the natural world. Directed by Ishirō Honda, the first color kaiju film combined suspense, science fiction, and large-scale destruction with groundbreaking special effects created by Eiji Tsuburaya. Rodan's immense speed, sonic booms, and devastating aerial attacks were different from the Tokyo-stomping Godzilla, presenting a threat unlike anything audiences had previously witnessed. The film also carried environmental and anti-industrial themes, condemning humanity's reckless exploitation of the Earth. Five years later, Mothra introduced a remarkably different kind of kaiju. Based on the serialized novel published earlier in 1961 and inspired by fantasy, folklore, and spirituality, Mothra emerged as a benevolent guardian rather than a destructive beast. Directed once again by Honda, the story followed the kidnapping of the tiny Shobijin fairies and Mothra's determined journey to rescue them. Unlike previous giant monsters, Mothra symbolized hope, compassion, and the protection of nature. Together, Rodan and Mothra introduced two enduring monsters whose contrasting personalities enriched Toho's expanding cinematic universe. Their successful debut films established them as beloved icons whose continued appearances alongside Godzilla helped shape the evolving mythology of kaiju cinema for generations around the world. Join AC and his kaiju-sized panel of guests (Martin Arlt, Beth Bredlau, Joyce Mihara Boss, Grant Kuchan, Stan Hyde) as we celebrate 70 years of RODAN and 65 years of MOTHRA!!  ---------------------------------------- MARTIN ARLT is the publisher of Mad Scientist magazine and is a geneticist at the University of Michigan. Decades of lab work have not given him super-powers or turned him into a mutant monster. BETH BREDLAU is the founder of Godzilla Weekend, a film and art festival in Bloomington, Indiana. Additionally, she speaks at conferences and conventions about Godzilla like G-FEST, is earning her Ph.D (with a focus on Godzilla), and recently published new information on Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956). JOYCE MIHARA BOSS teaches world literature and cinema, myth, and Japanese popular culture at Wartburg College. Her academic publications and presentations have focused on various topics related to Godzilla, yōkai, global fandom, and Japanese religion and folklore. GRANT KUCHAN is a writer of pulp, wellness coach, and a real swell guy. He plays in any Jug Bands that let him. One day he'll finish another novel, which will probably be available on Amazon, as well as at most Darktower Comics locations across the greater Chicagoland Area. The horror movie that still gives him nightmares is Matango. He saw it when he was six, and still doesn't eat mushrooms. STAN HYDE teaches, examines, and consults on international film programs for students (International Baccaluareate's Film Course), as well as writing about model making, film history, and some fiction. He is winner of the Mangled Sky-Scraper Award for helping bring G-FEST, the annual Godzilla Convention in Chicago, to life since 1995, and is a 2021 Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association Hall of Fame recipient for his work with science fiction conventions, clubs, and fanzines. ------------------------------ Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

THE BAD SEED (1956) d. Mervyn LeRoy (USA)  Celebrating the 70th anniversary of The Bad Seed (1956)! Widely regarded as one of the greatest psychological thrillers ever made, this classic horror film introduced audiences to Rhoda Penmark—cinema's original "killer kid" and one of the genre's most unforgettable villains. Join us as we revisit this groundbreaking classic, its remarkable performances by Nancy Kelly and Patty McCormack, director Mervyn LeRoy's masterful filmmaking, and the film's lasting influence on horror. Seventy years later, The Bad Seed remains as chilling, provocative, and unforgettable as ever. If you love classic horror, psychological thrillers, vintage Hollywood, and deep-dive film discussions, this episode is for you. Join AC and his amazing panel of guests (Matthew Amador, Sarah Binion, William Novotny Lawrence, John Kenneth Muir, Joseph Wycoff) as we celebrate 70 years of THE BAD SEED! ------------------------------- MATTHEW AMADOR is an actor and owner of Matador Behavioral Health, where he utilizes narrative fiction as a means to process trauma and anxiety through psychotherapy.  www.MatadorChicago.com  SARAH BINION is a self-taught horror fan who has turned the simple question "What's your favorite horror movie?" into a personal mission to uncover hidden gems and overlooked masterpieces in the genre. WILLIAM NOVOTNY LAWRENCE is an Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at Indiana University and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Popular Culture. He is the co-editor of the anthologies Blaxploitation Cinema, Beyond Blaxploitation, and the recent Oxford Handbook of Black Horror Film, offering an expansive scholarly examination of Blackness within the horror genre, exploring its global dimensions and cultural significance. JOHN KENNETH MUIR is the creator of the award winning-web series, Abnormal Fixation, which returns for its second season in 2026, and award-winning audio drama Enter The House Between. He is also the author of Horror Films of the 1970s (2002), and Eaten Alive at a Chainsaw Massacre: The Films of Tobe Hooper (2001). JOSEPH WYCOFF is a veteran Chicago actor now based in New Zealand, with onscreen credits ranging from "Ash vs Evil Dead" to the Power Rangers to Josh Ruben's Heart Eyes (2025). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

GRIZZLY (1976) d. William Girdler (USA) SQUIRM (1976) d. Jeff Lieberman (USA) THE FOOD OF THE GODS (1976) d. Bert I. Gordon (USA) In the wake of Steven Spielberg's Jaws from 1975, drive-ins and hardtop theaters alike were suddenly overrun by creatures with a taste for human flesh. Intrepid and imaginative independent filmmakers proved that almost any member of the animal kingdom could be transformed into a successful box-office menace. Three standout entries from 1976—Grizzly, Squirm, and The Food of the Gods—perfectly capture the exuberant creativity and unapologetic pulp appeal of the Nature Strikes Back Eco-horror boom. William Girdler's Grizzly distilled the Jaws formula into a lean, backwoods thriller, replacing the great white with an enormous, man-eating bear stalking campers in a national park. Made on a modest budget but packed with confidence, suspense, and fantastic production value, Girdler demonstrated that resourcefulness and sharp pacing could outweigh huge Hollywood razzle dazzle, and his able cast of Christopher George, Andrew Prine, and Richard Jaeckel helped cement Grizzly as one of the most successful independent horror films of the decade and a benchmark for the animals-attack cycle. If Grizzly was all Ursa Major muscle, Jeff Lieberman's Squirm was all wriggling annelid Ick Factor. After a freak storm sends electrically charged earthworms to the surface, an ordinary Georgia town finds itself under siege by thousands of ravenous invertebrates. Lieberman and his players approach the outrageous premise with a straight face and an inventive visual style, creating a film that is simultaneously unsettling, funny, and delightfully bizarre. Mr. BIG himself, Bert I. Gordon was already celebrated as the master of gigantism when he returned to familiar territory with The Food of the Gods, very loosely adapting H. G. Wells into a gleefully chaotic tale of mysterious goop bubbling up from the earth, creating giant rats, wasps, chickens, and other oversized terrors. Tom Burman's ambitious creature effects combined with cringe-worthy footage of real-life animals in jeopardy embody the anything-goes energy that made '70s genre cinema so fascinating. Join AC and his beastly panel of guests (Joyce Boss, Damien Glonek, Tracy Mercer, Vanessa Morgan, Steven Peros) as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the YEAR OF THE ANIMALS! ----------------------------------------------------------- JOYCE MIHARA BOSS teaches world literature and cinema, myth, and Japanese popular culture at Wartburg College. Her academic publications and presentations have focused on various topics related to Godzilla, yōkai, global fandom, and Japanese religion and folklore. DAMIEN GLONEK is best known as the co-creator of Living Dead Dolls, which holds the record for the longest continuously running horror themed dolls. He is also co-host of the horror podcast, Discover the Horror. In Damien's spare time, he collects horror movie posters, watches horror movies, reads about watching horror movies and talks about reading and watching horror movies to anyone that will listen. TRACY MERCER is an Emmy-nominated TV/Film executive-turned-producer who worked on Ang Lee's Hulk, Aeon Flux, Punisher, and Invictus, before transitioning to producing CBS' hit series Madam Secretary, Five Flights Up, Worldbreaker, and the upcoming horror film, The Autopsy of Albert Kemper. Mercer was a contributor to #1 Amazon best-sellers, Giant Beast Cinema and Cinema Bizarro, and co-hosted the long running comedy podcast, My Favorite Shtty Movie. VANESSA MORGAN is the author of several movie reference guides (When Animals Attack, Strange blood, Evil Seeds & Meow!), all available from Amazon https://amzn.to/3Hzm0wN. She's also the creator of the websites https://cat-movies.com and https://traveling-cats.com. STEVEN PEROS is the editor and contributor to Giant Beast Cinema and Cinema Bizarro (both reaching #1 on Amazon). Steven is best known for writing Peter Bogdanovich's The Cat's Meow, starring Kirsten Dunst. He is VP of Creative Affairs for Cineverse, home of the Terrifier series. ---------------------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

FROM DUSK TILL DAWN (1996) d. Robert Rodriguez (USA) FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 2: TEXAS BLOOD MONEY (1999) d. Scott Spiegel (USA) FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 3: THE HANGMAN'S DAUGHTER (2000) d. P.J. Pesce (USA) FROM DUSK TILL DAWN: THE SERIES (2014-2016) d. Robert Rodriguez (USA) Thirty years ago, From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) kicked open the saloon doors, ordered a round of tequila, and then revealed that everyone in the bar was about to be eaten by vampires. Of course, From Dusk Till Dawn is much more than its famous twist. It's a perfect snapshot of '90s independent filmmaking, bringing together Rodriguez's kinetic, resourceful direction, Tarantino's Fonzie cool dialogue, KNB's outrageous practical effects, and an ensemble cast led by George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Salma Hayek, and cameos from Michael Parks, John Hawkes, Tom Savini, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, and the Hammer himself, Fred Williamson. Add in one of cinema's most iconic nightclub sequences, gallons of gore, and tons of morphing monster mayhem, it's no wonder the film has become a perennial cult favorite. Three decades later, From Dusk Till Dawn still feels a bit like an adolescent filmmaker's wild dare. Messy, excessive, funny, shocking, and endlessly quotable, it reminds us that horror can be scary, hilarious, and completely unpredictable. Join AC and his incredible panel of guests (Eric Anderson, Carol Esteban, Eric Fritzius, Anish Jethmalani, Larry Sternshein) as we celebrate 30 years of one of horror's boldest, bloodiest, and most delightfully batshit cult classics! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ERIC ANDERSON was not allowed to watch horror movies as a kid and he is now making up for lost time with a vengeance. He works in a large urban public library and spends as much time outdoors as possible. ERIC FRITZIUS writes things, acts in others and records mouth noises sold in the form of audiobooks. You can find his stuff at MisterHerman.com CAROL ESTEBAN is far too busy golfing, watching movies, and being awesome to be bothered with mini-bios. ANISH JETHMALANI is Chicago Actor who has been on stages and screens for 30 years. You may recognize him from the horror flick Girl on the Third Floor with CM Punk. He is passionate Cinephile who contributed an essay on The Omen for the original HORROR 101: The A-List of Horror Films and Monster Movies. You can find him on letterboxed at https://letterboxd.com/ajet/ LARRY STERNSHEIN is a lifelong movie fan in Colorado and host of the movie memories podcast "Reel Early." Not only does he love talking about horror and action cinema, but is also a big pro wrestling fan. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

BLOODY BIRTHDAY (1981) d. Ed Hunt (USA) BLOODY MOON (1981) d. Jess Franco (Spain/Germany) DEADLY BLESSING (1981) d. Wes Craven (USA) DON'T GO IN THE WOODS (1981) d. James Bryan (USA) EYES OF A STRANGER (1981) d. Ken Wiederhorn (USA) FINAL EXAM (1981) d. Jimmy Huston (USA) GRADUATION DAY (1981) d. Herb Freed (USA) NIGHT SCHOOL (1981) d. Ken Hughes (USA) STRANGE BEHAVIOR (1981) d. Michael Laughlin (New Zealand) STUDENT BODIES (1981) d. Mickey Rose (USA) A few months back, we took a deep dive into the slashers of 1981, and now we're back to finish the job! If our first installment focused on future classics and franchise cornerstones, this week's episode explores the stranger, sleazier, and more offbeat corners of the slasher boom. Some films stick close to the formula. Final Exam delivers stripped-down campus suspense, Graduation Day pairs revenge with an unmistakably early-'80s soundtrack, Night School mixes police procedural thrills with a memorable killer, and Eyes of a Stranger blends voyeurism and vigilante justice while featuring an impressive early performance from Jennifer Jason Leigh. Others push the boundaries. Wes Craven's Deadly Blessing fuses religious paranoia and psychological horror, while Strange Behavior combines mad science, teenage romance, and small-town conspiracy into a cult favorite. Then there are the true oddballs: Bloody Birthday, Bloody Moon, Don't Go in the Woods, and the gleefully self-aware Student Bodies, each embracing excess, exploitation, or outright parody in wildly different ways. Join AC and his blood-loving panel of guests (Fraser Coffeen, Lauren Cupp, Art Ettinger, Kolleen Carney Hoepfner, Freddie Young) as we celebrate—and occasionally eviscerate—ten more slices of 1981 horror, spotlighting the overlooked gems, cult favorites, ambitious experiments, and gloriously excessive carnage that made this such a banner year for slasher fans!   ----------------------------------------- FRASER COFFEEN is the co-host of Creepy History, a podcast dedicated to all the creepy stuff you wish they taught you in High School. He's been published in Horror Homeroom magazine and How to Analyze and Review Comics. LAUREN CUPP is a performer and personality in the Southern California horror community. Having recently performed in (and survived) the LA run of Saw the Musical, she can now be found performing comedy at Pop Culture Hell, cosplaying at horror conventions, or catching a film at her local AMC. ART ETTINGER is the editor of Ultra Violent Magazine, a public defender, and a Razorcake record reviewer. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where his lifelong obsessions with punk rock and horror/exploitation cinema continue to consume him. KOLLEEN CARNEY HOEPFNER is a freelance writer, copyeditor, and Southern California convention booth gal for venues such as Fangoria. She is the host of For Unlawful Cinematic Knowledge, a film podcast celebrating the underloved and overlooked.  FREDDIE YOUNG is a NYC horror reviewer and frequent podcaster. He has been running the website Full Moon Reviews (www.fullmoonreviews.net) since 2006, telling it like it is and enjoys spreading the word on good and bad films, mainly in the horror genre. He's planning on a full-time return to podcasting soon, hoping to put some attention on some "misunderstood films." --------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!

KILL, BABY... KILL! (1966) d. Mario Bava (Italy) A BAY OF BLOOD (1971) d. Mario Bava (Italy) Equal parts conjurer of Gothic nightmares, pioneer of modern cinematic violence, and astonishing visual stylist, Italian filmmaker and horror legend Mario Bava'has delivered so many genre high water marks that it's difficult to keep track. From the black-and-white splendor of Black Sunday to the hypnotic colored gels of Black Sabbath to establishing the hallmarks of the giallo, Bava was constantly innovating and imagining new ways to dazzle and disturb audiences. Kill, Baby... Kill! represents perhaps the pinnacle of Bava's Gothic imagination. Set in a cursed village haunted by the ghost of a young girl, the film transforms familiar supernatural motifs into a hypnotic fever dream through its masterful use of color, lighting, and camera movement. Rather than relying on overt shocks, Bava creates an atmosphere of mounting dread, where mirrors, staircases, and abandoned rooms become spaces of uncanny terror. If Kill, Baby... Kill! perfected Bava's supernatural Gothic style, A Bay of Blood brought to fruition the contemporary, murder-centred approach he had already explored in The Girl Who Knew Too Much and Blood and Black Lace. Dispensing with mystery in favor of an escalating cycle of betrayal and carnage, the film follows a web of greed-driven killers competing for ownership of a secluded bay. Its graphic violence, cynical worldview, and inventive murder set-pieces anticipated the American slasher boom by more than a decade, with several set-pieces famously echoed in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981). Join AC and his incredible panel of guests (Troy Howarth, Katie of the Night, Jon Kitley, Nicola McCafferty) as we celebrate this dazzling double feature of Mario Bava, The Maestro of the Macabre! ------------------------------------- TROY HOWARTH is a Rondo Award-nominated writer who specializes in European Cult cinema. His books include The Haunted World of Mario Bava, Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films, So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films, among others. He has also contributed audio commentaries, audio essays, and liner notes to over one hundred DVD and Blu-ray releases from the U.S., the U.K., and Germany. He resides in Pennsylvania. KATIE OF THE NIGHT is six years into film exploration. Leaning into the sentiment of the occasional 'this girl doesn't know shit' comment, she makes YouTube videos of her thoughts on the various vintage Euro horror films she watches. JON KITLEY has been running his website, Kitley's Krypt for 25 years. He's a columnist for HorrorHound magazine, a co-host on the Discover the Horror podcast, and attends multiple conventions and all-night horror movie marathons at the drive-in theaters! https://kitleyskrypt.com/  NICOLA MCCAFFERTY is the Director of Programming at the soon-to-be reopened 400 theater in Rogers Park and the After Dark Programmer for the Chicago International Film Festival. She holds a PhD in Screen Cultures from Northwestern University, and her research looks at screen representations of nonhuman women (think: mannequins, dolls, robots, and aliens) in order to deconstruct the overlapping categories of whiteness, humanity, and femininity. Her article "I'm (Not) Your Doll: Hybridity, Femininity, and the Nonhuman in FKA twigs's M3LL155X," is forthcoming in Screen in Winter 2026, and she has also written about Frankenstein movies for Dread Central. You can find enamel pins, stickers, patches, and prints designed by Nicola and inspired by horror and cult films at vvitchroom.etsy.com.  -------------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!