Episode 39 - A Very Merry Midwest Monster Christmas

Its the holidays, the time to visit with family, friends and of course the Midwest Monsters! Gather round the tree with us as we discuss 5 offerings of Yuletide terror! Just in time before Christmas! Thanks for listening everyone, and Happy Holidays!

Episode 39 - A Very Merry Midwest Monsters Christmas by Midwestmonsterspodcast on Mixcloud

Episode 38 - DOTD Chicago Afterthoughts

No narrative needed, we will just let the pictures tell the story of another fantastic weekend spent with Days of the Dead. Whether you were there or not, we hope you will join us next time!

Episode 38 - Days of the Dead Chicago '14 Convention Coverage Special.

We returned to what was our favorite convention from last year and let's just say nothing changed that championed title with this visit. Still our favorite! 

As usual we had an amazing time and we hope you will listen in as we recount why, along with a few fantastic interviews we did!

Episode 38 - DOTD Chicago '14 Convention Coverage Special by Midwestmonsterspodcast on Mixcloud

Episode 37 - An interview with Adolfo Dorta

Hey Monsters!

We recently had the chance to chat with Adolfo Dorta, one of the three men responsible for bringing you the Days of the Dead.. 

Listen in as we talk all about the genesis of Days of the Dead, the things that set them apart from other cons, and what you can expect from them in the future as well as this weekend in Chicago.

Just in time to get caught up to speed and excited for a fun weekend! We hope to see you there as Days of the Dead invades Chicago this weekend!

For more information on the convention or to purchase tickets go to:

www.daysofthedead.net

Like them on facebook : www.facebook.com/daysofthedead

Follow them on twitter:@DaysOfTheDead13

Check out the radio station, and get updated news about other great conventions:

www.fromdusktilcon.com

Episode 37 - An Interview with Adolfo Dorta by Midwestmonsterspodcast on Mixcloud

Episode 36 - The Poltergeist Trilogy Afterthoughts

It is okay to think Poltergeist is cool.

OR

That it is a classic, dated, lame, entertaining, scary, or anything else because they all can be argued for the first entry in the series. Like many movies, judging it is merely subjective based on our viewing history, our real life experience to apply to the viewing, when it was made, and a million other variables. I LOVE the first entry and here is why.

Poltergeist is not buried (pun intended) deeply in the typical approaches to horror. Its approach is high octane cinematic story-telling rather than jump scares or gore. It is not based in even a close attempt to any type of historical lore or alleged definitions of any of the subject matter tackled in this film, and it does not matter. It focuses on things that scared us as children and what scares as adults. A child can find fear in inanimate objects like a tree outside the window or a clown doll. Adults can find fear in the jeopardy of their home and their family living in it. This film could be seen by the entire family because Spielberg *cough cough* sorry, Tobe Hooper provided a film that didn’t rely on cheap gimmicks and adult-driven sensationalism. You will not find gratuitous swearing, drug use, sex, or many of the other things that titillate young viewers. However, you will find an original story put on screen with creative movie magic and a charming effort. There are moments of pure terror and there are moments of mysterious wonder.

Yet, like with any movie, there are those that merely want to tear it down because it is regarded highly. That is unfortunate because this is a film worth watching. Sure some parts of it are already dated, but that shouldn't spoil the many other great components of the film. Those who are too hip for it today can trash it all they want to, it cannot diminish the love and success this film received in its day and continues to now decades later. Until next time….

Beware the moon

The Professor

Episode 36 - The Poltergeist Trilogy

WE'RE HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (with another new episode). Have a listen with us as we discuss the highs and lows of the Poltergeist franchise and the alleged curse that surrounds it.

Episode 36 - The Poltergeist Trilogy by Midwestmonsterspodcast on Mixcloud

Episode 35 - The Monster Mash IV Afterthoughts

NIGHT OF THE MASH WAS A BODACIOUS TIME. And why wouldn’t it be?

These three movies share more than just shelf order on many of your collections; they share the same attributes that make them beloved movies. Raunchy or funny at times, well executed horror films that never take themselves too seriously. One reason for that is exceptional young talent in all of them. In many cases this was the difference between being forgotten or being cult classics that long outlived their expected Hollywood life. By all accounts these three could have been absolute turds but thankfully they weren’t. Night of the Demons is set apart by Linnea’s usual scene stealing. She made her roles, no matter how small or goofy, stand out and Night of the Demons is no exception to this tendency. Her bizarre lipstick routine, her naughty opening scene in the store, it all adds up along with  a solid young cast to make the film fun to watch instead of being lost with thousands of other turkeys from that period.

 Night of the Creeps had some money behind but that isn't a bad thing. At the end of the day Tom Atkins was just great. The Atkins trilogy you should watch in one evening consists of: Night of the Creeps, The Fog, and Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Just 80’s gold.

Lastly, we have Night of the Comet. In my eyes this is the real cinematic feat of the three. While it is lesser of the three in the long run, I think that they did something special with this one. I mentioned on the show the huge discrepancy in budgets for these films. It is not the viewers job to make apologies for that, but it should at least be kept in mind when assessing its worth. This cast and crew had next to nothing financially in terms of the scope of work they wanted to accomplish. While it isn’t Lawrence of Arabia, I do think they managed to achieve what they set out to do with the aid of the sisters performances played by Stewart and Maroney along with creative approaches for getting by. For what it was and is today, it rocks. 

Bottom line, watch all three! Until next time.....

Beware the moon

The Professor

Episode 35 - The Monster Mash IV (Night of the Mash)

Lend us your ears as we discuss the finer points of three movies that embody 80's teenage horror-filled fun!

Episode 35 - The Monster Mash IV (Night of the Mash) by Midwestmonsterspodcast on Mixcloud

Episode 34 - Campout Afterthoughts

This will be a brief entry because I feel that if you are truly interested in our campout, then you will join us next year. That is only said with sincerity but you cannot really recreate the intangibles here in writing. The atmosphere of horror fans camping together cannot be properly described. You just have to be there, and hopefully the episode shows that at least a little.

I did not have the pleasure of enjoying the full weekend but did arrive Saturday afternoon just in time to record this episode (hope you enjoyed) and get settled in for what would be a very cold but fun evening. We had a horror fan’s type of campout and had a lot of fun doing it. We watched two films that night (one Friday night), ate lots of delicious food, read ghost stories, and enjoyed the campfire, beer, and each other’s company. It was a blast and we hope we will see more of you next year! 

            

Until next year…..

Beware the moon

The Professor

Post script – if you are wondering, we watched Sleepaway Camp the first night and Friday the 13^th/Hatchet the second night!