Monday, March 31, 2014
Episode 21 - The Child's Play Franchise
Lend us your ears as we discuss that hellish half-pint Charles. For better or for worse we take a look at each film in the series!
Episode 20 - Horrhound Weekend Afterthoughts
Another convention has come and gone….
As always, we had a great time, and even more so because we
were all together. As Grizzly Abner mentioned on the show, tragedy struck his
life this past December. I will not venture past what he shared on the show,
but it is important to at least reiterate that initially when speaking of our
time there. Sometimes doing what you love with those who also love the same
things and who matter to you can make for a happy weekend. It appeared so in
his case and I know it was for me. It was nice for us to run around together
and blow off some steam all weekend, along with the folks from Freakhouse Flicks (www.freakhouseflicks.com)!
One topic I must address is the celebrity photo op. I have
expressed my displeasure with this movement at the conventions in the past and
to be quite frank I have not changed my stance on the matter. My other two
cohorts were generous enough to include me in the picture (which cost more for
me to be in) and I deeply appreciate it. I LOVE the picture we have and will
always treasure seeing us in a fantastic photo with the illustrious Bruce
Campbell. I think it is a great option for someone who has the cash to spend and
wants a higher quality picture to remember their encounter by. I think the key
word is option though, because many cannot afford this. More than any
thoughts I have on the matter, I bring it up because I am interested in what you
think? Let us know anything you have to say about photo-ops good or bad.
The weekend was great! We made some great purchases, met
some celebrities, partied with old friends and made some new friends. We certainly hope to see them at future cons.
I could gush over convention life but you have heard us beat
that drum so I will keep it brief here. Plain and simple advice: Go to
conventions if you have not before or if you have been, then continue to! We
love seeing you there and meeting new faces. The horror community continues to
be amazing and we cannot wait until the next convention. Possibly some before
then, but we will be at Days of the Dead Indianapolis in June, so
make plans to join us! Many thanks to all of those who stopped and shared their
weekend with us and certainly to Horrorhound for putting on a very smooth and fun
show that weekend!
Until next time!
Beware of the moon….
The Professor
Episode 20 - Horrorhound Cincinnati 2014 Convention Coverage Special
The Midwest Monsters hit the road to enjoy a Horrorhound Weekend in Cincinnati. Listen in as we cover our experience, interviews, and more!
Episode 20 - Horrorhound Cincinnati 2014 Convention Coverage Special by Midwestmonsterspodcast on Mixcloud
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Episode 19 - The Leprechaun Franchise (A St. Paddy's Special) Afterthoughts
Let me start by wishing all of you a safe and happy St.
Patrick’s Day! If you listened to the show already then you know we were
drinking, notably me. I typically don’t and this episode demonstrates why, so enjoy that.
While mixing the show and listening to the last third, it was as new for me as
it was for you. I don’t even remember that courtesy of Evan Williams. At a few
points in this episode I sound like Seth Rogen’s mother in Observe and
Report. I love this holiday and come from a family that embraces much more
than the drinking that comes with it. However, I do tend to get a little over
zealous when celebrating. Hopefully, it was tolerable for you!
Now, I was rather harsh on these 6 Leprechaun movies but to
me that is deservedly so. I tend to form my opinions weighted with what the effort
was. Typically low-budget goofy films don’t warrant being ripped apart from a
traditional standpoint. The first film is the only one I was excessively abrasive with, but it was because it has the feel of effort and money to a certain
degree that was not put to proper use. I can find entertainment in horror films
from the 1980’s and 1990’s that have no plot or money, just as long as they have a
little charm (pun intended). My problem is that this movie misses the charm it
could have. It just stays uninspired and lacking of its own identity as a film
from start to finish. But it made money, and that is the end all in the film
industry. This turd of a film uncovered the proverbial “pot of gold”, so it was only natural to see that it was time for sequels. Sadly there would be 5 in total that would
take us to varying city landscapes, space, and even the ghetto (twice). I will
not be talking about them, because I have had enough at this point. Watching
them in preparation for the show and then talking about them on it was enough
for a life time.
Whether St. Paddy’s is tomorrow, today, or has passed for
you; we hope that you safely enjoy yourself, your company, and some traditions.
Please come back to the show again, we won’t be out of control next time. Until
then…
Beware of the moon
The Professor
PS – Thank you to my patient co-hosts for not beating me down
physically or verbally during the show. I
really enjoyed hearing me explain my thoughts on Leprechaun 5 twice without
being aware I had already done so or hearing myself say “juxtaposition”
incorrectly on different occasions and “4 loaf clever”. I will be back next
show stone cold sober! Thanks for listening!
Episode 19 - The Leprechaun Franchise ( A St. Paddy's Special)
In this episode we celebrate the cinematic accomplishments of the Leprechaun franchise, St. Patrick's Day, and one year of recording together. The Professor celebrated a little too much...
Monday, March 3, 2014
Episode 18 - A Nightmare on Elm Street Afterthoughts
I love A Nightmare on Elm Street
and its iconic predator Freddy Krueger.
That is what I summarily thought of the
franchise as a kid in the 1980s and kept it that way for decades to come.
However, things change with time and I eventually came to realize that I am in
love with the idea of Freddy Krueger more than I am the products put to screen.
People my age were heavily saturated for a number of years
with Freddy popping up. Not just in our youthful nightmares, but everywhere
else as well. Whether he was rapping with The Fat Boys or appearing in his own Nintendo
game, he was EVERYWHERE. He became a part of the vernacular of America ’s
youth to the point where many kids (including myself) referenced him without even
having seen a single NOES. I knew Will Smith rapped about him, I knew all about
his cool glove, and I knew second-hand about the films through friends (who evidently
had no parental filter present for movie-time at their houses).
Over the years as a kid I managed to catch a large portion
of the Nightmare offerings but never a film in its entirety. It would not be
until my teen years when I could and would see many of them as full films.
Unfortunately, by then I was much more interested in other things that are
relevant at that age. Still the steadfast love for horror managed to get most
of the Nightmare films in for me in my younger years. Not until more recent
years would I see them all and become more honest about what I was watching and it was honestly
kind of a bummer.
Let me say this first: I do not care for any of the films past the
first 3 in this franchise. I enjoy the third film the most, find theoriginal the
scariest, and recently have found fondness for the second (sorry Vinny) through
convention experiences where some of the cast have enlightened new perspectives
on the film. Past those first three films, I would be fine if I never saw the
remaining sequels ever again. They certainly are not the worst films in the world but
they just don’t do much for my tastes. What started out as a great and scary
concept had morphed into low-brow humor and cheap entertainment after a few sequels
and I just cannot find enjoyment in them.
The thing I do want to mention is how Wes Craven captures
the highs and lows of American teenage life as well as anyone has. People
instantly think of John Hughes films when thinking of 80’s teenagers in film
but what about Wes Craven? He masterfully portrays that teenage world in many films and really deserves more credit for that. While Freddy
Krueger is an iconic and very effective boogeyman, the reason he reaches this
level of terror then and since is because of his teenage victims. You invest in them because you care about them which makes the fear matter. Craven would achieve this again in the
Scream films, albeit not quite as successfully, but still another great example of it. The first film really deals
with the discrepancy that dwells between adults and teenagers. Not only is the idea of a man who can prey on you
in your sleep absolutely genius for a horror film; but it is also just as
fantastic for telling the story of the strong meaningful friendships that
blossom at that age through random bonds (good and bad) while your parents do not understand you. This theme of unified supportive youth would appear
throughout most of the series until Craven would take the wheel again. The two
sequels that followed dealt with a laundry list of teenage problems including
drug abuse, depression, homosexuality, suicide, and others. These topics are
delicate and really on an island in these massively popular horror movies and I
applaud these first 3 for that. Now I will not go any further with sequels
because we try not to spend time bashing movies. It is not why we get together
and do this. Many of you may love New Nightmare or Freddy’s Dead so why waste
time detailing the opinion I already made clear. No point to that so just let
others enjoy their movies! I just wanted to cover the deeper issues that I think
are important in these films and a big reason why they hold up so well. 
Lastly, if you have a chance to meet Mark Patton, Robert
Russler or any others from Part 2…then DO. Their panel at Horrorhound in Indianapolis
this past Fall was truly enlightening concerning their franchise entry. A movie
that I found just okay at best in the past, immediately became one I looked
forward to watching for this show. Hopefully Kim Myers can visit our area
sometime and build on this.
Thank you for taking the time to listen, or read, or both.
It means the world to Grizzly Abner, Mad Chann and myself.
Until next time….
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Beware of the moon
The Professor
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Episode 18 - A Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise
We are back at it with more of our antics and this time it is all about the Nightmare series! Listen in as we discuss some revelations we had from re-watching these films for this episode. If you don't we will see you in your nightmares.....
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