Episode 128 - The Creature From the Black Lagoon Trilogy

Lend us your ears as we tackle another icon of horror! "Creature from the Black Lagoon" burst on to land in 1954 and instantly carved out its place among all-time horror classic creatures. One of, if not the best horror offerings of the 50s, it spawned two quick sequels and a permanent love affair for fans of the Gill-Man. On this episode we discuss each of the three films and its legacy. Available now on iTunes, podbean, mixcloud and our blog! 

Episode 127 - The Monster Mash 34

We return with another Mash and this time we have 3 very different offerings from the early 80s and one that recently went under the radar. On this episode we picked: Vinny - "Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981), The Professor - "The Beyond" (1981), Hot Toddy - "Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) and Grizz - "The Hunted" (2013). Available now on iTunes, podbean, mixcloud and our blog. We hope you enjoy!

Episode 126 - True Crime 2 - Son of Sam

We return to our young true crime series with a new case in David Berkowitz a.k.a. "The Son of Sam" and Spike Lee's 1999 film "Summer of Sam". We also examine the fascinating elements going on at the same time around his reign of terror in NYC, specifically in the summer of 1977. Available now on iTunes, podbean, mixcloud and our blog. Thanks for listening!

Episode 125 - The TCM Franchise: A Revisit Special

As we pass another milestone in episode 125, we keep up our tradition of revisiting franchises. This time we revisit the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films and surprisingly it somehow gets a little contentious but that will happen from time to time when you get a group of passionate horror fans together. Available now on iTunes, podbean, mixcloud and our blog. Thanks for listening!

Episode 124 - The Basket Case Trilogy

Its time for another trilogy and this time we opened up the Basket Case Trilogy. A staple of midnight classic cinema, the first film established Frank Henenlotter in the genre and NYC film scene. Have a listen as we discuss the charm of the first film and where we stand with the very different sequels. Available now on iTunes, podbean, mixcloud and our blog. Thanks for listening!

Episode 123 - The Monster Mash 33

Another mash has arrived and this time we’ve went for more Stephen King (“The Mist”2007), an unorthodox entry (“The Terminator” 1984), a bizarre Evil Dead knockoff (“Demon Wind” 1990) and an underseen 80’s gem (“One Dark Night” 1984). Available now on iTunes, podbean, mixcloud and our blog. Leave us a review on iTunes and help us get our show out to more people. Thanks for listening!

Episode 122 - Bigfoot at the Movies

Endless sightings and theories surround the elusive Bigfoot but one thing we can be sure of is that we are taking a look at 3 Bigfoot films. On this episode we dip our toes into a little Cryptozoology and tear into “The Legend of Boggy Creek” (1972), “Exists” (2014) and “Abominable” (2006) and open things up for a little roundtable discussion afterwards. Now available on iTunes, podbean, mixcloud and our blog. We hope you enjoy!

Episode 121 - True Crime I Part 2 Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy once said “We serial killers are your sons, we are your husbands, we are everywhere.” This fell right in line with the center of his modus operandi  which centered around attacking those with whom he had no connection to, while existing in a seemingly normal life to everyone else around him. He is still one of the hardest killer minds to understand as he was a savage psychopath who also saw moderate levels of success in higher learning and politics. He even had numerous good Samaritan events in his life!  Listen in as we try to understand the psychosis of this vile creature and how accurate the two part 1986 TV movie “The Deliberate Stranger” really was. Available now on iTunes, Podbean, mixcloud and our blog. We hope you enjoy the show.

Episode 121 - True Crime I Part 1 The Zodiac

Join us as we venture down a different path with true crime and its portrayal on the screen, big and small. A topic filled with the horrors of real life, with loss and tragedy but also ceaseless dedication for justice. Please know ahead of time this is not an in-depth analysis of cases but rather going over the basics and selecting what we think is the best available film on each case. Please know that there isn’t any odd fanaticism for criminals here either. As Sgt. Joe Friday would say “Just the facts ma’am”. On this inaugural episode we take a look at the “Zodiac Killer” and David Fincher’s “Zodiac” from 2007. Please let us know how you think this first episode went. Available now on iTunes, podbean, mixcloud and our blog. Thanks for listening!

Episode 120 - The Monster Mash 32

You guys know the drill by now! On this Mash we bring together four random 80’s films with Deepstar Six (1989), Madman (1981), Christine (1983) and Hell Night (1981). Now available on iTunes, podbean, mixcloud and our blog. We hope you enjoy the show!

Episode 119 - The Summer Podcast Massacre Pt2

Redux! Do-over! Revisit! Call it whatever you want! The only decision we arrived at was that our original “Summer Horror” episode was not to our liking. While it had some moments of execution; overall we thought this topic that we enjoy needed another go-round. We are pleased with the results this time and we hope you will be too. Show is now available on iTunes, podbean, mixcloud and our blog. Stay cool and enjoy the show!

A Tale of Two Cities and Cross-Country Fandom

This past week has been a tale of two cities

and movies

and horror fandom

and wonderful strangers.

Within the last week I visited both Pittsburgh for the 40^th Anniversary of “Dawn of the Dead” and Denver where I stopped by the Stanley Hotel. A few initial clarifications, the majority of this post is focused on The Living Dead Weekend but Stephen King fans be sure to keep scrolling down for my visit to Estes Park, Colorado as well!

I first traveled to Pittsburgh with Romero-driven intentions in June of 2014. I centered the trip around the Monster Bash convention there and spent all of my extra time visiting filming locations and The Living Dead Museum. My original visit reflections can be viewed here.

I had loved many of Romero's films before that visit but my fandom elevated tremendously because of it. The only thing I felt insufficient about was my visit to the Monroeville Mall. This was because much of it had changed (which I expected due to the reality of a large business needing to keep up for their bottom line) and there just wasn't much that was easy to connect with. I walked around a crowded mall by myself wearing a Dawn of the Dead shirt, taking pictures of what I thought were scene locations (I was mostly wrong) and sponged up many odd glares from people who were just trying to shop without being photographed by a weird nerd. My last stop on that outing was at “The Living Dead Museum” in Evans City and while I was there, the cashier gave me flier-card for their convention later that year which I thought would be wonderful to check out sometime. I returned in 2016 for a concert but didn't head to the mall that time, just Evans City again. Fast-forward to 2018 at Horrorhound in Cincinnati – I see an ad for a “Dawn of the Dead” 40^th Anniversary convention being held IN the Monroeville Mall WITH MALL TOURS. I was ecstatic and without questioning going to go.

Co-host Todd and I set out for this and boy did we have ourselves a great weekend. I came home not only more energized with my Romero fandom (it only increases with each visit) but also completely fulfilled on my thirst for a rewarding Monroeville experience. First and foremost I would like to thank those responsible for the show this past weekend. Although I do not know them personally, it appears there are three folks in particular to thank – 

THANK YOU Kevin Kriess, Mandy Danger and Lawrence DeVincentz. 

Your event perfectly embodied the warmth and energy that exists in the charmingly familial, DIY punk rock, Romero-world that resides in Western PA. We enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces from the movie, so many happy fans and all within the mall where it was filmed. Equally important, we so very enjoyed the excellent tour we took with Larry DeVincentz. Larry's knowledge of Dawn's filming locations was quite impressive and is clearly derived from exhaustive, labor-of-love efforts on his part. This was a one-of-a-kind experience that you guys pulled off and fans like us are so very grateful for it. I know first-hand how difficult a standard fan convention can be to orchestrate, let alone having one happen in a mall that is open for general business but you guys did it, and you did it well. I look forward to revisiting down the road, maybe The Living Dead weekend for NOTLD's 50th anniversary in October? 

Below are pictures from the trip but before those I would like to revisit an experience I had on my first visit and after all of the pictures, be sure to keep going down for my visit to The Stanley Hotel.

As previously stated, my first nerd pilgrimage to Pittsburgh concluded with a visit to the The Living Dead Museum where it was only a family and myself visiting at the time. While walking through and admiring all of the wonderful displays and artifacts, I overheard a man and his grandson interacting. The youngster said "were you in this one Grandpa?" and the man replied with "no, I was in 'Dawn of the Dead'." My ears perked up but I left them alone not wanting to intrude. My restraint lasted roughly 30 seconds and succumbed to my fan-curiosity. I asked him about being in "Dawn of the Dead" and he responded with nothing but enthusiasm and pride. He was one of the only zombies to "break character". He articulated where he was in the film and I verified it as soon as I got home. He was very proud of the experience and explained that his family was in from out of town so he had brought the grandchildren to the museum. In DOTD when the guys steal the car and run it to lock the entrance doors, as they are speeding away a zombie pulls his arm back to avoid getting hit. That is him pictured above (on right side in each frame) and below with his spot on "The Maul of Fame". 

While this was surely just pleasant small talk to him, it was huge for me. He instantly made me understand how local and loved these films are and this charm has never left me. This local scene is infectious (pun intended) and only makes the movies that much better. Sure, the world loves Romero's films but to truly get the most out of them, you need to go where they were born. I hope you will plan your own trip there sometime. 

The Monroeville Mall/The Living Dead Weekend/Tour

Dawn of the Dead Mall & Airport

 

 

The cabin from Evil Dead 2!

 

 

 

Creepshow

 When In Rome.....

 Evans City  - Night of the Living Dead/The Crazies

 Spotted in "The Crazies" from this angle!

 The Stanley - Estes Park - Colorado

A few days after returning from Pittsburgh, I ventured out to Colorado with Joe (a friend of the show) to see Ryan Adams perform at Red Rocks Amphitheater (it was killer!). While there we made a point to drive out to Estes Park to visit The Stanley Hotel.

The Stanley is where Stephen King's "The Shining" was born after King found himself staying there one night out of circumstance. He spent the evening drinking with the Bartender Lloyd Grady in exchange for storytelling because he was told his money was no good. He eventually stumbled drunkenly up two floors above where his room actually was and encountered twin girls running by him. He would find out the following day that there were no children staying there at the time. He went on to find his room (217) and one of the last things his eyes would see before bed was an emergency hose hanging off of the wall. He went on to have what he described as one of the worst nightmares of his life wherein an anaconda chased his son through the hotel, ultimately catching him and digesting him while King could do nothing but helplessly witness. These things birthed the inspiration for what would go on to be the story we all know and love so much. 

Visiting the Stanley turned out to be a much richer experience than I had given it credit for. The history there runs deep and is quite fascinating. The structure itself is a work of decadent art and over one hundred years later, is still something to marvel at. Horror fans equally can not only step into where the mini-series was filmed but also into the feelings and ideas of story they know- and of course, the ghost stories for the Stanley are also quite fun. Do yourself a favor and make the journey there. It is quite rewarding on so many fronts. Once there though (more than any spirits) your focus should be on the altitude and that you need to take your time and stay hydrated! Otherwise, enjoy it ALL!

Included are some pictures from "Dumb and Dumber" which also filmed some scenes there!

Thanks for stopping by - now go travel!