Hellbent For Horror

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). I hope you enjoy the show! MOVIES: SCANNERS (1981) CREEPSHOW (1982) RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985) SAINT MAUD (2019) THE RITUAL (2017) RELIC (2020) THE BABADOOK (2014) VIDEO GAMES: DOKI DOKI LITERATURE CLUB (2017) "BACKROOMS" LOAB (CREEPYPASTA AI DEMON) BOOKS: DECOMPOSING HEAD: Frighteningly Funny Tales That Will Rot Your Brain (2014) GAS STATION BATHROOM (STORY) CANNIBAL (STORY) THE BEAST BENEATH THE STREETS (2023) CANDIDE by VOLTAIRE (1759) "THE SECOND VARIETY" by P.K. DICK S.R. TOOMS THE “AMAZON SMUT ILLUMINATI” (12 PEOPLE WRITING ALL THE AMAZON SMUT) BIZARRO HORROR LITERATURE HEAD IN THE FRIDGE (STORY) CREEPYPASTA  

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 Se

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 1979-1984, 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!   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! I hope you enjoy the show! BANDS, TOPICS, AND SONGS DISCUSSED: Iron Maiden Mike Oldfield- TubularBells (1973) Robert Goulet (performer) The Accused (punk band) Alice Cooper (band) Alice Cooper meets the Muppets (TV-1978) From the Inside (album-1978) Millie and Billie (song-1978) Love it to Death (album-1971) Antichrist Superstar (album-1996) Behemoth (band) Black Sabbath (band) Black Sabbath (album-1970) Born A

Just when you thought all the festivities were over... There's one more gift under the horror tree for you! 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! So, here are two stories for 2021! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Blessed Yule to all of you! I hope you enjoy the show! Stories Performed: "The Kit Bag" by Algernon Blackwood First published 1908 in Pall Mall Magazine "Dark Christmas" by Jeanette Winterson Published December 24, 2013, in The Guardian as part of the “Guardian Weekend magazine’s Christmas ghost stories” series. You can read the entire story on the Guardian website: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/24/christmas-ghost-stories-dark-jeanette-winterson  

Passion makes us do crazy things. For many lifelong horror fans, the love of the genre is so intense that being a spectator is no longer enough. These fans are compelled to have their creative voices heard. Some paint, others start podcasts, or they write articles and books. And then there are the really crazy ones who decide they want to make their own full-length horror movies! In this episode, we speak to Hope Madden and George Wolf, the creative team behind the Fright Club Podcast as they prepare to shoot their feature film, OBSTACLE CORPSE! Join me as we talk about their lifelong love of horror, from their "First Kisses" to their long-standing careers in radio and television as film critics in Columbus, Ohio, and what they think are the ingredients that make a horror movie memorable!  I hope you enjoy the show! Watch the OBSTACLE CORPSE feature trailer here: https://vimeo.com/477691195 Follow Hope and George at Maddwolf: https://www.facebook.com/maddwolfcolumbus/ https://maddwolf.com/ @Maddwolf Movies/TV

Skinwalkers! Psychic Vampires! Desert Gods! Cat People! Pagan Sex Beasts! Sentient Forests! Witchcraft! Ancient lands that Feed on humans! Mountain and Snow Goddesses!  The Weird Fiction of the 19th and 20th Centuries paved the way for modern horror and science fiction, and one of the greatest voices was Algernon Blackwood, whose work inspired none other than H.P. Lovecraft. Join my guest, Scarlett Amaris (H.P. Lovecraft's Color out of Space, The Theatre Bizarre, and the Saurimonde book trilogy) as we look at some of our favorite Blackwood short stories and discuss his amazing life (he said all his stories were "autobiographical") and his influence on modern horror! I hope you enjoy the show! Books Covered:  Algernon Blackwood stories: The Wendigo (1910) The Touch of Pan (1907) The Glamour of the Snow (1912) The Transfer (1912) The Valley of the Beasts (1921) Ancient Sorceries (1906) The Man Whom the Trees Loved (1912) The Pikestaffe Case (1924) The Occupant in the Room (1917) Sand (1912) The Willows (1907) B

For some of us, going a little crazy is just the time when life starts getting fun. Madness? Mania? Fanaticism? Call it what you like. I call it passion, and I am drawn to people who need to create something out of their mad love. The creation might seem crazy to the average person, but to those it speaks to, it is a beautiful gift. My guest is Jay Michaels, independent stage and film producer, director, and actor, who is also the host and executive producer of Phoenix FearCon, Arizona's Largest Independent Horror Film Festival and Convention Since 2006. Join us as we discuss our lifetime loves of the horror genre and the gift of mad passion! And…join us LIVE in Tempe, Arizona, on October 15th and 16th at the Sun Studios of Arizona! You can get tickets here: https://phoenixfearcon.com/box-office/ I hope you enjoy the show! Movies Covered: The Mummy’s Hand (1940) Horror of Dracula (1958) Dark Shadows  (TV) (1966-1971) Nights of Cabiria (1957) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of F

The woods are nature at its most feral. The deep, dark forest is the original home of the boogeyman, long before there were dark closets and basements and that space under your bed. The Folk Horror subgenre has gained a new audience as more young filmmakers exploit the fine line between the natural and the supernatural...and openly ask if there's a line at all.  In honor of Kier-La Janisse's fantastic and masterful documentary, "WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR", I welcome writer/producer/author/editor/and horror journalist, KAT ELLINGER (Editor-in-Chief of Diabolique Magazine) to discuss Folk Horror, the history of Heathenism in England, and several other obsessions! I hope you enjoy the show!   Movies Covered:  Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966) Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched (2020) The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) The Owl Service (1969) Fingerbobs (1972) The Moon and the Sledgehammer (1971) Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970) Onibaba (1964) The Craft (1996) The Company of W

Summer isn't over yet! And neither is my discussion of the passion of fandom and how it makes us do crazy things for what we love! In this episode, I talk with Joe Gaudin and Matt Masters, the owners of the Skyline Drive-in in Shelbyville, Indiana about how they took a dying drive-in and turned it into a movie-lovers paradise! They specialize in a two-day Dusk-To-Dawn Show of horror movies, and gourmet food to die for! I hope you enjoy the show!

This is the "official" 100th episode of Hellbent for Horror!  In this episode, I want to discuss PASSION, the driving force behind creativity, and the mad devotion to movies, art, and pop culture we call fandom.  Fandom can make us seem crazy, but that mad passion can change lives, and I discuss the amazing story of the resurrection of The Mahoning Drive-In and the way their passion for movies enchanted a worldwide community. I hope you enjoy the show!    

Bela Lugosi got it right all those years ago when he said that it was women who truly love horror. My guests, The Spinsters of Horror, prove it with every episode of I Spit on Your Podcast, one of the sharpest, passionate, and fun shows around. Join us in a deep-dive geek conversation as we discuss dozens of topics including horror in pop culture, heavy metal, folk horror, taboo terrors, paganism, feminism, fetishes, "comfort horror movies", and why horror does not deserve your shame! I hope you enjoy the show! Movies Covered: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) The Exorcist (1973) Candyman (1992) Midsommar (2019) A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) Monster Squad (1987) Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) Psycho Goreman (2020) Phantasm 2 (1988) Trauma (2017) The Untold Story (1993) Hostel (2005) Slaughtered Vomit Dolls (2006) The Bunny Game (2011) Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (2021) Calibre (2018) The Wicker man (1973) Hagazussa (2017) Without Name (2016) The Hallow (2

Deserts are the natural world at its most supernatural. They are dangerous and merciless reminders that everything, including civilization, is temporary. Deserts remind us that we are one worldwide crisis away from entropy. A perfect location for horror movies! Join me as I discuss desert horror movies, the way they speak to our social anxieties, and I recount my own drive through the Mojave Desert to visit Death Valley! I hope you enjoy the show! Movies: The Hills Have Eyes (1977) The Hills Have Eyes (2006) The Objective (2008) Dust Devil (1992) Wolf Creek (2005) The Hitcher (1986) Wake in Fright (1971)   My book, Screaming for Pleasure: How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy on sale NOW! https://hellbentforhorror.com/book/ Want to read a chapter for free? Subscribe to my newsletter here: http://bit.ly/2x8cdds   Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde! help support the show here! http://bit.ly/2G6CpIJ If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.    You can kee

Just when you thought all the celebration is over, H4H finds one last present hidden under the sofa! The Annual (although late) Christmas Ghost Story! Actually, it's more like it got kicked under the sofa by the amazing amount of chaos that this past year brought.  This year we are offering you William Hope Hodgson's THE DERELICT to chill your bones! It's a creepy story about the unknown dangers of the open sea and I think you'll realize how this story might have influenced the works of H.P. Lovecraft! This was recorded in December of 2020 but was unfortunately delayed over technical issues. We are happy to present it in its entirety. I hope you enjoy the show!  

Halloween is NEVER over!   H4H decided to keep the bone dance going for a few more days to raise our spirits!   We survived the weirdness of Halloween 2020 and now we're in the final stretches of the Year the Wouldn't Die.   H4H is doing a Horror Double Feature with two podcasts of extended conversations with horror enthusiasts and creators!   Part Two is a stream-of-consciousness conversation with the filmmaking team of Amy Lynn Best and Mike Watt (The Resurrection Game, Splatter Movie: The Director's Cut, Razor Days). We discuss their films and their publications (Exploitation Nation, Grindhouse Purgatory), and convention life in the indie horror world, as well as some sobering observations about the horror of the "new normal" of 2020.   So grab a beverage of your choice and close your eyes and imagine yourself hanging out with us at the after-hours bar at Cinema Wasteland!   I hope you enjoy the conversation and thank you for listening!   Follow Mike and Amy here:    My book, Screaming for

Halloween is a state of mind. We survived the weirdness of Halloween 2020 and now we're in the final stretches of the Year the Wouldn't Die. I think we all deserve a little more Halloween this year, so H4H is doing a Horror Double Feature with two podcasts of extended conversations with horror enthusiasts and creators! Part One is a fly-on-the-wall conversation between Jon Kitley (Kitley's Krypt, Discover the Horror: One Man's 50-Year Quest for Monsters, Maniacs, and the Meaning of it All), Bryan Martinez (Film Deviant, The Giallo Room), and S.A. Bradley.  What started out as a Facebook Live conversation took on a life of its own as we delve into what movies still scare us, opinions on horror and popular culture, and real-life horror (and how we deal with it). This is as close to a late-night talk after the convention closes as you can get.  I hope you enjoy the conversation, and you get the feel of why we champion finding our horror tribe at conventions.  Technical note: this originated as a Facebook Live re

In the world of genre and fandom, the universal currency is passion. Fans of different genres normally would not mix, but there are areas of overlap, LIKE a GENRE VENN DIAGRAM. Join me and H4H producer, Lisa Gorski, as we discuss the overlap between two of the most passionate fandoms, HORROR AND SCIENCE FICTION. (shock: Lisa is NOT a horror fan!)  #horror #scifi #lovecraftcountry #sayhorror #alien #thething #TheExpanse #TheRitual   Movies, Books, and Artists Discussed: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Satan’s Triangle (1975) The Night Stalker (1975) Star Trek TV Series (1966) “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy (2006) “The Passage” by Justin Cronin (2010) “V Wars” by Jonathan Maberry (2012) Alien (1979) Aliens (1986) Alien 3 (1992) “Autonomous” and “The Future of Another Timeline” by Annalee Newitz “All the Birds in the Sky” and “The City in the Middle of the Night” by Charlie Jane Anders “A Closed and Common Orbit” and “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers Robert A. Heinlein Ray Bradbury Star W

2020 is the 100-year anniversary of 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari', the German Expressionism film that created the visual and thematic template for the modern horror movie. And I think it is very fitting that three films up for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year were horror films in disguise. Join me as I show how three very different films carry the Caligari DNA and continue to expand the language of the modern horror film. I hope you enjoy the show! Movies Discussed: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) The Shape of Water (2017) Get Out (2017) Combat Shock (1984) Joker (2019) The Dark Knight (2008) The Man Who Laughs (1928) Taxi Driver (1976) The King of Comedy (1982) Easy Rider (1969) 1917 (2019) Black Hawk Down (2001) Come and See (1985) All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Johnny Got His Gun (1971) Parasite (2019) The Funeral (1984) Audition (1999) Sleep Tight (2011) US (2019) My book, Screaming for Pleasure: How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy on sale NOW! https://hellbentforhorror.com/book/