Hellbent For Horror

Religion is a comfort to some, and a horror to others.  Some very good horror movies focus on deeds done in the name of the Almighty. The characters in these movies hear voices, or have dreams, and they’re compelled to act in strange and horrible ways.  Are they mad?  Are they?  These movies haunt you because there’s not an easy answer.  I hope you like the episode.   Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.      You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for Horror podcast now available on iTunes, Google Play, PlayerFM, and Stitcher.   You can keep up with Hellbent for Horror on iTunes @iTunesPodcasts     iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hellbent-for-horror/id1090978706 Google Play link:https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ibsk2i4bbprrplyvs37c6aqv2ny Stitcher link: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/hellbent-for-horror?refid=stpr   For

For some of us, just being a passive viewer isn’t enough. Some of us are compelled to create and share the love for other artists. Writer, filmmaker, journalist, and actress Heidi Honeycutt comes to Hellbent For Horror to talk about the Etheria Film Night (http://www.etheriafilmnight.com), what it’s like to act in Troma horror movies, the state of film journalism, and all things in horror fandom.  Heidi is a horror fan extraordinaire, and I hope you love the interview I did with her. Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.      You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for Horror podcast now available on iTunes, Google Play, PlayerFM, and Stitcher.   You can keep up with Hellbent for Horror on iTunes @iTunesPodcasts     iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hellbent-for-horror/id1090978706 Google Play link:https://play.google.com/music/liste

Remakes? Sequels? Are they good? Can they be good?  It depends.  I prefer a remake to a sequel for a bunch of reasons.  But that doesn’t mean all remakes are good movies.  It depends on how the movie is remade.  Some story updates really work for the time they are made, and others not so much.  Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the classic example of a remake that fires on all cylinders, and really updates the story to the era.  The Fly is also a very good one.   I’m sure you have your own ideas on what remakes, if any, are worth the time and film stock. In this episode I talk about some of the horror remakes that really work for me.  I’ll be interested to hear if anyone agrees or disagrees with me on these, because I do tread on some sacred cows.  Again, I’m always interested in starting good conversations about horror. Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It r

A "Double Feature" that's so big, we needed TWO PODCASTS to tell it! James Hancock (host of The Wrong Reel podcast) returns for Part 2 of our collaboration between our two podcasts, where we discuss the "monsters" at the heart of the movies of Roman Polanski. Sometimes they’re literal monsters, sometimes they’re figurative, but each of these movies has at least one monster at their center. Join us as we hunt down the monsters in three lesser-known Polanski films: 'The Fearless Vampire Hunters,' 'MacBeth,' and 'Bitter Moon! Part One of our joint podcast discusses the "Apartment Trilogy" and you can listen to it here: WR253 – Roman Polanski’s Apartment Trilogy Follow James Hancock on Twitter: https://twitter.com/colebrax The Wrong Reel Podcast Official Site: http://wrongreel.com   Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.      You can now subscribe to

We all have our guilty pleasures.  I have admired John Waters as a filmmaker since I first read about him in the pages of Fangoria magazine back in 1982.  I love a maverick filmmaker who can manage to make movies outside of the system on a shoestring budget that are original, unique, and fun.  The early films of John Waters fit all of those descriptions.  Some horror tries to gross you out, but few do better than Waters in those early films.  The influence of Herschel Gordon Lewis, William Castle, Warhol,The Kuchar Brothers, and even Russ Meyer are present in Waters’ movies, and I love talking about him and his films.  John Waters does bad taste well. On this episode I share my guilty pleasure with you and, just maybe, some of you will agree with me. Spend some time with the Sultan of Slime! If you like the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon.  Even a dollar an episode helps to sustain the show.  Thanks for listening.   Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLo

Notorious scares delivered on TV!  Back in the early 1970's, Network TV executives started to make original movies to compete against Hollywood. They were fast, cheap and, occasionally, great! Many of these telefilms were horror movies. Some of those network TV-produced movies generated some genuine scares, and sent kids to bed to have nightmares.  Not to mention that some of these movies were the starting ground for great writers, directors, and make up artists.  In this episode, horror film journalist Scott Drebit from Daily Dead (https://dailydead.com) and I talk about some classic TV horror movies that you can hunt down and watch on the internet.  Some still pack a good scary punch. You can contact Scott Drebit on Twitter: @phantasm2 Read Scott's articles on "Drive-in Dust-offs" https://dailydead.com/tag/drive-in-dust-offs/ Read Scott's articles on "It Came from the Tube" https://dailydead.com/came-tube-michael-calls-1972/   If you like the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon.  Even a dollar an

I’ve said before that horror is supposed to upset the apple cart.  It lets us confront fears we can’t confront in any other genre.  I like when good stories challenge me, and that includes a challenge to my perspective.  In the last decade or so I’ve noticed many films directed and/or written by women that have shown me horror stories from different perspectives.  They’ve unsettled me, and scared me in ways different from before.  I LIKE this.  As a reader and watcher of horror, I LIKE having something unsettle me.  In this episode I talk about how these different perspectives impacted me, and highlight some movies and artists who inspire me.   If you like the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon.  Even a dollar an episode helps to sustain the show.  Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.        You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for

What does a shark sound like as it gets closer to you? What does October 31st sound like? Or Marion Crane's last thought? When you look up a long flight of stairs in Georgetown, what do you hear? Horror Fans know. When a haunting visual and a haunting score are in perfect harmony, they have the power to enter your memory and trigger your emotions. In this episode, Author J. Blake Fichera joins us to discuss his Rondo Nominated book, "Scored to Death: Conversations with Some of Horror's Greatest Composers" and to share anecdotes from the men who gave music to the monsters. Blake and I also share our own personal connections to horror soundtracks and sound design, and how music was the Pied Piper who led us down the dark path to a lifelong love of horror films. Enjoy this jam-packed episode!   If you like the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon.  Even a dollar an episode helps to sustain the show.  Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe

Death comes for us all.  Our love of horror makes us confront death.  Me?  I’m not so much afraid of death as the act of dying.  The fear of the pain that comes with it.  In this episode, I talk about that human fear of death and dying.  I talk about my own experiences with people dying, and our culture’s attitudes about death. And, of course, a couple of scary movies that help reinforce my attitudes.   If you like the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon.  Even a dollar an episode helps to sustain the show.  Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.        You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for Horror podcast now available on iTunes, Google Play, PlayerFM, and Stitcher.   You can keep up with Hellbent for Horror on iTunes @iTunesPodcasts     iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hellbent-for-horror/id1090978706 Google Play li

Horror and Science Fiction share space on my book and movie shelves. When done right they mix together to achieve scary, imaginative results.  Who can deny the power of Alien, The Terminator, or The Thing?  But there are many, lesser-known films that mix sci-fi and horror.  In this episode I’ll talk about some movies I like that mix the two sensibilities.  What about you?  Did I miss your favorite?  Drop me a line and let me know.  If you like the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon.  Even a dollar an episode helps to sustain the show.  Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.        You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for Horror podcast now available on iTunes, Google Play, PlayerFM, and Stitcher.   You can keep up with Hellbent for Horror on iTunes @iTunesPodcasts     iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hellbent-for-horro

A "Creature Double Feature" that's so big, we needed TWO PODCASTS to tell it! James Hancock (host of The Wrong Reel podcast) returns for Part 2 of our collaboration between our two podcasts, where we discuss two early giants of the horror genre, James Whale and Tod Browning.  In this episode, we dive into the morbid, bizarre and provocative films of Tod Browning. If you only know him for the original Dracula, you've only scratched the surface. And if you think the most shocking film he made was Freaks... Wait until you see his silent films!     To listen to Part One of our joint podcast about James Whale:  WR225 – A Good Cast is Worth Repeating Part I: James Whale   Follow James Hancock on Twitter: https://twitter.com/colebrax The Wrong Reel Podcast Official Site: http://wrongreel.com   Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.  Thanks a lot for lis

Don’t let THEM in!  Or are you the one they’re trying to keep out?  The Us vs. Them mentality is a backdrop for some really good horror stories.  Frankenstein being a great example.  The Monster is the outsider, but yet you sympathize with him.  In these conflicts, horror is uniquely suited to tell some great stories, and give different results.  What makes THEM...them?  How easily can WE become THEM? “Civilized” society is a tough path to tread.  In this episode I talk about Horror and the outsider.  I bring up Frankenstein and then go from short stories to little known movies to popular movies of the last decade.  I think there’s something for everyone in this episode.   Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde on Patreon! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.  Thanks a lot for listening.      You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for Horror podcast now available on iTunes, Google Play, PlayerFM,

Everyone is a fan of something, right?  Some people become obsessed with things.  Most of the time, these obsessions are harmless fun for people.  Sometimes our obsessions involve more than just us, and sometimes these obsessions are inconvenient to people around us.  And then there are the obsessions that endanger people around us. And then there are obsessions that lead to cruel power over people. Obsessions at the extreme can be horrifying.  In this episode I talk about obsessions put to film.  From the harmless joy of (over)celebrating Halloween, to having an obsession that leads to putting loved ones in life-endangering situations, to using obsessions to exploit and threaten people, the films in this episode span the spectrum.  I’ll talk about the 1981 movie Roar, which was recently released on Blu-Ray, that stars a Tippi Hedren and a young Melanie Griffith, and the new documentary Tickled, which is really about anything but tickling. Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde! Click here:

We help the Grim Reaper finish off 2016 in style. Join four members of "The Algonquin Round Table of Horror" as they discuss the high points and the low points of horror movies in 2016. Jon Kitley, Gregg Olheiser, Bryan Martinez and Damien Glonek give their opinions about all things horror-related, new trends snd old films you might have missed the first time around. Let's start 2017 off with a scream!   Thanks for listening. Join the Hellbent for Horror Horde! Click here: http://bit.ly/2i3VLoe   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.  Thanks a lot for listening.      You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for Horror podcast now available on iTunes, Google Play, PlayerFM, and Stitcher.   You can keep up with Hellbent for Horror on iTunes @iTunesPodcasts     iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hellbent-for-horror/id1090978706 Google Play link:https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ibsk2i4bbprrplyvs37c6aqv2ny Stitcher link: http://www.sti

If you think about it, the imagery around Christmas is really kind of freaky.  A big man in a red suit can get into your house while you’re sleeping.  And you leave food out for him!  Ancient tales about the Santa-type characters tell very scary figures who hunt for children during the long nights around the Winter Solstice.  You’d think with all this material that there would be a lot of great Christmas horror movies.  You’d be wrong then.  But there are some movies that have dealt with all the imagery and the emotions that arise during the season and have managed to provide some good scares.  In this episode, I’ll talk about some of the better Christmas horror films.  Among this group you should be able to find something to give you some good chills during this Yuletide season.     Thanks for listening.   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.  Thanks a lot for listening.      You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for Horror podcast now available o

It seems that when a movie with dark themes is marketed for mainstream appeal that the “horror” description goes out the window in favor of "suspense," "mystery," or “thriller.”  There are lots of movies that are billed as “thrillers,” which are, in my opinion, horror movies, telling horror stories at their cores.  This is even more the case with movies that get nominated for Best Picture.  In this episode I make a case to categorize two Ocscar winners as Horror movies.  I think that both Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven and the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men are horror movies, and I’ll tell you why. Thanks for listening.   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.  Thanks a lot for listening.      You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for Horror podcast now available on iTunes, Google Play, PlayerFM, and Stitcher.   You can keep up with Hellbent for Horror on iTunes @iTunesPodcasts     iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hellbent-for-hor

The 1990’s was a tough time for American horror movies. But, while the Drive-Ins died and horror movies disappeared from the movie theaters, there was one safe haven left for the horror fan: The Independent Video Store. The time of the "Mom and Pop" video store, before the big studios realized the goldmine of it, was a great time to be a movie fan.  The stores reflected their communities, and were a place for fans to congregate and trade movie tips and ideas. However, the 1990's weren't just a tough time for horror. It was a tough time for me as well.  I was just as aimless as the plight of the horror movie at the time. Through a series of strange events I was put on track by a great video store that allowed me to delve into foreign horror movies and, more importantly, to talk to passionate fans about films.  In this episode I talk about the place of the video store as the ignition point for a cultural movement. And, on a personal level, how the video store culture saved me through the 1990s, and introduced m

The gates have been stormed at the H4H compound! And the result is our first Wretched Round Table, a discussion between four listeners and myself! Listen in as Dan Strauss, Doug Lipski, Kris Zimmerman, and Timothy Gruscinski share their passions and their stories around the "First Kiss" and more. We talk about horror in movies and in culture, and our own personal connection to the art form. This show has always been about starting conversations around horror and I'm honored that I was able to spend some time talking with some folks who share my love affair with all things horror-related. Stay Hellbent! If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.  Thanks a lot for listening.      You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for Horror podcast now available on iTunes, Google Play, PlayerFM, and Stitcher.   You can keep up with Hellbent for Horror on iTunes @iTunesPodcasts     iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hellbent-for-horror/id1090978706 Google

In this month of Thanksgiving when, in America, we feast... I’m thinking about things that feast on us.  The fear of being eaten is primal, and dates back to our caveman days when we were on the menu for all the big predators.  And it’s been a mainstay of horror for ages.  The Blob, The Fly (both the original and the David Cronenberg remake), and countless other movies and books deal with the primal fear of being eaten by an unknown monster.  So, in this episode I talk about some movies and books that give their own unique and horrible answers to the age old question... "What's eating you?" Some are classics, some are cult classics, and some are satires.  All of them will creep you out.   I hope you enjoy them.   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.  Thanks a lot for listening.      You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for Horror podcast now available on iTunes, Google Play, PlayerFM, and Stitcher.   You can keep up with Hellbent for Horror on iTu

Some horrors are all too real, and we’re powerless to stop them.  Being bested by a one-celled organism can really put a person in his or her place.   In this episode I talk about REAL body horror, specifically the horror of outbreaks of illness.  Epidemics.  Pandemics.  They’ve been the topic of good and bad horror alike.  I’m fascinated by the microscopic world, and that these tiny creatures outnumber me, you, all of us.  They were here before us, and they’ll be here long after we’re gone.  It’s their world.  And they’re much more powerful than us.  In the beginning of the flu season, let’s talk about outbreaks of illness, and the horror they can provide.  Stephen King just hit the tip of the iceberg in The Stand.   If you like the show, please consider writing a review on iTunes or Google Play.  It really helps.  Thanks a lot for listening.      You can now subscribe to the Hellbent for Horror podcast now available on iTunes, Google Play, PlayerFM, and Stitcher.   You can keep up with Hellbent for Horror o