Galaxy of Horrors

This sci fi horror anthology really delivered some interesting stuff, I have to say. It was really solid and held my attention throughout. As with most anthology films, there were some hits and misses. However, the overall experience was positive, engaging, and presented some concepts and storylines that I had not seen before. I love that.

I'm very happy that these folks had a vehicle to get their short films out into the world and I was happy that the Exploding Heads Horror Movie Podcast gave me the heads up about it.






Wraparound Segment (dir. Justin McConnell)
Maybe notthe most engaging segment - it was really just a throughput to the end goal of seeing the videos. However, it was still interesting and did what it was meant to do.

Eden (dir. Todd Cobery)
Dystopian future fun with some interesting visuals and both practical and 3D effects. Pretty solid. 










Iris (dir. Richard Karpala)
High concept goodness. A grand and simple morality play with heavy big brother overtones.





Flesh Computer (dir. Ethan Shaftel)
Not really my cup of tea, but it had enough interesting visuals to keep me engaged even if i didn't find the story to be to my liking.



Pathos (dir. Fabio Prati, Dennis Cabella and Marcello Ercole)
Very BRAZIL in feel. One of those, "I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm interested," sorts of segments.





Eveless (dir. Antonio Padovan)
Another that slipped a bit, but this two man act was interesting for sure.

They Will All Die In Space (dir. Javier Chillon)
Reminded me of OUTLAND (1981) a bit. Solid sci fi.




Entity (dir. Andrew Desmond)
Whoa. That was really strange. I liked it. :)







Kingz (dir. Benni Diez and Marinko Spahic)
Wild visuals, cool action choreography, and a odd little plot made this a fun watch for sure. Pretty wild.







 All in all, I believe this is well worth a viddy. Currently available on AMAZON PRIME.

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House

I made time to watch I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House and I'm glad I did. Let me start off by saying a BUNCH of people are going to HATE this film. It's been my experience that when a film is a slow, slow burn people detest it. When it takes it's time and drifts around a bit with no jump scares or super loud music ques to pop them away from time to time, they moan and grumble about it being boring like a petulant three year old in line at the grocery store.

However I love these films. I sink in and snuggle in to them like I'm huddled in a warm blanket. Films like The Innkeepers and other Ti West fair and lovely, novel-like dreams like The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh make me incredibly happy in their quiet, calm pace. It really is a little like reading a good book to me. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is just that in spades.


The film tells the tale of Lily (Ruth Wilson), a nurse taking care of an elderly writer named Iris Blum (the wondrous Paula Prentiss). The house was built ages ago and has a secret. Standard stuff here, of course, but the cast of six makes it interesting. It's a gothic haunted house tale, but the delivery is what makes it something I found to be all at once creepy and beautiful. Prose opens the story and should act like a weeding out process. If the glacier-like pace of the intro bothers you, just wrap it up and stop watching because the whole of the film is the same way really.

Lily putters around the house and takes care of Iris, but slowly comes to realize that there's something other than the two of them present in the home. A small mystery for Lily to look into while she tries to keep herself busy, things rapidly escalate and twist into something surprisingly effective.

And....thank you Oz Perkins for your grand story and simple direction. We're allowed to roam through the old house with Lily - sweeping along bright hallways and empty rooms, but are never smacked around with bombastic scores, audio assaults to underline horror elements, or hyper-kinetic camera moves to emphasize distress. We're just shown what we are meant to see. And that in and of itself is very creepy, brooding, and gloomy in a wondrous, gothic way. Netflix knocks out another fantastic original offering!

I was locked onto the screen the whole time - my phone face down and away so I would not miss a frame. It looks like five out of the eight reviews on METACRITIC (at the time of me writing this) agree that the film is well worth a watch with the other three seeming to be in the camp of the three year old I discussed in the opening paragraph. :::grin::: 

If you want a great story in the vein of classic haunted house stories of the past - along the lines of the fantastic works of M. R. James, please give I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House a watch and let me know what you think.  Currently available on NETFLIX.

Lake Nowhere, Exists, and hellos

I'm trying out a new little format - a video review!

I was watching LAKE NOWHERE and was inspired to toss my hat into the video ring. However, this isn't going to be the quality all the time. I plan on giving this a shot a few more times in October with proper lighting and a better intro. I literally did this on my laptop with candle lighting and a glass of whiskey. hehehe

LAKE NOWHERE was a fun little throwback to my time as a teen watching VHS tapes with friends until the wee hours of the morning. 50 minutes of time machine goodness. The story was odd and interesting and they managed to get the classic 80s tropes in without pushing them too hard. I guess the one downside to it was that somewhere in the mix they awkwardly transitioned into a more standard horror film, dropping the 80s throwback feel a bit. Still really good, but it felt like they lost the desire to keep the gag going a bit. Hard to explain. Still a fun, worthwhile watch.

EXISTS was a tense little found footage film. I'm usually not a found footage guy, but this was really well executed and tight. It even hooked my wife in and she's not a genre fan.

I really should come up with a little nickname for my wife and her genre input. heh I'll work on a little cute name for her. :) I'm always impressed when she watches a film I'm watching, even more impressed if she truly watches - sans phone - and is interested, then wowed when she actually mentions the film the next day. EXISTS got a next day mention - a positive feeling and thought on the length and story line. It really was a grand little thrill fest with limited "WTF?!" moments carried out by characters. Enjoyed it MUCH more than Willow Creek.

Feedback is welcome! I'd love to hear what you think! 
((...keeping in mind that the production quality will go way up on the next rev!))

Horror Podcasts List - Updated for 2016

Hello All! 
I've added some podcasts onto my original list I made and taken some off that I don't listen to anymore. Hope you find it helpful in your search for horror podcasts! ~M~

I listen to a fair share of podcasts. A lot, really. I fill my chore hours with podcasts to take my mind off of the task at hand...and to drown out the voices in my head. heheheh  I took a look at my growing list of podcasts recently when I found myself running short on iPhone space and thought, "Wow...that's a lot of horror podcasts in there. Maybe I'll spread the word about some of the ones I like today."

So, here is the current list of items on my phone.






United Nations of Horror
http://www.unitednationsofhorror.com/
Like the Faculty of Horror Podcast listed below, the UNH podcast is a more in-depth look at the horror genre with carious roundups of films and news related to the main topic of discussion. They are also an "international podcast" with hosts based in the UK, Germany and the United States which makes it interesting as well. It's nice to get knowledge and viewpoints from other areas of the word.

They do the usual "What have we been watching" segment, a brief overview of items related to the main feature that they plan to discuss, then the main feature roundtable with the films plot run through by one of the members so they can talk about the various elements that make the film up. They also have special segments from time to time that focus on the headliner as well.
You can also find little side channels of podcasts on their page:
ACTION ZONE (action films)
THE (B)AD SIDE (a pay per listen coming soon, I believe)
and, for those so inclined...
SQUARED CIRCLE OF WRESTLING   :)  (for wrestling fans)

"The United Nations of Horror is a podcast featuring a group of hardcore horror movie fans from all over the globe coming together to discuss all things horror including but not limited to movies, television shows, books, video games and much more. Each episode will feature a main topic and may also include contributions on a variety of horror related topics."

Streampunk
http://www.streampunk.show/
The MONDO MOVIE PODCAST duo is BACK with the STREAMPUNK PODCAST! A great podcast idea - they review genre and more that is currently available for streaming through the usual suspects. This makes things much easier when you're trying to play along at home. You can usually stream through AMAZON, NETFLIX, or some other mainstream media servers so you can have easy access to the films being talked about.
Nothing better than listening to two guys who love genre movies and movie history talk movies! 





 

Lore
http://www.lorepodcast.com/
Another grand podcast for lovers of real world horror, LORE focuses on true horror tales and mythos from all over the world. Ghosts, happenings, and real world monsters such as serial killers are discussed in a very interesting and tight fashion. The research is fantastic and host Aaron Mahnke (a fiction writer) has a fantastic voice and grand writing style.

Man...there are some CREEPY things that happen in our world! 
"Lore is an award-winning, critically-acclaimed podcast about true life scary stories. Each episode examines a new dark tale from history, and presents it in a style that's been compared to a campfire experience. With over 3,200 5-star reviews and 2 million monthly listens, that's clearly a good thing.  New episodes are released every two weeks, on Mondays.  Our fears have roots. Lore exposes the darker side of history, exploring the creatures, people, and places of our wildest nightmares.  Because sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction."



Night of the Living Podcast
http://nightofthelivingpodcast.com/
As with HAMMERED HORROR below, this podcast feels like hanging out at a friends house on a Friday night and talking about movies over beer and pizza. Super fun and very silly at times, the multiple host podcast covers what the folks have been watching and the main feature, but also do a fun segment called STRAIGHT TO VIDEO RUSSIAN ROULETTE where one host is selected Russian Roulette style to watch a straight to video movie and report back on it the following show.

Humorous and fun, this is a great podcast for horror shocks and goofy giggles. I have been brought to tears laughing at times. :) A lot of fun!

"Night of the Living Podcast is a weekly show hosted by six friends from Cincinnati, Ohio. Each week a randomly selected podcaster reviews a film for our “Straight-to-Video Russian Roulette” segment. In “The Main Attraction” segment, the entire NOTLP Crew discusses a horror or sci-fi genre feature."



Alice Isn't Dead 
http://www.nightvalepresents.com/aliceisntdead/     
Another fab story podcast by the makers of WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE. (listed below)

It's like THE NIGHT STALKER meets Bruce Banner wandering around in the Incredible Hulk TV show...with a dash of X-Files.

I'm totally hooked. It won't be for everyone - the delivery is not standard, linear storytelling, but I'm riveted by the situations and story weaving that goes on within it.

"A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman."

Uncanny County
http://uncannycounty.com/
More fantastic, odd tales! I love it! So many creative folks putting out wondrous art!
This one is special to me. It involves an area called Uncanny County and every podcast is a story about the area. Robots, killer clown demons, Twilight Zone style twist of fate tales....this podcast has a little bit of everything. And, the fun part is, if you don't happen to love the podcast one episode, you can just wait and see what they have to offer for the next round.

Archive 81
http://www.archive81.com/
I dig this podcast, but the benchmark set by THE BLACK TAPES PODCAST isn't really fair for it. Another ongoing story podcast here. This one deals with a man going though and archiving a set of tapes off in a bunker-like facility. He's supposed to record himself at all times. The man who has set him on his way for the task calls in from time to time to check in on him...making sure he stays on task.
As the tapes are played, you find out more of what's been happening...and you have more things happening to our archivist.
Interesting and atmospheric, this podcast and story line is well worth a listen.
"Three months ago Daniel Powell vanished.  These are the tapes he sent me.  If you know anything, please contact me at archive81podcast@gmail.com  New episodes will be released every other Wednesday."

THE BLACK TAPES
http://theblacktapespodcast.com/ 
This falls under story podcasts and I love it. THE BLACK TAPES is a paranormal serial, really, going over the Black Tapes - a series of cases of a paranormal de-bunker with an interesting past.

The Black Tapes is a weekly podcast from Pacific Northwest Stories and Minnow Beats Whale, and is hosted by Alex Reagan. The Black Tapes Podcast is a serialized docudrama about one journalist's search for truth, her enigmatic subject's mysterious past, and the literal and figurative ghosts that haunt them both. 
How do you feel about paranormal activity or supernatural? Ghosts? Spirits? Demons?
Do you believe?




DARK DISCUSSIONS
http://www.darkdiscussions.com/ 
Another cool group discussion about horror films and related topics. They are a lively bunch with a vast horror movie viewing history to pull from. Good conversations and some funny banter.




THE DRABBLECAST
http://www.drabblecast.org/ 
Not strictly horror, this story podcast offers up some fantastic literature readings. It's a "smart" podcast as well with some quick and nimble writing.

The Drabblecast is a weekly podcast featuring flash fictions from a variety of genres. Its singular message is that of off beat, funny, eclecticism. It is a paying fiction market, accepting submissions. The Drabblecast is the winner of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Parsec Awards for Best Speculative Fiction Audio Magazine.





FACULTY OF HORROR
http://www.facultyofhorror.com/ 
THE FACULTY OF HORROR podcast is rather interesting in it's overall approach. It's more like a horror class in college with a bent towards women in horror and the roles of women in horror in various horror films and collections of horror imagery and tropes. They really do a grand job and it's always an interesting listen.

Tackling all things horror with a slash of analysis and research, horror journalists and occasional academics Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West are your hosts for brain plumping discussions on all things that go bump in the night.
Produced independently in Toronto, Ontario The Faculty of Horror is your best source for classic and contemporary horror film discussions that will haunt the libraries of your mind!

HAMMERED HORROR
http://www.hammeredhorror.net/ 
I used to LOVE the old MONDO MOVIE PODCAST and I was really sad when it ended. Listening to to fun English gents talk horror was a hoot. Well, HAMMERED HORROR brings it all back with two highly entertaining English gentleman talking and laughing about horror films whilst sipping adult beverages from time to time adding to the wild nature of the podcast. I love it. It's one of those, "MAN! These guys seem like they would be fun to hang with!" podcasts. :)



HORROR ETC PODCAST
(sadly, no more, but still worth a listen)
http://www.horroretc.com/ 
These two may not put out podcasts regularly, but the content is well worth the wait in most cases. I keep them in my podcast list and I'm pleasantly surprised when I see a new podcast in the listing. They are just super busy, which I completely understand. One of them even makes actual horror movies, which I can get behind completely!  Very entertaining horror discussions.




HORROR NEWS RADIO
http://horrornewsradio.com/ 
I'm relatively new to this podcast, but I dig it so far. Another group situation with lively conversations. What I've noticed so far is that these folks don't always agree on each others opinions and they are NOT afraid to let each other know about it! hehehehe  I've enjoyed people having debates on execution and the like - it makes it a more lively podcast indeed!





HYPNOBOBS / HYPNOGORIA
http://www.hypnogoria.com/html/podcast.html 
I love this podcast. It's fantastic. Jim Moon really knows his subject matter and I look forward to the podcast content every time. He covers a wide variety of offerings as well, which makes things interesting and highly entertaining. He covers film, literature, authors and more. His research is fantastic - a comprehensive coverage of the subject at hand for sure. One of my all time faves - especially when he does Christmas Ghost Story readings around the holidays!




KNIFEPOINT HORROR
http://knifepointhorror.libsyn.com/ 
Another favorite of mine, this horror story podcast is fantastic. It's presented in a very interesting way as well. Hardly any music or background sound effects. It's like you've walked into a room where someone is waiting for you. You sit down and listen to their story - a true telling of an even or happening in that person's life. Some of them are really chilling. Fantastic podcast.

THE NO SLEEP PODCAST
http://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/ 
For those who prefer a little more production in their story telling, there's the NO SLEEP PODCAST. Great acting and presentation for some truly creepy tails. Very NIGHT GALLERY in feel, these tales really do promote insomnia! :)

In the spring of 2010, a new forum appeared on Reddit.com. It was called “Nosleep” and the concept of this forum (or “subreddit”) was to be a place for people to post original scary stories about frightening experiences. It was an online version of telling spooky stories around the campfire.
A year later, as Nosleep was growing at a rapid pace, one member named Matt Hansen proposed the idea of doing a podcast where some of the top stories from Nosleep would be narrated in audiobook style. The response was quite positive and over the next few months a small group of members endeavored to put together what would come to be known as The Nosleep Podcast. On June 13th, 2011 Episode #1 was released.




PSEUDOPOD
http://pseudopod.org/ 
A wide variety of horror tales can be found here. PSEUDOPOD has been around for a long time and you can see why when you listen. It's really one of the best horror story podcast offerings out there.

WARNING: This is a podcast of horror fiction. The stories presented here are intended to disturb. They are likely to contain death, graphic violence, explicit sex (including sexual violence), hate crimes, blasphemy, or other themes and images that hook deep into your psyche. We do not provide ratings or content warnings. We assume by your listening that you wish to be disturbed for your entertainment. If there are any themes that you cannot deal with in fiction, that are too strongly personal to you, please do not listen.




THE SCREAM CAST
http://www.thescreamcast.com/ 
Horror discussion on the hip (...but not lame hip) side, these guys play well together and present a lot of interesting info and banter for sure. Lively and entertaining horror discussion. 

The ScreamCast is a podcast hosted by Sean Duregger, Brad Henderson and BJ Colangelo. It began as a celebration of one of our favorite Horror flick label, Scream Factory. Since then, however, we’ve moved into celebrating the many other boutique horror labels like Synapse, Vinegar Syndrome, Cult Epics and more.
With special guests, celebrity interviews, top 10 lists and reviews we celebrate all things retro, cult and fringe in horror!

 
THE SCRIPT
http://thescript.podbean.com/ 
These folks focus on the script of films and cover a wide variety of topics and films, not just horror related. They manage to focus on the script without being too dry about it, which is grand. This could be a super dry, saltine cracker of a podcast, but they manage to keep the conversation lively and interesting, bouncing from the film overview to how the script is structured. Very cool stuff.




 
WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE
http://commonplacebooks.com/ 
This is one wild podcast. It's played out like a small town radio station broadcast about the ULTRA-FRUCKING STRANGE goings on in NIGHT VALE, a location that one could look at as the place where every NIGHT GALLERY, TWILIGHT ZONE and RICHARD MATHESON story originates from! hehehehe  I love it! It's strange and fun and funny and the production is tight and crisp. ALWAYS entertaining. ALWAYS strange.

"The new dog park is now open. Remember, there are no dogs allowed in the dog park. Do not talk to the hooded figures that you may see in the dog park. Stay away...from the new dog park."   :)

And, podcasts I'm just starting to explore:

 

Small Town Horror http://www.smalltownhorrorpodcast.com/

This story podcast tells the tale of a man who played a small town, night scares game when he was a teen, but it actually worked and he was taken away by someone or something for a period of time. However, while he thought he was away for days, no one thought he'd been away longer than a few hours. He heads back to the small town where it happened to investigate after his Father passes away. Of course, this is fueled by a package arriving for him...that was sent by his Father days after he passed away. 

Everything is there in this story podcast. Interesting story, good pace for the most part...  I'm just waiting it out to see if the actor flow gets a bit better. I think the same thing happened when THE BLACK TAPES started - it takes a while to get everyone rolling. I do like the podcast - it's holding my interest. 

Found Footage Files

http://foundfootagefiles.org/

I'm not a found footage guy. I dislike it as a whole. However, there are some nuggets here and there. I just want to have to find them myself. 

Enter the FOUND FOOTAGE FILES podcast! hehehehe

They cover all things found footage. It's been helping to weed out the MEH! and get to the good stuff. They have a very cool, conversational style that sits well with me. Check it. 

"Found Footage Files is a movie review podcast that looks exclusively at films shot in the "found footage" or handheld camera style."

 

The Night Time Podcast

http://www.nighttimepodcast.com/

More goodness for lovers of real life strange tales, this podcast is really very engrossing. He tells the tale of the event - a UFO sighting some family members had and a missing persons case are the two I've heard so far, but then he actually speaks to the people involved. This aspect has been very interesting. (Though, it was very difficult to listen to the Mother of the missing person talk about her ordeal) I love that it's not done in a prying or upsetting way. It's conversational interview style and is presented in a calm, clear manor. 

Fans of real world mysteries and odd happenings will love this.

Tales of Halloween

A huge thank you to the makers of TALES OF HALLOWEEN. Huge.

I had a lot of fun watching this film. Many laugh out loud moments. Some grand horror moments. I'm super happy about making this purchase and...carving out some time to watch it.


Like many films before, this is a classic horror anthology. Ten tales to thrill. It's not super dark. It actually has many comedy moments and is kept light throughout. Out of the 10, only one didn't fill me with absolute glee - it only filled me with 80% glee. :)

I won't bore you with more. Suffice it to say that I love this film and will be adding it to my Halloween film watching list every year along side TRICK OR TREAT, CREEPSHOW, and my NIGHT GALLERY BluRays!!! :)

Do yourself a favor - watch this RIGHT AWAY. Invite friends! Order pizza, make popcorn....maybe serve a few adult beverages and have a ton of fun.  So good!

Keep an eye open for the amazing cameos as well!

Great work by some great people including.....

Directed by

Darren Lynn Bousman ... (segment "The Night Billy Raised Hell")
Axelle Carolyn ... (segment "Grimm Grinning Ghost")
Adam Gierasch ... (segment "Trick")
Andrew Kasch ... (segment "This Means War")
Neil Marshall ... (segment "Bad Seed")
Lucky McKee ... (segment "Ding Dong")
Mike Mendez ... (segment "Friday the 31st")
Dave Parker ... (segment "Sweet Tooth")
Ryan Schifrin ... (segment "The Ransom of Rusty Rex")
John Skipp ... (segment "This Means War")
Paul Solet ... (segment "The Weak and the Wicked")

Writing Credits (in alphabetical order)

Axelle Carolyn ... (segment "Grimm Grinning Ghost")
Andrew Kasch ... (segment "This Means War")
Neil Marshall ... (segment "Bad Seed")
Lucky McKee ... (segment "Ding Dong")
Mike Mendez ... (segment "Friday the 31st")
Dave Parker ... (segment "Sweet Tooth")
Ryan Schifrin ... (segment "The Ransom of Rusty Rex")
Clint Sears ... (segment "The Night Billy Raised Hell")
John Skipp ... (segment "This Means War")

Ghost Walk by Brian Keene

We have a lot going on in our family with a 4 year old and a 2 year old, work, freelance and more family business. It's hard to pick up a book at the end of the night instead of crashing on the couch with the television telling me stupid stories. :) Well, I was FINALLY able to finish GHOST WALK by Brian Keene and man...I hope someone options it for a film! hehehehe    I'd love to see it done well by someone. There are so many cool elements to the story it just seems ripe for someone taking it on.

The general plot (spoiler free) is simple. There is an ancient evil that is making it's way into our world from the beyond a la Lovecraft and a small group of people need to stop it before it does. It just so happens that the field area where the locals are setting up the Halloween Ghost Walk is entry to our world.

Now, this may seem rather basic in premise, but Keene's execution is fun and highly entertaining.


The characters are believable and interesting. The pace is grand - flowing from one scene to the other and building into a frenzy at the end. And, it read well, if that makes sense. It never stumbled over itself trying to be something grand or overly deep, but in that simplicity it became something kinda grand in a way. Something that had me nodding my head and smiling about from time to time as I thought, "Right on - that's really cool."

Short, sweet and to the point - I really enjoyed this book! Well worth a read through. Pick it up!

Two fantastic horror podcasts

I wanted to do my part in getting the word out on these two fantastic podcasts. If you're a fan of horror fiction, you'll want to check these out at once.

The production values here are top notch and the actors that do the readings are fantastic. The addition of light sound effects and folly work really make these podcasts spring to life.

The featured writers are grand as well. The stories in these productions are riveting.

You really owe it to yourself to take a listen to these - especially...late at night...in the dark...alone....




THE DRABBLECAST
http://www.drabblecast.org/
"The Drabblecast is an award-winning, illustrated, listener-supported audio fiction magazine, released as a free to download, weekly podcast. It features short stories at the far side of weird, including science fiction, horror, fantasy, and everything in between. It is hosted and produced by Norm Sherman. The Drabblecast is open to submissions and is a paying market."


THE NO SLEEP PODCAST
http://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/
"In the spring of 2010, a new forum appeared on Reddit.com. It was called “Nosleep” and the concept of this forum (or “subreddit”) was to be a place for people to post original scary stories about frightening experiences. It was an online version of telling spooky stories around the campfire."



The DRABBLECAST offers additional content for making a $10 a month subscription.
Drabblecast Bsides is an exclusive premium content podcast updated every month with even more awesome stories and badass stuff. Subscribe to Drabblecast Bsides by signing up for a $10.00/month automatic subscription and help support your favorite podcast today!

The NO SLEEP PODCAST gives you episodes with around 2 stories each, but with the "Season pass" you get an additional set of stories (four or more, just about) per podcast.