Horror Podcasts

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.

 
1951 DOWN PLACE
http://1951downplace.com/ 
A great HAMMER HORROR podcast. These three gents do a fantastic job of covering the Hammer offerings and dive into some of the backstories and details nicely.





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.



DREAD CENTRAL DINNER FOR FIENDS
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/41250/dinner-for-fiends-pretty-damn-good-horror-podcast/
Sadly, these guys don't "put out" as often as I'd like them to. hehehe They are REALLY funny and, while the audio quality can vary a bit, the content is always interesting and very humorous.





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
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."   :)

Dario Argento's DRACULA

I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time on this film.

People ripped it TO PIECES. They hated it. Laughed at it. But, I'm going out on a limb and saying...I didn't hate it. It's fine. It's watchable like a college play is watchable. I watched and didn't want my time back afterwards and that's saying something.

There's nothing new here. It's Dracula. But, there are some fun Argento-isms that I enjoyed seeing. The story moves along and things happen....:::shrug::::   There are some nekkid folks in it, blood and biting. Everything you'd expect. I think it was due to the extremely low expectations that I didn't walk away feeling this movie was all that bad. Especially when watching at home with a small glass of an adult beverage on my comfy couch via Netflix. It was a good time.

Now, there are HORRID things in here as well. Things they just should have masked with shadows, fog and darkness. The 3D. It's bad. It's cheap and bad and it should not be as prominent as it is. When it comes up, it's obvious and sad.


Asia "Yum Yum" Argento is still delicious, but she seems like she's playing well under her age range and it really doesn't work. The period clothing and hairstyle has an adverse affect on her charms as well, but she can vamp it up in true Asia style and it's fun. 








And...Rutger Hauer in a "what am I doing here?" portrait of Van Helsing is just...yeah. You have to see it. It's fun in and of itself. :)

The lighting is strange overall as well. It's such a bright film. However, I think I might get what Argento was going for.

If you look at old Hammer films, they have the same look at points. Bright and stage-like, the lighting is blown out and in your face. I thought....just for a moment...that Dario might be going for this bright look of the older Hammer films.

At any rate, the film was fun and I enjoyed watching it. I still would have LOVED to see a SUSPIRIA Dario era Dracula - I think that would be really wild. Toss this on if you're in the mood for some fun post-recorded dialogue, bad 3D and strange turns of events. It's fine.

The Devil Rides Out

I really enjoyed this film. THE DEVIL RIDES OUT is like Hammer lite. None of the usual Hammer Horror call outs. No blood. No boobs. Not a whole lot of atmosphere, either. However it is a very strong story with some fun set pieces and great acting.

The long and short of the plot is two friends trying to save their buddy from getting involved in a Satanic ritual. The great Christopher Lee plays against type as a good guy here as well, which was fun. Of course, there is a love interest to save as well - a young woman who is also going to join up with the Satanists and be baptized in the name of Satan.

Honestly, there isn't a whole lot to the film. There is a lot of "We need to get him" to "GREAT! We got him!" to "Aww, we lost him again" kind of story points, but it's a fun and light watch that you could watch with younger family members.

Christopher Lee is great as usual. And Charles Gray is a great baddie.  They are matched up well as they are pitted against each other in this classic good verses evil tale. I'd love to read the book - I'm sure it has additional levels that are left out of the film.

The cool back story to the film is that Lee pushed to have it made and stated that he wanted to play the good guy, not the baddie. When Mr. Lee told you this and said that that is what he wished, you did it. So, he's a good guy. And the great Richard Matheson wrote the screenplay based on 1934 Dennis Wheatley book.

Ah, Mr. Matheson. You brought me such joy....

Thrilling visuals! :)

It's a movie from a different time. A slower, more story based era. The effects are super simple and it would be an ideal "Family Horror Film" - as long as the kiddies are old enough to not be scared of a guy dressed up with a goat head as Satan. :)

Heh....Family film about Satan worshipers who kill a goat to bring Satan into the world.

Uh....older kids and lovers of Christopher Lee, I guess. ::::grin::::

Check it out.

Nox Arcana - Night of the Wolf

Great video for NOX ARCANA "Night of the Wolf".

It has some great, cinematic shots and effects.

Happy Halloween!

HALLOWEEN LIST 2012: Paranormal

This is not a full list of every ghost story I love. That would be far too much to wade through even for the most dedicated of horror fans. :) I tried to do a little cross section of ghosts, paranormal and other worldly films that might have either been missed or that might not have been seen in a long while. The genre is filled with brilliance and real lamers, so it's hard to sift through at times. I hope this list provides a little light at the end of the tunnel when searching.

Go into the liiiiight.  :)






The Innkeepers
Check out the review here.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-innkeepers-review.html
LOVED this film.







Wake Wood
Wake Wood was held up as HAMMER STUDIOS return to the horror arena and it did not fail to please. The positive buzz was warranted - it was a very strong film with some grand little nuggets within it . Off the radar for a lot of mainstream audiences, this was was a sleeper hit that had horror fans grinning. The story was similar to PET CEMETERY, but the execution was slightly different and the tone was obviously far less "80s".  Great stuff. 




A Tale of Two Sisters (Korea)
Another one we've reviewed before:
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2009/04/movie-tale-of-two-sisters.html

This has to be one of my favorites of all time. A strong story with equally strong acting are topped off with some really shocking and creepy visuals. It's a great tale.






Carved: The Slit Mouthed Woman (Japan)
I tossed this on one night while working on a project and thought that it was just going to be background filler while I worked. Something I'd half glance at when I heard the music ramp up. However, I found myself locked in from the very beginning and thought it held up really well throughout. We have our basic, scary woman story going here. The legend of the Slit Mouth Woman - a horrible lady that killed. Well, this film doesn't pull any punches with that tale. The malicious spirit comes after children and...man...she really goes after them. It's shocking - there are not many magical saves here. And the dark ending is grand.






The Legend of Hell House (1973)
A fantastic haunted house film that follows two psychics, a scientist and his wife as they attempt to "clean away" the spirits that occupy Hill House. Needless to say, they have their work cut out for them.     Read more about the Hill House movies here.




Insidious
I recently re-watched this chilling little story and it's really good. REALLY good. The acting, the story and the execution are all top notch and it makes for a fun watch. It's also a super clean film - well lit and out in the open with it's scares and effects. I was taken aback on my second viewing, honestly. I'm so used to the use of night vision cameras and shadows these days, but James Wan puts it all out there for you. A great ghost story!






House (1986)
This comedy horror nugget was huge "back in the day" around the video store and on the pay cable circuit. :) When it hit cable, I remember watching it a few times and loving it every step of the way. A good and goofy romp and well worth checking out.








House (Hausu Japan 1977)
This film...is fucking crazy. I'm sorry, but that's really the only way to put it out there. I watched this with a few friends and that exact phrase was used several times as we watched color swirl, heads fly and the dark path this film takes it's characters on get more and more odd. It's as if THE WIZARD OF OZ, THE RING and HR PUFNSTUF were all blended and served on a bed of narcotics. It was an wondrous and strange experience. It's truly mind altering. Suggested viewing time: 11:30pm






Below
This film manages to combine two things I love expertly - submarine movies and ghost movies. As if subs were not claustrophobic enough, something seems to be haunting one that picks up survivors from an attack at sea during World War II. An interesting story and some grand acting with a dash of terror.  








House on Haunted Hill (1959 and 1999)
This is one of the rare cases (another one to follow shortly) where I think it is very interesting to watch the original and the remake close together.  I recently watched the original and found myself scratching my head from time to time and wondering what they were thinking with the script. heheh A group of people is invited to stay the night on haunted hill. If they make it, they get a nice payout of cash. But, will they live through the night?
Vincent Price turns in a great performance and the film is a fun, dark old house movie, but it's strange and slow and full of 1950s over-acting that brings more giggles than scares. However, it does have some creepy visuals.
The remake is the same plot, but with more ghosts and a CGI backbone that's a lot of fun.  Geoffrey Rush tries out a John Waters imitation, but it seems more like Price. Either way you take it, it's a win. Fun and light and full of ghosties!

Check out: HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL TOOL Music video 
(The Horror Show/malcojojo.com)





13 Ghosts (1960 and 2001)

13 Ghosts - 1960

Another old and new with the new version tossing effects, violence and REALLY mean ghosts into the mix. I think I'm one of about 37 people that liked 13 Ghosts. The original was a staple of my Saturday afternoon viewing with my mother. We watched as people put on special glasses that allowed you to see ghosts. I believe some hidden cash is involved as well. It's quaint now and filled with nostalgia.

13 Ghosts - 2001

The remake cranks everything up, keeping the glasses gimmick and adding layers of chills, suspense and bloody good scares and violence to round things out nicely. Brilliant? Nope. But, it's a lot of fun!






The Woman in Black
This 2012 remake of the 1989 film (based, of course, on the novel of the same name...) is a great retelling. Daniel "Harry Potter" Radcliffe turns in a non-Potter performance and managed to make me forget he was Potter for so many years. It's a dark and gloomy story in the great gothic tradition and it was a good watch. A mystery unfolds and there is just enough on the effects front to sell it, but not enough to wash it over into the abyss of computer driven dreck.  Above all, it raises the bar for the film, taking it up from the good, yet super dry 1989 film. Great for a rainy night!




Stir of Echoes
I smell bacon. KEVIN Bacon. Sorry.
This was a great film. Bacon was coming back into view and breaking away from being FOOTLOOSE and prancing. Here, he's a guy that gets wrapped up in a mystery after a party trick of sorts goes really wrong. If you like ghostly mysteries, check this out. I think you'll dig it and it's story. 

Gravedancers
I'll file this one under "Guilty Pleasure" film. It's great for what it gives - grim grinning ghosts and over the top effects work. It seems that performing rituals in graveyards really is not a great thing to do. Like, at all. :) A small group manages to release some truly nasty spirits and seek help with putting them back where they belong from some experts in the field. Of course, real world experience is different that assumptions and fact based guesses. The little lady in the picture is one of my favorite bits of evil from a movie. The makeup is just creepy. I love it. Great little popcorn flick.



1408
Again, am I the only one who loved this film? Yes, I read the SHORT SHORT SHORT King story and, yes, stretching the fantastic tale of a skeptical, ghost hunter who spends one night in the VERY haunted Room 1408 into a feature film did seem like madness, but I thought they did an amazing job. John Cusack knocks it out of the park, Mikael Håfström's Direction is spot on and the effects are fun and damned creepy at times. Well worth a watch. If you don't think so, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. I'd love to hear.



Apartment 143
I'm still wondering why I didn't dislike this film. It had all the earmarks of a "fast forward the stream" movie I'd watch back to back with four other films in a two hour span one night, but I found myself watching and wondering what was going on in Apartment 143. What was going to happen next. Who was in there with the family and the investigators. I think it was the story and acting that carried it.



More on Apt. 143  here: http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2012/10/apartment-143.html




Forget Me Not
Story plays a key role yet again (go figure) in this teen horror film turned horror nugget. I'm not going to say much more than I already said in the full article. If you like ghost stories with a twist, check this one out!  http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2011/12/forget-me-not.html





The Orphanage
Whoa. Just....whoa. Atmosphere, story, acting and dark,  terror filled moments come together perfectly here. I'll lever look at hide and go seek the same way again. Ever. Great film.





The Others
More gothic, story driven haunting in this Nicole Kidman vehicle. A mother and her two photosensitive children try to live out their lives, but strange goings on start to wrap them in more and more mystery and terror. The film was shot really well. The children being light sensitive meant that the majority of the film had to be shot in low levels of light. This makes for a fantastic and spooking old house location that's GREAT for a dark and stormy night.





The Sixth Sense
Ok...it's M. Knight before people hated him. You've seen it or heard about it. Bruce Willis is great in it. Haley Joel Osment "sees dead people". Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know. But, it's SO GOOD. Really, if you have not watched it in a while, give it another look. It still holds up.









The Innocents
Another gothic tale from 1961. Don't bother watching the trailer - it does it absolutely no justice. The studio wanted to make it look like a non-stop thrill ride. It's anything but. It's a dark and beautifully shot tale of ghosts and madness and loneliness that is shot in rich and glorious black and white.
A governess for two children starts hearing and seeing things and starts to believe that the home is haunted. The downward spiral is amazing to behold.




The Shining
You know what the plot is now - man and his family watch a hotel in the off season. Snowed in, things start to go really wrong. Ax, Jack, snow, blood, twins, drinks, showers, mazes, fingers that talk and :::shiver::: Shelley Duvall. Yes, you've seen this. I know. But, just stop and watch it again. Really watch it.  Watch the performances. Watch the camera work. Catch the slow slow fades from one scene to another in the beginning and watch how they change drastically as you make your way to the end. This is a work of art. This film is more than ghosts and scares. It's really disturbing. :)





Session 9
This film is fantastic, but don't watch it if you're in a down state of mind. It'll push you right over into depression. You can feel the atmosphere. Feel the tension and the sorry state of the characters within it. A hazmat crew takes on a job and has to lower the time frame, adding to the pressure that is already on them to complete things. Everything is riding on the job going well. It might be a little easier if the job wasn't cleaning up an abandoned asylum. One with secrets. Man, this film always gets under my skin!





The Fog (1980)
This is a fun film. Just good old John Carpenter doing what he does best. There is something in the fog and the fog is creeping inland just in time for an anniversary celebration the town of Antonio Bay  is having.  Coincidence?
The story is grand and the creep factor is always fun. Outrun the fog or get caught by what's lurking in it. Being born and raised in Marin County California and a current San Francisco resident, the fact that this was shot in Point Reyes (at the lighthouse) , Bolinas and Inverness is fun as well.


And, you have Adrienne Barbeau and Jamie Lee Curtis staring. Mee-YOW! :)
Good fun!

HAPPY HAUNTING!