Movie Meltdown - Episode 545 This episode, we welcome back Dick Starr for another horror club "promo episode" - available to everyone! Join us as we discuss 2005's Wolf Creek as well as post-millennium horror movies and all the different things that are waiting to kill you in Australia. And while we realize the real horror is living in the world of video calls, we also address… Robert Englund, breakfast foods and Lucha masks, something unnatural is going on here, High Tension, Tom and Jerry, Greg McLean, watching new releases streaming, thunderstorms, buffets or salad bars, this is his playground, House of 1000 Corpses, John Jarratt, Wrong Turn, Hostel, to be done remotely, society has to be kept apart, you remember Outbreak from the ‘90s, it got away from me, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, making you feel stranded and helpless, Behind the Mask, Shaun of the Dead, Sonic the Hedgehog, in the not too distant future, being able to pivot, the one you just shoved off a cliff, U Turn, Eli Roth, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, then the world has to keep going, too comfortable doing what he’s doing, a giant cloud of spiders and being the final girl.  Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the original “Wolf Creek”, so go watch the movie before you listen.  “...they have no idea, the predator that they are dealing with.”

Movie Meltdown

Wolf Creek and the Horrors of Australia

Movie Meltdown - Episode 544 This episode we create our own Fantasy Video Store filled with a staff made up of film characters. Inspired by a weird dream, this concept may be the greatest idea ever... or pure insanity. You be the judge. And while we try to convince people that laserdiscs really are the optimum way to watch a movie, we also mention… The Last Blockbuster, we are totally out of that, a beaded curtain, over there take a left fourteen down, and they can live broadcast it to the public access channels, I remember I was in Morocco, he’s why we had to put a limit on our free popcorn policy, the special room, Wet Wednesdays, the town drunk, Spanish Clint Howard, VHS, eat anyone who tried to break in, call the HR department, multiple old lady customers, your friend with the vest has to leave, both of them have to wear an overcoat, trying to explain to people how cool Jami Gertz is, Mom and Pop, a very loud curtain, very clean, there’s gum stuck to everything, he’s constantly sniffing the movies… and I don’t know why, don’t mess with him… just let him have his popcorn, breaking into the satellite feed, well nobody’s returning their tapes without rewinding them more than once, which movie stars are you ok going to the bathroom with, I didn’t even know I had this movie in stock, living lips and Sour Patch Kids.  “I feel like there’s going to be some wacky hi-jinks at your store.”

Fantasy Video Store

Movie Meltdown - Episode 543 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This episode we discuss the 1976 film Satan's Slave directed by Norman J. Warren. This horror film not only works in Satan but also witches, cults, psychic abilities and a serial killer… how could it go wrong?! How could it… yeah well, that’s what we try to figure out. And as we start planning the Horror Club field trip to Witch-killin’ National park, we also cover… Underwater, frosted eyeshadow, Kevin Smith, Dummy, Flip this Murder House, freshly manicured hedges, so many questions, overly complicated and boring, what the hell is a receiving room, double turn-around twist, Michael Gough, dead… only on the inside, Kristen Stewart, due to the mental illness, slamming her head in a door, talking dogs and sex dolls, they so don’t even wanna talk to you, the ’70s was cool and you know it, duck and roll into the woods, a stately manor, visiting with a time machine, Martin Potter, Anna Kendrick, confused by the elevator, Wilfred, are you trying to get murdered, Candace Glendenning, leaving the ignition on, Quibi, how can this production afford to lose a camera, certain parts of the female anatomy, this movie created love, Barbara Kellerman, I would have constantly been disappointed at the movies, they didn’t get there where they were taking their time, Smarties and it’s protected… or something, Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 1976 film "Satan's Slave". But truthfully… there’s not really that much to spoil. “I was mad that someone wasted the film on it.”

Satan’s Little Orphaned Incestuous Coat Thief

Movie Meltdown - Episode 542 On this very special “bonus” installment of The Meltdown Horror Club, we get together to pay tribute to Dawn Wells by watching a movie in which she was featured. But then we chose The Town That Dreaded Sundown... and we quickly realize we don’t respond to it the way many horror fans out there do. But when has that ever stopped us from being brutally honest… and having fun along the way.  And as we try to find the eyeholes in the bag on our head, we also bring up… The Legend of Boggy Creek, Sherlock, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July, Escape from L.A., House of Danger, Die Hard 2, Spawn, Jason X, magical snowman accessories, she can get all up in my personal space… I don’t care, the most impractical, brushing her hair, we’re fine with bribes, who keeps giving this guy the keys, Black Christmas, cracking the cipher, McFarlane Toys, Rankin & Bass, Charles B. Pierce, a stick with an oily rag wrapped around it, Galaxy Quest, everything that happens… let’s sing a song, that’s all I need in my life… snowdragons, heard about this one for years, Friday the 13th: Part 2, I don’t like the things I’m learning, moonlight murders, The Room, he head-butts him right in the breadbasket, do you wanna crawl into the open grave, Lord of Illusions, wiggle out of the collars, John Leguizamo, psychic detective, cultural facts about Japan, flying snakes, so much drugs, trying to keep their circus afloat, Telly Savalas and the quick draw on the hoop cheese.  Spoiler Alert: We are definitely going to ruin this movie for you… in so many ways. So you can watch it beforehand if you want, but if you do end up liking the movie - you might not want to listen. You have been warned.  “What am I supposed to do with this movie?!”

Mary Ann and the Town the Dreaded the Sad Trombone

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 61  This episode we get together (sort of) to suggest some songs from movies that express the feelings of this year's lockdown as well as give us some hope for the future. And along the way... we try to find a little comradery and fun in even the dark times this past year has presented. And while we ask, why is there not a system, we also address… video store clerks, Terry Gilliam, burrito delivery, I’ll take fun if I can’t have great, the U.S. Postal service, touching your brain, it’s all explained in ways you never wanted, Peter Dinklage, a homeless person in scrubs, they are just going there and then staying there a little extra, reexamining David Spade, the middle Black Christmas, Oscar loser, giant TVs, I got exposed, twinkling lights and pretty girls, Die Hard with a Vengeance, shooting across the street, Hollywood marriages, Red Christmas, inconsistencies, just ugly, protect your cat, watching slasher movies, are you following me, David Rappaport, the drive-thru, from the lockdown zone, I have no idea what the message was, the cast of Rules of Engagement, John Doe, wearing some PPE and how did you not eat your own face? “I’m gonna… go stare out my window”

Attack of the Quarantine Songs

Movie Meltdown - Episode 541 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") On this festive holiday episode, we discuss Sophia Takal's 2019 film Black Christmas starring Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue, Brittany O'Grady and Cary Elwes.  And while we try to clean up all this black goo everywhere, we also mention… Santa Girl, Peanuts, buying physical media, Furiosa, wearin’ that fur coat, I’m so confused, sorority app, Hallmark, being Innovative, toxic masculinity, Into the Dark, an extra big monkey wrench, The Bechdel Test, The Exorcist III, hey why don’t you show us some of what’s going on here, herd mentality, from Canada to New Zealand, Redbox people, The Descent, studio Christmastown, the glass unicorn, a business suit-wearing Barry Bostwick, he was into the dark arts, you know a weapon that’s not really an optimum weapon, Yip Yap, Lifetime, pudding snow, cookies with sprinkles, actual female empowerment, adding things to the trailer, When a Stranger Calls, the frat that now has the evil statue, Bob Clark, the broken broomstick, Episode II, don’t mind me… I’m just here to murder some girl, if they believe them… that person’s not doing their job, kind of jerks to the elves, Carol Kane, someone’s lovable adorable Grandpa, using a bow and arrow, the new Christmas movie subgenre, you probably are kind of dumb and we’re going to have to order a bunch of robes. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 2019 version of "Black Christmas". So go watch the movie BEFORE you listen.  “No...no… 2020 has been enough.”

The Extremely Black Christmas of 2020

Movie Meltdown - Episode 540 This episode we make good on our previous idea/threat to take two actors and switch their roles and essentially their careers. Ridiculousness ensues. And as we have a few surprise surgeries, we also cover… The Meg, Mandy, Witness, Goldie Hawn, Memories of an Invisible Man, Jack Quaid, The Long Riders, Harrison Ford, Jodorowsky's Dune, Third Rock from the Sun, writing for women, Nancy McKeon, Blue Velvet, Dances with Wolves, Clint Howard, The Wicker Man, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, Leaving Las Vegas, John Turturro, Ghostbusters, G.I. Jane, Clint Eastwood and your cat, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Battlefield Earth, Trading Places, Jennifer Lawrence, Dennis Hopper, Haley Joel Osment, Quicksilver, gone more weirdo, Con Air, Caddyshack, Kevin Bacon, Waterworld, Jackie Earle Haley, becoming an action star, Hairspray, National Treasure, David Caruso, the Coen Brothers, yeah... they were probably battling for that role, City of Angels, Walton Goggins, Pretty Woman, Grease, career trajectory, Valley Girl, Look Who’s Talking, Erin Brockovich, Top Gun, Jack Nicholson, spaghetti westerns, Footloose, Wild Hogs, going off the rails at any given moment, Raising Arizona, Nothing but Trouble, Sharon Stone, Ryan Gosling, What We Do in the Shadows, Saturday Night Fever, Moonstruck, people love hookers, latchkey kids, Fletch, Lost in Translation and the microcosm of the macrocosm.  “We are carpet bombing the internet with trivial information.”

It's Time for a Face Off

Movie Meltdown - Episode 539 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This episode we discuss Hatchet for the Honeymoon directed by Mario Bava. And while we each have a creepy, younger version of our prior selves following us around watching our every move, we also bring up... Thankskilling, Francisco Franco, swapping brains and bodies, burning the toast, music cues, everyone was so slow, a sting operation, behaving like Real Housewives, figuring out the mystery, shiny cleaver, hanging out in your PJs, how to be a reverse ghost, you’re the one currently murdering a bunch of people, knowing the murderer, kid flashbacks, there’s a refreshing take on a very tires subject, I see you’re sweaty again, I watch a lot of dumb things for the wrong reasons, did anyone else become nauseous, having babies, Black Sabbath, he was very affectionate… with the mannequins, you can just turn your brain off… and not do anything, late-60’s wedding dresses, call the Governor, cheese and crackers and why don’t I ever get invited to a séance party?!  Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 1970 film “Hatchet for the Honeymoon”. So go watch it before you listen.  “If I’m ever in a situation where I need to murder a bunch of people to remember something I can’t remember - I’m thinking I’m probably just going to be fine with not knowing what it is I can’t remember.”

Cleaver for some Brides-to-be

Movie Meltdown - Episode 538 This episode we discuss "The Babysitter: Killer Queen". This recent comedy/horror is the sequel to the first Babysitter movie we discussed a couple of years ago. The cast returns for this second outing, but does the movie hold up? And what does our director McG add to the mix? And while we work through our own time discrepancies, we also address… Samara Weaving, The Terminator, Kevin Williamson, shirtless guy, Stranger Things, Sugar Ray, Ready or Not, elbow patches, old man references, going for the angular look, Judah Lewis, Jenna Ortega, Swingers, Zendaya, Emily Alyn Lind, corduroy, Quentin Tarantino, Andrew Bachelor, I want something to be easy, Robbie Amell, running shoes, Jackass, Risky Business, references, Rim of the World, between punk and prep, Ken Marino, movies where the sequel surpasses the original, The Monster Squad, Smash Mouth, tiny little demon hands, death by surfboard, I don’t wanna relate to current 14-year-olds, why wouldn’t you wanna ride on those coattails a little bit, Bella Thorne and a beautiful ethereal film.  Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for "The Babysitter: Killer Queen"... so watch it before you listen.  “There’s no place for logic - in a McG movie!”

Fun Times with the Babysitter

Movie Meltdown - Episode 537 This episode we welcome back a couple of cast members for our first real-world recording since the world shut down! And there’s plenty to catch up on. And while we’re perusing all the stuff we also mention… Thrashin', stickers, Phantasm, books and baby yodas everywhere, Dimension 404, Josh Brolin, reading Indiana Jones, Urban Legend, Don Coscarelli, she’s gonna pelvic thrust this gate open, Color Out of Space, moldy horror books, Clancy Brown, Bumblebee, Berenstain Bears, commitment phobia, Idle Hands, Overlord, Robert Buckley, oozing blood and pus and goo, a Phantasm 5 VHS, She-Ra, Funko POP vinyl figures, he's a Spanish Egyptian with a Scottish accent, if it had kids in it… it must be a kids movie, The Shawshank Redemption, Jonah Hex, George Romero, a movie theater demon, The People Under the Stairs, Sherilyn Fenn, that’s not a natural human pose, movies with zombies in them, Nicolas Cage, we didn’t have what we have now, it’s rare that things shock you anymore, those things in The Beastmaster and movie discounts at the dentist.  “I’m not a hoarder… I’m a collector!”

Distracted by the Real World

Movie Meltdown - Episode 536 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") Join us in the high rise as we round out our Halloween festivities discussing Poltergeist 3. And while we continually change the subject to avoid the film at hand, we also cover… Gary Sherman, Gremlins 2, chocolate and the Amish, Cillian Murphy, working on a Japanese fishing boat, Chicago, wet blanket sleeper, the reflection in the mirrors, we need someone to fill in the blanks, the parking garage, throwing them off the boat, Home Alone 2, a whole new Dana theory, Scatman Crothers and Zelda Rubinstein, The Crow, this wrapper is different, the ’80s, we have to cut out the ghost sex, talking with normal people, The Shining, I feel like their reaction is a bit underwhelming, creepy backwood stories, the career of Jon Bon Jovi, straight outta the attic from The Haunted Mansion ride, if people died, MGM, ghosts murdering people, The Thing, real world life horrors, the frozen pool, Garry Marshall, collar-popper, Chopping Mall, that synth sound, Peacock, I can’t do this because I’m a person with feelings, Crohn's disease, Wilford Brimley and Paul Rudd, no one’s going to grab you, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Rutger Hauer and vampire kisses. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for Poltergeist 3… so go watch it before you listen. “This movie was fifty percent mirrors and fifty percent people yelling Carol Anne! Carol Anne!!”  

Poltergeist 3: Carol Anne! Carol Anne!!

Movie Meltdown - Episode 535 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") We're back!! And this episode we continue our Halloween celebration as we discuss Poltergeist 2: The Other Side. The sequel to the massively popular original features the return of JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O'Rourke, Zelda Rubinstein - with new additions Will Sampson and Julian Beck. And while we get an update on the current whereabouts of the creepy clown painting that haunted a certain cast member’s childhood, we also bring up… making a supernatural insurance claim, smacked a space worm, being turned to stone by spirits, what if we put some meat on their bones, the beast wants her, up on the smokehouse, pumpkin spice, manly journey, tone, a zombie element, the car is alive, real chocolate not white chocolate, get Brian Gibson on the phone, creepy preacher, sleeping in a tent in the yard, coming to terms with your clairvoyant nature, H.R. Giger, a lightning rod for the dead people, pick another household appliance, the tequila worm, cahoot, braces attack, talking to kittens, odd choices, the family spelunking, taste flashback, an old ghost man, any random portal, I feel like we the audience were responsible, fun size and the real cost of sculpting skeletons. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 1986 film “Poltergeist 2: The Other Side”. So go watch the movie beforehand. “The house is gone, you’ve moved away… what is your problem dead people?!”

Poltergeist II: Skydiving on the Other Side

Movie Meltdown - Episode 534 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") Join us as we kick off our month-long Halloween celebration! First, we brave the frightening endeavor that is - a Zombie Skittles taste test! Then we jump headfirst into the pool full of skeletons that is the 1982 classic Poltergeist. We discuss the legends of “the curse” that has followed this franchise. We address the Steven Spielberg vs. ‎Tobe Hooper controversy. And we just look at the ground-breaking ghost story that it is.  And as we try to decide who we have more of a crush on JoBeth Williams or Craig T. Nelson, we also address… real skeletons, the killer tree, kids and clowns, The Beast, Heather O'Rourke, Industrial Light & Magic, the taste lingers, Mr. Incredible, It, go deep, the 1988 Super Bowl, a dorky dad, face-peeling, it’s own meta-curse, Jerry Goldsmith's music score, Zelda Rubinstein, put the helmet on, it tries to kill him with a piano, Aliens, special effects, Star Wars, suburbia, Raiders of the Lost Ark, trees inside the house, Dominique Dunne, stacking chairs, A Nightmare on Elm Street, stickers with googly eyes, ectoplasm, shotgun-blasted a giant vacuum cleaner, Ghostbusters, the national anthem, strawberry jelly, ghost cat, weird creepy kids, the Wilhelm scream, bioengineered food ingredients, George Lucas, interdimensional goo, Oliver Robins, cigar boxes and TV people.  Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 1982 version of “Poltergeist”. So go watch or re-watch the movie beforehand! You’ll be glad you did.  “This is just like a theme park ride!”

It’s a Poltergeist kind of Halloween

Movie Meltdown - Episode 533 This episode we talk with the famous (or infamous) Sam Drog about a lesser-known documentary - Demon Lover Diary. In the wilds of Michigan, three unsuspecting filmmakers get themselves in over their heads as they sign on to help make an independent horror film.  And as we make the obvious observation that we’ve all become lame, sad shut-ins, we also mention… missing fingers, Ted Nugent, Tenet, Basket Case 3, a Terry Gillian and/or George Orwellian nightmare, Geostorm 2, The 100, George Miller, the evil scientists, Divergent, Wargames, James Cameron, the history of movies you don’t hear about, gunplay, Charles Bronson, leather buckles everywhere, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, being so certain about something, New York vs. Michigan, New World Pictures, a bad mojo, fly on the wall, The Devil's Rain, it’s really almost like they found a movie in a box they forgot to release, with his sheer force of personality, memories of Jason Voorhees, True Lies, have a little artistic flare when you’re gonna go murder people, exposition scenes, time caspsule, hey we’ve got these guns laying around, if you’re gonna comment about society - you’ve gotten be from a safe distance, man’s folly, The Ann Arbor Film Festival, havok-causing dreams, you don’t see the waves of madness that you are generating, a certain level of success is pretty fleeting, a window into the 70s, reality distortion field, I Like to Hurt People, it’s an amazing thing… films… how they tie us all together like that, Dushku in our lives, Gerard Butler, being a trucker, Ally Sheedy, watching the pretty pictures go by, that scene is haunting, everybody is under the tyranny of somebody else’s dream, zombie apocalypse, the public discourse has moved on, Galaxy of Terror, culture differences, dreams are weird… they can set you free - and they can also crush you, Fury Road, keep the kids and the guns in their own area, George Romero and a speedometer factory. Spoiler Alert: Sure it’s a documentary… but there are still some strange turns that come along that you may not see coming. So go watch “Demon Lover Diary” before you listen. “It’s just such a raw like... something smuggled out of somebody’s closet kind of movie.” Sam Drog artwork by Liam Jax - Demon Lover Diary artwork by Jenn Woodall

Sam Drog and the Demon Lover Diary

Movie Meltdown - Episode 532 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") On this exclusive Horror Club episode, we discuss Elle Callahan's 2018 film Head Count. And while we admit to ourselves that we all kind of want to move into an old funeral home, we also cover… Creepypasta, tidy demons, Joshua Tree, urban legends, weird symbols, amazing cell phone service, folklore, I don’t know… fives, the Zero candy bar, multiple Joe Pescis, a funny-looking little guy, doppelgänger, being a wet blanket, creepy glowing eyes, alien Sleestak, given what you can see what the creature or the monster... can and can’t do - it always seems like web design is always outside of it’s wheelhouse, rumored witch, an advertisement for tequila, a demon-thing, making a Jackass movie, dead parents, maybe a cult, a Bic lighter, Hisji, who put coconut in this, born of the internet, it is just gorgeous, I think I unleashed this crazy internet curse, multiple suicides, peanut butter kisses and candy corn, goat man, living in a trailer and which of these characters do I want to die? Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for "Head Count"... so go watch it before you listen.  “Most adults are still like… what? I’ve never eaten Creepypasta… how do you make it?”

Ten Heads in a Duffel Bag

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