The unnecessary episode years in the making.  Shonny's Gremlins 2 Christmas episode.      Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group   If you'd like to see pictures of Elizabeth's permaculture projects on Instagram, visit @Our_Friend_Elizabeth   And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!

Talk Horror To Me

58: Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) and Mars Attacks (1996)

Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group   If you'd like to see pictures of Elizabeth's permaculture projects on Instagram, visit @Our_Friend_Elizabeth   And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!

57: Pooka (2018) and Slay Belles (2018)

Happy Thanksgiving!          Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group   If you'd like to see pictures of Elizabeth's permaculture projects on Instagram, visit @Our_Friend_Elizabeth   And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!

56: The VVitch: A New-England Folk Tale (2015) and Pilgrim (2019)

  Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group   If you'd like to see pictures of Elizabeth's permaculture projects on Instagram, visit @Our_Friend_Elizabeth   And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!

55: Host (2020) and The Cleansing Hour (2019)

As we approach Halloween, a season of stories in a more storied year than any I can remember, it brought me great joy to discover these two recent releases.  As Chuck says when discussing anthologies, at worst if you don't enjoy what you're watching you can at lease embrace the fact that a new story isn't long in waiting.  When anthologies are done to their best, however, they open a whole series of doors with which a director can explore themes in overlapping cascades, something I felt both of these films do very well.  That these are both stories examining the nature of story in direct ways, it made for an easy choice to consider these movies together.  Yet...they are both very different films. Tonally, the visions could not be more different.  Befitting a Clive Barker inspired film, Books of Blood carries an ominous presence throughout, it's characters bearing their flaws to scars as their psychological torment ultimately leads to physical desecration.  Befittingly, it draws us through a puzzle box of horrors that had an ending that will impact most viewers deeply as a moment of ultimate release or ultimate despair.  It delivers, in my humble opinion, what one would hope for in a Clive Barker piece, deliciously and without remorse.   The Mortuary Collection, on the other hand, has a sense of whimsy but do NOT be fooled by the poster (or the font, as Elizabeth points out in the episode) as it's meant to lure you into the belief that what you're to see isn't going to be horrific.  Horror abounds in this place, and with remarkable and unexpected visuals that will make the horror fan alternately cheer, squirm, and outright fawn over.  The movie reminds me explicitly of Peter Jackson's Braindead (1992), Dead Alive as it was released in the states, in many ways, but perhaps most importantly in that it's grand and colorful characters populate a world in which there is no fate too twisted, or gross, or bombastic by which they might meet their gory end.  It's a fun and beautiful film, and one that will probably stand as my favorite of the year.  I really hope this episode turns some folks onto it. Love and Respect, Shonny Constant10.27.2020  If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We REALLY want to hear from you.  We REALLY REALLY do!   Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group If you'd like to see pictures of Elizabeth's permaculture projects on Instagram, visit @Our_Friend_Elizabeth And here's a bunch of other links!  Instagram@TalkHorrorShow@Shonny.Constant Twitter@ChzuckBean Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck  Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net.SHE IS THE BEST!

54: Books of Blood (2020) and The Mortuary Collection (2019) with Our Friend Elizabeth

Halloween is upon us, and once again we here at Talk Horror To Me are unprepared.  The unparalleled strangeness of 2020 has knocked me off kiltler more than even usual, so we're left to release an episode that was recorded months ago.  Thankfully, having gone through the editing process this week, I think it's a good one, and certainly features two films that, while not specifically horror, are bloody romps with plenty for horror fans to embrace.  These two films both feature the fabulously talented Samara Weaving, along with wonderful casts around her and scripts which continue to highlight her brilliance as a genre star perpetually on the rise.     We hope you enjoy these films as much as we do, and look forward to hearing your opinions on the selections as well as our take on the material!   Love and Respect,   Shonny Constant 10.20.2020     If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We REALLY want to hear from you.  We REALLY REALLY do!     Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group       And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!

53: Mayhem (2017) and Guns Akimbo (2019)

We're a bit behind schedule, but we think the wait was worth it.  This week we've invited our friend Elizabeth onto the show to talk about the second film in the Nightmare On Elm Street series, as well as the recent documentary about this unique film and it's star Mark Patton.  We go deep into themes and context on this episode, but we don't forget to talk about the kills and discuss what the Abominable Doctor Phibes would think of the movie, so hopefully there's something here for everyone!  We really enjoyed this conversation, and hope you do too.   Love and Respect,   Shonny Constant 6.30.2020     If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We REALLY want to hear from you.  We REALLY REALLY do!     Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group       If you'd like to see pictures of Elizabeth's fruit plants and cats on Instagram @Our_Friend_Elizabeth   And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!

52: A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) and Scream, Queen: My Nightmare On Elm Street (2019)

Over the years, when I see political unrest and public disruption of what is perceived as a broken system, I inevitably wonder what director John Carpenter might be thinking about the state of affairs.  Aside from being legendary as perhaps the founding father of the slasher genre for his creation of the Halloween franchise and the ubiquitous horror icon Michael Myers, not to mention the cosmic horrors of The Thing, he also wrote and produced films with an unmistakable focus on class and justice.  We first see this in his early film Assault On Precinct 13, but it really blooms into a considerably more ambitious world with Escape From New York.  Additionally, while by 2020 standards characters of color in his films can be scoffed at as being relegated to "token" rolls and side characters, I think it's important to acknowledge that in a time when Hollywood was largely at BEST shoehorning actors of color into tiny rolls, John Carpenter appeared to be giving thought to this dynamic, and writing characters intended to at least give the actors filling those minor rolls reason to be in the film.  Their very presence spoke to the inequities in the system in a meaningful way.  It wasn't much, perhaps, but it was something, and I think it was something he gave real thought and emotion to. Indeed, by 1988 when Escape From New York was set, Ronald Reagan's America hadn't reached the level of authoritarian desperation portrayed in the film, yet seeing the protests in the streets in the year 2020 suggests to me that John Carpenter was on to something with his vision of an America headed towards a more profound feeling of separation between "polite society" and those who were deemed unfit to be a part of that society.  Manhattan is currently trying to recover from being the literal epicenter of a global pandemic, and people do feel they're being targeted in the streets by an overbearing and too often lethal police force who appear intent on making it clear that they do have a sense of who does and doesn't belong.  The idea was shocking and disturbing in 1981, and for many of us, it's no less bewildering and horrific today.  The island hasn't become a penal colony, but it's clear to many of us that the fear and bewilderment of the police and prison systems as they do exist are such a dark specter in the lives of people who come into or even near contact with it carry an indelible anxiety with them in their daily lives, and I believe John Carpenter was tapping into that fear with his films.   Maybe I'm reading too much into things, and if that's the case I apologize.  But maybe, just maybe, it's time to dig deep and make the difficult decision that we can do better.  For a lot of us, dystopia is a phantom to be feared for it's looming presence on the horizon, but for many it's a considerable reality in their day to day affairs.  That's not only problematic, it's a moral injustice that needs to be addressed by all of us.     Love and Respect,   Shonny Constant 6.10.2020     If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We REALLY want to hear from you.  We REALLY REALLY do!     Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group       And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!

51: Escape From New York (1981)

The fickle finger of box office success has pushed against many young and talented directors.  Movies are such expansive and costly projects that simply creating a solid or even excellent piece of work isn't always enough.  If the ticket buying public isn't there to cast their financial vote on opening night, even the best of efforts can be deemed a count against the talent involved rather than a feather in the cap.  Fred Dekker, the director of the excellent Night of the Creeps (1986) and The Monster Squad (1987) is to my mind, one such casualty of this bitter truth.  Few filmmakers come to mind who have left behind movies that come off as fresh and exciting and GOOD as these two films, Savage Steve Holland of Better Off Dead (1985) and One Crazy Summer (1986) in the more purely comedy realm springs to mind, but his is another story entirely. For whatever reason, The Monster Squad just didn't live up to it's budgetary expectations, and that's a damn shame.  The script from screenwriter Shane Black (who would go on to stardom as an action scribe following the smashing success of Lethal Weapon (1987)) is excellent, the special effects from Stan Winston and his studio stand tall for both their excellent design and strong execution, and Fred Dekker's overall vision is one that is fun, seamless, and potent.  It was a pleasure revisiting it for our 50th episode, and while I can't help but to think that had he been given further opportunity, Mr Dekker's vision would have led to an unforgettable library and bigger box office success, we can at least be thankful that those of us who were able to experience the joy of The Monster Squad at the theater or found it on video and through cable have such a unique and underappreciated gem to reflect on.     Love and Respect,   Shonny Constant 5.25.2020     If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We REALLY want to hear from you.  We REALLY REALLY do!     Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group       And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!      

50: The Monster Squad (1987)

This week, at the recommendation of our buddy Adam, we took an enjoyable look at a movie that's been hanging around on Netflix since 2017 The Babysitter.  Chzuck absolutely loved the movie, and while I have this sneaking suspicion that McG's style isn't everyone's cup of tea, I really dug it to.  It's got lively characters, a lot of intertwining threads, some great splatter, a few laughs, and a bad ass car stunt.  Pretty strong resume.  The movie is also notable for it's star Samara Weaving, who continues to be a powerhouse in genre film with no seeming intention to stop.  It's always fun to follow somebody film to film as we evolve as an audience in relation to their growth as an artist, especially when in Ms. Weaving's case the quality of material is as high as it's been. We hope you dig the episode.  As always, we beseech you...BESEECH I SAY...to visit us as often as you like.  It's a great pleasure to be able to do this every week, and we love that you folks are listening.   Stay safe everyone!     Shonny Constant 5.11.2020     If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We REALLY want to hear from you.  We REALLY REALLY do!     Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group       And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!

49: The Babysitter (2017)

We dipped back into the Shudder library this week for the 2019 horror/comedy Satanic Panic by director Chelsea Stardust and enjoyed the flowing story and unique perspective this movie provides.  It's rare that we get strong female leads presented through the lens of a female director, so when we do, it's great to see such an enjoyably successful film.   As always, we'd love to hear what you thought of this one.  It's striking to me to consider that typing such a simple description for a film, and feeling like I may be submitting a notion with some socio-political statement, but that's still the world in 2020.   Have you seen Satanic Panic?  Did you dig it as much as we did, or did the conversation bring any new perspective to your thoughts on the film?  Let us know!  Talk Horror To Us!   Stay safe everyone!  We love you!   Shonny Constant 5.5.2020     If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We REALLY want to hear from you.     Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group       And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!  

49: Satanic Panic (2019)

Nine Killed You!  Nine SHALL DIE!  And so goes the message of Vincent Price's ABOMINAL DR PHIBES, spoken to the memory of his deceased wife, about the revenge he is enacting on those he deems responsible for her untimely demise.  It's a simple premise, but a very effective one.  Loss and blame are certainly universal themes in the human experience, and to my mind, Price and Phibes are effective enactors of this revenge, in a movie that crosses lines and expectations in ways that I find fun and engaging.  It's often difficult to immerse oneself in movies made before their time, I'd reckon especially so for people born in the most recent of times, because so much of the experience is toned by the spirit and limitations of the time.  For many, the Universal monsters are CLASSICS, while film's from the fifties and sixties (and seventies and eighties and...) may just feel...old.  So it goes, so it goes.    Phibes, I think, stands out.  There's certainly no doubt this is a movie from the 1970s.  You can see it in the direction and performances and even the visual tone itself.  It's in the music and it's in the mannerisms.  Yet...it's also telling a story that takes place nearly fifty years before it's own time, and seems in many ways to presage more familiar stories that wouldn't come for decades.   AND IT'S FUN. As despicable as he is, and as hackneyed and antiquated his methods may seem, there's a charmingly relatable quality to Phibes.  He's a vile and irredeemable villain, yet there's also something else.  That strange antihero quality that Horror fans love to embrace.  If you know the film, I hope you can relate to what I'm saying.  If you do not, I hope we help inspire the desire to check it out.     Stay safe everyone!  We love you!   Shonny Constant 4.22.2020     If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We REALLY want to hear from you.     Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group   As of publication, The Abominable Doctor Phibes is available in a nice transfer on YouTube.    In the episode, we make mention of the article The Unmade Sequels of Dr Phibes from the Vincent Price Exhibit blog.  There's a lot of great Vincent Price history chronicled there.   And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!      

47: The Abominable Doctor Phibes (1971)

When Scream was released in 1996, my youthful self was experience peak horror fandom.  However, when it came to horror I was also at minimum patience for nonsense and was thirsting for the grittiest and darkest material I could find.  For those reasons, I remember vividly deciding on taking a hard pass on the movie.  While my disposition and taste in horror changed over time, to a perspective that is radically different than the one I had at that time, I always carried a chip concerning the fact that the biggest horror movie of the time when I was most receptive to horror movies was a comedic spin on the stuff I loved.  THE AUDACITY!  BLASPHEMOUS! Well, I'm here to confess that 1996 Shonny may not have appreciated the movie, but I can't be certain of that.  This film, that I thought to be a mockery of everything I so preciously valued at the time turns out to be a tense, thoughtful, and very effective homage to the films of days before it, and while there are certainly shiny edges to what would become film and horror in the 1990s, I can finally join the ranks of fans who recognize that Scream is indeed a film worthy of it's place near the top of what the decade had to offer.  Sure, the sleaze was largely gone and the practical effects were less ambitious in many ways than my VHS favorites of the decade before, but the film didn't hide from that fact.  It tucked away the less savory of conventions, while still recognizing them, and did so in a fun way that could put a smile on the audience's face in more shrewd and dynamic ways.  Who knew?! Well...seeing as it's been nearly twenty five years since the film's theatrical debut, I reckon just about everyone knew.  But here we are and here I go, finally joining the party.  Just in time for quarantine!   Special thanks to our buddy Nicola for requesting this one.  It's been a long time coming, but here it is!   Stay safe everyone!  We love you!   Shonny Constant 4.14.2020     If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We REALLY want to hear from you.     Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group     And here's a bunch of other links! :o   Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!

46: Scream (1996)

As we're roughly entering month two of the Covid-19 pandemic, at least by the standard of one of the early "hot spots" of the United States here in Southeast Michigan, times are at best as strange as any that we can collectively recall and at worst downright terrifying.  As we all go through the cyclical nature of dealing with an enhanced level of stress, it's important to find hints of optimism in the world around us, whether it be a result of reexamining our lives and how we judge and categorize things (are we choosing to focus on the negative or showing gratitude for the positive?) or by turning to art to relay stories of better situations than the one's we believe to be in ourselves.  Escapism. To we here at Talk Horror, the ultra-low budget Japanese film One Cut of the Dead (2017) is a near perfect film for those who need a break to that escapism.  The film follows earnest and delightful characters though a period of discord and confusion, into a period of reflection of what led up to that uncomfortable time, only to then rewitness that initial experience through an expanded lens in a celebration of what was achieved, rather than trapping our experience in what we once thought of as failure.  It's a beautiful little encapsulation of the power of collaboration, or art, or life. As you'll hear in the episode, Chzuck and I are unabashed fans of this one, and we hope perhaps more than usual that some people will discover this film and find a new favorite.  It's a truly unique experience, and one that has left each of us with a new lens of perspective.  We hope you can capture some of that experience yourself with this one, or at minimum find a respite from the angst long enough to relax a little bit.    Stay safe everyone!  We love you!   Shonny Constant 4.7.2020     If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We've got a great bunch over there with a very laid back, informed, and interested bunch.     Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group     And here's a bunch of other links! :o   Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!

45: One Cut Of The Dead (2017)

When we recorded this episode a couple of weeks ago, I already had a suspicion that things were going to be very different by the end of the month.  I was tense, and scared, and wildly uncomfortable.  Of course, one side of you says "business as usual" is the prudent course of action. "Our listeners will want normalcy!" says the side. The other suggests that when a cloud comes by that looks to be carrying a storm, it's best to batten down the hatches and see what's on the other side. That's all a long way of saying that here's an episode we recorded about three weeks before it's release date.  We've recorded another one that we'll release next week.  We've decided to lighten things up a bit, while not straying from the genre, so we're going to become a "horror comedy" podcast for a little while.  I've always loved horror comedies, and now I need horror comedy's.  Besides that slight deviation, we'll keep doing what we do and try to get better.   Stay safe everyone!  We love you!   Shonny Constant 3.30.2020     If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We've got a great bunch over there with a very laid back, informed, and interested buch.     Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group     And here's a bunch of other links! :o   Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!

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Talk Horror To Me

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