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Toxic Schlock is a bi-weekly horror film podcast based out of Richmond Virginia, where host Michael Kent talks to artists and horror enthusiasts about the films and directors that shaped the genre. Whether its body horror, creature features, slashers, occult thrillers and more, Toxic Schlock explores the vast world of horror and how it shapes our lives.
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We wrap up our final mini series with an exploration of the South Korean monster movie modern classic THE HOST! We explore the controversial events that inspired the film, and the cultural influences that director Bong Joon-Ho mirrored in the fim. We're then joined by friend of the show Jesse Akman to discuss Korean cinema, Bong Joon-Ho, and all things the HOST. Stick around after the episode to hear the final words from host Michael Kent as Toxic Schlock comes to a close and discusses future horror related projects.
Our Monster Movie series enters the golden age of practical FX with an exploration of David Cronenberg's 1986 classic THE FLY! We covered Cronenberg's early career in our episode on THE BROOD during our Body Horror series, and now we follow it up with a deep dive into his incredible run of Scanners, Videodrome, and the Dead Zone, leading to his botched attempt at TOTAL RECALL, and the tragedy that made his work on The Fly possible. We're then joined by returning guest Sam Sutherland (155 Podcast) to discuss Cronenberg, Canadian horror, practical FX, and the many allegorical readings of the Fly! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
Our Monster Movie series continues with a deep dive on the king of all monsters GODZILLA! We explore the slew of tragic historical events that led to the inception of the 1954 Kaiju classic GOJIRA, the early life of director Ishiro Honda, and the cultural impact left in the film's wake. We're then joined by Winston Ward of the fantastic magazine and podcast INFINITE WORLDS to discuss the history, evolution, and legacy of one of cinema's most iconic creations. Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
In a very special bonus Monster Movie episode, John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats) returns to the show to discuss 50s b-movies, the evolution and perception of Monster Movies, MST3K, and his film pick, the 1958 gem THE CRAWLING EYE. As we discuss in the intro, since this was a last minute addition to our Monster Movie series, this episode skips our usual historical/cultural background section and jumps straight to our deep dive into all things CRAWLING EYE! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
Our special Halloween bonus episode has come around once more, and Michael is again joined by his wife Sam, but this time around, they do a ranking of the Halloween franchise!! Its not as bad as they make it sound in the episode, and most of the Halloween movies have some great moments, but its also a series with some absolute absurdity in between them. Where do Rob Zombie's remake films rank in the series? What about Halloween Kills? Only one way to find out! Evil Dies Tonight! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
We kick off our final Toxic Schlock mini series on Monster movies by going back to where it all started: FRANKENSTEIN! We explore the early life of author Mary Shelly and the road to the creation of her debut novel, and how it ended up in 1931 as the most iconic horror film of all time. We're then joined by the hosts of Horror Vanguard to discuss Shelley, Boris Karloff, and the politics (and many adaptations) of Frankenstein! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
A special mini episode addressing the future of Toxic Schlock. If this show has ever meant anything to you, we truly appreciate you listening in. Thank you. Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
Michael is joined by his pals Matty and Sam from the podcast 2MUCHTV to discuss the wildly underrated 2020 Korean horror film THE CALL! The Call is available now on Netflix and is such a unique take on contemporary horror! Pull it up on your TV and watch along as Michael, Sam, and Matty explore the film, Woodstock 99, Nu Metal, the incredible wave of new South Korean horror films, and so much more! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
In the early 20th century, HP Lovecraft revolutionized horror literature by bringing horror to a cosmic level of despair and incorporating a philosophical level of pessimism to mankind's place in uncaring universe. This concept has been expanded and developed in recent decades, with authors like Thomas Ligotti and Eugene Thacker helping bring cosmic horror into mainstream pop culture like True Detective and Jay-Z music videos. In a special between season episode, we are joined by Tomas Lindberg of Swedish Death Metal icons At The Gates to discuss Lovecraft, cosmic horror, pessimist philosophy, and their influence on the upcoming At The Gates album "The Nightmare of Being" Stick around after the interview to hear the announcement of our upcoming listener's choice mini series, where you can vote for what you want us to cover in our next mini series! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
In 1693, the infamous Salem Witch Trials ended in nineteen innocent people being executed. Although this is the most famous case of witch killings in America, the decades before showed New England being gripped by Witchcraft with hysteria, with accounts of alleged demonic possessions and subsequent executions, setting a precedent for the Salem controversies that followed. We end our series on Satan in horror with an exploration of the cases of Elizabeth Knapp and Goody Ann Glover, where religious paranoia gripped entire communities. We are then joined by Meredith Graves (Kickstarter Music, ex-Perfect Pussy/MTV News) to discuss Robert Egger's modern classic film The VVitch. We discuss the film's profound historical authenticity, magick and witchcraft in contemporary culture, the failings of a puritan patriarchal culture and how it fails eldest daughters, the wide cultural impact of the film, and much much more. The conversation with Meredith begins at 19:30 Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
The 1980s was an era defined by fear of Satan and the Occult, with a prevailing sentiment that we were all surrounded by an evil cabal of devil worshippers. Regardless of the fact that this was fiction, it shaped culture for years to come. In 2009, Ti West released the film THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, where we see what it would like if these evil cults were real. In today's episode of Toxic Schlock we explore what led to the Satanic Panic, and how it shaped an era. We're then joined by Scott Hicks of NC punk band Totally Slow to discuss Ti West's film, and its approach to 1980s aesthetics, nostalgia, and cinema. Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
Michael is joined by former guests Erik Button and Dylan Wachman of Dollar Signs to watch John Carpenter's 1982 all time classic, THE THING! The Thing recently won our March Madness bracket as the best horror film of all time, so it was a real treat to sit down with two friends and former guests to talk about the film, John Carpenter, body horror, the wettest and slimiest horror film imaginable, Zack Snyder, David Cronenberg, modern horror, Kurt Russell, Day of the Dead, Lovecraftian horror films, movie remakes, and so much more! Join our Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/toxicschlock to hear the full episode in its entirety
Our series on Satan in Horror rolls on with an exploration of the iconic 1976 classic THE OMEN! We dive into the rise of doomsday conspiracy theories in the early 1970s, and how this speculation completely changed the landscape of both mainstream religion and pop culture forever. We're then joined by returning guest Chris Colohan to discuss The Omen, it's iconic soundtrack, the self written mythology of a cursed production, how it compares to it's predecessors like ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE EXORCIST, and its cultural footprint on horror! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
Raise those horns and invert those crosses, because we're kicking off our series on SATAN in Horror with an exploration of the 1968 all-time classic film ROSEMARY'S BABY. We dig into the early history of the devil in pop culture, the original novel's author Ira Levin, b-movie director William Castle's bid to make an adaptation, and director Roman Polanski's traumatic early life experiences. After that, we're joined by Ivotres Littles to discuss the film, it's incredible performances, it's place as the origin of high brow horror, its impact on the wave of blasphemous horror films to follow and much more! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
We bring our slasher series to a close with a deep dive into the film that redefined and resurrected the genre, Wes Craven's 1996 blockbuster "SCREAM". We explore the career of Craven, his continuous impact on the genre for 3 decades in a row, and the path to his 90s masterpiece . We're then joined by Tom Breihan (Stereogum, Av Club) to discuss the film's stacked cast, the John Hughes-esque writing of Kevin Williamson, the sad state of slasher cinema in the early 1990s, and how SCREAM's meta horror approach redefined the genre for a new generation. Stick around after the interview, where we'll reveal our new mini season! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
Michael sits down with the folks from the Blood Buddies podcast to watch the 1988 Fantasy Slasher classic CHILD'S PLAY! Pull up the movie on your TV and watch along as they discuss the film's origins, the greatness of Brad Dourif, awkward celebrity encounters, childhood toys, and the bizarre life and legacy of the Child's Play saga! Join our Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/toxicschlock to hear the full episode in its entirety
Pack your sleeping bag, because this week we are going to Camp Crystal Lake for a deep dive into the most iconic Slasher film series of all time: FRIDAY THE 13TH! We explore the film's original HALLOWEEN knock off origins, Shaun Cunningham's early career with Wes Craven, the invention of Jason, Tom Savini's FX, and it's impact on the Slasher genre. After that, Inge Johansson (Gatuplan, ex-Against Me/Totalt Java Morker/ The International Noise Conspiracy) returns to the show to discuss the best Friday film: The Final Chapter, and we answer the immortal question "hey ted, where the hell's the corkscrew?" Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
We continue our Slasher series with a deep dive into one of the best and most important horror films of all time THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. We kick it off by exploring the early life of director Tobe Hooper, the real life inspirations behind the film, and the shoestring budget under which it was created. We're then joined by Sam Sutherland (155, Extremely Online, Junior Battles) to discuss the film, what sets it apart from other slasher films, traumatic movie experiences, the film's unique soundtrack, the intense creation of the film, and much more! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
Michael reunites with the folks from Neon Brainiacs to sit down and watch the 1974 OG holiday slasher classic BLACK CHRISTMAS in its entirety. This is the first 15 minutes of our 2+ hour episode available only on our Patreon page. Pull up the movie on your TV and watch along with us as we discuss the film, it's impact on all slasher films to come, the careers of it's stacked cast, our favorite holiday flicks, and a whole lot of digressions in between! Join our Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/toxicschlock to hear the full episode in its entirety
Time to kick off our next mini-series: SLASHERS! In this episode, we dive into the early films that begat the blood soaked Slasher boom of the 1980s, with an in-depth exploration of the man who helped define the genre: MARIO BAVA! We explore his early work in cinematography, the creation of the Giallo genre with films like BLOOD AND BLACK LACE, and his film that kick started the Slasher genre: A BAY OF BLOOD! After that, Michael sits down with indie filmmaker William Hellfire to discuss the film, the proto slashers like PSYCHO and THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED that inspired it, Bava's legacy, and how the film created many of the tropes now associated with the genre! Stick around after the discussion to hear our listener's thoughts on what defines a Slasher film! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook
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