The Spooky Picture Show

Get ready, fright fans, 1981 was an absolute bloodbath, and we’re throwing the whole year into the ring! In this no-holds-barred horror showdown, we pit the slashers, monsters, and mind-melters of 1981 against each other to see which film truly rules the year. Can THE EVIL DEAD redefine terror with splatter and shrieks, or does AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON tear the competition apart with teeth, tragedy, and transformation? Will HALLOWEEN II and FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 prove the slasher sequel could still sharpen its blade, or do cult killers, campground nightmares, and backwoods legends steal the spotlight? Add in werewolves, psychic head explosions, nightmarish art house horror, and some truly unhinged midnight movie madness, and you’ve got one hell of a fight. Join us as we break down the kills, the scares, the insanity, and the legacy, eliminating contenders one by one until only a single film stands tall as the ultimate horror champion of 1981.

From the red carpet to the local theater, horror has always been about more than just scares - it’s about community. On this frightful episode, we open with a celebration of the genre we love, discussing horror’s historic sweep at the Oscars, before diving into a retrospective of FRIGHT NIGHT PART 2. Most importantly, we discuss our upcoming benefit screening for our dear friend, Erich, currently battling cancer. This episode features a personal statement from him that reminds us all why this community matters so much. It’s an emotional, raw, and deeply personal conversation - we’re honored to share it with you. Let's get Spooky.

On this month's episode, we are joined by a very special guest - a long-time fiend of ours, Mr. Steve "Uncle Creepy" Barton! From his start as a Fangoria message board moderator, to his epic tenure at Dread Central and all the way up into his autobiography - Uncle Creepy drops in to discuss all things Spooky. But this isn’t just shop talk. From unforgettable convention memories and late-night lobby hangs to behind-the-scenes set stories that fans rarely hear, we dig into why this genre isn’t just movies on a screen or words on a page -it’s family, connection, and a lifeline for the beautifully strange. It’s heartfelt, hilarious, and a reminder that in horror, none of us haunt alone. Get ready folks, it's time to get Spooky!

This year’s horror didn’t pull its punches. We’re talking cults, cruelty, end-times anxiety, vampires, zombies, slashers and the kind of moral rot that sticks with you long after the credits roll. We're taking a deep dive into the best of 2025; what worked, what didn’t, and why this year might be remembered as a turning point… or a warning sign.

Blood’s thicker than water… and do these clans prove it! On this frightfully fun episode, we're cracking open the family album from hell, with matriarchs like the chainsaw-slinging brood of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, backwoods dynasties like AMERICAN GOTHIC, and suburban secrets à la THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS and more! We’re talking generational trauma, cannibal cookouts, and inherited homicide like it’s a birthright. Pass the mashed potatoes, dear listeners, and don’t forget to lock your doors. Family dinner’s about to get messy.

Before we were spooky cinephiles, we were sugar-starved gremlins in plastic masks that smelled like burning tires. Childhood Halloween was pure chaos: sprinting across lawns, breathing through a pinhole mask, and trying not to barf after inhaling three mini Snickers in a row. Then came teenage Halloween - suddenly we were “too cool” for trick-or-treating, yet somehow still roaming the streets, sneaking into haunted houses, and ending up at a bonfire wearing eyeliner we pretended wasn’t eyeliner. Now as adults, we pour way too much effort into costumes, buy candy no kids ever show up for, and stay up way past our bedtime watching movies we used to have to sneak. Turns out we never outgrew Halloween - we just swapped the plastic fangs for spirit gum and the pillowcase for a tote bag with bats on it.

Seven horror heavyweights enter, but only one leaves with the crown! From the flesh-hungry dead of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD to the desert-burrowing Graboids of TREMORS, from cursed anthologies in TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE to Annie Wilkes’ brutal obsession in MISERY, 1990 pulled no punches. Add in the skin-crawling swarm of ARACNOPHOBIA, the demonic dread of THE EXORCIST III, and the monstrous outsiders of NIGHTBREED, and you’ve got one hell of a fight. Which film rules them all? Join us as we break them down, limb by limb. It's about to get Spooky!

Romero never let the Dead rest, and neither do we. Come along as we discuss how Romero’s Dead shuffled into the 21st century. We’ll climb into the ivory tower of LAND OF THE DEAD, wrestle with the found-footage chaos of DIARY OF THE DEAD, and weigh the Western-styled grudges of SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD. These films gave us everything from Dennis Hopper’s smug capitalist overlord to camcorder-wielding survivors obsessed with documentation, to families so divided they’d rather fight each other than the zombies at their door. While these entries are often debated among fans, they reveal Romero’s persistence in pushing horror to say something bigger about society. Join us as we sift through what these films meant then - and what they say now. Get ready folks, it's about to get Spooky!

They told our parents these were "family films", but what we got were psychological thrillers dressed in cartoon gloves. In this kickoff to our descent into cinematic betrayal, we revisit the movies that came with songs and smiles but hit us with body horror, death, and despair. From WILLY WONKA’s haunted tunnel to THE BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER’s junkyard of doom, this is where the trauma began - and we’re still trying to make sense of it. If you’ve ever had a sudden flashback to wheeled headless queens or singing air conditioners having breakdowns, you’re not alone.

Sharpen your machetes and lace up your boots - because seven blood-soaked maniacs are entering the ring, and only one’s making it out in one piece! In this splatter-soaked showdown, we’re throwing down the horror greats of 1985. Will Freddy’s flamboyant return in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2 slash through the competition? Can THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD punk-rock its way to the top with brains and black comedy? Does FRIGHT NIGHT still charm the stakes off us, or will RE-ANIMATOR bring it back to life with green-glowing guts and glory? DEMONS is out for blood in a possessed theater, DAY OF THE DEAD drags us into the grim end of the world - and FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 5 crashes the party with sleaze, scream queens, and a body count that won’t quit (even if Jason’s technically MIA). Get ready folks; it's about to get Spooky!

On this frightfully fun episode, we're diving head first into our physical media memories! We remember the joys of grainy bootlegs, tracking lines that danced like spirits, and those dreadful flipper discs that flipped our sanity. Each dusty case pulled from our shelves tells a tale of horror films half-watched, special features lost to disc rot, and collectors' regrets we still wake up screaming about. Let's get Spooky!

It’s an all-you-can-bleed demon buffet, and we’ve got front row seats! This episode, we slice into DEMONS and DEMONS 2, two movies that prove all you need to summon Hell is a mysterious movie ticket and absolutely no safety protocols. Whether it’s in a haunted theater or a cursed apartment complex, these ghouls know how to party. Come for the blood, stay for the motorcycle sword fight, let's get Spooky!

Scream if you love bad decisions, because this episode is a cursed cornucopia of crummy continuations! Join us as we exhume a coffin-load of sequels that should’ve stayed buried. From the vengeful vegetables of Pumpkinhead II to the underwater embarrassment of Jaws: The Revenge, and the satanic nonsense of Warlock: The Armageddon, and more misbegotten monstrosities that dared to crawl from the grave of their predecessors. Bring a shovel, we're digging deep into the cinematic cemetery of suck!

Get ready fright fans - six horror films enter, but only one will survive! In this blood-soaked battle royale, we're pitting 1980’s biggest horror hits against each other, comparing their killers, scares, and legacy. Can Pamela Voorhees slice her way to victory, or will Farmer Vincent turn the competition into his next batch of fritters? Will THE SHINING’s psychological dread outlast the ghostly terror of THE CHANGELING? And can FADE TO BLACK’s Hollywood-obsessed killer stand a chance against THE FOG’s vengeful phantoms? Tune in as we break down each film, eliminate the weakest contenders, and crown the ultimate horror champion of 1980!

Sometimes, a second viewing is all it takes to turn a dud into a delight! In this episode, we’re revisiting horror films we hated the first time around - but for some reason, they finally clicked on a rewatch. Was it a change in perspective? A better appreciation of the craft? Or were we just in a bad mood the first time? From divisive sequels to slow burns that took time to appreciate, we’re diving deep into horror redemption stories!

Grab your crosses and garlic - this fright-filled episode is all about two tales of terror where brothels are more fang-bang than wham-bam - BORDELLO OF BLOOD and FROM DUSK TILL DAWN! We’re sinking our teeth into these sin-drenched slices of vampire cinema, exploring their shared themes, shocking stakes, and chaotic creation. We’ll peel back the coffin lid on BORDELLO OF BLOOD's doomed production and reminisce about our first fateful encounters with these fanged femme fatales. Will both films survive till dawn, or is one getting a stake through the heart? Tune in for all the bloody details - it’s about to get Spooky!

What do you get when you mix vanity, immortality, and a dash of the macabre? A double feature to die for! In this episode, we sharpen our scalpels and dissect the eerie parallels between DEATH BECOMES HER and THE SUBSTANCE, from Hollywood’s sinister beauty standards to the way both films serve up horror with a deliciously dark sense of humor. Who needs ghosts and ghouls when the scariest thing in Hollywood is a wrinkle? Get ready folks; it's about to get Spooky!

Double the stink, double the suffering! On this frightfully fun episode, we're going to take on two of the worst films ever spawned from the bowels of bad cinema. TROLL 2 and THE GARBAGE PAIL KIDS MOVIE - which is the greater abomination? Which film will break our spirits first? Join us as we suffer through terrible special effects, a random musical sequence, questionable parental choices and so much more. Tune in… before our sanity oozes away!

Filmmaker Brandon Salisbury joins us to shine a light on a forgotten corner of cinematic history with his documentary, GEORGE A ROMERO'S RESIDENT EVIL. Together, we unravel the story of how Romero, fresh off his zombie classics, was tapped to adapt the iconic video game franchise before creative differences sent the project spiraling into limbo. Salisbury recounts his journey to track down rare materials, conduct interviews, and ultimately honor the legacy of one of horror’s greatest filmmakers. Let's get Spooky!

Don’t get them wet, don’t feed them after midnight, and definitely don’t miss this episode where we discuss the GREMLINS films! We’re covering the most iconic moments, the rules that caused all the chaos, and how the sequel brought new gremlins to life. How does GREMLINS blend classic creature-feature horror with heartfelt storytelling, and how does GREMLINS 2 turn it all on its head? Find out on this fright-fully fun episode - it's about to get Spooky!