Eros + Massacre

Earlier this year, Klon and I took a deep dive into the Roger Corman Poe series and Klon was kind enough (and possibly masochistic enough) to return for part two! In this episode, we decided to punish ourselves by exploring a series of Poe adaptations made in the late ’80s and early ’90s: Alan Birkinshaw’s The House of Usher (1989) and The Masque of the Red Death (1989), Jim Wynorski’s The Haunting of Morella (1990), George Romero and Dario Argento’s Two Evil Eyes (1990), and Stuart Gordon’s The Pit and the Pendulum (1991). I don’t know if any of these films actually screened on Skinemax (the nickname for late-night American cable TV programming in the ’80s and ’90s that got away with showing a lot more sex, nudity, and softcore erotica), but they all match that vibe. American horror made after the mid ’80s is not usually my focus on this podcast and I think this episode illustrated why, though I always have so much fun talking to Klon that it was worth it. Be sure to check out Klon’s podcast, Late List, which you can find on YouTube (with a really cool video component), Apple, or Spotify. Any other links you might need can be found here! Happy Halloween!!!

I’m back for the first of two Halloween episodes! All of you know and love Bill Ackerman (or should) from his Supporting Characters podcast and/or his work on various blu-ray special features. He joined me for a second episode on the great Mario Bava. This time we’re discussing Lisa and the Devil (1974) and the related abomination The House of Exorcism, which turned the surreal original narrative into an Exorcist rip off with some hilarious added footage. We also talk a lot about Bava’s later career, my beloved Telly Savalas and the films he made in Europe, and more. Bill has returned from hiatus with new episodes of Supporting Characters, so check them out on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! (Linked above.)

I am finally back from finishing my Żuławski book with an episode that is long, long overdue. Cultural historian and cinephile Jessica Shires joined me to gush over our love for Walerian Borowczyk and his radical 1981 gothic horror film, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne. This is meant to serve as something of an introduction to Borowczyk, so we spend some time talking about the development of his career, the importance of surrealism and literary adaptation to his work, and his incredible approach to female characters and women’s sexuality on screen. We love Boro! You can find Jessica here on Instagram — she has impeccable taste and her carefully curated account is highly recommended if you’re an art history fan — and her Projection Booth episodes can be found here, including one we did together on The Story of O.

For the second part of my ongoing series about Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Clara from Angura Research Center was kind enough to return to the show. You might remember her from the episode we did together on Shuji Terayama, but she’s also a huge Kurosawa fan. We had a lot to say about the horror films and thrillers he made at the beginning of the 2000s: Séance (2000), Pulse (2001), Bright Future (2002), Doppelganger (2003), and the short film Matasaburo the Wind Imp (2003). I think you can tell from the episode that we could truly have just kept talking about Kurosawa forever and are both dazzled by him. There are also some shout outs to Seijun Suzuki, Koji Wakamatsu, Masao Adachi, and a free Palestine. You can find Clara’s important work as a writer and translator at her Angura Research Center site and YouTube channel! Here’s a direct link to the interview she mentions where Terayama discusses the influence of Surrealist Rene Magritte. And I say this in the very end of the episode, but Kurosawa’s new film, The Samurai and the Prisoner, will be out in select theaters in the US on July 31!

This April was the great Roger Corman’s centennial, so what better time to finally discuss his work on Eros + Massacre. Writer, artist, programmer, and friend of the show Klon Waldrip joined me for an epic conversation about Corman’s 8-film series loosely based on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. In this episode we discuss: House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Premature Burial (1962), Tales of Terror (1962), The Raven (1963), Lovecraft adaptation The Haunted Palace (1963), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), and The Tomb of Ligeia (1964), and a handful of related films. We talk a lot about the overlapping plots and themes in these narratives, the distinctly American use of gothic tropes, Vincent Price, evil redheads, being obsessed with death, Vincent Price with a side of Peter Lorre, sinister doubles, doomed romance, and so much more. Be sure to check out Klon’s new solo podcast, Late List, which you can find on YouTube (with a really cool video component), Apple, or Spotify. The first episode is all about Something Weird Video!