Puppet Masters / Castle Freaks

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Episode 149: Ghost Warrior (with Alex Ayling)

2026-01-0959:20

A 16th-century samurai is frozen and awakens in 1980s Los Angeles in GHOST WARRIOR (aka SWORDKILL), a fun and strangely beautiful Empire actioner! Alex Ayling of the Mates From Hell and Evolution of Horror is back to help us unpack this semi-lost treat, which features the sole American film performance from Japanese TV star Hiroshi Fujioka. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong

Episode 148: The Alchemist (with Scott Weinberg)

2026-01-0201:07:47

Critic and podcaster Scott Weinberg joins the prestigious three-timers club as we roll the clock back to the early 1980s for THE ALCHEMIST! This long-shelved supernatural thriller had a troubled production and struggles from a decided lack of energy, but it gives us the opportunity to talk about a few weird pockets of early 80s B-cinema, including the late-career action turn of Robert Ginty and other deliriously weird rabbit holes. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Ghost Warrior

Episode 147: Walking the Edge (with Caroline Johnson)

2025-12-2601:13:20

Get ready for some good old-fashioned early-80s grime with the violent revenge thriller WALKING THE EDGE! The amazing Caroline Johnson from Terror Terroir joins us to wade through this gleefully sleazy Robert Forster/Nancy Kwan/Joe Spinell vehicle, and helps us find the perfect wine pairing for the occasion. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: The Alchemist

Episode 146: BONUS: A Tribute to Special Features (with Michael Felsher)

2025-12-2301:07:39

We're going on a bit of a side quest this week, because why not? For this special bonus episode, we sit down with Michael Felsher from Red Shirt Pictures, which produces documentaries and bonus features for DVDs! We nerd out with Michael about how he got into the industry, some of our favorite DVD extras, and some of his favorite Empire projects. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Walking the Edge

Episode 145: Petticoat Planet (with Kolleen Carney-Hoepfner)

2025-12-1901:03:16

Saddle up, cowgirls, because we're heading off to the distant and sexy world of PETTICOAT PLANET, one of the last true Torchlight films. Kolleen Carney-Hoepfner is back to talk about this erotic journey into the old west of outer space (it's complicated), and why this might be one of the most fun movies in the Torchlight canon. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Walking the Edge

Episode 144: Filmgore (with John Collins)

2025-12-1201:14:44

Author John Collins joins this week for a little slice of deep film history. FILMGORE is part of a nearly-dead genre of compilation films, in this case splicing together the goriest scenes from movies like BLOOD FEAST, DRILLER KILLER and THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE into bite-sized chunks, all hosted by yours cruelly, Elvira Mistress of the Dark! We get to talk about some fascinating little pockets of film history here, from the early home video boom to the career of the Wizard of Gore himself, Herschel Gordon Lewis. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Petticoat Planet

Episode 143: Ooga Booga (with Rigo Garay)

2025-12-0501:11:06

We're ripping the band-aid with this one, folks. This week is all about the... let's say racially insensitive killer doll movie OOGA BOOGA, a riff on the classic "Trilogy of Terror" sequence that feels deeply out of place in 2013. It's a bit of a tough sit for your well-meaning hosts, but it was made much more enjoyable thanks to our special guest, actor and writer Rigo Garay, who lends his wit and perspective to an otherwise pretty unpleasant film. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Filmgore

Episode 142: Doll Graveyard / Dangerous Worry Dolls (with Martin Monster)

2025-11-2801:14:10

This week, multi-thousand-year-old creature from beneath the streets of Brooklyn Martin Monster joins us for a double-dose (or is that doll-ble dose?) of tiny action with DOLL GRAVEYARD and DANGEROUS WORRY DOLLS! The former is a noble attempt to relaunch Full Moon with a new line of killer toys, while the latter is truly one of the strangest films we've covered on this show, a latter-day women-in-prison movie with some standout performances and a good amount of ick. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Ooga Booga

Episode 141: Skull Heads (with Diana Goodman)

2025-11-2101:12:27

A new generation of tiny terrors stalks an old Italian castle and the weirdos that reside within in 2009's SKULL HEADS! We're joined this week by the great Diana Goodman of the Thirty Twenty Ten podcast for the prurient thrills of this dysfunctional family drama, featuring a standout turn from the Queen of Full Moon Robin Sydney! Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Doll Graveyard / Dangerous Worry Dolls

Episode 140: Dr. Moreau's House of Pain (with Brennan Patrick)

2025-11-1401:11:00

HG Wells' classic sci-fi story gets a pseudo-sequel, and Charles Band goes back to shooting on film with DR. MOREAU'S HOUSE OF PAIN! Austin-based actor Brennan Patrick joins us for a discussion of this odd little movie which served as something of a last gasp of the classic era of Full Moon before the Evil Bongs and Gingerdead Men starting running the joint. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Logo by Douglas McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Skullheads

Episode 139: Quadrant (with Sean Redlitz)

2025-11-0701:04:04

Writer and filmmaker Sean Redlitz joins us this week for one of our most recent releases, 2024's AI-powered thriller QUADRANT! This stylish little thriller reteams Charles Band and one of his most reliable collaborators, screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner, but does the AI of it all impact the enjoyability? Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Dr. Moreau's House of Pain

Episode 138: Head of the Family

2025-10-3101:06:20

We're going guestless this week to discuss one of Full Moon's all-timers, the gleefully batshit southern gothic noir meets freakshow HEAD OF THE FAMILY! It's one of our very favorite Full Moon movies, and we're excited to be celebrating the film, and ushering in our theme month of Noirvember, in which we watch the "Noir" versions" of classic Full Moon favorites! Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Quadrant

Episode 137: Birth Rite (with Angel Melanson)

2025-10-2401:11:53

Devin Hamilton (BLEED, DELTA DELTA DIE) unleashes his distinctly entertaining vision of teenage witchcraft with BIRTH RITE! We're joined this week by the incredible Angel Melanson of Fangoria to chat all about the history of the teen witch trend and some of the deeply batshit choices this movie embraces. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Head of the Family

Episode 136: Bad CGI Gator (with queerdem0n)

2025-10-1701:03:14

Horror streamer and podcaster queerdem0n joins us this week for BAD CGI GATOR, a paragon of truth in advertising if there ever was one. This goofy recent Full Moon joint has a lot of fun with it's fourth-wall breaking concept, but does it go silly enough? Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Birth Rite

BONUS: Church of Chills 3 Recap

2025-10-1427:08

For this special mini bonus episode, we're recounting the magical weekend we spent in the Cleve attending Charles Band's Church of Chills 3 event! We got to meet some old friends face-to-face, watch SUBSPECIES II with a room full of fans, and finally got to meet Charles Band in person! Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Bad CGI Gator

Episode 135: Dead and Rotting (with Jeffrey Sisson)

2025-10-1001:04:24

Shot at the tail end of the Tempe era, DEAD AND ROTTING is a nasty little witchcraft thriller that feels tonally far removed from the typical Full Moon fare. It's a bold and interesting flick with some real talent behind it, including our guest Jeffrey Sisson, who appears in the film and has worked a range of odd jobs for Full Moon over the years! NOTE: This is the first of a small run of episodes in which Jarrod's mic is a little wonky; we get it sorted out eventually, and it sounds perfectly fine, just a heads up that it's not the usual quality. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Bad CGI Gator

Episode 134: Catacombs (with Doug McCambridge)

2025-10-0301:03:52

Doug McCambridge is back on the show for what may be our hardest-to-find movie yet: 1988's CATACOMBS! David Schmoeller's demonic horror film had the misfortune of being completed around the time Empire Films shuttered. It spent years in limbo before eventually being released as CURSE IV: THE ULTIMATE SACRIFIC, an unrelated sequel to an obscure 1987 Wil Wheaton movie. We dig into the movie's fascinating history, and are sure to set aside plenty of time to rant about the ineptitudes of Daily Motion. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Dead and Rotting

Episode 133: BONUS: An Interview with Debbie Rochon

2025-09-3001:07:29

This week we're thrilled to be joined by underground horror icon Debbie Rochon! Debbie has been in dozens of classic B-movies from Troma, Full Moon and everyone in between. We talk to Debbie about her experience coming up in the industry, recognizing the talent of a young James Gunn in TROMEO & JULIET, and of course all about her experience working with Full Moon. She's every bit as awesome as you'd hope, and we're psyched to have gotten to chat with her! Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Catacombs

Episode 132: Pulse Pounders (with Rachel Reeves)

2025-09-2601:14:17

We're digging way into the archives this week for one of Empire's semi-lost treasures: the anthology film PULSE POUNDERS! Shot in 1987, the film was intended to be a package of three short films, two of which would mark the first returns to previous Empire favorites; sadly, when the company went under, the unfinished 35MM print was destroyed, and the film was thought lost until 2011, when VHS prints of two of the segments (TRANCERS: CITY OF ANGELS and THE EVIL CLERGYMAN) were discovered and re-released in an admittedly rough form. We're joined by the great Rachel Reeves of the HALLOWEENIES and LOSER'S CLUB podcasts! Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Catacombs

Episode 131: Talisman (with Meredith Borders)

2025-09-1901:06:23

It's time for another mid-90's David DeCoteau joint, with 100% more POWER RANGERS and about the same amount of hot boys in their underwear. We're talking about 1998's TALISMAN, DeCoteau's low-budget riff on SUSPIRIA, and we're chatting all about it with the amazing Meredith Borders, writer and editor from FANGORIA! Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck Logo by Doug McCambridge Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Pulse Pounders

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