My friend Chris Herzog joins me to talk about a serial from 1934 – THE RETURN OF CHANDU! Chris hasn’t been on the show since we discussed the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films back in episode #15. It was Bela Lugosi’s starring role that enticed him to come back for a conversation about this fantasy adventure in which the legendary horror actor plays the heroic lead! That’s right - Lugosi is the hero in this twelve-part serial. Will wonders never cease?   We discuss the radio show Chandu the Magician, from which this was adapted and the 1932 film that preceded this production in which Lugosi played the villain, Roxor. Neither of us can think of another sequel that recasts the hero to be played by the actor who portrayed the bad guy in the original, but that’s what happened with Chandu. We talk about the director’s work in Hollywood and his other serials as well as his work with the great William Whitney. We point out the reused sets from KING KONG and marvel at the giant cat statue in the Lemurian temple set. Cool stuff! And we lament that Chandu’s family seems to have been put on this earth to serve as eternal victims in need of rescuing. You think he could have let one of them die just to get the others to stay home next time!   If you are a Bela Lugosi fan or a fan of his various serials thebloodypit@gmail is the place to let that flag fly. And if you enjoy the show let us know. Thanks for listening.

Author John Kenneth Muir returns to the show to discuss another science fiction television show! BLAKE’S 7 aired in Britain from 1978 to 1981 and was a major hit but was not renewed for a fifth season. That the show remains beloved decades later points to the typical short sighted BBC decision making process in such matters. With the recent announcement of Blu-Ray releases we decided that the time was right to talk about the show and our years long love of it. Since Mr. Muir has written a book on the subject, he is the perfect person to speak to about the show which was sold as ‘The Dirty Dozen in Space’. If you’ve never seen the series, we try to avoid most spoilers but a couple of things do leak through as we go along. Our conversation starts with how we each discovered the show and our initial reactions to the ‘anti-Star Trek’ with the adult nature of the storytelling being our main focus. We discuss the dystopian universe presented and give a brief overview of the ‘rebels vs the federation’ structure of the story. The dark and often cruel tone of the characters and the events they have to deal with is a topic we return to throughout the episode. We also fit in an examination of some of the classic science fiction tropes that the show uses and the creative spin the writers employ to include them. We had a great time digging into BLAKE’S 7 and we hope you will enjoy what we have to say even if you’ve not yet seen the series.

Today the pond – tomorrow the world! Author Mark Clark returns to the show to talk about the epic (?) animal attack film FROGS (1972). We discuss that genre as well as the ecological horror sub-genre that this movie falls into comfortably. The goal with this episode was to limit ourselves to a single movie as a way to control the conversation, but that did not happen. Listing other 1970’s eco-horror movies leads to a slippery slope that has us spending a little too much time talking about GODZILLA VS THE SMOG MONSTER. There is no reining us in! We discuss the cast and crew as we examine the film’s rather relaxed pace. Mark lays the blame for most of the film’s faults at the feet of the director and I have a hard time disagreeing. I admit to being shocked at the naked upper lip of Sam Elliot and remain convinced his character’s name is significant in describing his place in the narrative. I mean, when the rich family being besieged by frogs is named Crockett the writers were clearly playing with descriptive nomenclature. Or they were just having a laugh. But the most interesting part of the show has to be Mark’s theory about why the movie is named Frogs instead of after any of the more deadly creatures that assault the humans in the story. He may have something there but it had never occurred to me before.   If you have any thoughts on FROGS or any of the other ecological horror movies of the 1970’s thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening!

Troy Guinn and I return to Universal Land for the sequel to CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN – JUNGLE WOMAN (1944)! Is this the worst film the studio produced in the 1940’s? We’ll let you decided as we give our opinions and posit ways the film could have been better. Much better!   Attempting to imitate the successful Val Lewton productions at RKO, the producers of this non-jungle epic seemed to feel that simply aping the structure of CAT PEOPLE and copying the memorable set-pieces from that classic would be a winning formula. Sadly, that is far from the case as JUNGLE WOMAN comes up short in every category. Troy and I try to puzzle out the reasons for certain choices and debate the qualities of the acting in the titular role. Of course, any film with J. Carrol Naish has points of interest just because of his talent, but he seems to have been given a number of obstacles to creating a memorable ‘mad’ scientist. A rushed production and a sub-par script are rarely a combination for a classic. On that point, we discuss the film’s dialog with a certain line becoming a reoccurring audio drop in the show. Sorry about that!   If you have any comments about this film or any of the movies we’ve cover thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you very much for listening. We’ll be back soon.

HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980) is no normal Italian zombie film. Coming hard on the heels of both George Romero’s genre-defining DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) and the now classic ZOMBIE (1979) from director Lucio Fulci this Bruno Mattei/Claudio Fragasso effort ‘borrows’ elements from both. In some cases, the things recycled are surprising, such as the chunks of music composed by Goblin for Romero’s film being inserted into the soundtrack. Other things that get borrowed are to be expected, like an attempt to one up the famous Fulci eye trauma sequence that made audiences worldwide to shudder. But the things that cause HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD to stick in most viewers’ memories are the strange asides, terrible dialog, unexpected nudity and slow-motion stock footage of animals. Oh – and the bizarre tutu scene! No one ever forgets that. Three stalwart defenders of this twisted zombie epic join me to discuss the haphazard, sloppy film that was produced. They want to call it a classic. I just want to call it over! Troy Guinn, Jeff Nelson and John Hudson vigorously lay out a series of justifications for what I see as cinema crimes and finally manage to get me to admit to a few points of agreement. We examine the odd actions that characters in zombie film make for no discernable reason. We spend some time trying to figure out if the script was working its way through an exploitation checklist or if there was a less mercenary reason for the way things unfold. Each of us relates out history with the film and pick out favorite Bruno Mattei films from across his career. At some point we get lost in the possibilities of a 21st century BetaMax rental business but we retreat from that financially doomed idea soon enough. And we end the show with a unique musical contribution from Troy’s oft-mentioned brother! If you have any comments about HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD or any Italian zombie films thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening!

Writer Randy Fox returns to discuss a classic science fiction film from the 1970’s. A BOY AND HIS DOG (1975) was a box office flop initially but became a beloved cult movie pretty quickly. It is one of the very few adaptations of a Harlan Ellison story that got the author’s 95% approval and we dig into the reasons for that in our discussion. Hugely influential, the film stands as a still relevant template for post-apocalyptic cinema all the way up to the recent TV series FALLOUT. Made for less than half a million dollars it is the rare low budget science fiction film that doesn’t show its financial constraints and manages to turn some detriments into positives. Featuring a fine central performance from Don Johnson and excellent supporting work from his canine companion (voiced by actor/musician Tim McIntire) the movie brings the original story to life brilliantly. We discuss the differences from the novella and the reasons for them as well as the few smart improvements the script weaves into the tale. Randy and I share our histories with the film and our own encounters with the legendary Ellison over the years. We dig into the charges of misogyny and misanthropy that are often leveled at the movie pulling apart the details to search for defenses. We find a few.     If you have any comments about A BOY AND HIS DOG or other 1970’s science fiction films thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening!

John Hudson and Bobby Hazzard join me for a raucous discussion of this bizarre Australian oddity. Are we able to figure out the story? What do we think of the main character? Do we maintain our sanity before the invisible chimp rears his furry head to fling poop everywhere? Thank goodness for the laughing audience in the room to keep us on track and aware of how silly we can be.   SONS OF STEEL (1988) is a film built out of bits & pieces of earlier films but without the budget necessary to pull it off. It seems to be assembled from random parts of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Blade Runner, Back to the Future, Max Headroom and a little barbarian imagery for texture. The film follows Black Alice, a pompous singer strutting around a dystopian near-future momentarily mourning his dead girlfriend and trying to become a rock star. Strangely, he is also somehow an environmental peace activist – or at least we are told this by agents of the Oceana government. (Did I mention that 1984 is ripped off as well?) The movie is a series of music videos struggling to tell a tale of revolution, love and violence but the most memorable moments are the very 80’s songs scattered across the soundtrack. In Spiritus Wank’em!   If you have any thoughts on Black Alice, SONS OF STEEL or the sequel novels penning by the writer/director, thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening to the show!

Mark Maddox and I continue our journey through the first six Star Trek movies and now reach THE FINAL FRONTIER (1989). We have been both dreading and looking forward to revisiting this film. Thirty-five years later is it still as bad we remember? Are there hidden moments of quality buried in this bad idea given cinematic form? Join us as we pull this thing apart and inspect it’s sad remains. We use Shatner’s own story of the production from his Movie Memories book to supplement the usual sources. It adds a lot to know the genesis of the film’s basic story and emphasizes just how easily a poor central concept can cripple a project. Also, aspiring writers can take note of this film as a solid example of bad scriptwriting on nearly every level. Neither of us find much to admire in STAR TREK V but there are a few good moments. Sadly, those few quality elements have to rest side by side with insults to nearly every regular character and simply awful dialog. The film’s humor mostly revolves around laughing ‘at’ the characters and never ‘with’ them. It undermines so many years of goodwill built up by the franchise for the sake of bad jokes, dumb ideas and idiotic coincidences that we can only be grateful it wasn’t the last film to feature the original cast. Row, row, row your boat indeed. Comments about this film, the podcast or Star Trek in general can be sent to thebloodypit@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to hear from you. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon.

Troy and I poke our heads into a Universal Studio haunted house, spot vaudeville act Olsen & Johnson and run away. Well – not really. But our first viewing of this nearly forgotten comedy horror film is not the fun we might have hoped. Did we enjoy it at all? Give the show a listen and we’ll point out the highs and lows. GHOST CATCHERS (1944) stars a number of very talented actors and singers but it also stars Olsen & Johnson – or, as I will eternally think of them, Faster & Louder. Nearly none of their supposed gift for humor translates effectively from the stage if this film is any indicator. The movie’s silly plot is actually two different story ideas welded together with four songs and a lot of flat jokes. For both of us the film squandered what little goodwill we may have had for it in a certain horsey scene, but we’ll let you discover that along the way. We were surprised that a couple of the songs were pretty great but when a horror comedy’s highlight points out that it is more successful as a musical than anything else, there is a problem. (And we even get the title of the best song wrong in our discussion!) But funny is in the eye of the beholder so you may actually enjoy this odd Universal effort. And did we mention Lon Chaney’s very small role?   If you have any comments about this film or vaudeville more broadly thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to write. Thank you for listening.

It has been far too long since Troy and I gathered around the male bag….uuuhh…MAIL bag to find out what folks listening to the podcast think! Or, at least if they want to make fun of me. I’ll take any attention, so - cool!   We are months behind checking out the email account so some of these messages date back to 2023. I apologize about this but also think sometimes the wait is worth it. I mean what other show has a discussion of Bruno Mattei, Japanese comedy/drama film series Tora-san, WAR OF THE WORLD’s symbolism and the thousands of film appearances of actor Morris Ankrum. Clearly, The Bloody Pit is filling an important niche in the movie discussion podcast world! And did I mention we have a visit from Vincent Price? Or possibly his ghost. With a cold. It’ll all make sense when you listen to the episode. Maybe.  And if you’re interested in the podcast mentioned in the show that dives into the Golden Age of Ninja movies, you can give it a listen at this LINK.  For those who want to contribute to the next email episode thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send your thoughts. And thank you for listening!

WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953) and INVADERS FROM MARS (1953) are two of the most beloved of the dozens of science fiction movies from that paranoid Cold War decade. Author Mark Clark joins me to compare and contrast them as we look at the massive differences in scale, budget and point of view that give each film its unique feel. Recent Blu-Ray releases allow a fresh evaluation of these movies and we dig into them from angles both personal and societal. Spoilers rise from every sandpit, so be aware!   We tackle the magnificent WAR OF THE WORLDS first, examining the elements taken from the source novel as well as from the classic Orson Wells radio adaptation. We discuss the story structure and the cast of amazing character actors familiar at the time from both radio shows and film. Design concepts and the faint traces of the book’s tripods are touched on before we dig into the film rushed to theaters to compete – INVADERS FROM MARS! The William Cameron Menzies production design is discussed as well as the ‘trashy science fiction magazines’ that seemed to inspire some the incredible images. We argue a bit over our preferred length but both of us wish there was less military stock footage slowing things down. The alternate British ending is brought up and I detail how I wish the American version ended. We do go on!  If you have thoughts on either of these Martian invasion movies thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening.

Mark Maddox returns to the show as we continue our journey through the first six Star Trek films. STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986) is one of the most popular of the series and stood for decades as the most profitable entry. The humor and clever plotting of the story still works nearly forty years later with the original cast shining with few exceptions. Of course, we pick at the minor complaints I have with the movie while Mark tells me I’m a killjoy who can only be happy with darkness and violence. That might be (slightly) true but I will leave that mirror reflection as something for others to examine alongside me as I make fun of Mark for sillier things. Much sillier things!   We discuss the film’s production including our thoughts on the Eddie Murphy connection and how it would have changed all future Trek films. I lament the deletion of the pregnancy detail and the possible stories that could have come from it. I question the odd visual choice for depicting the time travel sequence while Mark’s respect for me falls even further into a hole. Those hoping for the two us to argue will have a few moments of fun. The strangest of these comes from our discussion of cringy 80’s humor with Mark somehow unable to remember one of the most common derogatory terms of the period. That man’s mind is going!   If you have thoughts on Star Trek IV or the series in general thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We’ll be back soon to tackle V – oh, my! Thanks for listening.

I am joined by the bane of my podcasting existence John Hudson and the much nicer Bobby Hazzard to heap praise upon EATING RAOUL (1982).  This is the film I’ve always though of as ground zero for Paul Bartel appreciation and more than forty years later I think it still holds up as the perfect introduction to his comedic sensibilities. If you laugh your way through this film, chances are good that you will love his other movies as well. Even the ones that don’t involves running over little old ladies to win a cross-country race or cannibalism.  We jump into the discussion by detailing our history with Bartel’s work and what each of us find so appealing about his screen persona. All three of us bring some tales of the production history to the table with the start and stop nature of the filming process leading to information about locations and casting. We do eventually get to a synopsis of the plot and spoil most of the funnier moments so be aware that you should probably watch the movie before listening to us giggle our way though the many deaths by frying pan. Our peanut gallery has returned for this episode taking the time to laugh with and at us during the show. Long time podcast fans will recognize Beth and Steph from previous episodes but we also get some very funny contributions from Laura as well. Luckily, she keeps John in line and I will take any help I can get corralling the monkey-mad Mr. Hudson. Strap in for this one, folks and stay out of the hot tub!   The show can be reached at thebloodypit@gmail.com where we’ll be thrilled to hear from you. You can also find the show on our Facebook page and wherever odder podcasts are downloaded. Thank you for listening.

I welcome writer Holger Haase to the show to discuss the 1960’s Dr. Mabuse films! Holger has written an essay published for Kindle called ‘The Many Masks of Dr. Mabuse: Mabuse in the 1960s’.  Reading this prompted me to finally talk directly to Holger. The two of us have known each other for decades but it took our mutual love of these German crime films to use the internet to speak in a non-text based way. It was a little weird.   We go (mostly) chronologically through the six films discussing each in turn. If you want to follow along at home here’s a list of the movies we talk about in this episode: 1. THE 1000 EYES OF DR. MABUSE (1960) 2. THE RETURN OF DR. MABUSE (1961)  3. THE INVISIBLE DR. MABUSE (1962)  4. THE TESTEMENT OF DR. MABUSE (1962) 5. DR. MABUSE VS SCOTLAND YARD (1963) 6. THE DEATH RAY OF DR. MABUSE (1964) We touch on the cast members with extra attention to the ones that show up in multiple films even when their character’s names mysteriously change. Scriptwriter Ladislas Fodor’s impressive career is discussed as well as directors Fritz Lang and Harald Reinl who brought their many talents to the series. This series of films seems to have been forgotten over the past couple of decades, overshadowed by the original Lang films from 1922 and 1933. We hope to spur some interest in cinema fans curious to discover the hidden joys of these clever crime movies. They really are addictive!   If you have thoughts on the Mabuse films or the krimi cycle that they parallel thebloodypit@gmail.com is where you can send them. We’ll be happy to hear from you. Thanks for listening.

Troy and I return to the Universal Horrors of the 1940’s to check out the fifth and last of the Invisible Man series. THE INVISIBLE MAN’S REVENGE (1944) is sometimes seen as a strong final entry but both of us find far too many loose ends and discordant elements to fully enjoy the film. I must caution you that we spoil this one completely early on and I find myself cursing more than normal as we discuss the questions the movie throws in our faces. Sorry about that.   This is an interesting film but mostly for the wrong reasons. We try to pinpoint all the spots where the original, nastier version of this story peeks through the softened final product. The amazing Gale Sondergaard is a victim of the alterations to the story and disappears after only two scenes – we were displeased by this! The timeline of the Robert Griffin character is confusing and neither of us can work out how he carried around a piece of paper with his name on it for five years but didn’t know his own identity. I spend time marveling at how unlikable Griffin is throughout the story. Jon Hall does a great job in the role but he is playing a man with no redeeming qualities and a hair-trigger propensity for violence. This is our hero? Following on from the previous sequels we get the series’ now standard irritating ‘humor’ culminating in a dart competition that goes on forever. Both of us found this to be the weakest of the Universal Invisible Man cycle and would be curious to find fans of the film to defend it.   If you do want to stick up for THE INVISIBLE MAN’S REVENGE drop us a note at thebloodypit@gmail.com – we really are interested in hearing a defense of this one.

2024 begins with a 1970’s European horror gem! Bob Sargent joins Troy and I to discuss THE DEVIL’S WEDDING NIGHT (1973). It’s a fun gothic story with Mark Damon and Rosalba Neri (still using the Sara Bay stage name) about vampires, the ring of the Nibelungen and nudity. Lots of nudity! Warning – we completely spoil this one. Sorry but we had to dissect the final scene with its multiple endings.  As usual with this trio we let Bob pick the film and this time he hit a home run. It turned out to be a first viewing for Troy and it was fascinating to have his fresh take on this old favorite. We talk about the film’s genesis with star/producer Damon shopping the script around for a long while before getting it financed. The film is very much an R rated version of the Roger Corman Poe films done with a little less style and a lot less clothing. We pick at the story as we go along but each of us enjoyed the twin roles from the lead and sly, sexy performance from Neri. She is a sight to behold with her electric screen charisma registering here in gigawatts. Her abilities are impressive when just the slightest shift in the tilt of her head can communicate paragraphs of information.  We talk a bit about some of the anachronistic elements in the film and puzzle for a long time over where those satanic henchmen spend their time between virgin sacrifices. And we end up lamenting that this sleazy classic spawned no sequel! How did that happen?   If you have any comments on the film thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon.

December brings our annual Holiday Horror episode! John Hudson and Troy Guinn join me to discuss the anthology film A CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY (2015) – we like it. We keep the conversation almost completely spoiler free with only a few third act details being alluded to as we go along. We talk about the possibility that Shatner might have ad-libbed some of his dialog as DJ Dangerous Dan and marvel at his ability to bend a syllable. Each of us picks our favorite of the stories presented and Troy points to some paths he thought the narrative might take that were skipped past. The darkly humorous nature of elements of the film are discussed with attention to how the laughs add to the entertainment level. We also bring up a couple of other recently seen Christmas horror movies as examples of our annual desire to see more of this subgenre. Toshi the cat visits us to rub up against the microphone and disrupt our trains of thought, such as they are. And the show ends with a brief tale about Mr. Hudson having been recognized as a recently published Cinema Sewer interviewer. Cool stuff! We hope everyone has a Happy Holiday season and if you have any comments about the show thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Stay safe and hug your loved ones. Thank you for listening.

Author Troy Howarth returns to the show to talk about the second feature film of Agatha Christie’s TEN LITTLE INDIANS (1965). We compare it to the superior 1945 version and a couple of later attempts to bring this sturdy tale to the big screen. Both of us try to not spoil the story for those who have yet to experience the fun, but a few of the surprises do slip into the conversation.  We discuss the novel and its original title as well as the changes Christie made to her bestselling story when she adapted it for the stage. This beautifully photographed black and white movie is a stylish and well-cast progenitor of the slasher horror genre in which the mysterious killer murders his victims in darkly humorous ways, whittling the cast down for our entertainment. The cast is fascinating and we dig into the careers of several of them touching on their high and low points. Troy’s appreciation of Dennis Price surfaces with me teasing him about a possible future writing project. Fingers crossed! I point to a couple of small things that stand out as ill-fitting or overlong but we both think highly of this strong revisioning of this always intriguing tale. I’m just not sure I’m ready for the Frank Stallone version.   If you have a favorite screen adaptation of this story let us know at thebloodypit@gmail.com – we’ll be glad to hear from you. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon.

Author Randy Fox returns to the show so that we can continue our series on 1970’s Science Fiction films! This time we look at the fascinating directorial debut of graphic designer Saul Bass, PHASE IV (1974). The film was a financial failure at the time of release but its status as a cult film has grown slowly over the decades.  We look at the many cinematic influences the film’s story draws from including THE NAKED JUNGLE (1954), THE ANROMEDA STRAIN (1971) and 2001: A SPACE ODESSEY (1968). We marvel over the ant photography that allows the film to so clearly show us the world of these newly altered insects traveling into their hives and, at times, seemingly into their minds. We discuss the small cast even as I question why they bothered to give the characters proper names at all. Given Saul Bass’ background as a visual artist it is no surprise that the film produces a dozen or more unforgettable images and we try to point out as many of them as possible. The choice to use a voiceover is put to the test with Randy’s dreaded ‘professor with a pointer’ serving as our classic example of going too far! We dig into the ways the human living spaces are presented in comparison to those of the ants and how a break in that alignment shows a specific communication change in the story. Of course, we occasionally veer off topic as things point us toward other subjects but I’m happy to say we always find our way back to the film under the magnifying glass.  Do you have thoughts about PHASE IV or other films that stuck with you even though you weren’t sure if you liked them? If so, thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address to send those comments. Thank you for listening!

Since we will be covering four more Inner Sanctum films in 2024 it was suggested that I might want to acquaint podcast listeners with some of the old radio shows. I love these wonderful horror and suspense tales but most folks have never sought them out. They are quite entertaining as examples of ‘Theater of the Mind’ exercises and, as I explain in my introductions, the Inner Sanctum show may have been the starting point for a horror trope that persists to this day.  I have picked three interesting episodes that I think will give you a good idea of the tone the program trafficked in and there is even a performance from Boris Karloff to get us started! He is the main character in an adaptation of Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart while Richard Widmark stars in the second grisly story about man’s lust for immortality. The final story I chose because it fits the October season with the title A Corpse for Halloween. Enjoy! If you have any comments or suggestions thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thanks for listening and Happy Halloween!