The Great "Wicker Man" (1973) with Luna Gray from iHorror.com

The Great "Wicker Man" (1973) with Luna Gray from iHorror.com

Stating that Robin Hardy [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0362736/?ref_=tt_ov_1_1]'s original "The Wicker Man [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070917/]" from 1973 is the great version of this tale suggests that the 2006 remake may be good. Thankfully Luna Gray [https://ihorror.com/author/luna/] from iHorror.com [https://ihorror.com] makes sure that CatBusRuss [https://letterboxd.com/catbusruss] knows that this feature is a case of being the one and only film deserving of this title. But with how singular this foundational work of folk horror is, society's car crash mentality may have left our podcast host open to chatting about Nicolas Cage's take on the subject matter. Being from states bordering the Bible Belt and never being too far from Amish communities, Russ may have found the thought of folk horror to be too scary to handle. If it was not for Jess McCord needing a guest for an A24 panel [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5n5P3pnNAEQWuGFeswZFVL?si=09bd9d4c7b0c460c], he may have still been free of this genre, with the exception of the time he and the devout Ally Higgins watched "The Witch". Now our host really wants to see his ex-girlfriend (and current best friend outside Eva: The Queen Kitty) squirm. CatBus may be weary of conservative Christians, but his experiences folk horror thus far makes him yearn for the fun pagan gods. With the incomparable Christopher Lee [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000489/?ref_=tt_ov_3_2] as the face of the Summer Isle's religion, how can anyone resist. Fortunately, the sound mind of Luna Gray keeps our host from accepting any religion. But as for the narrative, does it want you to pick sides between a Catholic cop and a fertility-obsessed community? The Pagans do have the better hymns. And with the music, Luna presents the most important question when it comes to "The Wicker Man": Is it a musical? One thing for certain, this film is a winner. And if you are looking for a winning snack option, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://snwbl.io/doich-foods/RUSS76280] Luna Gray Horror Critic | iHorrorCult, indie, folk, queer, streaming & physical media horror iHorror: https://ihorror.com/author/luna/ [https://ihorror.com/author/luna/] Substack: https://lunagrayhorror.substack.com [https://lunagrayhorror.substack.com/] Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/lunagrayhorror [https://buymeacoffee.com/lunagrayhorror]

Musical Warm Up: The Clash, The Ramones, Dewey Cox, Val Kilmer, and Meat Loaf

CatBusRuss [https://bsky.app/profile/catbusruss.bsky.social] has a fun episode lined up next week in regards to a feature that has a musical status that is debatable. It has plenty of musical numbers, but its themes may overshadow the brilliant use of song and dance. To get you warmed up for that discussion with Luna Gray from iHorror.com [https://ihorror.com/author/luna/], our host went back in the archives for more movies that do not scream musical, but song is a critical part of them. Next weeks conversation (Visit Russ's Letterboxd [https://letterboxd.com/catbusruss] if you want a clue.) will be about a classic horror feature while the films he will be reviewing this week lean more comedic. To try and smooth the transition out, CatBus decided to watch Meat Loaf [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_Loaf]'s return to big screen musicals in "Stage Fright [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2190838/]" (2014). It is an admirable effort, but not worthy to share its title with the Michele Soavi [https://open.spotify.com/episode/182M4Lje66k8hPXVvt7ZRy?si=facca999d0b64c06] classic. To Russ's credit, the next feature he reviews was produced by exploitation maestro, Roger Corman, and perhaps shadow directed by horror legend Joe Dante [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001102/]. "Rock 'n' Roll High School [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079813/]" only serves as a horror feature for mice. Otherwise, it is a fun way to introduce your friends to The Ramones [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramones]. Our host likes the work of Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Marky Ramone, but he personally prefers the punk rock of Great Britain. So how could he resist watching a movie celebrating Joe Strummer [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Strummer]? "London Town [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1724597/]" is a heart-warming tale of an English boy learning to love everything punk (except the Sex Pistols, but nobody is perfect) through the guidance of the face of The Clash [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clash] portrayed by Jonathan Rhys Meyers [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001667/?ref_=tt_cst_t_1]. Sticking with the punk theme, Russ revisits "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0841046/]". John C. Reilly [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000604/]'s comedic tribute to one of America's first music punks, Johnny Cash [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cash], features an all star cast and the most absurdist take on the life of the Man in Black. It is R-Rated content that is reminiscent of "The Kentucky Fried Movie". KFM may have been directed by John Landis, but it was written by Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zucker,_Abrahams_and_Zucker]. They would go on to write and direct "Airplane!", but there best narrative maybe the Val Kilmer [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000174/] vs. Communist musical comedy, "Top Secret! [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088286/]" Was all the surfer rock needed? Our host may be conflicted. If you want to avoid conflict when it comes to snacking, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://snwbl.io/doich-foods/RUSS76280]

QCCC: Ninety for Chill versus Kirkwood Community College Anime Club

For the first time in nearly two years, CatBusRuss [http://letterboxd.com/catbusruss] & ThePoeticCritic [https://letterboxd.com/thepoeticcritic] present the concept of Ninety For Chill [https://ninetyforchill.blogspot.com] to a comic convention. They opened up the fan panels at the first Quad Cities Comic Con [https://www.quadcitiescomiccon.com/]. Russ [https://bsky.app/profile/catbusruss.bsky.social] has found that being the first panel of a convention usually guarantees an audience. This was the case, but were they prepared to amuse the Kirkwood Community College Anime Club [https://www.kirkwood.edu/explore/recreation/clubs-orgs/index]? These kids and chauffeurs had the same drive time from Cedar Rapids and the two sibling had from Peoria. Dubby Energy (use promo code CatBusRuss at checkout for 10% off your order) [https://dubby.gg] and punch & pie at least made the audience comfortable, but what were they going to bring to the conversation? How were they going to react when our podcast host suggests, "Does Hayao Miyazaki really need two hours to tell his tales?" CatBus was game for a fight. Would ThePoeticCritic succeed as a referee in providing counter arguments? Surely explaining box office motivations and the art of writing screenplays will assure that everyone will walk away happy. Speaking of confrontation, this panel inspired Russ to finally watch "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14824600/]". This anime spinoff and means for Newline Cinema's to retain the theatrical rights to the franchise clocks in at 2 hours 14 minutes. The film is not a Tolkien tale, just inspired by his Appendices. Should it have been over 100 minutes in runtime? Was any of it worth it? If your looking for something worthwhile, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://snwbl.io/doich-foods/RUSS76280]

QC Fright Con & Planet Funk Con 2026 vs. Scanner Cop 2

CatBusRuss [https://letterboxd.com/catbusruss] is worn out. He thought it was going to be a chore attending the panel-lacking Planet Funk Con [https://www.planetfunkcon.com/] & QC Fright Con [https://www.qcfrightcon.com/] for Sunday, but he has to put in the time to promote "I Dig Crazy Flicks [https://idigcrazyflicks.com]", even if he has to wake up at 4:10 am to impress at his new full-time job for the next couple of weeks. Attending the last day allowed him to get his steps in and check out a James Pax [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0657070/] panel. If only they had turned up the mics loud enough for him to get the attention OG Raiden deserved over the crowd wandering the primary convention. As for Saturday, the only thing hurting was the wallet. But he was able to get an autographed Funko Pop! from Brian O'Halloran [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0641168/] and some fun face-to-face time with Brad "Cinema Snob" Jones [https://www.thecinemasnob.com/] and Sam "Flash Gordon" Jones [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0429207/]. If he felt any shame when talking to the "Saviour of the Universe", its that he did not smoke as much pot as Seth MacFarlane [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0532235/] did growing up and watching the IP George Lucas could not obtain. Not being just like the "Ted [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637725/]" creator may have cost him a potential podcast guest. Russ [https://bsky.app/profile/catbusruss.bsky.social] may have tried to make up for his lack of debauchery by attending all the after hours event at the con. Friday was checking out video game music cover band Big Head Mode [https://www.instagram.com/bigheadmodeqc/]. Saturday was the Nerds in Heat Nerdlesque [https://www.facebook.com/61577577786517/posts/dearest-gentle-readersthe-ton-is-abuzz-with-the-most-scandalous-news-put-down-yo/122178061142919259/] show and visiting his first after hours Moonlight Maid Cafe [https://moonlightmaidcafe.square.site/]". If you are wondering why this episode was released a day late, CatBus has been exhausted since coming back to Chambana. On top of that, his New Year's Resolution was to watch 15 movies a month. Monday and Tuesday were dedicated to maintaining that trend. Tuesday's feature was the sequel to "Scanner Cop [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6s9kFqYFoAGK5QoZWGM24M?si=4dd1c862477e4d57]", "Scanner Cop 2: Volkin's Revenge [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114344/]". This scanner vs. scanner affair was not a winner, but how could it be after he watched James Gunn's "Superman" [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5950044/] the night prior. If only had a date to catch "Supergirl [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8814476/]" instead, he would feel like a winner on so many levels. A sure was to feel like a winner is to try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://snwbl.io/doich-foods/RUSS76280]

Planet Funk Con, QC Fright Con, and "Scanner Cop"

CatBusRuss [https://letterboxd.com/catbusruss] is starting a new job this Monday, so regardless if he was asked to host his "I Dig Crazy Flicks [https://idigcrazyflicks.com]" panels, he is getting one more convention out of the way. This has led him to a chill pair of conventions in Davenport with movie stars that get him hyped for a film. Welcome to QC Fright Con [https://www.qcfrightcon.com/] & Planet Funk Con [https://www.planetfunkcon.com/]. Our host was made aware of Planet Funk Con from watching Cinema Snob [https://www.thecinemasnob.com/] videos in 2025 to promote his appearance there. By the time Brad Jones was advertising it, it was too late to apply as a panelists. Russ did apply this year, and received an email making sure that he was available because they "we're going to schedule all of your panels", but he never received any further updates. After seeing that Planet Funk only had one panel room, doubts arose. When he contacted the con about the schedule, all he received back was the same info being advertised. This left our host a little frustrated after restocking promotional buttons, but the Peoria Chiefs and the Chicago Cubs are out of town. The Quad Cities is as good of an escape as any place else. And thus far, he has no regrets. Just confusion that QC Fright Con and Planet Funk Con are being advertised as two different events. Why is Sam Jones [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0429207/] of "Flash Gordon" fame a celebrity at the horror con? Was it because you cannot have more than one Jones per con? Does CatBus need to provide claymores to the two since there can be only one? Russ got to meet Ken Foree [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0286010/], talk shop with a 3D Pokeball dealer whom he met at Quad City Comic Con [https://open.spotify.com/episode/30apqqPMv3zDQ3w7VGxs0y?si=8e88759017ba4307] and Indiana Comic Convention [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4OPBA8VLcLKPqyEBb6ZyDa?si=be45e177f47a417b], and having a great chat with Brian O'Halloran [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4eSJRAHLPg7REuh8ymWoDN?si=6ab6a02aea514e24] about podcasting and shared trauma of being clerks. Add a autograph from Matt Hill [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384503/], the voice of "Captain N: The Game Master [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096554/]", CatBusRuss is feeling like a winner. If you need a winner when it comes to healthy snacks, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://snwbl.io/doich-foods/RUSS76280]