The Bear Cave of Terror

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 42 - Suspiria (1977)

This week in the Bear Cave of Terror, Jay Yospa graces us with his presence and brings with him one of his and Steve's favorite horror movies, 1977's Suspiria, directed by Dario Argento. An expressionist, explosive, and twisted tale of a young American dancer who begins attending a dance academy in Munich, Germany, and discovers a host of deadly secrets involving witchcraft, violent murders, and rooms filled with...razor wire? Considered one of Argento's best films, with gorgeous cinematography, settings, and a blistering score by his band Goblin, the Giallo-adjacent first of the Three Mothers trilogy is arguably the best entry. So turn down the lights, turn up the volume (but not too loud!), and listen to the latest episode of the Bear Cave of Terror! Additional Resources for this episode: "Movie Locations: Suspiria" - movie-locations.com [http://movie-locations.com] "In the Know" Suspiria Trivia by David Kalat 8/20/08 TCM.com [http://TCM.com] "Dario Argento's Three Mothers Trilogy: An Introduction" by PekoeBlaze, 2/23/23 pekoeblaze.wordpress.com [http://pekoeblaze.wordpress.com]

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 41 - Zombeavers (2014)

In this episode of BCoT, Rob Staeger finds himself back to talk about a much-celebrated, oft-cited, classic example of the golden age of cinema...or he normally would, if he actually wasn't here to talk about the schlocky, silly, and thoroughly fun and enjoyable 2014 B-movie flick, Zombeavers, directed by Jordan Rubin! Filled with practical effects (like beaver puppets made from tshirt-stuffed beaver pelts, and radio controlled swimming critters), satirical dialogue, and plenty of callbacks and homages to other cabin-in-the-woods horror like Evil Dead, this feature plays on all the cliches and still manages to subvert expectations by treating the goofy and over-the-top premise with the seriousness of a straight zombie survival thriller. Grab your severed foot, throw a dog in the water as a distraction, and remember: beavers can chew through wood barricades! Additional Sources for this episode: "Zombeavers Director: This isn't Sharknado..." by Aaron Couch, 2/20/14 The Hollywood Reporter "Zombeavers is so much better than it sounds" by Tyler Doupe, 1/01/22 Dreadcentral.com [http://Dreadcentral.com] Zombeaver Puppet, youtprops.com [http://youtprops.com] "It's the Zombie Beaver Puppets that Steal the Show in Zombeavers" by Rob Staeger, 3/18/15 The Village Voice

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 40 - The Howling (1981)

Werewolves are loose in the Bear Cave yet again, with guest host Craig Lantz bringing the other big werewolf film of 1981, Joe Dante's The Howling, to chat about. Often playing second-favorite to An American Werewolf in London, The Howling nevertheless was released first, and contains some gruesome (and plentiful) werewolf creature transformations, and is filled with references, homages, and even actor cameos from legacy horror and monster movies, while playing with - and redefining - rules for werewolves and shapeshifters for the modern era. Some creature designs and transformations may be more successful than others, but the story of a TV reporter (played by Dee Wallace) suffering from PTSD due to a botched sting operation to catch a serial killer, sent to recover in a country village called "The Colony", only to find herself surrounded by pointy-eared and murderous shapeshifters, is a pretty gripping one. Supported by a couple of other journalists discovering that the serial killer may have been more than human, the nest of werewolves reveal themselves before a fiery final confrontation. The dual nature of mankind, wild practical effects and gore, and some grisly attacks make The Howling a wild ride. Even a goofy WereYorkie can't bring this move down! Additional Resources: In Search of Darkness: AJourney into Iconic 80s Horror (2019), directed by David A. Weiner, produced by CreativeVC "Channel Your Inner Werewolf..." by Maggie Boccella, 1/29/26 Fangoria.com [http://Fangoria.com] "The Howling" by Bob Martin and Jim Wynorski, Fangoria 9, Nov 1980, pp 9-13

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 39 - They Live (1988)

In this special version of the Bear Cave of Terror, host Steve Mowry has been transported to the Comic Book Keep in South Dakota after attending the Screams by Night Halfway to Halloween Con. There, he joins Jon Runyan and Ken Creamer, both previous guests in the Bear Cave, to talk about John Carpenter's 1988 horror classic, They Live! Ken and Steve hold this as one of their top 80s flicks, but Jon gets to experience the mullets, sunglasses, and hideous alien faces for the first time. We chat about the ghouls, the quotable lines, and the infamous Keith David/Roddy Piper fight scene, along with how wildly prescient this movie is in 2026, almost 40 years after its release. So be sure to watch TV, consume, and listen to the Bear Cave of Terror as we chat about the docume..., er, sci-fi horror film, They Live! Additional Resources for this episode: In Search of Darkness: A Journey into Iconic 80s Horror, 2019, directed by David A. Weiner, produced by CreatorVC

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 38 - Jennifer's Body (2009)

In this week's episode of the Bear Cave of Terror, Ben "Little Dead Aliens" Raifsnider joins us again to talk about one of his favorites, the great 2009 cult horror-comedy, Jennifer's Body, directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody. Underappreciated and maligned at the time it was originally released, this witty, gory, and immensely-quotable flick found its fans over the past 15+ years since its release to become one of the great horror films of the 2000s. From a great pairing of Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox on screen, to quippy, memorable dialogue, and some messy kills, the story of a cheerleader becoming possessed by a demon and her best friend trying to figure a way to stop her eating the boys at school is a wild ride with some great visuals and a creative team that clearly loves how to play with horror. Poorly marketed to the wrongs audiences by a clueless PR team with insulting test screenings, running afoul of early Twitter and misogynistic blog culture, and blowback against the successes of Megan Fox and Diablo Cody really hurt the film's chances at the box office, and it would have faded away if hadn't been discovered by the real intended audience that have championed it over the years. With snarky humor, gory kills, and a great pair of leads, hopefully this becomes one of your favorites, listener, if it isn't already! (Robot voice warning: Steve's mic decided to go periodically "Dalek" during the recording) Additional resources for the film: "Fox Searchlight Lawyers Defend Jennifer's Body from Snarky Bloggers" by Kate, 2/11/08, Mediabistro.com [http://Mediabistro.com] "Megan Fox, Diablo Cody Interview: Jennifer's Body" by Sheila Roberts, 9/5/09 moviesonline.ca [http://moviesonline.ca] "How Jennifer's Body became a true cult classic" by BJ Colangelo 11/7/22 SlashFilm.com [http://SlashFilm.com] "Jennifer's Body Reunion" - ET Live 9/19/19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2JLRtWlq0o [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2JLRtWlq0o]