Episode 53: Fade to Black (1980) & Starry Eyes (2014)

Episode 53: Fade to Black (1980) & Starry Eyes (2014)

Welcome to episode 53 of The Horror Double Bill the podcast where nearly every week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts. This week we are off to Hollywood, with two films that explore the horrors of the silver screen, from obsessive fandom and fantasy to the darkest depths of ambition.  First up we have Fade to Black from 1980. This was written and directed by Vernon Zimmerman, and stars Dennis Christopher, Tim Thomerson, Linda Kerridge, and Eve Brent Then we jump forward to 2014 and Starry Eyes, written and directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer. This stars Alexandra Essoe, Amanda Fuller, Noah Segan and Fabianne Therese. Along the way, we’ll be discussing the career of producer Irwin Yablans, depictions of Hollywood in the horror film, directors Kevin Kolsche and Dennis Widmyer and much much more Recommendations Sunset Boulevard (1950) Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) Torture Garden (1967) Barton Fink (1991) Mulholland Drive (2001) References: The Man Who Created Halloween by Irwin Yablans Going to Pieces: The Rise & Fall of the Slasher Film by Adam Rockoff Fade to Black: special features and interviews from the blu ray from 88 Films. https://anthemmagazine.com/alex-essoe-pays-the-price-of-fame/ [https://anthemmagazine.com/alex-essoe-pays-the-price-of-fame/] https://thehollywoodnews.com/2015/03/11/thn-interview-starry-eyes-directors-dennis-widmyer-kevin-kolsch/ [https://thehollywoodnews.com/2015/03/11/thn-interview-starry-eyes-directors-dennis-widmyer-kevin-kolsch/] https://brokehorrorfan.com/post/102534766538/interview-kevin-kolsch-dennis-widmyer-starry [https://brokehorrorfan.com/post/102534766538/interview-kevin-kolsch-dennis-widmyer-starry] https://btchflcks.com/2015/01/old-hollywood-legend-in-a-new-skin-an-interview-with-the-filmmakers-of-starry-eyes.html [https://btchflcks.com/2015/01/old-hollywood-legend-in-a-new-skin-an-interview-with-the-filmmakers-of-starry-eyes.html] https://thewolfmancometh.com/2014/03/25/writerdirectors-kevin-kolsch-and-dennis-widmyer-producer-travis-stevens-and-star-alex-essoe-talk-starry-eyes-interview-sxsw-14/ [https://thewolfmancometh.com/2014/03/25/writerdirectors-kevin-kolsch-and-dennis-widmyer-producer-travis-stevens-and-star-alex-essoe-talk-starry-eyes-interview-sxsw-14/] https://www.flickfeast.co.uk/spotlight/starry-eyes-interview-kevin-kolsch-dennis-widmyer/ [https://www.flickfeast.co.uk/spotlight/starry-eyes-interview-kevin-kolsch-dennis-widmyer/] https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/547793/28-things-we-learned-from-the-fade-to-black-commentary/ [https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/547793/28-things-we-learned-from-the-fade-to-black-commentary/] https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-05-26-ca-8461-story.html [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-05-26-ca-8461-story.html] https://itcamefromblog.com/2022/11/15/paint-it-black-when-dennis-christopher-detoured-into-slasher-territory/ [https://itcamefromblog.com/2022/11/15/paint-it-black-when-dennis-christopher-detoured-into-slasher-territory/] https://www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hysterialives/Hysteria/fade_to_black.htm [https://www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hysterialives/Hysteria/fade_to_black.htm] https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/kevin-koelsch-and-dennis-widmyer-starry-eyes/ [https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/kevin-koelsch-and-dennis-widmyer-starry-eyes/] https://wickedhorror.com/features/interviews/exclusive-alex-essoe-talks-starry-eyes/ [https://wickedhorror.com/features/interviews/exclusive-alex-essoe-talks-starry-eyes/] https://youtu.be/bE-m4rVJC4o?si=TguU9KKs_TUe8neu [https://youtu.be/bE-m4rVJC4o?si=TguU9KKs_TUe8neu] https://youtu.be/Ya6-7k48FAU?si=l0GJOqE7gJIOdZWA [https://youtu.be/Ya6-7k48FAU?si=l0GJOqE7gJIOdZWA]   Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com youtube: @thehorrordoublebill artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Episode 52: The Seventh Victim (1943) & Inferno (1980)

Welcome to episode 52 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts. This week we are going to New York in search of missing sisters and finding ourselves in a whole heap of trouble with the powers of darkness. First, we have The Seventh Victim from 1943 and producer Val Lewton. This was directed by Mark Robson and stars Kim Hunter, Jean Brooks, Tom Conway and Isabel Jewell Then we are following this with Inferno from Dario Argento and 1980. This was his follow-up to 1977’s Suspiria, and was the movie in which he fully introduced the idea of the Three Mothers, three supernatural figures inspired by the writing of Thomas de Quincey. This stars Leigh McCloskey, Irene Miracle, Eleonora Giorgi, Daria Nicolodi and Gabriele Lavia. Along the way, we’ll be discussing the actresses Kim Hunter and Daria Nicolodi, and falling down some very esoteric rabbit holes, including satanic conspiracies involving the freemasons, the works and disappearance of the alchemist Fulcanelli, and the arcane world of actor, artist and self-described visual philosopher Leigh J McClosky. References Val Lewton: The Reality of Terror by Joel E. Siegel Dreams of Darkness by J. P. Telotte Icons of Grief: Val Lewton’s Home Front Pictures by Alexander Nemerov.  The Seventh Victim blu-ray from Criterion https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-val-lewton [https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-val-lewton] https://brightlightsfilm.com/darkness-darkness-films-val-lewton-looking-back-b-movie-master/ [https://brightlightsfilm.com/darkness-darkness-films-val-lewton-looking-back-b-movie-master/] Fear by Dario Argento Dario Argento, The Man, The Myths, And the Magic by Alan Jones,  Broken Mirrors Broken Minds the Dark Dreams of Dario Argento by Maitland McDonough Art Of Darkness the Cinema of Dario Argento edited by Chris Gallant Spaghetti Nightmares edited by Luca M Palmerini and Gaeto Mistretta   Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com youtube: @thehorrordoublebill artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Episode 51: X - The Unknown (1956) & The Blob (1988)

Welcome to episode 51 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts. This week we are exploring the amorphous world of the science fiction horror hybrid, with two movies that pit man against gelatinous monstrosities from inner and outer space. First up, we have X the Unknown from 1956, an early entry into the horror market from British studio Hammer, This was directed by Leslie Norman and stars Dean Jagger, Leo McKern and Edward Chapman. Then we jump forward to 1988 for the enjoyably goofy The Blob, from director Chuck Russell and co-writer Frank Darabont, and stars Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith, Donovan Leitch, Jeffrey DeMunn and Candy Clark. Along the way, we will be discussing the careers of writer-directors Jimmy Sangster and Chuck Russell, unlikely parallels with Spielberg’s Jaws, shapeless monstrosities in the horror movie, the inspiration for and the production story of the 1958 version of the Blob, and much, much more. References The House that Hammer  Built Volume 2, 1950 – 1954 & Volume 3: 1955–1958 by Wayne Kinsey Hammer and Beyond: The British Horror Film by Peter Hutchings, Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography by Tom Johnson and Deborah Del Vecchio Father of the Blob: The Making of a Monster Smash and Other Hollywood Tales by Jack H Harris https://strasbourgfestival.com/en/interview-jimmy-sangster/ https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/jimmy-sangster/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Sangster https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/21/jimmy-sangster-obituary The Blob (1988) - Scream factory blu ray interviews, commentaries and extras  https://ia801403.us.archive.org/4/items/Fear_04_1989-01-02_no_ads/Fear_04_1989-01-02_no_ads.pdf https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0762727/ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0751080/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blob_(1988_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blob https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_the_Unknown Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com youtube: @thehorrordoublebill artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Episode 50: Cannibal Man (1972) & A Bay of Blood (1971)

Welcome to episode 50 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts. Cannibal Man/The Week of the Killer/The Apartment on the 13th Floor (1972) dir. Eloy de la Iglesia, w. Vicente Parra, Emma Cohen, Eusebio Poncela, Vicky Lagos and Charly Bravo. Ecologia del delitto/A Bay of Blood/Twitch of the Death Nerve/Carnage/Blood Bath (1971) dir. Mario Bava w. Luigi Pistilli, Claudine Auger, Claudio Camaso, Laura Betti and Anna Maria Rosati. Recommendations The Glass Ceiling (1971)  No-one Heard the Scream (1973) Kill Baby Kill (1966) Danger Diabolik! (1968) Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970) References Spanish Horror Film by Antonio Lázaro-Reboll Cannibal Man blu-ray edition (Severin Films) Subversive Effects of Perversion: Sexuality and Social Construction in The Cannibal Man by Carlos Gómez https://www.terrorweekend.com/2021/11/la-semana-del-asesino-review.html?m=1h ttps://www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com/famosos/2021-03-06/vicente-parra-galan-homosexual-amigo-sara-montiel_2977668 https://www.elconfidencial.com/cultura/2006-03-24/muere-el-realizador-de-cine-eloy-de-la-iglesia_741304 https://www.cageyfilms.com/2021/10/the-films-of-eloy-de-la-iglesia/ https://elpais.com/cultura/2006/03/23/actualidad/1143068408_850215.html So Deadly, So Perverse Volume One by Troy Howarth, The Haunted World of Mario Bava by Troy Howarth Italian Horror Cinema, edited by Stefano Baschiera and Russ Hunter A Bay of Blood blu-ray special edition (Severin Films) https://www.davinotti.com/articoli/intervista-allo-sceneggiatore-dardano-sacchetti/55 https://www.sdangher.com/2022/04/06/speciale-reazione-a-catena-mario-bava-e-lecologia-della-critica-italiana/ https://cinepugno.home.blog/2020/10/10/interview-with-mario-bava-1970-1971/ Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com youtube: @thehorrordoublebill artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Episode 49: Paperhouse (1988) & Candyman (1992)

Welcome to episode 49 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts. In this weeks episode we discuss two films from British director Bernard Rose,  one based on the children's book Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr, and the other based on a work from the opposite end of the literary spectrum The Forbidden by Clive Barker. First up is Paperhouse (1988) Dir. Bernard Rose w. Charlotte Burke, Glenne Headly, Elliott Spiers, and Gemma Jones and then we follow this with Candyman (1992) Dir. Bernard Rose w. Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen, Kasi Lemmons, Xander Berkeley, and Vanessa Williams. Along the way we discuss the links between children's fiction and horror, childhood trauma, the career of director Bernard Rose, surreal imagery in the horror film, the early works of writer Clive Barker, the history of Cabrini Green, themes of class, repression and oppression, the career of the late, great Tony Todd and much more. Recommendations Shockheaded Peter by Heinrich Hoffmann Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz The Books of Blood by Clive Barker The Great & Secret Show by Clive Barker Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker Night of the Living Dead (1990) IvansXTC (2000) References https://filmfreakcentral.net/2022/08/bernard-rose-interview/ [https://filmfreakcentral.net/2022/08/bernard-rose-interview/] https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/interviews/mystic-nic-praise-nicolas-roeg [https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/interviews/mystic-nic-praise-nicolas-roeg] https://www.theotherfolk.blog/dissections/paperhouse [https://www.theotherfolk.blog/dissections/paperhouse] https://www.scifinow.co.uk/interviews/its-that-weird-thing-that-happens-when-things-arent-concrete-bernard-rose-remembers-paperhouse/ [https://www.scifinow.co.uk/interviews/its-that-weird-thing-that-happens-when-things-arent-concrete-bernard-rose-remembers-paperhouse/] https://www.mikesouthon.biz/portfolio/paperhouse-highlights [https://www.mikesouthon.biz/portfolio/paperhouse-highlights] Candyman by John Towson (Devil’s Advocates) Candyman Special Edition 4k (Arrow Video) https://www.clivebarkerarchive.com/blog/tag/The+Forbidden [https://www.clivebarkerarchive.com/blog/tag/The+Forbidden] https://www.clivebarker.info/salomeforbidden.html [https://www.clivebarker.info/salomeforbidden.html] https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jun/25/how-we-made-candyman-virginia-madsen-tony-todd-bee-sting [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jun/25/how-we-made-candyman-virginia-madsen-tony-todd-bee-sting] https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/nov/09/tony-todd-star-of-candyman-dies-aged-69 [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/nov/09/tony-todd-star-of-candyman-dies-aged-69] https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/01/tony-todd-candyman-sequel-black-lives-matter-platoon [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/01/tony-todd-candyman-sequel-black-lives-matter-platoon] https://horrornewsnetwork.net/twenty-year-retrospective-of-candyman-with-virginia-madsen/ [https://horrornewsnetwork.net/twenty-year-retrospective-of-candyman-with-virginia-madsen/] https://people.com/virginia-madsen-reveals-plan-candyman-prequel-mourns-tony-todd-8744052 [https://people.com/virginia-madsen-reveals-plan-candyman-prequel-mourns-tony-todd-8744052] https://www.movingpictureshow.com/?p=9402 [https://www.movingpictureshow.com/?p=9402] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Rose_(director) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Rose_(director)] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candyman_(1992_film) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candyman_(1992_film)] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paperhouse_(film) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paperhouse_(film)] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Barker [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Barker] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_Blood [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_Blood] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Todd [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Todd] https://flexiblehead.blog/2016/02/10/tony-todd/ [https://flexiblehead.blog/2016/02/10/tony-todd/]   Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com youtube: @thehorrordoublebill artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)