Gremlins (2020 christmas special!)

MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT for The Prestige!!!

Seriously, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, do not listen to this. In fact, do not listen to this at all. It’s our notorious, infamous, legendary LOST EPISODE, considered too shambolic even for Dark Natter. But as the show’s on hiatus, and it’s Yuletide after all, we decided to finally release it as a bit of a festive treat.

Listen at your peril… and merry Christmas!!

It's the end of another sinister series of Dark Natter! And it's also Halloween... so what better way for us to bow out with a bang than by celebrating the Springwood Slasher himself, Freddy Krueger and his Nightmare On Elm Street movies??

It's Jon's turn to pitch to Liam, and you know how Jon gets when he's 'into' something... his recent addiction to revolutionary 90s first person shooter Quake has led him to rediscover genre granddaddy Doom, as well as the host of other 'retro FPS' games now available as other 90s gamers get their nostalgic kicks (and shotgun blasts, and rocket-propelled grenade explosions)! But will these venerable games and their disturbing imagery still hold up well enough to earn a place in the Hall Of Pain, or are they doomed to rot in Hell...?

We're delighted to be joined by cyberpunk writer extraordinaire Nik Whittaker (just look at the beautiful covers of his books... immense author envy!!) to discuss Clive Barker's dark fantasy horror flop, Nightbreed (based on his 1988 novel Cabal).  Find out why this bonkers movie has amassed a cult following, learn about David Cronenberg's acting career, and encounter a mask that's creepier than any slasher villain's...

For Dark Natter's 50th anniversary (thankfully in episodes, not years) we thought we'd attempt an unprecedented four-person discussion about a never-before-touched subject: professional wrestling, and specifically the incredible career and storytelling of legendary grappler The Undertaker!!  Liam and Jon are joined by the Brothers Of Destruction, Haydn Kilyan and podcast debutant Jack Kilyan, for an episode as chaotic as you'd expect when Haydn's had a few cans before recording starts.  Expect heated discussion, childish humour, enthusiastic nostalgia and Liam inexplicably challenging the Undertaker to a fight.

Join us and guest Rob Yates, long-time pal of Jon Richter and walking horror library, to discuss one of the greatest movies of all time: Jaws.  Will the first film's brilliance secure it a place in our illustrious Hall Of Pain, or will the abject crapness of the sequels prove too much to overcome??  Join us for fun, fins and fishfood... we're gonna need a bigger podcast.

After a couple of glowing recommendations, including from today's guest Mr James, host of the Right In The Schoolies Podcast and fellow dark fiction enthusiast, Jon embarked on a quest to get hold of this elusive movie...  When he finally did, he found that its reputation and mysterious aura were thoroughly deserved, and that its ending was even darker than he expected.  Tune in to find out why Lake Mungo is almost certainly the best horror movie you've never seen.

Liam's back to pitch a classic British TV series, which started as a vehicle for Roald Dahl's sinister short stories... but are these tales twisted enough to secure a place in the Hall Of Pain?

In this episode, Jon is joined by science fiction author, comic genius and movie encyclopaedia Matt Adcock, author of the brilliant novel Complete Darkness!  Matt is pitching Hardware, a brilliant and underrated gem which Jon hadn't even heard of before Matt's recommendation... but will its robotic techno-horror be enough to secure it a place in the Hall Of Pain?

Listen to an extract from Jon's latest book, psychological techno-thriller The Warden... if it's up your (dark) alley, head to www.jon-richter.com for more information, or to Amazon to get your claws on a copy at https://amzn.to/3pClPqF