Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

“Oral sodomy?… Well, that’s why it’s a small town… Yeah, we’ll look into it. Thank you for calling.” Say what? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they confront the over-the-top effects, excellent acting, and confusing story in The Beast Within (1982).

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 249 – The Beast Within (1982)

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Decades of Horror 1980s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

A young woman gets raped by a mysterious man-creature, and years later her son begins a horrific transformation into a similar beast.

• Directed by: Philippe Mora
• Writing Credits: Tom Holland (screen story and screenplay by); Edward Levy (novel by)
• Produced by: Harvey Bernhard, Gabriel Katzka
• Music by: Les Baxter
• Cinematography by: Jack L. Richards (director of photography)
• Special Makeup Effects: Thomas R. Burman (created and designed by)
• Selected Cast:
  • Ronny Cox as Eli MacCleary
  • Bibi Besch as Caroline MacCleary
  • Paul Clemens as Michael MacCleary
  • Don Gordon as Judge Curwin
  • R.G. Armstrong as Doc Schoonmaker
  • Katherine Moffat as Amanda Platt (as Kitty Moffat)
  • L.Q. Jones as Sheriff Pool
  • Logan Ramsey as Edwin Curwin
  • John Dennis Johnston as Horace Platt
  • Ron Soble as Tom Laws
  • Luke Askew as Dexter Ward
  • Meshach Taylor as Deputy Herbert
  • Boyce Holleman as Doc Odom
  • Natalie Nolan Howard as Court Clerk
  • Malcolm McMillin as Gas Station Attendant
  • Fred D. Meyer as Workman

In the early 1980s, producer Harvey (The Goonies, The Lost Boys) Bernhard purchases an unfinished novel by Edward Levy and hires Tom (Fright Night, Child’s Play) Holland – his first feature film credit – to write the screenplay (from scratch). He follows this up by scooping up Philippe Mora, the talent behind Communion and The Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (cue blank stare), to direct. The result is the often maligned creature feature The Beast Within (1982) featuring Paul Clemens, Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Don Gordon, R. G. Armstrong, Katherine Moffat, L. Q. Jones, Logan Ramsey, Luke Askeew, John Dennis Johnston, Meschach Taylor, and Ron Soble. While the make-up effects by  Thomas R. Burman (Prophecy, Altered States) are collectively praised, the premise received far more disparagingly negative critiques. Now it is time for the Grue Crew to settle the score. Is it a schlocky disaster or a grotesque cult-classic? 

At the time of this writing, The Beast Within is available for streaming from Tubi and as PPV from Amazon and AppleTV. The film is available on physical media in Blu-ray format from SHOUT! Factory. 

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Grue Crew for their sestercentennial episode (that’s 250th, Grue Belivers), will be Gremlins (1984), with guest host Ralph Miller who is one of the effects artists who worked on the film as part of Chris Walas’ crew. This should be fun!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

“You have the manners of an alley cat.” On the other hand, alley cats would be an improvement, right? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr – as they take in Death Game (1977). Some have called it a cult classic, but is that what the Grue Crew call it?

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 205 – Death Game (1977)

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Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Two crazy women seduce and then torment a businessman in his plush San Francisco home.

• Directed by: Peter S. Traynor (as Peter Traynor)
• Written by: Anthony Overman; Michael Ronald Ross; Colleen Camp (uncredited), Sondra Locke (uncredited)
• Selected Cast:
  • Sondra Locke as Agatha Jackson
  • Seymour Cassel as George Manning
  • Colleen Camp as Donna
  • Beth Brickell as Karen Manning
  • Michael Kalmansohn as Deliveryboy
  • Ruth Warshawsky as Mrs. Grossman
  • David Worth as George Manning (voice) (uncredited)

What better way to celebrate the holidays than by examining the late Seventies feature Death Game (1977)? Actually, almost everything would be better. For those brave at heart, join the Grue Crew as they share their thoughts on the film recently remade as Knock Knock (2015) by Eli Roth. The film stars Sondra Locke, Colleen Camp, and Seymour Cassel. Directed by Peter S. Traynor, is the film filled with complex social commentary or gratuitous exploitation?

At the time of this writing, Death Game is available to stream from Shudder, AMC+, and Flix Fling. The film is available on physical media as a 2-disc Blu-ray from Grindhouse Releasing.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Bill, will be The Vampire Lovers (1977). They just can’t get enough of Hammer!

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

“The brain has many functions as you know. One is storing millions of facts, associations, and habits in… I call it a memory bank with millions of tiny deposit boxes. … I have only been successful in opening one deposit box which holds one particular memory.” This theory sounds a lot more scientific when uttered with a German accent. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they chill with Herbert J. Leder’s The Frozen Dead (1966).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 167 – The Frozen Dead (1966)

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ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

Dr. Norberg, a Nazi scientist, attempts to revive frozen Nazi soldiers at his English lab so that the Third Reich can rise again, 20 years after the end of World War II. His flawed, thawed Nazis lead Norberg to reduce his niece’s best friend to a living head as part of the Nazi plot.

• Writer/Director/Producer: Herbert J. Leder
• Production Design/Art Direction: Scott MacGregor
• Selected Cast:
  • Dana Andrews as Dr. Norberg
  • Anna Palk as Jean Norberg
  • Philip Gilbert as Dr. Roberts
  • Kathleen Breck as Elsa Tenney
  • Karel Stepanek as Lubeck
  • Basil Henson as Tirpitz
  • Alan Tilvern as Essen
  • Ann Tirard as Mrs. Schmidt (as Anne Tirard)
  • Edward Fox as Prisoner No. 3
  • Oliver MacGreevy as Joseph
  • Tom Chatto as Inspector Witt
  • John Moore as Station Master
  • Charles Wade as Porter

This episode’s film has a talking, severed head with telepathic powers; a wall of arms ready to strangle anyone who comes near; a room of frozen Nazis waiting to be defrosted; and a mad-scientist hatching devious plots. What else do you want in your 1960s sci-fi/horror feature? With all this and more, The Frozen Dead (1966) is silly; it’s absurd; it features Dana Andrews hamming it up. Yet, it offers an entertainingly dumb 90 minutes of goofy no-good nonsense.

At the time of this writing, The Frozen Dead is available for streaming on YouTube.

Here are the other Classic Era episodes based on movies that include the involvement of Herbert J. Leder:

• IT! (1967) – Episode 6 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
• FIEND WITHOUT A FACE (1958) – Episode 166 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era 

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Daphne, is The Reptile (1966)! Yes, it’s Hammer time again. Although Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are absent, Michael Ripper pitches in with help from some other Hammer regulars to make this a “memorable” experience.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

“December 8th, 1:46 A.M. Researcher and principal psychometric subject about to embark on sexual experiment number 517A; hopefully will be opening up a channel to Neil Gallagher; experiment may utilize various sexual aids and certain assorted apparatus; descriptions to follow.” Uh, what kind of puppets are these? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they delve into the still-growing Puppet Master franchise with the one that kicked it all off: Puppet Master (1989)!

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 248 – Puppet Master (1989)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content!
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Decades of Horror 1980s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

André Toulon, a puppet maker, one day discovers an old Egyptian formula able to create life and decides to use it to give his puppets life. The Nazis covet this knowledge and, in desperation, Toulon commits suicide. Some years later, four psychics visit a former colleague who suddenly commits suicide. Along with his widow, they uncover the secrets of the Puppet Master.

• Directed by: David Schmoeller
• Writing Credits: David Schmoeller (screenplay by) (as Joseph G. Collodi); (story by) Charles Band, Kenneth J. Hall, J.S. Cardone (uncredited)
• Produced by: Charles Band (executive producer); Hope Perello (producer)
• Music by: Richard Band
• Puppet Effects Created by: David Allen Productions
• Selected Cast:
  • Paul Le Mat as Alex Whitaker
  • William Hickey as Andre Toulon
  • Irene Miracle as Dana Hadley
  • Jimmie F. Skaggs as Neil Gallagher
  • Robin Frates as Megan Gallagher
  • Matt Roe as Frank Forrester
  • Kathryn O’Reilly as Carissa Stamford
  • Mews Small as Theresa (as Merrya Small)
  • Barbara Crampton as Woman at Carnival
  • David Boyd as Man at Carnival
  • Peter Frankland as Assassin #1
  • Andrew Kimbrough as Assassin #2
  • Ed Cook as Pinhead (voice)
  • Linda Cook as Leech Woman (voice)
  • Tim Dornberg as Tunneler (voice)
  • Bert Rosario as Blade (voice)
  • Michael Laide as Jester (voice)

Just what the Grue-Crew ordered (or maybe just Crystal), killer puppets!!! Charles Band and the merry band of misfits – Blade, Jester, Pinhead, Tunneler, Leech Woman, Shredder Khan, and Gengie – scream and slice for airtime in this first entry in the Puppet Master series. Originally intended for a summer theatrical release, the film skipped wide audiences for the booming direct-to-video market… and became an instant franchise, spawning 14 sequels and crossovers… and counting.

At the time of this writing, Puppet Master is available for streaming from the Full Moon Channel, Peacock, Shudder, and Tubi as well as PPV from Amazon and Redbox. The film is available on physical media in Blu-ray format as a stand-alone disc or as part of various boxed sets from Full Moon Entertainment. 

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Chad, will be The Beast Within (1982). It should be interesting when the Grue-Crew go talkabout with this one.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

“How do you go about killing a machine? It’s too heavy to hang and it’s too big to put in the gas chamber.” Firing squad? Ole Sparky? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr – as they return to the boob tube for another memorable, made-for-TV, horror movie from the 1970s: Killdozer (1974)!

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 204 – Killdozer (1974)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

After being possessed by a strange force in a meteorite it unearths, a giant bulldozer goes berserk and begins attacking the construction crew.

• Director: Jerry London
• Writing Credits: Theodore Sturgeon & Ed MacKillop (teleplay); Herbert F. Solow (adaptation); Theodore Sturgeon (novella, Astounding Science Fiction, Nov 1944)
• Selected Cast:
  • Clint Walker as Lloyd Kelly
  • Carl Betz as Dennis Holvig
  • Neville Brand as Chub Foster
  • James Wainwright as Dutch Krasner
  • Robert Urich as McCarthy
  • James A. Watson Jr. as Beltran

Look out, Duel (1971). Move over, The Car (1977). Talk to the hand, Maximum Overdrive (1986). ABC TV’s Killdozer (1974) is here to rule! Well, best intentions, eh? Based on a story by acclaimed writer Theodore Sturgeon, though he had little to do with the final script (according to the author’s account), this is the tale of a mysterious invisible force that possesses a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer to chase and mow down the cast (Clint Walker, Neville Brand, Carl Betz, Robert Urich, James Wainwright, James A. Watson Jr.) on a remote island off the coast of Africa. Originally criticized as being outlandish – not too far from the truth – the film has gained a following over time and has since become considered a cult classic. Often recommended by Patreon members and Decades of Horror fans, it’s finally time for the Grue-Crew to chime in with their thoughts.

At the time of this writing, Killdozer is available to stream from Plex. The film is available on physical media as a Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Chad, will be Death Game (1977), starring Sondra Locke, Collen Camp, and Seymour Cassel. Death Game was remade in 2015 as Knock Knock, directed by Eli Roth and starring Keanu Reeves. How does the original hold up?

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com. 

“I’m a doctor, colonel, not a detective! There’s nothing like this in the books!” No, this isn’t Star Trek’s Bones talking, but it is from a 50s sci-fi/horror classic. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr along with guest host Dave Dreher – as they try to keep their brains from being sucked out by the Fiend Without A Face (1958).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 166 – Fiend Without A Face (1958)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

A scientist’s thoughts materialize as an army of invisible brain-shaped monsters – complete with spinal cord tails – terrorize an American military base.

• Director: Arthur Crabtree
• Writers: Herbert J. Leder (screenplay); Amelia Reynolds Long (original story: “The Thought Monster;” Weird Tales, March 1930)
• Executive Producers: Richard Gordon, Charles F. Vetter
• Special Effects by:
  • Peter Neilson (special effects)
  • Flo Nordhoff (special effects: Ruppel & Nordhoff) (uncredited)
  • Karl-Ludwig Ruppel (special effects: Ruppel & Nordhoff) (uncredited)
• Selected Cast:
  • Marshall Thompson as Major Cummings
  • Terry Kilburn as Capt. Chester (as Terence Kilburn)
  • Michael Balfour as Serg. Kasper
  • Gil Winfield as Dr. Warren
  • Shane Cordell as Nurse
  • Stanley Maxted as Col. Butler
  • James Dyrenforth as Mayor
  • Kim Parker as Barbara Griselle
  • E. Kerrigan Prescott as Atomic Engineer (as Kerrigan Prescott)
  • Kynaston Reeves as Prof. Walgate
  • Peter Madden as Dr. Bradley
  • Meadows White as Ben Adams (as R. Meadows White)
  • Lala Lloyd as Amelia Adams
  • Robert MacKenzie as Const. Gibbons
  • Launce Maraschal as Melville

The Grue Crew welcome Dave Dreher as guest-host to review the sci-fi/horror 50’s monster flick, Fiend Without a Face (1958). The tagline promises “New Horrors! Mad Science Spawns Evil Fiends!” and the stop-motion animation of the fiends – a brain with antennae and a spine – delivers the goods. The script is based on Amelia Reynolds Long’s 1930s short story, “The Thought Monster,” originally published in Weird Tales magazine. A modern remake has been promised in recent times but remains as invisible as the fiends in the first two-thirds of this British B-movie classic. 

At the time of this writing, Fiend Without a Face is available for streaming from the Criterion Channel, AMC+, and PPV on Amazon and AppleTV. It is also available on physical media as a DVD from the Criterion Collection. 

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Jeff, is The Frozen Dead (1966), written and directed by Herbert J. Leder and starring Dana Andrews and iced Nazis. Yes, it’s back-to-back Leder!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!” 

“Well, would you care to walk around in the scene with your schlong hanging out? Only in your case, darling, it would be a ‘schlort.’” Who says this movie isn’t funny? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they try to decipher the movie within the movie depicted in Return to Horror High (1987).

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 247 – Return to Horror High (1987)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1980s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

In the early 1980s, a series of gruesome murders occurred at Crippen High School. A few years later, a film crew uses the now-abandoned Crippen High as the set for a film, but an uninvited guest makes an appearance on the set.

• Director: Bill Froehlich
• Writers: Bill Froehlich (as Bill Froelich), Mark Lisson, Dana Escalante, Greg H. Sims
• Selected Cast:
  • Lori Lethin as Callie Cassidy / Sarah Walker / Susan
  • Brendan Hughes as Steven Blake
  • Alex Rocco as Harry Sleerik
  • Scott Jacoby as Josh Forbes
  • Andy Romano as Principal Kastleman
  • Richard Brestoff as Arthur Lyman Kastleman
  • Al Fann as Amos
  • Pepper Martin as Chief Deyner
  • Maureen McCormick as Officer Tyler
  • Vince Edwards as Richard Birnbaum
  • Philip McKeon as Richard Farley
  • Panchito Gómez as Choo Choo
  • Michael Eric Kramer as Donny Porter
  • Marvin J. McIntyre as Robbie Rice (as Marvin McIntyre)
  • George Clooney as Oliver
  • Remy O’Neill as Esther Molvania
  • Darcy DeMoss as Sheri Haines
  • Cliff Emmich as Dillon
  • Willie Etra as Mangled Face / Hatchet Face (as Will Etra)
  • George Fisher as Masked Figure
  • Dexter Hamlett as Freddie
  • Joy Heston as Becky
  • Frank Kniest as Camera Assistant
  • John Mueller as Jimmy
  • Alison Noble as Jeanine
  • Kristi Somers as Ginny McCall
  • Larry Spinak as Peter

It’s time to head back to horror school with Return to Horror High (1987), a spooky spoof on slasher films. What is this film about? Well, that’d be telling, wouldn’t it? The bizarre narrative and goofy hijinks have the Grue-Crew scratching their heads with its ‘mayta’ and ‘paradig’em’ references. (Go, Bill!) Regardless of all the shenanigans, the results are fun if often confusing.

At the time of this writing, Return to Horror High is available for streaming from Hoopla and Tubi, and as PPV from multiple sources. 

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Crystal, will be Puppet Master (1989), the first of Charles Band’s still-growing franchise.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

“She who is buried here shall henceforth have no name, shall cease to exist in the minds of man as she has ceased to exist in life.” Well, she has a name and she is remembered. Not much of a curse, ay? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr – as they take in the last, but not least, of the four Hammer mummy films, Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971), sadly sans Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 203 – Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

An archaeological expedition brings back to London the coffin of an Egyptian queen known for her magical powers. Her spirit returns in the form of a young woman and strange things start to happen.

• Director: Seth Holt, Michael Carreras (uncredited)
• Writing Credits: Christopher Wicking (screenplay); Bram Stoker (from the novel by; The Jewel of Seven Stars, 1903)
• Selected Cast:
  • Andrew Keir as Fuchs
  • Valerie Leon as Margaret / Tera
  • James Villiers as Corbeck
  • Hugh Burden as Dandridge
  • George Coulouris as Berigan
  • Mark Edwards as Tod Browning
  • Rosalie Crutchley as Helen Dickerson
  • Aubrey Morris as Doctor Putnum
  • David Markham as Doctor Burgess
  • Joan Young as Mrs. Caporal
  • James Cossins as Older Male Nurse
  • David Jackson as Young Male Nurse
  • Jonathan Burn as Saturnine Young Man
  • Graham James as Youth In Museum
  • Tamara Ustinov as Veronica
  • Penelope Holt as Nurse
  • Sunbronze Danny Boy as Tod’s Cat

Once again, it is time to revisit a Hammer Horror entry from their 1970s features. This time, the Grue-Crew follow dismembered hands and devious archeologists as they confront the resurrection of the evil Egyptian Queen with no name. By the way, her name is Tera. Shhhh… don’t tell. Andrew Kier does an admirable job stepping in for Peter Cushing (after only a day’s shooting) to lead the heroic defense alongside the beautiful Valerie Leon against the Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971).

At the time of this writing, Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb is available to stream from Wicked Horror TV and various PPV sources. The film is available on physical media as a Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Jeff, will be Killdozer (1974), based on the 1944 Theodore Sturgeon novella and starring Clint Walker, Carl Betz, Robert Urich, and Neville Brand. You asked for it! Really. You did. 

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com. 

“How can I do me dance without me legs?” Or how can you be a pickpocket without your arm? Dr. “Schtein” doesn’t seem to care. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they take in the second of Hammer’s Frankenstein films: The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 165 – The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

Having escaped execution and assumed an alias, Baron Frankenstein transplants his deformed underling’s brain into a perfect body, but the effectiveness of the process and the secret of his identity soon begin to unravel.

• Directed by: Terence Fisher
• Writing Credits: Jimmy Sangster (written by); Hurford Janes (additional dialogue by); George Baxt (additional dialogue) (uncredited)
• Produced by: Michael Carreras (executive producer); Anthony Hinds (producer); Anthony Nelson Keys (associate producer)
• Music by: Leonard Salzedo
• Cinematography by: Jack Asher (director of photography)
• Editing by: Alfred Cox
• Production Design by: Bernard Robinson
• Makeup Department: Philip Leakey (makeup artist) (as Phil Leakey)
• Selected Cast:
  • Peter Cushing as Doctor Victor Stein
  • Francis Matthews as Doctor Hans Kleve
  • Eunice Gayson as Margaret Conrad
  • Michael Gwynn as Karl (New Karl)
  • John Welsh as Bergman
  • Lionel Jeffries as Fritz
  • Oscar Quitak as Dwarf (Original Karl)
  • Richard Wordsworth as Up Patient
  • Charles Lloyd Pack as President
  • John Stuart as Inspector
  • Arnold Diamond as Molke
  • Marjorie Gresley as Countess Barscynska (as Margery Gresley)
  • Anna Walmsley as Vera Barscynska
  • George Woodbridge as Janitor
  • Michael Ripper as Kurt
  • Ian Whittaker as Boy
  • Avril Leslie as Girl

It’s Doc’s choice of films for this episode, so it should be no surprise the film chosen is the Hammer/Peter Cushing classic The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958). A rare event for Hammer, this feature is a direct sequel to its predecessor, The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), beginning with Victor Frankenstein escaping the guillotine. A dastardly chap, that Frankenstein. A new series of shenanigans begins as Frankenstein, now known as Doctor Stein, continues his experiments. A surprisingly serious take on the character and Shelley’s story follows Peter Cushing’s Doctor Frankenstein instead of Christopher Lee’s Monster. Check out what the Grue Crew shares about this fantastic early Hammer horror entry.

At the time of this writing, The Revenge of Frankenstein is available for streaming from multiple PPV sources. It is also available on physical media as a Blu-ray in the Hammer Films – Ultimate Collection, a 20-film set from Sony. 

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Chad, is Fiend Without a Face (1958)! The Grue Crew can’t wait!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!” 

“You just looked too closely. Most people are lucky. They never know that a certain percentage of what they see is… not there. But the problem now is not what you know, it’s what they know. You. They know about you.” That takes care of what everyone knows, but what about what about all the stuff you don’t know? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they try to decipher the puzzling plot of Nomads (1986).

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 246 – Nomads (1986)

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Decades of Horror 1980s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

A French anthropologist gets murdered in Los Angeles after discovering the existence of ancient demonic spirits, first described in legends, that can take human form and prank, possess or even kill people. Before he dies, he reveals this secret to a young female doctor who quickly realizes that his wife is now in danger as well.

• Writer/Director: John McTiernan
• Selected Cast:
  • Lesley-Anne Down as Dr. Eileen Flax
  • Pierce Brosnan as Jean Charles Pommier
  • Anna Maria Monticelli as Veronique Pommier / Niki (as Anna-Maria Monticelli)
  • Adam Ant as Number One
  • Mary Woronov as Dancing Mary
  • Héctor Mercado as Ponytail
  • Josie Cotton as Silver Ring
  • Frank Doubleday as Razor
  • Jeannie Elias as Cassie
  • Nina Foch as Real Estate Agent
  • J. Jay Saunders as Cort (as J.J. Saunders)
  • Alan Autry as Olds
  • Dana Chelette as Orderly
  • Frances Bay as Bertril
  • Junero Jennings as Gas Station Attendant
  • Anita Jesse as Nurse
  • Athan Karras as Apartment Manager
  • Josee Beaudry as Nurse
  • Freddie Duke as Nurse
  • Read Morgan as Cop (as Reed Morgan)
  • Paul Anselmo as Cop in Apartment
  • Kario Salem as Schacter

Presenting Nomads (1986), the debut film from John McTiernan, the director of Predator (1987), Die Hard (1988), and The Hunt for Red October (1990). Future “James Bond” actor, Pierce Brosnan, known primarily at the time for his role in TV’s Remington Steele (1982-1987), takes on the lead opposite Lesley-Anne Down. The film also features Mary Woronov and… Adam Ant. This “terrifying tale of the supernatural” follows Brosnan’s French anthropologist as he exposes a group of nomads as something far more sinister. Check out what the Grue Crew has to say about this often-overlooked feature.

At the time of this writing, Nomads is available for streaming from Tubi, Shudder, and Screambox, and as PPV from AppleTV and Amazon Prime. It is also available on physical media in standard Blu-ray format from Shout! Factory.

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Bill, will be Return to Horror High (1987), George Clooney’s first credit. Hmmmm.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

“They’ll come back. They cannot die.” Sounds like vampires… or zombies. Is it vampires or zombies? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr – as they take in The Blood Spattered Bride (1972), an aptly titled Spanish horror film from director Vicente Aranda.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 202 – The Blood Spattered Bride (1972)

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Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Newlywed Susan is haunted by visions of Mircalla Karnstein, a centuries-old bride who murdered her husband on their wedding night.

• Director: Vicente Aranda
• Writers: Vicente Aranda; J. Sheridan Le Fanu (novel); Matthew Lewis (story)
• Selected Cast:
  • Simón Andreu as Husband
  • Maribel Martín as Susan
  • Alexandra Bastedo as Mircala Karstein / Carmila
  • Dean Selmier as Doctor
  • Ángel Lombarte as Carol’s Father
  • Montserrat Julió as Carol’s Mother
  • Rosa M. Rodriguez as Carol (as Rosa Rodriguez)

Spanish horror films of the 1970s often hid their social and political commentary within their horror and supernatural shenanigans. Is that what The Blood Spattered Bride (1972) is doing with its loose adaptation of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella “Carmilla?” The story mixes modern elements with a gothic sensibility to craft an odd vampire tale where the characters are all unlikable and the story full of unreliable narrative. Yet, the film is wonderfully shot and earnestly acted, providing ample gore when it wants to. Check out what the Grue-Crew think of this bizarre, often overlooked tale of terror.

At the time of this writing, The Blood Spattered Bride is available to stream from Wicked Horror TV, Tubi, Pluto TV, and a couple of PPV options. The film is available on physical media as a Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro.

Viewer feedback from Rebecca McCallum on our episode about Hitchcock’s Frenzy leads us to link you to her essays, Hitchcock’s Women, and her podcast, Talking Hitchcock. Check them out!

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Doc, will be Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971), the fourth and last of Hammer’s mummy movies!

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

“The professor is a genius and it’s a pleasure to work with him. But he’s now beginning some experiments that, in my opinion, … exceed certain ethical limits.” Ethics are such a bother, don’t you agree? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they take in Die Nackte und der Satan (1959), also known as The Head, a German film neck-deep in head transplants.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 164 – The Head (1959)

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ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

A scientist invents a serum that keeps a dog’s head alive after its body dies. When the scientist dies of a heart attack, his crazed assistant cuts off his head and, using the serum, keeps the doctor’s head alive and forces it to help him on an experiment to give a hunchbacked nun a new body.

• Writer/Director: Victor Trivas 
• Music: Willy Mattes (composer); Erwin Lehn (arranger/conductor)
• Weird Lab Music: Lasry-Baschet (Baschet Brothers, Yvonne and Jacques Lasry)
• Cinematographer: Georg Krause
• Art Director: Hermann Warm 
• Makeup Department: Karl Hanoszek, Susi Krause (as Susanne Krause)
• Selected Cast:
  • Horst Frank as Dr. Brandt – alias Dr. Ood
  • Karin Kernke as Schwester Irene Sander
  • Helmut Schmid as Bert Jaeger
  • Paul Dahlke as Police Commissioner Sturm
  • Dieter Eppler as Paul Lerner
  • Kurt Müller-Graf as Dr. Walter Burke
  • Christiane Maybach as Stella – alias Lilly
  • Michel Simon as Prof. Dr. Abel
  • Osman Ragheb as Franz – the Bartender (uncredited)
  • Maria Stadler as Mrs. Schneider (uncredited)
  • Barbara Valentin as Animierdame und Tänzerin in der ‘Tam Tam’ Bar (uncredited)

This little German sci-fi horror B-movie may have slipped past many a monster kid’s radar. In the film, one crazed scientist gets one-upped by an evil scientist who takes not only the first scientist’s life – reducing his life to a head on a plate – but also uses his discoveries to perform some head-swapping shenanigans. This film is strange, bizarre, weird, silly… yet, oddly entertaining. The Grue-Crew has so many thoughts to share regarding The Head (1959).

At the time of this writing, The Head can be found streaming from the Classic Sci-Fi Movie Channel, the Classic Horror Movie Channel, Tubi, and Dark Matter TV. The film is currently available on disc as The Head (1959) (Die Nackte und der Satan) [Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import – Germany] from Anolis. 

(NOTE: Currently, all of the streaming options are the American version with roughly five minutes cut from the runtime, music substitutions, and English dubbing as the only language option. The Blu-ray has German and English language and subtitle options, the original music, and a commentary by Tim Lucas. The German language version delivers far more emotional impact to the viewer while the English dubbing comes off as a bit flat with awkward and simplified phrasing. And since the music is one of the attractions for me, the Blu-ray is a far better experience, although a bit pricey. – JLM)

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Doc, is The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), Peter Cushing as the Baron in a Hammer FIlm? And of course, Michael Ripper? Yay!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

“You leave here without punching out… and you ain’t never gonna have to punch out again, Bubba.” Who are you calling Bubba, Bubba? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out Maximum Overdrive (1986), Stephen King’s one and only stint in the director’s chair. All the boxes are checked: story by, screenplay by, and directed by Mr. King. This should be good, right? Right?

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 245 – Maximum Overdrive (1986)

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Decades of Horror 1980s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

 A group of people try to survive when machines start to come alive and become homicidal.

• Writer/Director: Stephen King (based on the short story “Trucks” by)
• Music by: AC/DC
• Selected Cast:
  • Emilio Estevez as Bill Robinson
  • Pat Hingle as Bubba Hendershot
  • Laura Harrington as Brett Graham
  • Yeardley Smith as Connie
  • John Short as Curtis
  • Ellen McElduff as Wanda June
  • Frankie Faison as Handy
  • Leon Rippy as Brad
  • Christopher Murney as Camp Loman
  • J. C. Quinn as Duncan Keller
  • Holter Graham as Deke Keller
  • Barry Bell as Steve Gayton
  • Pat Miller as Joey
  • J. Don Ferguson as Andy
  • Giancarlo Esposito as Videoplayer
  • Stephen King (cameo) as ATM man
  • Tabitha King as 1st Woman (uncredited)
  • Marla Maples as 2nd woman

A cult favorite, Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive may be remembered more for the iconic “Green Goblin” killer truck and the awesome AC/DC soundtrack than the film itself. Admit it. The film is a mess but in a so-bad-it’s-good sort of way. Goofy hijinks and silly shenanigans abound as Emilio Estevez struggles to save a small group of survivors trapped in the Dixie Boy truck stop. While the film is complete bunk, it remains a fun ride to revisit occasionally. Or, not.

At the time of this writing, Maximum Overdrive is available for streaming from Tubi and PlutoTV, and as PPV from multiple sources. It is also available on physical media in standard Blu-ray format from Lionsgate’s Vestron Video Collector’s Series.

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Jeff, will be Nomads (1986), an oft-mentioned, oft-requested movie featuring Lesley-Anne Down, Pierce Brosnan, Mary Woronov, Adam Ant, and a wild, twisting story.This should be a good discussion!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

“I’ve had fifty-six lovers and haven’t killed even one of them.” Good to know … for future reference. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr – as they reacquaint themselves with the Giallo version of Lucio Fulci in The Psychic (1977).

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 201 – The Psychic (1977)

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Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

A clairvoyant woman discovers a skeleton in a wall in her husband’s house, and seeks to find the truth about what happened to the victim.

• Directed by: Lucio Fulci
• Writing Credits: Roberto Gianviti, Dardano Sacchetti, Lucio Fulci
• Selected Cast:
  • Jennifer O’Neill as Virginia Ducci
  • Gabriele Ferzetti as Emilio Rospini
  • Marc Porel as Luca Fattori
  • Gianni Garko as Francesco Ducci
  • Ida Galli as Gloria Ducci (as Evelyn Stewart)
  • Jenny Tamburi as Bruna
  • Fabrizio Jovine as Commissioner D’Elia
  • Riccardo Parisio Perrotti as Melli
  • Loredana Savelli as Giovanna Rospini
  • Salvatore Puntillo as Second Cab Driver
  • Bruno Corazzari as Canevari
  • Vito Passeri as Caretaker
  • Franco Angrisano as First Cab Driver (as Francesco Angrisano)
  • Veronica Michielini as Giuliana Casati
  • Paolo Pacino as Inspector Russi
  • Fausta Avelli as Virginia as a Girl
  • Elizabeth Turner as Virginia’s Mother
  • Ugo D’Alessio as Art Gallery Owner
  • Luigi Diberti as Judge
  • Camilla Fulci as Agnese Begnardi (uncredited)

Before The Beyond (1981), before City of the Living Dead (1980), before Zombie (1979), director Lucio Fulci mastered the Giallo subgenre throughout the 1970s. The Grue-Crew tune into his comparatively subdued feature The Psychic (1977), also known as Sette note in nero, aka Murder to the Tune of the Seven Black Notes, aka Seven Notes in Black. Fulci displays only a hint of the gore and bizarre narratives he would embrace in the decade to come, opting to stick to a fairly straightforward, supernatural-infused, murder mystery where psychic Jennifer O’Neill witnesses visions of a deadly and bloody murder. Of course, twists and turns follow each new discovery as she follows the clues to the shocking conclusion. 

At the time of this writing, The Psychic is available to stream from Kanopy, Tubi, and Popcornflix. The movie is available on disc as a Blu-ray from Scorpion Releasing.

In case you’re interested, here are the other Fulci films Decades of Horror has covered:

• ZOMBIE (1979) — Episode 62 — Decades of Horror 1970s
• CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980, THE GATES OF HELL) – Episode 145 – Decades of Horror 1980s
• THE BEYOND (1981) – Episode 123 – Decades of Horror 1980s
• THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981) – Episode 209 – Decades of Horror 1980s
• THE BLACK CAT (1981) – Episode 184 – Decades of Horror 1980s
• ZOMBIE 3 (1988) – Episode 232 – Decades of Horror 1980s

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Bill, will be The Blood Spattered Bride (1977, La novia ensangrentada). This wild version of Sheridan Le Fanu’s Gothic novella Carmilla (1872) comes by way of Spain, directed by Vicente Aranda.

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com. 

“I meet my old familiar enemy, Death. I’ve fought him before. I’ve won, often. Now he wins. Let him come for me.” Yes, Death is a resident of this particular island. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they journey to an island cemetery off the coast of Greece in Val Lewton’s Isle of the Dead (1945).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 163 – Isle of the Dead (1945)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
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ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

On a Greek island during the 1912 war, several people are trapped by quarantine for the plague. If that isn’t enough worry, one of the people, a superstitious old peasant woman, suspects one young girl of being a vampiric kind of demon called a vorvolaka.

• Directed by: Mark Robson
• Writing Credits: Ardel Wray; Val Lewton (uncredited), Josef Mischel (uncredited)
• Produced by: Val Lewton (producer); Jack J. Gross (executive producer) 
• Music by: Leigh Harline
• Cinematography by: Jack MacKenzie (director of photography)
• Selected Cast:
  • Boris Karloff as Gen. Nikolas Pherides
  • Ellen Drew as Thea
  • Marc Cramer as Oliver Davis
  • Katherine Emery as Mrs. Mary St. Aubyn
  • Helene Thimig as Madame Kyra
  • Alan Napier as St. Aubyn
  • Jason Robards Sr. as Albrecht (as Jason Robards)
  • Ernst Deutsch as Dr. Drossos (as Ernst Dorian)
  • Skelton Knaggs as Andrew Robbins (uncredited)
  • Sherry Hall as Col. Kobestes (uncredited)
  • Erick Hanson as Officer (uncredited)
  • Rose Hobart as Mrs. Mary St. Aubyn (in long shot) (uncredited)

The Grue-Crew join producer Val Lewton, director Mark Robson, and legend Boris Karloff for a quietly creepy and haunting masterpiece from RKO Radio Pictures, Isle of the Dead (1945). This is the second of three films Lewton and Karloff would make together (along with Bedlam and The Body Snatcher) and the fourth of five films Lewton would make with Robson. The tagline promises, “Will Keep You Screaming!” – and, this time, it just might. Check out what Chad, Daphne, and Jeff take away from this undeniable classic.

Here are the other Decades of Horror Classic Era episodes on Lewton-produced movies:

• CAT PEOPLE (1942) – Episode 37 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
• THE BODY SNATCHER (1945) – Episode 66 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
• THE SEVENTH VICTIM (1943) – Episode 97 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era

At the time of this writing, Isle of the Dead can be found streaming from multiple PPV sites and is currently available on disc as a Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Daphne, is The Head (1959), a German film whose original title is Die Nackte und der Satan. Head transplants, a hunchbacked nun, and a sexy dancer. You definitely won’t want to miss this one!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

“Nope. Nothing wrong here.” After watching this film, they may need to rethink that statement. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they revisit the real-life horror on display in Stephen King’s Cujo (1983).

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 244 – Cujo (1983)

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Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content!
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Decades of Horror 1980s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Cujo, a friendly St. Bernard, contracts rabies and conducts a reign of terror on a small American town.

• Directed by: Lewis Teague 
• Writing Credits: (novel by) Stephen King; (screenplay by) Don Carlos Dunaway & Barbara Turner (writer) (as Lauren Currier)
• Cinematography by: Jan de Bont (director of photography) (as Jan De Bont)
• Editing by: Neil Travis
• Special Visual Effects Makeup: Peter Knowlton
• Movie Poster Artist: Robert Tanenbaum
• Selected Cast:
  • Dee Wallace as Donna Trenton
  • Danny Pintauro as Tad Trenton
  • Daniel Hugh Kelly as Vic Trenton (as Daniel Hugh-Kelly)
  • Christopher Stone as Steve Kemp
  • Ed Lauter as Joe Camber
  • Kaiulani Lee as Charity Camber
  • Billy Jayne as Brett Camber (as Billy Jacoby)
  • Mills Watson as Gary Pervier
  • Sandy Ward as Bannerman
  • Jerry Hardin as Masen
  • Merritt Olsen as Professor
  • Arthur Rosenberg as Roger Breakstone
  • Terry Donovan-Smith as Harry
  • Robert Elross as Meara
  • Robert Behling as Fournier
  • Clare Torao as Lady Reporter (as Claire Nono)
  • Daniel H. Blatt as Dr. Merkatz
  • Robert Craighead as Joe MaGruder (uncredited)

Who let the dog out? This incarnation of the 80s Grue Crew did, for their 100th episode together and for this year’s Halloween episode. For the occasions, they dip back into the Stephen King well for one of the trio of his films released in 1983: Cujo. Unleash the terror! Despite the puns, this film has a lot going for it. Director Lewis Teague gets powerful performances from Dee Wallace and Danny Pintauro that make Cujo a truly terrifying and heartwrenching movie. And then, there’s that rabid giant of a dog! The 80s bunch loves it! Even so, they go oft astray. 

At the time of this writing, Cujo is available for streaming from MAX, as well as PPV from multiple sources. It is also available on physical media as Cujo (40th Anniversary Edition) in standard Blu-ray or 4K UHD formats from KL Studio Classics.

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Chad, will be Maximum Overdrive (1986). It’s a King doubleheader and a double tap for the latter. Who doesn’t love a Green Goblin-adorned semi-truck?

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

“What an excellent day for an exorcism.” You don’t have to say that twice. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr, and guest hosts Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff and Crystal Cleveland – as they finally tackle one of the best and most influential horror movies in history, The Exorcist (1973) from director William Friedkin and writer William Peter Blatty.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 200 – The Exorcist (1973)

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Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
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Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.

• Director: William Friedkin
• Writer: William Peter Blatty (written for the screen by, from the novel by)
• Cinematographer: Owen Roizman; Billy Williams (Mosul sequences)
• Editing by: Norman Gay, Evan A. Lottman (as Evan Lottman), Bud S. Smith (Iraq sequence), Jordan Leondopoulos (supervising field editor)
• Art Direction-Set Decoration: Bill Malley, Jerry Wunderlich
• Sound: Robert Knudson, Christopher Newman
• Makeup Department: 
  • Dick Smith (makeup artist)
  • Robert Laden (special makeup effects artist) (uncredited)
  • William A. Farley (hair stylist) (as Bill Farley)
• Special Effects: 
  • Marcel Vercoutere (special effects)
  • Rick Baker (special effects assistant) (uncredited)
• Composer: Jack Nitzsche (composer: additional music)
• Selected Cast:
  • Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil
  • Max von Sydow as Father Merrin
  • Lee J. Cobb as Lt. Kinderman
  • Kitty Winn as Sharon
  • Jack MacGowran as Burke Dennings
  • Jason Miller as Father Karras
  • Linda Blair as Regan
  • William O’Malley as Father Dyer (credited as Reverend William O’Malley S.J.)
  • Barton Heyman as Dr. Klein
  • Peter Masterson as Dr. Barringer – Clinic Director (as Pete Masterson)
  • Rudolf Schündler as Karl
  • Gina Petrushka as Willi
  • Robert Symonds as Dr. Taney
  • Arthur Storch as Psychiatrist
  • Thomas Bermingham as Tom – President of University (as Reverend Thomas Bermingham S.J.)
  • Vasiliki Maliaros as Karras’ Mother
  • Titos Vandis as Karras’ Uncle
  • John Mahon as Language Lab Director
  • Wallace Rooney as Bishop Michael
  • Ron Faber as Chuck – Assistant Director / Demonic Voice
  • Donna Mitchell as Mary Jo Perrin
  • Roy Cooper as Jesuit Dean
  • Robert Gerringer as Senator at Party
  • Dick Callinan as Astronaut (uncredited)
  • Elinore Blair as Nurse (uncredited)
  • William Peter Blatty as The Producer (uncredited)
  • Mercedes McCambridge as Demon (voice)
  • Eileen Dietz as Demon’s Face (uncredited)
  • Ann Miles as Spiderwalk (uncredited)
  • Vincent Russell as Subway Vagrant (uncredited)

It’s finally time to discuss The Exorcist (1973). The 70s Grue Crew have waited 200 episodes to tackle what is arguably the most influential horror film of the decade and beyond. The regular cast of “characters” have invited a few friends to enjoy the extra-long conversation: Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, co-host of The Classic Era; and, Crystal Cleveland, the Livin6Dead6irl, co-host of the 80s. In other words, the whole damn family of Decades of Horror co-hosts are on hand for this one. Settle in for this in-depth look at director William Friedkin’s ultimate fright-fest and join the Grue Crew to celebrate 200 episodes of Decades of Horror 1970s.

At the time of this writing, The Exorcist is available to stream from MAX. The film is also available on physical media as The Exorcist 50th Anniversary Edition – Theatrical & Extended Director’s Cut (4K Ultra HD + Digital).

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Chad, will be The Psychic, aka Sette note in nero, aka Murder to the Tune of the Seven Black Notes, aka Seven Notes in Black, released in Italy in 1977. This one is giallo, Fulci-style!

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com. 

“I’m sorry. I’d hoped to have prepared you somewhat beforehand. This is a mutant.” A Metaluna Mutant to be precise! Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they journey to Metaluna and back, survive an encounter with said mutant, and make it back to This Island Earth (1955).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 162 – This Island Earth (1955)

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ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

Aliens come to Earth seeking scientists to help them in their war.

• Director: Joseph M. Newman (as Joseph Newman)
• Writers: Franklin Coen & George Callahan (as Edward G. O’Callaghan)(screenplay); Raymond F. Jones (story “The Alien Machine”) 
• Producer: William Alland
• Music: Herman Stein (Universal staff composer) (uncredited), Henry Mancini (uncredited), Hans J. Salter (uncredited)
• Cinematographer: Clifford Stine (director of photography)
• Editor: Virgil W. Vogel (film editor) (as Virgil Vogel)
• Costume Design: Rosemary Odell (gowns)
• Makeup Department: 
  • Hair stylist: Joan St. Oegger 
  • Special Makeup: Bud Westmore, Jack Kevan, Chris Mueller, Millicent Patrick, Robert Hickman
• Special Photography: David S. Horsley, Clifford Stine, Cleo E. Baker (uncredited)
• Visual Effects: Roswell A. Hoffmann (optical printing) (as Roswell A. Hoffman), Frank Tipper (effects animator) (uncredited)
• Matte Painting: Russell Lawson (uncredited)
• Rotoscope Artist: Millie Winebrenner (head rotoscoper) & the roto-girls (uncredited)
• Mutant Constructors: Robert Hickman (uncredited), Jack Kevan (uncredited), Chris Mueller (uncredited)
• Mutant Design: Millicent Patrick
• Movie Poster Art: Reynold Brown (uncredited)
• Selected Cast:
  • Jeff Morrow as Exeter
  • Faith Domergue as Dr. Ruth Adams
  • Rex Reason as Dr. Cal Meacham
  • Lance Fuller as Brack
  • Russell Johnson as Dr. Steve Carlson
  • Douglas Spencer as The Monitor
  • Robert Nichols as Joe Wilson
  • Karl Ludwig Lindt as Dr. Adolph Engelborg (credited as Karl L. Lindt)
  • Charlotte Alpert as Metaluna Woman at Decompression Console (uncredited)
  • Orangey as Neutron the cat
  • Regis Parton as Mutant (uncredited)
  • Olan Soule as First Reporter (uncredited)
  • Richard Deacon as Pilot (uncredited)

Ah! The Metaluna Mutant! This beloved Universal Monster stands proudly alongside the classics such as Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, and even the Creature from the Black Lagoon, while the film in which it is featured is often overlooked as being included as a Universal Monster movie. Regardless, it’s time for the Grue Crew to revisit this cherished 50s Sci-Fi landmark entry, This Island Earth (1955).  In the film, Rex Reason and Faith Domergue unwillingly follow high-browed, white-hair-domed alien Jeff Morrow to his distant home planet where they finally, in the last few minutes, encounter the Metaluna Mutant face-to-face. Fun, sometimes goofy, always entertaining, the film delivers! During the episode, the Classic Era crew debunk a Hollywood myth about the film and uncover some key behind-the-scenes contributions from the film’s crew. 

At the time of this writing, a stray copy of This Island Earth might be found streaming from Dailymotion or YouTube. The film is currently available on disc as a Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Jeff, is Isle of the Dead (1945), a Val Lewton RKO film with an Oscar-nominated director starring Boris Karloff! Beware the vorvolaka!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

“Bummer. I forgot my crystal ball… Just a little psychic humor. I don’t really have a crystal ball.” Everyone needs a little psychic humor with their medium, don’t you think? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they share their appreciation for the talented and lovely Tawny Kitaen in Kevin Tenney’s Witchboard (1986).

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 243 – Witchboard (1986)

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Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content!
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Decades of Horror 1980s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

When his girlfriend becomes dangerously obsessed with a ghost she contacted using a Ouija board, Jim reluctantly joins forces with her ex — his own estranged childhood best friend — to identify and exorcise the evil spirit.

• Writer/Director: Kevin Tenney
• Selected Cast:
  • Todd Allen as Jim Morar
  • Tawny Kitaen as Linda Brewster
  • Stephen Nichols as Brandon Sinclair
  • Kathleen Wilhoite as Zarabeth
  • Burke Byrnes as Lt. Dewhurst
  • James W. Quinn as Lloyd
  • Rose Marie as Mrs. Moses
  • Judy Tatum as Dr. Gelineau
  • Gloria Hayes as Wanda
  • J.P. Luebsen as Malfeitor
  • Susan Nickerson as Chris
  • Ryan Carroll as Roger
  • Kenny Rhodes as Mike
  • Clare Bristol as Anchorwoman
  • Ty Copeman as Party Man (uncredited)

With a bromance, romance, love triangle, and a demonic spirit, this week’s Decades of Horror 80s feature has it all, including Tawny Kitaen. Writer/director Kevin Tenney birthed a minor franchise with his Ouija board nightmare original, Witchboard (1986), spawning many sequels and the promise of a remake in 2024. The Grue-Crew brave the supernatural shenanigans to give their thoughts and retrospective on this now cult-classic entry. 

At the time of this writing, Witchboard is available for streaming from Shudder, Tubi, and Freevee, as well as PPV from multiple sources. It is also available on physical media as a Blu-ray disk from Scream Factory.

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by . . . someone, will be Cujo (1983), from the Stephen King novel, directed by Lewis Teague, and starring the incomparable Dee Wallace and Danny Pintauro! It must be Halloween!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

“Megalon! Megalon! Wake up, Megalon! Come on, rise up now, to the Earth’s surface! Destroy the Earth! Destroy our enemies! Rise up! Go on! MEGALON!” That’s quite the cheering section you have there, Megalon. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr, and guest hosts Dirk Rogers and Bryan Clark – as they go quadruple kaiju in Toho’s Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973).

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 199 – Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

An inventor creates a humanoid robot (Jet Jaguar) that is seized by the undersea nation of Seatopia & used as a guide for Megalon and Gigan to destroy the above-ground dwellers as vengeance for the nuclear tests that have devastated their society. In an attempt to stop them, a now independently thinking Jet Jaguar brings Godzilla into the fight.

• Director: Jun Fukuda
• Writing Credits: Jun Fukuda (screenplay; Shin’ichi Sekizawa (treatment)
• Music by: Riichirô Manabe 
• Cinematography by: Yuzuru Aizawa 
• Editing by: Michiko Ikeda 
• Production Design by: Yoshifumi Honda
• Special Effects by: Teruyoshi Nakano (director of special effects)
• Selected Cast:
  • Katsuhiko Sasaki as Inventor Goro Ibuki
  • Hiroyuki Kawase as Rokuro ‘Roku-chan’ Ibuki
  • Yutaka Hayashi as Hiroshi Jinkawa
  • Robert Dunham as Emperor Antonio of Seatopia / Motorcycle assailant
  • Kôtarô Tomita as Lead Seatopian Agent
  • Ulf Ôtsuki as Seatopian Agent
  • Gentaro Nakajima as Truck Driver (credited as Gen Nakajima)
  • Sakyo Mikami as Truck Driver’s Assistant
  • Fumiyo Ikeda as Man from Unit 1
  • Kanta Mori as Japan Special Defense Forces Chief
  • Shinji Takagi as Gojira
  • Hideto Odachi as Megaro
  • Tsugutoshi Komada  as Jetto Jagâ
  • Kenpachirô Satsuma as Gaigan (credited as Kengo Nakayama)

With Doc and Chad occupied elsewhere, Jeff and Bill welcome guest hosts Bryan Clark and Dirk Rogers to examine a last-minute replacement feature for episode 199. Trust us, you will not be disappointed as the Grue-Crew champions another Toho, 1970s, Kaiju entry, Godzilla vs. Megalon, for some silly yet still awesome man-in-suit action. Joining Godzilla and Megalon on screen are fellow giant monsters, Gigan and Jet Jaguar. Jeff finds himself surrounded by kaiju super-fans Bill, Bryan, and Dirk. This episode should not be missed! Enjoy!

At the time of this writing, Godzilla vs. Meagalon is available to stream from Tubi, Freevee, Pluto TV, MAX, the Criterion Channel, and multiple PPV sources. The film is also available on physical media as a Blu-ray in Godzilla, the Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975 (The Criterion Collection).

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode will be the podcast’s landmark bicentennial (that’s 200th, folks)! In honor of that occasion, the 70s Grue-Crew will also be celebrating the 50th anniversary of what many call the greatest horror movie of all time: The Exorcist (1973). Join us to discuss the film in which one character says, “There seems to be an alien pubic hair in my gin.”

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.