Discover the Horror Podcast

Corpse Mania (1981), Red Spell Spells Red (1983), The Rape After (1984) Obviously, the title of our show, and its mission statement is about discovering new horror, In the past we’ve always brought films to the table that we already liked and wanted to discuss.  But on this episode, we were given a unique opportunity.  We were given a list of somewhat obscure Hong Kong-created black magic horror films which contained titles that none of us had seen, and it gave us an idea: maybe this time Aaron, Damien and Jon would be the ones who discover the horror! We each picked a film we’d never seen but sounded interesting, and on episode 45, we share our thoughts on these very unique films. If you’ve not spent time in the utterly unhinged world of Hong Kong black magic horror, and are fond of the surreal, the impossible and the inexplicable, we think this show might just be for you.  Scorpion attacks, maggoty necrophilia, rats leaping from the mouths of dead fathers… this episode has it all.  To join us, we invited Ryan Smith, who made the list and has gathered probably the largest collection of Hong Kong cinema that we’ve ever heard of.  Be careful- this is one where leaves can rip your face off! Films mentioned in this episode: A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), Bewitched Area of a Thousand Years (1991), The Beyond (1981), Centipede Horror (1982), A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991), Corpse Mania (1981), Dr. Caligari (1989), Dr. Lamb (1992), Erotic Ghost Story (1990), Evil Dead (1981), Haunted Tales (1980), Mr. Vampire (1985), The Omen (1976), The Rape After (1984), Red Spell Spells Red (1983), Red to Kill (1994), Revenge of the Corpse (1981), Run and Kill (1993), Seeding of a Ghost (1983), Sex Beyond the Grave (1984), Spirit of the Raped (1976), The Untold Story (1993)

El Vampiro (1957), The Black Pit of Dr. M (1959), and The Curse of the Crying Woman (1963). Any horror fan worth their weight in blood knows their fare share about the classic monster films from Universal from the 30s and 40s before they died a slow death. But do you know that in the late 50s and early 60s, there was a bunch of classical looking horror films made in Mexico? Looking a lot like their Universal brethen, these Mexican films cranked up the atomsphere (and the fog machines) to 11, using some of the traditional monsters, as well as developing some from their own heritage. Mexican horror films from this era don't seem to get the credit and notoriety that they should. So we're hoping to help change that by covering 3 that we think are pretty damn good. So buckle up, get your pen and notepad ready and get ready to start down a very foggy path into a highly underrated sub-genre. Films mentioned in this espisode: The Brainiac (El barón del terror, 1963) El Vampiro (1957) The Curse of the Crying Woman (La maldición de la Llorona,1963) Black Pit of Dr M (Misterios de ultratumba, 1959) Night of the Bloody Apes (La horripilante bestia humana, 1969) The Vampire's Coffin (El ataud del vampiro, 1958) Curse of the Aztec Mummy (La maldición de la momia Azteca, 1957 Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy (La momia azteca contra el robot humano, 1958) Wrestling Women vs. The Aztek Mummy (Las luchadoras contra la momia, 1964) The Witch's Mirror (El espejo de la bruja, 1964) City of the Dead (1960) Dracula (1931) The Bloody Vampire (El vampiro sangriento, 1962) Invasion of the Vampires (La invasión de los vampiros, 1963) The Curse of Nostradamus (1961) Nostradamus and the Destroyer of Monsters (1962) Genie of Darkness (1962) The Blood of Nostradamus (1962) The Hell of Frankenstein (Orlak, el infierno de Frankenstein, 1960) The Ghost (1963) Black Sunday (1960) The Revived Monster (El Monstruo Resucitado 1953) Psycho (1960) The Living Coffin (1959) Young Frankenstein (1974) Halloween (1978) Frankenstein (1931) Son of Dracula (1943) Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1968)  Boxed sets and film collections:   Magic, Myth & Mutilation: The Micro-Budget Cinema Of Michael J. Murphy 1967-2015 Bloody Terror: The Shocking Cinema of Norman J Warren  

Back in ancient times, before Netflix and Amazon Prime, before Hulu and YouTube, even before DVDs and Blu-rays, if films weren't available to you from either your local video stores, or if you wanted to see an uncut print of a movie, or even one that wasn't released on VHS, the place you could find them would be in fuzzy gray market of the bootlegs. These types of vendors were a staple to a lot of the early movie conventions, where fans could find titles that never even knew were out there.  Some of us are old enough to remember being able to finally see the uncut full letterboxed version of Lucio Fulci's The Beyond, after years of suffering though only being able to see the heavily edited Seven Doors of Death. As your collection grew, you would usually start trading with others, increasing your collection even more, as well as helping to spread the love and passion of these amazing films. This is what we're discussing in this episode, so sit back and either reminisce with us, or learn about the good old days, when we were happy for a 5th generation grainy print of Anthropophagus that had the infamous fetus scene! Films mentioned in this episode: Anthropophagus aka The Grim Reaper (1980), Army of Darkness (1992), Bad Taste (1987), The Beyond aka Seven Doors of DeathT (1981), Beyond the Darkness (1979), Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971), Braindead aka Dead Alive (1992), Cannibal Ferox aka Make Them Die Slowly (1981), Cannibal Holocaust (1980), City of the Living Dead aka Gates of Hell (1980), A Cold Night’s Death (1973), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Dellamorte Dellamore (1994), Emanuelle and the Last Cannibal aka Trap Them and Kill Them (1977), Faces of Death (1978), Female Vampire (1973), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), Friday the 13th (1980), Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), The Ghost Galleon (1974), Guinea Pig: Flower and Flesh and Blood (1985), Hardware (1990), The Haunting (1963), I Drink Your Blood (1971), Jungle Holocaust (1977), Lady Frankenstein (1971), Mad Love (1935), Man Made Monster (1941), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994), Meet the Feebles (1989), Mondo Magic (1975), Nekromantik (1988), Nekromantik 2 (1991), Night of the Seagulls aka Night of the Death Cult (1975), Opera (1987), Return of the Living Dead (1985), The Third Eye (1966), Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972), Zombie (1979)

Frankenstein (1931), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942). Time to go back to the source! The films that started a mythology, created the stereotypes, and taught us everything we were going to need to know about the mad genius that created a"monster" and the innocent, child-like creature that would eventually be known by his creator's own name. In this episode, we look back at the first four Universal Frankenstein films, before the monster-ramas, when the main point was the creature and his maker. While there is a lot of material to cover in only one episode, we cover as much as we can, trying to show you just how imporrtant, entertaining and well-made these films are after close to a century. Films mentioned during this episode: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), The Invisible Man (1933), Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Vampire Bat (1933), Young Frankenstein (1974)  

Devil Dog: Hound of Hell (1978), Vampire (1979), & Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981). Back in Episode 11, we covered 3 Made-for-TV films that we felt were must see! And now we're back again to go over another 3 titles that we think are well worth your time and attention. During the late '70s and early '80s was still a time of great films that were made to premiere on your television at home, decades before streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime were available. Thankfully, these three are available in a variety of formats, but you may have to do a little searching first. But that's okay...the hunt is part of the fun! So sit back, hit play, and listen to us ramble on about some really good films, with incredible casts, and some damn entertaining monsters! Here are the titles mentioned in this episode: The Amazing Dobermans (1976), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Bride of Re-Animator (1990), The Cat Creature (1973), Creepshow (1982), Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981), The Devil’s Daughter (1973), Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (1978), The Devil’s Rain (1975), Duel (1971), The Entity (1980), The Evil (1978), Evilspeak (1982), The Exorcist (1973), Gargoyles (1972), Killer Bees (1974), Maniac (1980), Night Tide (1961), Nightwing (1979), Old Dark House (1932), The Omen (1976), Prison (1987), Queen of Blood (1966), Ruby (1977), Salem’s Lot (1979), Satan’s School for Girls (1973), The Sender (1982), The Time Machine (1960), Trapped (1973), Trilogy of Terror (1975), Vampire (1979), Who Slew Auntie Roo (1972)

Depending on when you not only grew up, but grew up with the horror genre could define what films you like, and what you don't like. But then there are other fans that open up the borders and search outside their comfort zone. In this episode, we discuss those ideas with our special guest, S.A. Bradley, author of Screaming for Pleasure: How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy, as well as the host for the podcast Hellbent for Horror. This isn't an episode about specific films, though plenty are mentioned and discussed in great detail, but also on how they are received by the current audiences, as well as the older, and sometimes younger audiences, and what the differences are. These are the films mentioned in this episode: 3 on a Meathook, Anthropophagus (1981), Babadook (2014), Barbarian (2022), Bunny Lake is Missing (1965), Burial Ground (1981), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Cannibal Ferox (1981), Cocaine Bear (2023), The Cursed (2021), Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dark Shadows (1966-71), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Dracula (1931), Deranged (1974), Devil Dog: Hound of Hell (1978), The Exorcist (1973), The Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), Frankenstein (1931), Friday the 13th: Part III (1982), From Beyond (1986), The Godfather (1972), The Godfather II (1974), The Green Slime (1968), Halloween (1978), The Haunting (1963), Hellraiser (2022), Hereditary (2018), Jaws (1975), Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Maniac (1980), Midsomer (2019), Night of the Living Dead (1968), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Nosferatu (1922), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Psycho (1960), The Omen (1976), Onibaba (1964), Ringu (1998), The Ritual (2017), Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Scream 6 (2023), Skinamarink (2022), Sleep Tight (2011), Snuff (1975), Taxi Driver (1976), Tenebrae (1982), Terrified (2017), Terrifier (2016), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), The Thing (1982), The Thing from Another World (1951), Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972)

3 on a Meathook (1972), Grizzly (1976), & Day of the Animals (1977). Director William Girdler is a name that some horror fans might know some of his work, but probably don't know a lot about the man himself, or maybe don't realize how many great films he produced in a very short time, before his untimely death. 9 movies in only 6 years, and one of them being the most successful independent film for the time, which head that record until John Carpenter's Halloween (1978). In this episode we cover one of his earlier films, as well as two of his most popular ones, or ones that might be more familiar with your average fan. But we invite you to listen up and even rewatch them and see if you don't agree with us that William Girdler was much more than a low budget independent filmmaker, but one that consentantly turned out entertaining picutres. Titles mentioned in this episode: 3 on a Meathook (1972), Abby (1974), The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975), Airplane (1980), Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Asylum of Satan (1972), Day of the Animals (1977), Evils of the Night (1985), The Exorcist (1973), Gator (1976), Grizzly (1976), Jaws (1975), Halloween (1978), Laserblast (1979), Last Shark (1981), Mako: Jaws of Death (1976), The Manitou (1978), Orca (1977), Q: The Winged Serpent (1982), Roar (1981), Swiss Family Robinson (1960), Tentacles (1977), A Thing with Two Heads (1972), Tintorera: Killer Shark (1977), A Touch of Satan (1971), Wild Beasts (1984), Zebra Killer (1974)

There are plenty of ways to help you on your way to discovering more about the films you love, as well as ones you might not know too much about. There's always books on different filmmakers, or sort of the audio form of that, the audio commentaries that are usually found on most of our favorite films. The more insight you have, the more you will know, and maybe even enjoy it more. One of those that is helping fans learn just that is Troy Howarth. He's written over a dozen books on a varity of subjects, usually in the Italian film genre, covering directors like Argento, Bava, Fulci, and more recently, Umberto Lenzi. He's also published a 3-volume set on the giallo film. Plus, he has done a ton of different commentaries, giving fans even more info! Films mentioned in this episode: Alice Sweet Alice (1976), The Antichrist (1973), Aquirre, the Wrath of God (1972), Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), Baron Blood (1972), The Beyond (1981), Bitter Moon (1992), The Black Cat (1981), Black Sunday (1960), Blood and Black Lace, Blood Beast Terror (1968), Blood Delirium, Blood for Dracula (1974), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Burial Ground (1981), Caltiki, The Immortal Monster (1959), Cannibal Ferox (1981), Cannibal Holocaust (1980), Cat People (1942), Count Dracula (1970), Crawlspace (1986), Danger: Diabolik (1968), The Devil Incarnate (1979), The Devils (1971), Devil’s Nightmare (1971), Diabolique (1955), Don’t Look Now (1970), Double Face (1969), Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972), Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966), Erik the Conqueror (1961), Female Vampire (1973), Five Days (1973), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), The Frenchman’s Garden (1978), Fury of the Wolfman (1972), The Ghost Galleon (1974), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Ghost of Mars (2001), Giant of Marathon (1959), The Great Silence (1968), Great White (1981), Grim Reaper (1980), Hercules in the Haunted World (1961), Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970), Holocaust 2000 (1977), Horror of Dracula (1957), Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), Howl of the Devil (1988), Inferno (1980), The Irishman (2019), I Vampiri (1957), I Walked with a Zombie (1943), Malpertuis (1971), Mill of the Stone Women (1960), Mummy’s Revenge (1975), The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (1971), Night of the Demon (1957), Night of the Howling Beast (1975), New York Ripper (1982), Not as a Stranger (1955), The Old Dark House (1932), Phenomena (1985), Planet of the Vampires (1965), The Pumaman (1980), Revenge of the Dead (1983), Rio Bravo (1959), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Scars of Dracula (1970), Short Night of the Glass Dolls (1971), Slaughter Hotel (1971), The Sniper (1977), Suspiria (1977), Tentacles (1977), They Live (1988), Tintorera (1977), The Transexual (1977), Venom (1981), Venus in Furs (1969), Videodrome (1983), Zombie (1979)

Dracula (1931), Dracula's Daughter (1936), & Son of Dracula (1943). This is the series of films that really created and started what is now known as the Universal Classic Monster films. Dracula came out in Feb. in 1931 and did such business, the studio followed suit with another film. And another. And another. But are these classics remembered just because of nostalgia, or are they really well made films that are still effective today and rightly deserve the monster of "classic"? In this episode, we delve into the first three Dracula films and take a closer look at these titles to see if they hold up to us, and even more so, maybe getting you, the listener, interested enough to revisit them along with us! Films mentioned in this episode: The Black Cat (1934), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Bride of the Gorilla (1951), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919), The Cat and the Canary (1927), Creature with the Atom Brain (1955), Dracula (1931), Dracula – Spanish Version (1931), Dracula’s Daughter (1936), Earth vs the Flying Saucer (1956), Frankenstein (1931), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), House of Frankenstein (1944),The Invisible Man (1933), The Invisible Ray (1936), I Walk with a Zombie (1943), The Mummy (1932), The Mummy’s Tomb (1942), Nosferatu (1922), Old Dark House (1932), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Phantom of the Opera (1943), Son of Dracula (1943), Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Wolf Man (1941)

Obviously anybody listening to this podcast is a huge fan of horror movies. There is no better time to be a movie fan because of all the incredible releases that keep coming out, not just here in the states, but around the world. From movies that we grew up loving, to the more obscure and unseen titles, it is a never-ending journey to discover or re-discover these titles. And one of the men responsible for helping us fans is Jesse Nelson from Diabolik DVD, as well as Exhumed Films, and more recently Cauldron Films. So sit down and listen to some great stories, and maybe even learn some etiquettewhen it comes to collecting, customer service, and what fans should expect from shops like Diabolik DVD, and the other boutique labels, and realize the hard work they are all doing to bring us fans some great viewing experiences. Films mentioned during this episode: Alucarda (1977), American Rickshaw (1989), Avatar (2009), Back to the Beach (1987), Basket Case (1982), The Being (1981), The Beyond (1981), Beyond the Darkness (1979), Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), Black Emanuelle (1975), Black Sunday (1960), Caligula (1979), Cannibal Holocaust (1980), Circle of Fear (1973), City of the Living Dead (1980), Contraband (1980), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Dead & Buried (1981), Death Game (1977), Don’t Open Until Christmas (1984), Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1931), Dune (2021), The Empty Man (2020), Evil Dead (1981), Flavia, the Heretic (1974), Frankenstein (1931), Frankenstein ’80 (1972), Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), Friday the 13th Part III (1982), Frighteners (1996), From Beyond (1986), The Ghost Galleon (1974), Ghost Story (1972), House by the Cemetery (1981), The Invisible Maniac (1990), The Kindred (1987), Lady Terminator (1989), Last of Us (2023), Mad Love (1935), Martin (1976), Nightmare City (1980), No Escape (1994), Overboard (1987), Phantom of Paradise (1974), Possession (1981), Psycho (1960), Rat Pfink and Boo Boo (1966), Re-Animator (1985), Re-Penetrator (2004), The Sadness (2021), A Serbian Film (2010), Shocking Dark (1989), Shogun Assassin (1980), Splash (1984), Suspiria (1977), Terrifier 2 (2022), Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), To All a Goodnight (1980), Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972), El Topo (1970), Zombie (1979), Zombies: The Beginning (2007)