Your Hosts

Kings Town Ted

Anthony DP Mann

One two, JEH is coming for you. Well, you have all had a reasonable amount of time to either see the new Nightmare flick or decide you don't care enough about it to sit through an extended spoiler filled discussion about it. After emerging from the first screening in town, your hosts sat down to record their initial reactions and a segment only meant to last a few minutes stretched to nearly an hour. So we have another in a line of Platinum Dunes remakes that is receiving the critical drubbing we all knew it would but the question lingers - did they really go so wrong as to deserve the Freddy style skewering it's gotten? Time for a fair (emphasis on fair, as in keep the nitpicking in the basement), analysis of Nightmare 2010.

Despite disparate locations of your hosts this week, we still managed to get in a schlock corner and it's a winner. Orson Welles Drunk Outtakes while attempting to shoot a wine commercial. You may have heard about it before but its a must see.

The Italian Horror film selection of 1981's The Beyond earned a share of the episode title as it was truly an....experience. In the process of breaking down the general outline of the "story", numerous elements are discussed openly (don't worry, not the crazy ending). The reason for loose control on spoilers is really due to the near impossibility of ruining The Beyond through mere description. This is a film that must be seen to be appreciated. A discourse is held on the 'Absolute Film' theory and how it appears to apply to specific Italian filmmakers. Stay tuned, the Italian Horror film festival is getting interesting. Thanks to Nick and Brian for supporting the show.

We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324

Podcast Alley: Horroretc Podcast

If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us an iTunes review...we appreciate the support and all efforts to help spread the word about the podcast.

It's a feedback show. With one host in absentia and one host sleep deprived we once again test the axiom of 'better than nothing'. Truth is, there's a lot to enjoy this week as the content has been provided by you the listeners. Ted sits down well into the morning hours to share a lengthy list of emails we received on the subject of Italian Horror. It's true the once promised stand alone episode dedicated to the genre did not materialize but that is with good reason - it was foolhardy to think it could be done. Fans of Italian Horror are a dedicated bunch and through the course of the show a lot of that passion comes across. Loads of recommendations and some discussions of the key elements that lend such a distinctive taste to the output of so many great filmmakers are here.

It's a lot of material for just one voice so to break up the drone there's a whole roster of voicemails from the listeners on a nice variety of subjects as well (special thanks to Christopher Walken for calling in).

And just to round things out and bring it all home the Italian Horror filmfest rages on with Joe D'Amato's Beyond The Darkness (1979). Thanks to everyone for writing / calling in to make this weeks episode possible.

We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324

Podcast Alley: Horroretc Podcast

If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us an iTunes review...we appreciate the support and all efforts to help spread the word about the podcast.

It's over. As the final LOST stamp faded into blackness a huge chapter of a personal journey through some of the most engaging and challenging storytelling I've ever been part of came to a close. To be perfectly honest this is a time of great melancholy. The wrap up episode of LOST from Horroretc is something that has been long promised and I have looked forward to this moment with great anticipation but now that the book has closed emotions that were most unexpected have set in. We hope you join us this week in a casual discussion of the general impressions the series has left with its dedicated fans and a very immediate reaction to the finale presented.

The first half of the show is spent revisiting some of the key elements that made this a landmark in network television. In terms of overall scope it may be unsurpassed. Beautiful cinematography, powerful musical scores, complex characters, excellent performances, thought provoking writing, and some of the most dense mythology ever created. Standing back from the minor quibbles over concrete resolutions and unfulfilled concepts introduced along its six year run, the series provided a finale that challenged the viewer to think and arrive at conclusions not necessarily spelled out. What else should we have expected from writers who incorporated so many elements of world theologies into storytelling thematics and named characters after philosphers whose various conceptual understandings of our existance demanded consideration.

The initial reaction session was a contentious one and may be representative of the general audience reaction to LOST as a whole. Looking forward to a rewatch but in the meantime regard this episode as a celebration of a cultural phenomenon.

For the uninitiated check out the season 1-5 recap in 8 minutes (Link)

And as a fitting tribute check out Lost: All the People Who Died (Link)

We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324

Podcast Alley: Horroretc Podcast

If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us an iTunes review...we appreciate the support and all efforts to help spread the word about the podcast.

There has been a whole lot of discussion and debate in the fallout of the LOST series finale. Our initial thoughts were very immediate reactions and a couple links have surfaced that I feel nicely encapsulate the take I have on it all:

Lost Finale Explained - Not really a breakdown of the finale so much as a checklist of quick takes on the most commonly asked questions and complaints raised.

Bad Robot Insider Explanation - this one has surfaced under the guise of a LOST insider providing the "actual" explanation. I think that its source is bogus but still agree with a whole lot of what is laid out.

For the record, I am now firmly in the camp of unapologetic supporters of the finale. The more time passes and the more theorizing and re-examing that goes on, the more cohesive and intelligent everything becomes. Oh, and baby Aaron was simply a construct for Claire and Charley, nothing more - nothing less.

Dr. Heiter is a mad scientist. He was once a respected surgeon, but has now retreated to his luxurious home in the German forest, which contains an operating room in the basement. His skin has a sickly pallor, his hair is dyed black, his speech reminds us of a standard Nazi, and he gnashes his teeth. He is filled with hatred and vile perversion. Heiter has plans to surgically join his victims by sewing together their mouths and anuses, all in a row. They will move on their hands and knees like an insect. You don't want to be part of the Human Centipede at all, but you most certainly don't want to be in the middle. Why does he want to commit this atrocity? He is insane. - Roger Ebert

Decided to let Mr. Ebert introduce the topic this week as it can't really be summed up better. A full half hour discussion of The Human Centipede leads the way to a broader topic of mad doctors in film. It's been a long standing trope of the horror genre and we ponder the psychological implications of handing over our complete trust to an absolute stranger wielding all the tools of modern medical science to hope we don't end up the result of some ghastly perverted experiment.

The fun carries over to schlock corner as Anthony tries his hand at the recent videogame adaptation of Centipede 'with a twist'. Try it yourself at the Link.

We close out the show with some thank yous, random thoughts and some follow up voicemails to close the door on the Lost talk. Two new contests are announced: win one of 3 copies of The Changling or one of 2 copies of Dark: A Horror Anthology (Link).

LOST: All The People That Died

Unanswered Lost Questions - very funny

We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324

Podcast Alley: Horroretc Podcast

If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us an iTunes review...we appreciate the support and all efforts to help spread the word about the podcast.

Fire up the GPS, load up the cooler and kick off your shoes - we're hitting the road for our illustrious 10th From the Hip episode. It was a sunny summer day, far too nice to be sitting indoors around the mic so we took ourselves a trip and chatted about some pretty random topics.

Subjects include the Blair Witch Project (yes, again...but there's a reason), Ridley Scott's new take on Robin Hood, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, HBO's The Pacific, Festival of Fear 2010, The Last Exorcism and lots more. We get some more input from the listeners through the voicemail line who bring up great thoughts on the Nightmare on Elm Street remake, the disparity between online friends and flesh and blood friends when it comes to horror interests, the ineffectiveness of The Exorcist (!?) and more insight into Italian Horror. Speaking of Italian horror, this week's film pick is The Church (1989) by Michele Saovi. An eclectic and somber take on the demon possession tale aided by some truly jolting images.

We are very aware that this week's episode is relatively light on horror content and heavy on the voicemails but the fact is this was the content we watched this week and the commentary sent in from misterd, Bill, Matt and Alan was too good to not share. Many thanks for listening to our unfocused From the Hip episodes, they are a lot of fun for us to do and we hope you have some fun with them too.

We always welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com / voicemail (206) 337-5324

Podcast Alley: Horroretc Podcast

If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us an iTunes review...we appreciate the support and all efforts to help spread the word about the podcast.