We have travelled the globe in the course of the podcast to discuss the horror genre output from specific countries or locales and have met with a lot of success. This week we travel to far north to take a look at what a geographical group of nations are up to – Nordic Horror.

Expanding beyond the subset of countries known as Scandinavia we are discussing films from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and even Iceland this week, once again finding ourselves surprised at what we found. Featuring some visually stunning locations, the unique wintery setting of frigid terror, and a particular brand of dark humour, there are titles here for all fans of horror. Some of the movies covered include revisits with Let the Right One In, Troll Hunter, Dead Snow, Rare Exports and others but there is also Frostbiten, Harpoon aka Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre, Blood Runs Cold, Drowning Ghost and all three instalments of the Cold Prey franchise. With plenty more titles to go there is sure to be another chapter to our exploration of Nordic Horror coming soon.

Following a chilling discussion of frozen horror, we chat about some recent watches including Chronicle, Ghost Rider 2(!), The Walking Dead. We announce a brand new giveaway courtesy of our friends at Solaris / Rebellion Press offering up prize packages of 4 sets of 4 graphic novels! Spin us a yarn to enter.

Finally, a word of warning… Ted is in a rare mood thanks to a very trying week. Tune in for the details.

The Phantom Carriage (1921) clips:

Breaking Bad – ‘to challenge conventions, to defy authority and to skirt the edges of the law’

As we ride out the wait for the fifth and final season to come, we take a look at the series to date of the AMC show dealing with an evolution of a high school chemistry teacher’s transformation into Scarface. The one sentence synopsis of the show ‘chemistry teacher diagnosed with lung cancer turns to cooking meth’ is a huge over-simplification of a story that delivers incredible depth and complexity. It is one of the rare instances where all the elements come together: amazing performances across the whole cast (specifically Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul), smart, and tight scriptwriting, cinematic and technically impressive filmmaking, locations, music, etc. Needless to say, it is a recommendation.

The layout is comprised of an initial spoiler free setup of the concept of the series, the players and what makes the show work in our opinion, followed by an overview of the story threads that stood out over four seasons which are spoiler heavy (clear notice given). We hope those who have checked out the show enjoy our broad re-visit of the story so far and newcomers will take something from our reasoning for recommending it. If you are looking for intelligent storytelling with compelling delivery, Breaking Bad is a gem (and no, we do not have an endorsement deal with AMC).

Anyone up for a good old fashioned edition of From The Hip? It’s a late Monday night that finds your hosts unwinding after battling hectic schedules and residual hangovers. Connecting through the wonders of the intertubes, we dial up some skype to chat about some miscellanea and invite you to kick back and join us.

The main focus of the episode is a lengthy discussion on the new Hammer re-do of The Woman in Black. Now this is a title we have often touted as a genuine creepy experience and lamented the lack of DVD release available so there may be some bias at play, but we give a fair consideration to how this version stacks up. There are a couple light spoilers (with warnings) but not to worry, the plot details remain the mystery they are intended to be.

We carry on with some recent watches including Anthony finally getting to catch The Wicker Tree (38 years in the making), Ted heaping praise on The Grey, another video nasty with Blood Feast (the original gore film from 1963), The Black Cat (1934), Mario Bava’s The Whip and the Body, a few trailers, this and that. It’s classic From The Hip… welcome all.

A narrative that sets a tone, mood, setting, plot, theme, and characterizations at a deliberate pace is known as slow burn storytelling. When talking about stories told in the horror genre, creeping and crawling dread is what we seek out to make us uncomfortable and anxious. When it’s done right it can be incredibly effective, when it’s done poorly we risk boredom.

We originally planned to talk about ghost movies. As things progressed though the theme of slow burn narratives came to the surface so we decided to take a look at a number of films that dole out the tension in a very deliberate way and discuss how and why it works. The whole thing kicked off with Ty West’s newest offering The Innkeepers which exemplifies the concept of the slow burn. Does he stretch things too far (as House of the Devil had been accused of), or is he one of the few modern genre directors that has a firm grasp of horror pacing? You be the judge.

We also talk about the 2004 French film Sainte Ange, Lucky McKee’s The Woods, Deadline, Burnt Offerings (the definition of slow burn), and Sigaw (The Echo), a Philippines offering – all supernatural, all very paced in their presentation.

Things wrap up with quick takes on some recent box office fare and we dole out some thanks to the listeners. (Note: spoilers for Sainte Ange run 44:06 – 51:54)

Imagine if you will, that Earth is under constant threat from alien interference.
Lurking in the shadows – just beyond our dimension – are malicious entities just waiting to cross over into our world. Some creatures are simply lost travelers in time and space, whereas other beings are a force that could change the very fabric of life on our planet as we know it (the riveting Children of Earth).
Thank your lucky stars there’s TORCHWOOD!

In this special one off edition of the podcast, Tony and guest co-host Liz Strange (Canadian author of the Dark Kiss series) take an in-depth look at the original 3 UK series of the successful BBC series (itself a spin-off of Doctor Who), and also touch upon the 2011 US run.

Torchwood is a very dark program, with equal footing in science fiction and horror — we hope that this special podcast will satisfy the fans of this groundbreaking English series, and maybe even convince a few of the uninitiated to give it a try.

There’s something terrible happening in Cardiff… Quick – call Captain Jack and his team!

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Those were the immortal words that ushered a generation into the wonders of the Star Wars universe. A trilogy of films that transported us and set our imaginations free, films that broke the boundaries of what science fiction and fantasy could be, spawning a lifelong love of strange new worlds, unforgettable characters, and an undefined power that surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together… and then they made three more.

Since it is now virtually impossible to have a frank and honest discussion of what the Star Wars films were, and what they have become without trudging through the quagmire that is George Lucas – how about a fresh approach? The six films have been introduced to a first time viewer, age 8, who joins the show as a special co-host to share some impressions as we walk through the film series from an unbiased perspective (or “a certain point of view” as Obi Wan would say).

So it’s a different format to be sure but here’s hoping you enjoy revisiting and reminiscing over what is undeniably a major part of film history. It’s very difficult to divorce ourselves from the positive or negative opinions that we may have formed over the franchise and its creator so now we present Star Wars for the first time!

Listening Guide:
A New Hope (0:47)
The Empire Strikes Back (13:49)
Return of the Jedi (37:56)
The Phantom Menace (59:42)
Attack of the Clones (1:21:55)
Revenge of the Sith (1:50:45)

Star Wars in 3 minutes… with action-figures!

PROFONDO ARGENTO!

Yes, folks – it has actually happened… A full-on Dario Argento celebration (?) on the Horror Etc Podcast!

Okay, let’s set the record straight… In the past, we haven’t necessarily been kind to the Italian maestro of the macabre. In fact, a previous attempt to record a commentary for “Phenomena” went disastrously wayward. Well, the impossible seems to have happened… Tony has become an Argento convert (thanks in part to the assistance of this week’s guest co-host and die hard Dario enthusiast, Barry Yuen), and while Ted is still perched on the fence, he admits to a respect for certain entries in Argento’s canon and his indisputable skill behind the lens.

There is a general consensus that the Master’s work has suffered in recent years, but with the coming release of Dracula 3D is it possible that the Italian auteur might be returning to form with one of his most ambitious projects to date? Well, the jury’s still out on that one (giant preying mantises?).

With an emphasis on the 3 Mothers trilogy (Suspiria, Inferno, Mother of Tears), Deep Red, Tenebrae, and a few other ‘lesser’ Argento films tossed in for good measure, we hope this weeks episode will make for good listening for fans, detractors, fellow fence-sitters and the uninitiated alike – indeed, it’s the podcast that you never thought you’d hear… WITCHES!!!

In it’s entirety: Deep Red

Cinema has the power to inform, soothe, inspire – terrify (of course) – and divert from our daily tediums. Seldom is this full gamut of possibilities explored so much as they are in art house cinema. Very much in parallel to the horror genre, art house films often find their origins in productions of limited means, where stories told are often more exploratory, and exposing than that mainstream cinema.

It seems there can be a considerable divide between the connoisseurs of art films, and lovers of genre movies. Perhaps we don’t get it? Is it possible we’re not open-minded enough to accept a cinematic experience so beyond the boundaries of our comfort zones that we inadvertently close our minds to the experience that is an art house film? …and maybe there is just a lot of crap out there. Horror has met with art house successfully (Cronenberg, Lynch, Kubrick) and UNSUCCESSFULLY (Cronenberg, Lynch, Kubrick) in the past, and we’d like to think that most horror and genre fans are open to alternative film experiences.

In this week’s show, we ed take a look at art house cinema, and share some thoughts on recent (The Skin I Live In) and classic (Videodrome, etc) entries in this milieu. It makes for heady conversation, but in classic HETC style. As always, there’s loads more to be found within the audio landscape that awaits, including a truly bizarre Schlock Corner and discussions on some recent viewings (The Devil Inside, Phase 7, Blood Curse, Hugo and more).

Give us a listen and get ready for a truly surreal experience as we explore the human condition in its basest form. Actually, that’s not true… we just didn’t know how to end the synopsis (there’s a tease on our reaction the ending of The Devil Inside)

“Art”:

We raise a cup of kindness… er, goulishness yet —- for auld lang syne!

2011, the year that was is the main focus of this week’s episode. We reflect upon our favorite (and not so favorite) horror flicks and series of the year gone by and take a peek at some of the offerings in 2012.

It was a year that saw Wes Craven back in form with Scream 4, Guillermo Del Toro reminded us why we should Be Afraid of the Dark, and enlightened us as to what awful things happened at that Norwegian camp – but it was the hidden gems like Stakeland that really defined the year. In addition to a multitude of title revisits and a nice selection of under the radar choices that slipped by we offer up a few surprises and laughs along the way with coverage of several recent watches including Chillerama, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, TinTin, Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, MI4, and lots more (such as Ted’s most recent scar inflicted by Jack Ketchum: The Woman). And what were ours #1 picks of the year? Well, you’ll just have to tune in and find out.

2012 is now upon us… according to some the change in the Mayan calendar may mark the end of civilization as we know it. Are you ready to survive the coming apocalypse? Of course you are – horror films taught us everything we ever need to know about surviving Armageddon… right?

Broadcasting right up until the end – enjoy the years first Horror Etc podcast!

And now for something a little different. It’s well documented that we are always eager to receive correspondence from the listeners and value the thoughts and comments sent our way. The following serves as an addendum to our last voicemail feedback episode featuring one listener in particular – Jeff in SF. With multiple calls sent in covering a variety of topics we made the decision to release this bonus stand alone show focused specifically on responding to these messages. Topics include The Walking Dead, Stephen King, The Thing 2011, the effect of nostalgia on our interpretation of modern films, the slasher genre and of course road movies in all their rubber burning glory.

We hope you enjoy this one-off feedback show and encourage everyone to participate in the discussion as well, because you never know when you may be the focus of a future podcast.