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STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR (1940) – Episode 142 – Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era

Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

Release Date: 01/14/2023

CRITTERS 2: THE MAIN COURSE (1988) – Episode 284 – Decades of Horror 1980s show art CRITTERS 2: THE MAIN COURSE (1988) – Episode 284 – Decades of Horror 1980s

Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

“What is this bullshit? Them man-eating dust mops got us roped up tighter than a blue-ribbon bull, and all you folks can do is stand here and play kick-the-can with some punk kid!” Barry Corbin as Harv-the-former-sheriff delivers this line and the goods! Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guest Ralph Miller III – as they watch a new batch of Critters hatch just in time for Easter in  (1988). Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 284 – Critters 2: The Main Course (1988) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube...

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CORPSE EATERS (1974) – Episode 240 – Decades of Horror 1970s show art CORPSE EATERS (1974) – Episode 240 – Decades of Horror 1970s

Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

“Lucifer! Lucifer! Barabas! Barabas! By Santanica, Santanica! Come! Come! Etcetera?” Keep it down in there! Sounds like you’re trying to raise the dead. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, Gregory Crosby, and Jeff Mohr – as they discuss  (1974), a microbudget Canadian horror flick with a micro-release. Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 240 – Corpse Eaters (1974) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED...

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THE DEVIL BAT (1940) – Episode 202 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era show art THE DEVIL BAT (1940) – Episode 202 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era

Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

“Ah, my friend. Our theory of glandular stimulation through electrical impulses was correct. A few days ago, you were as small as your companion, and now look at you!” Glandular stimulation? Is that a thing you can get? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they all go sans-after-shave while investigating  (1940), starring Bela Lugosi! Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 202 – The Devil Bat (1940) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to...

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CRITTERS (1986) – Episode 283 – Decades of Horror 1980s show art CRITTERS (1986) – Episode 283 – Decades of Horror 1980s

Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

“Keep your shirt on, asshole.” Did he mean on “your” asshole or is he calling you an asshole? It does make a difference, you know. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they follow the battle for survival between the tiny, very hungry, escaped, galactic prisoners and a band of mostly courageous, small-town residents and farmers in  (1986). Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 283 – Critters (1986) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new...

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PHANTASM (1979) – Episode 239 – Decades of Horror 1970s show art PHANTASM (1979) – Episode 239 – Decades of Horror 1970s

Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

“You play a good game, boy, but the game is finished. Now you die.” Sounds very familiar, doesn’t it, B-O-O-Y-Y-Y? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, Gregory Crosby, and Jeff Mohr – as they cover this legendary franchise-starter, Don Coscarelli’s  (1979). Balls of steel, anyone? Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 239 – Phantasm (1979) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL () which now...

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Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

“The son of a b**** was strong as hell! Like a demon with an iron club! I was sure I’d wind up as rust on that club.” Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guest Dirk Rogers – as they take in this Japanese classic from writer and director Kaneto Shindô, who brought us Onibaba (1964). The film is Kuroneko (1968, Black Cat), also known by its original title, Yabu no naka no kuroneko. Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 201 – Kuroneko (1968) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube...

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Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

“One hundred years before this story begins, it was a time of darkness in Transylvania, a time when Dr. Abraham Van Helsing and a small band of freedom fighters conspired to rid the world of vampires and monsters and to save mankind from the forces of eternal evil. … They blew it.” Will the Monster Squad blow it, too? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they follow the battle between the young monster fighters and the pseudo-Universal Monsters in  (1987). Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 282 – The Monster Squad...

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ABBY (1974) – Episode 238 – Decades of Horror 1970s show art ABBY (1974) – Episode 238 – Decades of Horror 1970s

Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

“Are you trying to say that Abby has… flipped out?” Uh, pretty much. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, Gregory Crosby, and Jeff Mohr – as they cover the oft-mentioned, discussed at last, William Girdler’s  (1974), featuring William Marshall, Carol Speed, Terry Carter, Juanita Moore, and Austin Stoker. Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 238 – Abby (1974) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV...

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Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

“There are certain unseen things that are more real than those which you can see and touch. I know that.” This episode’s opening is a recording from  in which It!, a golem movie starring Roddy McDowall, is discussed. It’s the Grue Crew’s introduction to Chad’s talents. Sounds just like Roddy, right? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guests Bill Mulligan and Joseph Perry – as they discuss their favorite films from each decade of the Classic Era. They’re calling this episode Grue Crew...

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DAY OF THE DEAD (1985) – Episode 281 – Decades of Horror 1980s show art DAY OF THE DEAD (1985) – Episode 281 – Decades of Horror 1980s

Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio

“I’m running this monkey farm now, Frankenstein!” Who wouldn’t want to run the monkey farm? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they discuss George A. Romero’s  (1985), a film worthy of sitting alongside Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1978). Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 281 – Day of the Dead (1985) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! Gruesome Magazine is partnering with...

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“The only person who ever was kind to me was a woman. She’s dead now.” Wait. What? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Jeff Mohr, and guest host Dirk Rogers – as they witness the brilliance of Peter Lorre highlighted by the dark stylings of cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca in Stranger on the Third Floor (1940).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 142 – Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)

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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/

An aspiring reporter is the key witness at the murder trial of a young man accused of cutting a café owner’s throat and is soon accused of a similar crime himself.

 

Stranger on the Third Floor inhabits the creepier side of, shall we say horror-adjacent, film noir. In fact, some experts argue that it is the first example of that dark genre, later to be labeled film noir. It’s a nightmare-influenced murder mystery featuring Peter Lorre chewing on all the scenery he can. Boris Ingster directs Stranger on the Third Floor with all the style that feels as if it could have been an early Val Lewton production. Yup, it’s Hollywood expressionism, RKO-style. This film is worth the watch, even if only for two 7-minute scenes: the nightmare sequence and the interaction between The Stranger (Lorre) and Jane (Margaret Tallichet).

If you have the urge to view this early example of noir filmmaking (or is it “proto-noir?”), and decide for yourself if it is truly horror-adjacent, Stranger on the Third Floor is, at the time of this writing, available to stream from archive.org or PPV from iTunes. There is also a Warner Brothers DVD available if physical media is your preference.

For more Peter Lorre goodness, check out these episodes of 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, will be Diabolique (1940, Les Diaboliques), the French classic directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, based on a novel by Boileau-Narcejac.

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 [email protected]

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