The Classic Horror Cast

Each month, Erik, Kyle, and Sean bring you a discussion about a different classic horror film, ranging from gems of the silent era to modern masterpieces of own time.

57 - THE END 06/30/2019

57 - THE END Well, friends and listeners, the time has come. Erik, Sean, and Kyle are signing off for the last time. It's been a blast talking about classic horror movies with all of you over these past six years. So we're going out with a bang! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/10345259

56 - Dead Alive (1992) 05/17/2019

56 - Dead Alive (1992) This month, Kyle, Erik, and Sean discuss the "goriest fright film of all time," the splatter movie, slapstick comedy masterpiece that is Peter Jackson's 1992 film Braindead, aka Dead Alive. /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/9829892

House (1977) 03/15/2019

House (1977) Some houses are born bad, and some movies are just hella weird. This month, Erik, Sean, and Kyle discuss Nobuhiko Obayashi’s piece of macabre surrealism, House. /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/9012872

54 - The Blair Witch Project (1999) 01/17/2019

54 - The Blair Witch Project (1999) This month, Kyle, Erik, and Sean get lost in the woods--and in the weeds, coincidentally--about the 1999 found-footage harbinger, The Blair Witch Project, a movie cited as one of the scariest ever made. Is it as terrifying now as it was then, or is it just 80 minutes of people yelling at each other in the woods? We get to the bottom of it! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/8287715

53 - Black Christmas 1974 12/15/2018

53 - Black Christmas 1974 It's the yuletide season again, and so Erik, Sean, and Kyle are here to discuss one of the most celebrated Christmas horror films ever made, Bob Clark's 1974 movie, Black Christmas. Is it Christmassy? Is it a slasher movie? Is it even very fun to watch? Ho ho ho! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/7931675

52 - Return of the Living Dead 1984 10/10/2018

52 - Return of the Living Dead 1984 This month, we're all about BRAAAAAAAAAAINS! It's time to discuss '80s horror comedy and what better film to focus on than Dan O'Bannon's The Return of the Living Dead, a film so influential, it made everyone think zombies only eat brains. /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/7151984

51 - Vampyr (1932) 08/21/2018

51 - Vampyr (1932) This month, Classic Horror Cast takes a look at Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1932 semi-silent German Expressionist masterpiece Vampyr. /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/6951881

50 - Misery (1990) 06/24/2018

50 - Misery (1990) This month, we're hobbled--err, humbled--to join you to talk about a Stephen King movie, and you won't even have to get out of the cock-a-doodie car to listen! Kyle, Sean, and later Erik gather in the snowy mountains to discuss Rob Reiner's 1990 King adaptation Misery, a movie with a huge reputation, and an Oscar-winning lead performance from Kathy Bates. Are they worth the hype, Mister Man? /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/6738157

49 - The Howling (1981) 04/15/2018

49 - The Howling (1981) This month, it must be a full moon, because Kyle, Erik, and Sean are talking about one of a very small list of good werewolf movies, Joe Dante's 1981 classic The Howling. However, in a film written by John Sayles and featuring dazzlingly grotty effects by the legendary Rob Bottin, is there a lot to be desired? Is self-help and new-age medicine really the right setting for a werewolf movie? /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/6481542

48 - Re-Animator (1985) 03/02/2018

48 - Re-Animator (1985) This month, the fellas discuss the first major film by horror legend Stuart Gordon, as well as the first major work adapted from a story by H.P. Lovecraft, 1985's Re-Animator. There's much talk of bridging horror and comedy, whether horror can be funny at all, Herbert West as an anti-hero, and Lovecraft as a creator of stories. Also, there's lots of talk of heads and head. /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/6321616

47 - Rosemarys Baby (1968) 01/24/2018

47 - Rosemarys Baby (1968) This month, Sean and Kyle discuss Roman Polanski's classic of paranoia, female suppression, and Satanism, Rosemary's Baby. Is the movie out of date now, or does its terrors seem all the more potent in today's climate? /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/6185012

The Golem 1920 12/16/2017

The Golem 1920 This month, to celebrate Hanukkah and to celebrate Erik living in Prague, the fellas discuss the 1920 German expressionist horror movie, The Golem: How He Came into the World, one of the earliest monster movies ever made. Director-star Paul Wegener's movie is a lyrical, moving film that has shadows of movies to come, like Frankenstein. Have YOU seen it? Well here's the one we watched! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/6053175

Dr Terrors House of Horrors 11/15/2017

Dr Terrors House of Horrors Sorry for the delay, horror friends, but we're making it up to you with an episode chalk full of horror. Not one story, but five! We're diving into Amicus Productions and their brand of anthology horror flicks by starting with 1965's Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, directed by British great Freddie Francis and starring both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Does the movie work? Not necessarily, but these are the kinds of movies where if one bit doesn't work, just wait a few minutes. /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/5948906

44 - SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983) - Eat S**t and Live 10/13/2017

44 - SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983) - Eat S**t and Live It's October, the spookiest month of the year, and hence you'd expect us to watch and discuss one of the scariest movies ever made. It's a month that ends in Halloween AND contains a Friday the 13th, so you'd be right in assuming we'd be talking about a slasher movie...but there's no Jason or Michael Myers here...just a little movie called Sleepaway Camp. Whyyyyyyyyyy? Also, if you enjoy the show and want to help out one of us, Erik is moving to Prague (will still be on the show, don't worry), but if you'd like to support him on Patreon, ! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/5837997

43 - Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom 09/07/2017

43 - Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom This month, we're not talking about vampires or werewolves or ghosts, but we're instead looking at the horror of fascism, libertinism, and depravity. It's Pier Paolo Passolini's shocking final film, 1975's Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. We get all up in the poop when it comes to thematic elements and graphic content here, so if that kind of thing upsets you, be warned. /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/5715948

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 1970 08/11/2017

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 1970 This month, Scaredy Friends, Kyle, Erik, and Sean discuss a movie that launched a whole subgenre: giallo, or the Italian pulp-crime-horror film, which was a direct precursor to the slasher movie of the '80s. While not the first, the one that ushered in the trend was Dario Argento's first film, 1970's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, a movie that isn't quite as gory or as salacious as the films would become, but has nevertheless been the most influential of the bunch. /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/5633465

RIP George Romero 07/20/2017

RIP George Romero It's terribly sad when anyone dies, but a horror luminary such as George A. Romero deserves some special recognition. News broke last weekend that Mr. Romero--the father of the modern zombie film and a brilliant filmmaker in his own right--had passed away at the age of 77 and Erik, Sean, and Kyle met up for an all-too-brief discussion about the man's legacy, from his Living Dead films which gave him much international acclaim, to his more contemplative but no less effective films, and even to discussing why he didn't have a late-career renaissance like Wes Craven. We will miss you, George Romero; your horror legacy will never die. /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/5556716

Episode 41 - House of Usher (1960) Corman Goes Gothic 07/07/2017

Episode 41 - House of Usher (1960) Corman Goes Gothic Hello, Boils and Ghouls! This month, Kyle, Erik, and Sean got together to discuss a Roger Corman movie. Yes, it's true! We're not liars. It was the beginning of his eight-movie Edgar Allan Poe cycle, it starred Vincent Price and had some truly excellent sets, cinematography, and music. It's 1960's House of Usher, but is it as good as it should have been? /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/5516804

40 - The Birds (1963) Hitchcock's Monster Movie 06/07/2017

40 - The Birds (1963) Hitchcock's Monster Movie "Iiiiiii married my wife in the month of June, Rizzle-dee-rozzle-dee mao-mao-mao!" Dear God, what a terrible song, but it's fairly apropos, for this, the month of June, sees Erik, Sean, and Kyle discuss their second Alfred Hitchcock movie, and the one and only time he made a straight-up monster flick (essentially), 1963's The Birds which finds a small Northern California town beset by rampant avian attacks for seemingly no reason. I bet there's a thematic reason, though, huh? Also, as discussed in the episode, here is a compiled list of what are considered the best episodes of HBO's Tales from the Crypt. Enjoy! The Man Who Was Death (S1, E01) And All Through the House (S1, E02) Dig That Cat, He's Real Gone (S1, E03) Collection Completed (S1, E06) Dead Right (S2, E01) Cutting Cards (S2, E03) Four-Sided Triangle (S2, E09) The Ventriloquist's Dummy (S2, E10) Television Terror (S2, E16) Carrion Death (S3, E02) Abra Cadaver (S3, E04) Top Billing (S3, E05) The Reluctant Vampire (S3, E07) Easel Kill Ya (S3, E08) Mournin Mess (S3, E10) Split Second (S3, E11) Yellow (S3, E14) What's Cookin' (S4, E06) The New Arrival (S4, E07) Split Personality (S4, E11) Werewolf Concerto (S4, E13) Death of Some Salesman (S5, E01) People Who Lives in Brass Hearses (S5, E05) /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/5427548

39 - The Devils (1971) and the Horror of Religious Madness 05/12/2017

39 - The Devils (1971) and the Horror of Religious Madness This month, we're delving into the realm of sacrilege, blasphemy, persecution, torture, and sexual repression. You know, light and fun stuff. Erik and Kyle (with Sean joining later) discuss Ken Russell's 1971 controversial masterpiece, The Devils, which is recently available (though still heavily cut) on Shudder. Watch, listen, discuss. There's a lot going on. /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/5351416

38 - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) 04/22/2017

38 - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) This month, because it seems very much in the zeitgeist of late, the fellas have decided to discuss Robert Aldrich's 1962 thriller, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, a movie almost more famous for the rivalry between co-stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford than for anything artistic. Is this right? Does the movie count as horror? Does it make sense for this film to have become a camp icon? Let's get into the birth of the Psycho Bitty genre! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/5289422

37 - Dawn of the Dead (1978) - When there's no more room in hell 03/13/2017

37 - Dawn of the Dead (1978) - When there's no more room in hell This month, Kyle, Erik, and Sean hole up in a shopping mall to escape the hordes of bad people running the world and decide to talk about one of the best and most influential horror movies ever made, George A. Romero's 1978 adventure gore-fest, Dawn of the Dead. Is there more to it than simply marauding zombies and weird muzak? Let's find out together! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/5165699

36 - Phantasm (1979) Boooooooy!!!! 02/11/2017

36 - Phantasm (1979) Boooooooy!!!! Is it a dream, a curse, or just a weird movie we can't fully explain? This month, Erik, Sean, and Kyle look at Don Coscarelli's 1979 film Phantasm, the movie that gave the world the tertiary horror icon The Tall Man, and a shiny flying ball that drills into people's skulls. But is this movie worth remembering or just shaking off like a bad nightmare? /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/5075485

35 - Hellraiser (1987) - Some Kind of Sublime Pain 01/14/2017

35 - Hellraiser (1987) - Some Kind of Sublime Pain Let it never be said that the fellas of the Classic Horror Cast don't start a year with a bang. Our 35th episode, and the first of 2017, features what many consider a tentpole horror flick from the 1980s, creating an icon up there with Freddy and Jason... if only any of his movies were good! That's right, we're taking our first (and likely ONLY) foray into the psychosexual realms of Clive Barker with his first film as a director, 1987's Hellraiser, which features that Cenobite porcupine known as Pinhead. Is the movie worthy of such a villain? Join us! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/4991200

34 - Gremlins (1984) - Who is This For? 12/13/2016

34 - Gremlins (1984) - Who is This For? Happy Holidays, good friends and listeners! For our final Classic Horror Cast of the bag of shattered dreams that was 2016, we're looking at one of the more upbeat horror movies we're likely to ever watch for the show: Joe Dante's 1984 creature feature, Gremlins. We talk about if the horror bits are effective, if the comedy is too over-the-top, and ultimately try to figure out who this damn movie was even for. Everyone, apparently, since it made a metric poop-ton of money. Let's discuss! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/4909274

Poltergeist (1982) They're heeeeeeere... 11/13/2016

Poltergeist (1982) They're heeeeeeere... This month, amid some horrors happening in the real world, Erik, Sean, and Kyle take to the supernatural to discuss a seminal work of ghost fiction, the 1982 film Poltergeist directed by Tobe Hooper (or possibly Steven Spielberg, if you believe certain reports). Can something that inspired so many other films and tropes remain scary? Was it ever scary in the first place? We find out together! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/4827628

32 - Peeping Tom (1960) 10/09/2016

32 - Peeping Tom (1960) Happy Halloween, everyone! It's another year into the podcast and another movie to discuss. This month, Kyle and Erik are without a Sean, but they still have plenty to say about Michael Powell's career-destroying treatise on childhood trauma manifesting as psychosexual compulsions. The Red Shoes.... Just kidding, it's Peeping Tom from 1960, a movie that got buried under the weight of Hitchcock's Psycho but that might actually be a richer, more disturbing, and possibly scarier flick. DISCUSS! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/4729488

31 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - Horror Wakes Up 09/07/2016

31 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - Horror Wakes Up This month, minus one Erik who's having to get a new laptop, Kyle and Sean are back to discuss one of the very pillars of the horror film: 1920's silent masterpiece of German Expressionism, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, directed by Robert Weine. Many point to this film as the very birth of horror in the movies, and nearly 100 years later, it's still incredibly effective. But is it scary? /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/4650478

30 - Scream (1996) - What's Your Favorite Scary Movie? 07/30/2016

30 - Scream (1996) - What's Your Favorite Scary Movie? This month, it's just Kyle and Erik, but we're hitting a big one: Wes Craven's 1996 comeback film (he had several comeback films), Scream, which revived the flagging horror film industry, introduced the idea of postmodernism and cinephilia into the genre, and is a pretty damn scary movie in and of itself! /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/4553868

29 - The Exorcist (1973) and Throwing Up in the Aisles 05/08/2016

29 - The Exorcist (1973) and Throwing Up in the Aisles This month, it's another heavy hitter in the realm of classic horror as Kyle, Erik, and Sean discuss what many (at the time) consider(ed) the scariest movie ever made, William Friedkin's 1973 film, The Exorcist. Is it actually the scariest movie ever, or is it just a movie with a lot of swearing and a little girl made to blaspheme. What scares us about "The power of Christ compels you!"?? Does anything? We get to the bottom of it here. /episode/index/show/classichorrorcast/id/4352171

The Classic Horror Cast

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