Saturday Night Freak Show

We continue to celebrate Halloween with Brent's pick: Flatliners (1990), in which five too-smart-for-their-own-good medical students attempt to prove life-after-death by killing and resurrecting themselves in an experiment; but soon they discover that they may not have returned from the other side alone... Join us as we talk about awesome production design, the career trajectories of the 90's Brat Pack, faith, religion, character arcs and all that good stuff on this exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our Halloween celebration continues this week with Sean's pick, Curse of Chucky (2013), which sees the return of everyone's favorite killer doll. The new installment eschews the post-modern camp comedy of his last few screen outings in favor of a return to Gothic horror. A new family, including paraplegic Nika (Fiona Dourif), comes into possession of the infamous Chucky (Brad Dourif) and mayhem ensues. Join us as we revisite the entire Child's Play franchise and the legacy of this pint-sized slasher! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Halloween month continues with Travis' trip back to the past via the original screen adaptation of Tales from the Crypt (1972), an omnibus horror film from England's Amicus Productions which features 5 jolting tales of terror. Join us as we explore the history of Tales from the Crypt, from it's beginnings in E.C. comics, English film adaptations, successful HBO TV series, the Cryptkeeper, and beyond! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, we usher in Halloween with Colin's pick of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), a famous monster-rally that has comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello running afoul of Dracula (Bela Lugosi), the Frankenstein Monster (Glenn Strange), and The Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr.). Join us as we talk about the impact and legacy of the Universal Studios Monsters, vaudevillian comedy acts, Hammer films, and more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, the Saturday Night Freak Show fellows take a field trip to the local drive-in movie theater and catch a dusk till dawn horrorthon that includes Fright Night (1985), Death Race 2000 (1975), Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988), and Barn of the Naked Dead (1974 - aka Nightmare Circus, aka Terror Circus). Listen as we wax nostalgic about the drive-in experience on this special episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Tom champions Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), the live-action, feature film version of the popular comic book and cartoon series featuring a quartet of humanoid turtles, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello, who team up with human reporter, April O'Neil, and vigilante Casey Jones, to rid New York City of a growing teenage gang lead by the villainous Shredder. Listen to the only TMNT podcast you'll ever need to hear as we explore the length and depth of Turtles lore, from their comic book origins, to various television incarnations, to feature films, and an upcoming remake starring Megan Fox. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Brent claims we can't outrun the thunder as he subjects us to Days of Thunder (1990), which follows the career of a hot shot stock car racer (Tom Cruise) as he battles his way to the Daytona 500. Join us as we talk sports movies, the cinematic style of Tony Scott, Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, and Movies For Dudes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Travis forces us to watch Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988), a late addition to the slasher-movie cycle which features the return of transgendered psychopath Angela (now played by Bruce Springsteen's younger sister, Pamela) returning to camp as a camp counselor where she hacks, chops and slices her way through misbehaving teens. Join us as we talk about 80's slasher movies, puritan family values, the dawn of the direct-to-video movie marketplace, and what elements a movie must possess in order to be classified "good", all in this latest thrilling episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Colin subjects the guys to Shogun Assassin (1980), which chronicles the adventures of a renegade warrior and his infant son as they travel the length and breadth of feudal Japan, slashing and maiming their way through hundreds of ninja assassins who are bent on their destruction. Join the conversation as we talk about spraying blood geysers, the entertainment value of graphic on-screen maiming, the political correctness of choosing the correct ninja outfit, the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman and more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Tom calls out The Warriors (1979) in which a NYC gang finds themselves framed for the murder of a gang chieftain and must fight their way back home, 100 miles through enemy turf belonging to rival gangs. Join us as we talk about splatterpunks, gangs from the future, Greek history, the concrete jungle of pre-Guliani New York, Escape from New York and more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Brent targets The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), in which Geena Davis stars as an amnesiac assassin who teams up with con-man/private eye Samuel Jackson to uncover her hidden identify. Listen in and hear about vodka shots that roll off the chin; when movies break our suspension of disbelief; female action heroes; nepotism, or "casting your wife against type in the lead role in a summer action movie"; and analyze the career trajectories of writer Shane Black and director Renny Harlin. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Sean takes a look back at Last Action Hero (1993), in which a movie obsessed kid gets whisked into an Arnold Schwarzenegger action blockbuster by means of a magic movie ticket, and finds himself fighting bad guys along side his idol. Listen in as we revisit this post-modern deconstruction of action cinema tropes and cliches, amazing feats of strength, improbable henchmen, alternate universes, the magical powers of Harry Houdini, soundtrack tie-ins, and once again bring up Brent's hatred of the original Terminator. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Travis introduces one of his favorite filmmakers to the group via Deconstructing Harry (1997). Woody Allen writes, directs, and stars as a neurotic writer, suffering from writers block, who becomes haunted by people and characters from his past as his short stories and real life begin to intermingle. Listen as we evaluate the merits of high-brow comedy, the career of Woody Allen, and generally become self-made film scholars overnight. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Colin conjures up Warlock (1989), starring Julian Sands as a 17th century witch who escapes into the modern day to find the three parts of Satan's bible. He's pursued through time by witchhunter Richard E. Grant, who partners up with a modern day woman (Lori Singer) who's been afflicted by the warlock's curse. Join us as we talk magic, witchcraft, valley girls, flying potion, Riddick, Mennonites, and the Friday the 13th movie series. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Tom opens up the throttle and puts the pedal down for The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2) (1981), in which a haunted, burnt out former cop (Mel Gibson) roams the wasteland of the post-apocalypse in search of the scarce commodity of gas, battling costumed punks along the way, culminating in one of the greatest chase sequences ever filmed. Listen in and hear the bourbon shot that nearly kills Tom, we talk about great movie stunts, cinematic anti-heroes, Australian cinema, post-apocalyptic-set movies, and more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Sean brings us director Rian (Looper) Johnson's Brick (2006), a neo-noir which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a high school student who infiltrates a seamy underworld in order to find out who murdered his ex-girlfriend. Join us as we don our metaphorical fedora hats and plunge into the world of gloomy shamuses, femme fatales, mysterious figures, shadowy dealings and glamorous dames. And, high school. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Travis digs up the Monster in the Closet (1986) from his childhood memories, in which closets worldwide become unsafe from sudden appearances by a hulking, man-eating monster. We talk about all things Troma and bad movies on this episode, until an evil technical fairy sneaks in and destroys all our fun (in which case we learn the importance of having reliable recording equipment). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Brent challenges us with Event Horizon (1997), in which a rescue crew must board a starship that went missing on its maiden voyage and has now mysteriously reappeared, but has seemingly not returned alone. Topics of conversation include: alternate dimensions, homage vs theft, outerspace-set horror movies and video games, rate the Alien franchise from best to worst, and we wonder why all horror franchises eventually end up in space. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Colin subjects us to Tobe Hooper's 1985 sci-fi horror opus Lifeforce, in which astronauts discover a spaceship in the tail of Halley's comet and subsequently bring back a trio of energy-sucking vampires to Earth, who then proceed to terrorize all of London. We talk Gothic vampires, space vampires, and alien invasions, all while we worship the naked presense of Lifeforce star Mathilda May. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Tom subjects us to Reign of Fire (2002), which pits Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey against fire breathing dragons in a post-apocalyptic England. We learn about the Reign of Fire Scale, what constitutes high-brow comedy, and disingenuous movie posters. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.