Saturday Night Freak Show

Colin comes to believe he's the Kwisatz Haderach as we take on David Lynch's much-maligned science fiction epic Dune (1984). Two feudal houses war over the production of a spice, mined from only one planet in the galaxy - the desert world Arrakis - where 400 foot sandworms roam the landscape and where the prophecy of a coming messiah promises freedom from a corrupt empire. Listen as we try to untangle Hollywood's ongoing attempts to bring Herbert's novel to the screen, through versions by Alexandro Jodorosky, David Lynch, John Harrison and Denis Villeneuve on this weeks exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michaela falls in love with a cute killer monkey in George A. Romero's Monkey Shines (1988). After an accident leaves him crippled from the neck down, Allan Mann (Jason Beghe) is recruited by his mad scientist best pal (John Pankow) to try out a super-smart helper monkey who caters to his every wish, and begins helping a bit too much whenever Allan gets mad at someone. Listen as we continue to document the best animal performers in Hollywood, speculate as to what parts of the story might have been left on the cutting room floor, and discuss Romero's varied film career on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holly loses her heart to the holiday slasher My Bloody Valentine (1981). The town of Valentine Bluffs hasn't celebrated Valentine's Day in 20 years, not since miner Harry Warden killed all those people after the cave-in. Now, the residents of this coal-mining town just want to cut loose...but a masked killer appears and starts taking out hearts one by one. Listen as we examine a curious couple of years in film history that spawned dozens of stalk-and-slash masked killer movies, show our love for film-themed end credit ballads, and try out our best Canadian accents on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sean detects signals from deep space, which leads to The Arrival (1996). Charlie Sheen (aka Carlos Estevez) stars as a radio telescope operator who uncovers an alien conspiracy while trying to uncover the source of a series of intergalactic signals he's detected, one of which seems to be originating on Earth, in South America. Ron Silver also stars in this first feature film from writer/director David Twohy, who later created Pitch Black and A Perfect Getaway. Listen as we spend an hour wondering how Charlie Sheen became a movie star, relive the 90's fascination with alien abduction stories, and trace the lineage of Jonesy the Movie Star Scorpion, all on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Colin loads up the van and rides into a world of heavy metal gods and monsters with Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare (1987), as legendary (but mostly unheard of) rock showman Jon-Mikl Thor (of the 70's band Thor) takes his band, their horny girlfriends, and assorted groupies to a Canadian farmhouse to record a new album, unaware that the place is overrun by tiny, one-eyed demon puppets. Listen as we marvel at the demon-fighting power of 80's heavy metal, marvel at the storied career of Jon Mikl Thor, and determine the best way to survive a bad movie, all on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We move into a house on Terror Tract (2000), a horror anthology about a highly-motivated realtor (the late John Ritter) who spins three tales to his clients as they look at a trio of houses with sordid histories. Listen as we marvel at the scenario which pits Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston against an evil Capuchin monkey; reminisce about staying up all night to catch movies on the USA Network; and the untold family stories of Hollywood's best animal performers on this week's exciting show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holly worships at the feet of Clive Barker's resurrected, pagan god-monster Rawhead Rex (1986)! When a farmer digs up a pre-Christian era pillar in his field he unleashes the titular beast, which goes on a murderous rampage across the Irish countryside, while a visiting American author finds himself caught up in the violent shenanigans. Listen as we talk about the effectiveness of estrogen lasers against hyper-masculine monster deities, the horrors of being peed on by a 8ft tall pagan god, and the early filmic career of Clive Barker on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sean brings Dead Heat (1988) back from the dead so he can kill it again! While tracking a gang of undead robbers, Detective Roger Mortiss (Treat Williams) winds up one of the living dead himself! With only 12 hours left to "live" before he decomposes, the zombie cop helps his loud-mouthed partner Doug Bigelow (Joe Piscopo) try to solve his murder, in this zany buddy-cop/sci-fi hybrid. Listen as we talk about things like zombie ducks, exploding zombies, and a late career appearance by horror legend Vincent Price, all on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We close out the year with a show devoted to the new movies we saw in 2016, and each of us undertake the arduous task of choosing only 5 champions to be considered the Best of the Year. And then, for good measure, we single out The Worst Movie We've Seen This Year, in our late-night, after show, Saturday Night Side Show episode! We hope you enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Colin abuses the traditions of Christmas and gets a visit from Krampus (2015). A dysfunctional family receives punishment for their lack of Christmas spirit in the form of a supernatural siege of demonic toys, dark elves, sinister snowmen, and the appearance of the anti-Claus himself. Director Michael Dougherty stakes out territory for another holiday horror movie, following his debut feature, Trick r' Treat. Listen as we dive into the origins of Krampus, his sudden popularity, and Christmas horror movies in general on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holly is startled to discover that Santa Claus is actually the son of Satan in Santa's Slay (2005), a horror-comedy starring WWE's Bill Goldberg as rampaging demon, recently released from 1000 years of jolly servitude, on account of losing a bet with an angel. Unleashed upon the small town of Hell, MI, St. Nick murders everyone on his naughty list while a pair of love-struck teens and an old man try to stop him. Listen as we talk about the true origins of Santa and his evolution from gift-giving cherub to cinematic slasher on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sean wants to build a snowman, but is horrified when it becomes a serial killer named Jack Frost (1997)! When the aforementioned (human) bad guy gets bathed in "genetic chemicals" in an auto accident, he dissolves into the snow and rises again as a homicidal, ambulatory snowman, who vows revenge on the sheriff of Snomonton, CO, who put him away. Listen as we suffer through this cheap (but earnest) direct-to-video Christmas horror fantasy, so you don't have to, on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Travis wonders what it would be like to live in Cool World (1992), renegade animator Ralph Bakshi's trippy live-action/animation answer to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Voluptuous doodle Holli Would (Kim Basinger) wants to get out of her animated, 2D world and escape to the "real" world; to do so, she seduces comic book artist Jack Deebs (Gabriel Byrne), while cop Brad Pitt worries the sex between "doodles" and "noids" will destroy the entire universe! Listen to our surprisingly informative episode about men who draw sexy women and want to boink them, all on this week's show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Colin explores forbidden love among the Cat People (1982), which stars Nastassja Kinski as a woman who begins to fear that her burgeoning sexuality, once unleashed, may literally turn her into an animal. John Hurt becomes obsessed with her mysterious femininity, while Malcolm McDowell plays her skeevy brother, who proposes an unwholesome solution to her predicament. Listen as we discuss the career of director Paul Schrader, the disappearance of the erotic thriller from mainstream entertainment, and the musical contributions of David Bowie on this week's supersexy episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holly thinks The Stepford Wives (1975) are acting strangely, and is afraid she might become one herself! Based on Ira (Rosemary's Baby) Levin's novel, a New York City housewife moves to an idyllic bedroom community where all of the women are "perfect" homemakers; she begins to suspect that an insidious mind control conspiracy is afoot and that sooner or later, she will be forced to become one of them. Listen as we discuss gender roles, the war of the sexes, and the horrors of marriage on this week's episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sean revs up his chainsaw and develops a taste for Southern barbecue with Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (aka The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, (1994). A virtual remake of the original 1974 classic, Next Generation finds future star Renee Zellweger and a gang of high schoolers ducking out on their prom, going off into the boonies, and running afoul of another future star, Matthew McCounaghey, and his family of inbred, chainsaw-wielding, conspiracy-lovin', cannibal freaks...including the monstrous Leatherface. Listen as we give this much maligned sequel its day in court on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Travis brings us back From Beyond the Grave (1973), an anthology of horror short stories from England's Amicus Productions. Peter Cushing stars as the proprietor of a antiques shop that sells haunted items; David Warner, Donald Pleasance, Ian Ogilvy and others come to possess the items and subsequently feature in stories about haunted mirrors, stolen valor, demonic possession, and phantom rooms. Listen as we talk omnibus horror films, the pitfalls dating of British women who look like their fathers, casual seances, and more on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Colin summons the king of vampires with a viewing of Dracula (1979), Universal Pictures' big budget remake of the Bela Lugosi classic, this time with Frank Langella reprising his Broadway role as the vampire count. Moving from Transylvania to England, the suave bloodsucker integrates himself into high society and begins seducing the womenfolk and corrupting them into wanton creatures of the night! Pull up a chair and listen as we discuss the origin of this production, from stage to screen; the enduring appeal of Dracula and vampires in general; and find out Colin's Top 10 Horror Movies of All Time on this exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holly dares us to unlock the mysteries of The Cabin in the Woods (2012), a Joss Whedon-written, Drew Goddard-directed, meta-movie dissertation on the inner-workings of horror films. Five college students head to the titular vacation spot and become the targets of a zombie redneck torture family; what they don't know is that all the death and mayhem is choreographed from a secret underground government facility. Listen as we dive deep and peel back the layers of this post-modern horror-comedy on this week's show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sean likes his women sexy, cold, pierced and punctured, as evidenced by his choice of Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993), which adds amore to the zombie saga. Star-crossed lovers Curt and Julie become entangled in a secret government project after she dies and he resurrects her as a zombie; she begins piercing her body with sharp instruments in order to feel human as her appetites for human brains begins to grow. Will the power of love keep these two lovebirds from snacking on one another? Is Sean an accidental racist? Find out - along with his Top 10 Favorite Horror Movies - on this week's exciting show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.