Podcasts
Sophia Takal’s ‘Black Christmas’ Wraps Bob Clark’s Original In a New Bag [Halloweenies Podcast]
“Up in the frat house shit went down, and I’m telling everyone in town…”
It’s Christmas Eve and the Halloweenies are hanging out at Hawthorne College, where they’ve just been asked to attend the annual talent show at the Delta Kappa Omicron fraternity. Something is amiss, though, and it appears there’s a strange black liquid oozing from the campus statues. Also, where did the sisters of Mu Kappa Epsilon go?
Find out by revisiting Sophia Takal‘s 2019 remake of Black Christmas. Starring Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue, Brittany O’Grady, Caleb Eberhardt, and Cary Elwes, the Blumhouse slasher takes an ambitious detour away from Bob Clark’s iconic slasher whodunnit that set the bar for holiday horror back in 1974.
Join co-hosts Mac Gerber, Justin Gerber, and Mike Vanderbilt as they unwrap their thoughts on Takal’s vision alongside special guest Jenn Adams of The Losers’ Club/Psychoanalysis. Together, they discuss its ambitious swings, the eclectic cast (including veteran icon Elwes), the feminist themes, and why more remakes should be this original.
It should be noted this episode was originally recorded in December 2021 for Patreon. So, consider this a Christmas treat and stream the episode below or via iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. Then, stay tuned next week when the Halloweenies list the 10 best horror movies of 2022.
You can also take this time to catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, and The Evil Dead. You can also become a member of their Patreon for hilarious commentaries and one-off episodes, including their latest Black Christmas deep dive.
Podcasts
Shakespearean Education in the Vincent Price-Starring ‘Theater of Blood’ [Horror Queers Podcast]
Butch knows best…
After concluding May with discussions of the disaster “slasher” The Poseidon Adventure (listen) and Michael Biehn’s demon twink in the messy-but-watchable The Fan (listen), we’re heading back to the ’70s to discuss our very first Vincent Price film in Douglas Hickox‘s horror comedy Theater of Blood (1973).
In Theater of Blood, Vincent Price stars as Edward Lionheart, a disgraced Shakespearean actor who begins targeting the critics who shamed him. The gimmick? He’s taking inspiration from the death scenes in William Shakespeare’s plays! Aiding him is his daughter Edwina (Diana Rigg), who acts as the honeypot for her father’s macabre scheme.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, and RSS.
Episode 388: Theater of Blood (1973)
Brush up on your Shakespeare and protect those poodles because we’re covering our very first Vincent Price film in Douglas Hickox’s horror comedy Theater of Blood (1973), a personal favorite of both Price and Diana Rigg.
Join us as we go all in on this somewhat episodic (but also educational!) proto-slasher, wondering if we’re supposed to know that’s Diana Rigg in hippie drag, and cackling at some of these murder set pieces.
Plus, “Handsy Dickman,” narcissistic gravestones, antisemitic stage makeup, and the ultimate debate: is it theatER or theatRE?
C/W: Attempted suicide, off-screen dog murder.
Cross out Theater of Blood!
Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating the premiere of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat with a look at the much-maligned 2002 adaptation Queen of the Damned!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 492 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 3 Episodes 5 & 6, Backrooms, Passenger, Leviticus, an audio commentary on the original Scary Movie (2000), and the return of our Requel Tier as we begin our episode coverage of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat.