Castle Of Horror Podcast

Castle Bridge Media presents a Zoom panel on the new Castle of Horror Anthology book, Thinly Veiled: the 70s (https://amzn.to/3xpqKya). Enter a very strange wing of the Castle of Horror-- a wing of reflections of the familiar. Specifically: reflections of the 1970s, from TV sitcoms like THE ODD COUPLE to films like HALLOWEEN and THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR. But every one of them-- from the mismatched roommate bachelors to the bus-traveling pop star family-- are all "thinly veiled" and sent into a horror story of their own. See if you can recognize them all! Featuring stories from Jason Henderson, In Churl Yo, Henry Herz, Alethea Kontis, Scott Pearson, Madeline Ashby, John Pritchard, James A Moore, Rob Nisbet, Dennis K. Crosby, Heath W. Shelby, Jeremiah Dylan Cook, Tony Jones, Bryan Young, and Charles R. Rutledge. Hosted by editor Jason Henderson.

This week we have a one-off episode with the 1961 film The Snake Woman. This is Castle of Horror Episode 338.The Snake Woman (a.k.a. The Terror of the Snake Woman) is a low budget black-and-white 1961 British horror film produced by George Fowler and directed by Sidney J. Furie. It stars Susan Travers and John McCarthy.[1] The film was shown on a double bill in the UK with several movies, including re-releases of The Split (a.k.a. The Manster) (1959) and The Vikings (1958), and as the second feature on a double bill with Doctor Blood's Coffin (1961) in the US. The film is set in a small English village at the turn of the 20th century. It tells the story of Atheris (Susan Travers), a young woman who has the power to transform from human to cobra, and the Scotland Yard detective (John McCarthy) sent to investigate a series of deaths, unusual because all the victims died after being bitten by snakes that are not native to the UK.

Tonight we’re chatting with Ava Reid about her book The Wolf and the Woodsman, which comes out this June from HarperVoyager/Harpercollins in audio and hardback, as well as ebook. The book follows a young pagan woman with hidden powers and a one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen as they form an unlikely alliance to thwart a tyrant.Publisher’s Weekly said, “Reid’s fast-paced debut examines religious freedom through the lens of myth and magic. … The convincing enemies-to-lovers romance, fascinating religion-based magic system, and thoughtful examination of zealotry make this a notable debut.”Taken from the myths and legends of her Jewish and Hungarian heritage, and weaving that with diverse cultural magic, Reid sets Évike and Gáspár on a dark, powerful journey that is full of tradition and yet feels entirely unique. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a girl to sacrifice to the king, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered. But when Évike and the Woodsman’s captain are att

Jason chats with Kevin Tenney, director of the 1986 cult film Witchboard which comes to the ARROW platform, available to subscribers in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom.Witchboard is a 1986 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Kevin S. Tenney in his directorial debut, and starring Tawny Kitaen, Stephen Nichols, and Todd Allen. The plot centers on a student who becomes entranced into using her friend's Ouija board alone after it was accidentally left behind at her party, where she becomes terrorized by an evil spirit.

Tonight we’re chatting with Damian Mc Carthy, whose new film Caveat premieres on Shudder on June 3.A stunningly creepy and atmospheric thriller rich with dread and supernatural intrigue, CAVEAT is the feature debut for Irish filmmaker Damian Mc Carthy following a string of award-winning shorts. Set in a decrepit house on a remote island, and filmed in the picturesque countryside of Cork, Ireland, the film follows an amnesiac man tasked with watching over a troubled young woman - but the walls of the house hold more secrets than you can imagine, and the film continues to twist and turn until the very last moment. The feature debut from Irish writer/director Damian Mc Carthy, Caveat stars Ben Caplan (Band of Brothers, Call the Midwife), Jonathan French (A Soldier's Voice), and Leila Sykes (Missing Something).Caveat is produced by Justin Hyne of HyneSight Films. Mc Carthy wrote, directed, and served as the film’s editor. Cinematography by Kieran Fitzgerald and music by Richard G. Mitchell. Caveat will stream ex

This week we continue our retrospective on what we're calling gaslight movies with the 2016 film The Girl on the Train. This is Castle of Horror Episode 337.We're joined by Leigh Fryling, the voice of the Night of the Book Man audiobook from Castle Bridge Media.

Tonight we’re chatting with Leigh Fryling, who recently published an essay in Medium called called A Taste For Blood- How life in my 30’s changed my love of the Horror Genre- maybe forever.Leigh Fryling is the voice behind the audio version of Jason's book NIGHT OF THE BOOK MAN.Leigh Fryling would be right at home as a hobbit of the Shire, but since she lives in this reality she makes do with being an adventuress, itenerant teacher, musician and writer. When she isn't busy running a high school drama program or browbeating teenagers into graduating, she can be found having dance parties in the kitchen with her daughter Rosie and husband Zach. In her spare time she watches horror movies, plays all forms of games, and crochets a mean shawl, when she isn't planning her next adventure.

Tonight we’re chatting Christopher Sequeira, editor of Cthulhu Deep Down Under Volume 3.The book collects Lovecraftian Tales with an Australian bent. In the story that first established the monstrous cosmic terrors of his Mythos writer H. P. Lovecraft said “We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity…” Which makes it all the more fitting that the adepts of Lovecraft’s vision writing today would choose to unveil ever-evolving and terrible fears besetting those that live on the largest island on the planet, and force the protagonists of some startling new horror fiction tales in this book to face, indeed, not placidity, but their own black seas of infinity…and madness.Again, some of the greatest scribes of the weird and startling from the land down under bring you brand new stories in the Lovecraftian genre, taking you from the realms of contemporary Australian cities, to the blood-soaked, post-colonial past (touching the powerful original cultures of the land), and even hinti

This week we continue our retrospective on what we're calling gaslight movies with Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte. This is Castle of Horror Episode 336.

Tonight we’re chatting with Matt Mercer and Mike Testin, the writer/director team behind Dementia Part II, a new horror film about Matt Mercer’s character Wendell, a parolee who takes a handyman job working for an old woman whose tasks get more and more dark and bizarre. But the backstory of this film is just as compelling: the film was conceived and shot in just five weeks-- on a dare.Dark Star Pictures and Bloody Disgusting will release the midnight horror film DEMENTIA PART II in theaters on May 21, 2021, and on VOD, Digital HD and DVD on June 1, 2021.

Tonight we’re chatting with Pam Pho of the D4EO Literary Agency about writers on social media.Pam began her career as a literary assistant to an agent in 2012. In her first two years as an agent, Pam brokered 24 deals, with publishers such as Knopf, Scholastic, NAL, ACE, Grand Central, and others. She joined D4EO in June 2014, where she continues to build her list.She has a passion for genre fiction as well as children's literature.

Tonight we’re chatting with Juliana Savia Clayton, who writes young adult novels and picture books and does a lot of editing, and also tweets under the name @kidlit_writer. Her website is http://First-chapters.com. Recently she posted an essay that Jason wanted to talk about: Querying 101: A Guide To Following Absolutely Every Absolute Rule At The Same Time (In An Industry With No Absolutes).

Tonight we’re chatting with Neil Marshall, whose film The Reckoning comes to Shudder on May 13.Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, announced that THE RECKONING will be available to stream on the platform starting on May 13, 2021. The film made its world premiere at the 2020 Fantasia Film Festival.In THE RECKONING, after losing her husband during the Great Plague, Grace Haverstock (Kirk) is unjustly accused of being a witch and placed in the custody of England’s most ruthless witch-hunter, Judge Moorcroft (Pertwee). Forced to endure physical and emotional torture while steadfastly maintaining her innocence, Grace must face her own inner demons as the Devil himself starts to work his way into her mind.THE RECKONING stars Charlotte Kirk (Ocean’s Eight, Vice, How To Be Single), Joe Anderson (Across The Universe, The Crazies), Steven Waddington (The Imitation Game, “The Tudors”) and Sean Pertwee (Dog Soldiers, Equilibrium). The film was directed by Neil Marsh

This week we kick off a Gaslight Retrospective with the 1944 film GASLIGHT. This is Castle of Horror Episode 335.Gaslight is a 1944 American psychological thriller film directed by George Cukor and starring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten, and 18-year-old Angela Lansbury in an Oscar-nominated screen debut (Best Supporting Actress). The film is adapted from Patrick Hamilton's play Gas Light (1938), about a woman whose husband slowly manipulates her into believing that she is going insane.The 1944 version is a remake of the 1940 British film of the same name directed by Thorold Dickinson. Cukor's version had a larger scale and budget than the earlier film, and lends a different feel to the material. To avoid confusion with the first film, Cukor's version was originally titled The Murder in Thornton Square in the UK.[3] The film features numerous deviations from the original stage play, though the central drama remains that of a husband trying to drive his wife insane in order to distract her from

Tonight we’re chatting with Ryan Kruger, director of Fried Barry, which comes to Shudder on May 7th.The film marks the feature debut for director Ryan Kruger following a string of celebrated shorts (including the original Fried Barry short that inspired this feature) and an award-winning career directing music videos in South Africa. In FRIED BARRY, an alien abducts a deadbeat and takes his body for a spin around the darker side of Cape Town. Fried Barry follows the story of a drug-addled degenerate who, after yet another bender, gets abducted by aliens. Barry takes a backseat as his alien visitor assumes control of his body and takes it for a joyride through Cape Town. What follows is an onslaught of drugs, sex and violence as Barry’s alien tourist enters the weird and wonderful world of humankind. The feature directorial debut from award-winning music video director Ryan Kruger and starring newcomer Gary Green, the genre pushing, acid-washed, sci-fi horror has been praised by critics and embraced by fans a

Tonight we’re chatting with Katharine Coldiron, who’s just published a piece of criticism called Intentionally Disposable Art: The Teen Agers Films in the film crit site Vague Visages. Katharine Coldiron is the author of the 2020 book Ceremonials and a forthcoming piece on Plan 9 from Outer Space. Her work as a book critic has appeared in the Washington Post, the Guardian, NPR, and elsewhere; her work as a film critic has appeared in Bitch, Bright Wall/Dark Room, and Video Librarian. She earned an MA in creative writing from California State University, Northridge, and a BA in film studies and philosophy from Mount Holyoke College. Find her at kcoldiron.com. So your subject is the teenagers series which you take a deep look at but it's also really a sort of focal point around which you spin this series of thoughts about the accidental permanence of art. .Find the article here: https://vaguevisages.com/2021/04/27/intentionally-disposable-art-the-teen-agers-films/

Jason chats with Halloween Man creator Drew Edwards on the Indiegogo to support Terry parr, creator of the comic Aerobicide with the Aerobicide/Lucy Chaplin Science Starlet Crossover. Find the indiegogo here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/aerobicide-lucy-chaplin-science-starlet-crossover#/Says Drew:Everybody knows the last year has been filled with unprecedented challenges. It felt like Covid-19 changed the world overnight and we all were just in a rush to keep up with those changes. Some of us were hit harder than others. Terry Parr is a father, husband, and comic creator. I’ve been proud to call Terry a friend and creative partner for the better part of two decades. He is extremely talented, imaginative, and a wizard with a pencil. He is like a brother to me. So, of course, when he got sick, I knew I had to help him. Like so many, Terry was hit with high medical bills after contracting Covid-19. Thankfully a solution presented itself in the form of an indie comics crossover between my own Luc

This week we are back with the 1949 film Mighty Joe Young. This is Castle of Horror Episode 334. Mighty Joe Young is a 1949 American black and white fantasy film distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and produced by the same creative team responsible for King Kong (1933). Produced by Merian C. Cooper, who wrote the story, and Ruth Rose, who wrote the screenplay, the film was directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack and stars Robert Armstrong (who appears in both films), Terry Moore, and Ben Johnson in his first credited screen role. Animation effects were handled by Ray Harryhausen, Pete Peterson and Marcel Delgado.[3][4]Mighty Joe Young tells the story of a young woman, Jill Young, living on her father's ranch in Africa, who has raised the title character, a large gorilla, from an infant and years later brings him to Hollywood seeking her fortune in order to save the family homestead.

Tonight we’re chatting with John Berardo, director and co-writer of the new film Initiation, which releases in theaters, on demand and on digital May 7. Check out the trailer: https://youtu.be/fI0fttWFkiQ In INITIATION, during a university’s pledge week, the carefree partying turns deadly serious when a star athlete is found impaled in his dorm. The murder ignites a spree of sinister social-media messages, sweeping the students and police into a race against time to uncover the truth behind the school’s dark secrets…and the horrifying meaning of a recurring symbol: a single exclamation mark.Directed by John Berardo (The Labyrinth), he co-wrote the film with Brian Frager (A Persistent Illusion) and Lindsay LaVanchy (“Scream: The TV Series”). LaVanchy also co-stars in the INITIATION along with Jon Huertas (“This Is Us”), Isabella Gomez (“Head of the Class,” “One Day at a Time”), Froy Gutierrez (“Teen Wolf”), Gattlin Griffith (Green Lantern), Patrick Walker (“The Resident”), Bart Johnson (“High School Musical 3:

This time we're talking about Vampire the Masquerade: WALK AMONG US by Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw, and Caitlin Starling. Due out May 4, Walk Among Us is a collection of three horror novellas set in “Vampire: The Masquerade's World of Darkness,” a massively popular role-playing game (RPG). Walk Among Us is the next frightening read for those superfans or fans of Anne Rice, True Blood, Twilight, or Buffy.- In Gornichec's “A Sheep Among Wolves,” depression and radicalization go hand-in-hand as a young woman finds companionship in the darkness- In Khaw's “Fine Print,” an arrogant tech bro learns the importance of reading the fine print in the contract for immortality- In Starling's “The Land of Milk and Honey,” ideals and ethics bump heads with appetite on a blood farm