Castle Of Horror Podcast

Tonight we’re chatting about the 1970 film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Jason's guest is a writer he always loves talking to: KATHARINE COLDIRON, whose work as a film critic has appeared in Bitch, Bright Wall/Dark Room, ASAP/J, and elsewhere. She is the author of a novella, Ceremonials (Kernpunkt, 2020), and a monograph on Plan 9 from Outer Space (PS, 2021) and in 2023 the nonfiction book JUNK FILM: WHY BAD MOVIES MATTER.

Hello and welcome to Castle Talk where we talk to writers and creators of today’s genre worlds, I’m your host Jason Henderson, publisher at Castle Bridge Media, home of the Castle of Horror Anthology series. Tonight we’re chatting with Joe Begos, writer and director of CHRISTMAS BLOODY CHRISTMAS, available in Theaters and streaming simultaneously on Shudder and AMC+ on Dec. 9.About the film: It’s Christmas Eve and fiery record store owner Tori (Riley Dandy) just wants to get drunk and party, until the robotic Santa Claus at a nearby toy store goes haywire and makes her night more than a little complicated. Santa Claus begins a rampant killing spree through the neon drenched snowscape against a backdrop of drugs, sex, metal and violence, ultimately forcing Tori into a blood splattered battle for survival against the ruthless heavy metal Saint Nick himself.CAST: Riley Dandy, Sam Delich, Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Dora Madison, Jeremy Gardner, with Jeff Daniel Phillips, and Abraham Benrubi

This episode of Castle Talk, Jason chats with Alison Star Locke, writer and director of The Apology, a new psychological thriller coming to Theaters, Streaming, Shudder and AMC+ on December 16. In the film, Twenty years after the disappearance of her daughter, recovering alcoholic Darlene Hagen (Anna Gunn) is preparing to host Christmas celebration with her best friend Gretchen (Janeane Garofalo). Late Christmas Eve, Darlene's estranged ex-brother-in-law, Jack (Linus Roache) arrives unannounced, and he has a secret, this isn’t too much of a spoiler because it’s what the movie’s about, he knows something about what happened to Anna Gunn’s daughter.

Join us for a LIVE chat with the authors of the brand-new Castle of Horror Anthology: Young Adult, which you can order here: https://amzn.to/3G9BsjWThe Castle of Horror Anthology returns with stories of the young-- horrible, thrilling, terrible flamin' youth at its most harrowing.Featuring stories by David Bowles, Jennifer Brody, Julian Michael Carver, Debbie Daughetee, Carmen Gray, Ammar Habib, Jess Hagemann, Leanna Renee Hieber, Sam Knight, Alethea Kontis, Mike Owsley, Scott Pearson, S.N. Rodriguez, and Bryan Young.

This week we have a look at the 2022 film Violent Night. This is Episode #390!Violent Night is a 2022 American Christmas action-comedy film starring David Harbour as Santa Claus, who fights mercenaries who have taken a wealthy family hostage in their home. It is directed by Tommy Wirkola, and written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. It also stars John Leguizamo, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Edi Patterson, Cam Gigandet, Leah Brady, and Beverly D'Angelo. Violent Night had its world premiere at the New York Comic Con on October 7, 2022. Universal Pictures released the film in theaters in the United States and Canada on December 2, 2022.

This week Jason chats with Sarah Lind, star of the new horror film A Wounded Fawn which releases on Shudder on December 1. A Wounded Fawn is the latest film from celebrated writer and director Travis Stevens (Girl on the Third Floor, Jakob’s Wife). Sarah Lind plays Meredith, a local museum curator who is dipping her toe back into the dating pool, only to be targeted by a charming serial killer (Josh Ruben, Scare Me, Werewolves Within). When a fateful romantic getaway between the two becomes a tense game of cat and mouse, both must confront the madness within him.

This week we have a look at the 1969 film The Haunted House of Horror. This is Episode #389!The Haunted House of Horror, also titled Horror House and originally written as The Dark, is a 1969 British horror film directed by Michael Armstrong and starring Frankie Avalon and Jill Haworth as young adults looking for a thrill by spending the night in an old mansion in the English countryside. The film's tagline was "Behind its forbidden doors an evil secret hides!"

This week we have a look at the 1993 film The Bride with White Hair 2. This is Episode #388!The Bride with White Hair 2 is a 1993 Hong Kong film directed by David Wu. It is the sequel to The Bride with White Hair, with Brigitte Lin and Leslie Cheung reprising their roles as Lian Nichang and Zhuo Yihang. Although the first film is loosely based on Liang Yusheng's 1957 novel The Romance of the White-Haired Maiden, this film is almost independent of the novel except for the main characters' names.

This week we have a look at the 1993 film The Bride with White Hair. This is Episode #387!The Bride with White Hair is a 1993 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Ronny Yu, starring Brigitte Lin and Leslie Cheung.The film's main character, Lian Nichang, is loosely based on the protagonist of Liang Yusheng's novel Baifa Monü Zhuan, which served as source material for the 1982 film Wolf Devil Woman. However, Yu saw the film as a Romeo and Juliet story and said that the lovers' struggle against fate and their heroic duty inspired him more than the familiar trappings of most wuxia films. As such, the film departs significantly from the original source.

Jason chats with Scooter Corkle, director of the new film The Friendship Game, released on November 11, 2022 from RLJE.The Friendship Game follows a group of teens as they come across a strange object that tests their loyalties to each other and has increasingly destructive consequences the deeper into the game they go.

Jason chats with Arish Sirkissoon, writer and director of The Castle from Terror Films, on digital platforms worldwide November 11. On their wedding day Michael and Catherine break down in the middle of nowhere. They walk for several kilometres when they discover an old castle. Against her better judgement Catherine is convinced by Michael to spend the night. Once she enters the castle, she feels like something is watching her. What she discovers in the castle will change her life forever.

This episode we’re chatting with Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, author of the new book Lights, Camera, Accordion! from 1984 Publishing, a 256-page, 25-year "Weird Al" Yankovic visual retrospective Lights, Camera, Accordion! It contains over 300 color photographs (newly scanned from the original negatives) by Al's longtime drummer/photographer Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, along with a foreword by Drew Carey and an afterword by Al. Anecdotes and stories are featured throughout, organized by year, album, and tour. Schwartz has been the drummer with "Weird Al" Yankovic since 1980 and is seen and heard on all of Weird Al's albums, videos, and concert and television performances. He is also the group's archivist with an unmatched collection of photos, memorabilia, and audio & video releases from around the world. Bermuda authored the 2020 book Black & White & Weird All Over which features his black-and-white photos of Weird Al. Visit BermudaSchwartz.com and follow Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz on Facebook (BermudaSchwart

This week we have a look at the 1943 film Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. This is Episode #386!Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is a 1943 American horror film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster. This was the first of a series of later called "monster rallies" combining characters from several film series. This film's script written by Curt Siodmak follows The Ghost of Frankenstein and The Wolf Man. The film involves Larry Talbot who is brought back to life. Seeking a way to return to his death to escape his werewolf curse, he meets with gypsy Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya) who advises him that the only way to stay dead is to confer with Dr. Frankenstein. The doctor is long dead but his equipment is in working condition, leading Talbot to seek the help of scientist Dr. Mannering (Patric Knowles) and Frankenstein descendant Baroness Elsa Frankenstein (Ilona Massey). Talbot then attempts to have his life sucked from his body and transf

Tonight we’re chatting with writers/directors Adam Leader and Richard Oaks of the new film FEED ME. XYZ Films will release the horror film (Feed Me) on Digital and On Demand on October 27, 2022. The film will have its World Premiere on October 6th at Beyond Fest. SYNOPSIS: Following the death of his wife a broken man spirals into an abyss of night tremors and depression and finds himself in the home of a deranged cannibal who convinces him to take his own life in the most horrific way imaginable.

This week we have a look at the 1985 film The Midnight Hour. This is Episode #385!The Midnight Hour is a 1985 American made-for-television comedy horror film directed by Jack Bender and starring Shari Belafonte-Harper, LeVar Burton, Peter DeLuise, and Dedee Pfeiffer. Its plot focuses on a small New England town that becomes overrun with zombies, witches, vampires, and all the other demons of hell after a group of teenagers unlocks a centuries-old curse on Halloween.The film aired on ABC on Friday, November 1, 1985, at 9:00-11:00 pm EST. In addition to an original musical number, "Get Dead", the film's soundtrack features songs by Wilson Pickett, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, Three Dog Night, and The Smiths. The film marks Macaulay Culkin's first screen role as an uncredited trick-or-treater.

This week we have a look at the 2022 film HALLOWEEN ENDS. This is Episode #384!

Tonight we’re chatting with Jason Pargin, author of the new novel If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel, this month from St Martin’s Press, this is the fourth book in Pargin’s John Dies at the End seriesJASON PARGIN is the New York Times bestselling author of the John Dies at the End series as well as the award-winning Zoey Ashe novels.He previously published under the pseudonym David Wong. His essays at Cracked.com and other outlets have been enjoyed by tens of millions of readers around the world.

This week we have a look at the 2022 special from Disney+, Werewolf by Night. This is Episode #383!Werewolf by Night is an American television special directed by Michael Giacchino and written by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name. It is the first Marvel Studios Special Presentation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films and television series of the franchise. The special was produced by Marvel Studios, and follows a secret group of monster hunters as they compete for a powerful relic while going up against a dangerous monster.

This week we have a look at the 1970 Hammer film Scars of Dracula as part of our march to Halloween. This is Episode #382!Scars of Dracula is a 1970 British horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker for Hammer Films.It stars Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, along with Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley, Patrick Troughton, and Michael Gwynn. Although disparaged by some critics, the film does restore a few elements of Bram Stoker's original character: the Count is introduced as an "icily charming host;" he has command over nature; and he is seen scaling the walls of his castle. It also gives Lee more to do and say than any other Hammer Dracula film except his first, 1958's Dracula.

Tony Salvaggio of the Castle of Horror Podcast is on the ground in Austin reporting on Fantastic Fest and chats with Castle of Horror host Jason on the fourth batch of new movies that Tony highly recommends: Mister OrganKids Vs. AliensTriange of SadnessHueseraDisappear CompletelyDecision to LeaveJoint Security AreaH4z4rdSmoking Causes CoughingSolomon KingBad CityFinally, some thoughts on this year's Fantastic Fest overall.