Toxic Schlock

Prime Directive: EXTERMINATE! The fiends return for a jam packed episodes of Misfits Mondays. Eric and Michael dig into the 1968 b-movie THE ASTRO-ZOMBIES, the recently announced Philly show, their Halloween retrospectives, Danzig's hilarious 80s movie reviews, The Mandalorian, the latest edition of absurd Misfits merchandise, and the toxicity of binge-watching culture.

Toxic Schlock gets extra gorey this week with Matt Harvey of Death Metal giants EXHUMED. Michael and Matt dig deep into the 1980 Fulci classic CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, where they discuss the power of Italian horror, the distinctions between Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, 80s euro sleaze horror, the intensity of Bay Area Powerviolence, the staggering popularity of late 80s thrash metal, and much more!

Michael and special guest Samantha Poe light up some jack o lanterns and celebrate the Halloween season by waxing poetic on childhood horror movies, Halloween memories and costumes, and then doing a deep dive into some of the best and worst horror films of 2019 such as MIDSOMMAR, US, THE HAUNTING OF SHARON TATE, IT CHAPTER TWO, and more! This was a fun one where we got to take it easy and talk about the most wonderful time of the year!

We're coming to get your Barbara! Michael sits down with Mike Taylor of Virginia screamo legends Pg 99 and Pygmy Lush to discuss one of the all time horror classics: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Along with discussing the creation, reaction, and legacy of George Romero's zombie classic, they dig into the early influences of the sound associated with screamo, what made that scene special, zombie movies, early video store experiences, and some of Mike's favorite Halloween memories. Stick around after their talk to hear the announcement of the winner of the first Toxic Schlock SCARE PACKAGE!

Pull out your tongue and pluck out your eyes, cause this week the fiends dig into the Herschell Gordon Lewis schlock classic BLOODFEAST! Michael and Eric dig into the the influential career of Lewis and the classic Earth AD song that he inspired! They also dig into toxic fandom culture, the sonic power of Earth Ad, the importance of looking at films critically but without malice, the problems of IT CHAPTER TWO, the end of the Misfits reunion (?), the Elvis covers album, and a whole lot more!

Ready your mondo horror heads for this one folks! Michael sits down with Jay Gambit of experimental metal crushers Crowhurst to discuss the 1978 exploitation cult phenomena FACES OF DEATH. This is a film that should need no introduction, but for the uninitiated, this faux documentary has become a rite of passage for curious teenagers worldwide. Michael and Jay also dig deep into the world of underground cinema and tape collector culture. Michael also gives his two cents on the recent horror blockbuster IT:CHAPTER TWO. Listen in also for details on our first ever contest!

Bust out your capes and fangs, because this week Michael sits down with Francis Kano of punk/metal dark lords DEVIL MASTER (and the live bass player for INTEGRITY) to discuss Werner Herzog's 1979 classic: NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE! Both Michael and Francis share adoration for this darkly atmospheric film, and they go all-in on discussing it's creation, the POPOL VUH soundtrack, Klaus Kinski's performance, and much more! Francis also tells about his familial ties to vampire mythology, CIRQUE DU FREAK, NOROI: THE CURSE, Ann Rice, and much more!

The Fiends come back ripping with a dive into the 1971 cult classic "THE MEPHISTO WALTZ". Along with tearing into the film, Mikey and Eric catch up on MIDSOMMAR, JAWS, NEUROSIS, VEIN, CRAWL, WARTHOG, energy drinks, the upcoming MISFITS show at Madison Square Garden, Danizg's film VEROTIKA, their dream classic Misfits show, and much more!

This week on the show we've got Dan Nielsen, drummer of post-punk giants ICEAGE on the show to discuss the 2016 Korean gem THE WAILING! Along with picking apart their theories for the dark events in the film, Dan discusses digging into classic horror cinema in Denmark during the turn of the century, his love of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, being a part of the first generation to use the internet for film discovery, and much more!

Fire up those Murdergrams, because this week all hell breaks loose as Michael and Eric dive into the 1971 Horror gem Twins of Evil! But this creepshow was too much for them to take on alone, so they are joined by Jake and James of the new podcast The Nimrods. Along with with tearing into the film, the Fiends and The Nimrods dip back into their earliest experiences with Dan and the gang, recent Misfits news, lots of Green Day jabber, and a whole lot more. Stick around til the end to see what movie the Fiends will rip into next month!

This week on Toxic Schlock, we show you some blood with Ian Shelton of modern Powerviolence rippers Regional Justice Center! We dive deep into the 1976 classic THE TENANT! Along with discussing Polanski's underrated headtrip of a film, we also dive deep into Ian's filmmaking background, growing up in the age of remakes, the models of Blumhouse and A24, as well as a loving tribute to Roky Erickson! 

And we are back back from our brief Spring break! This week on the show, Michael sits down with James Bulloch, aka Human Furnace of Cleveland metallic hardcore titans RINGWORM! They dive deep into James' early horror past, his late night favorites, and his passionate fandom of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. For James' film pick, he chose William Blatty's massively underrated 1990 film THE EXORCIST III. Unlike many sequels, this is no shameless cash grab, because as they discuss, this film is itself a chilling classic!

Michael and Eric pull the strings on this months schlock classic, Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space and if the film really THAT bad? The fiends also dive deep into the Original Misfits recent setlist, recent Danzig news, and answer the age old question: if Jerry Only drank an energy drink, what would be his drink of choice?

This week on Toxic Schlock, the nightmare shall consume you, because we've got Domenic Romeo of Integrity, A389 Recordings, Pulling Teeth, and more! We dive deep into his film pick, Jean Brismee's 1971 cult horror flick "THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE"! We also dig into Dom's early experiences with films like THE HOWLING, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, how he came to find himself in one of his favorite bands, how Integrity write's music from opposite sides of the globe, and much more! Stick around to the end to hear how Toxic Schlock will be moving forward in the future!!

Leave your insanity at the door, because this week we've got Chris Colohan, singer of many of the best hardcore bands of the last 20 years (CURSED, LEFT FOR DEAD, SECT, BURNING LOVE, and more) to discuss the 1971 cult classic LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH. We take a deep dive into the film's themes of mental health and trauma, the film's origins as a satire, Chris' experiences of working at a cult video store, his many deep cut recommendations, and much more! 

Michael sits down with singer-songwriter/author John Darnielle of the MOUNTAIN GOATS to discuss the 1988 Robert Englund directed gem 976-EVIL, diving deep into the film, the spooky acting perfection of Stephen Geoffreys, and just what the hell a 976 number is. Along with that, they discuss John's later-life heel turn towards horror, MARIO BAVA, ROKY ERICKSON, HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, John's current playlist of Heavy Metal, how he incorporates horrific themes into his music and humanizes monsters, and much more!

Eric and Michael take it up to room 21 this week with a dive into the 1961 classic CITY OF THE DEAD (also known in the US as HORROR HOTEL!). The fiends dig deep into this underrated gem, along with listing the best and WORST Misfits merchandise on the market. They also touch on Doyle's recent comments about music pirating, Eric's wrestling takes, and much more. Stick around til the end to see what film we will be covering next month!

This week on Toxic Schlock, DWID HELLION of metal/hardcore legends INTEGRITY comes on to discuss the 1970 surrealist classic film Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. Along with diving into this Czech classic, Michael and Dwid dig deep into HAMMER HORROR, ROGER CORMAN, the genius of G.I.S.M., the intensity of RAW POWER, ROKY ERICKSON, the mystique of NOSFERATU, the contrast between plot heavy vs abstract films, the glory of VINCENT PRICE, the romanticism of vampires and MUCH MORE! This was a bucket lister of an episode, so dive on in, if you dare!

House is calling to you, come back home and marry me! Michael sits down this week with Blayne Smith of Banger TV to take a deep dive into the gloriously bizarre world of the 1977 Japan cult classic HAUSU (House)! The two of them wrap their heads around how Toho's intended JAWS cash-in turned into this psychedelic haunted house story, the humor of Jason Vorhees, the genius of Frank Henenlotter, the metal mastery of Hooded Menace, and much more!

Misfits Mondays! Misfits Mondays! With Eric and Michael, yeah Misfits Mondays (to the tune of Return of the Fly)! We are back this week with the 2nd edition of our bonus episode series Misfits Mondays! Michael and Eric dig deep into their favorite (and least favorite) Misfits covers, and then take a deep dive into the 1959 film Return of the Fly (and it's predecessor The Fly). Stick around to the end to see what film/Misfits song they will be diving into next week. This episode is dedicated to Dandelo, and all other cats who sacrificed their lives so that we could have the disintegrator-integrator machines that we take for granted.