Tea For Terror

#62: ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932) WITH JAMES ROSE 

On this festive episode, host Andrew Graves and his stateside buddy, Dan Taylor discuss the early naughties (classic?), Santa's Slay. Discussing the movie's ungrammatical merits, the pair also tap into bad Christmas films, great Christmas films and Tiny Lister's missed opportunity. You have been warned. 

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest James Rose take a deeeeeeep dive into Neil Jordan’s The Company of Wolves, on this special 60th - longer than usual - episode. Partly based on the short story of the same name by Angela Carter, who also co-wrote the script, this bizarre and brilliant coming of age chiller about an adolescent girl facing down the horror of puberty, provides us with a werewolf flick like no other. You have been warned.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Tim Dry (XTRO, RETURN OF THE JEDI) discuss Neil Marshall’s grim subterranean horror flick THE DESCENT (2005). With its visceral scares and more psychological aspects, this British cult classic doesn’t just take us physically into the depths of the Earth, it also reaches into our subconscious, peeling away the surface to reveal our deeper human fears.

On this episode, your host Andrew Graves is joined by We Belong Dead’s Darrell Buxton and the director of our chosen feature, SLEEPWALKER (1984), Saxon Logan. It’s a dark horror of the Thatcher era, laced with bleak chills and social commentary. Together we discuss the film and its politics, as well as Hammer horror, the Carry-On films and James Whale’s THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932). You have been warned.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves shelter from the outside world in an austere nuclear fallout bunker. Hounded by mad scientists, drunken Irish men and trigger happy soldiers they try to make sense of their existential cold war angst. Oh, and there are zombies too.  

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and returning guest Erika Bean take the activator and plunge themselves into the bat-shit duality that is Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (2024). Together the pair compare the film to Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931), Frankenstein (1931) and Society (1989) and discuss everything from women in horror to 21st century cinema and for some reason Ozzy Osbourne and Captain Scott. You have been warned.

To celebrate the release of John Harrison’s incredible new book, CREATURES OF THE SCREEN, we take a look at one of the best examples of KISSPLOITATION – Walter Hill’s THE WARRIORS (1979). Together we veer off into KISS, Alice Cooper and Twisted Sister, and decide which of the film’s street gangs is the best, and why it’s definitely not The Hi-Hats. You have been warned.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and James Rose find themselves stranded at a frozen research station wondering who the hell they are, and if they are about to turn into a disgusting spider-head creature. Together they explore Carpenter's THE THING, touching upon masculinity, monsters and messed up effects. You have been warned. 

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Tim Dry (Xtro, Return of the Jedi) plunge the hunting dagger deep into the heart of small town America and examine the entrails of Donald Cammell's esoteric and distinctly British take on the US slasher. Bleak, strange and thought provoking, White of the Eye (1987) is an overlooked 80s gem. You have been warned. 

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and extra special guest, the brilliant Barbie Wilde, delve deep into the strange world of Alejandro Jodorowsky, investigating his surreal Psycho-induced nightmare – Santa Sangre (1989). You have been warned.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Darrell Buxton find themselves locked in the nursery of mad matriarch Ruth Roman, in Ted Post’s uncomfortably weird tale of adult babies and abuse The Baby (1973). But is this simply a piece of early 70s exploitation, or is there something else going on in the playroom? You have been warned.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and extra special guest Graham Duff (writer, creator and star of cult TV show IDEAL) explore the murky world of spare-part surgery, semi-vampires and fascist states. SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN (1970), a (sort of) Amicus production, peels back the skin and offers up some unrestrained 70s horror in a way that could only have sprung from that exact era. Starring Vincent Price and also featuring Hammer stalwarts Cushing and Lee, it’s a film that cruelly and brilliantly taps into our basest fears. You have been warned.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Darrell Buxton, find themselves trapped in an elevator at the mercy lowlifes, thieves and murderers, and the complete horror show, we sometimes called America. 

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and NYX TV rep James Whittington, get their teeth stuck into Robert Egger’s new interpretation of Nosferatu (2024). On the heels of the earlier Werner Herzog outing and of course the German expressionist 1922 classic, Eggers certainly has much to prove. But fear not, this latest incarnation is smart, disturbing and has plenty to say about the world we live in today. You have been warned.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Ian Taylor contemplate the nature fame, celebrity and cinema as they examine one of the decade’s most incendiary horror flicks Pearl (2022). Expect plenty of chat about Mia Goth, Ti West and 21st century horror.

On this extra, extra special episode my guest, the brilliant RICHARD STANLEY (Hardware, Dust Devil, Color out of Space) talks about the greatest monster movie ever made KING KONG (1933). Expect chat about AI, H.P. Lovecraft, Willis O’Brien, Merian C. Cooper, Fay Wray, and Pre-code Movies. “It was beauty killed the beast.” You have been warned.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and Dan Taylor find their stockings full of murderous surprises when they give Edmund Purdom's dodgy Xmas shocker another go. Expect the worst British Santas you've ever seen, nonsensical plot lines and 80s grot. You have been warned. 

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and artist Graham Humphreys wind up stranded at an unknown locale facing monstrous dangers which include, rising budgets, spoiled and misbehaved actors and, of course a handful of drug addled man-beasts. The production of The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), as depicted in Lost Soul (2014), was clearly a troubled one, and the final film is often much-maligned. But does it deserve to be sent to the house of pain, or should it be given a fairer appraisal?

Like, on this episode, Andrew Graves and Darrell Buxton make the scene, dig it? Leaving the squares behind they head out to the coffee shop, click their way through some heavy poetry then get their kicks watching A Bucket of Blood (1959) by some cat called Corman. Murder, laughs and art, they try to noodle it out. So, like, listen in all you cheap creeps, it’s sure to be a gas.

Imagine a podcast. Picture a moment in time where two people, Andrew Graves and Emma Dark, find themselves on a journey into the shadows. It might also be our journey. Listen as we plunge ever deeper into the strange limitless realms of the Tea For Terror Zone.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Tim Dry (Xtro, Return of the Jedi), find themselves enclaved in the decaying town house of a reclusive ex-rock star. Together chat about the Nic Roeg/Donald Cammell arthouse piece Peformance (1970). They also ponder life's mysteries, discuss gangland villains and generally get off of their faces in a cut and paste, non-linear fashion. You have been warned. 

On this episode, host Andrew Graves is joined by Barbie Wilde (Hellbound: Hellraiser II) and together they spend an ill-advised evening at the theatre. As the curtains open they find themselves at the mercy of disgruntled thesp Edward Lionheart. This 1973 Vincent Price vehicle is sure to get your blood pumping. Prepare for Shakespearian levels of violence and gore. You have been warned. 

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Eric McNaughton find themselves stranded at a strange castle somewhere in the Carpathians. Together they tackle fly-eating underlings, dead-pan man-servants and, of course, a red-eyed Christopher Lee. Expect nostalgic talk of Hammer and late-night double bills and loads of horror goodness. You have been warned.

On this episode, director of folk horror film To Fire You Come at Last and author of Twilight’s Last Screaming, Sean Hogan, joins Andrew Graves for a cuppa and chat about dark supernatural chiller The Shout (1978). Over a brew, the pair discuss Alan Bates, John Hurt, seaside horror, 70s attitudes and much, much more. You have been warned.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Darrell Buxton take a wander around the backstreets of mid-1940s London and find themselves embroiled in a nasty serial murder case. Wanted for Murder (1946), is a choice piece of post-war British cinema which mashes up horror and the police procedural in an incredibly satisfying, subversive manner. Too often overlooked, it’s a beautifully shot, dark psychological thriller that never disappoints. You have been warned.

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Tom Gigliotti from Shout It Out Loudcast, slap on the greasepaint and spandex and go for a spin on the roller coaster and investigate the cheapo bin fire that is KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978). Less Hard Day’s Night and more trick-or-treat kiddie show, will this Hanna-Barbera TV movie make them want to Rock and Roll all Nite or have them reaching for the Cold Gin?

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and VERY special guest Ari Lehman (the very first Jason Vorhees) speculative whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or sit and watch Lawrence Olivier’s classy horror flick Hamlet (1948). Together they muse on life death and the existential, and of course Friday the 13th (1980). Alas poor Jason, we knew him well…

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and star of A Field in England (2013), Richard Glover, discuss that very film. Stuffing their gobs with mushrooms and going places they probably shouldn’t, the pair of them get to grips with Ben Wheatley, method acting, psychedelics, oh and the secret of the universe. You have been warned.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves, and guest John Harrison, get lost on the African veldt as they are pursued by tribesman who have few good intentions. The Naked Prey (1965), written, directed and starring Cornel Wilde, while not technically a horror film, does contain some of the most chilling death scenes ever put on camera, and it retains an intense, horrid dose of suspense often missing from other genre films of this era.  

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest James Whittington, discuss the many fine attributes of NYX TV. The free to air channel, one the finest in terms of horror content, prides itself on offering a glorious and eclectic schedule of old favourites, foreign delicacies and more obscure delights. Together, the pair discuss past and upcoming NYX featured presentations such as Cannibal Holocaust, City of the Living Dead, House by the Cemetery and Zombie Flesh Eaters. You have been warned.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Barbie Wilde (Hellbound: Hellraiser II) spend a tense hour or so trying to pass the runes on to some other poor fool to free themselves from the claws of the oncoming nightmare. Night of the Demon (1957), directed by Jacques Tourneur and based on the short story by M.R. James, presents a dark tale of black magic, demonology and human failings. “It’s in the trees. It’s coming” You have been warned.

On the second of our Tea For Terror Specials, your host Andrew Graves and returning guest Dan Taylor, go back to bygone days to explore those childhood TV and movie traumas. Together they discuss creepy–arsed nostalgia pieces like Worzel Gummidge, Threads, Public Information films, The Nutty Professor (1963) and The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Jez Conolly, fins themselves ‘upgraded’ by the mysterious company to end up rubbing shoulders with a deeply troubled Rock Hudson’. Together they explore John Frankenhiemer’s existential horror, Seconds (1966), a weird, disturbing and utterly brilliant American chiller. Devastatingly bleak and completely unmissable. “This may hurt a little”

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Tim Dry (Xtro, Return of the Jedi) hover between life and death to explore the nightmarish world presented in Jacob’s Ladder (1990). Directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Tim Robbins, this odd psychological thriller is as strange as it is disturbing “…according to this, you’re already dead” You have been warned.

On this episode, the very first ‘Special’, host Andrew Graves and returning guest Darrell Buxton, take a long hard look at the life and films of Mr Murder himself Tod Slaughter. Before the rise of Hammer, Cushing and Lee etc. we had this quintessentially unrepentant rogue, arguably Britain’s first screen monster. His movies – usually cinematic adaptations of popular theatrical productions of the day, were beautifully crafted melodramas tainted with an irresistibly perverse brand of gothic horror. From Maria Marten to Crimes at the Dark House, Tod Slaughter was the undoubted figurehead of an often-forgotten enclave of 1930s, UK cinema. So, if you dare, join your intrepid guides as they enter this heightened, highly entertaining world of over-the-top villainy and rum goings on.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Emma Dark move into a new neighbourhood and immediately find themselves at odds with the paranoid residents. Together, they take solace by re-watching The ‘Burbs (1989), Joe Dante’s superb satire on American suburbia.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Barbie Wilde (Hellbound: Hellraiser II) find themselves staying in an out of the way motel, where the manager seems to have an unhealthy fixation with dead birds and holes in bathroom walls. Join them as they avoid the shower and pick apart Hitchcock’s unquestionable classic Psycho (1960)

On this episode, host Andrew Graves once again comes face to face with NYX Channel rep, James Whittington. Together they discuss comedy horror, 80s movies and Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988).

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Erika Bean try not to get killed after they accidentally watch a dodgy video copy of this week’s film of choice, Hideo Nakata’s Ring (1998). This spooky Japanese horror from the closing moments of the 20th century, still casts its shadow of hordes of American imitators and stands tall among the very best of 1990s horror flicks. You have been warned. 

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and guest Robert Shearman inadvisably go out playing in the muddy hell of a working farm of the mid 1970s, where children routinely fall foul of rat poison, falling iron gates and cow shit stinking slurry pits. Together they explore the nasty world of the British public information film Apaches (1977). Bleak, unpleasant and irresistibly watchable, this John Mackenzie short is a thing to behold. You have been warned, kids.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and Aaron Carruthers take an inadvisable trip to a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Beset by deadites, freezing cold temperatures and spattered with homemade blood, they try to make some sense of Sam Raimi’s spooky debut feature The Evil Dead (1981). What could possibly go wrong?

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and screen actor Simon Bamford (Butterball in Hellraiser/Hellbound: Hellraiser II) find themselves trapped in an old farmhouse. Its boiling hot, they’re surrounded by rotting corpses and the only thing on the menu is them. Despite their imminent peril, they still find the time to examine Tobe Hooper’s masterful horror movie The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and returning guest James Whittington (NYX, Legend, The Horror Channel) put on their Santa hats, load their sacks with various instruments of butchery and head off into Christmas Eve to examine Bob Clark’s seminal festive horror Black Christmas (1974). Often cited as being a major influence on the later slasher movies, especially Carpenter’s Halloween (1978), the Canadian movie remains genuinely shocking retaining all of its early 70s grim power.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and Exploitation Retrospect head honcho Dan Taylor break into the lab to conduct some questionable experiments in order to resurrect the mid-80s American splatter movie Re-Animator (1985). This Stuart Gordon directed cult classic torn from the pages of H.P. Lovecraft, is a neon-lit, violent horror show which is both funny and playful, as well as being outrageous and gob-smackingly visceral.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and Jez Conolly find themselves struggling with the world’s worst case of deja vu as they get caught in the time-looped nightmare of Dead of Night (1945). This post-war Ealing Studio’s horror, provided the template for the anthology movie and pre-dated the gothic stylings of Hammer by a good 10 years. Weird, creepy, quirky and terrifying, it provides a brilliant and strange jigsaw of horrific design.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and John Harrison get all freaked out by David E Durston’s acid trip-rabies-horror, I Drink Your Blood (1970). Undoubtedly influenced by Night of the Living Dead (1968) but pre-dating Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left (1972), the movie is an uneven yet entertaining mix of violence, rabies and bad acting laced through with hypnotic visuals and a killer soundtrack.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and We Belong Dead editor Darrell Buxton go way back in time to unravel a tale of madness, manipulation and amputation in Tod Browning’s weird circus-set silent horror The Unknown (1927). They discuss flesh, fiends, Joan Crawford, and of course legendary screen shapeshifter, Lon Chaney.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and Jon Towlson, author of 40 Cult Movies don their best gas masks and tramp off to the Peak District to unpack kitchen sink horror Dead Man’s Shoes. Directed by Shane Meadows (This is England, A Room for Romeo Brass) and starring Paddy Considine (House of the Dragon, Hot Fuzz), it’s a dark and brooding serial killer revenge flick grounded in reality and barbed with a very British sensibility.

On this episode, host Andrew Graves and director of The Love Witch, Anna Biller delve into the black and white proto-Amicus movie, City of the Dead AKA Horror Hotel (1960). Starring Hammer legend Christopher Lee, this witchy oddity taps into modern fears and new world ideas, riffing on many of the same themes as Psycho, Black Sunday and Peeping Tom.