TV TERROR

I'm joined by Mark Dawidziak, author of The Night Stalker Companion to discuss Kolchak The Night Stalker. Mark has a new book about Edgar Allen Poe as well as The Shawshank Redemption. We discuss these as prelude to our main topic: Kolchak. Mark is the world's leading authority on the subject and it's our privilege to have him with us for today's episode.

Aliens! Dr. Who! And more!... We visit with actor/writer/filmmaker Anthony DP Mann to discuss how a love affair with classic television led to his current project, Bug-Eyed Monsters Invade The Earth! Listen in....

I'm joined by special guest Patricia D to discuss THE LEGEND OF LIZZIE BORDEN (1975), starring Elizabeth Montgomery. We discuss the Borden true crime case in light of the 1975 film and beyond. The 1975 production proves a fine foundation for anyone who is new to the subject. We hope you'll join us for this conversation.

One of the first things to spin-off of the NBC Mystery Movie "Wheel" format was McCloud, starring Dennis Weaver (Duel, The Twilight Zone). It galloped across television sets from 1970-1977 and rode off into the sunset with its final episode, McCloud Meets Dracula, co-starring John Carradine (Stagecoach, The Ten Commandments). We talk McCloud and a whole lot more as I'm joined by a special guest, my brother, Vincent, to reminisce about television memories, days that found us in one of television's great eras. Listen in!

It's the 60th anniversary of The Twilight Zone's THE HOWLING MAN episode. Penned by the brilliant Charles Beaumont, it furnishes a stellar example of what the series offered. I'm joined by my friend, Patricia, as we survey the appearance of The Devil throughout The Twilight Zone. I'm also joined by returning guest, Jason V Brock, for a deeper dive into Beaumont and The Howling Man. This episode was a long time coming. Warmest wishes for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and a bright New Year!

We remember Diana Rigg, the British actress who defined the high point of the classic British television series THE AVENGERS as Emma Peel. LISTEN IN....

Carrie Fisher headlines the 1984 British production of FRANKENSTEIN, co-starring UK greats Robert Powell, David Warner and John Gielgud. I'm joined by Canadian filmmakers and collaborators Anthony DP Mann and Seb Godin, the duo behind the forthcoming film, The Abominations of Frankenstein. LISTEN IN...

EPISODE 110: Starsky & Hutch was one of the top cop shows of the 1970s. A police drama grounded in the real world, our favorite buddy team nevertheless had occasion to go up against the supernatural. In this case, a vampire, played by John Saxon. LISTEN IN!

EPISODE 109: THE HOUSE THAT WOULD NOT DIE (1970): The legendary Barbara Stanwyck (The Big Valley) has got restless spirits on her hands after moving into an inherited family manse with her niece (Kitty Winn, The Exorcist). With the help of a medium and the professor next door (Richard Egan), she must uncover the secret that imprisons these ghosts of the past. A haunting ABC Movie of the Week.

Robert Culp (I SPY, Columbo, Greatest American Hero) is a man driven to take matters into his own hands after he is harassed by out-of-control teens. A telefilm released in the era of Walking Tall and Death Wish, it is based on true events, a tale of do-it-yourself justice. Malcolm Johnson of The Horror Show contributes a segment.

One of the most lavish productions of Mary Shelley's immortal classic was told on the small screen as FRANKENSTEIN THE TRUE STORY (1973), starring Michael Sarrazin, Jane Seymour, and James Mason. I'm joined by my friend, Canadian filmmaker, actor, audio dramatist Anthony DP Mann to tackle this literate NBC mini-series. LISTEN IN...

Peter Graves (Mission Impossible, Scream of the Wolf) and a young Kathleen Quinlan (Event Horizon) co-star in WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE? (1974), about a father, son, and daughter who find themselves coping in a post-apocalyptic world. This time, the world-wrecker is a sudden, massive solar flare, poisoning exposed human beings with radiation and reducing them to piles of dust.

One of film's great franchises crash landed on the small screen in 1974, giving us THE PLANET of the APES, The Television Series. Roddy McDowall, Ron Harper, and James Naughton are our trio of heroes, fugitives in a future world where apes rule men. We explore the Pilot as well as episode #12, The Cure, a story about contagion. At this time of worldwide concern over the virus COVID-19, this episode goes out with warm wishes for health and safety.

CORONAVIRUS EDITION: In light of Coronavirus worries, it's opportune to discuss BBC's classic post-apocalyptic series, SURVIVORS (1975), in which Chinese scientists unleash an engineered virus, triggering a pandemic, and wiping out all but a remnant who remain to rebuild.

We usher in 2020 with talk of the Dan Curtis (1973) and BBC (2007) productions of FRANKENSTEIN. These adaptations are a study in contrast: we're given a gothic treatment by Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis, while BBC updates the core story for the biological engineering age of stem cell research. Happy New Year, everyone!

TV TERROR is on location in New York to meet with our friend, Kevin Shinick, author of the new book, STAR WARS: FORCE COLLECTOR, which coincides with the broad release of Episode IX. We discuss the novel, his work in film and television, and what he's watching for Christmas. Join us!

EPISODE 100: In this landmark episode, we celebrate the yuletide with the help of our special friend -- actor, filmmaker, and audio dramatist, Anthony DP Mann, who joins me in a our main discussion about 1984's CBS Presentation of A Christmas Carol, starring George C. Scott. This version is renowned for its fidelity and excellence, an annual tradition for many who cherish Dickens' most famous ghost story. And Rockford Jay weighs in to discuss some related artifacts. Won't you make merry with us?

EPISODE 99: Robert Forster and Melvyn Douglas star in the ABC Movie of the Week, THE DEATH SQUAD (1974), a story about cops who take the law into their own hands and the one standout who goes up against them. We take a moment to give thanks and to remember Forster, whom we lost this season. Thanks to all who listen to this show. LISTEN IN.... Note: Special thanks to Vic Sage and the use of his article, available in full here:  https://popcultureretrorama.com/2019/10/12/rest-in-peace-robert-forster-1941-2019/

It's a Halloween party! I'm joined by some podcaster friends and special guests, THE TATERS to discuss TV Terror programming, classic horror hosts, and more! This one is being released just after midnight on Halloween to celebrate the spooky season. LISTEN IN!...

Paul Lynde was among the most hilarious comedic talents working during the 1960s and 1970s. Famous for Hollywood Squares and his many film and television appearances, his legacy includes a HALLOWEEN SPECIAL like none other. I'm joined by Rockford Jay (Saturday Frights) to discuss Lynde and this one-of-a-kind show.

I'm joined by my friend and colleague, actor, filmmaker, entrepreneur, podcaster, Anthony D.P. Mann. We discuss his exciting new audio drama release, RETURN TO FRIGHTENSTEIN. We also shoot the breeze about what we've been watching and what excites us most among current genre offerings. It's a fun and freewheeling talk. Join us and LISTEN IN....

EPISODE 94: Can you see them, Sally, lurking in the shadows? They're alive, Sally. They want you to be one of them when the lights go out... We discuss one of the most famous telefilms of the movie-of-the-week era - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973)

It's our big, big, BOOK CLUB episode, put together by you! Join us as the TV TERROR community comes together with audio clips and essays about their favorite TV-related reads. And if that weren't enough, we're joined by DAN STOUT, author of the acclaimed new novel, TITAN SHADE. We discuss his book, his process, and his television influences.

In this direct sequel to the first Kolchak telefilm, a victim of the Las Vegas vampire journeys to Los Angeles and begins a new cycle of feeding -- only Kolchak will recognize the pattern of vampirism.

Just several years after Young Frankenstein, CBS gave us another comedic take on the Frankenstein monster, starring Jack Elam and Jeffrey Kramer. It's STRUCK BY LIGHTNING, the short-lived sitcom from 1979.

When two smugglers (Tom Atkins, Howard Hesseman) fly to California with an illicit load of Ecuadorian coffee, little do they suspect that there are deadly stowaways in the cargo hold, the eight-legged kind, with a venom that kills like the plague. A CBS Wednesday Movie from 1977 with an all-star cast.

EPISODE 89: THE LAST DINOSAUR (1977): There's a prehistoric paradise in the polar ice cap, a lost world teeming with creatures thought long-extinct, and Masten Thrust, Jr. (Richard Boone) will take us there. As mentioned in the show, here's that vintage making-of featurette: https://youtu.be/G9wcpETW9pY  

While investigating a quasar-like formation, the shuttle Galileo commanded by Mr. Spock crash lands on a planet inhabited by ape-like creatures who aim to destroy the marooned crew before they can orchestrate an escape. Part monster-of-the-week episode, this Star Trek siege story is worthy of our study as a TV TERROR specimen. Rockford Jay of The Retroist Clubhouse contributes a segment. LISTEN IN...

It's all aboard for danger with an all-star cast: Lloyd Bridges, Yvette Mimieux, E.G. Marshall, and William Shatner. Two packed commuter trains hurtling toward each other on the same track! Hundreds of lives in peril! One man fights against impossible odds to save them!...in an ABC Sunday Night Movie from 1979. LISTEN IN...

Based on the novel by Stephen King, NBC adapts CARRIE as a television event in 2002, starring Angela Bettis, Patricia Clarkson and David Keith. Carrie White is an object of scorn and ridicule until the night of the senior prom when she unleashes her fury.

EARTHQUAKE!... Jackie Cooper, Stella Stevens, and Cleavon Little star in THE DAY THE EARTH MOVED (1974). Jennifer Garner and Tom Skerritt star in AFTERSHOCK: EARTHQUAKE in NEW YORK (1999). If this episode doesn't shake you, nothing will. Don't miss GIALLOctober: https://player.vimeo.com/video/293434147

Happy New Year! It's twin twisters for the New Year as John Schneider and Bruce Campbell face down tornadoes in the Twister-inspired films from 1996, NIGHT OF THE TWISTERS and TORNADO!

This ABC Movie of the Week from 1975 rides the Exorcist wave as Doug McClure and Kim Novak find themselves trapped aboard a ship in a diabolical stretch of ocean known as The Devil's Triangle.

A businessman suffering from nervous exhaustion jets away to Hawaii to unwind, but his troubles only intensify when he receives his inheritance, a bloodline curse that transforms him into a werewolf.

Jason Henderson of Castle of Horror/ Castle Talk Podcast invites Anthony Rotolo of TV TERROR podcast to discuss the Movie-of-the-Week golden age, podcasting, and more. We range and rove the hidden valley of programming past, a fertile land once inhabited by giants. They're gone, but their stories live on. You'll hear tell of scary hippies, zuni fetish dolls, and things that lurk in dark shadows and collective memory, and how oral tradition continues through the art and craft of podcasting. LISTEN IN...Special thanks to Jason for allowing me to feature this recording as an installment of TV TERROR.

Happy Thanksgiving! Nothing evokes the day like an E.T. home invasion, so that's our topic this time out. It's the obscure UPN film, ALIEN ABDUCTION: INCIDENT IN LAKE COUNTY, a found footage film released one year before Blair Witch popularized the sub-genre, all about a hapless family who finds themselves besieged by otherworldly invaders. We also chat about The Munsters, so grab a drumstick and join us, won't you?

It's a Shirley Jackson themed episode as TV TERROR explores the new Netflix series, The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and an older adaptation of her famous short story, The Lottery (1969).

On October 30th, 1938, Orson Welles terrified a nation through the young medium of radio when he presented H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds as a Halloween offering. The panic that ensued is legendary and is captured in the ABC Friday Movie of the Week from 1975.

Immediately after the success of DUEL, Steven Spielberg set to work on a possession story titled, SOMETHING EVIL (1972), featuring Sandy Dennis, Darren McGavin, Ralph Bellamy, and Johnny Whitaker. Unknown to many and underrated by some, this CBS telefilm merits discussion. I'm joined by genre expert and author John Kenneth Muir to explore this gem from the Movie of the Week golden age.

Richard Masur, John Astin and Kristy Swanson star in Disney's modern spooky classic, MR. BOOGEDY, the tale of a family who moves to their dream home only to find it haunted by a tyrannical ghost. MR. BOOGEDY first aired on Disney's Sunday Movie in 1986. I'm joined by Kyle Chamberlain of The Movie City Maniacs podcast. Music by: WaveToys

Rod Serling is as grand a subject as The Twilight Zone for which he is known. But did you know that he had established himself as the preeminent writer for television before he ever breached The Fifth Dimension? We trace his early career with author Nick Parisi, whose book, Rod Serling: His Life, Work and Imagination has just been released.

The end of summer signals new beginnings: We inaugurate season four. We usher in the autumn. We mark the days till Halloween. Like the capricious falling of leaves, this is a freewheeling episode. I hope you'll join me and a few surprise friends as they drop by to share their thoughts on the spooky season.

As we close out Season 3 of TV TERROR PODCAST, we speak with Jason V. Brock, author, artist, and director of the definitive documentary about Charles Beaumont. Beaumont is a towering but tragic figure, who aided Rod Serling in pioneering a new and ascendant medium called television.

TV TERROR PODCAST takes you higher. An unspeakable evil has boarded an international flight and it's up to the crew and its passengers to mollify angry spirits if they're ever to touch down safely. William Shatner and Roy Thinnes star.

We visit the classic British terror show by Brian Clemens. Murder, the macabre, and malevolent entities all found their home in THRILLER, the brainchild of one of the UK's foremost writer/producers.

It's like a Jambalaya Jaws when a mutated shark makes its way into the waters of the Louisiana bayou. Kristy Swanson, Robert Davi, and D.B. Sweeney headline in Syfy's SWAMP SHARK (2011), a shark thriller with bite. This episode of TV TERROR is timed to celebrate 30 years of Discovery's Shark Week.

For five travelers, a luxury vacation turns into a nightmare struggle for survival against the untamed jungle and their own savage passions! Michael Brandon, Barbara Feldon, Maureen McCormick, and Priscilla Barnes co-star in this ABC Monday Night Movie from 1979.

Summertime. It's a great time to get away. We take a virtual vacation by going hunting in the Scottish highlands with Netflix's CALIBRE (2018). It's a tale of a holiday gone wrong and we give you a spoiler-free overview in this edition of TV TERROR.

Shark Week is coming! To set the mood, we visit the little-known JAWS-era telefilm, SHARK KILL (1976), a fun dive into aquatic terror.

This week I shoot from the hip to tell you about what I've been watching and listening to. It's a loose and informal installment of TV TERROR that covers my exploits in television programming and beyond.