Decades of Horror The Classic Era

Boris Karloff! Peter Lorre! The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942) is one of Karloff’s Columbia pictures horror pictures from the 1940s. Each of these films, with the exception of The Black Room, has Boris in the role of a mad scientist; however, with Boogie Man, the film allows Karloff of Peter Lorre the opportunity […]

Jeff returns to Decades of Horror The Classic Era picking the Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur classic THE LEOPARD MAN (1943) for review. The Grue-Crew have a blast exploring this often overlooked RKO Radio pictures gem with its sharp dialog, exquisite black and white cinematography, and inventive direction. The cast is fantastic as well: Dennis […]

The Grue-Crew return to the 1950s to battle the fear of the atom bomb with the better than you’d expect, often overlooked THE MAGNETIC MONSTER (1953), directed by Curt Siodmak and Herbert L. Strock (uncredited). The cast includes Richard Carlson, King Donovan, Jean Byron, Harry Ellerbe, Leo Britt, Leonard Mudie, and Byron Foulger. And Strother […]

The Classic Era Grue-Crew tackle another of the Corman-Poe-Price series of horror movies, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1961). Roger Corman hones his talent with this one with a solid, expertly crafted direction. Richard Matheson provide a richly entwined adaptation of Poe. And Vince Price is… well, Vincent Price at his best. His portrayal of […]

The Grue-Crew continue their Roger Corman – Vincent Price – Edgar Allan Poe adventure with THE TOMB OF LIGEIA (1964). All cats beware! The conversations explore the cast of characters, the director (Roger Corman), the screenwriter (Robert Towne), the cinematographer (Arthur Grant), Vincent Price, Elizabeth Shepherd, and… what’s up with Lady Ligeia and Lady Rowena. […]

For this episode, Doc decided it was time to dive into Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe films with the lush, chilling classic, THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964). The film’s cast includes Vincent Price, Hazel Court, and Jane Asher. The cinematography from Nicolas Roeg is exquisite. Revisiting this film illustrates Roger Corman’s talent at […]

For episode 222, Chad chooses the often overlooked spectacle from Toho and Ishiro Honda, THE MYSTERIANS (1957). The movie begins with an entertaining, albeit goofy-looking, pointy-nosed kaiju Moguera. Somehow this robot giant monster still works in its own way and the Grue-Crew have their fun with all the shenanigans. Then the actual alien race of […]

The Grue-Crew settle in to review the early Sixties fantasy film THE MAGIC SWORD (1962) from director Bert I. Gordon. To the Crew’s surprise the film balances it’s fantasy with some bonified creepy horror elements with monsters at each curse Sir George, Sir Branton, and the six Knights encounter. For a Mr. B.I.G. feature, the […]

“This mysterious germ of the bacillus vampiris creates in the body of the vampire a fiery fluid, similar in chemical composition to that of hot glue, so that no bullet can cause any damage whatsoever to the flesh of the body of a vampire. The hot glue renders the bullets harmless, but wood turns the […]

“You didn’t mean it. You never mean it. You didn’t mean it the time when you put up the bouquet with the get-well card in the funeral parlor. And sent the black lillies to the old lady in the hospital, you didn’t mean it. But this time, I, Gravis Mushnick, mean it!” Hmmm, Gravis Mushnick? […]

‘You see sin and the devil! But the lord has told us what to do about it. Said Matthew in Chapter Five, “If thine eye offends thee . . . pluck it out! . . . Pluck it out! . . .  Pluck it out!”’ Ah, yes. Punishment, Biblical style. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – […]

“How are you farin’, my fine, strapping babes? A-teethin’, are ya? Well, you’re very sweet and quiet, babes, not to be shriekin’ about it.” All toothy critters gotta teethe. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they take in another dose of stop-motion animation […]

“Did you know that there are ways to raise the dead?” Of course. Don’t you watch horror movies? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they take a stroll through the Torture Garden (1967). Decades of Horror: The Classic EraEpisode 216 – Torture Garden […]

“Women! They let ’em vote, smoke, and drive – even put ’em in pants! But what do you get? A Democrat for president! A lot of smoke up your chimney! Russian roulette on the highway! You can’t even tell brother from sister unless you meet ’em head-on.” Don’t worry. This neanderthal doesn’t last long. Join […]

“I don’t mind dying, but I hate the preliminaries.”  Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they make a trip to an old dark house, or rather an old dark castle with The Ghost Breakers (1940). Decades of Horror: The Classic EraEpisode 214 – […]

“We’ve had enough excitement and swashbuckling for one day. Any swash I ever had just came unbuckled.” Please, sir. Buckle your swash. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they embark on a very red expedition to The Angry Red Planet (1959). Decades of […]

“Control… control… this is Brandt. We found it. It’s… My God!” It’s… a Jethro Tull song? I’m so confused. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they take a trip to Denmark for Reptilicus (1961), a “prehistoric beast born 50 million years out of […]

“Evening News! Full Mail Gazette! Missing actress! No suspects! They can’t find the body! Police at their ruddy wit’s end as usual!” Don’t you miss the newsboys standing on the corner crying out the headlines? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they take […]

“May the devil himself splatter you with dung.” Okay. Is it his dung? Or dung from something else? It might make a difference. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they eagerly enter the world of Beauty and the Beast (1946, La Belle et […]

“Never saw anything like it! No footprints! No blood! No sign of a struggle! The bones just stripped clean like peeling a banana!” Well, if it were a giant spider, it would be because they liquefy their food by flooding it with digestive enzymes. Of course, there’s no such thing as giant spiders. Join this […]

“Look at the dog. It’s as hard as a piece of granite!”  The whole dog? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr, and special guest Michael Steinberg – as they delve into The Monolith Monsters (1957), the first (?) mineral-based creature feature. [NOTE: Special guest Michael Steinberg […]

“If I do not receive blood within four chronoctons of time, I will have no need of emotion.”  Okay… what’s a chronocton? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they try not to look into the eyes of the alien in Not of This […]

“You must seize the only specimen of the Mariphasa plant in England in the private laboratory of Dr. Wilfred Glendon. That flower is the only known antidote for werewolfery. Lycanthrophobia is the medical term for the affliction I speak of.”  Werewolfery? Lycanthrophobia? Is this an example of lexical innovation? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc […]

“Yes, most distressing, but, alas, inevitably, you can’t have operations without screams. Pain and the knife, they’re inseparable!” But apparently not that distressing as long as some strong blokes are there to hold folks down? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they walk the Corridors […]

“Our psycho-controls upset the balance of the neuroglandular system, causing incredible distortions in the skin, hair, and teeth. In this state, the patient cannot be saved.” Again with the glands? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they make a reservation for a night with a […]

“Behold now the behemoth which I made with thee. He moveth his tail like a cedar. Out of his mouth glow burning lamps. And sparks of fire leap out from the behemoth. He maketh the oceans to boil like a pot. His breath kindleth coals and a flame goeth out of his mouth.” Yup. That […]

“Ah, my friend. Our theory of glandular stimulation through electrical impulses was correct. A few days ago, you were as small as your companion, and now look at you!” Glandular stimulation? Is that a thing you can get? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they […]

“The son of a b**** was strong as hell! Like a demon with an iron club! I was sure I’d wind up as rust on that club.” Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guest Dirk Rogers – as they take in this Japanese classic from writer and director Kaneto […]

“There are certain unseen things that are more real than those which you can see and touch. I know that.” This episode’s opening is a recording from episode 6 in which It!, a golem movie starring Roddy McDowall, is discussed. It’s the Grue Crew’s introduction to Chad’s talents. Sounds just like Roddy, right? Join this […]

“If this heat goes on like this, it could very well drive us all insane. The human body simply isn’t equipped to withstand such pressure, and sooner or later the glands are going to fail, some more quickly than others.” Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guest Michael Zatz […]

“I must know everything. I must penetrate the heart of his secret! I must become Caligari!” Du musst Caligari werden! Oops! Got carried away. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guest Eli Mohr – as they take in this silent classic fueled by German expressionism, The Cabinet of Dr. […]

“The only thing that keeps me from cracking you in the jaw is the almost certain possibility that it would break your neck.” Your consideration is appreciated. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guest Gregory Crosby – as they take in Robert Siodmak’s The Spiral Staircase (1946) from RKO […]

“An animal wouldn’t drain every drop of blood from its victims, nor would it throw knives.” Well, a vampire bat and a monkey might. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guests Chris Peters and Bill Mulligan – as they take in Rafael Baledón’s The Curse of the Crying Woman (1963, La […]

“The garden is filled with monsters!” No more weeding! Hooray! Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, Jeff Mohr, and guest Bill Mulligan – as they dissect one of Italy’s first horror movies, Caltiki, the Immortal Monster (1959, Caltiki il mostro immortale), helmed by Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava. Decades of […]

“Pfah! What kind of sense does that make? Is sugar a rare cargo? Is there a black market for it? Did you ever hear of a fence for hot sugar? If I was gonna make a deal with crooks to steal somethin’, it wouldn’t be for forty tons of sugar.” If you were a giant […]

“Bring your bug juice and let’s go!” Wait. Are spiders bugs? Shouldn’t they be using spider juice? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they figure out which juice should be used against the giant creature in Earth vs. the Spider (1958)! Decades of Horror: The […]

“Look, Mike, I like you. I like the way you handle yourself. You seem like a reasonable man. Why don’t we make a deal? What’s it worth to you to drag your considerable talents back to the gutter you crawled out of?”  Wow. Where would you want him to drag himself if you didn’t like […]

“Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!”  Yes, this is one of the most memorable movie lines in film history. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they take a deep, deep dive into Planet of the Apes (1968), the first entry into […]

“It was all your idea. You planned the whole job. You hired us. When you found out I stashed the money, you decided it was time for me to die. You got those two crumbs to turn state’s evidence on me. You stinkin’ rotten mouthpiece.” Everybody hates a stinkin’ rotten mouthpiece! Join this episode’s Grue-Crew […]

“Just think of it, Willie. Burke and Hare, members of the great medical profession.” Yes. Just think of it. Yikes! Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out Scottish life in the 1820s as depicted in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960). Decades of […]

“You mean to tell me that an ordinary domestic cat is terrorizing three grown-ups?” Well, yes. Is that surprising? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Jeff Mohr, and guests Bill Mulligan and Michael Zatz – as they follow the cat everyone worries about in BHP Production’s The Shadow of the Cat (1961). Pssst! It’s […]

“I’m steaming. I’m steaming. I’m… I’m so exaggerated! I’m mad at that princess. The only girl I ever loved and now she and them street slobs are going to steal a million clams from them folks and they didn’t even invite me. ” Eric von Zipper has a way with words, doesn’t he? Join this […]

“When the rest of the world has been destroyed, we will be the only normal thinking persons left.” Heck, that’s already true. Right, Grue-Believers? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out an underappreciated low-budget horror, The Werewolf (1956). Decades of Horror: The Classic […]

“Beware of the currents of the lake. It’s dangerous to dream. Stay Awake. The nix pretends to be asleep. Above him lilies gently sweep.” The Grue Crew love some Norwegian poetry in their folk horror. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guest Gregory Crosby – as they check out some folk horror, […]

“You caught me unprepared. I’ve been cooking over a hot creature all day.” This is just a little romantic banter when she is actually sciencing with the creature all day. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Jeff Mohr, and guests Bill Mulligan and Ralph Miller III – as they observe the genius that is […]

“If I would have been sober, which I admit doesn’t happen very often, but, it would have been an entirely different story! Entirely different.” Yes. Things are always different when you’re sober. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they share the hilarity of Roger Corman’s […]

“Gorilla? Gorilla. G-O-R– G, G, Gee! oh! oh! G-Oh!  Gorilla? Did you, did you-oo-oo-oo…did you say gorilla?” So, you’re saying, crazy or not? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they discuss The Gorilla (1939), a comedy-horror vehicle for the Ritz Brothers, Bela Lugosi, Patsy Kelly, […]

“The vampire could be insane, or equally someone in full control of his mental faculties.” So, you’re saying, crazy or not? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr, along with guest Bill Mulligan – as they discuss I Vampiri (1957, Lust of the Vampire), Italy’s first horror film of the […]

“Silence! Am I not El Supremo, the direct descendant of Jose Quintero? And was not Jose Quintero the Almighty’s right hand when Cortez carried his word to the Mexican heathens? In interrupting me, you are interrupting God!” You never know when you or someone you’re with might want to signal someone by lighting a match. […]

“I don’t smoke. But I always have matches with me. I find they frequently come in handy.” You never know when you or someone you’re with might want to signal someone by lighting a match. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff and Jeff Mohr with guests Michael Zatz and Gregory Crosby – as they […]