HITCHCOCK’S PSYCHO LEGACY: FROM SHOWER SCENE TO BATES MOTEL

PSYCHO (1960) d. Alfred Hitchcock (USA)
PSYCHO II (1983) d. Richard Franklin (USA)
PSYCHO III (1986) d. Anthony Perkins (USA)
PSYCHO IV: THE BEGINNING (1990) d. Mick Garris (USA)
PSYCHO (1998) d. Gus Van Sant (USA)

**CLICK HERE FOR FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is not just a film; it’s an institution in the world of cinema, one that redefined the horror genre forever. Based on Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel, audiences were introduced to Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a seemingly mild-mannered motel owner with a dark and twisted secret. The film's groundbreaking narrative, shocking twists, and chilling atmosphere have influenced filmmakers for decades.

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960): ENTER IF YOU DARE!!

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960) d. Wolf Rilla (UK)
CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED (1964) d. Anton Leader (UK)
VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1995) d. John Carpenter (USA)
THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS (2022) d. David Farr (UK)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Get ready for a spine-chilling journey into Midwich, England, aka the VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960) as we break down this brilliant sci-fi/horror classic’s eerie legacy. Based on John Wyndham’s 1957 source novel, The Midwich Cuckoos, and directed by stalwart Wolf Rilla who shared credit for the screenplay with Stirling Silliphant, future Oscar-winner for In the Heat of the Night (1967) and the TV series Route 66.

GAMERA AT 60: FLYING, FIGHTING, SONGS, & SMASHES!!

GAMERA: THE GIANT MONSTER (1965) d. Noriaki Yuasa (Japan)
GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE (1995) d. Shusuke Kaneko (Japan)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO**

Japan’s second-most iconic kaiju (aka the Other Big G), Gamera evolved from a destructive force to a heroic protector of humanity. The early Showa era films (1965-1980) established Gamera, a giant, turtle-like creature, as a friendly figure for youngsters while also showcasing him battling various monstrous threats. Often lighthearted and less serious than their Godzilla counterparts, Gamera’s reputation as the “friend to all children” made him a beloved character around the world.

SnS ep 8: BEST/FAVORITE HORROR FILMS OF 2024!!

AC joins his Streaming and Screaming co-hosts Chad the Bird and Lucy Ba'al as they count down their favorite fright flicks of 2024!

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Let us know YOUR favorite picks from 2024 in the comments! Looking forward to another year of Sharing the Scare!

Titles mentioned in this episode:

Longlegs, Suitable Flesh, Exhuma, Broadcast Signal Intrusion, The Demon Disorder, Infested, Oddity, Terrifier 3, Immaculate, Nosferatu, Satanic Hispanics, The Substance, Smile 2, The Coffee Table, Crumb Catcher, The First Omen, In a Violent Nature, Cuckoo, Baghead, Abigail, Azrael, Daddy's Head, Strange Darling, Mads, Trap, Mr. Crockett, Frankie Freako, Sator, Alien: Romulus, Prey,

LES DIABOLIQUES (1955) & H.G. CLOUZOUT: THE FRENCH HITCHCOCK

LES DIABOLIQUES (1955) d. Henri-Georges Clouzout (France)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Slip into the dark and suspenseful world of “The French Hitchcock,” Henri-Georges Clouzot (The Wages of Fear), and his extraordinary nonpareil of suspense, 1955’s Les Diaboliques, where nothing is as it seems and every twist keeps you on the edge of your seat. Set in and around a remote boarding school, a frail wife (Vera Clouzout) and her romantic rival (Simone Signoret) plot to murder her cruel, abusive husband (Paul Meurisse). But when things do not go as planned, the two women are thrust into a terrifying psychological nightmare where nothing is what it seems.

Civilian 2024 Wrap-Up and Year-End Stats!

And we’re back!

Having addressed the horror genre in the previous entry (hey, this is HORROR 101 after all), it’s now time to give the Civilian flicks a moment in the sun.

FOR PREVIOUS YEARS' RECAPS, CLICK HERE

Since my attentions remained focused primarily on the H101 YouTube channel throughout the year (did I mention that I added two other shows in addition to the weekly Friday Night Frights?), that didn’t leave a ton of extra time. So, I watched my SAG-nominated films, enjoyed some random comfort food entries, and tried to stay abreast of the biggest and the brightest, but with only 65 non-horror titles, I can’t say I’m all that well-informed outside the genre for 2024's output.

That said, let’s get on with the business at hand! As always, all the non-horror titles listed below were encountered for the first time from January 1 to December 31, 2024 (i.e. no repeat viewings were eligible), and there is the usual (if diminished) collection of random trends that appeared organically or by design. Hope you enjoy the read.

Stay strong, stay safe, stay tuned!

HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP (1980) TURNS 45!!!

HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP (1980) d. Barbara Peeters (and others) (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Noyo, a small coastal California town, is terrorized by a series of brutal attacks on its residents. These attacks are revealed to be the work of mutated, amphibious creatures—humanoid monsters created as a result of genetic experimentation. As the creatures hunt and kill, they also target the women of the town, leading to a violent clash between the humans and the mutated beings in a desperate fight for survival.

Dr. AC's 2024 Horror Wrap-Up Extravaganza!

Wow! What a year, what a year.

I confess, I lost some steam on the horror train a while back. Over the past couple years, however, I feel like I’m getting my mojo risin’ again, and I gotta say, it feels pretty good.

Starting up the H101 YouTube channel was equal parts blessing and curse, because it has forced me to stay in the game and literally be part of the conversation. We’re coming up on two full years of programming, which has kept me hopping, continually pushing myself to improve the tech side of things as well as managing the breakneck weekly schedule. So far, we’ve managed to keep things steady in terms of output and enthusiasm, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the new year has in store.

CLICK HERE FOR PREVIOUS YEARS' RECAPS  

But, before we do that, let’s take a quick glance in the rear view mirror and reflect on what 2024 brought and wrought.

THE GORE CLASSICS OF H.G. LEWIS (BLOOD FEAST, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS, COLOR ME BLOOD RED)

BLOOD FEAST (1963) d. Herschell Gordon Lewis (USA)
TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! (1964) d. Herschell Gordon Lewis (USA)
COLOR ME BLOOD RED (1965) d. Herschell Gordon Lewis (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Herschell Gordon Lewis' "Blood Trilogy" — Blood Feast (1963), Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964), and Color Me Blood Red (1965) — revolutionized the horror genre by introducing explicit gore and shocking violence, laying the foundation for the splatter film subgenre. With their graphic depictions of mutilation and taboo subjects, these films were groundbreaking in their raw and unrestrained approach.

ONIBABA & KWAIDAN (1964): Celebrating Japan's CLASSIC Horror Cinema!!

ONIBABA (1964) d. Kaneto Shindo (Japan)
KWAIDAN (1964) d. Masaki Kobayashi (Japan)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Tonight, we discuss the 1964 Japanese horror classics Onibaba and Kwaidan, exploring their reflections of post-war Japanese society, folklore, and complex themes of fear and morality.

CALVAIRE (aka THE ORDEAL) (2004): HOLIDAY HORROR WITH AN ACCENT!!!

CALVAIRE (aka THE ORDEAL) (2004) d. Fabrice du Welz (Belgium)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

After his car breaks down en route to the next holiday gig, low-rent crooner Marc Stevens (Laurent Lucas) stumbles into a backwards backwoods community devoid of women. Taking shelter at a nearby inn, he soon finds himself captive in a nightmarish scenario that manages to surprise and unnerve without resorting to eviscerations.

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) AT 50 / SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT (1984) AT 40!!!

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) d. Bob Clark (Canada)
SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT (1984) d. Charles Sellier (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

It's time to celebrate the Happy HorrorDays with two Christmas classics, both of which are celebrating milestone anniversaries!

Director Bob Clark’s effective (and underrated) holiday thriller BLACK CHRISTMAS (full review HERE) pre-dates the slasher film craze and its influence is felt in Halloween, When a Stranger Calls, and countless others.

UNWRAPPING THE MUMMY!!! (1932, 1959, 1999)

THE MUMMY (1932) d. Karl Freund (USA)
THE MUMMY (1959) d. Terence Fisher (UK)
THE MUMMY (1999) d. Stephen Sommers (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

One of the most enduring classic horror archetypes, The Mummy has appeared on film almost since the inception of cinema, with numerous silent efforts preceding Universal's landmark production in 1932 starring Boris Karloff.

THE COFFIN JOE TRILOGY (1964-2008) COMES ALIVE!!!

AT MIDNIGHT I'LL TAKE YOUR SOUL (1964) d. Jose Mojica Marins (Brazil)
THIS NIGHT I'LL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE (1967) d. Jose Mojica Marins (Brazil)
EMBODIMENT OF EVIL (2008) d. Jose Mojica Marins (Brazil)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

In 1964, Brazil's democratically elected government was forcefully overthrown, with the new authoritarian regime enacting new laws that stifled freedom of speech and increased censorship of all media. Somehow, this was also the year that At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, featuring Brazil’s first horror icon, Coffin Joe (played by director/co-writer Jose Mojica Marins), was hurled like a celluloid pipe-bomb into the midst of so much conservatism and religious piety.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY: PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1957), HORROR OF PARTY BEACH (1964), and THINGS (1989)!!!

PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1957) d. Edward D. Wood, Jr. (USA)
THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH (1964) d. Del Tenney (USA)
THINGS (1989) d. Andrew Jordan (Canada)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Tonight, we celebrate that special kind of horror film that lurks in the shadows, often feeling put-upon and unappreciated. Some people call them "bad movies" and deride them with such titles as The Raspberry Awards, but we know that really, they just had a rough upbringing and are merely misunderstood. These are the titles that we call... TURKEYS.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1939) / (1959): A CLASSIC REBORN!!

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1939) d. Sidney Lanfield (USA)
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959) d. Terence Fisher (UK)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Though not the first fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes is arguably the best-known. Over 25,000 stage adaptations, films, television productions, and publications have featured the detective, and Guinness World Records lists him as the most portrayed human literary character in film and television history. Tonight, we’ll be celebrating two film versions of Arthur Conan Doyle’s celebrated sleuth’s oft-adapted tale, The Hound of the Baskervilles.

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (1994): 30 YEARS OF LESTAT!

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (1994) d. Neil Jordan (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Anne Rice's celebrated novel, originally published in 1976, took nearly two decades to make it to the big screen. When it finally arrived, amidst a wave of controversy over its casting of Tom Cruise in the pivotal role of Lestat, INTERVIEW fared well with critics and boosted the profiles of co-stars Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, and 11-year-old Kirsten Dunst as the eternally young and brutal killer Claudia.

SCARE-A-THON 2024 FINAL RESULTS!!!

And that, my mutual minions of mischief and mayhem, brings us to the end of Scare-A-Thon 2024 and yet another OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE!

As always, the Challenge itself is to watch (at least) one fright flick for each of those glorious 31 days that make up the month of October, 16 of which must be first time viewings. I am happy to report that goal has been handily accomplished, banging out 31 different physical media releases, including five different box sets/movie collections!

Along the way, thanks to the generous hearts and minds of fans like you, nearly $5,000 has been raised for the WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ASSISTANCE PROJECT, with additional funds still coming in, making this the third most successful Scare-A-Thon EVERRRRRRRR! (The fundraiser link will remain open for another few months, so if you would like to make a donation, there is still time!)

**CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!!**

Thanks to the Box Set Thursdays guests who showed up at all hours from across the globe to chat on the HORROR 101 with Dr. AC YouTube channel, as well as everyone who participated in some way, whether it be making a contribution, liking a Facebook/Instagram post, watching or listening to a partner podcast, leaving a comment, suggesting a movie, or just chatting about what we were respectively watching this month.

Below are the 31 "official" features viewed (with links to the episodes), as well as additional horror titles viewed in October. Before we get to that, however, there is the usual assemblage of useless factoids to ponder while you're thinking ahead to next year's costume.

Have fun!

CHALLENGE STATS:
Total Movies Watched: 60
First Time Views: 32
Total Scare-A-Thon Donations: $4,845

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) TURNS 40!!!

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) d. Wes Craven (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Horror Hall-of Famer Wes Craven created this hugely successful fright flick, which spawned multiple sequels, launched New Line Cinema, and introduced the moniker of “Freddy Krueger” into pop culture consciousness. Heather Langenkamp plays a teenager plagued by dreams of a horribly scarred figure wearing a distinctive red-striped sweater, battered fedora, and a glove with knives attached to the fingers. Robert Englund, in the role he would forever be identified with, creates an original and frightening villain in Freddy, an executed child-murdering psychopath who has found the means to keep up his gruesome work by entering his prospective victim’s dreams.

A BUCKET OF BLOOD & THE WASP WOMAN: CORMAN QUICKIES IN 1959!!!

A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959) d. Roger Corman (1959)
THE WASP WOMAN (1959) d. Roger Corman (1959)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

The year before he became the American rival to Hammer Studios in the Gothic Horror department with The Fall of the House of Usher (1960), Roger Corman was the reigning "King of the B's" at the drive-ins across the USA, delivering thrills and chills to teenagers young and old. Tonight, we celebrate two prime slices of black-and-white low-budget fare that still manage to deliver the goods: A Bucket of Blood (starring "That Guy" Dick Miller) and The Wasp Woman (with Susan Cabot), both from 1959!