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.

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!

LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE (1974): ZOMBIES FROM SPAIN!!!

LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE (aka THE LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE) (1974) d. Jorge Grau (Spain/Italy)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

A hidden gem overshadowed by the myriad flesh-eating flicks that followed in its wake, director Jorge Grau took his given assignment of creating a spiritual sequel to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead and conjured a minor classic all its own. Blending social commentary (environmentalism) with shocking moments of jaw-dropping gore, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (or whatever title you happen to discover it under) remains a worthy entry in the undead canon.

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959) / THE TINGLER (1959) AT 65!!!

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959) d. William Castle (USA)
THE TINGLER (1959) d. William Castle (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Words like "Emergo" and "Percepto" may not be common knowledge for younger horror aficionados, but for classic horror fans, they instantly bring a smile to our faces as we remember the first time we heard the names of producer/director William Castle and actor Vincent Price. Both approached their work with a boundless sense of gusto and enthusiasm, and the results were astonishing and have endured for over six decades.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2007/09) CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF TERROR!!!

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2007/09) d. Oren Peli (USA)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (2010) d. Tod Williams (USA)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (2011) d. Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman (USA)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (2012) d. Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman (USA)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES (2014) d. Christopher Landon (USA)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION (2015) d. Gregory Plotkin (USA)

**CLICK TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Paramount’s plucking of this microbudget feature from obscurity and its nimble (some might say omnipresent) word-of-mouth marketing scheme will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest Cinderella stories in horror history. Shot for a paltry $11,000, writer/editor/producer/director Oren Peli’s first-person account of a young couple plagued by inexplicable happenings in their new suburban home works surprisingly well under its own limitations, or perhaps because of them.

25 YEARS OF TAKASHI MIIKE'S AUDITION (1999)!!!

AUDITION (1999) d. Takashi Miike (Japan/S. Korea)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

After seven years of mourning and encouraged by his teenage son to find a new wife, widower Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) seeks the advice of a colleague within the film company for which they both work. Together, they hit upon the perfect plan: Staging an audition for actresses, ostensibly for a new feature project, but in reality hoping to find the new ideal woman to share Aoyama’s life. While interviewing a series of candidates, the lonely widower becomes enchanted by Asami (Eihi Shiina), a quiet, young woman, who is immediately responsive to his charms. The two seem to instantly fall for each other, but things take a very dark and twisted turn (or three) as we discover Asami isn't all she seems to be...

SCARE-A-THON 2024: THIRD TIME'S A CHARM

Greetings, my allies in autumnal adulation! It’s that time of year again, when tricks and treats trade beats with greets on the streets....

It’s time for SCARE-A-THON 2024.

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF SAW (2004)!!!

SAW (2004) d. James Wan (USA)
SAW II (2005) d. Darren Lynn Bousman (USA)
SAW III (2006) d. Darren Lynn Bousman (USA)
SAW IV (2007) d. Darren Lynn Bousman (USA)
SAW V (2008) d. David Hackl (USA)
SAW VI (2009) d. Kevin Greutert (USA)
SAW 3D (2010) d. Kevin Greutert (USA)
JIGSAW (2017) d. Michael Spierig / Peter Spierig (USA)
SPIRAL (2021) d. Darren Lynn Bousman (USA)
SAW X (2023) d. Kevin Greutert (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Before there was “The Saw Franchise,” there was just SAW (full DVD review HERE), a relatively low-budget thriller from a pair of Australian horror kids who wanted to make a good impression. Strapped for cash but no shortage of imagination, the duo of actor/screenwriter Leigh Whannell and director James Wan whipped up a short-film scenario that could take place in a single room. The movie, shot in a mere 18 days, exploded at the box office in October 2004 to become one of the most profitable horror features of all time, much to the surprise of its participants and creators. The rest, as they say, is history.