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.

SHATTER DEAD (1994): SOV ZOMBIES... WITH REAL BRAINS!!!

SHATTER DEAD (1994) d. Scooter McCrae (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

When the Angel of Death impregnates a mortal woman, people stop being able to die. Instead, they linger endlessly on this mortal coil, not hungry for human flesh or brains, but simply for a place in a world that has no place for them. They walk, they speak, they have preferences and ideals, and their numbers are growing every day. As the living human population dwindles, the line begins to blur as to which is considered the dominant race and who are the monstrous aberrations.

FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER (1984) ROUND TABLE!!!

FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER (1984) d. Joseph Zito (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

One of the most influential modern horror films, 1980’s surprise hit from producer/director Sean S. Cunningham, Friday the 13th, spurred a spate of sequels and imitators, launching an entirely new genre: the American slasher film. Unlike its most immediate influence, Halloween, where emphasis was placed on spine-tingling suspense punctuated by scenes of violence, here the body count was everything and audiences flocked to witness the mayhem.

GODZILLA REBORN: GODZILLA (2014) / GODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023) ROUND TABLE!!!

GODZILLA (2014) d. Gareth Edwards (USA)
GODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023) d. Takashi Yamazaki (Japan)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Dan Caffrey, Barry Kaufman, Michelle Kisner, Mark Matzke, Lee Price) for the second half of our special TWO-PART EPISODE celebrating 70 years of Godzilla!

GODZILLA REBORN: GOJIRA (1954) / SHIN GODZILLA (2016) ROUND TABLE!!!

GOJIRA (aka GODZILLA) (1954) d. Ishiro Honda (Japan)
GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS (1956) d. Ishiro Honda/Terry Morse (Japan/USA)
SHIN GODZILLA (2016) d. Hideaki Anno (Japan)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

It’s impossible to approach this episode’s subject with any objectivity, so I’m not even going to try. My childhood infatuation with this Tokyo-stomping behemoth first piqued an interest in monster movies, from which my passion for horror cinema followed. Granted, my gateway encounter was a far cry from the dark and imposing figure introduced to Japanese audiences in 1954 – by the time I met Godzilla in the mid-’70s, he had evolved into a rambunctious, bellowing, drop-kicking superhero, defending humankind from the evils of pollution, alien interlopers and the like.

40 YEARS OF THE TOXIC AVENGER (1984)!!!

THE TOXIC AVENGER (1984) d. Lloyd Kaufman/Michael Herz (USA)
THE TOXIC AVENGER PART II (1989) d. Lloyd Kaufman/Michael Herz (USA)
THE TOXIC AVENGER III: THE LAST TEMPTATION OF TOXIE (1989) d. Lloyd Kaufman/Michael Herz (USA)
CITIZEN TOXIE: THE TOXIC AVENGER IV (2001) d. Lloyd Kaufman (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

There are Hollywood big-budget blockbusters. There are edgy exploitation flicks. There are scrappy independent films.

And then there are TROMA movies.

Neither celebrated for their subtle nuance nor held in high regard by the critical cognoscenti, Troma managed to carve out an indelible place in cinema history, with its 1984 flagship production featuring the “first superhero from New Jersey,” The Toxic Avenger, co-directed by the Troma Team of Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz and scripted by Joe Ritter and about a dozen other people.

HAMMER HORROR: THE GORGON (1964) / THE REPTILE (1966) Round Table!!!

THE GORGON (1964) d. Terence Fisher (UK)
THE REPTILE (1966) d. John Gilling (UK)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

By the mid-1960s, Hammer Studios had exhausted its supply of classic Universal monsters, with vampiric counts, stitched-together reanimated corpses, lycanthropic curses, and bandaged Egyptian shamblers all present and accounted for. In response, the creative teams dug out their tomes of Greek mythology and exotic travel guides to conjure two original monsters, both – coincidentally or not – featuring female creatures levying doom on the locals.

THE SIXTH SENSE & STIR OF ECHOES: GHOST SUMMER OF 1999

THE SIXTH SENSE (1999) d. M. Night Shyamalan (USA)
STIR OF ECHOES (1999) d. David Koepp (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

With scores of classic ghost movies populating the silver screen, video shelves, and streaming queues, it's still a pleasant surprise to have two noteworthy examples arriving the same year. That’s exactly what happened in 1999 when M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense and David Koepp's Stir of Echoes hit theaters within a month of each other.

DOUG AND THE DINOS - THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1974)!!!

THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1974) d. Kevin Connor (UK)
AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1976) d. Kevin Connor (UK)
THE PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT (1977) d. Kevin Connor (UK)
WARLORDS OF ATLANTIS (1978) d. Kevin Connor (UK)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

After a British cruiser is sunk by a German U-boat in the waning days of WWI, the remaining survivors – led by square-jawed American Bowen Tyler – turn the tables on their aggressors, floating in a lifeboat until the sub surfaces and taking the Jerrys by surprise. As food supplies dwindle, an uneasy truce is drawn after they happen upon a mythical uncharted island named “Caprona” which boasts all manner of evolution from dinosaurs to cavemen.

ZOMBIE (1979) (aka ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS) TURNS 45!!!

ZOMBIE (aka ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS / ZOMBI 2) (1979) d. Lucio Fulci (Italy)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

When George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead became a major success worldwide, Italians had a stake in the matter since horror icon Dario Argento was one of its producers. In Italy, the trimmed-down Dawn was rechristened Zombi, and its blockbuster status dramatically altered the horror landscape, with molto filmmakers clamoring to ride the coattails of its success. Veteran direction Lucio Fulci was first out of the gate in 1979 with his own rendering of the undead mythos. Its name was....

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999): 25 YEARS IN THE WOODS!!!

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) d. Daniel Myrick/Ed Sanchez (USA)
BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2 (2000) d. Joe Berlinger (USA)
BLAIR WITCH (2016) d. Adam Wingard (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Low-budget horror filmmakers take note: You can make an original and frightening film for barely any money; it simply requires a fresh approach and more imagination than Karo syrup. Witness 1999’s groundbreaking sensation from co-creators Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, The Blair Witch Project. The slender premise sees three college students go into the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland in October 1994 to record footage for their documentary about the mythical Blair Witch. They are never heard from again. One year later, their footage is discovered, and later assembled by authorities in an attempt to learn their fate and potential whereabouts. What we are presented... is that footage.

THE ORIGINAL IRON MAN - TETSUO (1989) TURNS 35!!!

TETSUO: THE IRON MAN (1989) d. Shinya Tsukamoto (Japan)
TETSUO II: BODY HAMMER (1992) d. Shinya Tsukamoto (Japan)
TETSUO: THE BULLET MAN (2009) d. Shinya Tsukamoto (Japan)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Winner of Best Film at the 1989 Fantafestival in Rome, Shinya Tsukamoto’s breakout 1989 feature Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a touchstone of cinematic cyberpunk, a relentlessly frenetic black-and-white 16mm assault on the senses and sensibilities, and a supercharged display of independent filmmaking.

IT FOLLOWS / THE BABADOOK: THE CLASS OF 2014

IT FOLLOWS (2014) d. David Robert Mitchell (USA)
THE BABADOOK (2014) d. Jennifer Kent (Australia)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

10 years ago, a pair of horror films exploded onto the scene, both from independent writer/directors not known for genre fare, both displaying exceptional visual confidence and storytelling skills, and both layered with multiple levels of metaphor and symbolism spicing their genuinely unnerving and clean mythologies. Critics and audiences celebrated this one-two punch of intellectually stimulating and emotionally gut-wrenching fright flicks, subtly shifting the terror landscape forever.

CORMAN, PRICE, & POE in '64: THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH/THE TOMB OF LIGEIA

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964) d. Roger Corman (USA/UK)
THE TOMB OF LIGEIA (1964) d. Roger Corman (USA/UK)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE** 

We at HORROR 101 would like to honor the passing of the late great Roger Corman by highlighting two of the more unusual efforts in his now-classic series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, both of which premiered in 1964 and both starring the inimitable Crown Prince of Horror, Vincent Price: The Masque of the Red Death and The Tomb of Ligeia.

BRING ON THE BIG BUGS - THEM! (1954) TURNS 70!!!

THEM! (1954) d. Gordon Douglas (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Unleashed upon a hungry-for-sci-fi movie-going public in the summer of 1954, Them! was the first of the “big bug” movies and proved to be the year’s biggest moneymaker for Warner Brothers. Originally slated to be shot in color and 3D, the studio cut the budget at the last minute, although the stark black and white cinematography may have worked to its advantage, yielding an impressively eerie visual landscape. These elements, combined with extraordinary sound design, art direction, and solid ensemble performances, resulted in a true genre classic that would go on to earn an Academy Award nomination for its imaginative and thrilling special effects.

GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) HITS THE BIG 4-0!!!

GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) d. Ivan Reitman (USA)
GHOSTBUSTERS 2 (1989) d. Ivan Reitman (USA)
GHOSTBUSTERS: ANSWER THE CALL (2016) d. Paul Feig (USA)
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE (2021) d. Jason Reitman (USA)
GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE (2024) d. Gil Kenan (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

(Apologies for the dicey audio - apparently my microphone wasn't plugged in, so you're getting that sweet, sweet laptop mic instead.)

40 years ago, no one had ever seen anything quite like Ghostbusters. A movie populated with hilarious and charming heroes and genuinely scary ghosts. A story that made you laugh one minute and scream the next. A big-budget comedy festooned with elaborate special effects. Despite the unconventional concept, director Ivan Reitman and co-writer/co-star Harold Ramis refashioned Dan Aykroyd's original story treatment of interdimensional ghost hunters into a contemporary comedy set in New York City. Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson eventually filled out the titular quartet, alongside rising stars Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis, with improvising galore and guffaws aplenty.

50 YEARS OF VAMPYRES (1974)!!!

VAMPYRES (1974) d. Jose Ramon Larraz (UK/Spain)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

At a time when throwing extensive vampiric nudity on screen would have been enough, writer/director Jose Ramon Larraz went the extra mile to conjure a deceptively simple, highly satisfying tale of two bisexual bloodsuckers with Vampyres, released in 1974. Played with charged sensuality by newcomers Marianne Morris (as the dark, mysterious Fran) and Anulka (as blonde, fresh-faced Miriam), the Sapphic duo take up residence in a remote English countryside estate, flagging down unsuspecting male drivers to take home for an evening snack. In addition to their daily iron intake, these vampires enjoy all pleasures of the flesh, and Larraz delivers the goods in numerous well-shot, sexy interludes between the lovers and their victims.