THE THING (1951) vs. THE THING (1982) - Cold War Classic to Cosmic Horror Masterpiece

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951) d. Christian Nyby (USA)
THE THING (1982) d. John Carpenter (USA)
THE THING (2011) d. Matthijs van Heijningen (USA)

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This week, we’re discussing Howard Hawks’ The Thing from Another World (1951) and John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), two science-fiction horror films that, despite sharing a source in John W. Campbell Jr.’s novella Who Goes There?, reflect very different eras in filmmaking and cultural anxiety and both represent landmark moments in genre cinema.

THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS– 50 Years of Pupi Avati’s Italian Horror Masterpiece

THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS (1976) d. Pupi Avati (Italy)

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Pupi Avati’s The House with Laughing Windows (1976) is one of the most quietly unsettling films in the history of Italian horror, a slow-burn nightmare that lingers long after its final moments. Set in the foggy, insular villages of rural Emilia-Romagna, the film follows Stefano, a young restorer hired to repair a disturbing fresco depicting the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian. As Stefano settles into the community, he begins to sense that the artwork - and the people surrounding it - are tied to something deeply wrong.

THE BEST HORROR MOVIES OF 2025!! (and the ones we’re still fighting about)

We’re breaking down the best horror movies of 2025, from mainstream hits to indie standouts—and arguing about which ones actually deserve the title.

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AC joins his Streaming and Screaming co-hosts Chad the Bird and Lucy Ba'al as they count down their favorite fright flicks of 2025!



00:00 Episode Intro
03:40 Final Destinations: Bloodlines
07:55 The Ugly Stepsister
10:26 The Monkey
14:19 28 Years Later
23:38 El Conde
24:34 Bring Her Back
27:54 The Long Walk
33:22 Weapons
37:28 Good Boy
38:49 Sinners
44:57 The Rule of Jenny Pen
47:14 V/H/S/Halloween (part 1)
48:50 Clown in a Cornfield
50:11 V/H/S/Halloween (part 2)
54:06 Companion
54:21 Heart Eyes
55:02 Chad's Honorable Mentions
56:10 Together
57:30 AC's Honorable Mentions
1:00:16 Lucy's Honorable Mentions
1:03:20 Toxic Avenger remake
1:05:09 Deathstalker
1:05:35 Hell of a Summer
1:07:12 Frankenstein (GdT)
1:08:12 Jurassic World: Rebirth
1:08:59 Creep 2 / Creep Tapes / Ash vs. Evil Dead
1:10:05 The Mortuary Collection
1:10:42 That Came Out This Year?
1:14:58 AC's Netflix Catch-up
1:17:11 Final Thoughts

Civilian 2025 Wrap-Up and Year-End Stats!

And we’re back!

Having addressed the horror genre in a 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, 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 20 of my 83 non-horror titles released in the last two years, I can’t say I’m all that well-informed outside the genre for 2025'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, 2025 (i.e. no repeat viewings were eligible), and there is the usual collection of random trends that appeared organically or by design. For example, I think it's fun - and a little surprising - that my top three most-watched directors this year were not technically horror directors! You just never know where these flights of fancy will take you. Hope you enjoy the read.

Stay strong, stay safe, stay tuned!

EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1960) – The French Horror Classic Turns 65!!

EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1960) d. Georges Franju (France)

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This week, we’re talking about a yet another haunting horror landmark from 1960, Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux sans visage). Adapted from the 1959 novel by Jean Redon, Franju and his vaunted team of collaborators transform the pulp thriller material into something strangely lyrical and tragic, resulting in a bona-fide art-horror classic.

REST IN PEACE - LAWRENCE P. RAFFEL & DOUG LONG

The HORROR 101 with Dr AC family lost a couple of cherished members this past year. Lawrence P. Raffel and Doug Long were excellent horror fans and incredible human beings. Both appeared on multiple episodes over the last few years and I'm sorry they never got to cross paths, although given their distinct loves of specific types of horror, that doesn't seem too surprising. Lawrence erred toward stranger, obscure Euro-horror titles whereas Doug loved the Hollywood classics of yesteryear. Not to say they didn't both appreciate a wide breadth of the genre, but those were the two areas they kept returning to time and again.

Dr. AC's 2025 Horror Wrap-Up Extravaganza!

OM NOM NOM NOM NOM

Howdy, folks,

I don’t know about you, but the only way I kept semi-sane this year with all of the madness going on outside our door (literally in some cases, living in Chicago) was to keep going back to the movies and spending time with like-minded people discussing them. If you’re reading this, that likely means you, and I’m thankful for your company. In a world as divisive as this one, we have to look for the common ground, and if that means we both like the same kinds of movies, that’s a start. (To be clear, it’s only a start and if that’s where our common ground ends, we’d probably better part ways now, because if we can’t agree on basic human rights and needs, then we have a problem.)

The HORROR 101 YouTube channel continues to chug along in its third year, and I’m really proud of the fact that we delivered 52 weeks of classic horror conversations, faithfully launched at 7:30pm CST every single Friday. Whether I was out of town or deeply involved in other projects or juggling everyone's schedules and time zones, the Friday Night Frights were something people could rely on in this wacky world. Special thanks to the over 100 participants who engaged in 2025’s horror chats, pounding our way through endless sequels, deeper cuts, special features, research books, documentaries, and in some cases, going back to the source. Prepping for their respective panels, I read the original novels for Psycho, Misery, The Shining, Clown in a Cornfield, The Midwich Cuckoos (Village of the Damned), Jaws, Jack Ketchum’s Red, and The Stepford Wives, which is more fiction than I’ve read in over a decade. I’m looking forward to continuing this trend into the future!

CLICK HERE FOR PREVIOUS YEARS' RECAPS

MAD LOVE (1935) at 90 | Peter Lorre Gives Colin Clive a Hand... or Two!!

MAD LOVE (1935) d. Karl Freund (USA)

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Based on Maurice Renard’s 1920 French serialized novel The Hands of Orlac, in which the hands of a murderer are transplanted onto an injured concert pianist, Mad Love is remembered above all for Peter Lorre’s stunning performance as Dr. Gogol, a brilliant surgeon driven mad by obsessive love.