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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
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!
Speaking of trends, I made a concerted effort to expand the diversity of the panels this year. Yes, there are still going to be the occasional collectives of white dudes, but I’m proud of the fact that 40 of our 52 episodes featured women in the mix, as well as people of color, a spectrum of sexual orientation and gender identity, and 10 different countries represented. The whole reason why I have these conversations, as opposed to just being another talking head, is to celebrate other people’s experiences with horror that are different from my own. That was the essence of my two books (HORROR 101 and HIDDEN HORROR) and it’s the flavor I’d like to bring to the show. Again, my thanks to every single one of the panelists who took time out of their busy schedule to be part of this grand experiment.
And, of course, extra special thanks to Gert Verbeeck, the man responsible for all the cool thumbnails that show up in my inbox on a regular basis. Though oceans divide us, you're THE MAN.
The Streaming ‘n’ Screaming crew (aka Chad the Bird, Lucy Ba'al, and Me) banged out another seven episodes, incorporating a few themes into the mix (anthologies, animals attack, art-house vampires) and just generally having a rowdy good time.
And same said crew, along with guest star Barry Under Your Bed, had the good fortune to appear on the 4K Blu-ray of The Toxic Avenger (2025) as a special feature, celebrating 40 Years of Toxie! How friggin’ cool is that? Thanks to Steven Peros and Cinverse for the opportunity!
Other cool stuff included being invited to appearance on several other platforms, including a return to Discover the Horror for their 101st episode (nice), Sako and the Moon, Gut Punch, a long-awaited guest spot on Raiders of the Podcast, and Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat wrapped up our five-year exploration of Hammer Films. (Not to worry, we’ll be back next year to talk about William Castle, as well as continuing the ongoing series Accademia Giallo.) Vanessa Morgan, the intrepid editor of Evil Seeds, When Animals Attack, Strange Blood, and Meow: Cats in Genre Movies was kind enough to accept five essays from yours truly for her upcoming book on Dogsploitation Flicks.
Jon Kitley and I delivered a few more horror lectures to the good patrons of Chicago Public Library and Niles Public Library, discussing international horror (Spain, Canada, Japan, Italy), horror soundtracks, and 1950s sci-fi!
Several of the Chicago gang showed our mettle at a number of Deep Cuts Horror Trivia, winning a few, losing a few, and having a great time overall. In November, I celebrated 20 Years of attending Turkey Day (as well as 20 years of knowing Kitley, which is a whole blog post unto itself).
The Scare-a-Thon (FULL DETAILS HERE) celebrated its 15th year, raising $7,700 for the International Rescue Committee with the help of awesome folks like Lugosi Theatre, Hellbent for Horror, The Chicago International Film Festival, Super-Horror-Rama, Deep Cuts Horror Trivia, The Losers’ Club, Icons of Fright, and Kicking the Seat, culminating in a post-Halloween Hangout with Spooky Weaselbones, Skip Redstone, and Lucy Ba’al. Words cannot express my gratitude to everyone who participated in one way or another over the years. It’s pretty cool what we’ve done so far.
Okay, enough of my yakking. Let’s get to the task at hand, summing up the Year in Screams on Screen. In time-honored fashion, the titles listed below were encountered by your humble scribe for the FIRST TIME during the past year. (We also revisited a LOT of movies this year for the podcast, so please stop by the YouTube channel to see what you might have missed.)
Love to hear your thoughts about this year’s bundle of freaks, shrieks, and antiques! You can leave a comment below or reach out to me directly at drach101@gmail.com!
Enjoy!!!
TOP TIER
28 Years Later (2025)
Bring Her Back (2025)
El Conde (2023)
Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
Red Rooms (2023)
Sinners (2025)
The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024)
The Ugly Stepsister (2025)
Weapons (2025)
HONORABLE MENTION
Apartment 7A (2024)
Cobweb (2023)
Companion (2025)
Dangerous Animals (2025)
Drop (2025)
Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)
Good Boy (2025)
Heart Eyes (2025)
Presence (2024)
Sleep (2023)
Strange Darling (2023)
Terrifier 3 (2024)
LIKED, DIDN’T LOVE
Clown in a Cornfield (2025)
The Demon Disorder (2024)
Hell of a Summer (2023)
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
Marshmallow (2025)
The Monkey (2025)
Smile 2 (2024)
Starve Acre (2023)
Together (2025)
The Toxic Avenger (2025)
The Vourdalak (2023)
Wolf Man (2025)
ENDURANCE TESTS
BenefACTRESS (2025)
Frankenstein (2025)
Jurassic Park: Rebirth (2025)
FAVORITE DISCOVERIES (First Time Views released 2022 or later)
Barbarian (2022)
Blind Woman’s Curse (1970)
Creep 2 (2017)
Hollywood Horror House (1970)
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Mosquito (1994)
PussyCake (2021)
Satanic Hispanics (2022)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
The Midwich Cuckoos (2022)
The Mortuary Collection (2019)
The Platform (2019)
The Wind (2018)
Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015)
Wolf Creek: Season One (2016)
WHAT THE FUUUUUUUHHH
Carnage (1984)
Cthulhu Mansion (1992)
Love Goddesses of Blood Island (1963)
Murder Rock (1984)
Revenge of the Stepford Wives (1980)
SatanWar (1979)
Zoombies (2016)
OTHER FIRST TIME VIEWS
Alligator II: The Mutation (1991)
Autopsy (1975)
Boar (2017)
The Brides of Hades (aka Peony Lantern) (1968)
Castle of Evil (1966)
Day of the Dead (2008)
Demented (1980)
The Evictors (1979)
The Ghost of Yotsua (1959)
Lady Blood (2008)
The Monster of London City (1964)
Night of the Blood Beast (1958)
Nightmare at Noon (1988)
Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave (2005)
Shadow in the Cloud (2020)
The Shining (1997)
The Snow Woman (1968)
The Stepford Children (1987)
The Stepford Husbands (1996)
The Stepford Wives (2004)
Tales from the Darkside: Season 1 (1983)
Terror on Tour (1980)
Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)
Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)
Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018)
Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)
The Wind (1986)
Be back in a bit with the Civilian Views, final tallies, and stats! Stay Tuned!
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