Holy Frond and Wholly Desire

     This week- four films about people driven to extremes.
     When Harry Graham learns he had blown through his entire trust fund, he makes a desperate gamble to secure his future. Giving himself only 5 weeks to find, court, and wed a rich woman before he loses everything. Fortunately, he soon meets guileless botany professor Henrietta Lowell, whose only dream is to discover a new species of fern. Will Henrietta realize her dream? Will Harry get away with his nefarious plot? Why isn't there more James Coco? The directorial and screenwriting debut of often brilliant but mostly infamously overbudget Elaine May, A New Leaf.
     Norah, a nightclub DJ, is being harassed by obscene phone calls. The caller has detailed knowledge of her daily life and activities. Soon things escalate and a terrifying object is left in her apartment. Lt. Dave Madden, a cop with an interest in crime inspired by sexual motivations, takes a personal interest in the case. Will the caller escalate their actions before Madden can root them out? An often overlooked cult film that occupies that space between Psycho and gialli, between Peeping Tom and slashers- Who Killed Teddy Bear?
     Eve Stephens is a Los Angeles trial lawyer who has been shortlisted for a judge appointment. Despite her professional appearance, Eve struggles deeply with self-doubt and conforming to what society expects from her as a woman. Eve's carefully balanced world begins to unravel when her doctoral student sister, Maddie, is arrested for shoplifting. The debut feature from Susan Streitfeld, Female Perversions.
     Juvenal, a former monk now working as a live-in councilor at an addiction rehab facility, has the power to cure people with a touch. When former grifter Bill Hill learns of this gift, he enlists the help of a beautiful associate to get Juvenal on board his plans to cash in. Unfortunately, militant fundamentalist group leader August Murray also has plans. Based on the book by Elmore Leonard, Touch.
     All that and Dave gets toxic af, Kevin keeps it sophisticated af, and Tyler makes his smut collection everyone's problem. Join us, won't you?

   Episode 433- Holy Fronds and Wholly Desire

Best Hauntings to Some

     This week October comes early as we watch three ghoulish offerings for Spooky Season.

     Jimmy Bones was murdered and buried in the basement of his house. A house left abandoned as the neighborhood he loved rotted with it. Twenty-two years later a group of unexpected young entrepreneurs take the property and release Jimmy's vengeful spirit on those who betrayed him long ago. Ernest Dickerson's campy social commentating love letter to 70s blaxploitation, Bones.
     Single mother Carla Moran is repeatedly violently raped by an invisible assailant. Finding no help from psychiatrist Dr. Sneiderman, who believes her trauma is the cause of these events, Carla accepts extremes to escape her horrific situation. Sidney J. Furie's modern gothic parable of cultural female sexual victimization and repression, The Entity.
     A young nursing student goes to visit her grandparents before graduation. There she learns an awful truth and must decide if she will perpetuate this cycle or break it no matter the cost to her family and herself. An incredible debut feature from Yûta Shimotsu, Best Wishes to All (original Japanese title:みなに幸あれ Romanized: Mina no ko are).
     All that and Tyler learns to love American Football, Kevin takes a moment to prepare for OHC, and Dave does literally nothing. Join us, won't you?
   Episode 432- Best Hauntings to Some

Ventre

     This week- two films about men who live violently and do crime. 

      After a long absence from his native Sicily, Tony Aniante finally returns to settle some old debts. Soon the two families that control the area begin to compete for his services. Services rendered in brutal and bloody fashion. Will Tony get the closure he desires? Will the local families realize what really motivates Tony? How long can they keep the higher ups from discovering the tangled web they have made? The third feature from one of Italy's huge stable of 70s exploitation filmmakers, Cry of a Prostitute (original title Quelli che contano, lit. The One That Matters). 
     Tommy "Buns" Bundy and his lifelong friend Sincere move from robbery into drug transport after a nightclub robbery ends violently. As Buns is pulled deeper into a brutal world, Sincere tries to find a way to get his family out, and a betrayed associate plots revenge. Will Sincere be able to start the new life he dreams of? Will Buns go beyond the point of no return and lose his humanity to the hustle? Or will both men become just another data point in year end statistics? The only feature from music video auteur Hyper Williams that has become an urban crime drama cult classic, Belly.
     All that and Dave fights the Gregorian calendar, Tyler damages his vision with blacklights, and Kevin laments missing time with other film buffs of a higher quality. Join us, won't you?
   Episode 431- Ventre

Rising Dobermans

     This week- a pair of films about unexpected criminals.

     Three less than competent criminals come up the perfect plan- train a pack of Dobermans to rob a bank. Posing as a journalist one recruits an Air Force dog handler to assist in their training and a waitress to assist in their care. Will the handler realize there's something no quiet right going on? Will the bestest boy robbers be able to pull off the heist and make a clean getaway? Was this all just a waste of time for our original trio? The first of a four film series, with the first film score composed by the legendary Alan Silvestri, The Doberman Gang.
     Akemi is the dragon tattooed leader of the Tachibana yakuza clan. When she accidentally hurts an opponent's sister, who threw herself in between the fighters, a black cat appears to lap up the blood. Years later, the cat and injured girl show up again and Akemi's world begins to fall apart. Can Akemi get rid of this curse before her clan falls to ruin? Are there really human hands behind these events? What will become of the local restaurant run by reformed yakuza? Is that cat up to date on its shots? An early film staring the amazing Meiko Kaji and directed by Teruo Ishii, a prolific and eccentric filmmaker who specialized in ero goro sexploitation films, Blind Woman's Curse (original title: Kaidan Nobori Ryū, lit. Ghost Story Rising Dragon).
     All that and Tyler contemplates adding to his personal pantheon, Craig contemplates pants, Dave feels an ethereal disappointment, and our special guest, AC who can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@HORROR101withDrAC or wherever you get your podcasts, wonders why he wanted it this way.
   Episode 430- Rising Dobermans

Kicking the Habit

     This week- a young people finding themselves while facing criminal forces of varying types.

     After her parent's divorce, Jane finds herself in a new homes at a new school and completely isolated from her family and peers without anyone who seems to care at all. That all changes after she encounters a group of teens surrounding Irish drug dealer Jamie. Soon Jane finds herself falling in love with Jamie who is more than happy to exploit the situation. The debut feature from writer-director Sarah Elizabeth Mintz and inspired by her own youth, Good Girl Jane.
     David Sloan and his trainer Xian Chow arrive in Rio for a championship bout. David befriends a pair of young street kids, Marcos and Isabella. Soon the group finds themselves going against a local criminal organization that isn't just fixing fights but also trafficking young girls run by American expat, Frank Lane. Will the last Sloan brother once again emerge victorious against a criminal empire? Will Isabella never be seen again? Can Xian finally breakthrough Marcos's tough shell? The third entry in the franchise that made JCVD an international action star, Kickboxer III: The Art of War.
     All that and Dave watches it, Tyler begins having fever dreams about returning to The Grid, and Kevin prepares to run for his life. Join us, won't you?
   Episode 429- Kicking the Habit

Night of the Pregnant Buddy Gen-Zpires

      This week- four pack of gigglefests Kevin uses to invalidate the claim comedy left us.

     A renegade cop. An eccentric old man with an accent. A special breed of 
nightwalking bloodsucker. As the forces of darkness draw in, will Chuck Stee, the manliest cop to ever ignore people's rights, find and protect The Puritan? Will the Master bring about the Lock-In and an endless night for the city? A stop motion homage to the lost art of 1986 action films... Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires.
     After the pharmacy she works in is robbed June, an aimless wannabe Gen-Z influencer, takes matters into her own hands. Not just solving the crime which has baffled police but also find ways to finally get over her ex, gains some maturity, and possibly move out of her parent's house. The second feature from cult filmmaker and TV comedy veteran Nicholaus Goossen, Drugstore June.
     Dawn just gave birth to her second child and having trouble finding a new balance between home and work. Eden, Dawn's best friend, has a wonderful meet cute followed by a night of passion that leaves her ghosted and pregnant. As Eden navigates pregnancy in her own quirky way, Dawn finds herself worn thin from all angles. A vignetted look at overlooked facets of motherhood and sisterhood, the first directoral feature from voice acting great Pamela Adlon and the second from writer-producer-star Ilana Glazer, Babes.
     Dreux is a hard working waitress whose finally about to get her shot at a management position. Dreux lives with her best friend Alyssa, an aspiring artist, and Alyssa's boyfriend, Keshawn. Keshawn disappears as their landlord tells them they have until 6 to pay their rent, leaving both women stunned, penniless, and in a desperate scramble to get the funds. The first feature from music video director Lawrence Lamont and sitcom writer Syreeta Singleton, One of Them Days.
     Join us, won't you?
   Episode 428- Night of the Pregnant Buddy Gen-Zpires

Eva Brauhhhhhhhn

     This week a pair of films about desperate men who seek the most toxic relationships with women possible. 

     Marcus is 30-years old and considers himself "a lonely, desperate man". He spends his nights as a security guard alone in an empty location, his days looking at pornography and peeping in windows. Slightly overweight and unable to create relationships, Marcus turns to secretly recording his encounters with prostitutes and losing his grip on reality. A black comedy from experimental filmmaker and musician, Ronnie Cramer with a soundtrack by his no wave post-punk goth adjacent sporadically recording for 40 years band Alarming Trends- Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend.
     A recovering alcoholic bank robber, Doug, from Boston's locally notorious Charlestown are pushed into increasingly dangerous and audacious heists by their neighborhood florist and Irish mob boss as the FBI openly targets them. Meanwhile, Doug begins a relationship with a bank manager he and his crew recently took as a hostage. Can Doug find a way to break the cycle of criminal behavior he inherited from his father? Is there safety in the sunny Florida landscape Doug believes his mother escaped to long ago? The second feature by director-star-cowriter Ben Affleck and based on a book by Chuck Hogan- The Town.
     All that and Dave finds a weird VHS tape, Tyler parks the cahr, Craig finds his twin, and Kevin judges us while sewing tiny general costume for a military squirrel promotion. Join us, won't you?
   Episode 427- Eva Brauhhhhhhhn