Tonight we’re chatting with Vanessa F. Penney, author of The Witch of Willow Sound, distributed by Simon & Schuster.  The book is a Canadian best-seller, a feminist gothic tale with a tough-as-nails female protagonist who must find her elderly aunt, long suspected of being a witch.

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This week we are joined by the Monster Movie Happy Hour Podcast for a look at Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 film FRANKENSTEIN.  This is Episode #472! 
Frankenstein is a 2025 American gothic drama film produced, written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The film stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as the Creature, and Mia Goth as Elizabeth, with Felix Kammerer, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, Christian Convery, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz in the supporting roles. The story follows the life of Victor Frankenstein, an egotistical scientist whose experiment in creating new life results in dangerous consequences when his monstrous creation comes to life. Frankenstein had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2025. It began a limited theatrical release on October 17, 2025, with a global digital release by Netflix on November 7. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Elordi's performance receiving acclaim.

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This week we continue a cycle of Mario Bava films curated by special guest, three-time-Oscar nominated screenwriter John Logan, with a look at the 1965 film Planet of the Vampires.  This is Episode #471!
Planet of the Vampires (Italian: Terrore nello spazio, lit. 'Terror in Space'; released in the UK as The Demon Planet) is a 1965 science fiction horror film directed and co-written by Mario Bava, produced by Fulvio Lucisano, and starring Barry Sullivan and Norma Bengell. The screenplay was based on an Italian-language science fiction short story, Renato Pestriniero's "One Night of 21 Hours.” The film follows the horrific experiences of the crew members of two giant spaceships that have crash-landed on a forbidding, unexplored planet. The disembodied inhabitants of the world possess the bodies of the crew who died during the crash, and use the animated corpses to stalk and kill the remaining survivors.The film was co-produced by Italian International Film and American International Pictures (AIP), with some financing provided by Spain's Castilla Cooperativa Cinematográfica. AIP released Planet of the Vampires as the supporting film on a double feature with Daniel Haller's Die, Monster, Die! (1965).

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Tonight we’re chatting with national bestselling author Christina Henry, whose first hardcover, The Place Where They Buried Your Heart (Berkley, Nov. 4), blends haunting suspense with deeply human themes.Christina is known for her dark fantasy and horror novels (Good Girls Don’t Die, The Ghost Tree, The House That Horror Built), each exploring the shadows in both supernatural forces and human hearts. Her latest is a chilling, emotionally layered haunted house story set in Chicago, where a sister must confront the darkness that claimed her brother decades earlier. And that same house may still be hungry.  The book has received praise from the New York Times, Paul Tremblay and Christopher Golden, both of whom I’ve talked to on this show.

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Tonight we’re chatting with Jeremiah Dylan Cook, author of A Mythos of Monsters and Madness which is out now. The book assembles thirteen loosely connected tales of terror from horror writer Jeremiah Dylan Cook.Jeremiah Dylan Cook is a horror writer whose work has been published by The NoSleep Podcast, Castle Bridge Media, Tales to Terrify, Ghost Orchid Press, The Lovecraft eZine, Hippocampus Press, Necronomicon Press, and Eye Contact. He won Purple Wall Stories February 2021 Writing Competition, and the Ligonier Valley Writers 2018 Flash Fiction Contest. He’s the Managing Editor of New Pulp Tales. You can follow him on X @JeremiahCook1.

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This week we continue a cycle of Mario Bava films curated by special guest, three-time-Oscar nominated screenwriter John Logan, with a look at the 1964 film Blood and Black Lace.  This is Episode #470!
Blood and Black Lace (Italian: 6 donne per l'assassino, lit. 'Six Women for the Murderer') is a 1964 giallo film directed by Mario Bava and starring Eva Bartok and Cameron Mitchell. The story concerns the brutal murders of a Roman fashion house's models, committed by a masked killer in a desperate attempt to obtain a scandal-revealing diary.


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This week we have a Halloween film, the 1993 animated film The Halloween Tree. This is episode 469! 
The Halloween Tree is a 1993 American animated fantasy-drama television film produced by Hanna-Barbera and based on Ray Bradbury's 1972 fantasy novel of the same name. The film tells the story of a group of trick-or-treating children who learn about the origins and influences of Halloween when one of their friends is spirited away by mysterious forces. Bradbury serves as the narrator of the film, which also stars Leonard Nimoy as the children's guide, Mr. Moundshroud. Bradbury also wrote the film's Emmy Award winning screenplay. The animation of the film was produced overseas for Hanna-Barbera by Fil-Cartoons in the Philippines. The film premiered on ABC on October 2, 1993.

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Tonight we’re chatting with Brian Asman, who’s been called “a singular voice in horror fiction,” author of MAN, F*CK THIS HOUSE (AND OTHER DISASTERS) from Blackstone Publishing,  a collection of six brand-new stories of hauntings and California Weirdness. Brian Asman is a writer, actor, and director from San Diego. He’s the author of Good Dogs from Blackstone Publishing. His other books include I’m Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today, Neo Arcana, Nunchuck City, Jailbroke, Our Black Hearts Beat as One, and Return of the Living Elves. Find him on social media (@thebrianasman) or his website (www.BrianAsmanBooks.com).
In the titular “Man, F*ck This House,” Sabrina Haskins and her family have just moved into their dream home. At first glance, the house is perfect. But things aren’t what they seem. Sabrina is hearing odd noises, seeing strange visions. Their neighbors are odd or absent. And Sabrina’s already-fraught relationship with her son is about to be tested in a way no parent could ever imagine. Because while the Haskins family might be the newest owners of this house, they’re far from its only residents…
Join us!

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This week we kick off a cycle of Mario Bava films curated by special guest John Logan (Penny Dreadful, Skyfall, Gladiator) with a look at the 1963 film The Whip and the Body.  This is Episode #468!  
The Whip and the Body (Italian: La frusta e il corpo) is a 1963 gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava under the alias "John M. Old". The film is about Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) who is ostracized by his father for his relationship with a servant girl and her eventual suicide. He later returns to reclaim his title and his former fiancée Nevenka (Daliah Lavi) who is now his brother's wife. Menliff is later found murdered, but the locals believe his ghost has returned to haunt the castle for revenge.

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Tony Salvaggio checks in to discuss the highlights of Fantastic Fest 2023, where he watched an impressive 35 movies across various genres. From horror films exploring trauma to unique international cinema, Tony breaks down standout films like "Marama," "Obsession," and the newest "Silent Night, Deadly Night." He shares insights into the current state of genre filmmaking, emphasizing the importance of independent film festivals in showcasing diverse storytelling. Hear about secret screenings, unexpected gems, and Tony's passionate take on why genre cinema remains vibrant and essential.

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Tonight we’re chatting with Linus O’Brien, director of STRANGE JOURNEY: THE STORY OF ROCKY HORROR in Theaters on September 26. The documentary is written by Avner Shiloah, and Produced by Adam Gibbs, Garret Price, Avner Shiloah, Linus O'Brien. Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror is a joyful and wild ride through the tale of the cultural juggernaut that is The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which began as a 1973 musical stage production and became a 1975 film with Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Charles Gray, and more, with a historic following. 

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This week we have a look at the 2001 film From Hell.  This is Episode #467! From Hell is a 2001 mystery horror thriller film directed by the Hughes Brothers and written by Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias and based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell about the Jack the Ripper murders. The film stars Johnny Depp as Frederick Abberline, the lead investigator of the murders, and Heather Graham as Mary Kelly, a prostitute targeted by the Ripper. Other cast members include Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane, Ian Richardson and Jason Flemyng. From Hell was theatrically released in the United States on October 19, 2001, by 20th Century Fox. The film grossed over $74 million worldwide.

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Tony Salvaggio reports live from Fantastic Fest 2025, sharing exciting insights on standout films like the atmospheric "The Ice Tower," the intense Indonesian martial arts film "Ikatan Dara," the Euro-spy pastiche "Reflections in a Dead Diamond," and more. Join Jason Henderson as Tony breaks down the festival's medieval-themed highlights and must-see genre cinema.

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We chat with co-host Tony Salvaggio on this year's Fantastic Fest, the world-renowned genre film festival that kicks off this week in Austin, Texas.

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This week we have a look at the 1972 film The Legend of Boggy Creek.  This is Episode #466!
And it's a special episode as we're joined by our friends from the Monster Movie Happy Hour!
The Legend of Boggy Creek is a 1972 American docudrama horror film about the "Fouke Monster", a Bigfoot-like cryptid reportedly seen in and around Fouke, Arkansas, since the 1940s. The film combines staged interviews with local residents who claim to have encountered the creature, along with reenactments of these encounters. Director and producer Charles B. Pierce, an advertising salesman, secured funding from a local trucking company and hired local high school students to help complete the film. Made on a budget of $160,000, the film was released theatrically on August 8, 1972.

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Tonight we’re chatting with Drew Edwards. Drew is the writer/creator of Halloween Man, a new trade paperback collection out later this month from Red 5 Comics distributed by Simon & Schuster. He is a Best Writer Ringo nominee, Austin Chronicle "Best of Austin" award winner, and a member of the Pen America Fellowship. 

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Scream of the Wolf is a 1974 American made-for-television horror-thriller film starring Peter Graves and Clint Walker and directed by Dan Curtis with a script by Richard Matheson (for context this is a year after he did Legend of Hell House and the same year that he and Dan Curtis would do Dracula with Jack Palance. It originally aired as the ABC Movie of the Week on January 16, 1974.

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This week we have a look at the 1972 TV film MOON OF THE WOLF.  This is Episode #464! 
Moon of the Wolf is an American TV movie broadcast on September 26, 1972 on ABC Movie of the Week. It stars David Janssen, Barbara Rush, Geoffrey Lewis and Bradford Dillman, with a script by Alvin Sapinsley (based on Leslie H. Whitten's novel of the same name). The film was directed by Daniel Petrie and filmed on location in Burnside, Louisiana. All of the downtown footage was from Clinton, Louisiana.

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Tonight we’re chatting with director Chuck Russell, whose new film Witchboard which is out August 15  and is a re-imagining of the 1986 classic. The new film stars  Madison Iseman, Aaron Dominguez, Melanie Jarnson, Charlie Tahan, Antonia Desplat, and Jamie Campbell Bower. Russell is a horror veteran, having directed  the films A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), "the highest grossing independent film ever made" at that time, The Blob (1988), which was itself a re-imagining of a film made 30 years before that, The Mask (1994), Eraser (1996), and The Scorpion King (2002).

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This week we have a look at the 1970 Hammer Dracula film TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA.  This is Episode #463!
Taste the Blood of Dracula is a 1970 British supernatural horror film produced by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Peter Sasdy from a script by Anthony Hinds, it is the fifth installment in Hammer's Dracula series, and the fourth to star Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the titular vampire. The film also features Geoffrey Keen and Gwen Watford.Taste the Blood of Dracula was followed by Scars of Dracula, also released in 1970.
Once more we are joined by a very special guest. This writer received the Tony award for his play Red and wrote the book for the Tony award-winning Moulin Rouge. As a screenwriter, he has been nominated for the Oscar three times and has received Golden Globe, BAFTA, WGA and Edgar awards. His film work includes Skyfall, Gladiator, The Aviator, Hugo, Rango, Sweeney Todd, They/Them, The Last Samurai, and Any Given Sunday. He also created the television series Penny Dreadful for Showtime.  next year will see the release of his movie Michael, about Michael Jackson. We are joined tonight by JOHN LOGAN.

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