Discover the Horror Podcast: Episode 43 – Tape Trading and Bootlegs

Back in ancient times, before Netflix and Amazon Prime, before Hulu and YouTube, even before DVDs and Blu-rays, if films weren’t available to you from either your local video stores, or if you wanted to see an uncut print of a movie, or even one that wasn’t released on VHS, the place you could find them would be in fuzzy gray market of the bootlegs.

These types of vendors were a staple to a lot of the early movie conventions, where fans could find titles that never even knew were out there. Some of us are old enough to remember being able to finally see the uncut full letterboxed version of Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond, after years of suffering though only being able to see the heavily edited Seven Doors of Death.

As your collection grew, you would usually start trading with others, increasing your collection even more, as well as helping to spread the love and passion of these amazing films. This is what we’re discussing in this episode, so sit back and either reminisce with us, or learn about the good old days, when we were happy for a 5th generation grainy print of Anthropophagus that had the infamous fetus scene!

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Discover the Horror Hits 10K Downloads!

Back in October of 2021, Aaron AuBuchon, Damien Glonek, and myself started the Discover the Horror podcast, with the goal of getting listeners to seek out other films that they hadn’t seen before, or taking another look at ones they had seen, maybe seeing it a little differently than before. I’d like to think we’ve consistently done that with each and every episode.

Well, it seems that last week, we hit 10,000 downloads! Now honestly, since I’m about as technical savvy as an abacus, I have no idea to what the magnitude of that number actually means, but it does tell me that people are listening to the shows and more importantly, coming back for more. We strive to create a show that hopefully sparks that passion inside the listener to take that extra step, or a bigger step, into the genre. As I’ve said before, as fans of the genre, this isn’t a race, but an incredible journey we’re all on together, all being on the same path, just at different points along the way.

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Discover the Horror – Episode 42: Universal Frankensteins

Frankenstein (1931), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942).

Time to go back to the source! The films that started a mythology, created the stereotypes, and taught us everything we were going to need to know about the mad genius that created a “monster” and the innocent, child-like creature that would eventually be known by his creator’s own name. In this episode, we look back at the first four Universal Frankenstein films, before the monster-ramas, when the main point was the creature and his maker. While there is a lot of material to cover in only one episode, we cover as much as we can, trying to show you just how important, entertaining and well-made these films are after close to a century.

Films mentioned during this episode:

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Discover the Horror: Episode 41 – Made for TV Horrors 2

Devil Dog: Hound of Hell (1978), Vampire (1979), & Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981). Back in Episode 11, we covered 3 Made-for-TV films that we felt were must see! And now we’re back again to go over another 3 titles that we think are well worth your time and attention. During the late ’70s and early ’80s was still a time of great films that were made to premiere on your television at home, decades before streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime were available. Thankfully, these three are available in a variety of formats, but you may have to do a little searching first. But that’s okay…the hunt is part of the fun!

So sit back, hit play, and listen to us ramble on about some really good films, with incredible casts, and some damn entertaining monsters!

Here are the titles mentioned in this episode:

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Discover the Horror Podcast – Episode 40: Generations of Horror with Guest S.A. Bradley

Depending on when you not only grew up but grew up with the horror genre could define what films you like, and what you don’t like. But then there are other fans that open up the borders and search outside their comfort zone. In this episode, we discuss those ideas with our special guest, S.A. Bradley, author of Screaming for Pleasure: How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy, as well as the host for the podcast Hellbent for Horror.

This isn’t an episode about specific films, though plenty are mentioned and discussed in great detail, but also on how they are received by the current audiences, as well as the older, and sometimes younger audiences, and what the differences are.

These are the films mentioned in this episode:

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Rondo Time Once Again

The nominations for the Rondo Awards have been announced, with plenty of great names and titles to be voting on. Remember, for most of the nominees, what they are being praised for is done out of passion and love for the horror, sci-fi, fantasy, classic monsters, or whatever genre you want to call it, but it is what we all share the same passion with. Winning one of these awards would not only help put their name on the map but give them a little assurance of what they are doing actually means something. So, take a few minutes to go through the list of nominations and send in your vote. You can see the whole list and all the info you need to vote by going to the official website by clicking HERE.

Now, I do have to take a few seconds to mention that my column in HorrorHound magazine, They Came from the Krypt, has been nominated for Best Column, so I would love to have your vote.

Plus, it seems our little podcast endeavor, Discover the Horror, that I do along with my good friends and fellow deviants, Damien Glonek and Aaron AuBuchon, has been nominated for Best Podcast as well. So again, we’d love to get your vote.

And while I would never tell you to vote for another podcast besides our’s, S.A. Bradley’s Hellbent for Horror is a bit of alright as well!

Another personal note, another good friend of mine, Gavin Schmitt, has his book Karl Freund: The Life and Films, has been nominated as well. So maybe give him a consideration as well!

But seriously, take a few minutes, go through the list and vote from the heart. If you don’t know anything in that category, just skip it. You don’t have to vote in everything, but just the ones you know.

Discover the Horror Episode 38: Italian Horror with Troy Howarth

There are plenty of ways to help you on your way to discovering more about the films you love, as well as ones you might not know too much about. There’s always books on different filmmakers, or sort of the audio form of that, the audio commentaries that are usually found on most of our favorite films. The more insight you have, the more you will know, and maybe even enjoy it more. One of those that is helping fans learn just that is Troy Howarth. He’s written over a dozen books on a variety of subjects, usually in the Italian film genre, covering directors like Argento, Bava, Fulci, and more recently, Umberto Lenzi. He’s also published a 3-volume set on the giallo film. Plus, he has done a ton of different commentaries, giving fans even more info!

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Discover the Horror Podcast – Episode 37: Universal’s Dracula Films

Dracula (1931), Dracula’s Daughter (1936), and Son of Dracula (1943). This is the series of films that really created and started what is now known as the Universal Classic Monster films. Dracula came out in Feb. in 1931 and did such business, the studio followed suit with another film. And another. And another.

But are these classics remembered just because of nostalgia, or are they really well-made films that are still effective today and rightly deserve the monster of “classic”? In this episode, we delve into the first three Dracula films and take a closer look at these titles to see if they hold up to us, and even more so, maybe getting you, the listener, interested enough to revisit them along with us!

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Discover the Horror Podcast – Episode 36: Talking Movies with Jesse Nelson

Obviously, anybody listening to this podcast is a huge fan of horror movies. There is no better time to be a movie fan because of all the incredible releases that keep coming out, not just here in the states, but around the world. From movies that we grew up loving, to the more obscure and unseen titles, it is a never-ending journey to discover or re-discover these titles. And one of the men responsible for helping us fans is Jesse Nelson from Diabolik DVD, as well as Exhumed Films, and more recently Cauldron Films.

So, sit down and listen to some great stories, and maybe even learn some etiquette when it comes to collecting, customer service, and what fans should expect from shops like Diabolik DVD, and the other boutique labels, and realize the hard work they are all doing to bring us fans some great viewing experiences.

Films mentioned during this episode:

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Discover the Horror Podcast: Episode 35 – The Devil

The Evil (1978), Angel Heart (1987), and Mr. Frost (1990). From the very first horror film, Georges Méliès’ The House of the Devil from 1896, the Devil started his film career and has been going strong ever since! Appearing in a variety of roles, from bit parts to main characters, from comedies to dramas, from the campy to straight up terrifying, Satan has made his appearance numours times over the last century. But it is his appearance in the horror genre, of course, where we are focusing.

In this episode, we discuss three different titles, with three very difference actors, playing different characterizations of Satan, but all of them entertaining and well worth seeking out. Or at least we think so.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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