Welcome to episode 56 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are in Europe, where we return to the psychological thriller and the Italian giallo, with two films drenched in murder and paranoia.

First up, we have Les Diaboliques from 1955, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. This stars Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse and Charles Vanel.

Then we follow this with The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh from 1971 and director Sergio Martino. This stars Edwige Fenech, George Hilton, Ivan Rassimov and Cristina Airoldi.

Along the way, we will be discussing the early careers of directors Henri George Clouzot and Sergio Martino, the incredibly tense production of Les Diaboliques, Mondo movies, a real-world Italian murder case that inspired several giallo, actress Edwige Fenech, and much much more

Recommendations

Le Corbeau (1943)

The Wages of Fear (1953)

Sorcerer (1977)

References

Les Diaboliques by Susan Hayward - Ciné-Files French Film Guides series

https://www.cinematheque.fr/article/1112.html

Italian Giallo in Film and Television: A Critical History by Roberto Curti

Darkening the Italian Screen: Volume One by Eugenio Ercolani

So Deadly, So Perverse: Volume One by Troy Howarth

International Horror Film Directors, edited by Danny Shipka and Ralph Beliveau

All the Colours of Sergio Martino by Kat Ellinger

The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh blu ray (Severin Films) – interviews and extras

https://www.nanarland.com/interviews/entretiens/fr/sergio-martino.html

https://www.flashbackfiles.com/ernesto-gastaldi-interview

https://dailygrindhouse.com/thewire/the-daily-grindhouse-chats-to-ernesto-gastaldi/

https://westernsallitaliana.blogspot.com/2019/08/interview-with-ernesto-gastldi.html?m=1

https://pochestorie.corriere.it/2017/09/11/treni-aerei-un-killer-e-una-vittima-il-delitto-fenaroli/

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email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com

youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Welcome to episode 54 of The Horror Double Bill the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts

This week we are plunging into the world of ecological horror, with two films that suggest that unless we learn to learn more harmoniously with the planet, we will suffer the consequences – one way or another

First, we have The Day the Earth Caught Fire from 1961. This was written and directed by Val Guest and stars Edward Judd, Janet Monroe, Leo McKern, Michael Goodliffe, and Bernard Braden.

Then we follow this with our first Australian movie on the podcast, which is Long Weekend from 1978. This was written by Everett De Roche, directed by Colin Eggleston and stars Peter Hargreaves and Briony Behets

Along the way, we’ll be discussing the career of writer director Val Guest, British nuclear test in the 1950s, why Australia banned horror for 20 years, the birth of the Australian horror movement, the career of screenwriter Everett De Roche and much much more.

Recommendations

The Quatermass Xperminent (1955)

Quatermass 2 (1957)

The Twilight Zone – episode The Midnight Sun (1961)

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense – In Possession (1984)

The Last Wave (1977)

References

British Science Fiction Cinema, edited by I. Q. Hunter

The Day the Earth Caught Fire BFI blu ray – interviews, commentaries and special features

https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/val-guest

https://www.ajb007.co.uk/discussion/56473/interviews-with-cast-and-crew-non-bond-films

https://nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.com/

https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/panic-streets-london-filming-day-earth-caught-fire

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/may/16/guardianobituaries.obituaries

Australian Horror Films 1973 to 2010 by Peter Shelley

Australian Gothic: A Cinema of Horrors by Jonathan Rayner

https://www.naa.gov.au/blog/exit-ghouls

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2008/dossier-on-australian-exploitation/everett-de-roche/

https://www.cine-excess.co.uk/down-under-rises-up-naturersquos-revenge-in-ozploitation-cinema.html

https://cinemaaustralia.com.au/2015/10/11/5-things-you-never-knew-about-long-weekend/

https://lwlies.com/home-ents/long-weekend-ozploitation-classic

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hargreaves-john-william-31765

https://newtheatrehistory.org.au/wiki/index.php/Person_-_John_Hargreaves

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0362970/bio/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Weekend_%281978_film%29

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Earth_Caught_Fire

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0066909/

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youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Welcome to episode 53 of The Horror Double Bill the podcast where nearly every week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are off to Hollywood, with two films that explore the horrors of the silver screen, from obsessive fandom and fantasy to the darkest depths of ambition.

First up we have Fade to Black from 1980. This was written and directed by Vernon Zimmerman, and stars Dennis Christopher, Tim Thomerson, Linda Kerridge, and Eve Brent

Then we jump forward to 2014 and Starry Eyes, written and directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer. This stars Alexandra Essoe, Amanda Fuller, Noah Segan and Fabianne Therese.

Along the way, we’ll be discussing the career of producer Irwin Yablans, depictions of Hollywood in the horror film, directors Kevin Kolsche and Dennis Widmyer and much much more

Recommendations

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962)

Torture Garden (1967)

Barton Fink (1991)

Mulholland Drive (2001)

References:

The Man Who Created Halloween by Irwin Yablans

Going to Pieces: The Rise & Fall of the Slasher Film by Adam Rockoff

Fade to Black: special features and interviews from the blu ray from 88 Films.

https://anthemmagazine.com/alex-essoe-pays-the-price-of-fame/

https://thehollywoodnews.com/2015/03/11/thn-interview-starry-eyes-directors-dennis-widmyer-kevin-kolsch/

https://brokehorrorfan.com/post/102534766538/interview-kevin-kolsch-dennis-widmyer-starry

https://btchflcks.com/2015/01/old-hollywood-legend-in-a-new-skin-an-interview-with-the-filmmakers-of-starry-eyes.html

https://thewolfmancometh.com/2014/03/25/writerdirectors-kevin-kolsch-and-dennis-widmyer-producer-travis-stevens-and-star-alex-essoe-talk-starry-eyes-interview-sxsw-14/

https://www.flickfeast.co.uk/spotlight/starry-eyes-interview-kevin-kolsch-dennis-widmyer/

https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/547793/28-things-we-learned-from-the-fade-to-black-commentary/

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-05-26-ca-8461-story.html

https://itcamefromblog.com/2022/11/15/paint-it-black-when-dennis-christopher-detoured-into-slasher-territory/

https://www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hysterialives/Hysteria/fade_to_black.htm

https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/kevin-koelsch-and-dennis-widmyer-starry-eyes/

https://wickedhorror.com/features/interviews/exclusive-alex-essoe-talks-starry-eyes/

https://youtu.be/bE-m4rVJC4o?si=TguU9KKs_TUe8neu

https://youtu.be/Ya6-7k48FAU?si=l0GJOqE7gJIOdZWA

Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill

email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com

youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Welcome to episode 52 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are going to New York in search of missing sisters and finding ourselves in a whole heap of trouble with the powers of darkness.

First, we have The Seventh Victim from 1943 and producer Val Lewton. This was directed by Mark Robson and stars Kim Hunter, Jean Brooks, Tom Conway and Isabel Jewell

Then we are following this with Inferno from Dario Argento and 1980. This was his follow-up to 1977’s Suspiria, and was the movie in which he fully introduced the idea of the Three Mothers, three supernatural figures inspired by the writing of Thomas de Quincey. This stars Leigh McCloskey, Irene Miracle, Eleonora Giorgi, Daria Nicolodi and Gabriele Lavia.

Along the way, we’ll be discussing the actresses Kim Hunter and Daria Nicolodi, and falling down some very esoteric rabbit holes, including satanic conspiracies involving the freemasons, the works and disappearance of the alchemist Fulcanelli, and the arcane world of actor, artist and self-described visual philosopher Leigh J McClosky.

References

Val Lewton: The Reality of Terror by Joel E. Siegel

Dreams of Darkness by J. P. Telotte

Icons of Grief: Val Lewton’s Home Front Pictures by Alexander Nemerov.

The Seventh Victim blu-ray from Criterion

https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-val-lewton

https://brightlightsfilm.com/darkness-darkness-films-val-lewton-looking-back-b-movie-master/

Fear by Dario Argento

Dario Argento, The Man, The Myths, And the Magic by Alan Jones,

Broken Mirrors Broken Minds the Dark Dreams of Dario Argento by Maitland McDonough

Art Of Darkness the Cinema of Dario Argento edited by Chris Gallant

Spaghetti Nightmares edited by Luca M Palmerini and Gaeto Mistretta

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email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com

youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Welcome to episode 51 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are exploring the amorphous world of the science fiction horror hybrid, with two movies that pit man against gelatinous monstrosities from inner and outer space.

First up, we have X the Unknown from 1956, an early entry into the horror market from British studio Hammer, This was directed by Leslie Norman and stars Dean Jagger, Leo McKern and Edward Chapman.

Then we jump forward to 1988 for the enjoyably goofy The Blob, from director Chuck Russell and co-writer Frank Darabont, and stars Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith, Donovan Leitch, Jeffrey DeMunn and Candy Clark.

Along the way, we will be discussing the careers of writer-directors Jimmy Sangster and Chuck Russell, unlikely parallels with Spielberg’s Jaws, shapeless monstrosities in the horror movie, the inspiration for and the production story of the 1958 version of the Blob, and much, much more.

References

The House that Hammer Built Volume 2, 1950 – 1954 & Volume 3: 1955–1958 by Wayne Kinsey

Hammer and Beyond: The British Horror Film by Peter Hutchings,

Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography by Tom Johnson and Deborah Del Vecchio

Father of the Blob: The Making of a Monster Smash and Other Hollywood Tales by Jack H Harris

https://strasbourgfestival.com/en/interview-jimmy-sangster/

https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/jimmy-sangster/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Sangster

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/21/jimmy-sangster-obituary

The Blob (1988) - Scream factory blu ray interviews, commentaries and extras

https://ia801403.us.archive.org/4/items/Fear_04_1989-01-02_no_ads/Fear_04_1989-01-02_no_ads.pdf

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0762727/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0751080/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blob_(1988_film)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blob

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_the_Unknown

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youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)

Welcome to episode 50 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

Cannibal Man/The Week of the Killer/The Apartment on the 13th Floor (1972) dir. Eloy de la Iglesia, w. Vicente Parra, Emma Cohen, Eusebio Poncela, Vicky Lagos and Charly Bravo.

Ecologia del delitto/A Bay of Blood/Twitch of the Death Nerve/Carnage/Blood Bath (1971) dir. Mario Bava w. Luigi Pistilli, Claudine Auger, Claudio Camaso, Laura Betti and Anna Maria Rosati.

Recommendations

The Glass Ceiling (1971)

No-one Heard the Scream (1973)

Kill Baby Kill (1966)

Danger Diabolik! (1968)

Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970)

References

Spanish Horror Film by Antonio Lázaro-Reboll

Cannibal Man blu-ray edition (Severin Films)

Subversive Effects of Perversion: Sexuality and Social Construction in The Cannibal Man by Carlos Gómez

https://www.terrorweekend.com/2021/11/la-semana-del-asesino-review.html?m=1h

ttps://www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com/famosos/2021-03-06/vicente-parra-galan-homosexual-amigo-sara-montiel_2977668

https://www.elconfidencial.com/cultura/2006-03-24/muere-el-realizador-de-cine-eloy-de-la-iglesia_741304

https://www.cageyfilms.com/2021/10/the-films-of-eloy-de-la-iglesia/

https://elpais.com/cultura/2006/03/23/actualidad/1143068408_850215.html

So Deadly, So Perverse Volume One by Troy Howarth,

The Haunted World of Mario Bava by Troy Howarth

Italian Horror Cinema, edited by Stefano Baschiera and Russ Hunter

A Bay of Blood blu-ray special edition (Severin Films)

https://www.davinotti.com/articoli/intervista-allo-sceneggiatore-dardano-sacchetti/55

https://www.sdangher.com/2022/04/06/speciale-reazione-a-catena-mario-bava-e-lecologia-della-critica-italiana/

https://cinepugno.home.blog/2020/10/10/interview-with-mario-bava-1970-1971/

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email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com

youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)