A Cure for the Common Craig

Four years of this podcast, and we still haven't discussed Night of the Living Dead (1968)? Those things, ghouls, definitely not zombies, are surely coming to get us unless we remedy this, right now! Join us as we honor George Romero and celebrate 55 years of this horror classic.

There were Japanese horror movies made in the 1980s? Yes, it's true. Not all Japanese horror comes from the late 90s and early 2000s. Let's find out what Japanese filmmakers were doing with horror late in the decade, as we put a wrap on the Summer of the 80s! There's no Bruce Campbell anywhere in sight. And Sam Raimi did not direct this. We also did not see Ted Raimi around anywhere! Okay, so the U.S. title may be a little misleading. But hey, when you work in late night television, and you put out a request for viewers to send in tapes, you have to expect that you'll receive some interesting material. Is that a legitimate snuff film, though? Well, I guess that we as the viewers had better investigate with this team from the studio. But I'm afraid that we all might just end up falling into the Evil Dead Trap (1988)! Is this the Japanese equivalent of Eraserhead? I guess, maybe. Back in the 90s, this kind of became an endurance test, an instant cult movie making the rounds on VHS among friends, if you could find it in the local video store. An endurance test? But it's only an hour and seven minutes, you say. The runtime may not be long, but let's just say that the violence and subject matter can make this an overwhelming experience for some. Get ready for the polarizing, experimental metal fetish extravaganza, Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)! And then from there, we may as well close out the decade with the Common Craig's Top 5 Horror Movies from 1988 and 1989!

A body-swapping alien and a canister of liquid Satan. What? Yeah, that's pretty much it. And both movies have ordinary people being used as puppets of evil! 1987, how could you? Guns, explosions, bank robberies, murder! Stealing Ferraris! And cassettes from a music store? When will this madness end? Well, probably when a cop and an FBI agent put the awkward "getting to know you" phase behind them and get to work. Enough with the awkward dinners at home, go find this maniac! But even with all of the destruction left in its wake, finding this villain might be more challenging than you think. Because they're chasing, The Hidden (1987)! John Carpenter reveals to us, a well-kept secret in a run-down church in Los Angeles. A canister of primordial liquid, locked from the inside, guarded by The Brotherhood of Sleep. If this sounds intriguing, then you may want to put your skills in mathematics and science to the test, and join the group of grad students who are working to unravel this ancient religious mystery. Of course, you do run the risk of becoming a pawn, serving the Prince of Darkness (1987)! And you know that the Common Craig has a Top 5 Horror of 1987 prepared to share with you!

Two years in one episode! Well, it really does make sense. You'll see. First, director Stuart Gordon brings us some morbid, deadpan humor, based on the work of H. P. Lovecraft. And let me tell you, Jeffrey Combs is absolute perfection as Herbert West. Who would have thought that bringing corpses, and decapitated heads, back to life, would be so amusing? And how about that green color of the re-agent serum? Can I paint a room that color, please? Oh, yeah. We're talking about Re-Animator (1985), here. Then from there, Stuart Gordon is back! And so is H.P. Lovecraft! And Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton from Re-Animator! It's like a family reunion with all of your favorites. But they've brought along the resonator. A device that stimulates the pineal gland. To the point where it just might burst out of the forehead of someone who has had a little too much stimulation. And let me tell you something else, it's not a pretty sight. It's like something, From Beyond (1986)! And of course, it wouldn't be the Summer of the 80s without Common Craig's Top 5 horrors from 1985 and 1986!

Comet fever runs wild and city sewers should be off-limits! Look, comets can be exciting, I get that. But it just seems that it should go without saying that avoiding sewers is a good policy. Welcome to 1984. Maybe everyone wanting to see the comet in Night of the Comet (1984) shouldn't be quite so eager? Unless you want to wake up as a pile of dust and clothes. Or some mutated zombie, and somehow not a pile of dust. Of course, if you were sleeping in a steel-reinforced projection booth, you're probably fine to go on living in this apocalyptic place. And city streets seemed bad enough in the 80s. So, I can only assume that the sewers were even worse. C.H.U.D. (1984) seems to verify that. There are some kind of weird mutants down there. Radioactive waste. And come on, the smell cannot be particularly inviting. The Summer of the 80s oozes on! And hey! Don't forget the Common Craig's Top 5 horror movies from 1984!

Time to venture north of the border to discuss one of the Common Craig's favorites, and a first time watch that doesn't work out so well. Death to snake movies that fail to deliver enough wriggling, writhing action! Long live the Summer of the 80s! And hello Canada! Ah, the Common Craig's dreams of being some sort of video pirate, intercepting broadcasts, potentially seeing things that no one should see! Yeah, after watching Videodrome (1983), it really seems more like a nightmare scenario, I guess. Leave it to David Cronenberg to get me all worked up, and then slap me in the face with the potential horrors you may encounter. Best to leave these problems to James Woods and Debbie Harry. They're into some kinky stuff in this one. As a snake movie connoisseur, I would appreciate this devil serpent getting more screen time. But maybe that's why the title really has nothing to do with this giant snake. Because they ran out of money during the production and could barely get it in front of the camera! I hope that Oliver Reed and Peter Fonda had a good time between takes, because Spasms (1983) did very little else for their careers. And then from there, it's the Common Craig's Top 5 list of horror movies from 1983! Which probably does not include Spasms.

1982 brings us a rather odd pairing of a family facing supernatural terror, and a young man and his basket. The Hollywood budget and prestige of a polished Steven Spielberg production, and the raw sleaze and special effects of a $35,000 movie shot on the grimy streets of early 80s New York City. If one of your family members starts talking to static on a television, you might want to consider packing up and moving immediately. But is static on television even a thing anymore? There's content 24/7! The TV people talking through the static are probably safer than the people talking to you on the actual shows! Wait, what were we talking about? Spirits and supernatural spookiness! And real skeletons in swimming pools! Leave the bodies where they are, kick back and relax, and watch some Poltergeist (1982)! What's in the basket? Well, let's just says that it probably isn't clothes, like Duane says it is. Because I don't know if I've ever heard of clothes eating a bunch of hamburgers and hot dogs when you dump those into the basket with them. It sure is weird and pissed off, whatever it is. Don't worry, you'll find out. Time for some fun family revenge on the seedy streets of New York, in Basket Case (1982)! And then from there, it's the Common Craig's Top 5 list of horror movies from 1982! You'd better believe it!

It's 1981, and things are not okay. Seemingly normal people are doing some pretty messed up things. One might even describe these acts as...nasty. A picturesque coastal town is the setting for the local residents to just kill people off whenever they feel like it. The local sheriff does his best to solve these mysterious deaths, but who can he trust? Especially when the mortician seems so into the art of perfectly preserving these corpses. You may not want to visit Potter's Bluff, or you could run the risk of becoming Dead & Buried (1981). A divided Berlin becomes the backdrop for a family drama. Certainly no elements of horror here. Not at all. The intense, explosive, at times, end of a relationship, and the disconcerting beginning of another. But what is that thing that Anna has in that apartment? And why has she become so obsessed? Possession (1981) has scenes that must be seen to be believed. And then from there, it's the Common Craig's Top 5 list of horror movies from 1981! The Summer of the 80s is really just getting underway.

We had better get a head start on summer, with the first in a series of episodes featuring horror movies from the 80s. Because we're behind schedule with episode releases and we're going to have to do some cramming! And there's probably no better way to kick things off than with Stanley Kubrick's version of the Stephen King classic, The Shining (1980). Is it just a little bit overexposed, though? Why is it so enduringly fascinating? Are the Grady "twins" actually twins? And can someone just go visit the location where The Shining was filmed? This is such a huge, intimidating movie, that we had to call in some backup. The Average Amy returns to the podcast to help us answer some of these questions. How about a slow-burn haunter that may be somewhat overlooked? George C. Scott moves into a historically preserved mansion after the deaths of his wife and daughter, and ends up as the point of contact for a ghost seeking to expose the truth in The Changeling (1980). It does include a really impressive, believable séance scene. Hey, you have to have a séance! And then from there, it's the Common Craig's Top 5 list of horror movies from 1980!

It took something special like a 100th episode to do another list show, but here it is. Submitted for your approval, we present our top 10 favorite original Twilight Zone episodes. And in classic TZ tradition, you'll hear some well-known episodes being mentioned, but there are a few twists to this list, deviating from some of the more popular titles. We hope you'll enjoy it.

We've heard the disembodied voice screaming, "GET OUT!" That means the new owner probably wants to move in. So, it's time to wrap this move up with a true story of a house oozing with evil! Wait, though. Is it really true, or is it all just a lot of hokum? George and Kathy Lutz just got a great deal on what they feel could be their dream home, paying well under market value. Kathy does seem a little concerned about the DeFeo murders, involving the deaths of six people within the house, just over a year prior. But houses don't have memories, do they? We discuss the first film adaptation of the 1977 book from Jay Anson, recounting the events that the Lutz family says they experienced during their twenty-eight days spent in the Dutch Colonial at 112 Ocean Avenue. Get ready to hear about as many cheap shocks and horror clichés as you can handle! It's billed as a true story, but did it really happen? I guess that we may never know. And maybe it's that uncertainty that makes The Amityville Horror (1979) so intriguing.

The stress of preparing to move is bad enough, so I guess that it's nice to know the history of the house that you're moving into. Unless it happens to be a murder house. And if it does, you might think that getting out of there as quickly as possible is the best plan. Or is it? The chances of finding a box of Super 8 snuff films in the attic of our new house is probably pretty unlikely. And we don't even have children, so we're probably safe, even if we watched the snuff! Unless this whole Bughuul thing works on cats, too. Then we're in big trouble. Getting mixed up with something known as the "eater of children" would be bad enough, but I would definitely not want the "eater of cats" moving in with us. Right in the middle of our move, things just got a whole lot more Sinister (2012)!

Most of us have been there. There's a life change, something happens, and you have to move. That's what is happening with us, right now! And why not celebrate the stress and exhaustion of moving preparation, with a series of episodes on people moving into horrific situations? Because at least we can take comfort that what happens to them probably won't happen to us. When a house has not been occupied for 30 years, as someone considering making that place my home, I may be curious as to why. Maybe the Sacchetti family got such a great deal that they didn't care? But really, they probably could have done some research. I feel like they're probably going to figure out why this movie is called We Are Still Here (2015). And why the hell is it so hot in the cellar?

When March rolls around and things are not warming up quickly enough, sometimes you just need to get away on a spring break! But what if you're on a limited budget? Then you might end up on a zombie-infested island like we did! Realistically, this movie has nothing to do with spring break, we know. Just humor us, please. A seemingly abandoned boat turns up in the New York City harbor, linking the owner to the mysterious island of Matool in the Caribbean. When the boat's owner is discovered to have gone missing, his daughter and a reporter make it their mission to locate Matool in an attempt to unravel the mystery behind his disappearance. That all probably sounds pretty tame, right? No big deal. Until zombies show up and start biting off chunks of flesh and ripping out throats with their teeth. Of course, there are plenty of other moments of zombies chowing down on human flesh, along with infamous scenes involving a rather large splinter penetrating an eyeball, Spanish conquistadores rising from their graves, and an underwater zombie versus a shark! Lucio Fulci's reputation as the "Godfather of Gore" truly begins here, with the splatter classic, Zombie (1979)!

We take a little horror break, and hit the streets for some exploitation action! And high school. Because when you think action, you think high school. But let me tell you, these teachers might actually struggle more than the gang members in the other two movies. Director Jack Hill brings us a tale of rivalries and betrayal in an all-female gang. Juvenile delinquency and exploitation trash go hand in hand, in Switchblade Sisters (1975)! Can you dig it? If you can't, then you might want to stay away from New York City in the '70s. When Cyrus, leader of the largest gang in the city, is assassinated while a truce is in place for a massive meeting of local gangs, one gang is falsely accused and suddenly on the run for their lives! Will The Warriors (1979) come out to play, in this irresistible cult classic? And then from there, I don't know what is going on at this high school, but the faculty is clearly in a lot of trouble. While the administration seemingly does nothing, a gang of punks makes the lives of the teachers a living hell! Should the Class of 1984 (1982) be expelled?

The long, cold winter is upon us. And can't you just feel the folk horror lurking about in the silence of the snowfall? Join us, as we travel back to Europe for three more folk horror nightmares. Bears behaving badly in Lithuania, in Lokis: A Manuscript of Professor Wittembach (1970). Serbian vampire legends making for dangerous mill work in Leptirica (1973). And then from there, discover the mysteries of a secluded island convent. With candlelit catacombs, obviously. Dark Waters (1993).

There's still time to celebrate Giallo January! And what better way to spend it than with master of horror, Dario Argento. And we can't talk about Suspiria or The Bird with the Crystal Plumage again, can we? No, no. We covered those in our Top 10 Horror Films of the 1970s episodes. So here are three more titles, just dripping with blood red Italian horror! After witnessing the murder of a psychic, a pianist cannot shake his obsession to unravel the mystery of who was responsible, despite becoming a target himself. Get ready for arm wrestling, fiendish child artwork, a creepy animatronic doll, and a brutal, gruesome finale, in Deep Red, aka Profondo Rosso (1975)! To promote the release of his latest novel, an American author travels to Italy on a book tour, where a killer is using his work as a template in a series of ghastly murders. We hope that you don't mind a few twists along the way, because this ending is well worth the wait! Things get more than a little messy in Tenebrae (1982). And then from there, Jennifer Connelly teams up with Donald Pleasence, in the role of an entomologist, as they use Jennifer's ability to communicate with insects to uncover the identity of a mad killer in scenic Switzerland. If you thought the first two movies had enough false finishes, you have to see this ending to believe it! Time for maggot, mad ape, and monster child mayhem in Phenomena (1985)!

That date on the calendar seems to have rolled around again. Yes, it's Friday the 13th. And we are clearly obligated to deliver the sixth entry in our ongoing series covering Jason Voorhees. We've finally made it to the ninth and tenth movies featuring Jason. So what does that crazy guy do this time? First, he goes to hell! In the appropriately titled, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)! Actually, that subtitle is an obvious lie. Because that was definitely not the final Friday. But after going to hell, what can Jason do to possibly top that? Blast off on a rocketship into space, of course! And yes, that is exactly what happens in Jason X (2001).

It's time to close out 2022 by going back 35 years to 1987! But we then have to go back forward, into a dystopian future where criminals are forced to participate in a sadistic game show. And the future of law enforcement is a heroic cyborg-cop! Let's not get too excited, though. They are two separate movies. Can you imagine RoboCop (1987) as a contestant on The Running Man (1987)? He can't run!

It's December. Time for family gatherings, baking cookies, happiness and all that stuff. Oh, and horror. There's always time for a little horror. It must be Horror for the Holidays IV! A young boy, well-versed in action movies, defends his grandfather from a home invasion by an evil Santa in 36.15 code Père Noël (1989), which is also known as Deadly Games, Game Over, and Dial Code Santa Claus, among other things. The shadow of Santa, a dark holiday spirit, along with its terrifying minions (like that jack-in-the-box swallowing children whole) wreak havoc on a family gathering. The neighborhood will never be the same after a visit from Krampus (2015). And then from there, the spirit of an executed criminal finds its way into a foul-mouthed gingerbread cookie! No, I'm not lying, this is a real movie. Get ready to take a bite out of The Gingerdead Man (2005)!