Welcome to Horror

In an effort to prove that the team all have a reading age above 6; we’ve decided to have a chat about some of the supernatural and horror books that we’ve enjoyed, both recently and over the years. Featuring discussions of Syd Moore’s “Essex Witch Museum” series; Rosemary Sutcliff’s Beowulf adaptation “Dragon Slayer”; Richard Daniels and Melody Phelan-Clark’s “The Occultaria Majesteria”; Hammer Films graphic guide “Infogothic”; Dead Ink anthology “Unquiet Guests”; and the British Library’s “Tales of the Weird Collection”. We keep these spoiler free, so no prep before the ep, just hopefully some great recommendations.

It’s episode 253 and once again we’ve decided to commemorate the UK’s unprecedented heatwave by returning to the snowy mountains of Norway, for 2010’s “Troll Hunter”. A shocking exposé of Norway’s Cryptid problem; in which we learn how bears walk; how Trolls stink and the real story behind overhead power lines. A winning combination of found footage and mockumentary made “Troll Hunter” a breath of fresh mountain air when it first appeared, and that freshness has remained. A sardonic take on Cryptid Hunting as Government-run pest control, with bags of red tape, poorly thought out cover stories and leadership incompetence this is a workplace comedy with added monsters, and effects that stand up to this day. With a hefty knowledge of Norwegian folklore, and a spot on cast, “Troll Hunter” deserves to be considered a classic horror comedy. Watch (or re-watch) to avoid spoilers and join us.

It’s time to visit the misspent youth of the team, hurtling back to 1998 for Jake West’s “Razor Blade Smile”. A film that shows that a coffin can make a lovely centrepiece gun rack in any bedroom; highlights that vampires are the only ones not showing off their fangs at a Goth club; and bravely needle drops “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” like “The Hunger” just didn’t happen. Razor Blade Smile made something of a splash when it came out - a flashy/trashy horror with camp laughs, nudity, gore and an icon in the form of Eileen Daly’s rubber cat-suited vampire assassin, it felt utterly different to anything else emerging from the doldrums of the British film industry. Made on a shoestring budget, but never aiming for anything less than spectacle; time hasn’t necessarily been too kind to it visually, although ironically it’s the (then) state of the art computer generated imagery that has dated the worst. More importantly; it’s shoot-outs and fetish wear aesthetic predates both The Matrix and Underworld franchises. Whilst some minor roles may feature less than stellar acting, the main cast are giving their all, with Daly cementing her place as a British scream queen, and a genuinely brilliant turn from Christopher Adamson as the villain. Watch (or re-watch) to avoid spoilers and join us.

The team have unearthed something terrible under the cabbages in the Welcome To Horror allotment, so it’s time for “Blood On Satan’s Claw”. A film in which Mr Kipling leads exceedingly angry mobs; The Master gets in trouble for playing with his snake in the woods; and Simon Williams receives the worst kind of handjob. Part of the Unholy Trinity of Folk Horror, “Blood on Satan’s Claw” is the only one that features the genuinely supernatural. Originally conceived as a kind of anthology, those roots still show, but the decision to make it one tale was the correct one. Combining some of the most picturesque and beautiful imagery with some of the cruelest and horrific events to befall a seemingly innocent community; this is no mere Hammer knock-off. A marvellous script and a cast all bringing their best make for a disturbing glimpse of festering corruption, with our only hope being the intervention of harsh authoritarian powers seemingly as nasty and uncaring as the evil they confront. Watch (or re-watch) to avoid spoilers and join us.

We’re sticking with the work of Don Coscarelli, and going back to the classic that made his name; “Phantasm”. A film in which Angus Scrimm shows that, despite being older, he can still shoot his balls round corners; we learn how to make some of the most dangerous improvised explosives outside of the Anarchist’s Cookbook; and we meet a Jawa with a porn-moustache. Coscarelli’s third feature film, made independently over 2 years with a cast and crew of mostly friends and family, would go on to be a staple of the horror section in video shops for the next decade, with its striking poster image (entirely unrelated to anything in the actual film) burned into the minds of a generation. Unlike a lot of its VHS counterparts; “Phantasm” is an utterly unique beast; a horror/sci fi hybrid with surreal set pieces and a mythology that obfuscates the more it reveals; coupled to a domestic coming-of-age story of two orphaned brothers (and their singing Ice Cream Man buddy). It would follow the route of successful 80s horrors in spawning a franchise, but this too would be unlike any others, with (mostly) the same cast returning each time, the story being picked up pretty much from where the last film left off, and lore explorations that again only deepen the mystery. Watch (or re-watch) to avoid spoilers and join us.