Years of Fear: A History of Horror

Our special Halloween bonus episode has come around once more, and Michael is again joined by his wife Sam, but this time around, they do a ranking of the Halloween franchise!! Its not as bad as they make it sound in the episode, and most of the Halloween movies have some great moments, but its also a series with some absolute absurdity in between them. Where do Rob Zombie's remake films rank in the series? What about Halloween Kills? Only one way to find out! Evil Dies Tonight! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook

In the early 20th century, HP Lovecraft revolutionized horror literature by bringing horror to a cosmic level of despair and incorporating a philosophical level of pessimism to mankind's place in uncaring universe. This concept has been expanded and developed in recent decades, with authors like Thomas Ligotti and Eugene Thacker helping bring cosmic horror into mainstream pop culture like True Detective and Jay-Z music videos. In a special between season episode, we are joined by Tomas Lindberg of Swedish Death Metal icons At The Gates to discuss Lovecraft, cosmic horror, pessimist philosophy, and their influence on the upcoming At The Gates album "The Nightmare of Being" Stick around after the interview to hear the announcement of our upcoming listener's choice mini series, where you can vote for what you want us to cover in our next mini series! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook

The 1980s was an era defined by fear of Satan and the Occult, with a prevailing sentiment that we were all surrounded by an evil cabal of devil worshippers. Regardless of the fact that this was fiction, it shaped culture for years to come. In 2009, Ti West released the film THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, where we see what it would like if these evil cults were real. In today's episode of Toxic Schlock we explore what led to the Satanic Panic, and how it shaped an era. We're then joined by Scott Hicks of NC punk band Totally Slow to discuss Ti West's film, and its approach to 1980s aesthetics, nostalgia, and cinema. Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook

Raise those horns and invert those crosses, because we're kicking off our series on SATAN in Horror with an exploration of the 1968 all-time classic film ROSEMARY'S BABY. We dig into the early history of the devil in pop culture, the original novel's author Ira Levin, b-movie director William Castle's bid to make an adaptation, and director Roman Polanski's traumatic early life experiences. After that, we're joined by Ivotres Littles to discuss the film, it's incredible performances, it's place as the origin of high brow horror, its impact on the wave of blasphemous horror films to follow and much more! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook

Pack your sleeping bag, because this week we are going to Camp Crystal Lake for a deep dive into the most iconic Slasher film series of all time: FRIDAY THE 13TH! We explore the film's original HALLOWEEN knock off origins, Shaun Cunningham's early career with Wes Craven, the invention of Jason, Tom Savini's FX, and it's impact on the Slasher genre. After that, Inge Johansson (Gatuplan, ex-Against Me/Totalt Java Morker/ The International Noise Conspiracy) returns to the show to discuss the best Friday film: The Final Chapter, and we answer the immortal question "hey ted, where the hell's the corkscrew?" Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook

Time to kick off our next mini-series: SLASHERS! In this episode, we dive into the early films that begat the blood soaked Slasher boom of the 1980s, with an in-depth exploration of the man who helped define the genre: MARIO BAVA! We explore his early work in cinematography, the creation of the Giallo genre with films like BLOOD AND BLACK LACE, and his film that kick started the Slasher genre: A BAY OF BLOOD! After that, Michael sits down with indie filmmaker William Hellfire to discuss the film, the proto slashers like PSYCHO and THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED that inspired it, Bava's legacy, and how the film created many of the tropes now associated with the genre! Stick around after the discussion to hear our listener's thoughts on what defines a Slasher film! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook

Our Body Horror series rolls on with a dive into Stuart Gordon and his slimey classic FROM BEYOND. We explore Stuart's early radical theater roots, run-ins with the law, HP Lovecraft, and Re-Animator. We are then joined by Ben Roberts of the fantastic new comic CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE to discuss From Beyond. Stick around after the interview for our first mailbag segment! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook

Toxic Schlock has risen from it's pandemic induced grave and is back and better than ever. We kick off our 4-part series on Body horror with a dive into David Lynch's arthouse classic ERASERHEAD! We explore Lynch's artistic origins and influences, the creation of the film, and the contemporary reaction to it. We are then joined by Erik Button of the Charlotte punk band Dollar Signs to explore the just what makes this movie so special! Join our Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter , Facebook