Boris Karloff hosts (and stars in) this trio of atmospheric horror tales. In The Telephone, a woman is terrorized in her apartment by phone calls from a man in her past. In The Wurdalak, a Russian count in the early stumbles upon a family in the countryside trying to destroy a vicious line of vampires. And finally, in A Drop of Water, a nurse makes a fateful decision while preparing the corpse of one of her patients – an elderly medium who died during a seance.Welcome to our third and final anthology film of the season, another classic: Black Sabbath (1963). Finally, we’re back in the world of Italian cinema–well, a joint venture with AIP (American International Pictures)–and highly cinematic director, Mario Bava. Join us as we discuss the attributes that often separate and sometimes lift this film above the average genre piece, including the lighting, the cinematography, the cast, and weird edits. Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys settles in by the fire, just in time for Uncle Boris to tell us a story, or two, or three…
Reality and fantasy meet in unsettling ways in (Wes Craven’s) New Nightmare (1994), which finds director, Craven, and actors Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund all portraying themselves. As Heather considers making another film with Craven, her son, Dylan (Miko Hughes), falls under the spell of the iconic disfigured villain Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). Eventually, Langenkamp must confront Freddy’s demonic spirit to save Dylan’s soul.
Time for a third dip into Wes Craven’s oeuvre, but this one is technically our second film in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. With Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994), Craven was coming into his stride as a credible filmmaker which he went on to further prove in his follow-up Scream (1996). Join us as we discuss the good and bad of this very unique film, including the meta-ness of actors playing themselves in a fictional story, fewer one-liners and more horror, and the overall fun of seeing the original team together once again. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys goes to 1990s Los Angeles, where dreams may come true, but earthquakes and familiar nightmares still dwell. SHOW LINKS:
Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) has a loving boyfriend (Justin Long) and a great job at a Los Angeles bank. But her heavenly life becomes hellish when, in an effort to impress her boss, she denies an old woman’s request for an extension on her home loan. In retaliation, the crone places a curse on Christine, threatening her soul with eternal damnation. Christine seeks a psychic’s help to break the curse, but the price to save her soul may be more than she can pay.
Sam Raimi, it’s been way too long! Four seasons ago we discussed a little movie called The Evil Dead (1981) and why we have such a connection with it. Today we’re back in horror territory (as Sam was at the time) with 2009’s Drag Me to Hell. Join us as we discuss the pros and cons of Sam’s return to horror, including the cast, screenplay, and special effects. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys has a very short time to remove a curse before demons come and drag us to hell!
When the spaceship Remus crash-lands on planet Morganthus, the Planet Master of Xerces sends the spacecraft Quest to rescue them… but it crash-lands, too! Baelon (Zalman King) leads the away team, comprising himself, his rival Cabren (Edward Albert), psi-sensitive Alluma (Erin Moran), medic Dameia (Taaffe O’Connell), martial arts fighter Quuhod (Sid Haig), and jittery rookie Cos (Jack Blessing). Finding only brutally murdered bodies aboard the Remus, Quest personnel get brutally slaughtered, one by one, themselves. With their ship still damaged, the team investigates a lifeless alien pyramid, not realizing it is using their own personal fears to kill them.
We’re back in the wonderfully exploitative world of infamous producer/director Roger Corman. Galaxy of Terror (1981) is the perfect storm of a movie so bad it’s a work of art. Join us as we discuss the delicious flaws of this cheesy sci-fi classic, its magnificent cast and crew (including Robert Englund and James Cameron!), and its place in the canon of schlock cinema. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys journeys not only to a somewhat familiar alien planet but also to a lost era of filmmaking where careers were made and rules were often broken.
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