The Spooky Doings Podcast

Rick welcomes best friend, Katie Gessner, to SPOIL Scream 7. We get into the things we like about this installment, which are many things. We also get into what we didn't like about the movie, which is also many things. Again, if you haven't seen Scream 7, we have all the spoilers.

We also get into how these 2 became friends, the behind the scenes info that is public knowledge, Katie's horror origin, the resurrection of Drew Barrymore, our love for the twins, how we miss the core 4, referring to "New York" is reminiscent of The Avengers, what could be...

On this episode, Rick welcomes the fantastic Peaches Christ & they instantly hit it off. We get into how Peaches' love of horror was factory installed, Rick compares her to Jello Biafra, fandom, meeting your idols, camp, kitsch, our mutual religious upbringings & more.

We also have a delightful digression via a text from Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira, Rick getting into John Waters later in life, Peaches' friendship with Mink Stole, our love of final girls, Rick's privilege of seeing female nudity via horror & our mutual love of Showgirls!

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On this episode from the vault, Rick has a great conversation with writer/director Tom McLoughlin. We discuss his work on Friday the 13th: Jason Lives. Sometimes They Come Back, They Came From Outer Space & She Wolf Of London.

We also talk about Universal Monsters, nude scenes, respecting your cast, Dino De Laurentiis, music, attending Camp Blood at the Mahoning Drive In, interacting with fans, the latest update of the Friday the 13th franchise & more!

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Rick welcomes Quincy Scott Jones to the podcast to talk about Blade. We get into the comic books, Blade kicking off Marvel in cinema, Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, N'bushe Wright, Kris Kristofferson, super hero landings & how blood raves were fairly common during the 90s.

We also go off on tangents about how W Kamau Bell is a great hugger, generation X having too much reverence for Harrison Ford, Rick's assumption that every actress that drops off the radar is because of Harvey Weinstein, how Rick wouldn't let people rent specific movies if they couldn't say the title...

On this episode from our vault, Rick chats with producer Alok Mishra & actress Naomi Grossman of 1BR for an extremely fun episode. We discuss their feelings about horror & the tension within their film. Naomi tells the tale of the handsome felon, which is a special feature on the Blu-ray. Naomi & Alok's friendship is immediately apparent & made this 1 of our most entertaining episodes.

We also talk about Fear Inc, American Horror Story, the possibilities of a 1BR sequel, game nights & more.

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On this archive episode from 2020, Rick chats with drummer Brianna Sig of Soraia. They get into how she joined 1 of her favorite bands, songwriting, touring, her relationship with her band mates, working with Little Steven Van Zandt, their new album Dig Your Roots on Wicked Cool Records & their upcoming show with Olivia Jean. Plus, Rick offers travel recommendations & we get into some spooky talk

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On this episode, Rick discusses Weapons with returning guest, Jason Farr, & first time guest, Justina Starling. We get into them seeing the film at Nitehawk & immediately running through Prospect Park, seeing Barbarian first, non-linear storytelling, Han PoPo & the greatest cinematic foot chase since Point Break & more.

We also get into rare moments of positivity in the new year, how it's always funny whenever a woman says "suck my dick", the great performances in the film, pet peeves in improv, going into movies cold & more.

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On this episode, Tom Rizzuto returns to catch up with Chelsea & Rick during the pandemic & he agreed to watch Jaws for the first time. We get into why Tom hates sharks & actors, why Chelsea wants to eat the rich, we compare the novel to the film, how Tom enjoys being bored, Rick discusses the multiple endings to Jaws The Revenge & that it's a christmas movie, if Tom will watch the sequels & what it will be like when we can finally get on stage & improvise with each other again.

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Rick welcomes writer, director & co-host of the Midnight Mass podcast, Michael Varrati to the show. We get into Michael's origin in horror via late night cable, his mom's willingness to watch a Killer Tomato double feature with him, Friday The 13th the series, Rick's crush on Robey, Canadian TV thrillers, the myriad of cursed objects on the show, David Cronenberg directing an episode & more!

We also discussed his movie, There's A Zombie Outside, how Rick watched & enjoyed it, the movie's unexpected twist, the love of creating with your community, the dialogue, how the film challenges its audience...

On this episode, Rick welcome writer Sheldon Allen to discuss his AWA comic series, They Choose Violence. We talk about Sheldon's origins with comics, share their love of Spider-Man, the validity of creativity, the social commentary within his book, the frightening image of blackface & more. 

We also discuss him adding musical end credits to his comics, our shared love of Guns N' Roses, inspirations from films, the possibility of They Choose Violence being made into a TV series, the horrors of the south, supporting your local comic book store & more!

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I’m sad to say that I lost a dear friend. Sheri Rocco died today & I’m going to miss her. However, I’m lucky to have known her. Because I want to hear her voice again, I’m posting this conversation with her. If you knew her & want to listen to how full of life she was, it’s available for envy. She was a sweet girl. Thank you, Sheri for being in my life. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 
It's our first tutorial episode. Rick talks with Sheri Rocco about Sam R...

Rick welcomes writer/director Tina Romero after seeing her movie Queens Of The Dead. Rick tells her about holding the door open for her mom, Christine, at the IFC Center, they learn about having mutual acquaintances after learning improv at The Magnet Theater, how Tina's movie made Rick cry, Tina loving "chomper" films where humans get eaten & more.

We also mildly spoil some details about Queens while talking about the great performances from Katy O'Brian, Jaquel Spivery, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Dominique Jackson & Riki Lindhome, we discuss the music from Blitz//Berlin, the zombie makeup, wanting a physical media...

For this episode, Rick reminisces with some old friends from his Tower Records days. Robert V Galluzzo & Jason Alvino come on the show to talk about their new book, Icons Of Fright: 100 Interviews With Legendary Horror Filmmakers. We talk about how our generation would spoil entire movies, Jay's opinions on Shocker & Halloween, the recent, in depth Icons podcast, our creative endeavors not being money driven & more.

We also get into childhood horror memories, Rob taking umbrage with Rick's Letterboxd reviews after they reconnected in LA, Jay's new project Beefy Frank, changes in the entertainment industry & more.

Please enjoy this episode from our vault, Chelsea & Rick speak to Jillian Mueller from the Fangoria film Porno, exclusively on Shudder. We talk about her working on a new project during a pandemic, her opinions on horror, what a fun film Porno is, it's most iconic scene, seeing it at Brooklyn Horror Fest, Rick's affinity for Heavy Metal Jeff, the cast, the location, the comedy & the choice between Encino Man & A League Of Their Own.

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Lowell Greenblatt returns to the podcast to talk to Rick about his new book, Nightmare Autopsis: A Return To Elm Street. We start at his introduction to the franchise with Freddy's Dead, working his way through the films, Carlos & the Q-tip, parents renting horror for us & what caused him to write the book.

We also discuss his over abundance of interviews with Elm Street Kids like Lisa Wilcox, Ken Sagoes, Ira Heiden & Jennifer Rubin, as well as numerous producers & effect crew, the movies being edited for television, the importance of physical media & more.

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On this episode from our vault, Rick flies solo to chat with a fantastic band out of Austin, Texas. Carly & Johnny of The Ghost Wolves are on the show! We talk about how they met, their musical influences, being bad kids, musical freedom, criticizing Ted Cruz in song for abandoning his state during a deep freeze, charity vinyl with Robot Farts, their Crooked Cop single on Third Man Records, seeing them perform in Nashville, how corona virus changed things for them, being kind, Carly making masks, Guitar Wolf, Electric Machine Gun Tits, making music at home, their gigantic canine...

Rick welcomes Fangoria's editor in chief, Phil Nobile Jr to the show. We talk about meeting at a screening of Clown In A Cornfield, what introduced Phil to horror, Rick being traumatized by James Bond at a young age & asking Phil to recommend something to get him into that franchise & how he came to work at Fangoria.

We also discuss Phil's weekly newsletter, working to get penitentiaries to permit the magazine to be available for inmates to read, the amout of cool deaths in The Monkey & Phil begins a deep conversation about if the term "spooky" is...

Exhumed from the vault, Chelsea & Rick have the distinct pleasure to talk to Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, president & founder of the George A. Romero Foundation. We talk about dealing with life in the time of rona, living with her filmmaker husband, using profanity, George's archives, the story behind Amusement Park, the start of the foundation, the difficulty of getting funding for films, Empire Of The Dead & more.

You can find more information at https://georgearomerofoundation.org/

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Rick welcomes Jolene Richardson back to the podcast with the full intention of pissing off the fragile men of his generation to discuss Ghostbusters 2016! We compare it to the original classic, marvel at the constant humor throughout, wonder how much was improvised, & give figurative flowers to the fantastic women that star in it. Bravo Melissa McCarthy. Kristin Whig, Leslie Jones & Kate McKinnon.

We also give Neil Casey, Andy Garcia & Michael K Williams, their props as well. We point fingers to the surviving original cast for backing the film & then rescinding their support after small men on the...

On this episode, Rick reconnects with cartoonist & comedian, Anoush Froundjian, after she watched Jaws 2 for the first time. We get into her fondness for the original, her fisherman family, not seeing the sequels yet, being afraid of sharks, & what caused her to finally watch this film.

We also get into the movie's higher body count, the teenagers, Rick's continued need to fight Mayor Larry Vaughn, Tina's scream, which helicopter scene Anoush watched, how this connects to Grizzly 2 & more!

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Rick welcomes Brandon Rizzuto to the show to talk about his podcast Dean's Killer Joke. We get into why Brandon decided to write, direct & produce a whodunnit audio tale, writing it for frequent Spooky Doings guests, Tom & Jennifer Rizzuto, coming to terms with being a fan of cancelled comedians, taking a chance on your own creativity & more.

We also discuss old country bullshit, working in TV production, how he cast Dean's Killer Joke, switching narrators & if he'll come back on the show with his brother & sister in law to talk about giallo films & more!

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On this episode, Chelsea & Rick get to chat with Ken Sagoes, who played Kincaid in Nightmare On Elm Street 3 & 4. We talk to him about growing up in Georgia, Putting On The Hits, getting cast in Dream Warriors, his great memories of Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund & Laurence Fishburne. We also discuss his feelings on the civil rights movement, how he wants to perform improv with us, & his loves of the horror community.

Speaking of which, Ken is crowd funding a new project & is reaching out to the horror family. Please go to https://www.thesagoescompany.com/ to support...

Rick invites Mike Stevens & John Ross back to the podcast to talk about Sinners! We get into the cultural impact created by director, Ryan Coogler as well as characters played by Michael B Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson, Hailee Stansfield, Wunmi Moaku & Miles Canton.

We also get into how we first heard about the film, stories about the blues, traveling through the south, Geeshie Wiley, Buddy Guy, where we first saw the film & cunnilingus.

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Ari Spence overcomes her fears & returns to the show to talk about Alligator with Rick. They discussed where her fright began, great character actors like Robert Forster & Michael V Gazzo, how she connected Ramon to the Toxic Avenger, Pennywise & Art The Clown & we salute the recently deceased star of the film, Morris the gator. 

We also discussed Florida man, genetic experiments, Robert Forster’s insistence on obtaining sexual consent, the comparisons to Jaws, mayoral corruption, Art Carney, drive in schlock & more!

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After some technical issues, Vikki Martin returns to the show to talk about Companion! SPOILER ALERT! We get into all aspects of this film. We wonder why Warner Brothers Discovery chose to spoil the twist in their advertising for Max. We into that great opening scene, fantastic performances by Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Harvey Guillien, how Vikki figured out the twist from the preview & noticed things Rick didn't pick up on. 

We also get into how excited Rick was to see his improv acquaintance, Woody Fu, in Companion, the horror of the male O face, the moviegoing e...

Stephanie Kane returns to the show to discuss Doctor Sleep with Rick. It took some convincing because of her adoration of The Shining. We talk about Mike Flanagan, Rose The Hat, Ewan McGregor, Crow Daddy & more.

We also discuss serving 2 masters, directors working with the same cast repeatedly, the set design, other Stephen King works, some of the differences between the novel & the movie including the ending & more!

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On this episode, Rick reconnects with his friend OK Rives to talk LGBTQIA+ in horror. We get into Climax, Midnight Kiss, Sleepaway Camp, Bit, Silence Of The Lambs, Seed Of Chucky & more!

We also talk about meeting in the New York improv scene, using people's preferred pronouns, how Mark Patton has sweet dance moves, the evolution of gat terminology, Q Lazarus & more!

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In the name of Lorrick, prince of elves, listen to this episode! Rick talks to the wizard master himself, Ira Heiden. We discuss his work on A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 & Elvira Mistress Of The Dark, his history in horror, interacting with fans at conventions & set life.

We also get into Dungeons & Dragons, Robert Englund's jokes, Elm Street kids, Brandon Lee, producing, his convention recommendations & more!

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We've pulled this episode from our vault! We've got a very special guest, Chet Siegel from Dread Pictures' punk rock horror comedy Uncle Peckerhead. We get into Rick briefly meeting Chet at the Magnet Theater, Chelsea's favorite lines from the film, the smell of practical effects, the music of Jeff Riddle, independent artists on the road, cannibalistic road crew, metal heads in the parking lot, the morning after pill, writer/director Matthew John Lawrence hopefully completing his DUH trilogy, Chet potentially becoming a scream queen, the film's phenomenal ending, having a voting plan, kindness during covid & more.

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Rick welcome Tom & Jennifer Rizzuto back to the show to discuss Renfield but Tom wants to vent about Nosferatu first. Then, SURPRISE, Tom enjoyed Renfield! We get into what the first couple of Spooky Doings enjoyed about the film, the corruption of the New Orleans Police Department, the cinematography, codependent relationships, Nicholas Cage, Awkwafina, Nicholas Hoult & more!

We also discuss eating bugs, DVD extras, Innocent Blood, give shout outs to our friends in Soraia, Jazz Fest, the potential for sequels & if Dracula is the best monster?

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Rick welcomes Matt Orozco & Lowell Greenblatt From Macabre Daily/Monthly to chat about horror, their origin stories with the genre, how they came to collaborate with each other, the importance of supporting films in the theater & preserving physical media.

We also discuss impending fascism, the Terrifier & Alien franchises, Rick's problems with abbreviations, how he & Lowell frequented the same spots in New York, creating art inspired by something you love & more!

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On this episode, Rick invites new friend, Swati Sudarsan, on the podcast to share a story that she told at a recent Spooky Doings Improv show that actually scared him. Swati describes how she obtained a hand of Fatma during her travels that keeps snapping the chain it's worn on & usually precedes death. Is it cursed? Is it linked to her sleep paralysis demon? Let's find our together.

We also get into the rocky & bleak start to 2025, international travel, twerking in the sea, obtaining a cat in a divorce, the improvised scenes that Swati's story inspired, Spooky...

Vikki Martin returns to the show to chat with Rick about anatomically specific gore in horror. We’re talking about the kind of things that might not kill a character, but definitely makes the audience squirm. We discuss Ghost Ship, Zombie, Sleepaway Camp, Porno, Terrifier, Gerald’s Game, Misery, The Blob & Demons. We also touch on how much Rick knows about conclave, give Vikki some movies to watch, discuss a recent Spooky Doings Improv show & more! Please subscribe, review & give us that 5 star boop!

The gang's all here! Rick welcomes ZouZou Mansour, Travis Smith & Brianna Sig from Soraia to the show to discuss Robert Eggers' Nosferatu. We learn if the band saw the original or Werner Herzog's version before this new film, if anyone got the popcorn bucket, ZouZou's obsession with the film, Travis' improv skills, Brianna's hijinks & Count Orlock hanging dong!

We also discuss the feminist angles of the movie, German expressionism, a majestic mustache, the plagiarism aspects, getting ZouZou to watch Jason Takes Manhattan, & how much was the films rat budget.

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Rick reconnects with an improv friend he hasn't spoken to in a long time. He & Bridget Randolph spending the episode talking about Heretic. we keep things mostly spoiler free while marveling at performances by Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher & Hugh Grant. We address The Hollies, Radiohead, Monopoly & take part in discourse similar to that from the film.

We also get into Bridget's participation on Don't Mind If I Don't, our religious upbringings, getting morality from Spider-Man comics, invisible sky daddies, Rick trying not to be a dick with his atheism & failing as well as where Cain's wife came...

The incomparable Heather Buckley returns to the show to talk with Rick about Blood & Flesh; The Reel Life & Ghastly Death Of Al Adamson. We discuss how Rick saw it at Brooklyn Horror Fest before the pandemic, how Heather became involved in the production of the film, the numerous resources she utilized to gather interview subjects for the documentary, the lengths 1 must go to in order to interview law enforcement & inmates & continuing after losing some of the footage.

We also chat about offering people satanic tattoos at a screening of The Sacrifice Game, where Heather gets her tenacity...

On this episode, Rick talks with All Elite Wrestling & Ring Of Honor wrestler, Dutch, about his love of the horror genre. We start at him attending a screening of Motel Hell, seeing horror movies with his parents, Cannibal Holocaust, Suspiria, found footage & which movie he couldn't finish.

We also discuss the overlap between wrestling & horror fans, watching horror while traveling, frequently with his tag team partner, Vincent, which horror movie characters he'd like to have a match against & which films he would choose if he were programming a double feature at a drive in.

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On this episode, Rick welcomes comedian Hoff Matthews to the show. They reminisce about how they met at Final Exam trivia, get into Hoff's introduction to the genre, discuss Cemetery Man, Demons, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee & more.

We also get into Hoff's Horror Fest as well as his other comedic pursuits, present day politics & his abundance of horror knowledge.

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Reluctant shark correspondents return to watch & discuss a giallo for the first time. Tom & Jennifer Rizzuto join Rick to chat about Suspiria! We get into the lighting, music by Goblin, the dream like nature of the film, how many times Rick saw this before realizing it was about witches & more!

We also talk about the maestro, Dario Argento, the Italian style of recording film dialogue after filming, if Tom & Jennifer will watch other giallos & return to talk about it before sharing some kind words & love for Necromantic Brew Co & the artwork of Brianna Sig of Soraia!

On this episode, Chelsea & Rick talk about Immaculate. We discuss Sidney Sweeny, Chelsea's attraction to this priest, mouthy nuns, if there's a difference between a convent & a nunnery, lies the church told us & more.

We wrap up with an important announcement from Chelsea.

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