Genre Grinder

TWIN WARRIORS, MUSCLEBOUND BARBARIANS, UNDEAD HORDES, EVIL KINGS, ENSLAVED PEASANTS, MYSTICAL WARFARE, BLOODTHIRSTY GODS & PLAYBOY PLAYMATES…ALL ON A BUDGET!!

In the wake of John Milius' Conan the Barbarian (1982) and the dawn of home video's dominance in genre filmmaking spaces, independent studios kicked off a short-lived, but prolific series of B-to-Z grade sword & sorcery, fantasy, and barbarian movies. Join Gabe and returning guest Luana Saitta as we look at three films from the usual suspects: Roger Corman, the Italians, and The Cannon Group - specifically Jack Hill's The Sorceress (1982), Lucio Fulci's Conquest (1983), and Fritz Kiersch's Gor...

WITNESS THE LIVES OF INTERESTING PEOPLE MADE MORE INTERESTING VIA SUBJECTIVE TRUTHS, PLASTIC AVATARS, UNRELIABLE NARRATORS, AND CG MONKEY-FICATION!!

Biopics: bland, formulaic, predictable. You've seen one, you've seen them all, right? Well, not every filmmaker is content to follow the blueprint. Join Gabe and returning guest Tyler Foster as they explore four examples of Unconventional Biopics that break the narrative and aesthetic rules of the genre. This month's titles include Alex Cox's Walker (1987), Todd Haynes' Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987), Nicolas Winding Refn's Bronson (2008), and Michael Gracey's Better Man (2024).

00:00 – Intro

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SPLIT PERSONALITIES! BURIED TRAUMA! DEMANDING CAREERS! SHITTY BOYFRIENDS! COLD-BLOODED MURDER! IT'S HARD OUT HERE FOR A WOMAN!!

We've already talked about the giallo movies released during the genre's peak year of 1971 with Patrick and covered several of the American films found in the pages of Kier-La Janisse's House of Psychotic Women with Bill, so why not join Gabe and first-time guest host Sharon Gissy for a look at the female-centric gialli also found in Janisse's autobiographical topography of female neurosis in horror and exploitation film?

This month's titles include Francesco Barilli's Th...

HERE'S EVERYTHING YOU MISSED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS!!

The gang is back together and we're talking about our top 5 (sometimes 10) underrated films released between the years 2000 and 2025 (don't give me that whole "2001 is the first year of the 21st century" spiel, alright, let it go). Join Gabe and Patrick Ripoll, along with call ins from previous Genre Grinder guests Jim Laczkowski, Luana Saitta, Chloe Waryan, Tyler Foster, Kristine Fisher, and 96 Greers co-host Barry Linn.

So get your watchlists ready and get in the comments or email me to tell me your to...

YOU DIDN'T CUT YOUR CARBON EMISSIONS AND NOW WE'RE UP TO OUR EYEBALLS IN SMOG MONSTERS, MUTANT ISOPODS, AND VENGEFUL NATURE SPIRITS!!

We've already covered natural disasters and killer animals on Genre Grinder, but what about some specifically man-made environmental horrors? Well, that's where Gabe and returning guest Justin Clark come in.

After last month's epic seven-movie podcast, we're dialing things back to a more manageable three films, all from different countries and different decades. First up is the Toho kaiju classic, Yoshimitsu Banno and Teruyoshi Nakano's Godzilla vs. Hedorah (aka: Godzilla vs. the Smog...

WRIGGLING WORMS, CRAWLING BUGS, SLITHERING SNAKES, WITCHCRAFT, RITUALS, AND BODILY FLUIDS OF EVERY COLOR IMAGINABLE!!

Once upon a time, three brothers named Shaw started a film studio in Hong Kong. That studio grew into a Southeast Asian  powerhouse, building its reputation on wuxia, kung fu, period dramas, comedies, and, in the mid '70s, horror. The special Shaw brand of horror, defined by black magic rituals, wild visuals, and exploitation spectacle was, in part, spearheaded by two filmmakers – Ho Meng-Hua and Kuei Chih-Hung.

Join Gabe and special guest host Stefan Hammond, author of Sex...

HERE COMES THE BRIDE, ALL DRESSED IN …BLACK!?! RIDING A BROOM AND CLUTCHING A CAT?!?

It's intractable imps, saucy sorceresses, and weird women on this episode of Genre Grinder, all falling in love and putting their spell on unsuspecting men. Join Gabe and returning guest Luana Saitta as they look at three entries in the surprisingly prevalent subgenre of movies where men accidentally marry witches or women, who, unbeknownst to their husbands, become witches.

This month's titles include René Clair's I Married a Witch (1942), based on the novel The Passionate Witch by Thome Smit & Norman H. M...

ADULTERY, MANIPULATION, AND MURDER, RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES AND SLATHERED ACROSS YOUR TELEVISION SCREEN!!

In the early days of mainstream cable, on the cusp of the Menendez Brothers and O.J. Simpson trials, the big three American networks struck gold with sensationalistic docudramas – several of which were based on the true crimes of notorious women. Join Gabe and returning guest Kristine Fisher as they take a look at three famous crimes and five made-for-TV movies based on them.

The films we're covering this month include Joyce Chopra's Murder in New Hampshire: The...

ALRIGHT, YA HOSERS, GRAB YOUR PLAID TRAPPER HAT, YOUR MOOSEHEAD, AND YOUR BIGGEST BOWL OF POUTINE – WE'RE CHECKING OUT SOME CANADIAN HORROR MOVIES!

You can't talk about the greatest horror and exploitation films of the '70s and '80s without including our neighbors to the North. Canadian horror – or canuxploitation – is a broad subject that covers several subgenres, so Gabe and returning guest Jim Laczkowski have limited their scope to four favorites that don't include David Cronenberg or Bob Clark: Alan Ormsb & Jeff Gillen's Deranged (1974), Peter Carter's Rituals (aka: The Creeper, 1977), Murray Markowitz's I Miss Yo...

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS. A WINDSWEPT FIELD. TWO SUN-BEATEN MEN IN WIDE-BRIMMED HATS. ITCHY TRIGGER FINGERS. THE MUSIC CRESCENDOS. THE FINAL SHOWDOWN. 

After a short break and some technical difficulties, Gabe and Patrick are back to finish what they started, looking back at 15 spaghetti westerns released in the year 1968. We saved some the greatest movies and the hottest takes for last – Sergio Corbucci's The Mercenary (Italian: Il mercenario), Enzo G. Castellari's Kill Them All and Come Back Alone (Italian: Ammazzali tutti e torna solo), Corbucci's The Great Silence (Italian: Il grande silenzio), and Serg...

WHAT'S BETTER THAN A SCARY STORY? SEVERAL SCARY STORIES COLLATED INTO A SINGLE MOVIE WITH A SPOOKY WRAPAROUND SEGMENT!

Gather 'round the campfire, boils, ghouls, and non-binary creatures of all ages while we take a look at those little groupings of shorts known as Anthology or Portmanteau Horror. Join Gabe and first time special guest Chloe Warayan (https://chloesnotscared.com/) as they take a look at a cavalcade of titles from across the decades – Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, and Robert Hamer's Dead of Night (1945), Freddie Francis' Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), Jeff Burr's Fro...

HOP ALONG, CASSIDY – OR WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS – AND TUCK IN FOR A SECOND HELPING OF PASTA & MEATBALLS WITH A SIDE OF BULLETS & GRIT!

Welcome back for part two of Gabe and Patrick's three-part look back at the Spaghetti Westerns of 1968. This is going to be the longest of the three episodes, because we're rappin' about six films – Ferdinando Baldi's Hate Thy Neighbor (Italian: Odia il prossimo tuo), Gianfranco Baldanello's Black Jack, Giulio Petroni's A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof (Italian: ...e per tetto un cielo di stelle), Gianfranco Parolini's If You Meet...

PREPARE YOUR SIX-GUNS AND YOUR BOLOGNESE AS WE DIG INTO THE TWO-FISTED ITALIAN COWBOY TALES OF THE BIGGEST YEAR IN SPAGHETTI WESTERN HISTORY!

Welcome to another multi-part exploration of a single year in genre filmmaking. Join Gabe and returning guest Patrick Ripoll as they follow up their series on the slasher films of 1981, the gialli of 1971, and the giant monster movies of 1957 with a look at the spaghetti westerns of 1968.

Gabe, a superfan and massive nerd, narrowed down a list of seventy-seven (that's 77) films to the 15 he thinks best represent this jam-packed and particularly uneven...

COME WITH US AS WE TUMBLE DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE, PASS THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, ENTER THE WARDROBE, AND RIDE A TORNADO TO OZ!

It's time to cover one of my favorite subgenres: movies where people cross over into another world where they learn a lesson and meet a bunch of walking metaphors. This episode's guest host, Betsy, calls these Portal Fantasies and notes similarities to the popular anime/manga Isekai genre, but I'm afraid that those titles will mess up my search results, so I'm calling them [Blank] in Wonderland Movies.

IT'S SEQUENTIAL DRAWINGS VERSUS FLESH & BLOOD ACTORS IN A SHOWDOWN OF MULTIMEDIA PROPORTIONS!

Since the advent of filmmaking, people have been combining live-action photography with hand-drawn animation and now we're talking about it. But this is a podcast and we don't have time to cover a century of motion pictures, so Gabe and returning guest Tyler Foster are covering a smaller collection of movies released in the wake of Robert Zemeckis' Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), some inspired by its success, others that would have existed without it.

This month's diverse slate in...

A DEAD WOMAN WITH THE SOUL OF A MAN! A MURDEROUS MAN WHO CAN TRANSFORM INTO A WOMAN! PROBABLY JUST A COINCIDENCE!

Have you ever noticed that Hammer Studios made two horror films that work as trans allegories? Well, technically three, but I forgot about one of them. Anyway, I've been curious for a while as to what an actual trans person might think of Terence Fisher's Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) and Roy Ward Baker's Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), so I invited back my friend and the co-host of the Defend Your Trash Movie podcast, L...

TAKE ONE LAST TRIP INTO THE UNKNOWN FOR THE ULTIMATE GIANT INSECT MOVIE, THE ULTIMATE GIANT MAN IN A DIAPER MOVIE, AND THE ULTIMATE KILLER, UM, ROCK MOVIE…

Welcome to the final part of Gabe and Patrick's look back at the biggest year in giant monster movie history. This episode features the most eclectic collection of movies, including a shoestring 'lost world' epic in Virgil W. Vogel's The Land Unknown, Edward Ludwig's absolutely incredible Black Scorpion, Bert I. Gordon's second giant bald guy movie of the year, The Amazing Colossal Man, John Sherwood's uniquely eerie The Mo...

YOU DON'T NEED TO GO TO AMITY ISLAND FOR A SHARK MASSACRE!! IN FACT, YOU DON'T EVEN NEED A SHARK!!

It's easy to recognize a Jaws knock-off when it revolves around a shark eating people, but what about all of those movies without sharks that lift scenes and ideas from Steven Spielberg's film and Peter Benchley's novel? Well, around here we call those movies "Jaws, Minus the Shark" movies and they make up a surprisingly versatile and eclectic little subgenre, one full of Brodys, Quints, and inordinately sexy Hoopers.

Join Gabe an...

FROM THE FROZEN WASTES OF THE ARCTIC TO THE DEPTHS OF THE AFRICAN JUNGLE, THE ARID DESERTS OF MEXICO, AND THE AMERICAN MIDWEST THEY CAME…

Welcome to part two of Gabe and Patrick's look back at the biggest year in giant monster movie history. We've got a lot of big bugs this time, including Nathan H. Juran's The Deadly Mantis, the wasps of Kenneth G. Crane's The Monster from Green Hell, ocean mollusks of Arnold Laven's The Monster that Challenged the World, and locusts of Bert I. Gordon's The Beginning of the End. For good measure, we al...

FROM THE FURTHEST REACHES OF SPACE AND THE DEEPEST DEPTHS OF THE SEA CAME ALIENS, MUTATED CREATURES, AND OTHER LARGE, SCARY ALLEGORIES!

Welcome to another patented Genre Grinder deep dive into a specific year where a specific genre peaked. This time, Patrick and Gabe are looking at 15 of 17 movies about gigantic monsters released in some capacity during the year 1957 (festival, roll-out, wide, et cetera). The other two are a lost film (Tokyo 1960) and one already covered on a different episode of Genre Grinder (Quatermass II). Not unexpectedly, the conversation carried on for some time, so the complete 15...

THE FIRST PODCAST ABOUT MOVIES THAT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT'S A PODCAST ABOUT MOVIES!!

Gabe (looks directly into camera): This is a podcast about making podcasts. The podcasters are also acknowledging you, the listener, directly. Yeah, you, Derek. Oh, and the fabric of the podcast is also haunting us and maybe killing you. And by you, I mean Derek. Anyway, join me and returning guest Jim Laczkowski as we look at the phenomenon of meta horror movies. We initially planned on covering José Mojica Marins' Hallucinations in a Deranged Mind (1978), Lucio Fulci's Cat in the Brain (1990), Ju...

WELCOME TO THE HEADBANGERS' BALL …FROM HELL!!

Can hard rock music really corrupt the youth? Will the lyrics raise the dead and turn innocent children into perverts and murderers? Is that a literal demon on lead guitar? Join Gabe and returning guest Justin Clark as they enter the pit to answer these questions and more. While Gabe spent the month watching several heavy metal and hard rock horror movies, the discussion this week pertains largely to four films – Krishna Shah's Hard Rock Zombies (1984), John Fasano's Black Roses (1988), Álex de la Iglesia's Day of the Beast (Spanis...

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS AND RATS AND…DUGONGS?! OH GOD!!

They're cute, they're cuddly, they're out for blood. Join Gabe and returning guest Arianny Pilarte as they traipse into the sunbaked Australian outback, the darkest corners of Italy's subway system, and dank Canadian sewers in search of the scariest and most insane killer animal movies released in a 11 year period between 1978 and 1989. This month's batch of trash and treasures includes Colin Eggleston's Long Weekend (1978), Russell Mulcahy's Razorback (1984), Franco Prosperi's Wild Beasts (Italian: Belve feroci, 1984), and Damien Lee's Gnaw: Food of the Gods II (1989).

 ...

THE GREATEST HITS OF A DECADE: VIETNAM, WATERGATE, ATTICA, MAN-EATING PIGS, SEEDY HOLLYWOOD, KILLER BRIDES, HOME INVASION, GANGSTERS, AXE MURDERERS, AND DEADLY GAMES…

After Night of the Living Dead (1968) and before the slasher boom of the early '80s, American horror went through one of its most creative and influential eras. But, for every Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Carrie (1976), and Halloween (1978), there were dozens of under-the-radar oddities that took years – sometimes decades – to be recognized by cult audiences for their unique contributions to American horror. Join Gabe and special guest Bill Ackerman of the Supporting Charact...

THE SUMMER OF LOVE GIVES WAY TO PERVERSE MELODRAMAS, BLOODY HOME INVASIONS, NECROPHILIC HOUSEWIVES, AND…CARNIVOROUS BEDS?

After Night of the Living Dead (1968), but before the slasher boom of the early '80s, American horror went through one of its most creative and influential eras. But, for every Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Carrie (1976), and Halloween (1978), there were dozens of under-the-radar oddities that took years – sometimes decades – to be recognized by cult audiences for their unique contributions to American horror. Join Gabe and special guest Bill Ackerman of the Supporting Characters podcast and numerous Blu-ray commentary tracks...

HO HO OH NO!! OL' SAINT NICK HAS A HOLLY JOLLY AX!!

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why – Santa Claus is coming to town. And he's out for blood! Join Gabe and first time co-host Daniel Baldwin, aka: The Schlocketeer, as they make a list, check it twice, and decide which murderous Santas are naughty and which are nice. Titles include Lewis Jackson's Christmas Evil (1980), Charles E. Sellier Jr.'s Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) and its first sequel (1987), René Manzor's Deadly Games (French: 3615 code Père No...

TO AVOID FAINTING KEEP REPEATING IT'S ONLY A PODCAST…ONLY A PODCAST…ONLY A PODCAST!

This is it, everyone – the Top 20 ACTUAL Scariest Movie Moments of all time. Put on a sweater to avoid chills! Fasten your seatbelt to avoid thrills! Use a tea saucer to avoid spills! Join Gabe and Patrick for the 4th and Final part of this impossibly long look at scary movie moments they didn't already cover on the Bravo and Shudder Scariest Movie Moments specials. Will we pick YOUR favorite scary moment? No, probably not. We're sorry about that. Please ring in...

IT'S GETTING HELLA SCARY AND DANG UNNERVING IN HERE!

It's time for Part 3 of THE event of Spooky Season, covering picks 45 to 21. Once again, this is the official 101 ACTUAL Scariest Movie Moments. Those previous Bravo and Shudder shows aren't the real deal. Actually, I have to admit that even WE lied during Parts 1 and 2, because those picks weren't nearly as scary. I still want you to listen to those episodes, because we put a lot of work into them, but, holy cow, they're already so outdated.

If you are in a po...

On the afternoon of Friday October 30th, 1992, an unexplained phenomenon struck the suburban community of Dunwich, New England.

The local authorities described it as an unprovoked, spontaneous explosion of homicidal violence, but the actual cause has been shrouded in mystery, following a brisk cover-up by unknown government agencies.

By some accounts, more than 300 people lost their lives that day, including multiple members of the popular rock bands Dokken and Loverboy.

What follows is the only known evidence of the event: a 5:00 pm broadcast from radio station KLLR, in which Drive at Five deejays Dippy "...

IT'S TWO TIMES THE TERROR AND DOUBLE THE DREAD!

We're back with part two of THE event of Spooky Season. Once again, this is the official 101 ACTUAL Scariest Movie Moments. Don't be fooled by imitators, even if they are professional filmmakers and scholars paid by the deep pockets at Bravo and Shudder. Actually, watch those shows, too, then listen to Part 1 of our list, then come back here and check out Part 2 and prepare yourself for Parts 3 and 4.

Listen to Part 1

For a recap, check out the official Viewing Co...

STEP ASIDE PAID EXPERTS, IT'S TIME TO HEAR FROM THE REAL EXPERTS – TWO GUYS WITH A PODCAST!

Inspired by the classic Bravo TV countdown documentary and its improved Shudder-branded follow-up, Gabe and returning guest Patrick Ripoll of Tracks of the Damned and 96 Greers have compiled the official Genre Grinder list of the Top 101 ACTUAL Scariest Movie Moments. That title is a joke, of course, because those older specials already covered a load of classic titles, meaning that the challenge here was to explore 101 different movie moments. Hopefully, listeners are in for some pleasant surprises in thi...

YEAH, PUSH IT! PUSH IT REAL GOOD! WITH YOUR MIND, THOUGH, NOT YOUR HANDS.

It's mind over matter as Gabe and returning guest Jim Laczkowski take a look at more movies about the potential power of the human brain. This time, we're focusing on something a little less esoteric than Existential State Manipulation: telekinesis. But we're not covering the big names – no Carrie, no superhero movies, no Star Wars, not even Zapped. Instead, we're talking about Jack Gold's The Medusa Touch (1978), Roland Emmerich's Making Contact (aka: Joey, 1985), Pierre David's Scanner Cop (1994), and Yeon Sang-ho's Psychokinesis (Kor...

LOVE WILL HAVE ITS SACRIFICES. NO SACRIFICE WITHOUT BLOOD. BEWARE THE NIGHT AND YOUR OWN GAY PANIC, BUT, ALSO, HUBBA HUBBA!

Wash your neck, prep your veins, and get ready to donate your plasma to the blood-sucking daughters of Sappho. It's time to explore the sexy, violent world of lesbian, pan, and bisexual vampires on film. Join Gabe and returning guest Luana Saitta of the Defend Your Trash Movie and Monster Island Commentaries podcasts as they explore a specific period in Sapphic vampire movie history (1970 to 1983) and four representations of the surprisingly prolific genre: Roy W...

TAKE ANOTHER LOOK UNDER THE BED AND DOUBLE-CHECK THE CLOSET, BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING SCARIER THAN BEING A CHILD!

What could possibly be worse than zombies, chainsaw-wielding maniacs, and blood sucking vampires? Puberty, bullies, cruel teachers, stranger danger, and childhood illness, of course. Join Gabe and returning guest Betsy Jorgensen of Your Favorite Monsters as they take a look at a group of traumatizing tales of horror made specifically for people under 12. Not horror movies for grown-ups featuring kids or horror movies that happen to be rated PG or PG-13 – movies intended for children that are als...

COVER VERSIONS OF YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES! NOW AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES FROM MULTIPLE COUNTRIES!

Don't worry, you didn't select the wrong language track on your DVD Player, you're just watching familiar movies with an unfamiliar twist. You've seen plenty of Hollywood remakes of Hollywood hits – The Ring, The Grudge, One Missed Call, Pulse, other examples that aren't Japanese horror movies – but what about the opposite thing? Join Gabe and returning guest Tyler Foster for a look at the Turkish version of Rocky, the Niger version of Purple Rain, the Bollywood Silence of the Lambs, the Russi...

SHARPEN YOUR STRAIGHT RAZORS AND POLISH YOUR BLACK LEATHER, WE'RE NOT QUITE DONE WITH ITALIAN THRILLERS JUST YET!!

Welcome back to Genre Grinder's look back on the gialli of 1971. In part one, Gabe (the fan) and Patrick (the skeptic) covered Sergio Martino's The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (Italian: Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh), Dario Argento's Cat O' Nine Tails (Italian: Il gatto a nove code), Lucio Fulci's Lizard in a Woman's Skin (Italian: Una lucertola con la pelle di donna), Enzo G. Castellari's Cold Eyes of Fear (Italian: Gli occhi freddi della paura), a...

MAD KILLERS! ANXIOUS WOMEN! TWISTED CRIMINAL PLOTS! CHIC INTERIOR DECORATING! PSYCHEDELIC FLASHBACKS! NEEDLESSLY LONG TITLES!!

Giallo – plural gialli – so-named for the cover color of pulp crime novels in Italy is a stylish world of psychosis and murder that has existed in some capacity since the early 1960s, but it wasn't until Dario Argento's 1970 classic, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, became a worldwide hit that the giallo fad really took the country by storm. The following year, 1971, was arguably the biggest in the genre's history, with a total of more than 40 films, several of which would...

CALLING ALL CARS! CALLING ALL CARS! BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR POINTED PROFANITY, SUGGESTIVE NUDITY, AND RIDICULE OF THE CLERGY! 

Before the MPAA ratings board, there was the Production Code and, before that, there was the Hays Code, which was more of a series of nagging demands than an actual code. Film historians tend to refer to the five-year period between the widespread adoption of sound (1929) and the harsh implementation of the Production Code in July of 1934 as the "Pre-Code Era." Gabe and returning guest Arianny Pilarte take a look at four such films, all of...

THERE'S A CHILL UPON THE AIR AS THE WIND CARRIES THE CRIES OF A WEEPING WOMAN. MIS HIJOS! MIS HIJOS! 

Once upon a time, there was a poor woman who murdered her children after being slighted by her wealthy lover. Or was it an indigenous woman who had her child stolen by colonizers? Or maybe it was an accidental pregnancy that was secretly terminated? However the story goes, the woman died and her ghost now wanders the night in search of new children. To avoid her wailing spirit, take a listen to Gabe and returning gu...

Between canceled episodes, personal scheduling conflicts, and a secret project, we here at Genre Grinder have been very busy. But we don't want to shirk our spooky season music mix responsibilities, so, please, enjoy this special all Goblin experience. Every one of the songs and sound effects used to create this moody mix (with one exception) were produced by some iteration of Italy's great prog-rock horror pioneers, Goblin. No Simonetti solo music, Daemonia, or the Simonetti-Pignatelli-Morante pairing.

Please enjoy, have a happy Halloween, and we'll see you again for a standard episode of Genre Grinder s...