The Horror Double Bill
Welcome to The Horror Double Bill, where we pair classic and modern horror films to explore the dark, the horrifying and the bizarre. Inspired by the legendary BBC2 horror double bills of the 1970s and 1980s, each week we discuss two films that share twisted themes, unsettling atmospheres, or strange connectionsFrom the shadowy corridors of black and white classics to the paranoia-fueled chaos of the 21st-century, we take a deep dive into what makes these films memorable and the social context in which they were made. Expect discussions on film history, censorship, director profiles, folklore, and cultural anxieties.Subscribe for...
Episode Five: The House With Laughing Windows (1976) & Don't Torture a Duckling (1972)
Episode 5: The House with Laughing Windows (1976) and Don't Torture a Duckling (1972) : Rural Giallo, Postwar Italy, and the Haunted Landscape
In this episode of The Horror Double Bill, we journey deep into the unsettling beauty of the Italian countryside to explore The House with Laughing Windows (1976) and Donât Torture a Duckling (1972). These two standout examples of rural gialli capture a nation in fluxâreflecting the tension, suspicion, and isolation brought about by post-war migration from the south to the north of Italy.
We unpack the social, cultural, and historical upheaval that followed World War II, as I...
Episode Four: And Soon The Darkness (1970) & The Hitcher (1986)
Episode 4 â The Horror Double Bill: And Soon the Darkness (1970) & The Hitcher (1986)
In this episode of The Horror Double Bill, we explore two chilling roadbound nightmares that turn travel into terror. First, we examine And Soon the Darkness (1970), a sun-drenched British thriller where isolation in the French countryside gives way to dread. Then, we dive into The Hitcher (1986), a haunting, nihilistic American horror-thriller in which a lone driver picks up far more than he bargained for on the open road.
Both films use beautiful yet empty landscapes to generate feelings of isolation, and in this episode we...
Episode Three: Frightmare (1974) & Possum (2018)
The Horror Double Bill Episode Three: Frightmare (1974) & Possum (2018) British suburban gothic, moral outrage, and the horror of family values.
This week on The Horror Double Bill, weâre digging into the unsettling world of British horror with a pairing thatâs as psychologically disturbing as it is politically charged: Frightmare (1974), directed by Pete Walker, and Possum (2018), the bleakly brilliant debut from Matthew Holness.
Join us as we chew over themes of madness, repression, and inherited trauma, exploring how these two films capture a peculiarly British horror â one rooted in decaying institutions, Victorian legacies, and a deep d...
Episode Two: The Leopard Man (1943) & Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971)
The Horror Double Bill Episode 2: The Leopard Man (1943) & Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) Guilt, madness and the Italian Giallo
Welcome to The Horror Double Bill, where horror is a feeling, not just a genre.
In this episode, we delve into The Leopard Man (1943), a moody psychological thriller from producer Val Lewton. Then we leap into the stylised paranoia of Dario Argentoâs Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971)
We explore the legacy of Val Lewtonâs âsuggestive horror,â the evolution of giallo cinema, and how both films capture dread through style, sound, and suggestion.
Episode One: La Cabina (1972) & El Bar (2017)
Episode One: La Cabina (1974) and El Bar (2017) - claustrophobia and paranoia in Madrid
Welcome to the debut episode of The Horror Double Bill, a podcast that celebrates horror in all its unsettling, uncanny, and occasionally absurd forms. Inspired by the BBC2 double bills of the 1970s and early â80s, each week we pair two films that share themes, tones, or a peculiar sense of dread that lingers long after the credits roll.Â
This week, we descend into the claustrophobic madness of Spanish horror with Antonio Merceroâs eerie TV classic La Cabina and Ălex de la Igl...
