The Horror Double Bill

Welcome to episode 69 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are off to confession and then communion, with two films that explore murder and mayhem within the Catholic Church.

First up, we have Absolution from 1978, directed by Anthony Page. This stars Richard Burton, Dominic Guard, Dai Bradley and Billy Connolly.

And then we follow this with Alice, Sweet Alice from 1976, also known under the alternate titles of Communion and Holy Terror. Directed by...

Welcome to episode 68 of the Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are exploring the world of cryptozoology, with two films about mythical creatures, which might not be mythical at all.

First up, we have The Abominable Snowman from 1957 and Hammer Studios. This was directed by Val Guest and stars Peter Cushing, Forrest Tucker, Maureen Connell, Richard Wattis and Michael Brill.

Then we follow this with The Mothman Prophecies from 2002 and director Mark Pellington. This...

Welcome to episode 67 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are exploring themes of revenge, with one film that is grounded firmly in reality and another which takes its tale of retribution deep into psychedelia

First up we have Dead Man’s Shoes from 2004 and director Shane Meadows. This stars Paddy Considine, Toby Kebbell, Gary Stretch and Stuart Wolfenden.

Then we follow this with Mandy, from 2018 and director Panos Cosmatos. This stars Nicolas Ca...

Welcome to episode 66 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are exploring themes of institutionalisation, corruption, conspiracy and insanity, with one film set in the most notorious psychiatric institute of all time, and the other in a world that has gone completely mad.

First up we have Bedlam, from 1946, and producer Val Lewton. Directed by Mark Robson, it stars Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Billy House, Richard Fraser and Elizabeth Russell.

Then we follow...

Welcome to episode 65 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are covering two suitably autumnal films, both of which share a memorable filming location of Bishops Park in London, and both of which explore themes of Satanism in the UK’s capital city.

First up, we are back with director Sergio Martino and actors Edwige Fenech, George Hilton and Ivan Rassimov for All the Colors of the Dark from 1972.

Then we remain in th...

Welcome to episode 64 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts

This week we are returning to the world of sapphic blood suckers, with two films about female vampires that were, to some extent or another, inspired by the novella Carmilla by J Sheridan Le Fanu

First up, we have Dracula’s Daughter from 1936, Universal Studios follow-up to their 1931 Bela Lugosi classic Dracula. This was directed by Lambert Hill and stars Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden, Marguerite Churchill, and Edward Va...

Welcome to episode 63 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where almost every week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are returning to the 1980s, the world of the Italian giallo and the serial killer, with two films that blend eye-popping cinematography, electronic synth scores, brutalist architecture and brutal murders.

First, we have Tenebrae from director Dario Argento, released in 1982. This stars Anthony Franciosa, Giuliano Gemma, Daria Nicolodi and John Steiner.

Then we follow this with White of the Eye from director...

Welcome to episode 62 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are attending two family reunions, at which the return of prodigal children exposes secrets, lies, madness, and murder.

First up, we have Paranoiac! from Hammer Studios in 1963. This was directed by Freddie Francis and stars Janette Scott, Oliver Reed, Alexander Davion, and Sheila Burrell.

Then we follow this with a return to Spain and A Bell from Hell, from 1973. This was directed by...

Welcome to episode 61 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are in pursuit of a killer or two, the first in Germany in 1931 and the second in London four decades later, in 1972.

First up, we have M, directed by Fritz Lang. This stars Peter Lorre, Otto Wernicke, Georg John and Theodor Loos.

Then we follow this with Frenzy, from director Alfred Hitchcock. This stars Jon Finch, Barry Foster, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Alec McCowen and...

Welcome to episode 60 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are running away to join the circus—a prospect that seems more and more appealing with every passing day.

First up, we have the highly controversial Freaks, from 1932 directed by Tod Browning. This stars Olga Baclanova, Harry Earles, Daisy Earles, Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams and Henry Victor.

Then we follow this with the incredibly surreal Santa Sangre, from 1989 directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. This st...

Welcome to Episode 59 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are exploring the surreal and erotic world of French director Jean Rollin and a time-jumping, twisted narrative from director JT Mollner.

First up, we have Fascination from 1979, directed by Jean Rollin and starring Brigitte Lahaie, Fanny Magier, Franca Maï and Jean-Marie Lemaire.

Then we follow this with Strange Darling, filmed in 2023, released in 2024 and directed by JT Mollner. This stars Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle G...

Welcome to episode 58 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week, we are exploring the world of the insane asylum, starting off with the oldest film we have covered to date and our very first silent movie.

This is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari from 1920, which was directed by Robert Wiene. This stars Frederich Ferer, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss and Lil Dagover.

Then we follow this with something a little more recent, although it is...

Welcome to episode 57 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are exploring voyeurism, meta commentary and the world of the snuff movie with one film that, according to its director, ruined his career, and another that launched the career of its director

First up we have Peeping Tom from 1960, directed by Michael Powell. It stars Karl Böhm, Anna Massey, Moira Shearer, and Maxine Audley.

Then we follow this with the debut feature f...

Welcome to episode 56 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are in Europe, where we return to the psychological thriller and the Italian giallo, with two films drenched in murder and paranoia.

First up, we have Les Diaboliques from 1955, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. This stars Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse and Charles Vanel.

Then we follow this with The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh from 1971 and director Sergio Martino. This stars E...

Welcome to episode 55 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are discussing international folk horror with two films which explore the horrors of  war, capitalism, and greed while referencing the histories of the countries in which they were made. 

First up, we have Onibaba from Japan, which was released in 1964. Directed by Kaneto Shindō, it stars Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura and Kei Satō.

Then we follow this with our first film from India, Tumb...

Welcome to episode 54 of The Horror Double Bill the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts

This week we are plunging into the world of ecological horror, with two films that suggest that unless we learn to learn more harmoniously with the planet, we will suffer the consequences – one way or another

First, we have The Day the Earth Caught Fire from 1961. This was written and directed by Val Guest and stars Edward Judd, Janet Monroe, Leo McKern, Michael Goodliffe, and Bernard Braden.

...

Welcome to episode 53 of The Horror Double Bill the podcast where nearly every week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are off to Hollywood, with two films that explore the horrors of the silver screen, from obsessive fandom and fantasy to the darkest depths of ambition. 

First up we have Fade to Black from 1980. This was written and directed by Vernon Zimmerman, and stars Dennis Christopher, Tim Thomerson, Linda Kerridge, and Eve Brent

Then we jump forward to 2014 and Starry Eyes, written a...

Welcome to episode 52 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are going to New York in search of missing sisters and finding ourselves in a whole heap of trouble with the powers of darkness.

First, we have The Seventh Victim from 1943 and producer Val Lewton. This was directed by Mark Robson and stars Kim Hunter, Jean Brooks, Tom Conway and Isabel Jewell

Then we are following this with Inferno from Dario Argento and 1980...

Welcome to episode 51 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are exploring the amorphous world of the science fiction horror hybrid, with two movies that pit man against gelatinous monstrosities from inner and outer space.

First up, we have X the Unknown from 1956, an early entry into the horror market from British studio Hammer, This was directed by Leslie Norman and stars Dean Jagger, Leo McKern and Edward Chapman.

Then we jump forward...

Welcome to episode 50 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

Cannibal Man/The Week of the Killer/The Apartment on the 13th Floor (1972) dir. Eloy de la Iglesia, w. Vicente Parra, Emma Cohen, Eusebio Poncela, Vicky Lagos and Charly Bravo.

Ecologia del delitto/A Bay of Blood/Twitch of the Death Nerve/Carnage/Blood Bath (1971) dir. Mario Bava w. Luigi Pistilli, Claudine Auger, Claudio Camaso, Laura Betti and Anna Maria Rosati.

Recommendations

...

Welcome to episode 49 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

In this weeks episode we discuss two films from British director Bernard Rose,  one based on the children's book Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr, and the other based on a work from the opposite end of the literary spectrum The Forbidden by Clive Barker.

First up is Paperhouse (1988) Dir. Bernard Rose w. Charlotte Burke, Glenne Headly, Elliott Spiers, and Gemma Jones

and then we follow this w...

Welcome to episode 48 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week after a short break and several episodes of ambiguity, we are exploring the much more direct and explicitly supernatural world of the vampire, with one movie that started the Universal monster series in the 1930s and another which reinvigorated vampire mythology at the start of the 1970s.

First, we have Dracula from 1931, directed by Tod Browning. This stars Bela Lugosi, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye, David...

Welcome to episode 47 of the Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

First up is Daniel Isn’t Real (2019) dir. Adam Egypt Mortimer, w Miles Robbins & Patrick Schwarzenegger

Then The Lighthouse (2019) dir. Robert Eggers, w Willem Dafoe & Robert Pattinson.

Recommendations

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1940/10/thus-i-refute-beelzy/654631/

Enoch by Robert Bloch

Asylum (1972)

Tales that Witness Madness (1973)

In This Way I Was Saved by Brian DeLeeuw

...

Welcome to episode 46 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are back with haunted houses, classic ghost stories, and more than a little ambiguity, with one film based on a novella by Henry James and the other based on a novel by Peter Straub.

First up, we have The Innocents from 1961, directed by Jack Clayton. This stars Deborah Kerr, Megs Jenkins, Martin Stephens, and Pamela Franklin.

Then we jump forward to 1977 for Full...

Welcome to episode 45 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are discussing

Possession (1981) dir. Andrzej Żuławski w. Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill

Las Brujas de Zugarramurdi aka Witching and Bitching (2013) dir. Alex de la Iglesia w. Hugo Silva, Mario Casas, and Carmen Maura

Recommendations

The Story of Adele H (1975)

The Driver (1978)

Camille Claudel (1988)

One Deadly Summer (1983)

Subway (1985)

...

Welcome to episode 44 of The Horror Double Bill, where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

The Wind (2018) dir. Emma Tammi, with Caitlin Gerard, Ashley Zukerman, Julia Goldani Telles, and Miles Anderson.

The Dark and the Wicked (2020), dir. Bryan Bertino, with Marin Ireland, Michael Abbott Jr., Lynn Andrews, and Xander Berkeley.

Recommendations 

Curse of the Undead (1959), Near Dark (1987), Ravenous (1999), The Burrowers (2008), Bone Tomahawk (2015), The Monster (2016)

References

The Geography of Horror by Marco Lukic

Welcome to episode 43 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are visiting church with two films which that suggest our holiest of buildings could hide mysterious ancient forces lurking in their cellars.

Prince of Darkness (1987) dir. John Carpenter w. Donald Pleasence, Victor Wong, Jameson Parker, Dennis Dunn, and Lisa Blount.

The Borderlands aka Final Prayer (2013) dir. by Elliot Goldner w. Gordon Kennedy, Aidan McArdle, and Robin Hill.

Recommendations

Welcome to episode 42 of The Horror Double Bill the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts

This week we are exploring the horrors of colonialism with two films that suggest that the price for cultural oppression and appropriation is a very heavy one.

I Walked with a Zombie (1943) dir. Jacques Tourneur, with Frances Dee, Tom Conway, Edith Barrett and Christine Gordon.

The Reptile (1966) dir. John Gilling, with Jennifer Daniel, Noel Willman, Ray Barrett and Jacqueline Pearce.

Fundraiser :

Welcome to episode 41 of The Horror Double Bill the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts

First up is The Empty Man (2020) starring James Badge Dale, Aaron Poole and Marin Ireland, and was written and directed by David Prior 

Then we follow this with Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010). This stars Michael Rogers and Eva Allen and is the feature debut from director Panos Cosmatos. 

Recommendations

Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities – The Autopsy, The Viewing

AM1200...

Welcome to episode 40 of The Horror Double Bill the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts

This week we are exploring pestilence and death with two films that revolve around plague, satanism, religious intolerance and necromancy

First up, we have The Masque of the Red Death from 1964 and director Roger Corman, starring Vincent Price, Hazel Court, Patrick Magee and Jane Asher.

Then we follow this with Black Death from 2010, directed by Christopher Smith. This stars Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Andy Nyman and...

Welcome to episode 39 of The Horror Double Bill the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts

This week we have two films that are based on works by Daphne du Maurier, an English novelist, playwright, and biographer whose stories and novels have been adapted multiple times for stage, radio television and of course for film.

First up nature strikes back with The Birds from 1963 starring Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette and Veronica Cartwright. 

Then we jump forward a decade f...

Welcome to episode 38 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts

This week we are returning to the world of the 1940s horror noir and the Italian giallo, with two highly influential movies that would shape some of the tropes that we now see as standard in many films

First up, we have The Spiral Staircase from 1946 directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Dorothy Maguire, Ethel Barrymore, George Brent, and Kent Smith

Then we follow this with...

Welcome to episode 37 of the Horror Double Bill the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts

First up we have The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue from 1974 and director Jorge Grau, starring Ray Lovelock, Cristina Galbo and Arthur Kennedy

We follow this with When Evil Lurks from 2023 and director Demian Rugna, starring Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demian Salomon, Silvina Sabater, and Luis Ziembrowski.

Recommendations:

Tombs of the Blind Dead (Armondo de Ossario 1972)

Blood Ceremony (1973 Jorge Grau):

...

Welcome to episode 36 of The Horror Double Bill the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts

First up we have Eyes Without a Face (1960) directed by George Franju, starring Pierre Brasseur, Edith Scob & Alida Valli.

Then we jump forward to Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) directed by Seth Holt, starring Valerie Leon, Andrew Keir and James Villers

Recommendations

Tales From the Darkside – The Movie (1990)

Gritos en la Noche (aka The Awful Dr Orloff) (1962)

Lot...

Welcome to episode 35 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts

First up this week is City Of The Dead from 1960 and director John Moxey, released in the US as Horror Hotel, and starring Christopher Lee, Patricia Jessel, Valentine Dyall, and Venetia Stevenson.

Then we jump forward to 2015 for The Blackcoat’s Daughter, written and directed by Osgood Perkins, and stars Emma Roberts, Keenan Shipka, Lucy Boynton and James Remar.

Along the way will be discussing the me...

Welcome to episode 34 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

For this week’s double bill we are off to the theatre, taking in the works of William Shakespeare and a 1980s stage musical, with a healthy slice of murder and mayhem on the side. First up, we have Theatre of Blood from 1973, directed by Douglas Hickox. This stars Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, and a whole cast of British talent including Robert Morley, Dennis Price, Harry Andrews, Michael Ho...

Welcome to episode 33 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

First up we have David Fincher’s Se7en from 1995, starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Gwyneth Paltrow.. Then we head across to Tokyo for Cure from 1997, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. This stars Kōji Yakusho, Anna Nakagawa, and Masato Hagiwara.

Recommendations

The Guard from Underground (1992)

Sweet Home & Resident Evil : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2THjrOMT0Y

SE7...