Hypnogoria

With the long awaited Prometheus, Ridley Scott's much anticipated return to the universe of Alien, finally unleashed on our screens, Mr Jim Moon heads for deepest space to explore the origins of that most seminal movie. We are joined on this epic voyage by Mr Lee Medcalf and Mr Darren Barnard of The Black Dog podcast, and explore three similarly seminal movies that are said to have inspired both Scott and screen writer Dan O'Bannon - spaced out cult classic Dark Star (1974), vintage scifi shocker It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958), and Mario Bava's interstellar gothic Planet of the Vampires (1965).

Mr Jim Moon ventures out into the light of the full moon to investigate the legend of the werewolf. As well as some chat about what the Wolf-Man means to us, we have readings of two classic lycanthropic tales –Gabriel-Ernest by Saki and High Moon by Tim Stout.

In something of a stop-gap episode, Mr Jim Moon rambles about the marvelous Martians of HG Wells and resurrects from the audio archives of the Great Library of the Dreams the infamous Mercury Theatre on the Air radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds masterminded by the legendary Orson Welles.  

This week in the Great Library of Dreams, Mr Jim Moon delves into the weird fiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with a reading of his seminal tale The Horror of the Heights.

Despite claiming to be taking the week off, Mr Jim Moon just can't help himself and has to talk Avengers! In this episode we run through the five films leading up to this epic gathering of Iron Man, the Hulk, the mighty Thor, Captain America and Scarlett Johansson's arse, and then take a SPOILER FREE look at Josh Whedon's assembling of The Avengers...

Continuing our ramble through favourite childhood monsters, Mr Jim Moon explores fairy and folk tales, the horror of Grendel, and discusses dragons and sea serpents at length. And there’s also a look at some of your favourite monsters too…

This week Mr Jim Moon takes a stroll down Memory Lane and rambles about some of his favourite childhood monsters and tried to work out what it all means…  Featuring creatures from myth, legend, folklore and, inevitably perhaps, Doctor Who…

In a special eggisode, I mean, episode for Easter, Mr Jim Moon narrates two tales from that master of fantastic fiction, Mr HG Wells. First we have the account of The Flowering of the Strange Orchid, and this botanical horror is followed by the affair of The Crystal Egg.

This week we return to review the many children spawned by George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. Mr Jim Moon rounds up four flicks that at one time or another have purported to be a sequel to Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2 - Zombie Holocaust (1980), Burial Ground (1981), Paul Naschy's The Hanging Woman (1973) and Jorge Grau's The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue (1974)!  

Join Mr Jim Moon in the Library of Dreams where once more he opens the curious tome marked The Casebook of Carnacki The Ghost Finder. This time the account set down by Mr William Hope Hodgson details an early case of Mr Carnacki, presenting the young Ghost Finder with a most perplexing haunting in his own residence…  

…And we’re back in the room! Yes, after a short hiatus, Mr Jim Moon has reopened the newly relocated Library of Dreams! This week, we explore the ancient and noble art of ghost hunting, learn some of the history of parapsychology, and hear the first part of the memoirs of a real life ghost hunter!

This week in the Great Library of Dreams, Mr Jim Moon samples a selection of weird verses from down the ages. Featuring macabre poems from such luminaries as Edgar Allan Poe, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E Howard and  HP Lovecraft and verses from modern masters such as Brian Lumley and Thomas Ligotti.

This week Mr Jim Moon summons you to the fireside at the Library of Dreams to hear two tales of children with unusual invisible playmates… Thus I Refute Beelzy by John Collier and Mr Lupescu by Anthony Boucher.

Luuurve is in the air, and in a St Skeletor's Day special, Mr Jim Moon presents two tales of when love takes a turn for the horrific. Firstly we have an adaptation of Robert Smythe Hitchen's When Love Came To Professor Guildea from 1940s show Escape, and then The Family Album from the legendary Price of Fear. Plus some bonus nonsense from Mr Moon. WARNING - may contain needless Barry White impersonations!

Continuing our epic history of the Batman, Mr Jim Moon discovers what the Caped Crusader was up to in the 1980s… Quite a lot as it turns out, what with  Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke, Crisis on Infinite Earths and Years One to Three!  

This week we are returning to the works of the great GK Chesterton, for a second tale featuring his clerical sleuth Father Brown. At a dinner party held by the famous police detective Valentin, the little priest discovers an unwanted additional course on the menu… vicious bloody murder!

In the first of a new occasional series, Mr Jim Moon foolishly decides to chart all the various spin-offs, remakes and sequels to George Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead. In this opening episode, we discuss the Zombi: L’alba Dei Morti Viventi - AKA Dario Argento cut of Dawn of the Dead, Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2 AKA Zombie and Zombie Flesh-Eaters, and the Fulci/Mattei hybrid horror Zombi 3.

This week as the snow and ice lies deep and crisp and even, Mr Jim Moon reads a wintry classic from Bram Stoker. So take your place in the carriage for a visit to Dracula’s Guest…

In a not-at-all definitive review of the year, Mr Jim Moon has a look at the state of film and TV in 2011. Items from the silver screen discussed include Fright Night, The Thing, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, X Men: First Class, Green Lantern, Paul, Attack The Block, Cowboys and Aliens, and Sucker Punch. And on the small screen, we talk about Dexter, Supernatural, The Walking Dead, Once Upon A Time, Grimm, American Horror Story, Merlin, Doctor Who, Black Mirror, Breaking Bad, Community, Game of Thrones and Holy Flying Circus.

It’s Christmas Eve at Hypnogoria Towers, Mr Jim Moon is throwing a Victorian style party and you’re all invited!  Featuring music, laughter and recitations!  Mr Ian Hayles drops by to perform his Dickensian wonder Chains and Mr Moon regales you with readings of Jerome K Jerome’s Our Ghost Party and MR James’ The Story of A Disappearance and An Appearance…