Chewing The Scenery Horror Movie Podcast

Episode 58 finds your hosts celebrating an anniversary! Yes, “Manos: Hands of Fate” turns 50 the very day this episode drops! What happens when a fertilizer/insurance salesman makes a bet that he can make a feature-length movie? “Manos”, that’s what! On a $19,000 budget in 1966, an idea ended up on celluloid. Along with about 30 minutes of driving footage. Will considers that the best part! Would Jolyon call this movie “an entertaining turkey”? Or does it even earn that distinction? You’ll hear all about it! Since this movie has been restored, Will argues that a better version is somehow worse. Richard supposes that the set of “Manos" smelled of Aquanet and shame…and we find out that the gala premiere probably did as well! This movie has something for everyone: lots of driving, a tall dude in a cult robe with red hands on it, nightgown girls in a sandy catfight, a creepily overdubbed child, and Torgo. Will denies the possibility of having been conceived at a New Mexico drive-in showing of “Manos”.

Episode 57 brings the inevitable: your hosts discuss Dario Argento’s “Tenebrae” (1982). "Not so fast,” you say “what about your 31 Days of Halloween Horror Movie Challenge lists?”. Yes, dear listeners, that is covered. You know, just in case you’re a November denier, clutching desperately to October. Even if you suffer from Halloween Fatigue, you’ll still want to write some of these down. Will talks about “Equinox” and “Don’t Torture a Duckling” being some good offerings. Jolyon mostly likes the "‘Salem’s Lot” remake (2004), which goes to show that when Rob Lowe and Rutger Hauer team up, they can get the job done! Mic drop…well, the boom mic drops into view in one scene. So….”Tenebrae”. This film caught a lot of heat in it’s time and to this day is still regulated, even banned in one country. C’mon Germany, “The Walking Dead” has way more gore! But still, there’s no shortage of straight razors, axes, lethal-looking sculptures and dangerous red shoes! Don’t look for old Rome, though…it’s simply not

Episode 56 arrives a day early because HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Your hosts kick it off with some lists of Halloween favorites and “31 Days of Halloween Horror Movie Challenge” movies. We still haven’t seen “The Slashening”, but Will did see “The Machine that Killed Bad People”. And Richard saw “Gog”…with more killer robuts than “Chopping Mall”. Jolyon mentions movies to get you out of ever babysitting again. So, you may wonder why the movie your hosts chose to discuss is not specifically a Halloween movie. Well, it’s because “Under the Skin” (2013) is just that awesome. You’ve heard that Scarlett Johansson is in it. You’ve heard that her character seldom speaks. You’ve heard that sometimes her clothes are missing. But is she an extraterrestrial alien? An interdimensional being? A creature of this earth that has managed to stay hidden? Your guess is as good as ours! We only know for sure that she knows nothing of cake, sex or fog. Her self-discovery goes beyond all that, but the mysterious “motorcycle g

Episode 55 finds your hosts welcoming back author Stephen Graham Jones to discuss sequels Halloween II (1981) Rob Zombie directed Halloween II (2009). Stephen is fresh off of re-watching the “Scream” movies, just in time for the holiday. Meanwhile, Jolyon somehow survived all the movies of “Halloween” franchise…and “Werewolf in Bangkok”, which he describes as “more of a tubby rat-man”. Your hosts discuss a few more bad movies before digging into the Halloween II movies. Yes, both of them! Stephen explains the yellowed appearance of the Michael Myers mask in the 1981 film. Richard is pleased to be talking about the triumphant appearance and flaming exit of Ben Tramer. Then a black widow spider suddenly shows up in the studio! No, really, check our Instagram! How does Michael Myers move that giant tombstone, anyway? And then how did the art department in "Halloween H20” get the age of Judith Myers wrong when it’s literally carved in stone? Is Michael a tire slasher as well as a slasher? We can only

Episode 54 gives you something “Phantasm” movies 1 through 4 could not- ”Phantasm: Ravager”. Yes, part 5 of the series is available to rent just before Halloween. As the great philosopher Meatloaf once said: “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad”. Well, that’s true unless those two dislike your movie more than a little bit. The other host likes about two thirds of “Phantasm: Ravager” but can’t seem to do the math to get it to a C+ . Richard still likes it enough to recommend it to horror fans, while Will calls it “almost total nonsense”. Do listeners feel that this is just the tradition of the Phantasm movies? We shall see! In the march toward Halloween, your hosts also discuss other movies that they stuffed into their eyeholes. Will saw “Babadook” and “The Orphanage”, one of which he liked. In addition to the 4k restoration of the original “Phantasm”, Richard saw several movies, and called only one of them “A dumpster fire”. Jolyon saw “Unfriended” and managed to see where Hitchcock may have followed a simi

There are three things your hosts will cover in episode 54, one from 1951, one from 1982 and one from 2011. What's something Kurt Russell couldn't do in Antarctica? Kill a mosquito. But Richard can… live in the studio! Your host talk a little about 1979's "the Warriors" and the themed gangs. Were the New York Mimes dangerous? Well, let's just say you won't hear them coming! After some talk about Westworld, we get to discuss the unsettled feeling 1982's "John Carpenter's the Thing" gives to Will. It's intangible, but the monsters isn't… it gets in your face a lot. But Jolyon points out that it's got a lot to do in an hour and 48 minutes. 1951 "the Thing from Another World" sure blew some minds in its day and even years later. Just look at that flying saucer under the ice! Speaking of which, 2011's "The Thing" goes even crazier with saucers under the ice. Does it deserve the hate it has gotten? We think not! Will fracking horror become a new sub-genre? Just you wait! Now, strap on your flamethrower, che

Episode 52 marks ONE YEAR of weekly podcasts from your kind hosts! To celebrate, we are talking about Lucio Fulci’s 1979 “Zombie”. Or “Zombie 2”. Or “Zombi”. Maybe ”Zombie Flesh Eaters”…aww, just pick one! Fulci wanted to make a sequel to Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead”, so he just did. Pretty much. For years, this was Will’s favorite Zombie movie. For years, Richard thought he had seen this but hadn't. For all of those years, Jolyon was madly researching and mentally filing away facts about the classic. So, for our dear listeners, this means a typical episode! But it’s not all about the living dead. You’ll hear about that time Will was eating lunch and was suddenly surrounded by clowns! Since Jolyon decapitates clowns as a matter of safety, they lucked out that he wasn’t there! You’ll hear about ways to work the system of a “31 Days of Halloween” movie challenge. You’ll find out whether “Crime Wolf” is really a movie, or just made up, like “Rob Zombie’s Air Bud 7; the Quickening”. Can New York cops be

Episode 51 is large in stature due to our celebrity guest. We’ve been holding on to this audio since April, but now it’s time to share. “Big Daddy” from George A. Romero’s “Land of the Dead” joins Richard for an interview at Walker Stalker Con Denver. Yes, Eugene A Clark steps forth from the crowd of zombies to talk about his great Halloween mask, that time he was on Kung Fu but really wasn’t, a situation with an aggressive crazy person who really wasn’t, and those times people howl at him like a zombie in airports! Eugene lets you know a little about what the great legacy of George A Romero Zombie films means and how zombies can evolve! The outro music is Big Daddy’s theme from the “Land of the Dead” soundtrack, so see if you can find the beat and dance your way toward October! Find us on Instagram, where we are @chewingthescenery or easily find us on Facebook. Chewing the Scenery can be found on Soundcloud, iTunes and Stitcher. Please rate, review and subscribe- it really does help us!

An important member of the CTS family (and dedicated listener) has the most important day of his life coming up. How else would we announce it? Listen and find out... it's short, sweet and to the point!

Episode 50 is another Netflix double-header and somehow turns out to be a good movie up against a bad movie again! Jolyon was out again, finishing up Tales from the Crypt, but he’ll be more than ready for the next one! Will and Richard start off with a brief discussion of Obi Wan Kenobi and his judgmental ways, then go on to question Vikings and their shenanigans. But do you know who your hosts really like? Them witches! As part of the double-header, the guys watched “Witching and Bitching” (2013, Spain) and found it to be an awesome horror comedy with some crazy crime action thrown in for good measure! Where else are you going to see a silver Jesus Christ in a car chase, blasting away with a 12 gauge shotgun while Spongebob is getting mowed down? Is Spain taking our old comedy and serving it back to us? Perhaps, but it’s really fun! The Hollow (2015, U.S.) is a bit... well, hollow. It seems that the writers took the horror movie trope handbook and copied it directly into the script. Richard thinks

Episode 49 is a Netflix double-header! With Jolyon off working on a “Tales from the Crypt” comic, Will and Richard talk about a pair of movies - Night of the Wild (2015) and Hush (2016). With “Night of the Wild”, it seemed at first the movie was executed in a “kinda sincere” way, but the wheels came off of that in short order! Right away we meet a man who acts like a cartoon hillbilly and some fluffy dogs that do some murders, perhaps due to space rabies. ”Coconut” really freaked Will out, with it’s souless black eyes, like a murderous gerbil. It seems the attacks are all gravy-induced, except the ones done by puppets. PSA: you are not outrunning any wolfy dogs. Or even Richard’s chihuahua, with a 50 foot head start! Are there a lot of Northern Exposure references? Just ask Roslyn! Although some dogs could act vicious, most of them were super happy to be shooting a movie! What else does this thing have? Theres a waffle bat! Stunt people with heavy sleeves! Terrible CG cows! So many wagging tails!

Episode 48 whisks you away on a magical journey to the land of Japanese Extreme Cinema. By which we mean shoving you into the deep end of the pool! Our resident expert, Jolyon didn’t make the featured film, so don’t blame him! In fact, he called it “pretty offensive”. Before your hosts get into the particulars of “Entrails of a Beautiful Woman” (no, really - and it translates literally) Jolyon gives us some facts and history of this genre known as “Pink Films”. Have you heard of “Satanic Panic”? Well, some of these movies were so extreme that they sparked “Cannibal Panic”! Will explains that the main attraction "features rape and a cock monster”. He isn’t wrong. Richard notices that all art and technology, from petroglyphs to modern computers, is eventually used for porn. Also not wrong. There is a lot to be mined from the extreme, but your hosts reign it in a bit and suggest some more appealing choices to get started. Are some of these titles chosen by just rolling dice with words on them? Maybe

Episode 47 is a “Live Watch” episode. That’s right, your hosts sit down with some cats at Will’s house and watch a movie whilst recording all the genuine reactions and comments. Why? Because why not! We admit it may not be as cool as partying in a Furniture King, it’s still Sofa King cool! Listen as we learn that sex in the 80’s wasn’t sexy and that character actor Dick Miller is King of the Janitors. Did you know that robot language has over 1000 words for sperm, but not one word for “friend”? You’ll meet characters who have robophobia. You’ll meet characters who have helmet hair. You’ll meet some “Killbots”. You’ll meet the guy that proves that continuously chewing gum can make you look like an A-hole. Do you want a cockfighting starter kit? An exploding head? You can get it all at the Mall! So, get ready to shop ’til you drop, just don’t drop onto the Knife Hut- it won’t break your fall! Oh, and have a nice day! Find us on Instagram, where we are @chewingthescenery or easily find us on Faceb

Episode 46 is the one you thought could never be done. An epic episode about Satan in the 70’s. We ain’t talking’ no Hillbilly Devil either…this is straight-up 70’s movie Satan. In his research, Jolyon discovered that the library didn’t have a room of cursed books hidden from the public. Disappointing, to say the least! Will spent that same time getting started with Netflix’s “Stranger Things”, which he’s pretty sure is an 80’s love letter clip show. Or a clever repackaging of “Firestarter”. Richard finally saw “Blacula”, so check that off the Horror Blaxploitation list! What happens when you slow the podcast to half speed but don’t change the pitch? Is the plural of Doberman really “Dobermen”? And do those dogs deserve little Milkbone™ Oscars™? Did Hammer Studios have a frilly shirt bonfire when they closed their doors once and for all? The answers to these questions and more are in the episode! After some discussion, we think we’re pretty sure it was easier in the 70’s to successfully start a cu

Episode 45 is all about some lesser-known ghost movies! Jolyon reveals that he’s been a guest on another podcast and that pumpernickel actually means “the devil’s fart”. Richard has some news about an upcoming Nosferatu re-make as well as that “Scary Lucy” statue. Will decided not to watch “Ghost Dad” because it would be creepy…you know why! Jolyon drops some knowledge about English writer Noel Coward and the movie “Blithe Spirit”, based on his work. “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken”(1966), “The Devil’s Backbone” (2001), and “Neverlake”(2013) are also discussed. Real-life sound effects spill into the studio! Jolyon grew up without crickets OR Don Knotts! Will lets us know that underwater couches are gross! What more could you ask for, a haunted Arby’s? A floating disembodied head? Another one of Richard’s stories? Okay, we’ll give you all three! By the way, Will doesn’t believe in ghosts, but they scare him all the same. Now it’s time to join your dear hosts on a haunted coach ride through some ghostly

Episode 44 defies expectations by going below them. No, wait- that was Mother of Tears! It gave Jolyon the jitters to be discussing this Argento sequel as the first one one of his films featured on the podcast. We promise to honor some of Dario’s good films soon! You guessed it, we’re talking about unfortunate sequels! But first, your trusty hosts will talk about what Ancient Egyptians looked like, a short called “Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled”, and a certain host being nominated for a Rondo Award. When it just can’t be avoided any longer, "Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Freddy's Revenge” and it’s reputed gay subtext (or just text) is up for scrutiny. Freddy doesn’t make with the puns and one-liners, but he wrecks a pool party and explodes a parakeet. So, there’s that. Never mind creeping around in dreams, Freddy just shows up. Then there’s "Book of Shadows, Blair Witch 2”. No witches, no book, but maybe a few incidental shadows show up. Theres a soundtrack full of 90’s awesomeness and Jerkface is in it!

Episode 43 goes to show you never can tell. Remember that time we talked about Plan 9 From Outer Space and everyone was surprised that Will disliked it? Here we go again! Green Room (2015) was written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, who was also behind Blue Ruin (2013). Not enough for you? Sir Patrick Stewart, Anton Yelchin, and Imogen Poots were all in it! Okay, maybe it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s certainly done well. And it won’t make you feel old like “Straight Outta Compton” did! Although Green Room was hyped in a way that made it seem like it would reveal vampires or werewolves as the big bad, Nazi skinheads will have to do. Is this an actual horror movie? Listen and find out what we think! Is it filmed in Confuso-Vision and recorded in Mumblecore? Perhaps! Let’s just say it’s no All-Foxy-Grandpa fan edit of Lost Boys. So, don’t just sit there like a robut on a davenport, wondering what a bureau is- download this episode and give it a listen! Find us on Instagram, where we are

Episode 42 started as a listener suggestion. When Richard said a listener suggested the movie “Them”, Will and Jolyon said “Giant ants? Great, we’re in!” But it was a 2006 French movie about a couple experiencing a home invasion. So why not both? Why not, indeed! It turns out that “THEM!” (1954) is the first of the giant bug movies and probably the best. You get a heroic cop, the Thing, Santa Clause and a really swell dame ready to sock those ants right in the kisser! And Mr. Spock gets in on the action as well! All kidding aside, the casting is amazing and the moral of the story is a poignant one. And there’s an Evel Knievel connection! What about “Ils” (2006)? It’s considered one of the "French extreme” movies, and your host will attest that it is well-made, but in the end, kids are dicks. So, grab your fireplace poker or flamethrower (whichever works for you) and lets’s go hunt down some sewer-dwelling ants. Or kids. Whatever. Find us on Instagram, where we are @chewingthescenery or easily fi

Episode 41 won’t threaten to rock your face off, it just will! It’s all about Heavy Metal Horror! Jolyon narrowly escaped the moors and the airport sniffer dogs and has returned from England. He saw a few good movies, one of which had him dreaming of Rome in the 1950’s. Will had all other thoughts and memories erased by a little gem called "Rock n Roll Nightmare”. Will says it’s like Evil Dead in Canada, but with big hair. This movie is such a bomb that Hitchcock would put it under a desk and let the audience worry about it. Should you watch it anyway? It’s so ridiculous that there’s no answer but yes! “Trick or Treat” (1986) is a better choice, offering up backward masking, dead Satanic rock stars, high school bullies, and the kid from “Family Ties”. Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne kinda show up too! Could someone do a fan edit combining “8mm" and "Super 8”? Maybe, but “Stranger Things” will do in the meantime. Or you could watch “Jerkface” (aka “Burn Notice”). If your shoulder isn’t made of ca

Episode 40 takes you on a journey to 10 Cloverfield Lane. While Jolyon is still in England, Will and Richard indulge in a good movie. No, really…. it was actually quite good! John Goodman gets mad props for playing such a creepy, disturbed character. The injured young woman and the bearded dumbass are excellent as well! Did you ever consider that having a toilet in the shower is an excellent idea? This film lets you see that it is! Without the sneaking Army tanks and spinning camerawork of the original Cloverfield, this one is a bit more grounded…. well, undergrounded. Before the aliens swoop down and destroy the ambiguity, check it out and check out this episode! Find us on Instagram, where we are @chewingthescenery or easily find us on Facebook. Also, please rate, review and subscribe- it really does help us.