The Legend of Hell House (1973), Hausu (1977), The Abandoned (2006)

In older small towns, there is usually some old house on the outskirts of town, maybe someone lives there, maybe not. But it is one that young kids dare themselves to go up to. And if you do dare to enter this dwelling, you'll find creaking boards, dust covered items from furniture to knick-knacks, and a lot of cobwebs. And any noise, no matter how small it might, gets the mind racing.

There is nothing better for the Halloween season than sitting down with a nice Haunted House movie. Which is why we decided to tackle 3 of our favorite scary movies about demented dwellings, as well as ones that we feel that need more attention. Going back to the very beginning of cinema, with Georges Méliès' The House of the Devil (1896), it shows how important this sub-genre is, and why filmmakers continue to go back to it. When done correctly, can be highly effective, and damn scary.

Films mentioned in this episode:

The Abandoned (2006), Aftermath (1994), Amityville Horror (1979), The Changeling (1980), The Chooper (1971), Color Out of Space (2019), The Conjuring (2013), Creepshow (1982), Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974), Dust Devil (1992), Dracula (1931), Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), The Evil (1978), Fletch (1985), Frankenstein (1931), Genesis (1998), The Ghost of Sierre de Cobre (1964), Hardware (1990), The Haunting (1963), Hausu aka House (1977), The House of Clocks (1989), The House of the Devil (1896), The House on Haunted Hill (1959), The House that Dripped Blood (1971), Ice from the Sun (1999), Infinity Pool (2023), The Innocents (1961), Jaws (1975), The Legend of Hel House (1973), The Old Dark House (1932), Paranormal Activity (2007), Pet Sematary (1989), Poltergeist (1982), Possessor (2020), Salem’s Lot (1979), Scrapbook (2000), The Shining (1980), Stir of Echoes (1999), Subconscious Cruelty (2000), Tennessee Gothic (2019), Terrified (2017), Twin of Evil (1972), The Uninvited (1944), The Watcher in the Woods (1980), The Woman in Black (1989)

Four decades on, and Fangoria is still one of the leading voices of horror culture. But in it's heyday in the 1980s, it was the gold standard. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that Fangoria was the most important part of horror culture at that time. On this episode of Discover the Horror, we take a trip through Fango's history and discuss how it shaped out love of the genre, as well as speculating on how it shaped the genre as a whole.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

Accion Mutante (1993), Bad Taste (1987), The Beyond (1981), Brain Dead (1992), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), The Fly (1986), Geek Maggot Bingo (1983), Godzilla (1954), I Drink Your Blood (1971), Intruder (1989), I Spit on Your Grave (1978), Motel Hell (1980), Puppet Master III (1991), Q (1982), Shriek of the Mutilated (1974), Star Wars (1977), Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Videodrome (1982), Zombie (1979)

The Vampire Doll (1970), Lake of Dracula (1971), and Evil of Dracula (1974).

In the annals of Japanese horror cinema, this vampire trilogy from director Michio Yamamoto seems to be close to escaping into obscurity. In fact, try finding much more than a passing mention of these films in any reference books. But thanks to Arrow Video, all three of these films are at least saved from fading away in the sunlight like any good vampire, in one fantastic box set! Because these seemed to be on the outskirts of the vampire genre, we thought it would be a great opportunity for us to take a closer look at them, and to see if they need more attention. Listen and find out!

Films mentioned in this episode:

Blacula (1972), Cannibal Holocaust (1980), Count Yorga, Vampire (1970), Dracula 72 AD (1972), El Topo (1970), Evil of Dracula (1974), Frankenstein (1931), Frankenstein vs Baragon (1965), Horror of Dracula (1957), Ju-On (2002), King Kong vs Godzilla (1963), Lake of Dracula (1971), Lust for a Vampire (1971), Ring (1998), Seeding of a Ghost (1983), Son of Frankenstein (1939), Throne of Blood (1957), The Vampire Doll (1970), Vampyros Lesbos (1971)