This Week in Horror History | Gojira, Carrie, They Live - Weekly Spooky: Scary Holiday Stories | Terrifying Tales to Creep Your Night

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's the first chill of November when the jack o'
lanterns start to slump and rot and the wind blows
straight to your bones. But horror does not pack up
after Halloween. My spookies it lingers. This Week in Horror
History gave us a monster born from fire and fallout,

(00:24):
a prom night turned psychic bloodbath, sunglasses that see the
rot in civilization, a devilish bargain on primetime TV, and
a handheld trip back to silent Hill. You could play
safely under the covers. We'll sprint through five moment makers,

(00:44):
then dig into a razor sharp deep cut that wears
its bayonet like a boutineer, beastly birthdays, a then and
now kerfuffle, and of course, a killer recommendation to turn
your streaming into sing you're listening to This week in
Horror History, let's haunt that calendar. I'm Enrique Kuto, filmmaker,

(01:18):
horror lifer, and the guy who keeps the jack o
lantern lit all year long. Here to bring you the
most interesting elements of horror news that took place between
November three and November ninth. On deck for Tonight, go
Jira stomps into Japanese theaters. Carrie opens and rewrites high

(01:41):
school hell. John Carpenter's They Live drops the most satisfying
alley fight of the nineteen eighties. The Twilight Zone tempts
fate with a Mefistophelian contract. Try saying that five times
fast and silent hill origins drags our nerves into the fall,
and make sure you stick around after the break as

(02:03):
we descend on a deep cut slasher film with jaw
dropping practical gore. Then celebrate Icon's birthdays and unpacked a
nineteen eighty four controversy which is headed right back into
theaters this December. So let's take a stab at the
first one. I have to say this is a very

(02:27):
fitting first piece of horror history because of my personal
history with the series and my favorite gigantic lizard. On
November third, nineteen fifty four, Gojira, also known as Godzilla,
arrives in major Japanese cities, but not the way you

(02:49):
might be thinking. Quick side note, because I am a
Godzillan nerd. That famous roar is actually created by taking
above and playing the bottom strings of an upright bass
below the bridge. That's what makes that sound that is

(03:09):
so unbelievably iconic. Toho's Atomic Nightmare doesn't just flatten buildings,
it births the kaiju genre as a cinematic language for
grief and of course, post war anxiety. Early rollouts began
October twenty seventh, but major city playdates hit on November three,

(03:33):
turning a man in a suit into a global metaphor
that still roars. Okay one more, and here's a fun fact.
The United States cut, known as Godzilla King of the
Monsters from nineteen fifty six, added Raymond Burr as a

(03:53):
reporter threading through the devastation. It also gave the film
a bit more of a Western style narrative, which they
hoped would help American audiences connect with the material. And
they were very very right, as Godzilla became a massive
hit worldwide. As far as where to find Godzilla King

(04:14):
of the Monsters or the original version Gojira, which I
think they're both pretty great in their own rights, you
can stream it on the Criterion collection. That's the best
place to get the Japanese cut in all of its
glory and restored fully. Or you can get it on
physical media if you're a nerd like me. November third,

(04:39):
nineteen seventy six, Carrie opens regionally in the United States.
Brian De Palma's adaptation of Stephen King's debut novel sneaks
into theaters in the d C Baltimore market on November third,
and expands mid month, becoming an Absolute Face nomina powered

(05:01):
by Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie's Oscar nominated turns. It's
the prom everyone remembers for the worst reasons, although my
prom wasn't much better if I'm honest. Fun fact, though,
the release pattern started small, with just seventeen screens, before

(05:22):
catching fire in New York and Los Angeles weeks later,
and from there, well, the rest is horror history. And
if you've never seen Carrie before or you want to
brush up on your Brian De Palma Stephen King education,
it's pretty easy to watch right now. You can catch
it on Pluto TV and the Roku channel completely for free,

(05:45):
and of course you can rent it on any major
digital platform, and there is a beautiful four K restoration available,
which I enjoy quite a bit. Again because Horror nerd
November fourth, nineteen eighty eight, They Live hits theaters at

(06:07):
number one in the box office I've been a massive
fan of They Live since my teen years. I think
because the star Rowdy Roddy Piper is well one of
my all time heroes. I'm surprised I didn't know that.
I actually double checked, actually triple checked, to make sure
it hit theaters at number one. John Carpenter's sci fi

(06:30):
horror satire lands like a steel chair to the face
with Rowdy Roddy Piper versus consumerist overlords you can only
spot while wearing magical sunglasses, although it's really more of
a scientific thing. But you know why. Quibble opened on
November fourth and debuting at number one. The obey slash

(06:52):
consume iconography escaped the screen and colonized popular culture. And
here's a fun fact for you, that six minute alley
fight between Keith David and Rowdy Roddy Piper. It's the
stuff of pure legend, but oddly it's kind of tender
in its stubbornness. As far as where to check out

(07:15):
They Live, I cannot recommend enough the Scream Factory four
K and Blu ray release if you're a physical media nerd,
but otherwise, if you want to see it on streaming,
you'll have to rent it. As of the recording of
this on somewhere like Amazon Prime or Fandango at Home
or Apple TV. November sixth, nineteen fifty nine, the Twilight

(07:43):
Zone episode Escape Clause airs on TV. Rod Serling writes
a devil's bargain, parable with David Wayne as a hypochondriac
who trades his soul for immortality and insurance fraud hijinks,
because that's just the kind of guy. Rod Serling was big,

(08:03):
big fan of his sardonic wit and his ability to
see the bizarre in the ordinary and the ordinary in
the bizarre. It aired November sixth and still plays like
a clever morality boomerang. Immortality without meaning is its own punishment.
And here's a fun fact on that one. The Vintage

(08:25):
promos teased the episode as a Faustian bargain, yet somehow
that did not spoil it for the viewers because it's
become one of the legendary episodes of a very legendary
TV show. And as far as where to find it
and watch it, well that's pretty easy. It's streaming on
Paramount Plus and you can also find it for free

(08:48):
on Pluto, or you can buy a Blu ray box
set if you want to try to hold your nerd
up to me and have a showdown. And I want
to take a quick second to say a big thank
you to our sponsor on this inaugural episode of This
Week in Horror History. Save Arista a coffee company that
provides high quality and very very delicious coffee blends that

(09:13):
have all the bold flavor you've come to love, but
they come in decalf and half calf, so you can
enjoy the premium coffee experience, but be confident that only
the terrifying stories you're listening to or watching on your
television screen are why you can't fall asleep. Head to

(09:34):
savorista dot com and use promo code Spooky at checkout
and get twenty five percent off your order, and every
order supports the show directly. Huge thank you to save
Arista for sponsoring the inaugural episode of This Week in
Horror History. November sixth, two thousand and seven. Silent and

(10:00):
Hill Origins Releases for PSP, a nerve scraping prequel that
brought classic Silent Hill dread to handheld radio's Hiss Sirens, Scream,
Rust Peels from Reality Origins launched November sixth with Akira
yama Oka's soundscapes and design work from Sam Barlow. Fun fact,

(10:24):
the project course corrected mid development to lean hard into
a more series consistent atmosphere. As far as where to play, well,
you can play it on psp UMD. There are PlayStation
two ports that exist, and digital availability varies by your region.
When we return, a deep cut slasher with Bayonets, pitchforks

(10:49):
and Tom Savini splatter that made eighties gore fans swoon,
all right, my spookies, Let's unmask an unsung killer in

(11:13):
Khaki nineteen eighty one's The Prowler. If the Golden Age
slasher wave had a museum wing labeled steel cold craftsmanship,
the Prowler would sit in the center, his blade polished
and his boots muddy. Directed by Joseph Zito, who would

(11:35):
later helm Friday the Thirteenth, the final chapter, as well
as one of my personal favorites, Body Snatchers from nineteen
ninety three. This nineteen eighty one shocker unfurls in a
small town haunted by a wartime tragedy and an annual
dance that should have stayed canceled. On November sixth, nineteen

(11:58):
eighty one. The film opened theatrically in the United States,
slipping into the post Halloween corridor like a quiet intruder,
although with very loud kills. The film's reputation rests in
many ways on special effects legend Tom Savini's practical effects vicious, unflinching,

(12:22):
and disturbingly tactile. There's a famous bayonet set piece that's
become a calling card for why practical effects and analog
gore still curdle the stomach more than pixels ever could.
Savini's work here sits alongside his work in Maniac and
The Burning as a trilogy of how did they do that? Moments.

(12:47):
Initially a modest performer, the Prowler grew into a cult favorite,
often ranked among the subgenres sharpest pun intended. It was
even featured in the original Last Drive In with Joe
Bob Briggs Marathon. When the world's foremost drive in movie
critic shows your film, well, that means you did something

(13:10):
very right. It's the kind of film you want to
bring to a friend who says they've seen all the
slasher movies. But that's not really the case until you've
experienced this film's very mean streak. Critics today cite its
atmosphere and deadly efficiency as quintessential early eighties slasher DNA.

(13:32):
One of my favorite scenes is a very tense cat
and Mouse through a dormitory stairwell. It rings suspense out
of every creek, every shadow. You'll hold your breath at
how long Joseph Zito lingers before the strike the patience
turns the blade. You can watch it right now for

(13:54):
free streaming on two B TV or rented on Amazon
Prime fandel Ango at home, or you can watch it
included with your AMC Plus subscription. If you love the
grounded procedural dread of My Bloody Valentine from nineteen eighty one,
or the seaside paranoia of dead and buried from the

(14:15):
same year, this one scratches the same itch without stealing
their faces. That's a Texas chainsaw massacre kind of thing
to do. An unsung November chill that still numbs the fingers.
Put it on late lights low and let the quiet
stalk you slowly. We've talked a lot about death and mayhem,

(14:42):
but now let's celebrate some births, shall we. First up,
ironically enough is Tom Savini born November third, nineteen forty six.
We just talked all about his work in The Prowler.
Other films worth mentioning our Dawn of the Dead nineteen
seventy eight, which is my personal favorite film, Day of

(15:04):
the Dead nineteen eighty five, and of course he directed
the remake of Night of the Living Dead from nineteen
ninety which just came out on four K. So if
you're a movie collector like me, well, you really want
to check that one out. And here's an interesting tidbit.
His combat photography passed in the Vietnam War informed a

(15:26):
realism that helped change splatter films forever. Next up is
fom K Johnson. I believe I'm saying that right. Born
November fifth, nineteen sixty four. One of her biggest credits
in horror is The Faculty from nineteen ninety eight, directed
by Robert Rodriguez, as well as appearing in Eli Roth's

(15:46):
Hemlock Grove TV series. And here's a little nuggative trivia.
She studied literature at Columbia before stepping in to genre royalty.
November eighth, eighteen, eighteen forty seven was the birth of
Bram Stoker. That's right, the man behind Dracula. In eighteen

(16:09):
ninety seven, the book that spawned hundreds upon hundreds of films, books,
stage shows, podcasts, you name it. A curious tidbit about
bram He took a lot of research trips to Whitby
and dipped his toe in the theater life at the Lyceum.
Many believe this helped steep his novel in Stagecraft and

(16:33):
Superstition And Finally, Born November eighth, nineteen sixty eight, is
Parker Posey. She's done so many things, but in horror.
She's most known for Scream three in two thousand and
the more recent and very polarizing bo Is Afraid by

(16:53):
Ari Astor from twenty twenty three. Many consider her to
be a queen of the indie film scene, and she
always manages to bring a sly menace to her horror
adjacent rolls. If you want to see a movie that's
truly terrifying but not at all a horror movie that
stars Parker Posey, check out The House of Yes, trust

(17:17):
Me you you won't thank me. It's a really good movie, though,
but it messed me up. On November ninth, nineteen eighty four,
a slasher dressed as Santa Claus opens the same day
as a Nightmare on Elm Street and steals the outrage
thunder This is Silent Night, Deadly Night from nineteen eighty four,

(17:41):
and parents groups protested at malls and theaters. TV spots
got pulled within six days, and Trystar, the film's distributor,
yanked the movie despite a very solid start at the
box office. In fact, it's worth noting on opening weekend,
Silent Night, Deadly Night actually outgrossed A Nightmare on Elm

(18:04):
Street Santa Beat Freddy, which is interesting because he does
know when you're sleeping, But that box office lead was
crushed by the film being pulled. Now decades later, the
movie's a cult Christmas staple and one of my personal favorites.
You can hear an entire episode about it on Cutting

(18:25):
Deep into Horror if you just search at Weeklyspooky dot com.
It's been reevaluated as a seasonal shocker and case study
in moral panic, and on December twelfth of this year,
twenty twenty five, a remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night
will be released into theaters nationwide through Cineverse, the company

(18:47):
that helped make Art the Clown of terrify Er fame
famous in the cinema, I'll certainly be grabbing myself a ticket.
Ho ho. No, before I get out of here, I
want to leave you with a little recommendation, something you
can kick back with and watch while you're enjoying your

(19:08):
November nights. I caught this one in the theater when
it came out, and I really enjoyed it. It's twenty
nineteen's Doctor Sleep. If you've avoided it because of sequel fear,
well consider this gentle push down the eerie hallway. Mike
Flanagan's Doctor Sleep threads the needle between King's novel and

(19:31):
Kubrick's film version of The Shining, delivering a sober and
very mature ghost story about recovery, found family, and predation.
It originally released on November eighth, twenty nineteen, in the
United States, and it's a chilly companion for early November nights.

(19:52):
Rebecca Ferguson's Rose the Hat is an instantly iconic predator,
and the director's cut deepens character beats without out sanding
off all the sharp corners. It's best paired with a
rewatch of The Shining and a cup of something warm
while the wind rattles your Windows. Maybe head over to

(20:12):
savorista dot com and use your promo code Spooky at
checkout get twenty five percent off that magic hot brown.
Doctor Sleep is currently available on Netflix, or you can
rent it on Amazon Prime, Fandango at Home, and Apple TV.
That's it for this week in Horror History for November

(20:33):
third through the ninth. If you enjoyed this new program
here at Weekly Spooky, let me know. Send me an
email at Weeklyspooky at gmail dot com, and make sure
you're subscribed on your favorite podcasting app because we'll be
back next Tuesday with more horror and history. I've been
Enrique Kuto. I'll see you tomorrow on Weekly Spooky. God

All Episodes

This Week in Horror History | Gojira, Carrie, They Live

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Crime Junkie

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}This Week in Horror History | Gojira, Carrie, They Live