Hellbent for Horror

We all have scary movies that we love so much we want to know everything we can about them. Today's episode has me discussing over two dozen of the best horror documentaries! Some cover legendary movies, and others cover movies and subjects that will become your new obsessions!
Thanks for listening!
MOVIES COVERED:
Boorman and The Devil (2026)
Making Movies: A Day in the Vitagraph Studio (1908)
The American West of John Ford (1971)
A Primer for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1970)
The Making of Star Wars (1977)
OUR FOUNDING FEAR-FATHERS
Document of the Dead (1980)
Dario Argento's World of Horror (1985)
Terror in the Aisles (1984)
WHO SURVIVED- AND WHAT WAS LEFT OF THEM
The Thing: Terror Takes Shape (1998)
The Beast Within: The Making of 'Alien' (2003)
More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead (2011)
Just Desserts: The Making of 'Creepshow' (2007)
Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth (2000)
You're So Cool, Brewster! The Story of Fright Night (2016)
MAD GODS: THE ANYTHING GOES DIRECTORS
Blood and Flesh: The Reel Life and Ghastly Death of Al Adamson  (2019)
King Cohen: the Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen (2017)

Horror comedies have been around since the early days of cinema, and they've always been a mixed bag. Almost always, horror takes a backseat in boring parodies. But a new breed of imaginative movies is changing how horror and humor mix in one film. 
Gorier, wilder, and unafraid to be absurd, these movies are a new subgenre that is turning heads! 
Thanks for listening!
Covered in This Episode:
Reggie Bannister (1945-2026)
Screaming Mad George (1956-2026)
Christopher Dyer's Newsletter: http://www.Dyersdungeon.com  
Freaks and Psychos: The Disability in Horror Podcast: https://freaksandpsychospodcast.com/
American Graffiti (1973)
Happy Days (1974-1984)
Airplane! (1980)
Un Chien Andalou (1929)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters (1954)
Student Bodies (1981)
Pandemonium (1982)
 National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982)
Saturday the 14th (1981)
Wacko (1982)
Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
Hausu (1976)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
It's Alive (1976)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
 Evil Dead II (1987)
Bad Taste (1987)
Dead-Alive (1993)
Reanimator (1985)
 Return Of the Living Dead (1984)
The Office (UK) (2001-2003)
Snakes on a Plane (2006)
Cocaine Bear (2023)
USING SALT ON SWEETS: HUMOR MAKES THE HORROR HIT HARDER
Barbarian (2022)
Cuckoo (2024)
Weapons (2025)
USING HORROR AND HUMOR AS SOCIAL SATIRE
The Substance (2024)
Sorry To Bother You (2018)
Ugly Stepsister (2025)
KILLING THE JOKE: SHOWING A JOKE SCENARIO AND TAKING IT SERIOUSLY
The Coffee Table (2022)
Obsession (2026)
SPLATTERSTICK: USING GORE AS MONTY PYTHON DID
The Monkey (2025)
Heart Eyes (2025)
CREATING A HYBRID GENRE
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2025)
Dust Bunny (2025)

Hello everyone! Hellbent for Horror is back from the dead, with fresh grave soil still underneath the fingernails.
This episode is a reconnection to you all, hopefully a resurrection, after a "lost year."
I'll give some explanations, and some good news, too!
As always, thanks for listening!

Izzy Lee is a take-no-prisoners indie filmmaker whose 20-plus genre short films garnered praise from Fangoria, Dread Central, the A.V. Club, and EW.com. 
And then came the pandemic.
However Izzy Lee rose from the ashes and came back tougher than ever, with her first published novella (I Can See Your Lies) and her feature-length film directorial debut, HOUSE OF ASHES.
Join me as Izzy talks about creative influences, the art of the short film, making friends while making art, and the mission statement for genre films during uncertain times, where fact is scarier than fiction.
 
I hope you enjoy the show!
Moves Discussed:
House of Usher (1960)
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Blood and Black Lace (1964)
Suspiria (1977)
House of Ashes (2024)
Rites of Vengeance (short) (2017)
Meat Friend (short) (2022)

Although 2024 has passed, so many horror films were released that I am still playing catch-up to see them all!
You might have loved some and hated others, but there's no denying that the horror genre flourished in 2024 and continues to be one of our most diverse storytelling styles.
From traditional Gothic stories to deconstructed slashers to experimental monster movies to international versions of demons, there was something for every type of horror fan!
Join me as I examine twenty-five horror films to give my view of the "state of the horror union" for 2024. I'll discuss some of my favorites and the trends I noticed, and I'll also cover the movies that, for better or worse, influenced the constant evolution of the world's greatest genre!
I hope you enjoy the show!
Movies discussed:
Late Night With the Devil
Immaculate
The First Omen
Heretic
Strange Darling
Cuckoo
The Shout (1978)
A Quiet Place Day One
Nosferatu
Maxxine
Vice Squad (1982)
Angel (1983)
Terrifier 3
Oddity
Daddy's Head
Starve Acre
The Haunting of Julia (1977)
Exhuma 
Stopmotion 
MadS
I Saw the TV Glow
The Coffee Table
In a Violent Nature
Caddo Lake
Things Will Be Different
Sleep
Longlegs 
Azrael 
The Substance