The Bloody Pit

157 - RED SONJA (1985)

Cort Psyops returns to the show to talk sword and sorcery!

 
RED SONJA (1985) is a film that gets very little respect even among hardcore cult film fans. Cort and I feel this is an oversight and we take about two and half hours to make our case! Hopefully you will join us on our quest.

 
Both of us are coming off of seeing the film on high-definition disc which enhances our appreciation of the visuals, especially the old school special effects craftsmanship. Who cares if that strange giant spider doesn’t really work! Wheel that sucker out there and photograph it correctly for the desired effect.

 
We discuss the movie’s strange production with last minute casting of the lead and extended participation from Arnold Schwarzenegger bending the story into different shape. I lament the lack of a novelization but I do point out some fascination information that can be gleaned from the Marvel comics adaptation. We discuss the multi-ethnic cast, the gorgeous cinematography and the incredible production design that shows off every penny of the budget. We talk a bit about the slight differences that make for a PG-13 rating rather than an R with this film flashing enough blood to make us wish for a more violent cut. The film’s stunt coordinator is given his due as we praise the visceral feel of the sword fights as well as the many ways that the wonderful score brings the entire movie to life. This really is a fun adventure film and I’m glad to see that it has aged well.

 
If you also love this odd sword & sorcery film thebloodypit@gmail.com is where you can send your memories of seeing it for the first time. Are you like Cort who caught it between HBO screening s of BEASTMASTER? Or did you get to see it in the theater in 1985? Podcasters want to know! And thanks for listening. 

156 - BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997)

This is a very special episode.

John Hudson joins me to discuss BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997) but that is only half the fun. We also got the chance to talk to actress Jane Hamilton who appears in the film as a judge. Under her stage name Veronica Hart, Miss Hamilton was a major star of adult movies in the period depicted in BOOGIE NIGHTS and is therefore the perfect person to answer questions about the industry and its onscreen Hollywood portrayal. She has many stories to tell and not just about the pornography business either. We had so much fun talking with her that the conversation went on for nearly an hour and a half with more than a few digressions! Hopefully you’ll enjoy her tales as much as we did.

 
We end the show with some classic adult film recommendations from Mr. Hudson which might send you off to your favorite DVD/Blu-Ray retailer to satisfy your curiosity. If you have any comments or suggestions thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to write. Or you could join us over on the FaceBook page but keep it clean or the Zuck will get us for sure. I’ve added a song from The Exotic Ones and thank you for listening! 

155 - THE CANDY SNATCHERS (1973)

John Hudson and Bobby Hazzard return for a roundtable discussion of THE CANDY SNATCHERS (1973).

 
Typical of exploitation cinema of the 1970’s this is a grimy, mean-spirited tale of crime and consequences. The story follows a trio of not-quite-as-smart-as-they-think low lives as they kidnap a jewelry store manger’s daughter. Expecting an easily scored diamond ransom their scheme goes sour and, when they start trying to turn their busted plan into a success, things get quickly worse. The sweat, fear and desperation combine to make for a tense, uncomfortable film experience with an ending that stamps this as one of the darkest American films of the period. I once thought of this as a one-time watch but my opinion has changed.

 
We briefly discuss the terrible crime that inspired the film and how the long-term details point out the folly of most criminal activity. We talk about the cast and crew with some fantastic information from the two main female actors. Writer/director Guerdon Trueblood is also on the record about the entire history of the production and we share a few of his amusing tales as we go along. Bobby expresses his dislike of the reoccurring theme tune and neither John or I can really disagree with his assessment. Of course, that means you get to hear it as part of the show. Sorry.

 
If you have any comments or suggestions or comments thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to write. We’ll be back to cover STUNT ROCK eventually. We end the show with a new song from Chagall Guevara. Thank you for listening! 

154 - Mail Bag and Announcements

Other projects have thrown off my podcasting schedule so I present this short episode as a bridge to our next full show.

Troy joins me to respond to a couple of emails addressing some questions about THE MECHANIC. This includes some fascinating insight into director Michael Winner’s reputation from someone who has interviewed him! Exciting. We hint around about some of the projects that have been occupying our time recently without giving away any information we shouldn’t. I think.

 
I also make public my plea for a certain genre of adventure films to get more love and attention from Blu-Ray companies. We dart off in odd directions a few times with Ken Russell movies and lesser known Michael Caine films getting some discussion.

 
If you want to be a part of future mailbag segments thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address. Let us know what you think and we’ll be back soon. 

153 - THE GREEN ARCHER (1961)

Author Nicholas Schlegel joins me for a deep dive into the underappreciated genre of the ‘krimi’! These underseen films are German adaptations of Edgar Wallace crime novels. During their most popular period in the 1960’s more than four or five were being released every year and they remained a huge box office draw for nearly fifteen years. Mr. Schlegel has just published a book about these crime thrillers called ‘German Popular Cinema and the Rialto Krimi Phenomenon: Dark Eyes of London’ and it is a perfect springboard for discussion.

 
THE GREEN ARCHER (1961) came pretty early in the cycle and is a good example of the black & white period of the series. At this time the scripts were trying to stick as close as possible to the adapted novel’s content which can make for an often confusing number of characters and subplots. Luckily, the film’s fast pace and sly humor keep the many strange happenings from feeling overwhelming with most loose ends wrapped up in the ‘ende’. Mr. Schlegel and I range across the krimi output of Rialto productions discussing the changes the series went through including moving to color and the gradually increasing horror elements incorporated into the scripts. We touch on the production history of the films and their evolution into another genre altogether. Eventually we compare lists of favorites with some concern for how to break the films down for newcomers or the mildly curious. We both hope that bringing attention to these entertaining gems will encourage more people to give them a try.

 
If you have any comments, suggestions or ideas thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address. Let us know about your favorite krimi and how you discovered the genre as well. If you could, please rate and review the podcast wherever you grab it. And thanks for listening! 

152 - THE MECHANIC (1972)

Author Paul Talbot has published two important books about Charles Bronson and his career. Both ‘Bronson’s Loose: The Making of the Death Wish Films’ and ‘Bronson’s Loose Again: On the Set with Charles Bronson’ are packed with information about the production of some of the most interesting action thrillers movies of the 1970’s and 80’s.

 
I was honored that Mr. Talbot agreed to join me on the show to talk about one of my favorite 1970’s Bronson movies. I’ve long been a fan of Bronson’s long string of crime movies and THE MECHANIC (1972) is easily one of the best of the lot. We discuss the lengthy gestation period of the script, the major changes that it went through over time and the various actors that passed on playing the titular character. We also look at the location shooting on skid row in Los Angeles and how it offers modern viewers a window to another time and place. Director Michael Winner’s multiple collaborations with his star are touched upon and Mr. Talbot’s insights are backed up with his interviews with the sometimes controversial filmmaker. Of course, when you get two movie nuts talking it is difficult to stay on a single topic so a number of Bronson’s other vehicles are dragged into the conversation with both of us naming our three favorite Bronson films for comparison. These slightly off-topic sideroads are frequent but we do usually circle back to THE MECHANIC – I promise.

 
If you have any comments or questions thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening to the show and I’ll be back soon with more. 

151 - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1998)

During a recent rewatch of Dario Argento’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1998) I typed out my real time reactions to the film on FaceBook. Several friends played along, seeming to share my dislike of the film and enjoying my detailing of the bits that struck me as nonsensical or bizarre. But one person stood up for this strange version of the Gaston Leroux tale and now he and I discuss our disparate takes on this odd effort.

Troy Howarth returns to the show to defend the film that was many people’s breaking point with Argento. We forgo an in-depth synopsis and simply dive straight into picking apart the various points of disagreement about the film’s quality. Strangely enough, we find several details and scenes that we both admire but mostly our discussion involves me bringing up the elements I dislike and Troy providing a defense. I’m impressed with his resistance to my repeated appeals to sanity and logic but since neither of those things usually factor into an Argento film, he has cinema history on his side. Luckily, I think our conversation is pretty lively and might even make fans that hate this odd film give it a second look.

If you want to put in your two cents about this film or any other that we’ve covered on the show thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send messages. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon!  

150 - PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943)

The show finally reaches episode #150 with a discussion of the 1943 version of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!

 
Join Troy and I as we swing on the giant opera house chandelier! Say what you will, but it gives us a good view of the film’s successes and failures. This often-derided film is one of Universal’s Oscar winners and on Blu-Ray it is a gorgeous thing to behold. We never thought we’d use words like opulent or big budgeted or colorful to describe a ‘horror’ film from the 1940’s but here we are! Of course, comparisons to the 1925 version can’t be avoided and we also briefly touch on a few of the more well-known adaptations over the past eighty years.

 
We spend a lot of time digging into the question of Christine’s relationship with the Phantom and wondering why having him be her father was excised from the story. At least one review from the time indicates that there might have been something left in early prints that made this very clear. We talk about the cast and the director with attention paid to some poor staging that undercuts important moments. Complaints about the comedy elements of the film are voiced as are questions about the difficulty of assembling a music room in the Paris sewers. A good time is had by all with music leading the way!

 
Near the end of the show, we respond to a couple of emails sent to thebloodypit@gmail.com and I have a mini-rant about the sad tendency in film fans to hate all new things. It’s a brief spasm and the phrase Doppler Effect is tossed out but I recover quickly and get things back on track. Hell! I almost forgot about the emails. Thanks Troy. And thank you for listening. We’ll be back soon! 

149 - MURDER ROCK (1984)

Lucio Fulci’s MURDER ROCK (1984) is not considered the director’s finest work but in this episode Troy Guinn, Jeff Nelson and I mount a defense of the film.

We take a look at several aspects of the film that are rarely discussed including the excellent cinematography and the script’s clever red herrings. It’s standard for a murder mystery to throw suspicion on most of the cast but several of the suspects in this case are real nasty pieces of work! How often do you have one character falsely confess to the killing and another try to use the murder method to cover their own desire to be rid of a rival? It certainly keeps things lively even if it makes for a difficult knot to untangle.

We discuss the cast while marveling at the number of actors/dancers that don’t get screen credit. The central dream sequence comes under scrutiny as part of the mid-80’s intrusion of music video style into cinema. We mull over the nearly bloodless nature of the murders as a possible concession to the angry response Fulci received for his previous New York set thriller. We also give our opinions on the often-derided score from the legendary Keith Emerson who seems destined to be insulted for his contributions to this film for eternity. In all, it is a fun ramble through an often-overlooked giallo.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to write or drop a recording of your thoughts. We love hearing from you so jump in! Thank you for listening.

148 - CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN (1943)

We enter into one of the odder areas of the 1940’s Universal Horrors with CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN (1943)! The few jungle girl movies made by the studio in the decade can be seen as a slightly faltering bridge between the occasional jungle themed serials of the 1930’s, the Weissmuller Tarzan series and the rapid growth of such film and television tales in the 1950’s. By the time the Jungle Jim and Bomba films were Saturday matinee staples Sheena and Ramar were also enticing young viewers at home. These tales of wild animals, poachers and evil treasure hunters were perfect adventure fodder for young minds and if the subject was a leopard skin clad Jungle Girl then you might even find a few adults tuning in for the action.

CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN is an attempt to build a mad scientist horror film out of a lot of exciting circus footage. It is more effective than you might expect but the ratio of horror stuff to circus stuff is probably weighted in the wrong direction. Troy and I chew our popcorn while watching the spectacle! Deciding which parts work and which ones are very strange occupy most of our time but we discuss the cast and director with some detail too.  We only get a short period of time with Acquanetta’s silent wild woman/gorilla character but the 1932 animal act footage is skillfully integrated into the film almost making you forget this is supposed to be a horror tale. Luckily, John Carradine is one of the smoothest mad scientists of all time so it’s a joy to watch him slither across the screen.

The show can be reached at thebloodypit@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments. We would love to hear from you and we do wonder who you would name as best Jungle Girl or most impressive Mad Scientist. Thank you for listening!