Watch This With Rick Ramos

Latest Episodes:

#572 - Shadow of the Vampire - WatchThis W/RickRamos Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

E. Elias Merhige's Shadow of the Vampire

Sometimes it's simply a thrill to watch one your favorite actors let loose and have a great time. F.W. Murnau's 1922 Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is widely - and deservedly - considered one of the greatest films of all time. A mythology has formed around the making of the film including the idea that its star, Max Shreck, was an actual vampire. With this springboard, writer Steven Katz and director E. Elias Merhige's fashion an exciting, inventive, and thrilling historical re-telling of the making of Murnau's film. With a great supporting cast including Cary Elwes, Eddie Izzard, Udo Kier, and Catherine McCormack as actors and crew of Nosferatu. However the film belongs solely to a pair of unhinged and clearly fun performances from John Malkovich as Murnau, and (in an Academy Award nominated performance) Willem Dafoe as Schreck. For fans of Murnau's classic, silent films, and vampire stories, Shadow of the Vampire is a real treasure. Take a listen to see if you agree. As always we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many, Many Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

#571 - Vampyr - WatchThis W/RickRamos Oct 27, 2025

Show notes

Carl Theodore Dreyer's Vampyr

If you dig deep enough, Cinema will unleash great treasures. The Silent Era ended in 1927 with the release of The Jazz Singer . . . Movies would never be the same. A number of filmmakers would utilize the new technology in innovative, imaginitive, and groundbreaking ways. Fritz Lang's M comes to mind. Musicals became a reality and would astonish audiences. Storytellng became an entirely new artform. However the power of Silent Films would continue to be felt. Chaplin stubbornly held onto silence, while Karl Dane, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., and Emil Jannings would witness their star power dim sound emerged. Danish filmmaker, Carl Theodore Dreyer, would struggle throughout his career with complex material, however he would - years later - be recognized as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. With Vampyr the struggle with the new technology is evident in its use in the film, however the brilliance in Dreyer's vision is in the visual. The images are haunting, disturbing, and - in many cases - unforgettable. Take a look at this Classic of World Cinema and enjoy one of the great works of the 20th Century. Take a listen as we bring you this powerful film. Questions, Comments, Complaints, and Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many Thanks.

#570 - The Vourdalak - WatchThis W/RickRamos Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

Adrien Beau's The Vourdalak

If you dive into the depths of World Cinema you will often discover magic. You may not know that you're viewing something exceptional while you're watching it, but you will find yourself realizing the power of the image, the power of ideas from different corners of the world. This week Mr. Chavez & I find Adrien Beau's 2023 French "Folk" Tale The Vourdalak, a film of nuance and beautifully imagined historical horror. Chronicling the story of a French aristocrat, robbed and left lost in Eastern Europe, Beau's story takes on a familiar story re-imagined as the Marquis Jacques Saturnin du Antoine is directed to a villager's home and the terror of a new vampire story. Better seen than read about, we encourage you to take the chance, start the movie, and trust that it will captivate you. Take a listen, watch the movie, and let us know if you agree. As always we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many Thanks.

#569 - Salem's Lot - WatchThis W/RickRamos Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

Tobe Hooper's Salem's Lot

From time to time movies slip through the cracks. Although Tobe Hooper's Salem's Lot is considered a television classic, it is a film that your movie podcaset host has somehow missed these 46 years. Adapted from Stephen King's 1975 best-seller, this 1979 adaptation features David Soul from TVs Starsky & Hutch, as well as future Mrs. Holly McClane, Bonnie Bedelia. What could have easily been a throw-away television mini-series, is instead a ground-breaking take on Vampires, Lust, and Small-Town Paranoia. Guided through the directorial lens of Mr. Hooper, shortly after the landmark Horror spectacle, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and before Poltergeist (1982), Hooper elevates the material to a truly frightening and exciting experience. If you haven't seen this classic you owe it to yourself to make the time. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, and Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks.

#568 - Thirst - WatchThis W/RickRamos Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

Park Chan-wook's Thirst

One of the great thrills of the past ten-plus years is the discovery of new, exciting, and challenging films. On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Mr. Chavez & I dive into the cinema of South Korea's Park Chan-wook for 2009s Thirst. It's fascinating to watch stories we believe we understand and are sure we have witnessed every variation. Park Chan-wook's Vampire story centers around a priest (Kang-ho Song) as he struggles with his beliefs and his slow transformation into the Undead. With an equally exceptional performance from Kim Ok-vin (as Tae-ju, the woman who fall in love with the priest with all of its complications), Chan-wook's film is a beautifully realized exploration of love, religion, death, and sin. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many, Many Thanks.

#567 - Innocent Blood - WatchThis W/RickRamos Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

John Landis's Innocent Blood

There are times when you have to take what you can get from a project. This week Mr. Chavez & I look at John Landis's 1992 Horror/Mob/Vampire/Comedy, Innocent Blood. With a talent such as Landis, the strokes are broad and without nuance. Innocent Blood is no exception. There are definitely the seeds for an exceptional Horror/Comedy hybrid, however this film is serving far too many masters. Some of the Horror works. Some of the Comedy works. The problem is there's simply not enough dedication to either. You can't serve two masters. The Pros . . . Robert Loggia - The man is having a great time spoofing himself, the Mob genre, and Horror movies. With an exceptional supporting cast including the great Don Rickles and a "who's who" of 90s Mob faces, Innocent Blood is a miss but a curious, interesting, and - somewhat - charming film. Take a listen and let us know what you think - gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many, Many Thanks.

#566 - Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust - WatchThis W/RickRamos Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

Samurai Dhampir - Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

What an incredible find! This week Mr. Chavez & I return to the world of Japanese Anime with this discussion of Yoshiaki Kawajiri's 2000 Dark Vampire Fantasy, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. Coming fifteen years after Toyoo Ashida's Vampire Hunter D, what Kawajiri creates is breathtaking. Simply put, Japanese Anime expands the boundaries and expectations of "Traditional" American Animation. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Kawajiri's tale of a half human/half vampire hired to track and rescue a wealthy man's kidnapped daughter. In a story that mirrors - to a degree - Richard Brooks's The Professionals, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust takes a simple, and rather familiar, story and emboldens it with some of the most beautiful animation ever committed to film. There is a great deal to admire here. Take a listen as Ibrahim & I are overwhelmed and excited to talk. We hope you enjoy this episode. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many, Many Thanks.

#565 - What We Do in the Shadows- WatchThis W/RickRamos Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

Fanged Housemates - Taika Waititi & Jermaine Clemente's What We Do in the Shadows

This week Mr. Chavez & I dive into the World of Reality Cinema with Taika Waittit & Jermaine Clemente's 2014 mockumentary, What We Do in the Shadows. A comical look at the undead that misses more often that it hits, Waititi & Clemente take a reality television approach to the vampire legend, both literary and cinematic. As always, we look at the film and dive into the history of movies that have inspired this film as well as the direction that these types of films have begun to move. Take a listen and let us know what you think - gondoramos@yahoo.com - Our Continued Thanks.

#564 - Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person - WatchThis W/RickRamos Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

Someone To Die For: Ariane Louis-Seize's Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person

The title alone may put off some audiences, however to do pass on this film would be a mistake. The rare film that explores genre with an intent to experiment, open up, and entertain, Louis-Seize's French-Canadian co-production is an exciting and beautifully realized look at a coming-of-age story wedged into the Horror genre. The story of a young female vampire who refuses to kill, Louis-Seize's story is a moving and intellectually stimulating examination of genre story-telling. Take a watch . . . we dont' think you'll be disappointed. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many, Many Thanks.

#563 - Blacula - WatchThis W/RickRamos Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

Mamuwalde Unchained: William Crain's Blacula

Well Boys & Girls, this week Mr. Chavez & I begin our yearly dive into Horror, returning to the genre with a search for lesser-known, less-discussed titles in the Vampire sub-genre. Over the next two months we will be traveling to Korea, Canada, the American Southwest, a post-apocalyptic Japan, and New Zealand. This week we start in Transylvania and travel to Los Angeles with 1972s Blaxploitation Classic, Blacula. A film with a mixed reputation, there certainly is a great deal to admire in William Crain's re-imagining of the Dracula legend. One of the most powerful aspect is the performance of its lead actor William Marshall. Much of what we do here is an examination of cinema in the popular culture, social history, and an embracing of the "what-if's" - There are quite a few that this film raises. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Our Continued Thanks.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Watch This With Rick Ramos

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected