Years of Fear: A History of Horror

Latest Episodes:

Vintage Episode: 3rd Annual Toxic Schlock Halloween Bonus Episode Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

Our special Halloween bonus episode has come around once more, and Michael is again joined by his wife Sam, but this time around, they do a ranking of the Halloween franchise!! Its not as bad as they make it sound in the episode, and most of the Halloween movies have some great moments, but its also a series with some absolute absurdity in between them. Where do Rob Zombie's remake films rank in the series? What about Halloween Kills? Only one way to find out!

Evil Dies Tonight!

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Vintage Episode: Frankenstein with Horror Vanguard Oct 13, 2021

Show notes

We kick off our final Toxic Schlock mini series on Monster movies by going back to where it all started: FRANKENSTEIN! We explore the early life of author Mary Shelly and the road to the creation of her debut novel, and how it ended up in 1931 as the most iconic horror film of all time. We're then joined by the hosts of Horror Vanguard to discuss Shelley, Boris Karloff, and the politics (and many adaptations) of Frankenstein!

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Vintage Episode: Cosmic Horror and Pessimism with Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates, Disfear) May 25, 2021

Show notes

In the early 20th century, HP Lovecraft revolutionized horror literature by bringing horror to a cosmic level of despair and incorporating a philosophical level of pessimism to mankind's place in uncaring universe. This concept has been expanded and developed in recent decades, with authors like Thomas Ligotti and Eugene Thacker helping bring cosmic horror into mainstream pop culture like True Detective and Jay-Z music videos.

In a special between season episode, we are joined by Tomas Lindberg of Swedish Death Metal icons At The Gates to discuss Lovecraft, cosmic horror, pessimist philosophy, and their influence on the upcoming At The Gates album "The Nightmare of Being"

Stick around after the interview to hear the announcement of our upcoming listener's choice mini series, where you can vote for what you want us to cover in our next mini series!

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Vintage Episode: The VVitch with Meredith Graves May 04, 2021

Show notes

In 1693, the infamous Salem Witch Trials ended in nineteen innocent people being executed. Although this is the most famous case of witch killings in America, the decades before showed New England being gripped by Witchcraft with hysteria, with accounts of alleged demonic possessions and subsequent executions, setting a precedent for the Salem controversies that followed.

We end our series on Satan in horror with an exploration of the cases of Elizabeth Knapp and Goody Ann Glover, where religious paranoia gripped entire communities. We are then joined by Meredith Graves (Kickstarter Music, ex-Perfect Pussy/MTV News) to discuss Robert Egger's modern classic film The VVitch. We discuss the film's profound historical authenticity, magick and witchcraft in contemporary culture, the failings of a puritan patriarchal culture and how it fails eldest daughters, the wide cultural impact of the film, and much much more.

The conversation with Meredith begins at 19:30

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Vintage Episode: The House of the Devil with Scott Hicks (Totally Slow) Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

The 1980s was an era defined by fear of Satan and the Occult, with a prevailing sentiment that we were all surrounded by an evil cabal of devil worshippers. Regardless of the fact that this was fiction, it shaped culture for years to come. In 2009, Ti West released the film THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, where we see what it would like if these evil cults were real. In today's episode of Toxic Schlock we explore what led to the Satanic Panic, and how it shaped an era. We're then joined by Scott Hicks of NC punk band Totally Slow to discuss Ti West's film, and its approach to 1980s aesthetics, nostalgia, and cinema.

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Vintage Episode: The Omen with Chris Colohan (Sect, Cursed, Left For Dead) Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

Our series on Satan in Horror rolls on with an exploration of the iconic 1976 classic THE OMEN! We dive into the rise of doomsday conspiracy theories in the early 1970s, and how this speculation completely changed the landscape of both mainstream religion and pop culture forever. We're then joined by returning guest Chris Colohan to discuss The Omen, it's iconic soundtrack, the self written mythology of a cursed production, how it compares to it's predecessors like ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE EXORCIST, and its cultural footprint on horror!

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Rosemary's Baby with Ivotres Littles (Horror Movies and Beyond) Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

Raise those horns and invert those crosses, because we're kicking off our series on SATAN in Horror with an exploration of the 1968 all-time classic film ROSEMARY'S BABY. We dig into the early history of the devil in pop culture, the original novel's author Ira Levin, b-movie director William Castle's bid to make an adaptation, and director Roman Polanski's traumatic early life experiences. After that, we're joined by Ivotres Littles to discuss the film, it's incredible performances, it's place as the origin of high brow horror, its impact on the wave of blasphemous horror films to follow and much more!

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Scream with Tom Breihan (Stereogum, AV Club) Feb 16, 2021

Show notes

We bring our slasher series to a close with a deep dive into the film that redefined and resurrected the genre, Wes Craven's 1996 blockbuster "SCREAM". We explore the career of Craven, his continuous impact on the genre for 3 decades in a row, and the path to his 90s masterpiece . We're then joined by Tom Breihan (Stereogum, Av Club) to discuss the film's stacked cast, the John Hughes-esque writing of Kevin Williamson, the sad state of slasher cinema in the early 1990s, and how SCREAM's meta horror approach redefined the genre for a new generation. Stick around after the interview, where we'll reveal our new mini season!

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Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter with Inge Johansson (Gatuplan, Against Me, International Noise Conspiracy) Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

Pack your sleeping bag, because this week we are going to Camp Crystal Lake for a deep dive into the most iconic Slasher film series of all time: FRIDAY THE 13TH! We explore the film's original HALLOWEEN knock off origins, Shaun Cunningham's early career with Wes Craven, the invention of Jason, Tom Savini's FX, and it's impact on the Slasher genre. After that, Inge Johansson (Gatuplan, ex-Against Me/Totalt Java Morker/ The International Noise Conspiracy) returns to the show to discuss the best Friday film: The Final Chapter, and we answer the immortal question "hey ted, where the hell's the corkscrew?"

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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with Sam Sutherland (155, Extremely Online, Junior Battles) Jan 05, 2021

Show notes

We continue our Slasher series with a deep dive into one of the best and most important horror films of all time THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. We kick it off by exploring the early life of director Tobe Hooper, the real life inspirations behind the film, and the shoestring budget under which it was created. We're then joined by Sam Sutherland (155, Extremely Online, Junior Battles) to discuss the film, what sets it apart from other slasher films, traumatic movie experiences, the film's unique soundtrack, the intense creation of the film, and much more!

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