Saturday Night Freak Show

This week, Sean looks back upon the film that ruined Christmases for the Moral Majority in 1984 - the notorious Silent Night, Deadly Night. A traumatized lad suffers the loss of his parents at the hands of a Santa Claus-suit wearing criminal; years later, when asked to don a Santa suit for the toy store he works at, he snaps and goes on a slasher killing spree. The movie outgrossed A Nightmare on Elm Street (they were released on the same weekend), and we take a look back at it on this exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Travis gets us in the Christmas spirit with Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996), the first and only feature film featuring the Canadian sketch-comedy troupe, in which a pharmaceutical scientist creates a pill that makes people remember their happiest memory, although it has unfortunate side effects. What does that have to do with Christmas, you ask? You'll have to tune in to find out in this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Colin celebrates Christmas with the holiday classic Hardware, which sees a post-apocalyptic artist (Stacey Travis) menaced in her apartment by a killer robot that re-assembles itself after her boyfriend (Dylan McDermott) brings it in from the wasteland. We talk sci-fi movies, killer robot movies, post-apocalyptic movies, and Christmas all in this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Tom ushers in the Yuletide season with the holiday classic Gremlins (1984) that proves that Christmas consumerism can lead to madness, death and monsters. Joe Dante (The Howling, Piranha) directs this terror tale for the junior set in which an inventor brings home a strange new pet for his son which comes with three strict rules: don't expose them to light, don't get them wet, and don't ever let them eat after midnight. Listen to us relive the glory of the 80's on this exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After our attempt to stream Beowulf in 3D via Netflix goes teats-up, Brent chooses the 3D remastered Jurassic Park (1993) as a consolation prize. Which is fitting, because Steven Spielberg's dinosaur epic turned 20 years old this year. Join us as we talk about the film and it's impact over the decades, and the post-Jurassic Park careers of the principal folks involved in this exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, the Freak Show overindulges in breaking down Travis' Holy Grail: the 2013 Superman re-do Man of Steel, in an epic 3-and-a-half hour discussion that leaves no stone unturned in analyzing Zack Snyder's comic book adaptation pretty much scene-by-scene. The podcast proves as contentious as the movie as Superman continues to weave a swath of destruction that in this case includes a couple of podcasters themselves! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Colin takes us into the third dimension with 1983's Amityville 3-D, the third theatrical installment of the classic Amityville Horror trilogy, which find's a skeptical magazine writer (Tony Roberts) moving into the infamous Long Island address despite warnings from pretty much everyone around him, and chronicles the supernatural shenanigans that ensue. A young Meg Ryan co-stars. Join us as we talk about the Amityville franchise, 3-D movies then and now, and about how movie posters create unrealistic expectations for some viewers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We wrap up our month of Halloween-themed movie picks with Tom's choice of Hocus Pocus, which stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters, a trio of witches from Salem, Massachusetts who are reawakened in the modern day (on Halloween, no less) to wreak havoc. Join us as we talk all things Halloween, Disney, witchcraft and Sarah Jessica Parker on this exciting episode of the Saturday Night Freak Show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Listen to our Halloween Special, a trick-or-treat grab bag in which we take a look back at childhood Halloween TV standards including Walt Disney's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and Garfield's Halloween Adventure! Which one did we like the best? Listen in and find out! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We continue to celebrate Halloween with Brent's pick: Flatliners (1990), in which five too-smart-for-their-own-good medical students attempt to prove life-after-death by killing and resurrecting themselves in an experiment; but soon they discover that they may not have returned from the other side alone... Join us as we talk about awesome production design, the career trajectories of the 90's Brat Pack, faith, religion, character arcs and all that good stuff on this exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our Halloween celebration continues this week with Sean's pick, Curse of Chucky (2013), which sees the return of everyone's favorite killer doll. The new installment eschews the post-modern camp comedy of his last few screen outings in favor of a return to Gothic horror. A new family, including paraplegic Nika (Fiona Dourif), comes into possession of the infamous Chucky (Brad Dourif) and mayhem ensues. Join us as we revisite the entire Child's Play franchise and the legacy of this pint-sized slasher! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Halloween month continues with Travis' trip back to the past via the original screen adaptation of Tales from the Crypt (1972), an omnibus horror film from England's Amicus Productions which features 5 jolting tales of terror. Join us as we explore the history of Tales from the Crypt, from it's beginnings in E.C. comics, English film adaptations, successful HBO TV series, the Cryptkeeper, and beyond! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, we usher in Halloween with Colin's pick of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), a famous monster-rally that has comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello running afoul of Dracula (Bela Lugosi), the Frankenstein Monster (Glenn Strange), and The Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr.). Join us as we talk about the impact and legacy of the Universal Studios Monsters, vaudevillian comedy acts, Hammer films, and more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, the Saturday Night Freak Show fellows take a field trip to the local drive-in movie theater and catch a dusk till dawn horrorthon that includes Fright Night (1985), Death Race 2000 (1975), Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988), and Barn of the Naked Dead (1974 - aka Nightmare Circus, aka Terror Circus). Listen as we wax nostalgic about the drive-in experience on this special episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Tom champions Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), the live-action, feature film version of the popular comic book and cartoon series featuring a quartet of humanoid turtles, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello, who team up with human reporter, April O'Neil, and vigilante Casey Jones, to rid New York City of a growing teenage gang lead by the villainous Shredder. Listen to the only TMNT podcast you'll ever need to hear as we explore the length and depth of Turtles lore, from their comic book origins, to various television incarnations, to feature films, and an upcoming remake starring Megan Fox. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Brent claims we can't outrun the thunder as he subjects us to Days of Thunder (1990), which follows the career of a hot shot stock car racer (Tom Cruise) as he battles his way to the Daytona 500. Join us as we talk sports movies, the cinematic style of Tony Scott, Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, and Movies For Dudes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Travis forces us to watch Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988), a late addition to the slasher-movie cycle which features the return of transgendered psychopath Angela (now played by Bruce Springsteen's younger sister, Pamela) returning to camp as a camp counselor where she hacks, chops and slices her way through misbehaving teens. Join us as we talk about 80's slasher movies, puritan family values, the dawn of the direct-to-video movie marketplace, and what elements a movie must possess in order to be classified "good", all in this latest thrilling episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Colin subjects the guys to Shogun Assassin (1980), which chronicles the adventures of a renegade warrior and his infant son as they travel the length and breadth of feudal Japan, slashing and maiming their way through hundreds of ninja assassins who are bent on their destruction. Join the conversation as we talk about spraying blood geysers, the entertainment value of graphic on-screen maiming, the political correctness of choosing the correct ninja outfit, the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman and more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Tom calls out The Warriors (1979) in which a NYC gang finds themselves framed for the murder of a gang chieftain and must fight their way back home, 100 miles through enemy turf belonging to rival gangs. Join us as we talk about splatterpunks, gangs from the future, Greek history, the concrete jungle of pre-Guliani New York, Escape from New York and more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Brent targets The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), in which Geena Davis stars as an amnesiac assassin who teams up with con-man/private eye Samuel Jackson to uncover her hidden identify. Listen in and hear about vodka shots that roll off the chin; when movies break our suspension of disbelief; female action heroes; nepotism, or "casting your wife against type in the lead role in a summer action movie"; and analyze the career trajectories of writer Shane Black and director Renny Harlin. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.