The Gargyle Podcast - 60 Days of Halloween: Knoxville Horror Film Festival coverage

KHFF poster art by Adam Pernell Deal

A couple weeks ago, special guest William Mahaffey (Director of the Knoxville Horror Film Festival) joined me and Eric to talk about the Knoxville Horror Film Festival, Central Cinema, partnering with the Ijams Nature Center, and horror movies for IFC Midnight Week.  And as much as I have been loving all of the horror movies that I've been watching each week, I have been looking forward to the Knoxville Horror Film Festival ever since I was there last year!  It is such an awesome film festival filled with amazing horror movies, put together by people who very clearly know and love horror!  And this year's Knoxville Horror Film Festival certainly did NOT let us down!!

So, join me and Eric as we discuss our time at the Knoxville Horror Film Festival, the awesome movies we saw, and what it is that we think makes horror movies so enjoyable!!

If you enjoy this episode, check back soon for more Halloween movie coverage in my 60 Days of Halloween.  Next up will be my coverage of the Frightening Ass Film Festival!




If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

The Gargyle Podcast - 60 Days of Halloween: Anthology Week (and Halloween Favorites Week)

After two solid months of horror and Halloween movies, my 60 Days of Halloween coverage is drawing to a close.  Having just finished up Anthology Week, the last week leading up to Halloween will be comprised of some of my favorite Halloween movies.  The movies for Halloween Favorites Week won't necessarily be the scariest, or even necessarily the best, horror movies...but they are movies that I just always love to watch around Halloween (even if I've already watched them several times throughout the year).

So, join me as I discuss Trick 'r Treat, Creepshow, Cat's Eye, Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror, Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, and Tales from the Darkside for Anthology Week...along with my plans for Halloween Favorites Week!!

If you enjoy this episode, check back soon for more Halloween movie coverage in my 60 Days of Halloween.  Next up will be my coverage of the Knoxville Horror Film Festival!



If you enjoy horror, movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

The Gargyle Podcast - 60 Days of Halloween: Universal Monster Week

The Universal Monsters are unarguably iconic.  They have permeated cinema and pop culture ever since they first terrified audiences from the silver screen.  While horror movies have become much more graphic and special effects have become much more advanced, the tragic tales of the Universal Monsters continue to have a lasting impact on the horror genre...and no Halloween movie list would be complete without them!!

So, join me and artist Chris Goins (Black Sheep Studios, TN) as we talk at length about The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Mummy, The Wolfman, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Phantom of the Opera!!

If you enjoy this episode, check back soon for more Halloween movie coverage in my 60 Days of Halloween.  Next up will be Anthology Week!



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

The Gargyle Podcast - 60 Days of Halloween: IFC Midnight Week

It's after midnight...do you know where your movies are???  They are on IFC Midnight, of course!!

If you know me even a little, you know how much I love indie cinema!!  I have so much respect and appreciation for filmmakers who pour their heart and soul into their art!!  Regardless of the quality of the movies themselves, I will always love indie cinema for the simple fact that someone pursued their passion and created something!  Thankfully, some of the best new horror movies that I have seen over the past couple years have been IFC Midnight films!!

This is an episode that I've been looking forward to for a few weeks.  In part because of the movies, but also because of special guest William Mahaffey (Director of Knoxville Horror Film Festival), who talks about Knoxville Horror Film Festival, Central Cinema, partnering with Ijams Nature Center, and horror movies...of course!

So, join me, Eric, and special guest William Mahaffey as we discuss The Axe Murders of Villisca (2016), Stung (2015), A Dark Song (2016), Almost Human (2013), I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016), and The Devil's Candy (2015).

If you enjoy this episode, check back soon for more Halloween movie coverage in my 60 Days of Halloween.  Next up will be Universal Monster Week!



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

The Gargyle Podcast - 60 Days of Halloween: Documentary Week

If you’ve listened to just about any of my podcasts, you know that one of the things that I love most about movies is analyzing them, especially when it comes to horror movies.  Horror movies reveal so much about humanity that just isn’t found in most other movies.  What terrifies us?  How do we overcome diversity?  Who are we when things are at their worst?  What are the horrors of humanity?  What are the horrors within ourselves?  Is the supernatural real?  These are topics that might be addressed in other styles of movies, but I feel like the horror genre allows these ideas to be discussed more fully because horror movies push boundaries and push us past mere entertainment.  So, with my love of horror movies and studying the human condition, it should be no surprise that I especially love horror documentaries.  Whether they be historical (looking more at some of the technical aspects of how a movie was made), analytical (looking more at the “why” of a movie), or human interest (focusing on people rather than film)...horror documentaries fascinate me on so many levels.

So join me as I discuss Monster Madness:  The Golden Age of the Horror Film, the Scream Queens episode of 100 Year of Horror, Best Worst Movie, Birth of the Living Dead, Vampira and Me, Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue, and The American Scream for Documentary Week!!

If you enjoy this episode, check back soon for more Halloween movie coverage in my 60 Days of Halloween.  Next up will be IFC Midnight Week!



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

The Gargyle Podcast - 60 Days of Halloween: Medical Horror Week

Surgery.  Needles.  Scalpels.  Stitches.  Dental drills.  Chances are, seeing one of those words made you cringe a little.  But why?  Why does just reading a word related to medical procedures make so many people cringe?  From creating hideous monsters to reviving the dead, doctors have seemingly always been a staple of horror movies.  But what is more terrifying...the mad doctors of our imaginations, or going to the hospital for a very real medical procedure??

In this episode of my 60 Days of Halloween coverage, I'll be dissecting Cardiac Arrest (1980), Anatomy (2000), Dr. Giggles (1992), Pathology (2008), The Dentist (1996), and the first two episodes of Kingdom Hospital (2004) for Medical Horror Week!!

If you enjoy this episode,  check back soon for more Halloween movie coverage in my 60 Days of Halloween.  Up next will be Documentary Week.



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

The Gargyle Podcast - 60 Days of Halloween: Non-Descript Week

What is it that scares you?  What is the thing that gets under your skin about horror movies?  What is the stuff of your nightmares?  The fear of the unknown is quite often worse than any monster...and in this episode of The Gargyle Podcast, I examine exactly that concept for Non-Descript Week!!

Recorded at the Cleveland Geekster, I discuss It (2017), The Thing (1982), The Stuff (1985), It's Alive (1974), and It Follows (2014) with J.R. Mounts (creator of Scairy Tales and Fried Pickle Noir - scairytalesnoir.com) and E.B. Tolbert (artist and illustrator - www.ebtolbert.com), and a few other friends who stop by for a chat.

My week of non-descript movies also included Them (2006), but it completely slipped my mind when I was discussing movies with J.R. and E.B.  Since I didn't include it in the podcast, here are a few of my thoughts... Great job building suspense!  The use of the dark and not being able to see too much of what is going on...the minimalistic music and sound effects...the close shots, preventing the audience from being able to see around corners...not seeing who/what the invaders are until the last few minutes of the movie...all of this helps to give the movie pretty consistent tension that, I think, really works!  With most movies, once the tension is broken by actual violence, the overall tone of the movie shifts and it doesn't quite regain the same initial suspense.  But, with Them, there is a good back and forth between action and suspense.  Once there is a reveal of who/what the invaders are, the movie is no longer scary.  But, in a way, once you start thinking about it, it instantly becomes terrifying.  I don't want to give away who/what they actually are...but this is definitely the kind of movie that could spark a lot of discussion!  There are certainly some flaws (a few too many "shaky cam" scenes, not quite as much character development as I would have liked to have seen, etc.), but overall I think that Them is a well-done movie with some very genuine fears.

If you enjoy this episode, check back soon for more Halloween movie coverage in my 60 Days of Halloween.  Up next will be Medical Horror Week.



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

The Gargyle Podcast - 60 Days of Halloween: Giant Monster Week

Even though it is only early September, I’m already gearing up for Halloween with (mostly) nightly horror and monster movies!!  In years past, I’ve tried watching a horror movie every night of October with the intention of posting a nightly review, but I was never able to have enough time to actually get those nightly reviews out. So, this year, I’m trying something a little bit different and hopefully something that is a little bit more manageable (even though I’m not exactly off to the best start).  Rather than trying to post a movie review every night just during the month of October, I’ll be doing 60 days of Halloween with weekly podcasts for September and October!  And to give the episodes some semblance of cohesion, I’ll be doing themed weeks.  So, to get things going with my Halloween movie season, I'm starting off with Giant Monster Week!!

If you enjoy this episode, check back soon for more Halloween movie coverage in my 60 Days of Halloween.  Up next will be Non-Descript week.





If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Frightening Ass Film Festival 6

Closing out my Halloween Movie Month 2016 (a bit late, obviously) is my coverage of the Frightening Ass Film Festival 6 in Chattanooga, TN.  Even though I was not able to put out daily reviews during October for the horror movies that I saw, I certainly saw an abundance of horror during October and the Frightening Ass Film Fest was an awesome conclusion to a month of great horror movies!!  So, join me and Daniel (from Mass Listeria Podcast) as we discuss the numerous films we saw that day, including one of my favorites of the year - Beyond the Gates.  And a huge special thanks to Chris Dortch for putting on such an awesome horror film fest!!




If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!







Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Knoxville Horror Film Fest 8 (part 3)

image by Knoxville Horror Film Festival

Concluding my coverage of the Knoxville Horror Film Festival 8, join me as I discuss horror with a KHFF8 attendee and director of the short film Doll, Michael Peer.  And, once again, a huge special thanks to William Mahaffey for putting on such an amazing festival!!

Check out part 1 of KHFF8 here and part 2 here.







Be sure to check back soon for my coverage of Frightening Ass Film Fest 6 and CONjuration!!  And be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.  

Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Knoxville Horror Film Fest 8 (part 2)

image by Knoxville Horror Film Fest

Still in a food coma from Thanksgiving, not quite ready for Christmas, but already missing Halloween?  Then join me and my sometimes-associate Clayton for part 2 of our coverage of the Knoxville Horror Film Festival 8!!  In part 2, Clayton and I discuss films from Saturday that we were not able to see, along with the films that the Missus and I did see on Sunday.  Much like part 1 or our coverage, the films that we discuss were an amazing set of short films and feature length films from people who know and love horror!  Once again, special thanks to William Mahaffey for putting on such an amazing film festival!!






Be sure to check back soon for more coverage from KHFF8, as well as coverage of Frightening Ass Film Fest 6 and CONjuration!!  And be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.  




Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Knoxville Horror Film Fest 8 (part 1)

image by Knoxville Horror Film Fest

Just because another Halloween has come and gone, that does not mean that my horror coverage for Halloween Movie Month is over yet!  While my attempt to watch and review a movie every day of October was unsuccessful (the first part of the month was much busier than expected), the last week of October was packed with horror in my attendance at two horror film fests.  The Knoxville Horror Film Festival 8 (KHFF8) took place on October 21-23 and the Frightening Ass Film Festival 6 (FAFF6) in Chattanooga was on October 29.  Both of these film fests had an amazing lineup and, for me, they more than made up for the fact that I wasn't able to watch a daily horror movie during October!


Since each day was packed with horror shorts and feature length films, I will not be doing individual episodes for each of the films that I saw.  Instead, I will be doing an episode for each day of the film fests that I was able to attend.  First up is day 1 (10/21/16) of KHFF8.  So, join me and my sometimes-associate Clayton as we break down the films that we saw on day 1 of KHFF8.  It was an amazing lineup of short films and feature length films from people who know and love horror!  Special thanks to William Mahaffey and his crew for putting on such an amazing festival!

Clayton and I will be going over the films in-depth, so there are major spoilers for each of the films.  If you'd like a quick rundown of which movies we gave "thumbs up" and which movies we gave "thumbs down" without spoilers, those are listed below (along with the start time of each section, in case there are just certain movies for which you want to avoid spoilers).



Be sure to check back soon for coverage of day 3 of KHFF8 (I unfortunately had to miss day 2) as well as coverage of FAFF6!!  And be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.  

The Call of Charlie
two thumbs up for suburbanite, Lovecraftian horror
(starts at 7:56)

The Stylist
two thumbs up for an amazing performance by Najarra Townsend
(starts at 14:18)

Trash Fire
two Schrodinger's thumbs - the thumbs are simultaneously both up and down, but you won't know which it is for certain until you open the box
(starts at 26:26)

Feeding Time
two thumbs way the hell up for a fun horror short that pays homage to, among other things, House of the Devil (which I personally love)
(starts at 48:20)

When Susurrus Stirs
two thumbs up, Tums down - if you can stomach it, body horror done well with an engaging story
(starts at 58:34)

Phantasm (4K restoration by Bad Robot)
two thumbs up for a late-70s, enigmatic horror classic
(starts at 1:05:08)

Postman Pat's Pet Sematary
one thumb up and one thumb down for a very short, stop-motion claymation paying tribute to a Stephen King classic
(starts at 1:11:30)

Death Metal
two thumbs up for an over-the-top, bloody good time
(starts at 1:15:15)

Bad Blood
one thumb up and one intrigued thumb (Clayton and I had to leave before the screening, but I had been able to see the movie previously at the Chattanooga Film Festival) for awesome, practical creature effects
(starts at 1:20:47)




Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Halloween Movie Month - 28 Days Later

Halloween Movie Month
Foreign Friday

28 Days Later  (2002)
R

Even though I have obviously not been successful in watching a horror movie every day of October, I'm still doing my best to provide as much horror coverage as I can...all in preparation for Halloween!  This year, I have themed days:  Musical Monday, Terrible Tuesday, Wicked Wednesday, Toothy Thursday, Foreign Friday, Psycho Saturday, and Silent Sunday.  Up next is Foreign Friday and my review of...28 Days Later!!

If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

The Gargyle at Cleveland Geekster 2016

The Missus Creates

Cleveland Geekster 2016

A couple weeks ago, I went to the Cleveland Geekster, a local Toy and Comic show put on by my friends Ashley Raburn, Rob Alderman, and Ryan Faricelli.  It’s a really great show and an awesome place to pick up toys and comics, both recent and vintage.  This year, while the Missus was vending some of her crochet work, I spent the majority of the time talking horror with guests and vendors. So, while I have obviously not been successful in getting out a daily horror review for Halloween Movie Month, I am still trying to do my best to bring you as much horror coverage as I can this month!  So, at the Cleveland Geekster, I went around asking people:

What is your favorite horror movie?

What makes for a good horror movie?

Who is your favorite monster?

What scares you?

What horror crossover would you like to see?

Do you have any Halloween traditions?

They all had a lot to say about horror and I had a blast talking to each of them, so hopefully you enjoy what they have to say as much as I did!  They are all really great people and I recommend that you check each of them out and support them as much as you can (links to their pages below)!

I wish that I had been able to talk to everyone there, but there just wasn’t enough time in the day to get that much horror coverage!  So, to any friends, guests, and vendors out there that I didn’t have a chance to talk to...I hate that we didn’t have a chance to talk.  But, if you’re interested in talking horror, just let me know and I’ll be glad to have you on the podcast! Oh, and I should probably mention that there is some language and some adult content in this episode...but, we are talking horror...so, that shouldn’t really be too shocking.  

If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 

To find out more about the people I interviewed, check out their sites below!

K. R. Morris

Michael Pilkey

Ryan Faricelli

Cleveland Geekster

E.B Tolbert

Keith Brooks

Ray Wilson

Knoxville Horror Film Fest

Chris Seckinger

CONjuration

J.R. Mounts

Scairy Tales Noir

Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Halloween Movie Month - Fright Night

Halloween Movie Month
Toothy Thursday

Fright Night  (1985)
R

It's that time again...time for Halloween Movie Month!!  Once again, I will attempt to watch a horror movie every day of October, all in preparation for Halloween!  This year, I will have themed days:  Musical Monday, Terrible Tuesday, Wicked Wednesday, Toothy Thursday, Foreign Friday, Psycho Saturday, and Silent Sunday.  Up next is Toothy Thursday and my review of...Fright Night!!

If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Halloween Movie Month - Sinister

Halloween Movie Month
Wicked Wednesday

Sinister  (2012)
R

It's that time again...time for Halloween Movie Month!!  Once again, I will attempt to watch a horror movie every day of October, all in preparation for Halloween!  This year, I will have themed days:  Musical Monday, Terrible Tuesday, Wicked Wednesday, Toothy Thursday, Foreign Friday, Psycho Saturday, and Silent Sunday.  Up next is Wicked Wednesday and my review of...Sinister!!



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 




Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Halloween Movie Month - Hideous

Halloween Movie Month
Terrible Tuesday

Hideous (1997)
R

It's that time again...time for Halloween Movie Month!!  Once again, I will attempt to watch a horror movie every day of October, all in preparation for Halloween!  This year, I will have themed days:  Musical Monday, Terrible Tuesday, Wicked Wednesday, Toothy Thursday, Foreign Friday, Psycho Saturday, and Silent Sunday.  Up next is Terrible Tuesday and my review of...Hideous!!



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 




Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Halloween Movie Month - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Halloween Movie Month
Musical Monday

Sweeney Todd:  The Demon Barber of Fleet Street  (2007)
R

It's that time again...time for Halloween Movie Month!!  Once again, I will attempt to watch a horror movie every day of October, all in preparation for Halloween!  This year, I will have themed days:  Musical Monday, Terrible Tuesday, Wicked Wednesday, Toothy Thursday, Foreign Friday, Psycho Saturday, and Silent Sunday.  Up next is Musical Monday and my review of...Sweeney Todd:  The Demon Barber of Fleet Street!!



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 




Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Halloween Movie Month - The Phantom of the Opera

Halloween Movie Month
Silent Sunday

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

It's that time again...time for Halloween Movie Month!!  Once again, I will attempt to watch a horror movie every day of October, all in preparation for Halloween!  This year, I will have themed days:  Musical Monday, Terrible Tuesday, Wicked Wednesday, Toothy Thursday, Foreign Friday, Psycho Saturday, and Silent Sunday.  For the first Silent Sunday of the month, I present my review of...The Phantom of the Opera!!



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 




Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Halloween Movie Month - Psycho

Halloween Movie Month
Psycho Saturday

Psycho (1960)
R

It's that time again...time for Halloween Movie Month!!  Once again, I will attempt to watch a horror movie every day of October, all in preparation for Halloween!  This year, I will have themed days:  Musical Monday, Terrible Tuesday, Wicked Wednesday, Toothy Thursday, Foreign Friday, Psycho Saturday, and Silent Sunday.  Starting things off with Psycho Saturday is my review of...Psycho!!



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 




Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound