As most of us are preparing for the most wonderful time of the year (the Jack-o'-lantern one…not the Bells and Holly one), Spill Your Guts is taking this episode to the day of romance and cupid and dead flowers wrapped up nicely. And there is no horror film more associated with Valentine’s Day than “My Bloody Valentine”.

This 1981 classic has become seminal title in the pantheon of horror and did for Valentine’s Day what John Carpenter’s enduring masterpiece “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th” did for the respective dates.

My Bloody Valentine has endured the test of time and become regular viewing every Valentine’s Day for horror fans. It’s also Quentin Tarantino’s favorite slasher film. High praise…and well deserved.

However, the film faced more than its share of challenges in both production and release and was considered a flop (if it was considered at all). There’s a long and compelling story to how “My Bloody Valentine” became the classic it is today with action figures, comics, a novel adaptation and even a board game.

Joining me to delve into the film as well as his career as a real journeyman filmmaker is My Bloody Valentine's masterful director, George Mihalka.

Welcome back to Spill Your Guts! I’m your host, Kevin Lane. We took some time over the summer to recalibrate and get ahead of creating a hell of a lineup for all our listeners. We've been doing Spill Your Guts for over 80 episodes now, and I can safely say that this is going to be some of our best.

We are also doing a literary series with the biggest authors in horror fiction. It's a very exciting time for horror readers, as there are so many brilliant and diverse authors out there, creating stories that are reshaping the genre and what we've come to expect.

This episode features one such author. Christopher Golden is a New York Times bestselling author and Bram Stoker Award winner, and he's become a household name in horror fiction with masterfully written novels such as "Snowblind", "Ararat", "Road of Bones", "All Hallows", and "The Nightbirds", to name a few.

His work moves like a runaway train of terror and atmosphere that has caused me to read most of them in one sitting. There are few authors working that can compete with Christopher in creating the pace and atmosphere that he does.

We also discuss his new anthology book, which he co-edited with Brian Keene, based in the world of Stephen King's iconic "The Stand", of which King himself gave the book his blessing. It's a must-have book for King fans, and really anyone who loves horror. It features stories from a long list of the greatest writers working in the genre today. The book is called "The End of the World as we know it", and is available now.

So let's explore the worlds of frosty ghosts, spectral savage wolves, the true darkness of Halloween, and the scariest witches I have ever encountered in the history of horror. With author Christopher Golden.

In 1996, the world of video gaming was forever changed by the release of Capcom’s “survival horror” masterwork “Resident Evil” on the Sony PlayStation. In fact, the term “survival horror”, now a common-place name for a subgenre of horror gaming, was originated by “Resident Evil”.

Survival horror itself can be defined as a genre of video games with a focus on surviving in a threatening, often supernatural or disturbing environment, with an emphasis on a more vulnerable central character, tension, limited resources and combat as a last resort.

Sound like a vast number of great horror games that have come since the original “Resident Evil”?

Whether it’s the steeped in atmospheric dread of the “Silent Hill” franchise, the cosmic Lovecraftian terror of the “Dead Space” games, the nerve-frying corridors of the “Amnesia” series or the Stephen King-esque small town horror of “Alan Wake” and its sequel, the influence of “Resident Evil” has played a pivotal role in forming horror gaming.

In this episode I am joined by the stars of the most recent “Resident Evil” games. They have taken the three most iconic characters of the franchise and not only made them their own, but also brought real gravity and psychological complexity that has helped redefine the series and what we thought we could expect from it.

Welcome Nicole Tompkins who plays Jill Valentine in the “Resident Evil 3” reimaging and the animated film “Resident Evil: Death Island” as well as Daniela Dimitrescu and Elena in “Resident Evil Village”, Jeff Schine who plays Carlos in the “Resident Evil 3” reimagining and Chris Redfield in “Resident Evil Village” and Nick Apostolides who plays Leon Kennedy in the reimagining’s of “Resident Evil 2” and “Resident Evil 4” as well as the TV mini-series “Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness”.

We discuss their approaches to adapting these legacy characters, the indelible imprint of the franchise, how it’s not as different from film acting as some may think, as well as their most requested line readings.

Let’s explore the dangers of Raccoon City and beyond, survive a world of endless zombies and undead Doberman's, expose shadowy secret evil organizations and visit a village of crazed occultist with Nicole Tompkins, Jeff Schine and Nick Apostolides!

In this episode we’re spotlighting a particular film rather than an individual guest. A film I think is so far, one of 2025's best horror offerings. I’m going to get a little Cryptkeeper here kiddies and tell you that this demonic offering is about a clairvoyant therapist who soon discovers there may be more to her most recent client than she bargained for when horrific happenings begin haunting her and her daughter. It’s a nerve frying, reality shattering yarn titled “It Feeds” and is available now on streaming after a limited theatrical release.

Joining me to discuss the film are writer/director Chad Archibald ("I'll Take Your Dead", "The Heretics") and stars Ashley Greene (the "Twilight" saga, "Burying the Ex") and Shawn Ashmore ("The Ruins" "Frozen").

Let’s dig into “It Feeds”, a world of nightmares and illusions!

Well, we’ve been gone for a lot longer than anticipated listeners and I’ve missed you! Thankfully it’s been for a good reason. I’ve been off making some movies. There will be more news on that to come but let’s just say that for fans of this podcast, these projects are right up your alley.

We have a whole slew of horror masters and soon to be stars of the genre lined up for you as well as a few changes to the show including new segments with guest appearances putting a spotlight on new releases of movies, books, comics, video games and more so we’re going to be gutsier than ever before.

I want to take a moment to mention our Patreon. We sure could use your help keeping the show independent and bringing you even more in-depth conversations with horror’s finest. As a thank you for your contribution we will be offering exclusive bonus content, prize packs filled with movies, book, autographed merch and more. You can find the link to our Patreon below or in our bio. Thank you for support!

Now, let’s get down to it.

Our guest today wrote and directed what in my opinion, may be the most underrated movies in recent film history. I know the term “underrated” is often overused but certainly not in this case.

Based on comic maestro Cullen Bunn’s hit series “The Empty Man”, the film version came out in 2020 and was sadly overlooked. And folks, if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it NOW. I don’t mind. Pause this and go watch it.

What you will see is not only one of the most truly gripping, atmospheric, legitimately unnerving and beautifully made genre films in recent memory. It will also be one of those movies I promise you will want to talk to someone about as soon as the credits roll. This is a really important genre film.

Joining me to discuss the film including the many ways in which is was so terribly mishandled by the studio system and the many other challenges that went into making “The Empty Man” is the films writer and director, David Prior.

David and I discuss his vision for the film version of the comic, working with a great lead actor like James Badge Dale to craft a character who is never quite who he seems and what went so terribly wrong with the films release to the point that a movie made by a major studio with a reasonable budget as far as horror films standards go didn’t even receive any sort of physical media release. That’s right. Not even a barebones DVD.

For fans of the movie, this episode may be the most insightful look into the film you can find as there’s no commentary track with David or any of the extras we’ve become accustomed to when we want to learn about how a movie got made. And for those of you haven’t experienced the film yet, brace yourself.

At one time we were one. We will all be one again. This message comes to you directly from… the empty man. Oh, and writer/director David Prior!

Please show us your support at patreon.com/spillyourguts

Santa’s watching, Santa’s Waiting

Christmas Eve is slowly fading

Can you hear him in the night?

Close the door, turn off the light

Welcome to the Spill your guts Christmas Special!

In this episode we are taking the deepest of dives into two iconic Christmas horror classics, "Silent Night, Deadly Night" 1 & 2.

Joining me in this episode as my co-host is the esteemed Mr. Justin Beahm, as we explore the making-of and the legacy of these two holiday horror mainstays. I also sat down for in-depth one on one discussions with the stars of the two films, Robert Brain Wilson ("Billy") of "Silent Night, Deadly Night" and Eric Freeman ("Ricky") who starred in its sequel.

This is a particularly lengthy episode as we wanted to dig deep into why these two films have had such staying power and resonance since the first film was made 40 years go.

Also, we will be taking a bit of a hiatus for the month of January to put the gears in motion for the remaining episodes of season 4 but I promise you, it will be worth the wait!

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas but sure hope you haven’t been naughty.

Now, sit back by the Christmas tree with a cup of cocoa and keep your axe handy as we look back at "Silent Night Deadly Night" 1 and 2!

In this episode we will be kicking off the first of two episodes celebrating Santa and the darkest evening of the year. This episode looking at the kick ass remake of a beloved Christmas horror classic and our next episode being our Christmas special where we have something very special under the tree for you. But I mustn’t say more than that right now.

On to the show!

My guest today makes lean, mean, kick ass horror films that get your blood pumping almost as much as it does on screen. His films often lean into the action side of the genre and are a ride from the the get-go. He’s one of the best in the business for staging a great set piece and his ability to move between action beats and scares works every time.

His new film “Werewolves” is in theatres now and I freakin’ love this movie. It has everything… werewolves, Lou Diamond Phillips, a child in danger, bodies ripped in half, shirtless Frank Grillo (I just turned into Stefan from SNL). Go see it! “Werewolves”… tell your friends!

Today we are joined by the unstoppable Steven C. Miller!

Steven and I get our jolly on by first discussing his loose remake of “Silent Night, Deadly Night” which was was just called “Silent Night”. A very different film than the beloved 1984 classic, it’s a balls to the wall killer Santa flick and we talk about how it all came together.

We also discuss how “Werewolves” came to be, how Frank Grillo is just as on point in intimate character scenes as he is at killing the fuck out of werewolves and how to walk the line of scares and action without leaning too much into one or the other.

So let’s sharpen our candy canes and howl at the super moon with director Steven C. Miller!

Apologies we’ve been out of commission for a couple weeks. Along with the cheer and merriment of the season comes flues, colds and coughs and basically our whole team was bed bound for a bit. If I still sound a bit scratchy, well hopefully it just adds to the shows creepy vibe. And having your voice drop an octave sounds good anyway right?

Well let’s get right into it shall we?

Our guest in this episode is one of the great visionary directors currently working in horror. His work bares the signature of a director who is not only a master of his craft but also someone has has never lost touch with an almost childlike sense of imagination, as he often explores the dark side of folklore and fantasy. Similar to a filmmaker like Guillermo del Toro (so it’s no surprise they have collaborated), his marriage of the fantastic and the macabre gives him a distinctive style.

With his first true feature, the modern classic “Troll Hunter”, he came out guns-a-blazing and hasn’t let up since.

In this episode we are joined by the virtuosic director Andre Ovredal.

Andre and I sat down to talk about why he chose to follow up the decidedly lighter in tone hit “Troll Hunter”, with the disturbing and almost chamber play like (not to mentioning absolutely terrifying) “The Autopsy of Jane Doe”. The challenges of adapting a beloved book like “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” for the screen and why a very brief section of the legendary Bram Stoker’s Dracula about the “Last voyage of the Demeter” was a story that HAD to be told on film.

Let’s visit the world of the strange and the fantastic with director Andre Ovredal!