On this week's episode of the Bear Cave of Terror, I invite Rob Staeger back to talk about one of his favorite films, the supernatural noir horror, 1987's Angel Heart, directed by Alan Parker. In contrast to the director's previous films like Birdie, or Fame, this time he tackles his adaptation of the detective thriller Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg, where Mickey Rourke's Harry Angel hunts down a mysterious crooner for Robert DeNiro's Louis Cypher through the streets of New York City and New Orleans - including him encountering 80s sitcom darling, Lisa Bonet, in an impactful role - while the missing singer's associates wind up gruesomely murdered along the way. Marred by controversy that almost prevented its original wide release in US cinemas, it has since become a bit of an underground cult hit, and hopefully, dear listener, you may be intrigued to give it a watch after Rob and Steve chat about the stunning performances of the leads, staging of mid-1950s New York and New Orleans, bizarre symbolism, and more! (Beware there are major spoilers in the last 15 minutes of the episode...)

Additional Resources for this episode:

"Actress Lisa Bonet transcends the 'Angel Heart' controversy" by Victor Valle, Reading Eagle, 3/2/1987

"'Angel Heart'video to be uncut" by Entertainment News Source, Sun Sentinel, 6/26/87

Interview with Mickey Rourke on Angel Heart, KCRA-NBC 3, 1/27/87

Interview with Alan Parker & Mickey Rourke for Angel Heart (1987) by John C. Tibbets (re-release 11/5/21)

In Conversation with Director Alan Parker on Angel Heart/BEI - 4/26/18

YouTube channel highly recommended for deep dives into this movie:

Youtube.com/@CineG - Angel Heart analysis and reflections - playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKh25aJ1QU8J5I2hdRuDp4GOvyuBPSgIL

Bill Zanowitz of the Comic Book Bears is back in the Bear Cave this week with the follow-up to the 1975 summer blockbuster legend, Jaws 2! There's a new shark around Amity Island, and this time, he's not shy! The movie that originated the oft-copied and parodied tagline "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water", it is understandably overshadowed by the original film, and doesn't often get the recognition it should as a fun, exciting sequel. It may not be breaking new ground (or making waves) by pitting a PTSD-afflicted Chief Brody up against another Great White adversary, but this film focuses more on the young people of the island, cruising around on their sailboats like they were hot rods, and of course, making themselves targets for an angry and hungry ocean predator. With weather challenges, director and writer shake-ups, and the usual mechanical failures, Jaws 2 was just as tough to film as the original, and the final product is worlds different from the commissioned novelization, but still a boatload of fun to watch, and the source of stories and memories for local crew and cast alike. Have a listen, and give Jaws 2 another chance!

Additional resources for this episode:

The Making of Jaws 2 (2001), directed and produced by Laurent Bouzereau

"Fade to Black: Alas Jaws 2 Comes to an End" by Betty Archer Allen, Gulf Breeze News 8/28/08

TheDailyJaws.com

"Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water", original tagline by Andrew J. Keuhn

Joining us for the first time in the Bear Cave of Terror, we have another host of the Comic Book Bears, Caleb Alexander-Mckinzie! A fan of horror-comedies, he brings with him the 2011 laughs-and-splatter cult hit, Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil! Directed by Eli Craig and starring Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine in the titular roles, this film has been consistently making audiences laugh AND cover their eyes by flipping upside-down the usual trope of co-eds vs psycho hillibillies in similar backwoods slashers, by making the "hillbillies" here just a couple of nice guys and the college kids' very bloody deaths all the result of accidents and misunderstandings. We look at the dynamic created by decades of stereotyping and prejudice, and how it plays out when the slasher roles are reversed, the cast and crew's attention to detail to keep this from descending into spoof, and of course how big, misunderstood Bubba Bear Dale finally gets the girl he deserves, a victory for bearish sidekicks everywhere! We also mention shock-and-gore moments in this film that still elicit reactions in people watching for the first time (check out the hundreds of reaction videos on YouTube for example!), and of course, those great one-liners.

Additional Resources for this episode:

""Tucker and Dale vs Evil: How to make a Hillbilly Howler" by Michael Gingold - Fangoria.com, orig. 11/25/11, updated 3/16/24

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil Excluse: Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk, interview by MovieWeb, 10/8/11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw73bfyiWTA

Craig Lantz is back in the cave this week to talk about one of the most influential horror classics of the 20th century, 1968's Night of the Living Dead, directed by George A. Romero. A true classic in every sense of the word, this low-budget independent film, shot in black and white with friends and local talent has endured to become one of the most recognized examples of American horror, and inspired an entire sub-genre of horror across all types of media for decades since its release - movies, TV shows, comics, video games, and books. Through blatant rip-offs, homages, Italian gorefests, remakes, parodies, and more, this movie establishes Romero's ghouls and the rules that govern them as the basic canon of what we understand to be the modern horror "Zombie". Craig and Steve talk about the very humble making of the production, the intentional and unintentional social commentary, the unfortunate copyright error that spread the distribution of the movie to audiences like the Wildfire Virus, and the moments that still scare us today.

Additional resources for this episode:

"The Dead Walk: Remaking a Classic" (1999) directed and produced by Jeffrey Schwarz

"In Conversation with George A. Romero - TIFF 20212" (2012) by TIFF - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QST_VpYukDY

"George A. Romero Talks 'Night of the Living Dead' and Zombies" (2013) by Grolsch Film Works - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E4rK7dftd0

Mike Lovins joins Steve in the Bear Cave of Terror again this week to discuss the third Nightmare on Elm St. A classic 80s horror/slasher film, and often placed as the best in the franchise, 1987's Nightmare on Elm St 3: Dream Warriors, shines with a fun and dedicated cast with some fresh new faces and returning faves, incredibly creative practical effects, and a desire to redefine the series and still play by the "rules" of Wes Craven's original entry. Mike and Steve look at what makes this film the top favorite for most Freddy fans - from the wild effects, the script - reworked from Wes Craven with both Frank Darabont and Chuck Russell (who went on to direct it) - and to the inspired (and inspiring!) choice of giving the teen victims exciting and sometimes wacky superpowers to counter Freddy on his own turf in the Dream World. This sequel presented audiences with the version of Freddy, brandishing the quips, one-liners, and gross-out humor alongside his knives that defined the later films, as well as the even more shocking and imaginative deaths that catered to these victims', er, teen characters' personalities and fears. And who can forget that totally rad, head-bangin' theme song by 80s hair metal stalwarts, Dokken? This sequel proved that Freddy was here to stay, and although the later films didn't reach the heights of this one, they at least followed Dream Warriors' lead in pushing the boundaries of humor, gore, and the possibilities of what filmmakers could do with Elm Street's Dream World.

Additional Resources for this episode:

"Welcome to Freddy Hell!" by March Shapiro, Fangoria #62 March 1987, pp. 35-39, 66

"Growing Up on Elm St" by Marc Shapiro, Fangoria # 63 May 1987, pp. 20-22, 67

Never Sleep Again: The El Street Legacy (2010) directed by Andrew Farrands and Daniel Kasch, produced by 1428 Films

Dokken - "Dream Warriors" from the album "Back for the Attack" (1987) (video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noLPhZvcBpw

Mike Lovins can be found at reelgaymovieshow.buzzsprout.com

We've talked about the gothic horror coming out of the UK from Hammer Studios, but what was the US answer to those colorful, gripping tales of terror? Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe cycle of films from American International Pictures, of course! In this episode of the Bear Cave of Terror, we're joined by Rob Staeger, who brings with him Corman's 1964 masterpiece, The Masque of the Red Death, starring none other than the macabre talents and eyebrows of Vincent Price himself! We look at the colorful, symbolic spectacle, adapting a short but ever-timely story of Death popping by a little party and making a mess of things. From combining the plots of this and another Poe short story, Hop-Frog, to the inclusion of Satan as a motivation for Prince Prospero's sadistc ways, Corman presents a feast for the eyes, enhanced by Price's sonorous portrayal. You've got the uncomfortable use of a child actor for an adult woman, metaphorical sexual assault by stereotypical shamans, some pretty snarky kills, and a technicolor assortment of plauges with their own avatar to round it out. And don't forget the Death By Fosse dance sequence! Beautiful, weird, with a mix of social commentary and Corman's love of exploitation, this was definitely a great film to watch, and even more fun to talk about - have a listen!

Additional Resources for the film:

"The Masque of the Red Death Review - horribly apt Poe adaptation" by Peter Bradshaw, Thea Guardian 1/21/21

"Masque of the Red Death" comic adaptation by Archie Goodwin, Tom Sutton, Eerie #12 (1967)

"Masque of the Red Death - A Retrospective" by Steve Brodrowski, 11/20/07 - blog.cinefantastique.com

Horrorfilmhistory.com - ed. by Karina Wilson, 2005-2025

Back in 1984, a little indie horror film unleashed the face, knife hand, and lore of Freddy Krueger on an unsuspecting audience, and was such a hit, New Line had to bring the sequel out as soon as possible. And that sequel, A Nightmare on Elm St 2 - Freddy's Revenge, directed by Jack Sholder, is what the public, hungry for more Freddy Kreuger, got to see just after Halloween, 1985. This film returns us to Elm St and Nancy Thompson's former house where new teen Jesse is about to experience the nightmare all over again, bringing with it a bigger body count. Mike Lovins of the Reel Gay Movie Show joins Steve again in the Bear Cave of Terror to talk about the sometimes forgotten, often ignored, and definitely campy classic first sequel to Wes Craven's original, and why it holds such a special place in Mike's heart! From the unique idea of pushing a "scream king" in this film, the poorly-hidden gay subtext and its unfortunate effect on the legacy of the movie and career of its star, and the bending of the "rules" established in the first one, we look at why Freddy's Revenge resonates so much with these two bears, Mike especially, and many fans who have been giving this movie a second chance, or have loved it since day one.

Additional Resources for this episode:

Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2019) directed by Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen, produced by The End Productions

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010) directed by Andrew Farrands and Danel Kasch, produced by 1428 Films

What two names bring to mind horror in the 80s? If you said Stephen King and George Romero, you're probably familiar with this episode's subject, their 1982 film collaboration, CREEPSHOW! Bringing the cinematic team-up of director Romero and writer King with him into the cave isnone other than Ken Creamer ,of Sixty Seconds of Stephen. We talk about how the anthology film harkens back to the old EC Comics, like Tales from the Crypt and the Vault of Horror, that inspired it, with dark humor and morality tales with a terror-inducing twist. These 5 vignettes and the bookend story shine with their great cast, clever writing, comic book-influenced visuals, and fantastic, albeit sometimes gory, practical special effects. When an angry father tosses his kid's horror comic in the trash, the spectral storyteller within brings to life stories of a hellish corpse seeking cake, murdered lovers taking watery revenge on their killer, a meteor spreading cosmic vegetation, and more, featuring Hal Holbrook, Ted Danson, Leslie Nielson, EG Marshall, Adrienne Barbeau, and even Stephen King himself! We chat about behind the scenes stories of the cast and crew, and of course, thousands of Caribbean cockroaches! What's your favorite horror tale from the film?

Additional Resources for this episode:

"On the Set of Creepshow: Part One" by Bob Martin, Fangoria # 18 April 1982, pp 16-19

"On the Set of Creepshow Part Two" by Bob Martin, Fangoria # 19 May 1982 pp 21-24

"On (and off) the Set of Creepshow: Tom Savini at Work; Stephen King at Home" by Bob Martin, Fangoria # 20 July 1982 p40-43

Just Desserts: The Making of Creepshow (2007) dir. Michael Felsher, produced by Red Shirt Pictures