Izzy Lee is a take-no-prisoners indie filmmaker whose 20-plus genre short films garnered praise from Fangoria, Dread Central, the A.V. Club, and EW.com.

And then came the pandemic.

However Izzy Lee rose from the ashes and came back tougher than ever, with her first published novella (I Can See Your Lies) and her feature-length film directorial debut, HOUSE OF ASHES.

Join me as Izzy talks about creative influences, the art of the short film, making friends while making art, and the mission statement for genre films during uncertain times, where fact is scarier than fiction.

I hope you enjoy the show!

Moves Discussed:

House of Usher (1960)

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Blood and Black Lace (1964)

Suspiria (1977)

House of Ashes (2024)

Rites of Vengeance (short) (2017)

Meat Friend (short) (2022)

Although 2024 has passed, so many horror films were released that I am still playing catch-up to see them all!

You might have loved some and hated others, but there's no denying that the horror genre flourished in 2024 and continues to be one of our most diverse storytelling styles.

From traditional Gothic stories to deconstructed slashers to experimental monster movies to international versions of demons, there was something for every type of horror fan!

Join me as I examine twenty-five horror films to give my view of the "state of the horror union" for 2024. I'll discuss some of my favorites and the trends I noticed, and I'll also cover the movies that, for better or worse, influenced the constant evolution of the world's greatest genre!

I hope you enjoy the show!

Movies discussed:

Late Night With the Devil

Immaculate

The First Omen

Heretic

Strange Darling

Cuckoo

The Shout (1978)

A Quiet Place Day One

Nosferatu

Maxxine

Vice Squad (1982)

Angel (1983)

Terrifier 3

Oddity

Daddy’s Head

Starve Acre

The Haunting of Julia (1977)

Exhuma

Stopmotion

MadS

I Saw the TV Glow

The Coffee Table

In a Violent Nature

Caddo Lake

Things Will Be Different

Sleep

Longlegs

Azrael

The Substance

It's time for more Horror for the Holidays, and this year, we have double the chills and thrills to celebrate!

First, the tradition of telling ghost stories for Christmas gets a new annual series from Severin Films called The Haunted Season, and the first episode streams on Shudder through December, with a new film every Christmas season!

My guests are acclaimed author, producer, and filmmaker Kier-La Janisse (Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, House of Psychotic Women), the show's creator and executive producer, and director Sean Hogan (The Devil’s Business, England's Screaming), who wrote and directed this year's offering, To Fire You Come at Last.

And if that isn't enough, Kier-La and Severin recently released the much-anticipated box set, ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS: A COMPENDIUM OF FOLK HORROR VOLUME TWO, containing 24 films representing 18 countries!

Join Kier-La, Sean, and me as we talk about the intersection of folk horror, folklore, ghost stories, diverse traditions and myths worldwide, the movies they inspire, and at least a dozen horror obsessions!

I hope you enjoy the show!

Movies/shows/books discussed:

KING KONG (1933)

HORROR EXPRESS (1972)

…AND THEN IT HAPPENED (1972)

APACHES (1977)

ABC MOVIES OF THE WEEK (1969-1975)

BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW (1971)

BOWERY BOYS, DEAD-END KIDS (1946-1958)

DEAD OF NIGHT: THE EXORCISM (1972)

EDGE OF THE KNIFE (2019)

A GHOST STORY FOR CHRISTMAS (BBC) INITIAL RUN: 1971-1978

HARDY BOYS, NANCY DREW MYSTERIES (1977-1979)

TO FIRE YOU COME AT LAST (2023)

WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR (2021)

PAPER MAN (1971)

PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987)

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1967)

RITES OF MAY (1976)

LEGEND OF HILLBILLY JOHN (1972)

STALLS OF BARCHESTER (1971)

WHISTLE AND I’LL COME TO YOU (1968)

THE SIGNALMAN (1976)

STIGMA (1977)

THE TRACTATE MIDDOTH (2013)

THE BODY SNATCHER (1945)

THE HALLOW (2015)

SCOOBY DOO

WORKS OF STEPHEN KING

WORKS OF V.C. ANDREWS

FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND

FANGORIA

FANTASTIC FEST-ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE

NIGEL KNEALE