Episode 125: Halloween Special - Stranger Kids

It is the weird time, the time of long shadows, where the cold bites harder, above the ragged fingers of blackish clouds claw at the bone-white surface of the moon. It is the time of bizarre happenings, of disquieting omens and of throwback 80s nostalgia weird fiction that you can binge watch on a popular streaming service.

Grabbing the chance as the kids whizz by (you know, on their bikes) those other kids, the ones from the 80s mull over the new hotness of all things 80s throwback. Is the current fad any more than that? Are kids on bikes integral to the vibe? Are these artefacts true to the era, or just fluffy (if tentacly) nostalgia for the time of the 80s? Does any of this matter if we're all having a good time?

Taking in the sights along the way the 80s kids stroll, unaided by human-powered bi-pedal assistance, through the cultural thicket, and wonder what happened to the good old family weird fiction movie of yore. Has the double whammy of IT and Stranger Things created the illusion of a new phase of the 80s culture revival, or is there more to be gained in the future from the neon past of the Goonies, the Monster Squad and, of course, Explorers?

This episode uses Excerpts of John Bartmann's My Time Done Come, available on Bandcamp and used under a Creative Commons License

Direct Link: https://archive.org/download/302HalloweenSpecialStrangerKids/3-02-Halloween-Special-Stranger-Kids.mp3

Episode 117: Halloween Special: King Me!

It's the most magical time of the year! Yes, that's right, Hallowe'en and not any other holiday at all. So what better time for the 80s Kids to group together and chew the fat over all things grisly, not to say gristly. So join Leo Scaryclown, Ian Curdlewell and Justin Why-god-whyatt for a discussion of that titan of modern horror: Stephen King.

From Carrie to Kingdom Hospital, from Pennywise the Clown to a bunch of sentient trucks we're taking a look at one of the central figures of modern horror. You may be amazed at just how much pop culture has King's trademark tropes shot through it. We'll be asking all the vital questions like how come there's so much of this stuff? And why are most film adaptations bizarre, mediocre or both.

Let's take a Stand, gather in our Dark Tower and enter the Dead Zone. It's Four To Midnight and some joke about the Shawshank Redemption that misses the mark by a Green Mile.

Hoo boy, that's one hell of a Creepshow on the Graveyard Shift.



Direct Link: https://archive.org/download/117HalloweenSpecialKingMe/117-halloween-special-king-me.mp3

Upcoming Hangouts - Summer Review and Hallowe'en

We're back for a couple of specials this month. On the 17th October we'll be reviewing our predictions for the summer and at Hallowe'en we'll be discussing Horror-meister Stephen King both in live hangouts. Here's some links to the google events. We'll put up YouTube windows nearer the time.

Summer Review: [Alas poor link, we hardly knew ye.]

Hallowe'en Special: [Ain't nobody here but us dead links]

Episode 77: Whatever Happened To The Evil Genius?

In horror and Sci Fi of old the trope of the Mad Man ascending to new levels threat with the use of his knowledge was a well established archetype. Be it the white coated scientist with his dangerous theories that set him above nature and God or the Alchemist or dark occultist out to seize forbidden esoteric knowledge. They include fictional luminaries from Victor Frankenstein to Forbidden Planet's Dr Morbius and even Dr Herbert West of the Re-animator. Once they were a staple of story telling, now they are all but extinct in film and cinema.

This week in a ghoulish Halloween episode of the 80s Kids the terrible trio muse of the curious absence of the Evil Master Mind and via the medium of an hour long discussion podcast they attempt to unlock the mystery of their disappearance ... toying with forces they barely understand in the process.

Incidental Music by incompetech.com

Direct Link: https://archive.org/download/077EvilGenius/077-Evil-Genius.mp3

Episode 25: Obvious Halloween Show 2013

Here is the dilemma. Dilemma Prong 1: Do obvious Halloween show but risk being seen as, well, obvious. Dilemma Prong 2: Avoid the obvious Halloween show but irritate everyone because the obvious show is an undiscussed elephant in the room.

So we opted for prong 1. Although it has to be said, when the 80s kids recount their top 3 favourite Horror movie morsels there are some surprising choices. This probably stems from the fact that only one self-identifies as a horror fan, that being Sue. Ian is a self-confessed horror dunce. Leo watches all movies on their own merit and Justin... well, let's just say he claims not to know much about it but in the course of the show you may come to see him as a closet fiend fan.

So let's get into the spookiest topic we'll cover in 2013 and hopefully help you think a different way about your horror movie choices.

Direct Link: https://archive.org/download/025ObviousHalloweenShow2013/025-Obvious-Halloween-Show-2013.mp3