Make Your Own Damn Podcast

"The first stage is hallucinatory. The second stage is glandular. The third stage is .... AHHHHH." Body Melt is one of Australia's most bizarre genre films of the 1990s, perhaps ever. What do you get when you cross David Cronenberg, Troma, and the books of Edward Lee? Whatever you're picturing right now looks a lot like Body Melt.

How have we done this show about DIY filmmaking and independent horror movies without doing an episode on a George A. Romero movie? No idea. We bring in Pennsylvania writer/director Mike Lombardo to get to the bottom of it, as we discuss the lesser seen vampire film MARTN. 

2023 is officially history. Hear Jeff Burk and Lucas Mangum spit on its grave.

Jeff Burk and Lucas Mangum discuss the underrated 2008 horror movie THE CHILDREN. Have you seen this? What did you think?

Quite possibly the most problematic film ever made, Goodbye Uncle Tom is nonetheless a part of outsider filmmaking history and demands discussion. We took care to handle this discussion as responsibly as we could, given the content of the film and its troubled production.

In the late 1980s, filmmaker Dean Alioto took to the woods of Connecticut with a troop of improv actors and his camera to shoot a microbudget SF horror movie. A pioneering work utilizing the found footage technique, UFO Abduction turned out to be a lot more than that. The film has circulated heavily in UFO circles as evidence of extraterrestrial activity, even after the Alioto himself acknowledged that it was a work of fiction.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is over 35 years old and holds up brilliantly. Often named as a movie that's "so bad, it's good," we strongly disagree; this movie is smarter than a lot of people give it credit for. Great practical FX, a wicked sense of humor, and underlying social statements abound in this cult classic.

With one foot in Strangeville and one foot in Tromaville, we take a look at the 2009 feature from cult author/filmmaker/comic creator Kevin Strange. Together, we attempt to piece together the connections between it and Strange's other work and ogle some seriously impressive practical effects. Like what we do here? Want us to do more of it? Consider becoming a patron.

On today's episode, Jeff and Lucas discuss SLEEPAWAY CAMP II: UNHAPPY CAMPERS. Jeff is unhappy that Lucas made him watch it. Lucas is unhappy that Jeff doesn't like slasher movies. Plus, connectivity issues, the evolution of the slasher film, and 90s crime thrillers. 

This week, Jeff and Lucas discuss 2019's DEATH OF A VLOGGER. What's this hidden gem all about? Like a lot of underrated films, it's both of and ahead of its time. Our hosts dig into the nitty gritty details of this found footage creepshow.