Episode 121: Oculus (2013)

Today on the podcast, Josh and Drusilla discuss one of their very favorite European lesbian vampire films, Daughters of Darkness. From wiki: “Daughters of Darkness[b] is a 1971 erotic horror film co-written and directed by Harry Kümel and starring Delphine Seyrig, John Karlen, Andrea Rau, and Danielle Ouimet.” Also discussed: Laserdiscs, VCRs, Alice Sweet Alice, Psycho II, Scream, franchises, It’s Alive, Karen Black, The House that Screamed, Delphine Seyrig, Klaus Kinski, Jean Rollins, Dark Shadows, haint blue, queer villains, gigolos, and more!NEXT WEEK: Vacation of Terror and Vacation of Terror II    Follow them across the internet:Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/

Josh and Drusilla take in the enormous beauty of Masaki Kobayashi’s 1964 anthology film, Kwaidan. From wiki: “Kwaidan (Japanese: 怪談, Hepburn: Kaidan, lit. 'Ghost Stories') is a 1964 Japanese anthology horror film directed by Masaki Kobayashi. It is based on stories from Lafcadio Hearn's collections of Japanese folk tales, mainly Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things (1904), for which it is named. The film consists of four separate and unrelated stories. Kwaidan is an archaic transliteration of the term kaidan, meaning "ghost story". Receiving critical acclaim, the film won the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival,[5] and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.[6] Also discussed: Alien: Romulus, pinball, Strange Darling, production design, Jacques Demy, Lady Snowblood, Tales from the Crypt comics, Raw Dawn Chong and Tales from the Darkside (the movie), Conan the Barbarian, Crying in H Mart, Agnes Varda, Nothing But Trouble, and more! NEXT WEEK: Daughters of Darkness (1971)    Follow them across the internet: Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/ 

This week, Drusilla and Josh watch Tillman Singer’s 2018 thesis film, Luz. They also discuss Cuckoo, Twisters, the passing of Alain Delon and Gena Rowlands, film criticism, the joys of Dan Stevens, Yellow Veil Pictures, Altered Innocence, Jurassic Park, Luz: The Musical, and more. From wiki: “Luz is a 2018 German supernatural horror film written, produced, edited and directed by Tilman Singer in his directorial debut. It stars Luana Velis as the titular character, a taxi driver who is questioned by the police following a mysterious accident.”NEXT WEEK: Kwaidan (1964)   Follow them across the internet:Bloodhaus: https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/ 

This week, Josh and Drusilla discuss Bob Balaban’s 1989 black comedy Parents. From wiki: “Parents is a 1989 American black comedy horror film directed by Bob Balaban and starring Randy Quaid, Mary Beth Hurt, Sandy Dennis and Bryan Madorsky. Set in a 1950s California suburb, the film centers on a 10-year old boy (Madorsky), who suspects that his parents (Quaid and Hurt) are not what they seem. It was Balaban’s debut as a feature film director.”But also! Martha Stewart and Whatever, Martha. They watched Final Destination, Disturbing Behavior, Josh watched Fright (1971), Drusilla saw Trap, the Angel films, Strangers with Candy, Robert Altman, Sandy Dennis, boomers, Mary Beth Hurt, the 1950s, Miss Piggy, Silver Bullet, Mary Hartman, and more! NEXT WEEK: Luz (2018)   Follow them across the internet:Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/ 

There’s lots going on this week. Josh and Drusilla cover the French folk horror surrealist film Litan (1982). From wiki: “Litan is a 1982 French horror film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Jean-Pierre Mocky and Jean-Claude Romer. It stars Marie-José Nat, Jean-Pierre Mocky, Nino Ferrer, and Marisa Muxen.” Josh wrote a play about Messiah of Evil and talks about playwriting and theater in general. Drusilla saw The Vourdalak and Oddity. They discuss Fantasmas, Radiance Films, Godard’s Weekend, Spoon River, The Returned, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Psychomania, The Wickerman, After Hours, Messiah of Evil, Carnival of Souls, and more! NEXT WEEK: Parents (1989)   Follow them across the internet:Bloodhaus: https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/ 

Drusilla and Josh discuss a beautiful Macedonian film, You Won’t Be Alone (2022.)  But also, Josh’s play reading, which includes text from Messiah of Evil. They also get into the conversation around transphobia around Longlegs. Drusilla’s first book design is out. It’s the Book of Elsewhere by China Mielville and Keanu Reeves. And also, Drusilla attended the Midnight Mass screening of Elvira Mistress of the Dark at The Academy Museum. They also discuss Terrence Malick, Bel Ami, Palindromes, Cloud Atlas, Benoit Blanc, and more!From wiki: “You Won't Be Alone is a 2022 dark fantasy horror drama film written and directed by Goran Stolevski. It is an international co-production of Australia, the United Kingdom, and Serbia in the Macedonian language, and marks Stolevski's feature film directorial debut.” BJ Colangelo’s piece on The Black Phone. https://www.slashfilm.com/912852/the-grabber-gayface-and-the-danger-of-conflating-the-two-in-the-black-phone/NEXT WEEK: Litan: City of Green Ghosts (1982) Follow them across the internet: Bloodhaus: https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline: https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkel https://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/ 

Josh and Drusilla talk about the Mexican arthouse classic by Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre (1989). From wiki: “Santa Sangre (English: Holy Blood) is a 1989 avant-garde surrealistic psychological horror film directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky and written by Jodorowsky along with Claudio Argento and Roberto Leoni. It stars Axel Jodorowsky, Adán Jodorowsky, Teo Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, Thelma Tixou, and Guy Stockwell. An international co-production of Mexico and Italy, the film is set in Mexico, and tells the story of Fenix, a boy who grew up in a circus and his struggle with childhood trauma. It is signed on Empire magazine's 2008 list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.They also discuss Michael Mann, Manhunter (1986), Longlegs (2024), Nichola Cage’s neo shamanic acting, creepy pasta, Vampire’s Kiss, Leaving Las Vegas, Angel, transphobia, Dressed to Kill, Jodorosky’s Dune, Ti West, Guillermo Del Toro, Robert Eggers, and more!NEXT WEEK: You Won’t Be Alone (2022)   Follow them across the internet:Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/ 

Watch The Uninvited (1944) here: Internet Archive with Spanish subtitles: https://archive.org/details/the-uninvited-1944Otherwise go to Part 1 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x37kb9n and Part 2: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x37krhg This week, Josh and Drusilla mourn the passing of Shelley Duvall, MaXXXine, A Quiet Place: Day One, Angel, Vice Squad, Modern Girls, We Capture the Castle, and more. From wiki: “The Uninvited is a 1944 American supernatural horror film that was directed by Lewis Allen and stars Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, and Donald Crisp. The film is based on Dorothy Macardle's novel Uneasy Freehold (1941), which was published in the United States as The Uninvited (1942) and deals with a brother and sister who purchase a house in Cornwall, England, that is plagued by paranormal events. The film is part of a cycle of supernatural-themed films that began appearing in the mid-1940s. Dodie Smith began writing the film, and Frank Partos was brought in by his friend, associate producer Charles Brackett. Brackett wanted to have the film directed by Alfred Hitchcock but could not organize plans with him, so Allen directed it. Filming began on April 16, 1943; Allen found working with Gail Russell, who was inexperienced and began crying several times, to be the most difficult part of filming.”NEXT WEEK: Santa Sangre (1989)  Follow them across the internet:Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/ 

Drusilla and Josh honor the late, great Donald Sutherland in The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978). From wiki: “Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a 1978 American science-fiction horror film[1] directed by Philip Kaufman, and starring Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Veronica Cartwright, Jeff Goldblum, and Leonard Nimoy. Released on December 22, 1978, it is based on the 1955 novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney. The novel was previously adapted into the 1956 film of the same name. The plot involves a San Francisco health inspector and his colleague who over the course of a few days discover that humans are being replaced by alien duplicates; each is a perfect biological clone of the person replaced, but devoid of empathy and humanity.”But also: House of Mortal Sin, Night Watch, The Amityville Horror, House of Psychotic Women, Identikit, MASH, Pauline Kael, sequels, The Eyes of Laura Mars, Suspiria, and more!NEXT WEEK: The Uninvited (1944)  Follow them across the internet:Bloodhaus: https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/ 

This week Josh and Dru discuss the Carl Theodor Dryer classic, Vampyr. From wiki: “Vampyr (German: Vampyr – Der Traum des Allan Gray, lit. 'Vampyr: The Dream of Allan Gray') is a 1932 gothic horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from J. Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 collection of supernatural stories In a Glass Darkly. Vampyr was funded by Nicolas de Gunzburg who starred in the film under the name of Julian West among a mostly non-professional cast. Gunzburg plays the role of Allan Gray, a student of the occult who enters the village of Courtempierre, which is under the curse of a vampire. “But also: The Challenger Explosion, abandoned summer camps, Big Bird, Pee Wee’s Christmas Special, Kinds of Kindness, The Devils, Paperbacks from Hell, Black Ambrosia by Elizabeth Engstrom, and more!NEXT WEEK: The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) Follow them across the internet:Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/