Episode 201: Goobers!

We're dipping our toes back into the extended SGU (Stuart Gordon Universe) with a look at one of Gordon's most underseen films, the brutal 2003 neo-noir KING OF THE ANTS! The first film distributed by The Asylum, this nasty bit of genre-bending business showed that Stuart Gordon kept his fastball even late into his career and with a nonexistent budget.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: [email protected] Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks  YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks  Next week's episode: Models vs. Werewolves

Goobers!  That's right, this week's episode is all about GOOBERS, aka THE GOOBERS, aka MYSTERY MONSTERS, the beginning of the Pulsepounders sublabel of pre-teen comedy horrors. This one centers on a syndicated TV show, where the puppet sidekicks are actually real creatures from another dimension. It's a light and goofy riff on showbiz tropes, featuring a bizarre collection of tiny terrors.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: [email protected] Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks  YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks  Next week's episode: King of the Ants

Ok, maybe "spectacular" is overselling it, but we've reached a major milestone, and wanted to commemorate the occasion by looking back at the episodes we've completed, looking forward to what's next, and generally just taking a victory lap. Thanks again to everyone who has made this show what it is!  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: [email protected] Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks  YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks  Next week's episode: Goobers! 

Director, writer and horror bon vivant Avery Coffey is back to discuss THE HORRIBLE DR. BONES, the last of our movies from the Alchemy/Big City Pictures sublabel! We get into the history of voodoo as depicted in movies, talk about Full Moon's failed attempt to launch a hip-hop label, and the best depictions of zombies in recent years.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: [email protected] Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks  YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks  Next week's episode: Episode 200 Spectacular! 

This week we're excited to sit down with someone who is doing something genuinely unique in the world of indie horror. Toby Poser is a member of The Adams Family, a filmmaking collective... that also happens to be Toby's family! Together, Toby, her husband John Adams, and her daughters Zelda and Lulu Adams have directed several films, including recent festival hits like HELLBENDER, THE DEEPER YOU DIG, and MOTHER OF FLIES. We chat with Toby all about how this unique family project came to be, and to look ahead at what's next for the Adams Family.   Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: [email protected] Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks  YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks  Next week's episode: The Horrible Dr. Bones

The freak is, once again, off the leash, this time for a 2020 remake of Stuart Gordon's famously nasty 1995 original! This time around, the castle is in Albania, the Freak is a lady, and the Elder Gods of Lovecraftian lore have a much bigger part to play. We're excited to be joined by Bloody Disgusting's Zena Dixon, aka the Real Queen of Horror, to share our thoughts on this interesting, and disgusting, bit of business.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: [email protected] Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks  YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks  Next week's episode: The Horrible Dr. Bones 

We're thrilled to be joined by multihyphenate force Gigi Saul Guerrero for an episode on Alejandro Jodorowski's masterwork SANTA SANGRE! This surrealist gem was too shocking for filmgoing audiences in 1989, but has developed a devoted cult of followers. We dig into the rich history of it's creator and the deeper themes underneath this challenging work. Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: [email protected] Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks  YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks  Next week's episode: Castle Freak (2020)

Filmmaker Jenn Wexler (LAST TEMPTATION OF BECKY, THE RANGER) joins us this week to check out an underground classic: the 1971 queer erotic arthouse vampire flick DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS! Starring French screen icon Delphine Seyrig as the immortal Elisabeth Bathory, this vibe-y, sapphic gem is light on plot but heavy on mood, and features some incredible lighting and camera work.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: [email protected] Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks  YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks  Next week's episode: Santa Sangre

Surprise! We're giving you a whole extra episode this week, because when you have the chance to record with the great Dan McCoy of The Flop House podcast, you take it! This week's episode is all about a teeny tiny regional horror film from the makers of JIGSAW: VENGEANCE OF THE DEAD, in which a disaffected teen starts receiving messages from ghosts to burn evildoers in a small Wisconsin town.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: [email protected] Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks  YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks  Next week's episode: Daughters of Darkness

We're closing the book on both the TRANCERS series and the golden age of Full Moon this week with a look at TRANCERS: THE WHOLE DETHLY AFFAIR, a conviently mashed-together new release combining TRANCERS 4: JACK OF SWORDS and TRANCERS 5: SUDDEN DETH. We're thrilled to be joined this week by Canadian filmmaker, special effects artist, and Full Moon obsessive Steven Kostanski (Psycho Goreman, Frankie Freako, Deathstalker), who shares his experience with the company and how it's influenced his films.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: [email protected] Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks  YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks  Next week's episode: Daughters of Darkness