DRtL Episode 43: John Carpenter!
Before you panic — no, he’s not dead. I know, the last time we did an episode about the work of a single director was our Wes Craven Retrospective shortly after he passed, but this time we’re just doing the episode because we just really, really like John Carpenter movies. Although not always the same ones! Listen to the episode to find out more.
We were partly inspired to do this episode by the John Carpenter Retrospective Tour, which will be in Seattle on June 14th! And may be coming soon to a city near you! Check out the tour page for details.
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DRtL Episode 42: The Book Was Better!
“I’ve never seen the 50’s Vincent Price version . . . or, now that I stop to think about it, I don’t think I’ve seen the 60’s version, either . . . and I’m not sure I saw I Am Legend . . . . “
“Oh, my God — move on!”
Welcome to our only slightly late episode! This time, we’re exploring that strange territory where the silver screen and your local bookstore collide. That’s right, this episode is all about horror movies based on books! Bad movies based on good novels, good movies based on bad novels, and everything in between. Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know!
Worthy of Note: Hopefully you will notice a big improvement in the sound quality over previous episodes. We’re trying a totally new audio set-up, and we think it sounds a lot better. Let us know what you think of that, too. We’re still experimenting and learning, and after two years of doing this, we’re finally making a little progress! Eventually, we catch on.
Speaking of which, also Worthy of Note — we’ve missed it by just a few days, but May 9th was the second anniversary of our very first episode! I know, we can’t believe it, either! For those who have been with us from the beginning, thank you so much for listening and for your comments and support, and for telling your friends about us. For those of you just joining — welcome! Grab some popcorn and settle in, because we’re not going to stop watching horror movies any time soon. See you in two weeks!
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DRTL Episode 41: Doubles and Doppelgangers!
No, you’re not seeing double — this really is another episode of Don’t Read the Latin, after just two weeks! On time, in other words! Believe me, no one’s more surprised by that than we are. Won’t you both sit down? Wait, weren’t there two of you just a moment ago? We could have sworn ….
Oh, well. This time out, Michael Montoure and Jennifer Lovely, your Twosome of Terror, have doubled down on their research to bring you Doubles and Doppelgängers, a look into the twins, clones, shapeshifters, and other creepy identical duplicates that have graced the silver screen over the years. Grab a pair of headphones and give it a listen. If you like it, don’t forget to leave us a comment. Or two.
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Bonus Features
First up, here is the short horror film that Jennifer mentions, Doppelganger:
…. Which is by the same director as one of our favorite horror comedy shorts, Meat:
And lastly, for that extra Creep Factor, check out this article about real people who allegedly encountered their paranormal doubles throughout history: 10 Disturbing Tales Of Doppelgangers!
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DRtL Episode 40: Southern Horror!
Welcome back, sugar — won’t you set down for a spell? There you are, settle right in, bless your heart. Thank you so much for joining us for a little Southern hospitality as we sit by the fire and talk about Southern Horror!
We will also be talking about the related-but-slightly-separate Southern Gothic genre, which Tennessee Williams described as writing fiction that captures “an intuition, of an underlying dreadfulness in modern experience.” Which is something we can all relate to, don’t you think?
Join us as we break down our favorite horror films that take place deep in the American South, including some that could only tenuously be said to take place in the South, including one that we were just straight up completely wrong about. (Michael brings up The Others, which, in fact, takes place in freakin’ England. DRtL regrets the error.)
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Bonus Features
Jennifer talks about her subscription to Horror Block, Nerd Block’s horror box subscription that provides her with hand-selected toys, T-shirts, and more surprises every month. (We are not affiliated with this site — Jennifer is just a happy customer.) You can sign up for Horror Block here, if you are so inclined.
We mention “Mama,” the original short film that Guillermo del Toro helped turn into a . . . well, sadly-inferior feature film. But the original hasn’t lost any of its intensity. You can watch it here:
Michael makes fun of the “Look at me, I’m burning” line from Silent Hill, because — well, just watch:
Finally, courtesy of Jim Cartwright, we have this article that’s right up our allery: Report: Leading Cause Of Death Still Venturing Beyond The Pines.
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DRtL Episode 39: Horror Heroines!
…. And once again after slightly too long a hiatus, we return once more with another episode of Don’t Read the Latin!
This time out, we’re talking about heroines in horror. Horror movies tend to have more female protagonists than practically any other genre, which is something we both love about them. At some point, we plan on having a Feminism in Horror episode where we’ll delve into why we think that is and examine just how horror treats its female characters. But for now, we just want to talk about some scream queens we’ve known and loved, from our favorite classic final girls all the way to, well, The Final Girls. Give it a listen, tell your friends, and as always, we look forward to your comments.
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DRtL Episode 38: Horror Soundtracks!
Listen! What’s that sound? Does that eerie pulsing synthesizer music mean that there’s a killer lurking in the shadows? No — it’s just the latest episode of Don’t Read the Latin!
This time out, we’re talking about horror soundtracks and scores that we love — even when they’re from films we don’t.
Montoure goes all film-school on us and starts talking about diegetic vs. non-diegetic music, Jennifer carefully side-steps around the subject of a mysterious competition in her youth, and so much more!
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Stuff We Mentioned
At one point, Montoure mentions that the film He Never Died (he couldn’t remember the title at the time, but that’s the one) reminded him of a novel called Sandman Slim, by Richard Kadrey, so here’s a link to that book on Amazon. (Or click on the cover image, here, if you’re more visually inclined.) It’s a fun read and you should check it out!
He also mentioned the unused soundtrack for Hellraiser by the band Coil, and said that the whole thing was probably on YouTube. It is! You can give it a listen here. It’s very different from the soundtrack that actually got used!
And finally, he also also mentioned a haunting little comic by Ehud Lavski about a mysterious radio station. He reblogged that one on his Tumblr. You can click on the thumbnail below to read the whole comic.
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DRtL Episode 37: Folklore and Fairy Tales!
Can you believe it? We’ve done thirty-seven episodes! (“In a row?”)
This time out, we wander off into the woods to talk about horror movies inspired by fairy tales and folklore, or even just movies that have that fairy tale feel to them, and we delve into why horror movies are the direct modern descendant of these ancient tales. Before we get to the subject, though, we wander off the path a bit to talk about the recent loss of pop culture icons David Bowie and Alan Rickman.
(Note: Jennifer refers at one point to a movie called “Tooth Fairy.” She was actually referring to “Darkness Falls,” which features that mythical creature. “Tooth Fairy” is, in fact, a family-friendly 2010 comedy film starring Dwayne Johnson. DRtL regrets the error.)
This episode’s bonus link: www.folkhorror.com
This episode’s YouTube video: Here’s the teaser trailer Michael talks about for the upcoming J.G. Ballard adaptation, “High-Rise”:
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DRtL Episode 36: What We Want To See In 2016!
Last episode, we took one last look at 2015, and this time out, we’re looking ahead at the year to come, as we discuss new releases we’re looking forward to (and some we’re not.)
While we’re at it, we also talk a little bit about what we’d like to see from horror movies in general, and we talk about other things we enjoyed in 2015 that didn’t qualify for last episode’s topic. Also, Jennifer talks about why she’s not that crazy about Benedict Cumberbatch; Michael discusses his love of horror movies that clearly spell out a rigid set of rules, and oh so much more.
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Bonus Pictures
The Shirtless Jeff Goldblum mug that Michael bought Jennifer for Christmas, because he knows what she likes:
And some images from Over the Garden Wall:
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DRtL Episode 35: The Best of 2015!
Wait a minute, what’s that? Peeking out from under the branches of the Christmas tree that’s starting to drop needles onto your living room floor? Why, it looks like Satan — excuse me, I mean Santa — has left you one last Christmas present! And it’s just what you wanted — a brand new episode of Don’t Read the Latin! You must have been good this year.
This time out, we look back at 2015’s crop of horror movies — what was great, what was terrible (although we don’t waste much time talking about that), and which movies merely deserved our 2015 “You Tried” Participation Medal. Jennifer and Michael are joined by special guests Jeff Harris of Fanboy News Network and Jillian Venters of Gothic Charm School!
Special thanks to AFK Tavern for actually being open at the godforsaken hours of the procrastination-driven, insomnia-fueled editing of this episode!
And that’s it for us for this year! We will talk to you all in 2016! Happy holidays!
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P.S. For reference, here is the XXXenophile cover we talk about in the beginning of the episode. (Even though it’s for an “adult” comic, the cover itself is more-or-less safe for work.) Click to embiggen.
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DRtL Episode 34: Winter Horror!
The weather outside isn’t the only thing that’s frightful! Better grab some blankets, make yourself some hot cocoa, light a fire in the fireplace — or, really, burn the whole damn house down, if you have to — because Don’t Read the Latin is back, and this time we’re talking Winter Horror. Christmas horror movies, snowbound horror movies, a few classics and a few not-so-classics that all have one thing in common — they have a few more chills than usual.
Jennifer reminisces about the late, lamented Vertigo Video, we once again sing the praises of Scarecrow Video, Michael talks Joe Hill’s Christmassy horror novel NOS4A2, and so much more.
Feel like giving us an early Christmas present? Take a minute to rate us on iTunes and help other horror fans find us!
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