Half Price Horror

Happy Birthday to Me (1981)

August 07, 2022 17:30 - 43 minutes - 40.5 MB

What better way to celebrate a birthday than with an obscure birthday-themed slasher flick from the 80s? That's right, your host is another year older, but giallo-inspired movies about a killer at a prep school will never go out of style. Come for the red herrings and quirky characters, stay for the absoludicrous twist ending that was a clear inspiration to Kevin Williamson's 'Scream'!

Phantasm III (1994)

July 24, 2022 16:17 - 36 minutes - 34.1 MB

Half Price Horror enters the later, weirder era of the Phantasm franchise with its first direct-to-video entry, Phantasm III! Do we get more silver spheres? Do we get a return from A. Michael Baldwin as Mike? Do we get a completely unmotivated Home Alone reference? Yes to all that and more! Come see what's going on with the Tall Man as we dig into every bit of it!

The Thing (2011)

July 10, 2022 18:02 - 47 minutes - 44 MB

Half Price Horror takes a bold stance in this episode, suggesting that the 2011 prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 classic might be... good? Really good? Unfairly maligned, full of sympathetic characters and tight, tense action set pieces good? Mary Elizabeth Winstead with a goddamn flamethrower good? Give the CGI a break, it lets the monster do things it could never have done in the original good? Don't believe us, just listen and find out good? Yes! That good! Don't believe us? Just listen a...

Phantasm II (1988)

June 26, 2022 17:09 - 37 minutes - 35.1 MB

For Mike and Reggie, it's been almost ten years since they last confronted the Tall Man and his silver spheres. And for us, it's time to look at the bigger, bolder, studio sequel to the original Phantasm and see how the series shifts from dreamlike horror to full-bore 80s weirdness in Phantasm II!

Tucker & Dale Vs Evil (2010)

June 12, 2022 16:43 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MB

After hearing about it as a legendary horror-comedy for over a decade, HPH finally decides to watch TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL and see whether this weird anti-slasher really lives up to its reputation. Is the gory farce actually the classic people hold it up to be? Or does the comedy clash with the horror instead of enhancing it? Listen and find out!

Phantasm (1979)

May 29, 2022 16:56 - 42 minutes - 39.8 MB

There's a Tall Man effortlessly lifting coffins one-handed, strange dwarves in brown robes transporting cargo through a hole in space, and a silver sphere with twin blades that flies through the air on a murderous rampage. It all adds up to one of the strangest cult classics in horror, 1979's PHANTASM, and we're going to dig into every gory detail!

Werewolves Within (2021)

May 15, 2022 21:19 - 42 minutes - 39.6 MB

This is an odd adaptation of the classic self-help book 'Healing the Child Within', but I have to say I kind of like--oh. No. Wait. This is the adaptation of the video game 'Werewolves Within', and it's got a lot to unpack. So let's talk social dynamics, fake geek girls, black comedy, and everything else that goes into this 2021 horror-comedy!

Suspiria (1977)

May 01, 2022 22:05 - 40 minutes - 37.9 MB

Half Price Horror decides to bring a little class to the production by reviewing a swanky foreign film! It's got artsy colors, and ballet dancers, and, um... rains of maggots, and women falling into razor wire... okay, so maybe "class" isn't the best way to describe SUSPIRIA. But as you'll see from this episode, maybe SUSPIRIA is just indescribable.

Bonus Episode - Return of the Living Dead W/They're Terrified and Tipsy

April 24, 2022 20:26 - 1 hour - 80 MB

I recently did an episode of They're Terrified and Tipsy with the amazing Courtney and Stephanie, and they've graciously given me permission to post it here! You can repay the favor by subscribing to their highly entertaining podcast, leaving them a nice review, subscribing to their Patreon, and all the other stuff you do for the podcasts you love!

Censor (2021)

April 17, 2022 15:18 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MB

Every horror fan knows that the real scare, especially in Britain in the 80s, were the people willing to use horror's unsavory reputation as an excuse for authoritarianism. But what about the people who truly believed that scary movies could influence society into acts of violence? Could they be the biggest monsters of all? Find out as we do a deep dive into Prano Bailey-Bond's amazing debut feature, CENSOR!

Slither (2006)

April 03, 2022 21:55 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MB

It's time for our crash-bang-boom 50th episode, and we celebrate with the directorial debut of James Gunn! He's famous for Guardians of the Galaxy, but Slither shows he's always had the chops and we're going to go over every wonderful minute of this body horror-comedy.

Malignant (2021)

March 20, 2022 17:15 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MB

It's time to CUT OUT the CANCER as we dig into 2021's controversial entry from James Wan, MALIGNANT! There's neo-giallo themes, medical curiosities, and some playful trollery in this movie, and HPH talks about it all!

In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

March 06, 2022 22:00 - 38 minutes - 35.9 MB

HPH finally tackles the legendary John Carpenter and his strange, trippy, metafictional before metafiction was cool movie 'In the Mouth of Madness'! Find out how HP Lovecraft, Stephen King, and post-modernism combine to create an apocalyptic threat that even Sam Neill can't stop.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

February 20, 2022 22:58 - 49 minutes - 45.9 MB

Thanks to the miracle of physical media, Half Price Horror finally gets to take a look at a nearly-lost classic of the legendary director George Romero, his zombie epic to end all zombie epics DAWN OF THE DEAD! We dig into the film's social commentary, its inventive use of authentic 70s locations, and its struggles with that thing called feminism.

Carnival of Souls (1962)

February 06, 2022 21:03 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MB

It's time to explore another black-and-white classic, as HPH digs into the independent movie that became a staple of late-night television and influenced arthouse horror films for generations to come! Join me as we take a long drive out to Utah, explore the old abandoned carnival, and look at the space between life and death in 1962's CARNIVAL OF SOULS!

The Beach House (2019)

January 23, 2022 22:33 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MB

Time to get away from the freezing weather with a relaxing trip to Daddy's beach house! It's nice and warm here... warm enough, in fact, to release trapped microbes from a volcanic vent and usher in the end of the human race as we know it. But hey, don't be scared, right? Don't be scared. Don't be scared. Don't be scared....

Scream 4 (2011)

January 09, 2022 21:45 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MB

It's an unexpected return to Woodsboro for Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson, and an unexpected delight for the people who love the Scream franchise! Join in the Stab-a-Thon with Sidney, Gale and Dewey, and find out why this podcast doesn't need friends. It needs FANS!

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

December 26, 2021 20:58 - 37 minutes - 35 MB

John Krasinski's follow-up to 2018's 'A Quiet Place' might have been delayed by the pandemic, but this podcast episode won't be! Join me for a conversation about Marcus's real dad, cryptic radio messages that don't need to be, and possibly-cannibals galore!

Scream 3 (2000)

December 12, 2021 21:40 - 1 hour - 56.7 MB

The Scream series goes Hollywood, in an installment that's so meta it's literally about the making of itself! It's also about the generational trauma inflicted by sexual abuse, the interlocking systems of power that protect abusers, and the toxic male entitlement that permeates our culture. And it's time to really talk about what it's saying.

A Quiet Place (2018)

November 28, 2021 22:20 - 41 minutes - 38.6 MB

Shhh. Be vewwy vewwy quiet. They're hunting... us! Yep, time to dig into the fictional logic of monsters, complain about inconveniently placed nails, and discuss the debt we owe to our children as we look at 2018's A Quiet Place.

Scream 2 (1997)

November 14, 2021 22:04 - 55 minutes - 51.7 MB

Time to spend a little more time with Sidney Prescott and friends, as she goes off to college and runs into a pair of copycat killers with an axe to grind. Features discussion of toxic male entitlement, the last-minute changes that transformed the screenplay, and why Randy had to die. (Um. Spoilers.)

Elvira's Movie Macabre: Legacy of Blood (1982)

October 31, 2021 19:09 - 45 minutes - 42.2 MB

As a special Halloween treat, Half Price Horror spends a little time in the company of classic 80s Elvira and her episode on the 1971 movie BLOOD LEGACY, aka LEGACY OF BLOOD! Features discussion of the way Cassandra Peterson's life informed her comedy, as well as the reasons why the movie in question might have ended up relegated to fodder for a late night horror show.

Scream (1996)

October 26, 2021 02:03 - 1 hour - 60.5 MB

The episode runs a little long as HPH tackles one of the most influential horror movies since Halloween, Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson's meta-slasher classic SCREAM! Features a discussion of 80s video stores and their influence on 90s movies, and a deeper-than-deep dive into the movie's game-changing opening sequence.

Alien (1979)

October 18, 2021 19:17 - 51 minutes - 47.9 MB

As our Prime Time Horror October rolls on, HPH takes a look at probably the most influential work of science fiction horror out there, Dan O'Bannon and Ridley Scott's seminal (although in this context, John Hurt at least might not appreciate that choice of words) movie ALIEN!

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

October 11, 2021 04:56 - 44 minutes - 41.5 MB

Continuing October's deep dive into the classics of horror, we take a look at Tobe Hooper's unrivaled exploitation masterpiece, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. This episode looks at ableism in horror fandom, the value of coming to directing from documentaries, and the origins of the Sawyer family.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

October 03, 2021 23:03 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MB

As we begin 2021's Spooky Season, there's no better place to start than with a landmark of the genre, George Romero's seminal zombie apocalypse film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. We discuss fallout shelter etiquette, Vietnam allegories, and the literal and figurative conflict between generations as we tackle one of the finest horror movies ever made.

The Reckoning (2020)

September 26, 2021 21:57 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MB

Despite our best efforts, it's hard to stay positive as we look at Neil Marshall's first original movie since 2010's CENTURION, the purportedly feminist but decidedly exploitative witch hunting drama, THE RECKONING! Featuring discussions of historical and medical accuracy and why they normally wouldn't be important but kind of matter here.

Jakob's Wife (2021)

September 12, 2021 21:59 - 42 minutes - 39 MB

Time to look at another current movie, this one a feminist look at the empowerment aspects of vampiric transformation as depicted by horror icon Barbara Crampton! Let's dig into 2021's sexy gory vamp flick, JAKOB'S WIFE!

The Frighteners (1996)

August 30, 2021 00:22 - 51 minutes - 47.7 MB

Before he was the fantasy equivalent of George Lucas, Peter Jackson was a scrappy independent film maker from New Zealand with a penchant for gross-out horror comedies. If you've ever wondered how one Peter Jackson became the other Peter Jackson, come take a deep dive with us into 1996's 'The Frighteners' and see how a movie full of CGI ghosts and relentless pursuit became the failure he needed to make all his future successes!

The Shape of Water (2017)

August 15, 2021 21:05 - 48 minutes - 44.9 MB

Time to take a deep dive into the waters of magical realism, as we take a look at what's beneath the surface of Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning masterpiece THE SHAPE OF WATER! Don't worry, there's nothing fishy going on here--this production went swimmingly! (I promise, I don't do these aquatic puns in the actual episode. This is just for the halibut.)

Friday the 13th (2009)

August 01, 2021 20:32 - 52 minutes - 48.6 MB

It's the end for Jason Voorhees... but the moment has been prepared for. In this case, Michael Bay prepared a flashy 00s reboot with plenty of nods to the original and plenty of unusual choices that we dig into as we examine the final installment of the Friday the 13th series!

Episodes