VAULTCAST! Conversations in the Dark: Miguel Rodriguez Returns!

Once you get two dyed-in-the-wool Godzillaphiles together, it seems you just can't keep them apart. And so, we come to the third installment of the crossover podcast series Monster Island Resort's Miguel Rodriguez and I have been recording--all about our mutual passion, Big G. This time out, we turn our attention away from the classic Showa series of the 1950s-1970s, and move on to the second series of Godzilla films.

Produced from the mid 1980s through the late 1990s, the Heisei series represented something of a rebirth for the giant lizard. There certainly was a lot of ground to cover, and many films to discuss; but Mr. Rodriguez and I were certainly up to the task. Listen in and join us, won't you?

As always, you have a couple of options. You can listen on the embedded player below, or proceed to the Vaultcast page and download it!



Part 1 of the series!
Part 2 of the series!

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Stacie Ponder

And CitD returns after a month-long hiatus! What better way, I ask, to bring the series back than with the one and only Stacie Ponder, author of a little blog some of you folks may know, by the name of Final Girl? Hmm...anyone?

Anyway, Stacie was kind enough to enter the Vault this week to touch on a ridiculous variety of topics, ranging from the nature of great horror, to why '70s music rocks, to the joys of blog trolls, to why the youth of America is lame, and so much more! So listen in on two crazed individuals going on and on about whatever happens to pop into their heads. It's nothing if not entertaining.

Check it out on the player embedded below, or head over to the Vaultcast page to download it...

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Captain Cruella

The spot: A clandestine, undisclosed location on the New York/Connecticut border. The guest: Captain Cruella, Zombie Queen of the Carnivorous Cadavers. The cuisine: Confidential.

We're here to discuss a fascinating phenomenon in our popular culture: The rise of the zombie. Face it, our undead friends are everywhere, and the movies are just the beginning. They have infiltrated our world, metaphorically speaking. And on Saturday in Saugerties, New York, they will do so literally (well, heh, almost) thanks to Cruella's Village Invasion zombie crawl, which we also touch on (including The Vault of Horror's involvement in the event).

Listen in on all the ghoulish shenanigans on the embedded player below, or head over to the Vaultcast page and download it!



The Village Invasion website
The Captain on Twitter
Press release

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Christine Hadden

I'm thrilled about this week's edition of Conversations in the Dark, because Italian horror is one of my favorite topics to discuss. And if there's anyone whose name is synonymous with Italian horror, it would be Dario Argento. Suspiria is one of my all-time favorite horror films, and Argento's signature style in other movies like Deep Red and Tenebrae have long fascinated me.

So of course, I had to bring in one of my favorite Argento fanatics, Ms. Christine Hadden of Fascination with Fear. Christine is more well-versed in Argento than myself--and so, seeking, as always, to make myself look good by surrounding myself with talented individuals, I invited Christine to join me this week. By listening in on the embedded player below, you can hear us wistfully sing the praises of Italy's ambassador of terror, as well as veer into Hitchcock, Deodato and all points in between.

You can also proceed directly to the official Vaultcast page and download the audio!



Fascination with Fear: http://fascinationwithfear.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/slewfan77
Blood Sprayer: http://www.bloodsprayer.com/author/christine/

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Miguel Rodriguez

Have you recently found yourself overcome with the unrelenting need to hear two 30-something year-old men talk for nearly an hour about Japanese monster movies? If so, then boy, have you come to the right place.

This week on the Vaultcast, it is my distinct honor to have as my guest Mr. Miguel Rodriguez, a fellow Godzilla-phile who also happens to run his own podcast, Monster Island Resort. As you can probably tell from the name of his show, Miguel is a huge fan of the big green lizard and his many far-out cohorts and foes. And given my own unconditional love of all things kaiju--see my three-part history of the original Godzilla series--I figured it might be a very good idea if we put our heads together and engaged in some mutual worship of rubber monster suits.

I warn you ahead of time: The geekery involved this week reaches alarming proportions. Your mileage may vary. If you dare to take a listen to our discussion of singing fairies, cockroach people and little boys in tiny shorts, then check out the embedded player below--or proceed directly to the official Vaultcast page to download.



Monster Island Resort podcast: http://www.monsterislandresort.org/
For more on Horrible Imaginings: The Horror Film Festival of San Diego
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MnstrIsleResort

*Special thanks to Captain Cruella of Village Invasion - Crawl of the Dead for forging the unholy Solomon/Rodriguez alliance!

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Kristy Jett

For the first time ever, this time around in Conversations in the Dark we spend our allotted minutes focusing on one film and one film only...more or less. It's an exceptional kind of show this week, but one makes exceptions when one is joined by an online horror dynamo the likes of Ms. Kristy Jett, the omnipresent force whose work can be found on sites like The Blood Sprayer, Fangoria.com and Dread Central, and who is one of the guiding lights behind Fright Rags, online horror T-shirt merchant extraordinaire.

See, Kristy happens to be obsessed with the 1991 slasher/William Castle tribute Popcorn, and since she asked so nicely, we spent a solid half hour-plus waxing rhapsodic about that particular motion picture, amongst a few other random things that will pop up whenever you get two consummate blabbermouths together. So listen in as Kristy and I discuss the film itself, as well as Ms. Jett's ambitions to put together a special-edition, 20th anniversary DVD release worthy of it. Listen below, or head to the Vaultcast page and download!



The Blood Sprayer: http://bloodsprayer.com
Fright Rags: http://www.fright-rags.com

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Britt Hayes

Make yourself comfortable tonight, ladies and gentlemen. Because this time around, we have a very special, double-length edition of Conversations in the Dark. As part of the ongoing Lucky 13 series in which both the Vault and Brutal as Hell are currently embroiled, I was originally going to be joined by BAH's Britt Hayes for back-to-back weeks, discussing both the recent zombie edition and upcoming sci-fi edition of The Lucky 13. But plans changed, and so instead we combined both into one mondo, 90-minute Vaultcast.

Fortunately for you, we happen to be two individuals with very radio-friendly voices, so it won't be too unpleasant to listen in as we ramble on ecstatically about both the living dead and the horrors of science fiction, along the way leaping madly into random non-sequiturs involving everything from the merits of Nic Cage's career and the hotness of Cillian Murphy, to the glories of the Anthony Weiner tirade and why the Friedberg/Seltzer spoof movies may be signaling the apocalypse.

You can listen on the embedded player below, or over at the official Vaultcast page. Download it right here--proud to declare, by the way, that the Vaultcast has grown so popular that I had to upgrade to a pro account on PodOmatic in order to accommodate all the bandwidth. Keep listening! My wallet doesn't thank you, but I do!


Brutal as Hell: http://www.brutalashell.com
Chud.com: http://chud.com/articles/authors/276/Britt-Hayes
Twitter: http://twitter.com/_iheartzombies

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/BC

It's a thrill this week to be joined by the one and only BC of Horror-Movie-a-Day and Bloody-Disgusting, one of my true blogging inspirations. He had an opportunity to attend Comic Con last weekend, and now that the geek explosion has come and gone, I figured I'd have him on to talk about all the stuff that went down in San Diego. While I had his attention, we also went off on random tangents about M. Night Shyamalan's downward spiral, and our cautious expectations for Matt Reeves' Let Me In.

So take a listen to the embedded player below if you dare, or head on over to the new Vaultcast home page, where you can download this installment directly...


Horror-Movie-a-Day: http://horrormovieaday.com
Bloody Disgusting: http://bloody-disgusting.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BrianWCollins

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Maweanne

I bet you've been laying up nights, just wondering when Conversations in the Dark would return... Well the answer is, right now! That's right, the Vaultcast returns just in time for the San Diego Comic-Con. As my guest this week I have someone who will actually be going to the event (unlike me)--and that's Maweanne (a.k.a. Maryanne Schultz) of The Spooky Brew.

Tonight we chat up this week's epic West Coast geekfest, as well as Maryanne's experiences as an honest-to-goodness horror movie makeup artist. Listen in on the embedded player below, or pay a visit to the new Vaultcast homepage, where you can also download it...


The Spooky Brew: http://spookybrew.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/maweanne

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Doug Plomitallo

Remakes are indeed such a ripe subject for endless pontification, that this week in CitD, I return to the well for more! This time around, I'm joined by Doug Plomitallo, creator of the horror anthology web series Scared Stiff. We tackle some of the many problems with remakes, and why those within the horror film industry seem to be so obsessed with them. We also get off on a few long-winded tangents I found too entertaining to edit out, so enjoy!

Listen in on the embedded player below, or proceed directly to the Vaultcast page, where you can download it.

Conversations in the Dark: Doug Plomitallo

The Vaultcast!

Scared Stiff: http://www.scaredstiff.tv
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ScaredStiffTV
Twitter: http://twitter.com/scaredstiffshow

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Marc Patterson

In keeping with last weekend's kick-off of The Lucky 13 in tandem with Brutal as Hell, this time around I invited Brutal as Hell's managing editor and founder Marc Patterson to join me on Conversations in the Dark. And since our first Lucky 13 installment featured discussions of our favorite horror films in the sub-genre of grindhouse/exploitation, we took this opportunity to really get in-depth and talk about exactly what defines grindhouse and exploitation in the first place.

Join us as we get into which grindhouse and exploitation flicks we love, which ones we don't love, and why, from the seedy days of Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave, through the present-day era of homages like Death Proof and Hostel. And hang tight for the second installment of The Lucky 13 coming up next, with the spotlight on monsters movies and creature features!

Listen to the embedded player below, proceed to the Vaultcast homepage, or download it directly here.

Conversations in the Dark: Marc Patterson

The Vaultcast!

Brutal as Hell: http://www.brutalashell.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BAHHorror

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Chuck Conry

Survival of the Dead is a film which has polarized the horror masses. I've already stated how much I enjoyed it, and one of the folks who called me out on that from the word go was someone who didn't particularly enjoy George Romero's newest zombie opus, Mr. Chuck Conry of Zombies DON'T Run. What to do? Why, invite him on the Vaultcast to discuss the film, of course!

So listen in on the North-meets-South debate as Chuck and myself talk about Survival, and the Romero oeuvre in general. As usual, you can check it out in the embedded player, take a listen at the actual Vaultcast page, or download the sucker right here...

Conversations in the Dark: Chuck Conry

The Vaultcast!

Zombies DON'T Run: http://www.zombiesdontrun.net
Twitter: http://twitter.com/chuckconry

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Andre Dumas

Remakes! There, doesn't that just make your stomach get all tight and your palms cold and sweaty? Horror fans tend to get a bit up in arms at the very notion of remakes, but take a listen as The Horror Digest's Andre Dumas and myself wax philosophic about exactly why remakes are not always a bad thing, and how they can actually serve an important purpose!

So if you want to find out exactly what we mean, or if you want to listen to us pick the movies we'd most like to see remade, and the ones we wish never were, listen in on the embedded player below, jump to the Vaultcast page, or download it right here.

Conversations in the Dark: Andre Dumas

The Vaultcast!

The Horror Digest: http://horrordigest.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/thehorrordigest

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Nate Yapp

Ever since I started doing CitD, I've been looking forward to having a chat about classic horror, and who better to have it with than the guy who runs Classic-Horror.com? Nate Yapp, author of that Rondo-nominated site (as well as of Cinema Geek, home of my 52 Perfect Movies series), was kind enough to join me this time out for an interesting discussion of all things old school.

Listen in below as we pontificate about everything from Universal stuff, to Val Lewton, to Hammer, in an effort to discover exactly what "classic horror" is, anyway. And we also get into what has changed in horror between then and now, which is always a subject of spirited debate. And then there's the whole Karloff vs. Lugosi controversy...

In addition to the embedded player, you can also proceed directly to the Vaultcast page, or download Conversations in the Dark right here.

Conversations in the Dark: Nate Yapp

The Vaultcast!

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/The Divemistress

Delve down into horror's murky underwater depths with me this week, as I'm joined by the Divemistress, of the blog Zombots! and The Avod podcast. DM is probably the best horror blogging oceanographer around, and she's also Canadian--which is why we've devoted the Vaultcast this week to talking about Canuck horror.

Listen in as we discuss the inevitable greatness of Cronenberg and try to figure out why Fido never gets the attention Shaun of the Dead does--plus, get a handy crash course in Canadian economic history! You may even hear about some horror movies you love that you never even knew were Canadian. And best of all, we get through an entire half hour without once saying "The Great White North", so give us some credit for that.

As always, check it out on the embedded player below, the actual Vaultcast page, or download it right here!

Conversations in the Dark: The Divemistress

The Vaultcast!

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On the Manic Monday front, for those still curious about the movie, I encourage you to check yesterday's post and take note of the first letter of each paragraph ;-) My apologies to the clever readers who felt compelled to let the world know they had figured it out. Sorry about deleting or ignoring your comments--nothing gets past you folks, that's for sure! But I had to commit myself fully to the effort. Kayfabe! (It's a wrestling thing, Google it.)

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Brad McHargue

Seems like everyone loves to point out which horror films are "overrated". Hell, I just made my own list of them last month. It's one thing to point out certain movies that a lot of people can agree get more credit than they deserve, but what about those films that everyone just seems to love but you? Brad McHargue, writer for HorrorSquad and author of the blog I Love Horror, is used to this problem, as his opinions are often far from the majority. Good thing he's not afraid to piss people off.

Which is also why he makes a great guest. This week on Conversations in the Dark, he joins me to talk about movies like Drag Me to Hell and Grace, which many people adored, but Brad thought were dogcrap. Plus, I get into my own continued disdain for the beloved Blair Witch Project, and we both scratch our heads at those who call Paranormal Activity overrated.

It's a whole lot of angst and perplexedness this week in the Vaultcast, so listen in below! Or proceed to the Vaultcast home page and download the sucker...

Conversations in the Dark: Brad McHargue

The Vaultcast!

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In other news, when you have a chance, release your inner Kraken by heading over to Bloody-Disgusting.com to check out my latest list: The 21 Most Kick-Ass Giant Monsters in Movie History, in honor of the impending Clash of the Titans remake...

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Rhonny Reaper

This week on Conversations in the Dark, it's a lesson in frugality with the queen of the discount rack herself, Ms. Rhonny Reaper of Dollar Bin Horror. Join Rhonny and me as we explore the wonders of being a horror fan on a budget, and how you can find anything from Night of the Living Dead to Slave of the Cannibal God, if you only know where to look!

Listen in on the embedded player below, or on the Vaultcast page, or by downloading it directly right here.

Conversations in the Dark: Rhonny Reaper

The Vaultcast!

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Matt-Suzaka

After a two-week hiatus, Conversations of the Dark returns in a big way, with Matt-Suzaka of Chuck Norris Ate My Baby! This time out, we're talking about a difficult, painful subject for horror fans: directors who were once great but have arguably lost their way... From Romero and Argento to Craven and Hooper, we pull no punches as we dissect their respective declines. Plus, poor Matt has been a bit under the weather, so his sick voice is sure to inspire your sympathy/cause you to gloat maliciously!

Listen in on the embedded player below, proceed to the actual Vaultcast page, or download the whole thing right here...

Conversations in the Dark: Matt-Suzaka

The Vaultcast!

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/Sean Abley

Time once again for Conversations in the Dark, boys and girls. This week, join me and Sean Abley of (the late?) Fangoria.com's Gay of the Dead blog, as we discuss our favorite "guilty pleasure" horror movies. Sean is a really cool guy who bestowed his "Brains for Days" blog award on the VoH earlier this week, and even plugged my daughter's blog Book-Town in the process, so he's officially a big-time FoV (Friend of the Vault), and I encourage you to check his stuff out.

But tonight, From I Spit on Your Grave and Giant Spider Invasion to Slime City and Terrorvision, we delve deeply into the realm of "so bad it's good." Won't you join us in the celebration of badness?

Check it out in the embedded player below, or you can either listen in at the Vaultcast homepage, or download the Vaultcast directly...

Conversations in the Dark: Sean Abley

The Vaultcast!