
11 episodes

Kill It With Fire - Cult Movies and Cult-ure killitwithfire
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- TV & Film
Kill It With Fire is a group of likeminded creative professionals and academics, who have come together to create a podcast focusing on cult movies and wider cult-ure from the last few decades of the Twentieth Century – from (sub)genres such as horror, neo-noir, sci-fi and the erotic thriller.
The podcast aims to be both enlightening and entertaining.
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Episode 11. The Principal (Christopher Cain, 1987)
It’s the principal, man
Peter and Paul take a look at Christopher Cain’s 1987 movie The Principal, starring James Belushi, Louis Gossett Jr, and Rae Dawn Chong.
Topics discussed include the intersection of the American high school picture and the vigilante film, depictions of race and ethnicity in these films, the connection between this film and Damian Lee’s Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe (1990), and The Principal’s awkward fusion of gritty urban drama and Jim Belushi goofiness. -
Episode 10. Deadly Friend (Wes Craven, 1986)
Craven some robotic hijinx
In this instalment of the Kill It With Fire – Cult Movies and Cult-ure podcast, Ady and Paul take a look at Wes Craven's oft-neglected 1986 film Deadly Friend.
Topics discussed in this episode include: the origins of the film in Diana Henstell's novel, Friend; the positioning of the film in Craven's career; the film's blending of family-friendly hijinx with graphic horror; the production history of the film; the controversies surrounding the film's final edit.
This episode was recorded prior to Shout! Factory's Blu-ray release of Deadly Friend in 2021. -
Episode 9. The Beast of War (Kevin Reynolds, 1988)
Tanks for listening
In this instalment of the Kill It With Fire – Cult Movies and Cult-ure podcast, Ady, Peter and Paul discuss Kevin Reynold’s 1988 war film The Beast of War, aka The Beast, based on the play Nanawatai by William Mastrosimone
Topics discussed in this episode include: the films of Kevin Reynolds; the work of playwright William Mastrosimone, and his research in writing the play ‘Nanawatai’ on which The Beast of War is passed; stage-to-screen adaptations; Mitchell and Webb’s ‘Are we the bad guys?’ sketch; the David and Goliath story; a film about Vietnam but set in Afghanistan; a Western in modern dress; realism in language; Russians speaking with American accents; subtitles or not for Pashtun dialogue; American films of the 1980s about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Paul outing himself as a monstrous raging cinephile (and seeing no shame in this).
Please note that unfortunately, we experienced some technical issues in the recording of this podcast. This resulted in some mental confusion (what’s new, I hear you say) and a couple of abrupt edits. We apologise for this. -
Episode 8. Conan the Destroyer (Richard Fleischer, 1984)
Crom!... and Jelly-Baby Monsters
This instalment of the Kill It With Fire – Cult Movies and Cult-ure podcast takes a look at Richard Fleischer’s 1984 sequel to Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer.
Topics discussed in this episode include: 1980s sword and sorcery films; the film’s problematic production; the cuts made to the film; magic versus might; Lovecraftian influences; Robert E Howard adaptations; monsters; the Freudian undertones of a film so focused on men with big choppers; and Peter’s leftover chicken wings. -
Episode 7. Primer (Shane Carruth, 2004)
A podcast so good that we went back in time to record it again… and again… and again!
This instalment of the Kill It With Fire – Cult Movies and Cult-ure podcast focuses on Shane Carruth’s minimalist 2004 science-fiction film Primer.
Topics discussed in this episode include: time travel in cinema; the use of language in the film; Carruth’s approach to narrative; ‘selling’ SF concepts such as time travel; developments in independent filmmaking during the 21st Century; the relationship between indie genre films and mainstream Hollyweird filmmaking. -
Episode 6. Flashback (Franco Amurri, 1990)
Subtitle: The 2020s will make the 2010s look like the 1990s… or something
This instalment of the Kill It With Fire – Cult Movies and Cult-ure podcasts takes a look at Franco Amurri’s 1990s road movie/comedy Flashback, starring Dennis Hopper, Keifer Sutherland and Carol Kane.
Topics discussed in this episode include: the road movie and mismatched ‘buddy’ film; 1980s/1990s representations of 60s counterculture; Dennis Hopper’s career; Keifer Sutherland’s screen work; celebrity road safety campaigns; and we have a visit by a very convincing Jon Bon Jovi impersonator.