Welcome to Horror

Welcome to Horror

Welcome to Horror is a fortnightly show in which Lee and Adam introduce horror novice Chris to all the delights the genre has to offer. So whether your a seasoned horror fan or someone with a passing interest looking for an entertaining new look on the topic why not join us on our journey. We have such sights to show you.....

  1. Ep 246 Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde

    Apr 26

    Ep 246 Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde

    It’s Hammer Time once again on WTH, and it’s the turn of 1971’s “Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde”. A film in which we learn that two’s company, three’s a positive deviation; that Burke and Hare were time travellers; and that an alias inspired by a newspaper headline isn’t always the best idea (just ask Mrs Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster). A title that began as a joke has probably not helped the reputation of this late period Hammer movie, with many dismissing it as an unnecessary watch from a studio long past its prime. But this is a mistake, from the combo of stalwart director Roy Ward Baker and Avengers writer Brian Clemens comes an interesting and vibrant film, that feels more modern than a lot of its stablemates, with bags of atmosphere, a line of still effective gore, some lovely directorial flourishes, and a blackly comic streak in both its characters and dialogue. Ralph Bates and Martine Beswick are a brilliant paring as the two aspects of our protagonist, ably supported by a strong cast, notably Gerald Simm’s disreputable Professor and Philip Madoc’s lugubrious mortuary attendant. Whilst “Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde” ultimately fails to adequately explore the concept at its heart, it is certainly the most entertaining of the studio’s few attempts to adapt Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic, and another example of the less well-known Hammer Films being surprising gems that deserve a much greater appreciation. Watch (or re-watch) to avoid spoilers and join us.

    37 min
  2. Ep 243 The House of the Devil

    Mar 15

    Ep 243 The House of the Devil

    We’re heading back to 2009 (or is it 1983?) for Ti West’s “The House of the Devil”. A film which gives us the do’s and don’t’s of babysitting: DO bring a friend along to ensure the employers aren’t weirdos, DON’T then ignore that friend who has spotted every red flag in the situation; DO order pizza that the employers have generously left money for, DON’T then stick on your walkman really loud so you couldn’t hear the doorbell, dance on the furniture, generally run amok and break things; DO accept $400 for a night’s work, DON’T accept $400 for a night’s work from Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov who are both, clearly, scary as all f**k. Before the success of his “X” trilogy brought Ti West’s brand of horror to the attention of a much wider audience, he was already acclaimed in genre circles for a series of outstanding films, of which “The House of the Devil” is a fantastic example. Not only does the film evoke its 1983 setting through a period-truthful aesthetic (not the absurd nostalgia of everyone in neon headbands and ET T-shirts, solving Rubiks Cubes) it also achieves it through the visual language and filmmaking techniques as well. With a superb central performance from Jocelin Donahue, who looks like she could have stepped straight out of the original “Black Christmas”, and a slow burn tension that ratchets up to a manic and visceral last 15 minutes, “The House of the Devil” is both an echo of the past, and a thoroughly modern take on it as well. Watch (or re-watch) to avoid spoilers and join us.

    37 min
4.5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Welcome to Horror is a fortnightly show in which Lee and Adam introduce horror novice Chris to all the delights the genre has to offer. So whether your a seasoned horror fan or someone with a passing interest looking for an entertaining new look on the topic why not join us on our journey. We have such sights to show you.....

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