Morally Offensive

Morally Offensive
  • 5.0 (14)
  • FILM HISTORY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Morally Offensive is a weekly film podcast hosted by ex-Catholics (and one Reform Jewish woman) working their way through movies “Condemned” or considered “Morally Offensive” by the Catholic Legion of Decency, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. This podcast isn’t just for those who grew up going to confession with a healthy dose of Catholic guilt; it’s for anyone interested in the history of US censorship, dirty movies, classic film, and how social upheaval and change often coincide with seismic changes to the media landscape.

  1. 3D AGO

    Black Christmas (1974): The Call is Coming from Inside the Church

    In this Christmas episode of Morally Offensive, Jess and Bill take a deep dive into Black Christmas (1974), the landmark horror film that helped define the slasher genre several years before Halloween. Joining them is Professor Eric D. Wesselmann, who brings an academic lens to Bob Clark’s deeply unsettling and surprisingly nuanced film. The conversation covers the film’s complex female characters, the origins of the “the call is coming from inside the house” trope, and how Roe v. Wade and second-wave feminism shaped the movie’s themes and cultural reception.  A holiday episode about horror, depictions of disability on film, the evolution of women's rights, and why Black Christmas remains one of the most influential films of the 1970s.

    2 hr

  2. DEC 15

    X-Rated: Midnight Cowboy (1969) and the Catholic Film Fest That Loved It

    This week on Morally Offensive, everybody's talking (okay its just Kevin and Bill) with singer/songwriter (and former film student) Stefanie Joyce about the ONLY X-Rated Film to win Best Picture, Midnight Cowboy. The film features a young Jon Voight as an aspiring sex worker who runs from his past in a small Texas town, toward the bright city lights of Broadway and 42nd St. While unsuccessfully attempting to get into the game, he runs into Ratso Rizzo (a young Dustin Hoffman), a small-time hustler who gets by on petty theft and squating in an abandoned apartment building. The crew uncovers the shocking facts surrounding the film being screened at an international Cahtolic Film Festival, while simultanesouly receiving an A-IV rating (Adults with Reservations - so, not QUITE "C" or "O" - our bad). Diversions including pocketing cold cuts at swanky parties, Meat-and-Threes, Flannery O'Connor, Baby Bob Balaban, and the ongoing debate about THAT scene. Want to donate or buy us a coffee to keep us going? We'd really appreciate it: DONATE NOW! Check out our new Merch Store! We've got t-shirts, hats, tote bags and branded denim jackets! Follow us on our socials at Instagram and Tiktok. Check out guest Stefanie Joyce on Tiktok and her website.

    2h 25m

  3. DEC 1

    X-Rated: Caligula: The Ultimate Cut (with Producer Thomas Negovan)

    Bill and Stephanie sit down with Thomas Negovan to discuss the restoration of Caligula: The Ultimate Cut and how he and an editor pieced the film back together. Thomas explains how they uncovered hours of never-before-seen footage and used it to assemble a version of Caligula that reflects what was originally filmed, offering a clearer look at the movie’s intended narrative. The episode also explores Bob Guccione’s controversial attempt to reshape Caligula in the edit, the bizarre choice to make an additional R-rated release, and of course the Catholic Reviews from the time. The crew gets into film restoration, the lost footage, and how a movie’s meaning changes depending on who controls the final cut. Check out our new Merch Store! We've got t-shirts, hats, tote bags and branded denim jackets! Follow us on our socials at Instagram and Tiktok.

    1h 43m

  4. NOV 15

    X-Rated: Deep Throat (1972) with Mark Covino

    Warning: This episode covers an actual adult movie, and contains discussions about graphic sexual topics. In this episode of Morally Offensive, the first in our "X-Rated" series, we explore the cultural earthquake sparked by the 1972 film Deep Throat with special guest Mark Covino, director of the award-winning documentary A Band Called Death. We dive into the rise of 1970s “porn chic,” the collapse of the Hays Code, the creation of the X-rating, and how a low-budget film became a mainstream phenomenon seen by public figures like Jackie Onassis and Truman Capote. We also examine the Catholic response to the mainstreaming of adult media during a period already shaped by Watergate-era anxiety. This includes a look at the Catechism’s teachings on sexual ethics—especially the debates around oral sex, where Catholics, theologians, and commentators often share conflicting interpretations. Plus, Mark shares personal stories about his father’s life as a celebrity ski instructor and his appearance in an early project by horror icons Sean Cunningham and Wes Craven. If you're interested in film history, 1970s culture, Catholic commentary, or the intersections of media, morality, and censorship, this episode has it all. Check out our new Merch Store! We've got t-shirts, hats, tote bags and branded denim jackets! Follow us on our socials at Instagram and Tiktok. Topics: X-rating, Catholicism, Ex-Catholics, Watergate, Deep Throat, Scandal, Linda Lovelace, 1970s, Indie Film, Guilt, Sex Ed, Porn Chic, Hollywood, Times Square, Comedy

    2h 6m

  5. OCT 30

    The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975): Don't Dream It. Podcast It.

    Stephanie and Bill head on up to the lab, to see what's on the slab...and it turns out it's The Rocky Horror Picture Show (celebrating it's 50th anniversary!), a cult classic that started as rebellion and transformed into a midnight movie ritual. With special guest props expert and technical theatre professional Jeffrey Rockey, they dig into the history of the movie that became a cultural touchstone, especially for Catholic school kids who found they didn't quite fit in. Jeff talks coming out, Bill shares the story of how he originated the first stage role of the Captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and Stephanie recounts the experience of getting into Rocky Horror as a young Jewish woman. They also revisit Richard O’Brien’s problematic remarks, the Catholic media’s moral outrage, and the often-forgotten sequel Shock Treatment. It’s a science fiction double feature of faith, fishnets, and the strange comfort of finding community in the most “morally offensive” places. Check out our new Merch Store! We've got t-shirts, hats, tote bags and branded denim jackets! Follow us on our socials at Instagram and Tiktok. Topics: Rocky Horror, Rocky Horror Show, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, LGBT issues, Catholic School, Catholic upbringing, Ex-Catholic stories, Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Midnight Movies, Cult Films, Cinema, Theatre, Musicals, Halloween, Science Fiction, Horror, Lou Adler

    2h 32m

  6. OCT 17

    Mortal Kombat (1995): Video Game Ultra-Violence Gets the PG-13 Treatment

    In this episode of Morally Offensive, we revisit the 1995 cult classic Mortal Kombat, the movie that brought video game violence, bad CGI, and 90s martial arts chaos to the big screen. We dig into Catholic reviews of the film, including one that blames stuffed-crust pizza and child day planners for the future downfall of civilization. We talk about the movie, it's place in 90s pop culture, our mutual experiences with the game series, the panic surrounding video game violence, the mammoth status of its CD soundtrack, a brief history of Belgium New Beat, and a tangent about the Wisdom Tree Christian NES Videogame knockoffs, including the classic convert-the-heathens-by-throwing-fruit Zelda ripoff, Spiritual Warfare. Our guest is Aaron (aka @DivineGamerArma on Twitch), who joins us to talk video game morality, cinematic sin, and the theology of terrible movies. Check out our new Merch Store! We've got t-shirts, hats, tote bags and branded denim jackets! Follow us on our socials at Instagram and Tiktok. Topics: Mortal Kombat movie review, Catholic pop culture criticism, 90s video games, bad CGI, Hong Kong action, ex-Catholic commentary, media moral panic, Belgium new beat

    2h 13m

  7. OCT 4

    Your Vice Is a Locked Room And Only I Have the Key (1972): Sex, Sadism, and Satan the Cat

    Bill and Stephanie are joined by film scholar Christopher Hoppe to unlock Sergio Martino’s Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972), a cornerstone of Giallo cinema, laced with gothic unease, which explores the cultural anxieties of 1970s Italy. The film follows a washed-up writer, his abused wife, and the arrival of his seductive niece, as secrets, betrayals, and murders spiral inside (and outside) a crumbling villa. Lurking over it all is the ghostly presence of the writer’s domineering mother, and watching with uncanny menace is the family’s black cat named (yes, really)...Satan. Together, they trace how Italian Catholic film critics responded to the film, celebrate Edwige Fenech’s rise as a scream queen, and untangle Martino’s twisted adaptation of Poe’s The Black Cat. Along the way, Stephanie recounts her own chaotic Roman car ride with Martino, and the hosts dig into Italy’s sordid legal history, including the now-abolished “rehabilitating marriage” law that once allowed men accused of sexual assault to escape punishment by marrying their victims. It’s a conversation of black gloves, black cats, household murder weapons, and only we have the key. Check out our new Merch Store! We've got t-shirts, hats, tote bags and branded denim jackets! Follow us on our socials at Instagram and Tiktok. Check out our guest's podcast: Christopher Hoppe Presents: The Chamber

    1h 59m

  8. SEP 19

    The Brood (1979): Government Subsized Cinematic Birth Control

    This week, Bill and Stephanie drag Atlanta filmmaker Nicole Kemper into the delivery room to talk David Cronenberg’s The Brood (1979), a horror movie which doubles as the world’s worst sex-ed film. We’re talking cinematic birth control, belly-buttonless mutant murder children, slutty vintage men's bathrobes, and why men are absolutely terrified of the female body. Diversions include Oliver Reed's drunken shenanigans, an attempted cult kidnapping, the Canadian public's outrage over finding out their tax dollars were financing gorey art, and, of course, we read another Catholic review which completely disregards the artistic merits and possibilities of the horror genre. This is definitely an episode to listen to if you're still comtemplating bringing children into a violent world which is on fire. For us, the Brood proved to be far more effective than abstinence-only sex education. Check out our new Merch Store! We've got t-shirts, hats, tote bags and branded denim jackets! Follow us on our socials at Instagram and Tiktok. Check out Nicole Kemper at Critical Crop Top!

    2h 48m
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5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Morally Offensive is a weekly film podcast hosted by ex-Catholics (and one Reform Jewish woman) working their way through movies “Condemned” or considered “Morally Offensive” by the Catholic Legion of Decency, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. This podcast isn’t just for those who grew up going to confession with a healthy dose of Catholic guilt; it’s for anyone interested in the history of US censorship, dirty movies, classic film, and how social upheaval and change often coincide with seismic changes to the media landscape.

Information

  • Creator
    Morally Offensive
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Morally Offensive