Morally Offensive

Morally Offensive
  • 4.9 (20)
  • Film History
  • Updated Biweekly

Morally Offensive is a weekly film podcast about the movies the Catholic Church tried to warn you about. We revisit films “Condemned” by the Legion of Decency, unpacking the outrage, the censorship, and the cultural shifts behind them. 

  1. 10h ago

    Body Double (1984): Relax, Don't Do It...When You Wanna Come | Part Two (American Giallo)

    Bill and Jess continue their American Giallo series with Cisco Scartozzi for the second half of Brian De Palma’s Body Double (1984). Once again, Cisco is playing defense for De Palma, and Jess is dissecting some of the less savory subtexts within his films. This time, we dig into the behind-the-scenes stories surrounding the film’s second half, including the casting of Melanie Griffith, De Palma’s obsession with the Hitchcock blonde, and the unexpected Frankie Goes to Hollywood music video that splits the movie in half. We also get into the movie’s wildly uneven tone, its mix of erotic thriller, horror, satire, and whether all those competing ideas ultimately work. Despite its shortcomings, there’s plenty to unpack in Body Double, from its elaborate set pieces and technical filmmaking to the strange collection of ideas that make it such a memorable entry in the American Giallo series. *The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the hosts and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast, its management, or any affiliated organizations. Information provided by guests is their own and does not constitute an endorsement by the show. Theme song by Bill "Netherlands" Holland Support the show: Merch Store! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

  2. Trailer

    Morally Offensive Podcast Trailer

    Do you like dirty movies? Did you grow up Catholic? Did you not grow up Catholic, but dislike censorship? Are you passionate about the history of film? Do you enjoy discussing film in the context of the past as well as modern social issues? Do you enjoy hearing weird personal anecdotes about DIY Exorcisms, being condemned by your own parents, or having your entire high school banned from a cathedral? Are you looking for a film podcast made by a bunch of native midwesterners who unironically use the word "Ope"? Then, this podcast MAY be for you!

  3. 5d ago

    Body Double (1984): Makes You Hot, Doesn't It? | Part One (American Giallo)

    In this episode of Morally Offensive, Bill and Jess are joined by former co-host Cisco Scartozzi to take on Brian De Palma’s Body Double (1984), a voyeuristic erotic reimagining of Vertigo packed with Hitchcock references, murder, sex, bright red blood, and some of De Palma’s most controversial ideas about the male gaze, desire, and women. We read the Catholic condemned review of Body Double and dig into De Palma’s career, his obsession with Hitchcock, and the ongoing debate over his treatment and sexualization of violence against women. Jess is firmly anti-De Palma, with Carrie as the notable exception. Cisco comes ready to defend De Palma, while Bill plays referee in a heated debate about the nature of sex and violence onscreen. We also discuss De Palma putting his foot in his mouth during interviews, Jake Scully getting cucked, the cinematic legacy of driller killers, LA's famed Chemosphere house, Hitchcock's bounced check movie "Under Capricorn", and, naturally, putting onions on hot dogs. With three hosts in one room, it's a sweatbox of an episode, where the crew heatedly debates the merits of DePalma's desire to push the mainstream erotic thriller as far as the ratings board would let it.

  4. Sep 4

    Alice Sweet Alice (1976): When Rigid Catholic Devotion Becomes Psychosis | Part Two (American Giallo)

    In Part 2 of Morally Offensive’s deep dive into Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), Bill and the gang look beyond the film’s Catholic imagery to examine director Alfred Sole’s career and the real-world religious and psychological ideas lurking beneath the movie’s murders, masks, and First Communion. The episode explores Sole’s two later feature films and his career as a production designer, before turning back to the film’s depiction of Catholicism and mental health. The discussion digs into the Catholic fear of therapy and the recurring cultural idea that confession can serve as a substitute for psychological care. The hosts also tackle excommunication and ask whether the extreme punishment actually makes sense within Catholic theology given the film’s known acts of mortal sin. From there, the conversation gets into religious psychosis, scrupulosity, and the ways high-control religious environments can affect people who struggle with ADHD, OCD, and other disabilities. The hosts discuss how an obsessive focus on religious rules and sin can come at the expense of a person’s psychological and physical well-being. Part 2 of Alice, Sweet Alice takes the film’s Catholic horror seriously, asking where religious devotion ends, where psychological distress begins, and what happens when the two become impossible to separate. *The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the hosts and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast, its management, or any affiliated organizations. Information provided by guests is their own and does not constitute an endorsement by the show. Theme song by Bill "Netherlands" Holland Follow our guest: Janecka Deer: https://www.instagram.com/screamqueenpodcaster Support the show: AMERICAN GIALLO T-SHIRTS AND MERCH ARE IN! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

  5. Aug 28

    Alice Sweet Alice (1976): A Porno, An Excommunication, and a First Communion | Part One (American Giallo)

    In Part One of their two-part deep dive into Alfred Sole’s Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), Bill and Kevin are joined by Janecka Deer of Scream Queen Podcast to explore a now-classic Catholic adjacent horror films of the 1970s. Set in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1961, Alice, Sweet Alice follows twelve-year-old Alice Spages as her younger sister Karen prepares for her First Communion. When Karen is murdered, a mysterious figure in a translucent mask sets off a disturbing mystery involving childhood, first communion, puberty, family dysfunction, and violence. Bill, Kevin, and Janecka dig into the film’s religious imagery, First Communion iconography, grimy 1960s setting, Brooke Shields’ early role, Paula Sheppard’s unsettling performance, and Sole’s distinctive approach to horror. The discussion also looks back at Sole’s controversial debut, Deep Sleep, which attracted Catholic criticism, the FBI, and got the director excommunicated from the church. While Alice, Sweet Alice had no Catholic reviews of its own, Sole’s history with Catholic censors provides important context for this strange and provocative piece of American horror. And this is only the beginning. Part Two takes the investigation through the rest of Alice, Sweet Alice. Theme song by Bill "Netherlands" Holland Follow our guest: Janecka Deer: https://www.instagram.com/screamqueenpodcaster Support the show: AMERICAN GIALLO T-SHIRTS AND MERCH ARE IN! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

  6. Aug 20

    Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971): Sexploitation Meets Star Trek | (American Giallo)

    This week on Morally Offensive, past guest Ophelia Crane returns for Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971), Roger Vadim’s deeply unpleasant high school sex comedy/murder mystery, written by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. We ask the question: Why does Quentin Tarantino LOVE this movie? We get into Roger Vadim’s sleazy history, Roddenberry’s involvement and our subsequent ruining of Star Trek for ourselves, the curious casting of Rock Hudson, and Angie Dickinson shedding her Police Woman uniform. Or is it Lady Cop? Woman Cop!? Cop Woman!? Plus: Telly Savalas, every 1971 auntie's favorite sex symbol (evidently). There’s a lot more going on in Pretty Maids All in a Row than its swinging ’70s exterior suggests, and watching it in 2026 makes some of its choices land particularly badly. The film offended secular and religious audiences when it first came out, but it feels particularly disturbing and irresponsible in a post-Epstein Files world. We hated this movie on just about every level, and oddly found ourselves often agreeing with the Catholic censors and reviewers. Theme song by Bill "Netherlands" Holland Special "Space" intro Music: Geoff Harvey Follow our guest: Ophelia Crane https://www.instagram.com/opheliacrane/ Support the show: AMERICAN GIALLO T-SHIRTS AND MERCH ARE IN! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

  7. Aug 11

    Dressed to Kill (1980): A Bloody Mess, or Bloody Brilliant? | Part Two (American Giallo)

    In Part 2 of Morally Offensive’s American Giallo deep dive into Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill (1980), Bill, Jess, and Ava Davis get into the cast, production, infamous shower scene, and the choices that made Dressed to Kill one of the most controversial films of Brian De Palma’s career. The discussion looks at the film’s place between Italian giallo, Hitchcockian thriller, erotic thriller, and American horror, while taking a closer look at what has and has not aged well in De Palma’s most provocative work. The episode examines the controversial use of Victoria Lynn Johnson as Angie Dickinson’s body double in the shower sequence, the making of Dressed to Kill, and De Palma’s decision to double down on the film’s transgender themes, or what we would now recognize as its portrayal of transgender identity. The conversation also digs into the film’s technical craft, from De Palma’s elaborate camera movements, split screens, POV shots, Hitchcock references, and elaborate set pieces to Pino Donaggio’s extraordinary and unmistakable score. Bill makes the case for the formal brilliance of Dressed to Kill, while Jess and Ava argue that its troubling representation of transgender identity, uneven filmmaking, and exploitation of its own controversial themes make the film increasingly difficult to defend. Is Dressed to Kill a great American Giallo? A deeply flawed Brian De Palma thriller? A Hitchcock homage filtered through 1980s exploitation cinema? Or is it somehow all three at once? Follow our guest: AVA DAVIS https://theavadavis.com/ Support the show: AMERICAN GIALLO T-SHIRTS AND MERCH ARE IN! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

  8. Jul 29

    Dressed to Kill (1980): Catholics Condemning Sexism, Acting Sexist | Part 1 (American Giallo)

    Bill and Jess are joined by filmmaker and actor Ava Davis to kick off their discussion of Brian De Palma's highly controversial film Dressed to Kill (1980). Starring Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, and Keith Gordon, Dressed to Kill blends Hitchcockian suspense with the stylish murder mysteries of Italian giallo, helping define the American Giallo movement while becoming one of the most influential psychological thrillers of the 1980s. Upon its release, the film ignited fierce debate over violence, sexuality, gender, artistic freedom, and censorship, and more than four decades later it remains one of Brian De Palma's most celebrated and polarizing films. For the first time, Morally Offensive draws from previously unexplored material in the National Center for the Study of Censorship and the Moving Image (NCOMP) archives at the Catholic University of America. These archival files reveal how Catholic critics reacted to Dressed to Kill in real time, including surprisingly candid reviews, pointed disagreements with mainstream critics, and one especially memorable attack aimed at legendary film critic Pauline Kael. Along the way, Bill, Jess, and Ava explore Brian De Palma's Catholic upbringing, Alfred Hitchcock's influence on his filmmaking, the film's place within the American Giallo tradition, how Dressed to Kill has aged in light of modern conversations about transgender representation in cinema, and its enduring influence on horror, thrillers, and contemporary filmmakers. Featuring exclusive archival research from the Catholic University of America, this episode examines Dressed to Kill through the lenses of film history, Catholic censorship, American Giallo, and modern cultural criticism, uncovering why Brian De Palma's controversial masterpiece continues to inspire debate more than forty years after its release. Follow our guest: AVA DAVIS https://theavadavis.com/ Support the show: AMERICAN GIALLO T-SHIRTS AND MERCH ARE IN! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

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Trailer

4.9
out of 5
20 Ratings

About

Morally Offensive is a weekly film podcast about the movies the Catholic Church tried to warn you about. We revisit films “Condemned” by the Legion of Decency, unpacking the outrage, the censorship, and the cultural shifts behind them. 

Information

  • Creator
    Morally Offensive
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    59
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Morally Offensive

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