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. 1D AGO

    X-Rated: A Clockwork Orange w/John Enroth (Regular Show, Time Bandits)

    In this episode of Morally Offensive, co-hosts Bill and Stephanie continue their series on X-rated films with Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. Originally released with an X rating, the film remains one of the most controversial titles in cinema history, raising enduring questions about violence, free will, censorship, and state power. Guest John Enroth, composer (Regular Show, Interior Chinatown), joins the discussion to examine Wendy Carlos’s electronic score, Kubrick’s use of Beethoven, and the role of music as psychological control and moral irony. The episode places A Clockwork Orange within the history of the MPAA ratings system, film censorship, and controversial cinema of the 1970s, asking whether Kubrick critiques violence or deliberately refuses moral resolution. And of course, it DID receive the dreaded "C" rating from "The Catholics". Keywords: A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick, X-rated films, MPAA ratings, film censorship, Wendy Carlos, Beethoven, Anthony Burgess, Malcolm McDowell, dystopian cinema, controversial movies 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 Support the show: Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive

    2h 20m

  2. JAN 22

    X-Rated: Beyond the Valley of the Dolls w/Matt Harding of Severin Films

    Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) is an X-rated studio film written by Roger Ebert, directed by Russ Meyer, and still more culturally radioactive than most modern movies. So we had to talk about it. This week on Morally Offensive, the ex-Catholic hosts are joined by Matt Harding of Severin Films to dig into Meyer’s psychedelic cult classic and its strange place in American film history. We unpack Roger Ebert’s involvement in the script, Russ Meyer’s obsession with buxom women, and how that fixation shaped both the visual language and politics of his films. We get into the feminist debates around Meyer’s work, the film’s relationship to 60s counterculture, and the way Beyond the Valley of the Dolls became a cultural reference point for everything from Sublime lyrics to Austin Powers parody. We also go on a side quest through Catholic film criticism, breaking down a period review that condemned this movie while praising the morality of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which somehow manages to be more disturbing in its own way. If you’re into film history, cult cinema, Catholic moral panic, and movies that make everyone uncomfortable for different reasons, this episode lives right in that space. Episodes, essays, and archives: 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 Guest shoutout: Severin Films https://severinfilms.com Support the show: Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive

    1h 55m

  3. JAN 13

    Pink Flamingos: Is John Waters' Last Enemy The Catholic Church?

    This week on Morally Offensive, Bill and Kevin dig into the origins and impact of John Waters’ Pink Flamingos. The crew is joined by Bryan Wendorf of the Chicago Underground Film Festival and Thomas Bottoms of Bottoms of the Barrel to trace Waters’ early years making films in Baltimore, from DIY shorts and church-basement screenings to cultivating an audience far outside the mainstream. We break down the production of Pink Flamingos, the creation of Divine as a transgressive screen icon, and how the film’s deliberate provocation helped spark outrage, fascination, and the rise of the midnight movie phenomenon. Along the way, we discuss censorship, exhibition, and why Waters’ brand of bad taste proved so culturally disruptive, and so enduring.  Want to help us pay our bills and keep the podcast going: 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 https://cuff.org/ to find out more about the Chicago Underground Film Festival! Find out more about Thomas over at Bottoms of the Barrel: https://www.bottomsofthebarrel.com/

    1h 52m

  4. 12/25/2025

    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

  5. 12/15/2025

    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

  6. 12/01/2025

    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

  7. 11/15/2025

    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

  8. 10/30/2025

    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
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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 - 2026
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Morally Offensive

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