6 thoughts on “Considering Horror Cinema Ep. 040: Halloween Special – Zombies and Witches with Kyle Bishop and Ron Martin”

1. Happy Halloween!

   Listening at the drive-in. Thanks for all the great episodes. This halloween special is really awesome. Cheers!

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   • Wow, thanks so much for letting me know. You and Shane the Maniac (who also let me know he listened today) both made my Halloween. I happily pulled an all-nighter last night to get it released on Halloween morning, so this makes it all worth it. Thanks again!
     Sincerely,
     J

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2. So I thought I posted this here earlier, but doesn’t look like it went through. Loved the episode Jay! Definitely one of my favorite CTC episodes.

   I ended up seeing Peninsula in theaters like you and I liked it a lot. I think it’s just a fun movie. I didn’t know what to expect going in since I loved Train to Busan so much, but I wasn’t anticipating a Korean Mad Max style movie. I don’t think it comes close to Train to Busan, but it’s more of it’s own thing anyway. I think I’m up for a few more standalone stories set in this world if the director chooses to go that direction. I would come in on Train to Busan at a 9.5 and it was my favorite horror film of 2016. Peninsula would be around an 8.5 for me.

   I appreciate you reviewing The Witch in the Window as well. I think it was an underrated gem from 2018 and came in at an 8.5 like you did. I recommend this one for that phone scene alone. It actually sent a chill down my spine when the revelation occurred.

   Look forward to more episodes sir!

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3. I listened on Halloween and it was great. We had more kids than we’ve ever had. We socially distanced and made a little table and had 75 little kids come through. We normally have like 25 kids. During a tough year, Halloween was here for us to get out and be safe and socialize. My girlfriend and I had a great time and your podcast was the backdrop to this wonderful day so thanks for releasing it. For us to listen to! Take care!

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4. Jay, I loved the podcast. I listened to it one day late, but I hadn’t quite washed the Halloween off yet. I always love when you have Dr. Kyle Bishop on. Please continue making this a common occurrence.

   I especially enjoyed your discussion on genre classification. Yes, this horse is not only dead, but I believe you may have VAPORIZED it with your excessive beatings. However, I did gain a new perspective from your conversation with Dr. Walking Dead. Genre provides us with a lens through which we can dissect, analyze, and critique film, but I would argue that by their very definitions, genres are limiting as they abide by particular constructs and tropes. In your conversation, you mention an anxiety that through genre-blending, we are going to be experiencing fewer and fewer true blue horror films. While Dr. Bishop compared this to music, I’d like to use a food analogy: Burgers.

   Now, nothing beats a classic greasy cheeseburger. You’ve swayed my opinion on a few films in past podcasts, but nothing you could say could convince me otherwise in regards to burgers. The standard tropes of a cheeseburger are well-known: the titular cheese and burger patty, the bun and of course the fixings which constitute the familiar acronym, LTO. While this combination has survived generations and will continue to be a staple in restaurants across the country, it is also a dish that is ripe for experimentation. With more recipes, ingredients, and cultural influences available to us than ever before in human history, it would be considered a sin to not see what could be done within the burger genre. Mix up the composition of the ground beef! Add new exciting ingredients! A couple of my personal favorites are fried onion rings and pepper jelly. Sure, these innovations won’t be palatable to everyone (some people say peanut butter and burgers go together like horror and comedy), but that’s why we keep innovating. Yes, you will likely have a harder time finding that classic burger (my favorite burger joint doesn’t even have lettuce or tomato on the premises), but that doesn’t mean it’s slowly going extinct. They are still being made (and don’t forget you can always make one yourself!). It’s not a dilution of the burger’s sanctity; we are exploring the elements and boundaries that it can reach.

   Horror is not dissimilar. We did not get to this golden age of horror by simply repeating formulas. We got here by experimenting, taking risks, and evolving the genre, and I believe that the one way we will continue to do so is by adopting some of the ways in which other genres operate. If you read this far, I appreciate it and hope to discuss this further one day.

   P.S. I am sorry I didn’t use a pork-related dish so you could circle this whole conversation into a discussion of Pig-headed horror.

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5. Hi, Jay! Greetings from your Long Time Listener from Poland. It’s so good to hear you again. For some time after you quit HMP last year, I’ve been worried that something terrible might’ve happened to you. I’ve been listening to couple of your shows recently, but I still have a lot of catching up. And unfortunately, so little time to do it.
   As far as blending genres is conserned, I can tell you this: to certain extend it’s a good thing, because it increases the creative potential of films, novels or any other work of art. I’m a bit of a writer myself, so I know this from my own experience. Sometimes a story you want to share with your readers just cannot fit into one single drawer, nor even in two. And it’s not only because of the postmodern breakthrugh, as Kyle suggesten. That’s just how the human nature and mind work I guess.
   But on the other hand: Kyle is absolutely right. Classifying various things in every aspect of life (not only culture) is essential for our perception of the world. It helps us to navigate in the chaotic reality. Therefore, there is nothing wrong in our need for sticking labels. And you’re right too that after reaching a certain critical point in blurring the boundries in movies (or books, or whatever) they can become diluted. Which is not so fine, because everybbody’s got some preferences and there’s nothing to be ashamed of about it.
   My best to Kyle (he must be an awesome scholar) and thanks for the episode.

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