New Year, Two New Shows!

First up is my new venture with my old friend Ronald Dzerigian. In Cambridge & Wishon we discuss the obsessions from our childhood that have shaped who we are today. In this premiere episode we talk about Star Wars figures, Harry Houdini, Movie Monsters by Ormsby, Joseph Merrick, The Muppets, and the Alien Movie Novel.

Next up is the ten episode limited series on Police Squad! (1982) with my podcast buddies and Weirding Way Media big-wigs Mike White and Chris Stachiw. In the first episode we go back to Airplane! (1980) where the ZAZ team and Leslie Nielsen first worked together.

Hit the LinkTree on the right of your screen to find where these shows are playing. 

S5E4. I died for you: Deathdream (1974)

Welcome to the finale of WUH's series on the early horror films of Alan Ormsby and Bob Clark. The series-long co-host is Mike White, from The Projection Booth Podcast, with Heather Drain, Chris Stachiw, and Samm Deighan joining us for one of the three episodes, respectively. Also included in each episode is a portion of an interview with Simon Fitzjohn, who wrote I'm Going to Kill You, a book on the films of Bob Clark.

On this final episode Samm Deighan joins Mike and me to discuss Deathdream, which was filmed on the heels of CSPWDT in 1972, but not released until 1974, after Deranged. Bob Clark directed from a script by Ormsby, who once again created the make-up effects with help of first-timer Tom Savini. 

Deathdream aka Dead of Night et al, is the story of Andy Brooks (Richard Backus) who is killed in Viet Nam, but willed back to life and back home by his grief-stricken mother. As with most "Monkey's Paw" inspired tales, this does not bode well for Andy or those he cares about. Also starring John Marley and Lynn Carlin as Andy's parents, Anya Ormsby as his sister, and Jane Daly (both from CSPWDT) as his old girlfriend. Ormsby, Clark, and Jeff Gillen all have cameos. 

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

S5E3. Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile (1974)

Welcome to the second in a three-episode series on the early horror films of Alan Ormsby and Bob Clark. The series-long co-host is Mike White, from The Projection Booth Podcast, with Heather Drain, Chris Stachiw, and Samm Deighan joining us for one of the three episodes, respectively. Also included in each episode is a portion of an interview with Simon Fitzjohn, who wrote I'm Going to Kill You, a book on the films of Bob Clark. 

On this episode Chris Stachiw joins Mike and me to discuss Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile, a very faithful telling of the Ed Gein story. Ormsby wrote the script and co-directed the film with Jeff Gillen (an Ormsby/Clark regular), with Bob Clark acting as (an uncredited) producer. As with CSPWDT and Deathdream Ormsby also supplied much of the special make-up effects, with help from a young up-and-comer named Tom Savini.

Roberts Blossom plays Ezra Cobb, a middle-aged mid-westerner who has been sheltered and coddled by his domineering religious zealot of a mother. When she dies, Ezra is left to his own warped devices and starts to lose what little he had left of his sanity. This leads to grave-robbing, morbid arts and crafts, and, ultimately, murder. With Clark regulars Leslie Carlson, as an intrepid news correspondent, and Marian Waldman, as a potential love-interest for Ezra.

Why yes, I have talked about Deranged before. Might be interesting to see what I said back on this early WDIRT episode.

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

S5E2. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972)

Welcome to the first in a three-episode series on the early horror films of Alan Ormsby and Bob Clark. The series-long co-host is Mike White, from The Projection Booth Podcast, with Heather Drain, Chris Stachiw, and Samm Deighan joining us for one of the three episodes, respectively. Also included in each episode is a portion of an interview with Simon Fitzjohn, who wrote I'm Going to Kill You, a book on the films of Bob Clark. Simon also supplied the fun promotional "menu" for the player image of this episode.

On this episode Heather Drain joins Mike and me to discuss Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, a low-budget horror/comedy inspired in part by Night of the Living Dead (1968). Bob Clark wrote and directed the film, with script contributions from Alan Ormsby. Ormsby also designed and created the make-up effects and plays Alan, the leader of a Miami theater troupe. 

Alan, an egomaniacal tyrant, takes the troupe to an island graveyard to perform a Satanic ritual that will raise the dead, whom he wants to use as slaves. But before the real ritual begins he scares the rest of the group with help from Roy and Emerson, two other troupe members, hamming it up as ghouls. After everyone is properly frightened, and pissed off at Alan, they return to their cabin with an actual corpse named Orville. Has the summation of spirits really worked? Or is Alan just having more fun at everyone else's expense? Tune in and find out.

Ormsby's signature on the poster:

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

My two part chat with Simon about his quest to get The Haunting of Julia restored and released: