S7E1. Oh, that's tacky: Murder by Death (1976)

We're knee deep in spoof territory over here at Weirding Way Media so why not keep the trend going? Mike White and Chris Stachiw join me to talk about an old favorite of mine, Murder by Death (1976). Written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore, Murder by Death is a send-up of whodunits with some of our more well-known detectives getting the parody treatment. The film stars James Coco, Peter Falk, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, and Maggie Smith as some suspiciously familiar faces. Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, Alec Guinness, Richard Narita, Nancy Walker, and Estelle Winwood round out the cast in this murderous farce. Of course we discuss the problematic portrayal of an Asian character by Peter Sellers, so be warned!

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

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. 

S6E3. I got a thing about chickens: Angel Heart (1987)

It's been a long time coming (two and a half years, if anyone's counting) but the Mickey Rourke Love-Fest is finally here. 1987 was a big year for Rourke with three films hitting the big screen between April and October. Two of which happen to be HUGE favorites of mine, including this one.

On this episode I am joined by Mike White and Cullen Gallagher to discuss Alan Parker's adaptation of the 1978 novel Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg. A combination of horror and noir Angel Heart (1987) follows Harry Angel (Rourke) as he tries to track down the one-time famous crooner Johnny Favorite. Angel's client Louis Cyphre (Robert DeNiro) means to make good on the "contract" he made with Johnny before he was drafted and ended up wounded and shell-shocked. The film also stars Lisa Bonet as Epiphany Proudfoot, Charlotte Rampling as Margaret Krusemark, Dann Florek as Herman Winesap, Michael Higgins as Dr. Fowler, and Pruitt Taylor Vince as Det. Deimos. 

You can check out the Fangoria article here (starts on page 26) to see some pictures of the deleted scenes discussed in the episode.

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

S6E2. Quid pro quo: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Come and celebrate the four year anniversary of Wake Up Heavy with this Very Special Episode on a film in my Top Ten of All Time list. Chris Stachiw (The Kulturecast) and Mike White (The Projection Booth Podcast) join me to discuss Jonathan Demme's 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs. 

Written by Ted Tally and based on the novel by Thomas Harris, Silence stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee, Scott Glenn as Special Agent Jack Crawford, Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and Ted Levine as Jame Gumb, aka Jamie Gumb, aka John Grant, aka Jack Gordon, aka Buffalo Bill. The film follows Starling as she matches wits with Lecter in an attempt to track down a notorious serial killer before he can kill and skin his next victim. The film was a huge financial and critical success and went on to win “The Big Five” categories at the 1992 Academy Awards.

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

Begley on Begley Action Month at The Kulturecast

Sometime last year Chris asked me to program a month of shows for February 2022 over at The Kulturecast and I was both honored and excited to take a crack at it. I pondered a number of different themes: favorite director, favorite actor, only movies I've never seen, movies with people who share my birthday, etc. etc. etc. But then an obvious theme presented itself, which would also cover some of the other ideas I'd run through my head. Chris asked me early on, as many people do, if my name was pronounced the same as Ed Begley, Jr.'s, which I affirmed. This prompted him to mention his disdain for the film Transylvania 6-5000, which I had to admit I've never seen. This has since become a running gag between us, and so I thought, "Well, Ed's been in some great movies so I'll make Chris watch four of those." I then set about to pick four from the vast and varied Ed Begley, Jr. filmography (330 acting credits!).

I didn't necessarily pick films with big Begley roles (these are mostly bit parts) but they do represent films that hit childhood nostalgia, feature a favorite actor or director, and one that I'd never seen. 

First up is Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1971), one of Disney's Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell) films, which I absolutely loved as a kid. Mike White from The Projection Booth Podcast joined us for this episode. Enjoy!

Listen to "Now You See Him Now You Don't" on Spreaker.

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

Next up is Cockfighter (1974), directed by Monte Hellman. If you listen to my show you've heard me talk about this one. A bunch. Ed Begley, Jr. plays Tom Peeples, a shiftless hillbilly who gets his comeuppance and then some! This time Chris and I are joined by Cullen Gallagher for a rollicking good time.

Listen to "Cockfighter" on Spreaker.

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

Citizens Band (1977) was the "new-to-me" selection for Begley on Begley Action Month. Directed by Jonathan Demme with a stacked cast of Demme regulars and 1970s character actors (including WUH favorite Roberts Blossom) CB is a charming slice-of-life look at a small Nebraska town obsessed with CB radios. Ed Begley, Jr. plays The Priest, who believes in G-O-D and not in F-C-C.

Listen to "Citizens Band" on Spreaker.

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

Hardcore (1979) our last entry for Begley on Begley Action Month is now here! Ed Begley, Jr. has a glorified cameo, but still manages to be memorable as "Soldier" in a "porno" within the film. Schrader's essay on Calvinism vs. pornography was one of my favorite new-to-me watches of 2020 and have wanted to chat about it ever since. 

Listen to "Hardcore" on Spreaker.

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

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:

Guest Spot: Sabata (1969) on The Projection Booth Podcast

From The Projection Booth Site:

"Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain. Mark Begley

Spaghetti Western month continues with a look at the Sabata films -- it's something of a trilogy, but not really. And some might say that there are seven films in the series… but, really, there’re just two. The original film, Sabata (1969), was written and directed by Gianfranco Parolini and stars Lee Van Cleef as the titular gunfighter who’s no stranger to gadgets.

Mark Begley and Heather Drain join Mike to discuss the three official Sabata films and four of the knock-offs which have little to nothing to do with the titular gunfighter."

Please visit The Projection Booth for more amazing, in-depth episodes on a wide variety of films.

S5E1. Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)

Guest co-hosts: Mike White and Samm Deighan

On this episode of WUH we discuss the 1977 film Looking for Mr. Goodbar. Goodbar was written and directed by Richard Brooks, based on the 1975 novel by Judith Rossner, which is loosely based on the real life and death of Roseann Quinn. The film stars Diane Keaton as Theresa Dunn, a twenty something woman living in The Big City who leads a “double life.” A devoted teacher of deaf students by day, Theresa frequents bars and discos at night seeking out the company of men, if just for one night. Richard Gere and Tom Berenger, in early roles, play two of those men. Tuesday Weld and William Atherton also star. Due to music rights issues Goodbar has never been released on DVD or Blu-Ray, and is not available to stream. 

Visit The Projection Booth Podcast.

Pre-order Samm Deighan's book The Legacy of World War II in European Arthouse Cinema.

IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

Guest Spot: Crumbs (2015) on The Projection Booth Podcast

Here's my last TPB appearance of 2020 (and the last one till December 2021!). From TPB's site:

Special Guest: Miguel Llanso
Guest Co-Hosts: Mark Begley, Chris Stachiw

We're looking at Miguel Llanso's Crumbs (2015), the story of a post apocalyptic future where items from the past are given special significance as our hero, Candy (played by Daniel Tadesse), goes on a quest, first to see the witch and then to see Santa Claus.

Chris Stachiw and Mark Begley join Mike to talk about Crumbs as well as Llanso's Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway from 2019.

Guest Spot: The Brood (1979) on The Projection Booth Podcast

WUH x TPB + Cronenberg = An Awesome October (Part 2)!

Just four years and two films later Cronenberg would direct what some consider to be his first masterpiece, The Brood (1979). Drawing from his own tumultuous divorce and custody battle Cronenberg chills viewers via the frigid Toronto landscape and disquieting imagery of Frank and Nola Carveth's upended world.

The Brood is the story of the Carveth family and how the sins of the past visit the children of the next generation. Frank (played by Art Hindle) and his wife Nola (played by Samantha Eggar) have separated. She’s under the care of Dr. Hal Raglan (played by Oliver Reed). He’s the head of the Somafree clinic and has mastered the art of psychoplasmics where negative thoughts and feelings are manifested physically. These come in the form of rashes or lesions or, in the case of Nola, a group of odd creatures who go on a murderous rampage when her ire is raised.

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

WUH x TPB + Cronenberg = An Awesome October! (Part 1)

I've teamed up with Mike White yet again, this time for a crossover event between WUH and TPB on two films by acclaimed director David Cronenberg. First up is Shivers (1975). 

After directing two experimental films (Stereo and Crimes of the Future) David Cronenberg realized that if making movies would be his vocation he would need to do something "commercial." And at the time commercial, more often than not, meant exploitation. Inspired in part by a nightmare he'd had Cronenberg set about to write a screenplay for the Canuxploitation Pioneers at Cinepix. What emerged was Shivers, which introduced audiences and critics to a new kind of horror film and courted controversy not only for its subject matter but also for its manner of funding. In Shivers Cronenberg's secular world view and body, or venereal, horror is present from the start. 

Shivers stars Paul Hampton as Dr. Roger St. Luc, Lynn Lowry as Nurse Forsythe, Susan Petrie as Janine Tudor, Allan Kolman as Nick Tudor, and Barbara Steele as Betts, all residents of the luxury apartment complex Starliner Tower. The film also features the inimitable Joe Silver as Rollo Linsky. Dr. Emil Hobbes’ experiment with "helpful" parasites has gone awry and now the tenants of the Starliner are under attack by the polyamorous creatures. Can the residents of the Starliner stop the infection from spreading to nearby Montreal and beyond? Or do they even want to?

This episode also features an interview with Luke Aspell, author of the Shivers monograph from Auteur Publishing. Purchase your copy here. 

Music: "Shivers"-Boys Next Door

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

Guest Spot: The Antenna on The Projection Booth Podcast

Look Ma, I made it! Here it is, my first appearance on The Projection Booth podcast. Here's the description from their site:

"On this special episode of The Projection Booth we're looking at the 2019 film from director Orçun Behram, The Antenna. The film stars Ihsan Önal as Mehmet, an overseer of an apartment building in Turkey. We begin the film on the day when a new satellite dish is being installed that is part of a new era for the country where the government can now broadcast directly to its citizens’ televisions. Let’s just say that this isn’t the utopia that was promised.

David Rodgers and Mark Begley join Mike to discuss the the film which will play in select theaters starting October 2, 2020 and on VOD starting October 20, 2020."

S4E2. JOIN US: The Evil Dead (1981)

In 1983* Sam Raimi and Co. took the horror world by the neck and shook it until it begged for mercy. The Evil Dead caught the attention of Stephen King at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival and his pull-quote, "The most ferociously original horror film of 1982," placed it on every genre fan's must-watch list. Coverage from Fangoria, along with great notice from a string of festival appearances, helped solidify its notoriety.

Made on a shoe-string budget in the woods of Tennessee by a bunch of friends from Michigan, the movie was an exercise not only in scares and gore, but in moxie and gumption. Before the film was even begun the trio of Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert formed Renaissance Pictures and took the business side of low-budget films seriously. They produced an instant classic that has withstood the test of time and spawned a franchise that has lasted 35 years.

Ash, his sister Cheryl, his girlfriend Linda, and they're friends Scott and Shelly take a little vacation to a dilapidated backwoods cabin and accidentally summon demonic forces. By the end of the night only Ash survives. Or does he? The Evil Dead may be short on story but it's long on dread, gore, and inventive film-making. Whether you're a die-hard fan of the original, like me, or a lover of the "better in every way" requel, like my guest, or even if you prefer Army of Darkness for some reason, you'll find something to like in this episode. Heck, I even like the 2010 reboot!

For this episode I am once again joined by Mike White from The Projection Booth Podcast. As mentioned in the episode you can also listen to Mike, along with Chris Stachiw, jaw on about Barney Miller and '85 Twilight Zone. And here's a video about the "Bollywood Evil Dead" Mike mentioned in the episode. Enjoy!

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page

*The date of The Evil Dead is a bit confusing. The copyright date, which is what I'm using, is 1981. The film wasn't officially released until 1983. It played Cannes, and other festivals, during 1982.

S2E1. I'm God's lonely man: Taxi Driver (1976)

Almost three months after the end of Season One Wake Up Heavy is back with our Season Two opener on Martin Scorsese's gritty-seventies-existential-nihilistic masterpiece Taxi Driver. WUH welcomes back Mike White from The Projection Booth podcast for another stimulating discussion.

Powerful in its cinematic style and controversial in its depiction of violence, Paul Schrader's script and Scorsese's frenetic direction imbue the film with a mounting tension that ultimately explodes in a "kill crazy rampage." By the end happenstance turns Travis Bickle, our Avenging Angel, into the "Hero Cabbie."

Robert DeNiro, in a role that has followed him through his career, leads a stellar cast including Cybil Shepherd, Albert Brooks, Peter Boyle, and, in one of five movies from 1976, 12 year-old Jodie Foster. Her role as a young prostitute was one of the more controversial aspects of the film, and would in turn inspire John Hinckley, Jr. to try and assassinate President Ronald Reagan.

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page • Roger Ebert's 1976 review • Travis Bickle as incel

S1E6. They're still not sure it is a baby: Eraserhead (1977)

Well here it is, the season finale of Wake Up Heavy. David Lynch's 1977 seminal masterpiece Eraserhead is not only my favorite horror film it is unequivocally my single favorite film of all time. Lynch has called it, "A dream of dark and troubling things," and there is no more apt description than that. A wholly personal film, Eraserhead is a confusing conundrum of confluences that proves impossible to dissect (pun intended) unless you are David Lynch. The story itself is based on very simple, very human fears, yet those who see it are compelled to analyze the bizarre images and perplexing scenarios in an attempt to alleviate the disquieting unease the film elicits.

--Special guest this episode is Mike White, host of the only podcast that matters: The Projection Booth. As mentioned in the interview TPB has done episodes on a number of Lynch films: Dune, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (actually two episodes, both on this linked page, and both worth a listen), and Mullholland Dr.

This is a long one, so pace yourselves. Time stamps included for anyone who loses their place or wants to listen to certain sections only.

Part I: My history w/ Eraserhead & Lynch (00:01)
Part II: London & The Scala Cinema--Seeing Eraserhead on the big screen (19:03)
Part III: Synopsis & movie facts (28:24)
Part IV: Interview w/ Mike White (35:06)
Part V: Eraserhead 2000--the re-release on DVD (1:18:26)
Part VI: The "Weird" stuff (1:26:25)
Part VII: What influenced Eraserhead (1:32:56)
Part VIII: The missing scenes (1:39:23)
Part IX: Soundscape, motifs & favorite things (1:43:02)
Part X: Cast & crew, theories & wrap-up (2:00:24)

COMING SOON: Information on what's in store for the next season of WUH, and a new WDIRT or two. Thanks so much for tuning in to the first season of Wake Up Heavy.

Here is a very in depth and interesting article on The Making of Eraserhead.

Where to watch • IMDb listing • Wikipedia page