For the record, I find myself extremely uncomfortable discussing movies that fall within the purview of the always controversial rape/revenge genre. Because I don’t really see it as my place to discuss the moral standards and gender politics of rape/revenge movies, for the most part, I try to avoid writing about them and haven’t covered them on the podcast. However, even the most contentious genres tend to produce at least a few outstanding, thoughtful, and/or compelling feat

Like every title in Radiance’s Daiei Gothic collection, Kimiyoshi Yasuda’s The Ghost of Kasane Swamp (Japanese: Kaidan Kasane-ga-fuchi) is a retelling of a traditional ghost story – in this case, a folktale of the same name (sometimes known as The Pool of Kasane) that was supposedly based on a true crime that occurred in Ibaraki Prefecture during the Edo period. Being unfamiliar with the story and having not seen any of the other five (or so) movie adaptations, I’m immediatel

Just in time for the October No Kings protests...well, late in the afternoon of the protests, too late, really, but sometimes it's the thought that counts (and then you'll have to wait for shipping) – comes a new T-shirt and sticker combo from Genre Grinder Cares. Pay homage to the brave frogs putting themselves on the line in protests across the nation with a Loteria-inspired ode to La Rana. Get yours RIGHT HERE!   and   RIGHT HERE! And be sure to check out our OTHER DESIGNS

Welcome back to Wizard Jail – a limited run series from Director’s Club, Tracks of the Damned, and 96 Greers podcast co-host Patrick Ripoll and Genre Grinder creator Gabe Powers where they talk about, what else, but the 1987 syndicated cartoon series Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light . Podcast number four covers episodes six, Lion Hunt,  and episode seven, The Overthrow of Merklynn , which is, quite possibly, the best episode in the entire series. Gabe and Patrick tal

The Haunted Castle is the third Tokuzô Tanaka film included in Radiance’s two piece Daiei Gothic collection, following The Demon of Mount Oe (Japanese: Ōeyama Shuten Dōji, 1960 and The Snow Woman (Japanese: Kaidan yukijorô, 1968). In fact, I believe if you own both sets you have a nearly complete Tanaka horror/kaidan collection (there are earlier films that I haven’t seen that might fit). Comparing these three films directly reveals obvious similarities and curious difference

It’s difficult to overstate the scale of impact that Image Comics had on not only comic books, but broader entertainment in the early ‘90s. The short version of the story is that, in 1992, a group of all-star artists – Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, Marc Silvestri, Rob Liefeld, and Whilce Portacio – along with veteran writer/artist Jim Valentino (who had experience with independent publishing), felt underappreciated and underpaid working for Marvel and left the number

Have you ever wondered what a Soviet era Lithuanian version of Ken Russell’s Tommy (1975) might look like? Right, of course, we all have. And what if that Soviet era Lithuanian Tommy took on the sensibilities of early-’70s folk horror, namely Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man (1973), but with the whimsical parts emphasized over the existential horror? Well, that’s the best shorthand I can muster to describe Arūnas Žebriūnas' singularly odd-yet-familiar feature The Devil’s Bride (L

WRIGGLING WORMS, CRAWLING BUGS, SLITHERING SNAKES, WITCHCRAFT, RITUALS, AND BODILY FLUIDS OF EVERY COLOR IMAGINABLE!! Once upon a time,...

As discussed on a special two-part episode of the Genre Grinder podcast, 1960 was a watershed year for horror films on an international level. Multiple countries produced uniquely modern and visually unique films, including Nobuo Nakagawa’s Eastmancolor-shot, gore-soaked, contemporary-set Jigoku. Traditional ghost stories were still very popular in Japan, though, and also got the color treatment, beginning (I believe) with Nakagawa’s Black Cat Mansion (Japanese: Bōrei kaibyō

Gary Sherman’s Raw Meat (aka: Dead Line, 1972) is the first and still the best of a small, but well-loved subgenre of movies about (usually) cannibalistic, feral people living in underground subway tunnels beneath major cities, who murder and (usually) eat the foolish commuters who breach their domain. Films that followed its lead include Douglas Cheek’s cult-favourite C.H.U.D (1984), Christopher Smith’s Creep (2004 – a film that was accused of ripping Sherman off), Maurice D