The Blind Rage podcast: Horror Movie Commentaries

FINAL DESTINATION month is rapidly coming to a close here on The Blind Rage Podcast. This week, we visit the fourth installment in the lucrative franchise, which sees a group of friends attending a stock car race.

A ghastly premonition falls upon Nick, this entry’s lead, and he immediately realizes he has to get the stadium cleared before the structure collapses. Unfortunately, he’s too late. Several innocent people succumb to the plan in Death’s gruesome design.

And it’s coming for the few who made it out alive.

The Blind Rage Podcast enters the third week of FINAL DESTINATION month with…well, FINAL DESTINATION 3.

For this go-round (see what I did there?) we’re introduced to a group of high school seniors celebrating graduation at an amusement park. A little low-rent, if you ask me. Especially when compared to the group of kids in the original film, whose plans were to celebrate their high school graduation in Paris.

After boarding a roller coaster, Wendy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) receives a premonition that the ride is going to crash, killing everyone in its fiery wake. Thanks to her intervention, a handful of her classmates depart, only for the rest to die in a horrific accident.

Death makes its third appearance, complete with ominous wind-gusts and constantly pooling water, ready to claim those who should’ve died in the crash.

Will Wendy and the handful of survivors live to see freshman orientation?

FINAL DESTINATION month continues on The Blind Rage Podcast!

In 2003’s FINAL DESTINATION 2, Kimberly (AJ Cook) sets off on a road trip with some friends. During the drive, she has a startling vision of a massive pile-up, which will leave several people dead. Along with some others, she manages to escape the wreckage before the first collision. Their relief is short-lived, however. Death has once again returned to claim those who’ve escaped it’s gnarled clutches.

It’s FINAL DESTINATION month on The Blind Rage Podcast!

Kicking things off is the 2000 original, which started it all. Though critics tore it to shreds, this one was a video store essential when it first landed on VHS, not to mention a movie everyone, not just horror fanatics, talked about.

Here on The Blind Rage Podcast, FRIDAY THE 13TH month comes to an end. Join us as we wrap things up with 2003’s FREDDY Vs. JASON, a movie fans of both franchises had been clamoring for. Sadly, what we received wasn’t at all worth the wait.

FREDDY Vs. JASON is a mishmash of plot holes, weak performances, bad dialogue, and some of the worst one-liners from everyone’s favorite charred villain. There are better quips and retorts in FREDDY’S DEAD. Hell, there were better quips on FREDDY’S NIGHTMARES, for God’s sake.

Though the movie is deeply flawed, to say the least, its biggest sins were filling the shoes of Jason with someone other than Kane Hodder, and having one of Freddy’s victims call him what is probably the most offensive of all gay slurs moments before coming face-to-face with her grisly demise. Eesh.

It’s week three of FRIDAY THE 13TH month on The Blind Rage Podcast and I’m sorry to present…JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY.

As a fan himself, Adam Marcus clearly tried to create a sequel Jason fanatics would love. Sadly, this one falls short. In a number of areas. We get a heaping helping of convoluted backstory no one really asked for. Some bizarre body-jumping. The incorporation of THE EVIL DEAD’s Necronomicon. Homoerotic shaving. And about 13 minutes of an on-screen Jason Voorhees.

On a rare positive note, we get one of the best (and nastiest) kills in the entire franchise. But is that enough to make JASON GOES TO HELL worthwhile?

“You didn’t get me in the lake…and you’re not gonna get me now.”

It’s the second week of March and FRIDAY THE 13TH month continues on The Blind Rage Podcast!

JASON TAKES MANHATTAN isn’t exactly the most appropriate subtitle for the 8th installment of the franchise. But, as has been explained many times, the production wasn’t given a large enough budget for director Rob Hedden to accomplish even a fraction of what’d been intended. Instead, what we get is an hour of stalk-and-slash aboard a yacht the size of Biosphere, lots of Vancouver alleys and street corners, and only a few glimpses of The Big Apple. On top of this, we’re given a plot that makes very little sense, especially when it comes to the ultimate demise of our beloved villain.

FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART VIII is far from a perfect film, but it’s still head and shoulders above JASON X, a movie so bad it hurts my soul.

It’s FRIDAY THE 13th month on The Blind Rage Podcast!

We’re kicking things off with THE NEW BLOOD, the seventh entry in the legendary franchise, featuring a heroine with telekinetic powers (Lar Park Lincoln) set to do battle with Jason Voorhees (played for the first time by fan favorite Kane Hodder).

All aboard! This bus is headed for Crystal Lake and it’s leaving now!

“You’re cute, Paul. But you’re not that fuckin’ cute.”

The Blind Rage Podcast takes a look at Jamie Blanks’ URBAN LEGEND, one of the few post-SCREAM slashers still widely remembered. And, like SCREAM, cast actors from popular teen dramas (Jared Leto of MY SO-CALLED LIFE; Joshua Jackson of DAWSON’S CREEK) to help create the ensemble.

The most memorable performances, however, are by horror icons Robert Englund, Brad Dourif, and Danielle Harris.

While far from perfect, it’s easy to see why URBAN LEGEND has maintained a dedicated cult following, as opposed to being quickly forgotten, as so many horror films of this era have. Join us as we take a trip back to the late ‘90s. A time before iPhones, Wi-Fi, and smart watches.

For this week’s episode of The Blind Rage Podcast, we’re focused on a film some would call…uh…an acquired taste, I imagine. When it comes to the avenues of the extreme, 29 NEEDLES runs the gamut, exploring taboo subjects such as sounding, self-harm, bloody ejaculations, sadomasochism, and just a smidge of torture. Definitely not for everyone, which is why Grindhouse released it under their “Too Extreme for Mainstream” line.

But is it any good…?

Join us as we take a journey through basement dungeons, fetish clubs, and the deepest, darkest corners of the human mind.

The Blind Rage Podcast returns to The Land Down Under for Greg McLean’s 2013 sequel WOLF CREEK 2.

With a much higher body count, buckets of gore, and an oh so familiar cackle, the expansive roads of the Australian Outback run red as Mick Taylor embarks on another blood-soaked rampage.

This week on The Blind Rage Podcast, we’re returning to The Land Down Under for Greg McLean’s cult classic WOLF CREEK!

Brutal and oftentimes extreme, McLean’s celluloid nightmare holds up quite well. With its simple premise involving three backpackers who are accosted by a maniac in the middle of nowhere, it’s a raw terror that could—and does—happen to anyone.

The thought of being lost in the Australian Outback is horrifying enough, but to be lost with a psychopath like Mick Taylor hot on your trail… Well, that’s an experience I can do without. Unfortunately, for these friends, they’ll learn how it feels to be hunted, as well as the true meaning of “a head on a stick.”

The Blind Rage Podcast ends the frigid month of January with a couple of firsts.

The focus of this week’s episode is 1997’s PERFECT BLUE, a Japanese anime feature which tells the story of a former pop idol who becomes a stalker’s prey while struggling to make the transition from singer to serious actress.

Also, this is the first time Tony fell asleep during a recording, which he vehemently denies. I cannot say for certain whether he chose my recent views monologue to nod off, but it’s pretty clear he lets out a yawn. I was going to edit that portion of the episode out, but I think Tony should be publicly shamed for being the sleepy little koala that he is.

On this week’s episode of The Blind Rage Podcast, Tony and I focus on a prime (see what I did there?) example of contemporary horror: Mimi Cave’s FRESH, a very dark comedy that explores the perils of modern dating.

Shot in Vancouver, British Colombia during the height of the pandemic, FRESH tells the story of Noah, a modern girl looking for love in all the wrong places. When she meets Steve in the supermarket, she’s reminded that it is possible to make connections without the aid of technology. But just like all the others, Noah quickly finds that her new beau is harboring a dark secret.

Exactly how dark this secret is, Noah never could’ve foreseen…

Maria Ford (MIND GAMES) returns to The Blind Rage Podcast in Dan Golden’s 1995 erotic thriller STRIPTEASER.

It’s closing time at Zipper’s Clown Palace, a seedy Hollywood strip joint, when a blind man enters. In minutes, he drops the cane, sunglasses, and charade, now brandishing a shotgun, which he uses to hold the remaining employees, as well as its last patrons, hostage. What appears to be a random act of violence slowly becomes more sinister as we discover our gunman has something of an infatuation with Christina (Ford), one of Zipper’s most popular performers.

Chock full of violence, nudity, lap dances, and sleaze, STRIPTEASER remains one of my favorite Roger Corman straight-to-video quickies. Pull up a chair (not that one; there appears to be a sticky residue along the seat) and join Tony and I for this lost gem.

Back in November of last year, Tony and I recorded a commentary for THE HITCHER (1986). Having done SINGLE WHITE FEMALE (1992) the week before, I spoke of the third Jennifer Jason Leigh movie that would make her a Blind Rage All-Star. Well, at the time, I’d forgotten James and I recorded a commentary for EYES OF A STRANGER (1981), one of Jennifer’s earliest films, a few years back.

So, making her fourth appearance on The Blind Rage Podcast is Jennifer Jason Leigh in the quite underwhelming erotic thriller HEART OF MIDNIGHT (1988). Actually, we were planning on featuring BURIED ALIVE (1990) this week, another thriller starring Mizz Leigh, but as is sometimes the case, I realized I didn’t have access to it. Forced to scramble for content, I came up with…this…mess of a film.

Join us as we try our best to make a good commentary out of a terrible movie.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The Blind Rage Podcast is kicking off 2024 with a bang! Several, in fact.

Tony and I return to the land of the dirty, dirty for the third installment in the TABOO franchise. It truly amazes me how many downloads the commentaries for the first two films have gotten. Hell, the original has gotten well over 100,000 plays on YouTube and I’ve long since retired from updating the channel.

I guess people really…REALLY love incest. So, grab a raincoat and come join us for TABOO III.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BLIND RAGE PODCAST!!!

This year, Tony and I are spending the most joyous of holidays abroad, as we head on over to Jolly Ol’ England for DON’T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS.

This campy mess of a film concerns a deranged killer stalking the streets of London in search of department store Santa Clauses, who he quickly dispatches of in grisly fashion. Very little character development and a story that leaves much to be desired, I wouldn’t call this one a Christmas horror classic, but Tony and I enjoyed having a few chuckles at its expense.

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season. See you in 2024!

“I’D RATHER YOU GO BALD TO SCHOOL THAN LOOKING LIKE A TRAMP!”

Mr. Tony the Tiger a.k.a. Daddie Dearest, it seems, was determined to ruin this week’s episode of The Blind Rage Podcast. First, he smacked me upside the head with a hairbrush—TWICE. Then, he tried to force gallons of Pepsi down my throat. And as if all that wasn’t bad enough, he received a delivery from Bear Daddy Bungalow in the middle of the commentary!

As if you couldn’t tell, we’re focused on Frank Perry’s MOMMIE DEAREST, considered by many critics to be one of the worst movies ever made, and by gay audiences to be one of the most compulsively watchable, not to mention endlessly quotable, gems of the previous century.

Join us as we watch Faye Dunaway swallow the scenery whole, co-stars and all, in this enduring cult classic!

“If you think that’s bad, wait’ll you get my bill.”

This week on The Blind Rage Podcast, we take a look at one of horror’s underdogs.

While Manny Coto’s DR. GIGGLES has accumulated a small, but dedicated cult following since its 1992 release, it never really got the love I always believed it truly deserved. Larry Drake gives one of the most memorable performances of his career, his portrayal of a killer Santa in the TALES FROM THE CRYPT episode “And All Through the House” coming in at a close second.

While many are repelled by its wall-to-wall quips and one-liners, I think it adds to the fun of the experience. At the end of the day, that’s what DR. GIGGLES is: a popcorn movie. It’s not CITIZEN KANE.

If you’ve yet to experience this ‘90s classic, simply go in expecting a good time and a lot of laughs. I can almost guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

The second half of this special two-part episode. This time, Tony and I take a look at the 2023 fan film DYLAN'S NEW NIGHTMARE.

If you haven't already, please don't forget to check out the WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE episode.

“Pick a pet for the rugrat, bitch!”

The Blind Rage Podcast is kicking off December with an early Christmas present for its most dedicated listeners! No, no. This isn’t something reserved purely for those who give us a few bucks a month. It’s for one and all. Isn’t that what Christmas is about? And by that I mean torso-shredding, neck-stabbing, and tongue-forking.

This special two-part episode begins with 1994’s WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE, then bleeds (literally) into the 2023 fan film DYLAN’S NEW NIGHTMARE, both of which can be found side-by-side in The Blind Rage Podcast’s ever-growing catalogue of fan commentaries!

“You just tell ‘em how the cows eat the cabbage and you’ll be just fine.”

I don’t understand why HIGH TENSION continues to get so much flack. If ever there was a horror movie that made zero sense, it’s this pile of…whatever this is.

This week on The Blind Rage Podcast, it’s TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE NEXT GENERATION a.k.a. THE RETURN OF THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, notorious for casting then unknowns Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey

Despite heaps of completely incoherent dialogue, this installment begins similarly to other films in the franchise. We’re introduced to our ensemble of main characters (this time, it’s a group of high school kids on prom night). Of course, they have a wreck and find themselves stranded in the middle of Texan woodland. During their seemingly endless quest for help, they come face-to-face with various members of a new inbred family, which, interestingly enough, don’t appear to be cannibals.

As the film progresses, the subplot concerning members of an underground society similar to the illuminati, whose objective is to capture random people and terrify them to the point of reaching a spiritual and transcendent experience., is introduced I suppose writer/director Kim Henkel ceased to realize that such a concept could traumatize someone to the point of sheer madness, i.e. Sally at the end of the original.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Henkel cranked the script out during an acid trip, because I doubt anyone other than he could possibly understand his true intentions. That doesn’t mean Tony and I aren’t going to give it a try. Join us as we fight to make sense of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW BIZARRO WORLD.

“There’s roadkill all over Texas.”

It’s Thanksgiving week! Here on The Blind Rage Podcast, we’re showing our appreciation with severed limbs, crushed skulls, and a side of greens.

LEATHERFACE: THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III, in my opinion, marked the end of the franchise. Sure, there were additional sequels and some remakes, but they never felt tonally attached to the first three films. As a matter of fact, some of them were just plain godawful. And I was never wild about the idea of going back to produce sequels and prequels to the original franchise when a reboot already began. It just makes matters too damn confusing.

And one of my biggest pet peeves has always been sequels without numbers in the title. How the hell is the audience supposed to know if it’s the 8th installment in the FINGER SOUP franchise if it’s called anything other than FINGER SOUP 8??

While I step down off my soapbox, make some room for me at the table. And remember, the saw is family!!!

It’s almost impossible to believe, but there was once a time in America when hitch-hiking was considered safe. My grandfather would regularly pick up strangers walking along the side of the road (with kids in the car, mind you) and drop them off wherever they needed to go. More often than not, the hitch-hiker was just a poor down-on-his-luck schmuck who needed a ride to work. He’d be dropped off at his destination and likely never thought of again.

Unfortunately for Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell), an 18-year-old kid driving cross-country, picking up a hitch-hiker will become one of the worst mistakes of his young life. Within minutes of climbing into the passenger seat, John Ryder (Rutger Hauer) begins behaving strangely. It isn’t long before a switchblade is drawn and a game of cat and mouse that stretches across four states begins.

Co-starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, THE HITCHER is a tense thriller that grabs the viewer by the throat before the conclusion of the opening titles. Join Tony and I as we venture down this dark, rain-slick road, on our way to certain doom.

Gobble, gobble!

The Blind Rage Podcast kicks off the month of November with one of the most iconic thrillers of the ‘90s: SINGLE WHITE FEMALE.

Without movies like this, Lifetime would essentially have no content, as the premise has been duplicated and replicated many, many times. Few female villains have been able to match the rage and intensity of Hedra Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh), or the doe-eyed naiveté of Alison Jones (Bridget Fonda). Even after three decades, the many themes included in SINGLE WHITE FEMALE remain relevant, so much so that contemporary audiences should have no trouble identifying with one or more of its central characters.

After the film hit theaters, I’m sure many thought twice before seeking roommates to help share the cost of rent and half utilities.

Video Nasties Month concludes not with a Video Nasty, but with a movie about Video Nasties. Specifically, about a woman, whose job it is to censor Video Nasties. That’s either absurdly confusing, or insanely meta.

I consider Prano Bailey-Bond’s 2021 CENSOR to be a breath of fresh air in a decade which has been pretty disappointing for horror devotees. I’ve found very few current releases to be at all worthwhile, especially those which have been celebrated by fans and critics. Call me a contrarian, but movies like X, THE MENU, THE STYLIST, and BEAU IS AFRAID really didn’t do it for me. As a matter of fact, my faith in the genre has been on a steady decline. It’s movies like CENSOR, with strong performances by actors like Niamh Algar, that remind me there’s still good stuff out there. You just have to look for it.

I’m very proud to end the month of October with this one. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Video Nasties Month just got nastier… And sleazier… And bloodier…

This week on The Blind Rage Podcast, Tony and I sit down to watch Romano Scavolini’s 1981 splatterfest NIGHTMARE a.k.a. NIGHTMARES IN A DAMAGED BRAIN. Steeped in controversy, this slice of acquired taste is remembered by many horror fans due to its excessive gore, censorship, and false accusations of Tom Savini being part of the crew.

Aside from that, there isn’t much going on here. The storyline is quite thin. A maniac escapes from an institution and goes on a killing spree, which leads him to Florida, where a woman who may or not be his ex-wife, and children who may or may not be his offspring, currently reside. I consider this to be in the same box as A SERBIAN FILM. Something for those who fancy themselves hardcore genre fans to see simply to satisfy their own morbid curiosity.

“Darlings, you have made your mother very proud.”

Video Nasties Month continues on The Blind Rage Podcast!

This week, Tony and I take a look at Charles Kauffman’s 1980 cult classic MOTHER’S DAY, a favorite among Troma and slasher fans alike. The premise couldn’t be simpler: a trio of female friends camping in the woods of New Jersey are accosted by a pair of inbred brothers, led by their deranged and domineering mother.

However, the campers aren’t about to fall victim to any vicious or sadomasochistic acts. Much to the surprise of this backwoods family, these women are fully prepared to fight back.

Video Nasties Month continues on The Blind Rage Podcast!

For week 2, Tony and I explore 1981’s THE BURNING, a camp slasher featuring some of the most infamous on-screen slaughters in horror history, as well as some of Tom Savini’s best and grisliest effects. I don’t think anyone ever has, or ever could, walk away from this movie without the notorious raft sequence ingrained in their memory. So, pack your bags and join us. We’re headed off to camp, where a hedge clipper-wielding maniac is lurking in the shadows…

“I warned you not to go out tonight…”

It’s October!!! To help celebrate the Season of the Witch, it’s Video Nasties Month on The Blind Rage Podcast! First up is…uh…a movie that, well, isn’t technically a Video Nasty, but it was banned in the UK for many years and sold under video shop counters in brown paper bags. It was so notorious, in fact, that it wasn’t even given a proper, uncut release until last year, when the British boutique label 88 Films put it out on Blu-ray.

For a movie deemed so sleazy, misogynistic, and irredeemable, it’s since become absurdly easy to access. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure I caught it on Lifetime a few weeks back. Then again, it could’ve been one of those Vivica Fox Christmas movies... ***shudder***

“You know the best advice I ever got? If you’re up there on stage, hopin’ on a spot, if someone gets in your way, step on ‘em. If you’re the only one left standin’ there, they hire you.”

It’s The SHOWGIRLS Shindig this week on The Blind Rage Podcast!

Before Tony and I dive into Paul Verhoeven’s 1995 enduring cult classic, we examine YOU DON’T NOMI, the documentary which coincided with the 25th anniversary of the film. I can honestly say, as a longtime fan of SHOWGIRLS, this episode was a blast to record. Hope you have just as much fun taking this journey with us.

“I am a pervert…an exhibitionist…a masturbator…and a killer.”

On this week’s episode of The Blind Rage Podcast, we take a look at the 2002 biopic DAHMER, featuring Jeremy Renner as the titular cannibal killer.

Unlike the Netflix miniseries, which glamorizes and sexualizes the story, David Jacobson’s retelling of the Jeffrey Dahmer case stays closer to the facts of the crimes, while simultaneously avoiding any unnecessary sex or violence. Renner’s portrayal is both haunting and dead-on, earning him several accolades for a film very few people saw during its initial release.

For those of you who shy away from gratuitous violence, rest assured that DAHMER doesn’t take any of the cheap shots Netflix did. Instead, it examines pertinent moments in the short life of one of America’s most notorious serial killers, and strives to show him in a manner perhaps few people have seen.

This week, Sharon Stone makes her first appearance on The Blind Rage Podcast.

In the 1991 psychological thriller SCISSORS, Stone plays Angela Anderson, a sexually repressed and socially awkward doll doctor, who is attacked and nearly assaulted in an elevator. She manages to fend off her assailant with a pair of scissors, but he vows to finish what he started. Thus begins a twisted game of cat and mouse, where Angela falls into a terrifying rabbit hole, where the real and the surreal become dangerously entangled.

It’s September and summer is rapidly fading. Here on The Blind Rage Podcast, we’re approaching a new season with a little true crime.

Though it’s been more than three decades since his execution, Ted Bundy remains one of the most infamous serial killers in the annals of American history, with movies and documentaries centered around the case released as recently as last year. This week, we’re taking a look at Matthew Bright’s 2002 biopic aptly titled TED BUNDY (or simply BUNDY in certain territories).

While Michael Reilly Burke’s portrayal of the ruthless monster is often over-the-top, he delivers a solid performance, which adds to the dark and unsettling nature of the film, as well as the subject matter. TED BUNDY is not an easy watch, but I consider it essential viewing for true crime connoisseurs.

Happy birthday to me…

To celebrate my special day, Tony suggested we watch the classic cult comedy TEEN WITCH. If you were a child of the ‘80s, you knew this movie—and quite well—due to it’s heavy rotation on HBO, then The Disney Channel a few years later.

On a dark and stormy night, Louise Miller (Robyn Lively) visits a local clairvoyant (Zelda Rubinstein), who warns her that as her 16th birthday approaches, “strange things will start to happen.” With the help of spells and incantations, Louise discovers the perfect way to handle an English teacher bent on humiliating her, how to attract the boy of her dreams (Dan Gauthier), and ultimately, how to become the most popular girl.

As is the case with many of the movies featured on The Blind Rage Podcast, TEEN WITCH tanked at the box office, but found its audience on cable and VHS. Since then, it has gone on to be considered a quintessential ‘80s classic.

Top that!

Ya gotta give the people what they want…and apparently, what they want is incest.

The commentary for the 1980 XXX cult classic TABOO has gotten more plays than any other episode of The Blind Rage Podcast. And I don’t mean it beat the most popular episode by a few digits. This particular commentary has far surpassed any other episode of the show (which I find a tad troubling, being that this is primarily a horror podcast).

This week, Tony and I return to the world of incest with the 1982 sequel TABOO II, which ups the cringe factor more than just a few notches. While the original dealt with mother/son experimentation, this one deals with father/daughter, sister/brother, and a little more mother/son. Along with a variety of bodily fluids, these walls are thickly coated with debauchery and deviant behavior.

Just remember: you asked for it.

I don’t think The Blind Rage Podcast has seen this much bloodshed since the BRAINDEAD episode…

For this week’s commentary, Tony and I sit down to watch the Alex Chandon (CHAINSAW SCUMFUCK) 2011 splatterfest INBRED. In this little-known Brit flick, we’re introduced to a group of juvenile delinquents who travel to a remote town in the English countryside to complete their community service. Within hours of their arrival, they become the main attraction in an on-stage execution. Before a live audience, the teens are methodically butchered in some of the most creative sequences in horror history.

Grab a slicker and a pair of protective goggles. The show is about to begin!

THE BLIND RAGE PODCAST HAS REACHED 200 EPISODES!!!

To celebrate this landmark event, Tony and I sat down to watch a movie I repeatedly said I’d never do on the show. Not because I dislike it. Quite the contrary, actually. I love DEATH BECOMES HER just as much as Tony. However, I always considered it to be too much of a comedy. I mean, it has legendary comedienne Goldie Hawn as one of the three leads. On The Blind Rage Podcast, I prefer to keep things dark. If it’s not hack-and-slash, it’s cult classics, exploitation, sleaze, grindhouse, or so bad, it’s good nonsense.

Ultimately, I’m glad we did this one. It may be mainstream Hollywood fare, but it’s still a blast, and we had a lot of fun recording the commentary.

“It wasn’t a person. It was a guidance counselor.”

This week on The Blind Rage Podcast, it’s PROM NIGHT III: THE LAST KISS, my favorite installment in the PROM NIGHT franchise, and one of my all-time favorite horror/comedies. With witty dialogue, creative kill sequences, and a fantastic performance by Courtney Taylor (who replaces Lisa Schrage as Mary Lou Maloney), this one is still a blast, even 33 years after its release.

“It’s a miracle. He’s delivered himself. Like a fantastic surprise Christmas present, he’s been left at the door.”

This week on The Blind Rage Podcast, it’s DEATH AND THE MAIDEN, arguably one of the best psychological thrillers of the 1990s, with powerhouse performances by stars Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, and Stuart Wilson.

Blindfolded, stripped bare, and tied to a table, Paulina Escobar (Weaver) is forced to endure innumerable attacks. One of her captors, a man she’s never met or seen, takes pity on her, cleansing her with sponge baths and playing the music of composer Franz Schubert to ease her torment. Having survived the ordeal, she is reunited with her husband (Wilson), but the past is impossible to forget.

Fifteen years later, DR. Carlos Miranda (Kingsley) appears on her doorstep in the middle of the night. Recognizing his voice, his laugh, his favorite phrases, Paulina is certain Dr. Miranda is her primary attacker. Gagging him and tying him to a chair, she won’t allow him to see sunrise until she gets what she’s wanted since the day she reclaimed her freedom.

But is what she wants justice or revenge?

It’s 1957 and Mary Lou Maloney is making her way through the male half of the student body. On the night of the prom, where she is elected queen, a freak accident costs her her life and, for some reason, her soul is banished to a trunk in the school’s basement. Thirty years later, goody goody Vicki Carpenter is possessed by Mary Lou’s demonic spirit.

And that demonic spirit still wants the crown.

HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT II is one of the better examples of late ‘80s horror, with surprisingly good effects, decent performances, and lots of extreme fashions. Come join Tony and I as we dive on in.

With a title like L.A. AIDS JABBER, one would expect something slimy, seedy, sleazy, salacious. However, despite the subject matter, the Drew Goddress SOV time capsule of 1990s Los Angeles is surprisingly tame. The story is pretty straightforward. A young man diagnosed with a terminal disease decides to wreak havoc on the city, taking with him as many innocent bystanders as possible, while eluding a pair of completely inept detectives hot on his trail.

Join Tony and I as we explore this once lost gem that has become something of a cult classic after being unearthed by Visual Vengeance.

For this week’s commentary, The Blind Rage Podcast takes a look at Adam Wingard’s 2011 home invasion thriller YOU’RE NEXT, starring the legendary Barbara Crampton as matriarch of a dysfunctional family who reunites for a sit-down dinner. Soon enough, bickering between the siblings commences—as does the slaughter of various guests by masked assailants sporting crossbows.

Not a very original premise, but contains some decent performances, particularly by Australian actress Sharni Vinson.

We’re once again going back to school this week on The Blind Rage Podcast!

Well…sort of. There’s nary a classroom to be found in the 1984 proto slasher THE INITIATION. But we do spend lots of time running around a multi-story wholesaler building posing as a mall…

In this genre classic, sorority pledge Kelly (Daphne Zuniga, THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD, “Melrose Place”) suffers from cryptic nightmares that grow more intense as Prank Night, the essence of Hell Week, rapidly approaches. She and her pledge mates are expected to break into a local mall to steal the night watchman’s uniform. Unfortunately for them, their sorority head mistress has instructed a few lads from a nearby frat house to “scare the shit out of them.”

And there’s also an institution escapee lurking in the shadows, watching their every move…

Drifting from the bed where Matt lay sleeping, Ivory slips into a warm bath and cuts her wrists. Some months later, still mourning Ivory’s death and struggling to put the pieces of his life back together, Matt begins a new job teaching Psychology at a private university. It is on his first day, and during his first class, that Matt sees Ivory. Soon after, she appears behind him at his most vulnerable, whispering words of love and beckoning him to join her.

Has Ivory truly returned, or are these ghostly visions the product of a sinister game?

Kevin Alber’s MIND GAMES is a hidden gem from the ‘90s straight-to-video era of erotic thrillers and stars Brian Krause, Maria Ford, Soleil Moon Frye, and Raina Paris. Join Tony and I as we explore this rarely seen slice of low-budget exploitation.

“I kick arse for the Lord!”

We’re going way, way down under for this week’s episode of The Blind Rage Podcast! It’s Peter Jackson’s Kiwi cult classic BRAINDEAD (known in the good ol’ USA as DEAD ALIVE). Having met innumerable horror fans over the years, I can safely say I’ve never met a single one who doesn’t adore this flick. It’s just so off-the-wall bonkers, and in the best possible way.

I often wonder what the genre would’ve been like, had Peter Jackson continued churning out epics like this, as opposed to 6-hour slogs about hobbits and golden rings. Guess we’ll never know.

For this week’s commentary, The Blind Rage Podcast delves into Ari Aster’s HEREDITARY, a modern horror classic that has undoubtedly inspired countless folk thrillers. While we dedicate a substantial amount of time discussing the actual film, there is a lot of gushing over Toni Collette’s amazing performance. But then again, it’s impossible to watch HERIDITARY, or any other titles in Collette’s extensive filmography, and not pontificate about how incredible she is. She’s Toni fucking Collette. She’s a goddamn force of nature.

See? I simply can’t control myself.

Also, for fans of Ari Aster, I encourage you to check out the Cavalcade of Christmas Carnage episode of the podcast, posted in December 2021, and is centered around MIDSOMMAR. I think I did the show a disservice by disguising which film Tony, James, and I selected for the big Christmas episode that year, since it unfortunately fared quite poorly.