Make Your Own Damn Podcast

To horror fans who think "they don't make em like they used to," we point to the DIY, shot-on-digital gore flick Septic. Made over the course of five years and featuring some truly impressive special effects, Septic is 82 minutes of gratuitous violence and nasty sex. Because she pointed this flick out to us, we had splatterpunk and extreme horror author Judith Sonnet jump on board to discuss this little-seen slice of punk rock cinema. Plus, gay undertones in Die Hard, comic recommendations, melt movies, and the SOV horror scene.

The Scary of Sixty-First: Lucas loves it, but Jeff has some strong opinions about its writer/director Dasha Nekrasova. The 92nd episode of Make Your Own Damn Podcast discusses separating art from the artist, Rosemary's Baby and Repulsion, Eyes Wide Shut, anime girls, conspiracies, and the current push to make the Republican Party appeal to young voters. Weirdly enough, all of that is relevant to this strange slice of modern trash cinema.

After Terror Firmer, it seems Lloyd and company aimed to up the ante in the offensive content department with Citizen Toxie. If so, this begs the question: did they succeed? And is there a point? We wrestle with this in our latest episode.

In Stuart Gordon's catalog of H.P. Lovecraft adaptations, Castle Freak doesn't get the love and attention that others (most notably Re-Animator, From Beyond) do. Does that mean it isn't any good? Join us as we explore this mid-90s, straight-to-VHS splatter film, produced and distributed by independent pioneers Full Moon Features. Plus, we discuss the 2020 remake, Gordon's legacy as a creator, and reading H.P. Lovecraft before it was cool (and later became very uncool). It's probably got our most tangents per a single episode, but there was a lot to unpack. And we had fun doing it.

Previously a Patreon-exclusive, here's Jeff and Lucas talking about the Academy Award-winning EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE.

Last House on the Left, I Spit on Your Grave, House on the Edge of the Park, Promising Young Woman... what do all these films have in common? They're all part of the r*pe/revenge subgenre. Jeff Burk and Lucas Mangum discuss these films in detail, as well as list some of their favorites.

In this previously Patreon-exclusive, Lucas and Jeff sit down with Kevin L. Donihe (author of Night of the Assholes) to discuss war movies and A24 fandom.

Troma has long been known for making films designed to provoke their audience, but have they ever taken things too far? Has the studio that gave us Bloodsucking Freaks and Terror Firmer ever outdone itself? We're not sure, but 2000's Unspeakable certainly comes close to crossing those boundaries. A low-budget, transgressive affair, Unspeakable follows a grieving father as he stalks the streets looking for victims in hopes that spilling the blood of the city's marginalized will reunite him with his dead daughter...who he also happens to lust after. Unspeakable is a mean film without a doubt, but is it any good? 

Why are there so many Amitville movies? Who is making them? How deep does Amitville Rabbit Hole (release date TBD) go? It's technically the horror franchise with the most sequels, but very few made in the past twenty years are canonical. Whatever that means. Join Jeff and Lucas on this strange, haunted journey to discover WTF is going on with the Amityville franchise.

In 1992, the BBC aired a Halloween special starring its own anchors and featuring an excursion into a purportedly haunted house. The results led to Ghostwatch being one of the most controversial made-for-TV movies ever made. Jeff and Lucas unpack the movie itself and its notorious reputation.

Shot on a budget of only $25,000, The Deadly Spawn is an iconic 80s monster movie. As much as Jeff loathes 80s slashers, he loves 80s monster movies. Lucas likes both, big surprise. They dive into the making of this movie and highlight their favorite moments. 

This week on Make Your Own Damn Podcast, Lucas tortures Jeff with another slasher movie. This time it's the well-loved (but not by Jeff) 1981 hidden gem Graduation Day. Distributed by Troma Entertainment, this cult classic features Christopher George (Fulci's Zombi 2 and City of the Living Dead), Linea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons), and Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White!

Director Mike Dougherty followed up his Halloween masterpiece Trick 'r Treat with Krampus an old school monster movie set on Christmas. Jeff and Lucas rundown the film's plot, the production, and Christmas movies in general in this extra special Christmas spooktacular episode of Make Your Own Damn Podcast.

This week on Make Your Own Damn Podcast, Jeff and Lucas look at Troma's other killer kids movie. This one's got atomic hugs, body-melting, and a score by Friday the 13th's Harry Manfredini!

Jeff and Lucas discuss the much-maligned cannibal subgenre, as well as movies containing cannibalism either through explicit depictions or inference. Cannibal Ferox, Blood Diner, Motel Hell, Silence of the Lambs, The Green Inferno, and Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea all get mentions. Ruggero Deodato is still the king. We like Joe D'Amato too. Umberto Lenzi, not so much.

Somehow Troma Entertainment has the distribution rights to the 1940s-style wedding farce Brian DePalma made in graduate school. And Robert DeNiro's in it! We have... very little else.

Today, Jeff and Lucas discuss the much-maligned disaster movie genre. Like most much-maligned genres, we love it, and argue that it's a lot deeper and more interesting than its detractors would have you believe. 

A landmark film in the history of queer genre cinema, Killer Condom is a notorious entry in distributor Troma Entertainment's mid-90s revival. We've got a protagonist with a foot-long dong, prophylactics with sharp teeth designed by H.R. Geiger, mad scientists, and the grimy streets of pre-Guiliani New York. In other words, everything! Killer Condom is the rubber that rubs you out.

PLAGA ZOMBIE is an independent horror movie short on resources but long on guts. Originally released in 1997, it launched a Latin American splatter franchise that's still going strong today. Jeff and Lucas take a deep dive into its goriest scenes.

Known primarily for schlocky hits like House on Haunted Hill and 13 Ghosts, William Castle was the horror genre's equivalent to a carnival barker. His movies came with unique theater experiences that still resonate to this day.

An 80s slasher movie with a Troma twist, Splatter University tells the age-old tale of an escaped mental patient stalking co-eds. Plus, the abortion conversation, dick stabbings, boob stabbings, and slasher movies where no character is safe.

In the late aughts, Virginia filmmakers Drew Bolduc Dan Nelson set out to film the post-apocalyptic splatter movie The Taint. An exploration of misogyny, violence, and sexual violence with some highly impressive Troma-esque gore, The Taint is the sort of B horror flick that would play well at a party. This episode was NOT sponsored by BlueChew.

Possibly the most polarizing figure in horror filmmaking, Eli Roth splattered onto the scene twenty years ago with CABIN FEVER. Jeff is a mega-fan, and in this week's episode, he argues for Roth's validity as a creator and personality. 

This week, Jeff and Lucas look at a slasher movie that also mines the haunted house and possession subgenres for its tropes. Girls School Screamers is basically a trope-fest, shot in Philadelphia in the 1980s by John P. Finnegan and distributed by Troma (who also reshot parts of the film). Lucas is much kinder to this one than Jeff is, but they both agree: the music by John Hodian is excellent.

In 1976, genre giants Samuel Z. Arkoff and Charles B. Pierce unleased the crime thriller THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN, a film that inspired a meta sequel/remake by the makers of American Horror Story, local controversy, and nightmares for co-host Lucas Mangum. We dive deep into this effective slice of regional filmmaking.

Co-written and directed by Jenna Fischer (THE OFFICE), LOLLILOVE is a mockumentary with an emphasis on mocking! When two shallow celebrities land on a self-serving idea for helping the homeless, they embark on an odyssey of rejection, relationship strain, and getting in over their heads. LOLLILOVE is a movie that launched multiple careers, and it's funny as hell to boot! It's a prime example of "making your own damn movie" and criminally underseen, considering its place in Hollywood history. Leave it to Troma to make seeing this hidden gem possible.

According to Wikipedia, "body horror" is "is a subgenre of horror that intentionally showcases grotesque or psychologically disturbing violations of the human body." The most famous purveyor of such films is the legendary Canadian director David Cronenberg, but he is one of many creators to work in this subgenre that traces its roots back to Gothic literature and remains more popular than ever. Plus, the difference between body horror and gore films, the prophetic narrative of VIDEODROME, Alex Jones is going down, and 5 body horror films you haven't seen.

From IMDB, "Five friends set sail and their yacht is overturned by a strange and sudden storm. A mysterious ship arrives to rescue them, and what happens next cannot be explained." Vague? It's because you can't talk about 2009's TRIANGLE without spoiling it. Oops.

On the heels of the controversial TROMA'S WAR, Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz returned to what brought em to the dance with THE TOXIC AVENGER, PART II. The film follows the titular monster hero of superhuman size and strength from the streets of Tromaville to the shores of Tokyo, where he arrives Godzilla style! Accidentally shot as a four-hour film, then split into two (with the later TOXIC AVENGER, PART III: THE LAST TEMPTATION OF TOXIE), the second entry of this ooey, gooey franchise struggles to live up to the triumphs of the original, but there are reasons for this. We dive in head-first. Plus, Lucas met Lloyd Kaufman, Wesley Southard's newest book, and getting ready for Scares That Care.

There has never been a movie like Joseph Kahn's DETENTION. Like an Adderall-fueled dubstep remix of a 90s slasher, things get meta quickly, but that's only the beginning! There's a time-traveling alien bear, a slasher named Cinderhella, subverted stereotypes, and no respect for genre tropes. We at MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN PODCAST love it and think you will too!

In this controversial film, punk filmmaker Lech Kowalski gives us an up-close and personal look at the life of a junkie in 1980s New York. Awash in pre-Guliani grime and featuring scenes of authentic heroin use, STORY OF A JUNKIE is quintessential exploitation cinema. It's an ugly and uncomfortable watch, absent of story or commentary. Instead, Kowalski opted to frankly document these scenes without judgment or additional context. Our take: smoke weed, trip hard, but avoid the hard stuff like the plague.

Anchor Bay Entertainment can date its origins back to two home video distributors: Video Treasures, formed in 1985, and Starmaker Entertainment, founded in 1988. The companies competed with each other for years, until they were sold to the Handleman Company, and formed a new corporate umbrella: Anchor Bay Entertainment, on May 2, 1995. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Anchor Bay specialized in the release of horror films, particularly cult films and slasher movies from the 1970s and 1980s, exposing the likes of Lucio Fulci, the EVIL DEAD films, and DAY OF THE DEAD to an entire generation of genre fans through their special edition, uncut releases.

One of Troma's most publicized titles, even decades after its release, A NYMPHOID BARBARIAN IN DINOSAUR HELL takes viewers in a post-nuclear fallout version of Tromaville, where all manner of mutants run rampant. Jeff Burk and Lucas Mangum take a deep dive into the cult hit, the low-budget production, and when it became the subject of clickbait outrage in 2010.

THE SADNESS is quintessential splatter horror. Inspired by the controversial CROSSED comics, this Taiwanese rage-zombie flick serves as a stark contrast to elevated horror and monster-as-metaphor movies that dominate the box office and streaming platforms. 

When the populace of their city goes mad with sexually violent urges, a young couple traverses the carnage, hoping to find each other, but who is immune, and can they stay safe?

Now streaming on Shudder and rife with Covid-era paranoia, THE SADNESS has drawn comparisons to the likes of A SERBIAN FILM and CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST for its extreme content. 

On the eve of her execution, serial killer Tara (Debbie Rochon) passes the time by telling The Executioner (Gunnar Hansen, Leatherface in the original TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) a trilogy of horror stories, but that's not all she has planned for the night! HELLBLOCK 13 is Troma Entertainment's foray into the anthology format. Jeff and Lucas discuss the film and their favorite horror anthologies. 

In the summer of 1999, horror fans were treated to the now seminal THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Not even a decade later, the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise launched and consequently generated a resurgence of films using the found footage technique. While these are the two most notable examples, a plethora of other movies--not solely horror--have employed found footage to tell their stories. The technique has a rich history, stretching beyond the medium of film and all the way back to epistolary novels such as DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN. Plus, PETSCOP, THE SUN HAS VANISHED, and GEMINI HOME ENTERTAINMENT are prime examples of how the technique has evolved, the reason why this approach works so well, and a list of obscure found footage movies you probably haven't seen. 

Lauded by the hosts of LAST PODCAST ON THE LEFT as the trashiest true crime documentary ever made, BAZAAR BIZARRE chronicles the life and crimes of serial killer Bob Berdella. Released by Troma Entertainment in 2004, it features interviews with those involved in the case intercut with gory reenactments, musical numbers, and rage-fueled narration by crime writer James Ellroy.

There has never been a movie like BAZAAR BIZARRE. It's tasteless, even for Troma, and we at MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN PODCAST love it.

I DRINK YOUR BLOOD is quintessential exploitation horror. It was made specifically to compete with the graphic violence on display in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, it was sold as a double feature with I EAT YOUR SKIN, a film made almost a decade earlier and never distributed, and writer/director David E. Durston went on from it to make hardcore gay pornography before leaving filmmaking for three decades.
When a group of LSD-addled, devil-worshipping hippies terrorize the residents of a small town, a young boy exacts horrific revenge by feeding them meat pies injected with rabies. It isn’t long before everyone goes mad and all manner of carnage ensues.
The first film to get an X-rating by the MPAA for violence alone, and heavily censored upon release, I DRINK YOUR BLOOD is 1970s exploitation horror at its best.

From Troma's website: "Childhood used to be about jumping rope and playing hopscotch…but in one little backwoods town it’s now about slitting throats and eating flesh! While visiting Tromaville, the DeWolfe family discover a terrifying secret. God-fearing parents panic as their children mysteriously disappear. Little do they know that only thing worse than their children disappearing would be them coming back! Lured into a cannibalistic cult, doe-eyed innocents are transformed into mindless killing machines. Parents and children face off in the most stomach-churning finale of mutilated flesh to bloody the screen!"

Cannibalism, torture, rape, war crimes, and necrophilia. These are common themes found in underground cinema and extreme horror. Is it possible for art to go too far? What is the appeal of this vile content to seemingly well-adjusted fans? Authors Jeff Burk and Lucas Mangum attempt to unpack these questions and more as they examine some of the most extreme films ever made. This episode is one of self-reflection where they ask themselves why such material appeals to them. Plus, what are the political underpinnings of these films? Which films are more concerned with personal horrors? And what movie perfectly bridges the gap between the personal and the political? This is Make Your Own Damn Podcast's most intense discussion yet. You've been warned.

The Troma Team is proud to present SCREAMPLAY, the story of aspiring screenwriter Edgar Allen (Rufus B. Seder) as he arrives in Hollywood carrying his most valuable possessions: a battered suitcase and a typewriter. Edgar Allen’s best attribute is his wild imagination. He imagines scenes so vividly for the murder mystery he is writing that they seem to come to life…and they do! As mysterious murders pile up, and Edgar Allen must confront aging actresses, rock stars, and the police in the bleak setting of broken dreams in Hollywood. As the line between reality and imagination becomes more blurred, Edgar Allen convinced the only way to be a real writer is to suffer, is driven slowly mad. With an appearance by legendary writer, director and actor George Kuchar as Martin, SCREAMPLAY is the gritty suspense fest that takes Hollywood by the throat and strangles it!

On the 259th episode of SModcast, indie legend turned Hollywood darling turned cinematic outlaw Kevin Smith and longtime collaborator Scott Mosier read a bizarre want ad in which a homeowner was offering free lodging, so long as the tenant was willing to wear a Walrus costume. This led to an in-depth discussion about a hypothetical horror film inspired in equal parts by Stuart Gordon, David Cronenberg, and THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE. By the time of its premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, TUSK was no longer a hypothetical. The film has gone on to become Smith's most controversial to date, but here at Make Your Own Damn Podcast, we give it the reexamination we believe it deserves.

We made it to 50 episodes and thought it all too appropriate to cover Troma's most famous movie, a movie as old as us and soon to be remade. We're talking, of course, about 1984's THE TOXIC AVENGER. With ripping limbs, head-crushing, and deep-frying of hands, this movie is a gory classic. It's also got a wicked sense of humor, social commentary that still resonates today, and a runtime that other superhero movies can learn from. We discuss our personal histories with the film, some behind the scenes stories, the upcoming remake, and how well THE TOXIC AVENGER might play to modern audiences.

Something Weird Video was founded in 1990 by Mike Vraney. Based out of Seattle, it takes its name from the movie Something Weird, which was directed by “Godfather of Gore” Herschel Gordon Lewis. In addition to distributing the works of Lewis, they’ve also distributed films by Doris Wishman (a prolific female director of sexploitation films) and Ed Wood (specifically, The Violent Years and Jailbait), as well as movies starring famed pinup model Bettie Page.

Something Weird Video specializes in exploitation B to Z movies. That Basket Case may have the highest production values of their distributed titles says something. But there is something incredibly charming about this little distribution company. If the appeal of exploitation movies is the possibility for us to see what they cannot see anywhere else, then Something Weird Video is every bit as important as Troma Entertainment, Grindhouse Releasing, Blue Underground, Vinegar Syndrome, and Unearthed Films. Their catalogue features everything from schlocky horror to softcore and hardcore pornography. They’ve made it their mission to preserve the sorts of films that mainstream companies wouldn’t bother taking the time to preserve. This doesn’t just include bizarre or shocking works, but also kids commercials, rare cartoons, and early films featuring all-Black casts. For this alone, they are a noteworthy company.