A Cure for the Common Craig

Send us a textWhat happens when you combine a young FBI agent with psychic abilities, a serial killer, children, life-size dolls with silver spheres in their heads, T. Rex, Satanism, and Nicolas Cage? You get one unsettling movie.Are you wearing your Longlegs (2024) today, almost-birthday girl?

Send us a textGothic horror from Italian master, Mario Bava! A small village is cursed by the ghost of a young child, who just so happens to be causing a number of deaths. Operazione Paura, Operation Fear, Die toten Augen des Dr. Dracula, Curse of the Living Dead, Don't Walk in the Park? None of those titles feel like a good fit for this movie, and neither does Kill, Baby...Kill! (1966), but I guess we'll just go with that one.

Send us a textThe adorable animals are back! This time in snake form! We have slithering serpent friends in showers, at carnivals, in air ducts, and liquor cabinets. Oh, and definitely on a plane. Join us as we sink our fangs into Snakes on a Plane (2006), Venom (1981), and Sssssss (1973)! Yes, the title is really Sssssss. Don't say it, HISS it!

Send us a textIf you ever find yourself seeing demons or inhuman things, and are really uncertain as to whether or not they are dreams or reality, maybe you would develop a feeling of solidarity by watching Jacob's Ladder (1990). Actually, no. Maybe that's not such a good idea.

Send us a textSydney Sweeney is hugely popular! This is bound to be our most successful podcast episode ever! Except, well, she's not actually on the show or anything. We just happen to be discussing a movie in which she stars, and also happens to produce. But it's some good old religious horror, so there's that, at least. Sydney Sweeney IS Immaculate (2024)!

Send us a textMore than four years after we discussed the first film in the series, we're returning to the depths of Clive Barker's imagination. Some of us more reluctantly than others. But make no mistake, it's time to play.Puzzle boxes, people without skin, chains with fishhooks, Kirsty, people with nails or pins in their heads, blood and goo, Julia. Yes, they're all back for more in Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)!

Send us a textIs that a vampire, or a puppet? A celebration in a small French village leads to madness and chaos. And a witch's curse plagues a small Massachusetts town. It can only be the Winter of Folk Horror rising again!Join us for The Vourdalak (2023), Litan (1982), and The City of the Dead (1960)!

Send us a textThey don't call it the curse for nothing. Wait. What are we talking about here? Are we talking about menstrual cycles or werewolves? Yes! The Fitzgerald sisters finally get their due on the podcast! Happy Valentine's Day to the Common Craig! It's Ginger Snaps (2000) time!

Send us a textBill Paxton, director? Yes, it's true! Bill made his feature film directorial debut with Frailty (2001), in which he also stars as a single father with two sons. He believes that he has been visited in the night by an angel, who has instructed him and his sons to hunt demons. However, his oldest son, Fenton, is more than a little concerned when these demons have human names and actually appear to be human!

Send us a textWhat do a torso, an eyeball, and an opera all have in common? Those are the titles of the gialli we are covering for Giallo January Two! Or due, sorry.A killer using red and black scarves as their chosen weapon, pursues a group of ladies to a country villa in Sergio Martino's Torso (1973)! A group of American tourists become victims of a maniac who is after a particular body part, in Umberto Lenzi's Eyeball (1975)! And then from there, a young singer is forced to watch as a lunatic begins to slaughter those around her, in Dario Argento's Opera (1987)!

Send us a text2024 seems like it was actually a very solid year for horror movie releases. And while the Common Craig did not see them all, he did see 33 new horror-ish releases from last year. Let's rank them and decide the best and the worst of 2024!

Send us a textThe holiday spectacular returns for a sixth time! It's Horror for the Holidays!We visit a boarding school with a group of Christmas killers who plan to summon a demon in The Sacrifice Game (2023). We then join a family driving to a holiday gathering who take a shortcut to nowhere in Dead End (2003). Come with us and meet a signalman who is just trying to do his job, but a pesky spectre keeps bothering him in The Signalman (1976). And then from there, let's enjoy a family Christmas at home, with some parents who probably wish that they had not been so creative, with a favorite episode from Tales from the Darkside.

Send us a textA ship reappears after having been missing for seven years. Obviously, complete disregard for safety tells us that we have to go check it out, right? And where did this ship go for seven years? Another dimension? Maybe hell? Oh, yeah. This is going to go well. And the ship is in space, of course. This is the voyage of the starship, Event Horizon (1997).

Send us a textIt's important to have friends. People who can be relied upon in both good times and bad. But if you're on a cave adventure, and you suddenly come upon an unexpected, hostile threat, can you really count on those people? The ladies in The Descent (2005), just happen to face such a challenge.

Send us a textMore child trauma? Two episodes in a row? Apparently, we just can't get enough. When little Peter hears knocking, and then a voice, coming from his wall, his parents seem desperate to discourage him from pursuing an explanation. But, as the tagline for the movie says, "sooner or later, family secrets creep out." And in this movie, something actually does creep out! Lizzy Caplan, Antony Starr, and Cleopatra Coleman star in Cobweb (2023).

Send us a textDavid Cronenberg's cathartic exercise on film, a result of a personal custody battle, is not all body horror. There is genuine child and family trauma at its core. And because of that, The Brood (1979) is not always a pleasant watch. Perhaps Cronenberg's most personal film, it still packs quite a punch some 45 years later.

Send us a textA ballerina vampire must get bored between recitals, I guess. Especially considering that if you're immortal, you probably have A LOT of recitals. So, who can blame Abigail for wanting to kill some of her father's henchpeople in her spare time?We're kicking off our new A-Z of Horror Series with Abigail (2024)!

Send us a textAfter 5 years, I guess that it's finally time to talk about a Nicole favorite for our 135th episode. And I can't even complain, because it's a horror comedy love letter to George Romero's zombie classics. But that's ridiculous! Don't say the Z word! We present to you, what can only be, the SHAUNNIVERSARY! It's Shaun of the Dead (2004)!

Send us a textThe Final Chapter for Friday the 13th: The Episode? I'm afraid so. One movie does feature a guest appearance by one Fred Krueger, so there's that. And the other is a reboot attempt that fared well at the box office. But no! That's all. This Voorhees guy is finished! Maybe.But while you're waiting, you may as well hear our opinions of the 11th and 12th entries in the Friday the 13th film series. One, two, Freddy's coming for you. Three, four, Jason's at your door, in Freddy vs. Jason (2003)! And then from there, welcome to Crystal Lake. Again. It's Friday the 13th (2009)!

Send us a textDo you believe in cryptids? Is Bigfoot, or some variation like the Fouke Monster, really out there? And if they are, are they just lonely, but shy creatures? Or are they genital-ripping monstrosities who want to mate with you? Look, we really don't know. But we'll try to answer these very important questions.We want to believe! But if these movies are any indication, you may want to use caution if you decide to go camping. Grab your guitar and serenade the sasquatch, while we discuss The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972), Night of the Demon (1980), and Willow Creek (2013). And please, mind your hogs, regardless of how much they weigh!

Send us a Text Message.After the length of that last episode, you may have thought that we were dead. But no, we have one final stop before we can escape the Summer of Action! Well, two technically.But if we're going to escape from two of America's major cities, we may need help from someone with experience. Thankfully, Snake Plissken always seems to get captured at the most convenient times, when some serious rescue or recovery situation presents itself. Better team up with Snake and give this a listen if you want to be the Duke of Podcast Listeners, a number one! Break out of summer with John Carpenter's Escape from New York (1981) and Escape from L.A. (1996)!

Send us a Text Message.The Summer of Action arrives in the Hyborian Age! Brother Brian joins us, as we discuss the Riddle of Steel, the Wheel of Pain, the Tree of Woe, the Mountain of Power, and other elements related to the film adventures of Conan the Cimmerian.Do you want to live forever? If you do, you may as well listen to a really lengthy podcast episode featuring Conan the Barbarian (1982), Conan the Destroyer (1984), and Conan the Barbarian (2011). Let us tell you of the days of high adventure!

Send us a Text Message.You didn't think that it was game over for the Summer of Action, did you? What are we gonna do now, what are we gonna do? We're not going to build a fire and sing a few songs, I'll tell you that. Look, if we're going to do this right, we need to bring in a special guest. James (not Cameron), allegedly the foremost expert of all things involving this movie, joins us to discuss the ins, facehuggers, and outs, chestbursters, of the James (okay now) Cameron classic Aliens (1986)!

Send us a Text Message.If you think action movies are all testosterone, think again! We have three movies for you, with ladies kicking some serious butt. You'd better hope that you're not on the wrong side of vengeance, messed with a police officer/martial arts instructor's family, and that you haven't been stealing babies!A child conceived to become an instrument of vengeance? Probably not the best situation to be born into. But she does manage to display some wonderful umbrella sword-related blood spraying and splattering for us. Meiko Kaji IS Lady Snowblood (1973)!An unfortunate mistake causes a martial arts instructor to leave a big city police force, returning to small town Utah, where some rich jerk and his goons are ruining everything. Including eliminating her father, the local sheriff! Can she become the new sheriff, thanks to an emergency election, and make things safe again for the innocent townspeople? Cynthia Rothrock IS China O'Brien (1990)!And then from there, babies are being stolen and taken to the underworld, with one set to become the emperor of China, and the others destined to become evil minions of the Grandmaster! What the hell? Only three women from different perspectives can possibly stop this madness! Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh, and Anita Mui ARE The Heroic Trio (1993)!

The Summer of Action continues, and it feels like a steel mill outside. Hot enough to melt a liquid nitrogen-frozen T-1000! Oh, yeah, and it's also 40th anniversary of the first movie in this series. So, chill out, dic...oh, wait! I mean, chill out and relax while we discuss some James Cameron cyborg stuff.Overshadowed by its sequel, is there any reason to watch the original movie in this series? The Common Craig argues its merit as a slasher-style horror film with a science fiction coat of paint. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a seemingly unstoppable cyborg from the future, sent to the past to wipe out any Sarah Conner that gets in its sights. Grab your phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range, and join us for a 40th anniversary celebration of The Terminator (1984)!And then from there, with reportedly a nearly $100 million budget increase, can James Cameron deliver on the promise of a sequel to match the intensity of the original? Or will it be all Hollywood polish and little substance? Get ready to up the ante, with dueling Terminators, both trying to track down a 10-year-old John Conner, with the future of the human race potentially at stake! Beware of AI, or prepare yourself for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)!

It's time we does the tell, so that we 'members the man who in the roar of an engine lost everything. A burnt-out, desolate man, who wandered out into the wasteland. It was there, in that blighted place, that he learned to live again. Witness us doing the tell, so we will ride eternal, shiny and chrome.While we have not yet had a chance to see the new movie, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024), it feels right to blaze into the Summer of Action by discussing the previous films in the series. Join us as we spend some time with Max. His time in the Interceptor with the Main Force Patrol,  battling gangs in a world in decline in Mad Max (1979), to the post-apocalyptic mercenary loner, in search of gasoline in The Road Warrior (1981). And then from there, displaying moral fiber, placing himself in harm's way, showing compassion to protect a group of abandoned children in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), and to assist a group of woman struggling to escape an oppressive regime in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).

Mentioned way back in Episode One of the podcast, one of Nicole's favorite horrors finally receives the featured treatment. Please don't tell Angela Bettis that it took us this long to get back to it.If you can't find a friend, make one. Angela Bettis stars in writer/director, Lucky McKee's May (2002), delivering a charming, moving performance as an awkward young woman who seems to have a difficult time meeting and connecting with people. When she does meet someone new, she sometimes sees parts of them that are not particularly appealing, leading her to develop a solution to the problem. So many pretty parts, no pretty wholes.

There's always time for horror. Especially on Mother's Day! Even if your mom pretends or acts like she doesn't really care for horror, you know that she's only kidding. So kick back and listen as we discuss two of the most famous horror mothers in cinema history, and then go watch the movies with your mom!Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) finds herself in a difficult position, after making an impulsive, even criminal decision. After stopping at a roadside motel, and a mostly pleasant conversation with the proprietor, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), we can only hope that she'll take steps to set things right. After a nice shower, of course. And if she can avoid a run-in with Norman's mother. It's Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960)!And then from there, a young woman experiencing her first pregnancy, finds herself unusually isolated and alone in a New York City apartment building. While she receives guidance from her husband, doctor, and the odd elderly couple who live next door, a series of events leaves her uncertain as to which of them she can actually trust, in Roman Polanski's paranoid classic, Rosemary's Baby (1968).

Have you ever been in the shower and found yourself wondering, what DID William Shatner do in the 1970s? Between the cancellation of Star Trek in 1969 and Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979, he must have done something, but what? Well listeners, we're here for you.A former priest who had a crisis of faith (Shatner), is among a small group aboard a plane trapped in mid-air over the Atlantic, terrorized by unexpected demonic passengers, in the made-for-television movie The Horror at 37,000 Feet (1973). A traumatic childhood incident leads Matt Stone (Shatner) to a life as a gigolo conman, with a taste for stylish threads, wealthy women, and murder in Impulse (1974)! A man devoted to protecting his family and breaking them free of a devilish curse (Shatner), becomes a pawn of Satan, turned against his brother in The Devil's Rain (1975)! And then from there, a heroic, horseback-riding veterinarian (Shatner) attempts to stop a massive colony of tarantulas from transforming a small Arizona town into the Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)!

If you're like me, you love a good road trip. The open road, listening to your favorite music, chasing suspected serial killers, picking up sinister hitchhikers, making sadistic enemies on your CB radio, taking the backroads to hell. Good times!Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis are the token Americans, obsessed with the pursuit of a driver in a green van, who they suspect may be a homicidal maniac, in the Australian trucker suspense classic Road Games (1981).  C. Thomas Howell makes the terrible mistake of picking up kill-crazy hitchhiker, Rutger Hauer, and then becomes the prime suspect for his crimes in The Hitcher (1986). A young couple eloping to Las Vegas, leave the interstate, only to end up in a struggle to escape the underworld on the Highway to Hell (1991). And then from there, a CB radio prank becomes a nightmare for two brothers, who are targeted by a psychotic trucker out for revenge in Joy Ride (2001).

A very Tall Man. Deadly, flying silver spheres. A Lady in Lavender. Jawas? Okay, technically not Jawas.Two brothers and their pal, an ice cream man by trade, attempt to unravel the mystery of what is happening to the bodies of the dead at Morningside Cemetery.  Of course, snooping around manages to incur the wrath of The Tall Man and his minions, and leads them to discover a portal to some otherworldly locale. It's time for a 45th anniversary celebration of Phantasm (1979)!

Time to pay another visit to the Dungeon of Directors, and unleash a variety of cult horrors. Writer, director, producer, Larry Cohen just had a knack for taking ideas and fleshing them out. Making something that sounds ridiculous, much more compelling and fun than it has any right to be.The Davis family is expecting, and the pregnancy seems so perfect. Until the baby is much more monstrous than expected, and goes on a crawling killing spree in It's Alive (1974)! A series of murders in New York City, committed by people who seemingly have no connection, all provide the same response when asked why they did it: God Told Me To (1976). And then from there, are you eating it, or is it eating you? There's a new dessert treat craze sweeping the nation, but it seems to have a mind-altering effect on those who consume it. Enough is never enough of The Stuff (1985)!

The Winter of Folk Horror is not yet ready to let 2024 go. Cozy up with the comfort of witches, as we discuss three very different witch movies. Dueling witches, a witchy cousin, and a town filled with bigots. Welcome to the Witchy Winter Wonderland!When a skeptical college professor demands his wife stop practicing protective conjure magic, he opens himself up to be the victim of an opposing force in Burn, Witch, Burn (1962)! A young woman loses her parents in a deadly crash, moves in with her cousin, Linda Blair, and proceeds to ruin her life, in the Wes Craven TV movie, Summer of Fear (1978)! And then from there, the residents of a small town believe that three new arrivals are reincarnations of witches that invoked a 300-year-old curse in The Devonsville Terror (1983)!

Adorable animals return! And at least some of them are back for the attack. Hopefully, our cat children were not negatively impacted during our viewing of these features.The bodies from a local cemetery are used to develop a new taste sensation for cats in The Corpse Grinders (1971)! An alien cat arrives on Earth, in need of repairs to his spacecraft, while trying to avoid the military, spies, and gambling debts, in Disney's The Cat from Outer Space (1978)! Lucio Fulci brings us his freely adapted film version of the Edgar Allan Poe classic, featuring a really pissed off cat who loves to shred human flesh in The Black Cat (1981)! And then from there, Hong Kong brings us three knights from outer space (two humanoids, one cat), pursuing some kind of grotesque space...thing, and a must-see cat versus dog junkyard brawl in The Cat (1992)!

We've covered the more obvious directorial efforts of George A. Romero over the years. But, there is unseen by most, an underworld of Romero films. Movies that are just as real, but not as well-known. We crack open that creaky Dungeon of Directors and unleash these lesser-known Romero films.The residents of a rural Pennsylvania town are accidentally exposed to a bioweapon, transforming them into The Crazies (1973)! A young man by appearance, may be an 84-year-old vampire, or in reality just a serial killer, in the ambiguous Martin (1977). A peek behind the curtain of the lives of a motorcycle-jousting, traveling troupe of renaissance faire-style performers in the cult oddity, Knightriders (1981)! And then from there, a service monkey develops an unhealthy attachment to a quadriplegic man in Monkey Shines (1988).

Have you noticed that it's kind of cold outside? Well, not everywhere, of course. But if you live near us, then you know what we're talking about. Why not warm up with a dose of cozy folk horror? It's the return of one of our favorites, the Winter of Folk Horror!We travel the world, once again, stopping first in Norway for a swim in the Lake of the Dead (1958). The over to Ireland to spend some time with the forest creatures we find in The Hallow (2015). And then from there, we visit South Korea, and try to familiarize ourselves with a variety of religious elements on the fly, to better understand Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019).

What else there to do in January other than sit around being cold? You should probably heat things up, Italian-style, by celebrating Giallo January! And when Sergio Martino brings Edwige Fenech along to star in his movie, that always helps.Join us for discussions of Mario Bava's early giallo, Blood & Black Lace (1964), the third film in Dario Argento's "animal" trilogy, Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), and Sergio Martino's mix of giallo and devil cult subgenres, All the Colors of the Dark (1972).

It's a December tradition here on the podcast, to discuss some holiday horror. Or holiday violence, at least. It must be time for Horror for the Holidays V!This year, we're featuring David Harbour versus John Leguizamo in Violent Night (2022), a bunch of naked Santa helpers running around in Finland in Rare Exports (2010) , and two spooky stories that share the same name, Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968 and 2010)!

We've always loved Julian Sands, and were saddened to hear of his disappearance and the revelation of his passing in 2023. To celebrate his life and career, we discuss a personal favorite, along with a pair of campier entries that, if nothing else, are fun to laugh about.What happens when a warlock escapes the clutches of death, travels through a portal three centuries into the future, to locate three parts of The Grand Grimoire to undo creation? Well, you'd better believe that a determined witch-hunter follows to try to stop him! Julian Sands is Warlock (1989)!Not into warlocks and all that stuff? Well, how about Julian Sands as an infuriatingly meek surgeon who opportunistically uses a hit-and-run accident to imprison, and physically alter,  the woman of his dreams? Probably not a particularly healthy thing to do. It's a story of obsession and possession, with some questionable acting. But hey, if Boxing Helena (1993) is a match for your fetish, you do you.And then from there, if you thought that the acting in Boxing Helena was bad, get ready for some of the most remarkably poor acting you have ever seen from a complete cast. Thankfully, Julian Sands returns as the warlock, the one marginal bright spot. Though it probably would have helped if these actors had some decent dialogue to work with. However, as it stands, Warlock: The Armageddon (1993) is probably best used as a device to torture your enemies.

So you heard us talking about our live podcast at Cape Con, but you were unable to attend? Well, you're in luck! We take you back to the beginnings of comic book horror, and then discuss two horror films adapted from comics.It's a comic book movie team-up featuring Edward Scissorhands and Hagrid from the Harry Potter series! Kind of. You do get Johnny Depp and Robbie Coltrane on the same team, investigating the menace tormenting Heather Graham's character, along with other ladies of the night, on the streets of Victorian-era London. Could it possibly be Jack the Ripper? Whoever it is, they are clearly From Hell (2001)!And then from there, let's go to Alaska, where Josh Hartnett is the youthful, handsome sheriff in a town that will be without sunlight for thirty days in winter. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, I suppose, as long as you are not a victim of seasonal affective disorder. Of course, there may be other problems. Like a group of vampires coming to town. Yeah, that could result in 30 Days of Night (2007) being a lot more challenging.

The Final Chapter of the 19th Annual A-Z of Horror Festival has finally arrived. Was it worth the wait? Well, let's call it a mix of good and bad. We have disappearing mothers, Kevin Bacon, a town filled with crazy southerners, werewolves, talking pets, a lost movie that should have stayed that way, and preferring the zombie apocalypse to going into work. Let's have ourselves a little chat about:Relic (2020)Stir of Echoes (1999)Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964)The Undying Monster (1942)The Voices (2014)Werewolf By Night (2022)Xenia (1990)You Are Not My Mother (2021)Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023)

The Festival demands a second episode! Because, well, it's not over. Get ready for letters I-Q, featuring Martians, a minister's wife becoming a vampire, a deadly web comic, a mysterious lodger, a vile prince from Poe, two movies that involve an inheritance, an anatomical dummy, and sinister doppelgangers! Listen in as we discuss:Invaders From Mars (1953)Jakob's Wife (2021)Killer Toon (2013)The Lodger (1927)The Masque of the Red Death (1964)Next of Kin (1982)The Old Dark House (1963)Pin (1988)Qorin (2022)The 19th Annual A-Z of Horror Festival continues...

If you're not ready for an October horror movie festival, then you're in the wrong place! We have letters A-H ready for you, featuring an evil car, zombies, vampires, vengeful spirits, and some seemingly regular people with some serious mental health issues. We'll discuss:Audition (1999)The Black Cat (1934)Christine (1983)Day of the Dead (1985)Effects (1979)The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)The Grudge (2004)The House that Dripped Blood (1971)Welcome back to the A-Z of Horror Festival! An October ritual.

Four years of this podcast, and we still haven't discussed Night of the Living Dead (1968)? Those things, ghouls, definitely not zombies, are surely coming to get us unless we remedy this, right now! Join us as we honor George Romero and celebrate 55 years of this horror classic.

There were Japanese horror movies made in the 1980s? Yes, it's true. Not all Japanese horror comes from the late 90s and early 2000s. Let's find out what Japanese filmmakers were doing with horror late in the decade, as we put a wrap on the Summer of the 80s! There's no Bruce Campbell anywhere in sight. And Sam Raimi did not direct this. We also did not see Ted Raimi around anywhere! Okay, so the U.S. title may be a little misleading. But hey, when you work in late night television, and you put out a request for viewers to send in tapes, you have to expect that you'll receive some interesting material. Is that a legitimate snuff film, though? Well, I guess that we as the viewers had better investigate with this team from the studio. But I'm afraid that we all might just end up falling into the Evil Dead Trap (1988)!Is this the Japanese equivalent of Eraserhead? I guess, maybe. Back in the 90s, this kind of became an endurance test, an instant cult movie making the rounds on VHS among friends, if you could find it in the local video store. An endurance test? But it's only an hour and seven minutes, you say. The runtime may not be long, but let's just say that the violence and subject matter can make this an overwhelming experience for some. Get ready for the polarizing, experimental metal fetish extravaganza, Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)!And then from there, we may as well close out the decade with the Common Craig's Top 5 Horror Movies from 1988 and 1989!

A body-swapping alien and a canister of liquid Satan. What? Yeah, that's pretty much it. And both movies have ordinary people being used as puppets of evil! 1987, how could you?Guns, explosions, bank robberies, murder! Stealing Ferraris! And cassettes from a music store? When will this madness end? Well, probably when a cop and an FBI agent put the awkward "getting to know you" phase behind them and get to work. Enough with the awkward dinners at home, go find this maniac! But even with all of the destruction left in its wake, finding this villain might be more challenging than you think. Because they're chasing, The Hidden (1987)!John Carpenter reveals to us, a well-kept secret in a run-down church in Los Angeles. A canister of primordial liquid, locked from the inside, guarded by The Brotherhood of Sleep. If this sounds intriguing, then you may want to put your skills in mathematics and science to the test, and join the group of grad students who are working to unravel this ancient religious mystery. Of course, you do run the risk of becoming a pawn, serving the Prince of Darkness (1987)!And you know that the Common Craig has a Top 5 Horror of 1987 prepared to share with you!

Two years in one episode! Well, it really does make sense. You'll see.First, director Stuart Gordon brings us some morbid, deadpan humor, based on the work of H. P. Lovecraft.  And let me tell you, Jeffrey Combs is absolute perfection as Herbert West. Who would have thought that bringing corpses, and decapitated heads, back to life, would be so amusing? And how about that green color of the re-agent serum? Can I paint a room that color, please? Oh, yeah. We're talking about Re-Animator (1985), here.Then from there, Stuart Gordon is back! And so is H.P. Lovecraft! And Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton from Re-Animator! It's like a family reunion with all of your favorites. But they've brought along the resonator. A device that stimulates the pineal gland. To the point where it just might burst out of the forehead of someone who has had a little too much stimulation. And let me tell you something else, it's not a pretty sight. It's like something, From Beyond (1986)!And of course, it wouldn't be the Summer of the 80s without Common Craig's Top 5 horrors from 1985 and 1986!

Comet fever runs wild and city sewers should be off-limits! Look, comets can be exciting, I get that. But it just seems that it should go without saying that avoiding sewers is a good policy. Welcome to 1984.Maybe everyone wanting to see the comet in Night of the Comet (1984) shouldn't be quite so eager? Unless you want to wake up as a pile of dust and clothes. Or some mutated zombie, and somehow not a pile of dust. Of course, if you were sleeping in a steel-reinforced projection booth, you're probably fine to go on living in this apocalyptic place.And city streets seemed bad enough in the 80s. So, I can only assume that the sewers were even worse. C.H.U.D. (1984) seems to verify that. There are some kind of weird mutants down there. Radioactive waste. And come on, the smell cannot be particularly inviting.The Summer of the 80s oozes on! And hey! Don't forget the Common Craig's Top 5 horror movies from 1984!

Time to venture north of the border to discuss one of the Common Craig's favorites, and a first time watch that doesn't work out so well. Death to snake movies that fail to deliver enough wriggling, writhing action! Long live the Summer of the 80s! And hello Canada!Ah, the Common Craig's dreams of being some sort of video pirate, intercepting broadcasts, potentially seeing things that no one should see! Yeah, after watching Videodrome (1983), it really seems more like a nightmare scenario, I guess. Leave it to David Cronenberg to get me all worked up, and then slap me in the face with the potential horrors you may encounter. Best to leave these problems to James Woods and Debbie Harry. They're into some kinky stuff in this one.As a snake movie connoisseur, I would appreciate this devil serpent getting more screen time. But maybe that's why the title really has nothing to do with this giant snake. Because they ran out of money during the production and could barely get it in front of the camera! I hope that Oliver Reed and Peter Fonda had a good time between takes, because Spasms (1983) did very little else for their careers.And then from there, it's the Common Craig's Top 5 list of horror movies from 1983! Which probably does not include Spasms.

1982 brings us a rather odd pairing of a family facing supernatural terror, and a young man and his basket. The Hollywood budget and prestige of a polished Steven Spielberg production, and the raw sleaze and special effects of a $35,000 movie shot on the grimy streets of early 80s New York City.If one of your family members starts talking to static on a television, you might want to consider packing up and moving immediately. But is static on television even a thing anymore? There's content 24/7! The TV people talking through the static are probably safer than the people talking to you on the actual shows! Wait, what were we talking about? Spirits and supernatural spookiness! And real skeletons in swimming pools! Leave the bodies where they are, kick back and relax, and watch some Poltergeist (1982)!What's in the basket? Well, let's just says that it probably isn't clothes, like Duane says it is. Because I don't know if I've ever heard of clothes eating a bunch of hamburgers and hot dogs when you dump those into the basket with them.  It sure is weird and pissed off, whatever it is. Don't worry, you'll find out. Time for some fun family revenge on the seedy streets of New York, in Basket Case (1982)!And then from there, it's the Common Craig's Top 5 list of horror movies from 1982! You'd better believe it!

It's 1981, and things are not okay. Seemingly normal people are doing some pretty messed up things. One might even describe these acts as...nasty.A picturesque coastal town is the setting for the local residents to just kill people off whenever they feel like it. The local sheriff does his best to solve these mysterious deaths, but who can he trust? Especially when the mortician seems so into the art of perfectly preserving these corpses. You may not want to visit Potter's Bluff, or you could run the risk of becoming Dead & Buried (1981). A divided Berlin becomes the backdrop for a family drama. Certainly no elements of horror here. Not at all. The intense, explosive, at times, end of a relationship, and the disconcerting beginning of another. But what is that thing that Anna has in that apartment? And why has she become so obsessed? Possession (1981) has scenes that must be seen to be believed.And then from there, it's the Common Craig's Top 5 list of horror movies from 1981! The Summer of the 80s is really just getting underway.