Horror Movie Maniacs

Peter and Phil are back after a little hiatus for various reasons with a deep dive into the Simon Pegg/Edgar Wright comedy horror Shaun of the Dead. We go through the behind the scenes making of stories, the plot, characters, insanely cleverly structured script and much, much more, including some very strong language. How's that for a slice of fried gold? YouTube - Simon & Edgar's flip chart (although the end is missing) Join us on Elon Musk's Social Media Page With The Same Name As His Son @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon 

This is rumour control - here are the facts. Peter and Phil discuss the third film in the Alien franchise that has polarised audiences since 1992. See what we think - do we enjoy the nihilistic, dour, dark story of convict monks on a prison planet? We also talk through the very interesting fraught behind the scenes stories featuring a first time director (who would go on to become very famous) versus a studio that at times seems to be acting like Weyland-Yutani. Join us on Xwitter @ManiacsHorror or on Facebook here For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil discuss the Swedish vampire movie Let the Right One In, or Låt Den Rätte Komma In if you'd prefer. Why is Oskar so cross with that tree? Who is the mysterious girl who's moved in next door? Why do those cats look a bit strange? Find out here … Join us on Xwitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil have just walked out of the cinema having watched the latest addition to the Alien franchise. See what they thought - did they like it? Did they hate it? Could they hear all the dialogue? This is a spoiler free chat for those who haven't seen it yet but for a deeper spoiler filled dive join us on Patreon here. 

Peter and Phil talk through the wonderful comedy horror monster movie Tremors from 1990 directed by Ron Underwood. We talk through the story, characters, special effects, dubbed bad language and lots of behind the scenes stories. We also keep mentioning Jurassic Park and Phil gets very cross about Siskel and Ebert's Tremors review. Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror  For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil take to the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland to explore The Blair Witch Project for its 25th Anniversary. Back in '99 the movie quickly became a global phenomenon with everyone going to see it and it being hailed as the most terrifying film ever made. How does it hold up? Do the Maniacs love it? As well as going through the movie we also explore the fascinating behind the scenes stories, including running around in the woods, making stick people and piles of rocks and banging on tents. Taco! Join us on Xwitter @ManiacsHorror or on Facebook here. For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here.  

It's our 50th Episode! So we are celebrating by covering a 50 year old story - Stephen King's Carrie first published in 1974. We talk through Brian De Palma's stylish (and very 1970s) movie adaptation - the story, characters, actors, split-screens, crane shots, Star Wars connections, split diopter lenses, audio montages, deleted scenes and much, much more. William Katt's audition for Luke Skywalker (with Kurt Russell as Han Solo) Amy Irving's audition for Princess Leia Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus episodes join us on Patreon here  

Peter and Phil discuss James Wan's 2013 ghost fest The Conjuring - the beginning of a behemoth horror franchise. What's happening with the Perron family? Who are Ed and Lorraine Warren? What's with that creepy doll? How much of the story is actually true? Are ghosts real? Find out the answer to some of those questions here … Join us on XXXtwitterXXX @ManiacsHorror or on Facebook For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil carefully try to make their way through the classic Final Destination from the year 2000 without Death catching up to them. Plane crashes, water spillages, surprise buses, flying metal shards, dancing electrical wires and much, much more. And is that Tony Todd?!? Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil have a festive chat about Michael Dougherty's movie Krampus from 2015. We go through the story, characters, themes, crazy monsters, creepy elves and a big horned and hooved fella. We also read a huge aspect of the film two completely different ways, and have to dive into the internet to see who is correct. Find out who wins here. And Happy Holidays! Join us on Xitter @ManiacsHorror or on Facebook here For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil try to find their way through The Mist from 2007, written and directed by Frank Darabont from a story by Stephen King. We discuss the story, characters, behind the scenes stories from the making of the movie, differences between the novella and the film, and the weird and wonderful creatures that lurk within. We also fundamentally disagree about a major (and controversial) aspect of the movie. See who you agree with! Join us on Ex-Twitter @ManiacsHorror or on Facebook For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon 

Happy Halloween everyone! Today is Peter Jackson's birthday, so as a special treat we talk through his movies, from his early splatter comedy horror movies to his journey to Middle Earth. There may be some here you haven't seen - we shall tell you which ones you should check out. Enjoy!  Join us on XXXwitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil take a deep dive on a drop ship back to LV-426 to explore James Cameron's action packed sequel Aliens. We go through the actors, characters, story, themes and lots of behind the scenes stories. Why would Ripley go back? Where are the colonists? Who laid all the eggs? Find out here. We go on a couple of little tangents but mostly stay on track. Mostly. Join us on Xwitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus epiosdes join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil tackle a brand new movie (out today!) in a long running series (the 10th movie!). We review and discuss Saw X, featuring the return of Jigsaw and his lovely traps. See what we thought of the film - is it a load of trash? Is it the best one in the series? Is it somewhere in the middle? Find out here - then let us know what you thought of the film. Join us on Twitter, or (Saw) X @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content (and an extended version of this very chat) join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil embark on another listener request and brave the ingenious TV miniseries Dead Set from 2008 - a gory zombie apocalypse set in and around the Big Brother house. We also touch on Charlie Brooker, reality television, George A. Romero influences, Davina McCall, great prop acting, shaky-cam filming and the actor Kevin Eldon. Pop on the live feed, grab a corpse to snack on and join us. Join us on Twitter (we refuse to call it "X") @ManiacsHorror   For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here  

Peter and Phil talk through Stuart Gordon's cult classic comedy horror Re-Animator from 1985, based on a 100 year old story by H.P. Lovecraft. Who is Herbert West? What's that green stuff? Is that scene really necessary? Pop your severed head in a tray and join us in Arkham, Massachusetts ... Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil brave the real world once more and bring you a review of a brand new horror movie - out now in cinemas! We discuss Talk to Me, by first time directors Danny and Michael Philippou. Light a candle, pull up a hand and see what we thought of it ... Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil traverse The Further one more time and review the brand new Insidious movie Insidious: The Red Door - out now in cinemas. See what we thought of it - is it worth seeing? Is it as good as the others? Is it the best one in the Franchise? Find out here ...

Happy Midsummer's Day! Peter and Phil continue their journey through Ari Aster's filmography with his second movie Midsommar from 2019. We chat through the plot, characters, behind the scenes stories and Easter eggs within the film you might have missed. Come to Sweden with us, pull up a maypole and have a cup of special tea. Skol! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here  

Peter and Phil chat through Joe Dante's werewolf flick The Howling. Who is Eddie Quist? What's that noise in the woods? Why is that lady being so friendly? How hard is it to remain vegetarian? Find out here. We also talk through the ties this film has to other movies including Gremlins, An American Werewolf In London, E.T. and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Enjoy! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here    

Peter and Phil discuss Sam Raimi's "return to horror" after his Spider-Man trilogy - the 2009 movie Drag Me To Hell. We discuss the story, the characters, the effects, the humour, behind the scenes stories and just how much we hate Stu. Enjoy! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil chat through the brand new Evil Dead movie Evil Dead Rise out now in cinemas. See what we thought of the film spoiler free and if you want more then head over to our Patreon where we go into more depth and go through some fun Easter Eggs, including a cameo by a certain Mr Bruce Campbell! Let us know what you thought of the movie. Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil chat through the wonderful movie The Silence of The Lambs from 1991 directed by Jonathan Demme. So first things first - is it a horror movie? See what we think. We also discuss the plot, character, fun casting cameos, the books, real life serial killer inspirations and how you can't listen to Goodbye Horses by Q Lazzarus without thinking about Buffalo Bill. Enjoy! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil chat through the 2007 vampire action horror movie 30 Days of Night directed by David Slade and starring Josh Hartnett and Melissa George. Why is it so dark? And cold? Who are these creatures? What's with The Stranger? Do we still want to become vampires if they're like the ones in this film? Other random things we touch on include Grand Theft Auto, the Pet Shop Boys, Disney theme parks and the Wilhelm Scream. Enjoy! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil discuss the 1989 movie Pet Sematary based on the 1983 novel written by Stephen King. King (who nearly didn't publish the novel because it's a bit much) also wrote the screenplay - and also has a cameo in the film! See if we can handle this dark tale of family, loss, grief, zombie cats and strong New England accents. Watch out for those trucks! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly extra bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil have a spoiler free chat about the brand new movie M3GAN currently playing in cinemas, produced by James Wan and Jason Blum. See what we thought! And for a more in depth spoilery chat about the movie head over to Patreon.  Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror

For our festive special 2022 we travel to Finland to experience the 2010 action fantasy horror comedy Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. What is going on in the Korvatunturi mountains? What are they digging for? Who's that naked fella with the white beard? Who gave that little boy a rifle? Find out here. Yule never look at Santa the same way again. Merry Christmas!  Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus contant join us on Patreon here 

Peter and Phil talk through Danny Boyle's apocalyptic 2002 movie 28 Days Later. Where has everyone gone? Who's that naked fella? How many times does he say "Hello?" in the film? Why does this movie remind us of Spring 2020? And of course the age old question - is 28 Days Later a zombie film? Find out here! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Happy Halloween everyone! As a little bonus treat Peter and Phil talk through the third and final movie in David Gordon Green's Halloween trilogy, currenly playing in cinemas everywhere. What did we think? Is it a fitting end to this latest saga? Or is the 13th film in the Halloween franchise a bit of a wet pumpkin? Find out here ...

Peter and Phil get a bit carried away and have an epic chat about one of their favourite all time movies - the classic horror sci-fi Alien from 1979. We go through the behind the scenes stories in depth - how it came about, the writing, the design and Ridley Scott's shooting methods as well as exploring the cast, characters, plot and themes of the movie. And we answer the age old question - would you go back for the cat? Enjoy! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weeky bonus content join ius on Patreon here

Long live the new flesh! Peter and Phil talk through the David Cronenberg movie Videodrome from 1983 starring James Woods. Why is Max Renn hallucinating? What is Debbie Harry up to? Why is that fleshy television pulsating? Is that a Betamax? We go through the story, themes, special effects and behind the scenes stories of the making of the film. You wanna try a few thing? Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter & Phil talk through Neil Marshall's directorial debut Dog Soldiers from 2002. We discuss the plot, characters, mythology of the film, behind the scenes stories and much more. Random other things mentioned are Jason Statham, Star Trek, Aliens, Event Horizon and the Jacobean play 'Tis Pity She's A Whore from the 1620s. Pull up a full moon and join us!  Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil talk through the classic 1980s (and it is VERY 1980s) vampire movie Fright Night. One of us has a deep connection to the movie from childhood and the other discovered it as an adult. We discuss the characters, actors, behind the scenes stories, the special effects, that iconic poster and we get quite hot under the collar talking about how sexy Chris Sarandon is. Let us know what you think of the film!  Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weeky bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil discuss the debut movie by Robert Eggers - The Witch (or The VVitch depending on how pedantic you're being). We discuss the themes, the characters, the actors, the special effects, the historical setting, and Peter shows his utter ignorance about how the human body works while discussing Ralph Ineson's six-pack. Enjoy! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Double whammy! Jooooooiiiiin uuuuuuusss as we discuss the ultra low budget but hugely influential classic The Evil Dead and its bigger budget follow up (sequel? remake?) Evil Dead 2. We talk about how the films came to be, Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, the special effects, story, characters, soul swallowing, rogue hands and chainsaws.    Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror   For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

PLEASE NOTE - For some reason Phil's half of the conversation was subject to some weird interference (spooky, right?). We don't know why or how and we managed to mostly clean it up but every now and then it gets a little buzzy. Sorry about that - we blame the demons.  Anyway, your friendly neighbourhood Maniacs talk through the modern classic Insidious from 2010, written by Leigh Whannell and directed by James Wan. What‘s up with Dalton? Why is that song so creepy? Who used all the lipstick? Explore Further with us here … Join us on Twittter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

The Maniacs talk through the classic movie Poltergeist from 1982, produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Tobe Hooper. We discuss the story, special effects, the real life tragedies resulting in the film being labelled "cursed", and the controversy surrounding who did in fact direct the majority of the movie. We also have a hard time separating our childhood feelings about it with our adult thoughts, there's another brief cameo from Phil's cat and Peter nearly gets attacked by a tree from his garden. Enjoy! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter and Phil take a bite out of the immortal 1994 Neil Jordan movie Interview With The Vampire. We talk about the story, characters, actors, the book series and the behind the scenes stories. Flying vampires, old souls trapped in young bodies, dinners of rats & poodles, sexy undead frolics and much, much more! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

For our 2021 Festive Special we discuss the classic Joe Dante Christmas movie Gremlins from 1984. We go through the film, giving lots of behind the scenes facts, discussing the creatures, special effects, actors and story. Is it a horror film? Is it a kids film? What does "after midnight" actually mean? We reference many other films as well including The Howling, Critters, Back to the Future, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Ghostbusters and The Terminator - Phil busts out his Gizmo impression. Enjoy! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here Gremlins behind the scenes featurette - Creating the Creatures Key & Peele Gremlins 2 sketch

We discuss Leigh Whannell's masterful new take on the classic story The Invisible Man. We go through the story, actors, behind the scenes facts (how do you film a fight scene when one of the characters is invisible?), themes, characters and our own thoughts and feelings about the film. Let us know what you thought as well!  Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here Click here for Peter's written review of the film from March 2020

We have another listener request episode! Peter and Phil take a deep dive into House of Dark Shadows, the 1970 movie spin off from the US TV gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. We talk briefly about the show to begin with, then go through the movie in detail. Who is Barnabas Collins? Why is everyone in love with him? What's the best way to open a coffin? What the hell happened to Daphne?!? Join us and let us know if you've seen the film or the TV show and what you think of them!  Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Peter & Phil take a trip back to their teenage years of the 1990s and have a deep dive into Wes Craven's classic comedy horror Scream. We answer the important questions - Who is Ghost Face? Is Matthew Lillard's performance too subtle? How do you pronounce Neve Campbell's first name? We also have a little cameo from Phil's cat and we get nostalgic talking about video shops (again!). Enjoy! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra bonus weekly content join us on Patreon here

We discuss John Carpenter's The Fog from 1980. This has been the most requested movie by our wonderful listeners, so see what we thought! Phil has been watching this film such he was a young boy but Peter only came to it fairly recently for the first time. See how that affected their thoughts on the film. We go through behind the scenes stories, the plot, special effects, cast (Jamie Lee Curtis AND Janet Leigh anyone?) and give our thoughts and feelings about the movie. See if you agree with us! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra bonus weekly content join us on Patreon here.

We talk through Ari Aster's debut feature film in graphic spoilerific detail. Seriously - watch the film before listening. We go through all the many Easter eggs you may have missed (that we also missed first or second time) and we break down the central ideas, themes and plot points. What's up with Grandma? Who's Paimon? Will you ever be able to hear tongue clicking in the same way again?  Read Ari Aster's shooting script here Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

Happy Friday 13th everyone! We discuss Sean Cunningham's 1980 movie, which spawned a barrage of sequels and one of horror's most famous killers (although there's not a lot of Jason in this one). Join us as a load of young teens are picked off one by one, including Kevin Bacon and Bing Crosby's son. Kill her Mommy!  Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

We discuss Kathryn Bigelow's wonderful vampire western Near Dark from 1987, which threw out the gothic rulebook for vampire films and brought them screaming into the 20th Century. We go through the story, characters, actors, themes and behind the scenes stories. We ask the big questions - would you want to be a vampire? How many times do they say the word "vampire" in the film? How would you react if you were hitchhiking and got picked up by Lance Henriksen in full character as Jessie? Let us know what you think of Near Dark! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

We discuss the classic cult 1979 movie Phantasm written and directed by Don Coscarelli. Phil likes this one more than Peter so we ask - why? Why does Phil love it and why doesn't Peter? We go through the movie, characters, themes, music and behind the scenes stories. We also ask the important question - what is the best age to watch this film? Spoiler alert - you've probably missed it. Enjoy! Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra weekly bonus content join us on Patreon here

A spoiler free review of A Quiet Place Part II. Peter and Phil have finally managed to get back into a cinema to see some horror on a big screen and here they give a spoiler free review of the movie for you all. See what we thought of it and let us know what you guys thought!  Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror Join us on Patreon here for extra weekly bonus content, including a full spoilery chat about A Quiet Place Part II 

Peter and Phil talk about the supernatural mystery horror movie Sinister from 2012, directed by Scott Derrickson. We discuss the story, themes, actors, behind the scenes facts and Mr Boogie a.k.a. Bughuul. What happens when someone treats their job more importantly than their family? What's with all those Super 8mm films? What would Bughuul's voice sound like? This film has been described as the scariest movie ever made. Do we agree? What do you think? Let us know.  Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra bonus weekly content join us on Patreon here

We talk through one of Peter's all time favourite films - the 1981 John Landis horror comedy An American Werewolf in London. We go through many bits of behind the scenes trivia about the making of the movie, as well as discussing the characters, story, music, and absolutely stunning special effects by Rick Baker. Peter gets a bit self indulgent because he was born as it was being filmed and Phil tells some tales of his own childhood experiences in the North of England that were quite similar to things that happen in the film! Join us for a lovely stroll on the moors but stay on the road - and beware the moon ... Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra bonus weekly content join us on Patreon here Links:- David Naughton's Dr Pepper Commercial Another Dr Pepper Commercial Film critic and director Alex Cox's BBC2 Moviedrome intro - July 22nd 1990 Peter's American Werewolf in London Spotify playlist  

Peter and Phil take a deep dive into John Carpenter's classic sci-fi horror The Thing. There's a lot to unpack here - who is The Thing? How does someone become The Thing? Would you know if you were The Thing? There are a lot of different theories about this movie, and we talk about most of them. We also go into the story, characters, and the phenomenal special effects that make this a stunning watch. Join us on Twitter @ManiacsHorror For extra bonus weekly content join us on Patreon here