Mondo Moviehouse

On this episode, Erika Bean, Rich Johnson and Andrew Graves take a long hard look at the stars whether they be a billion miles away or hovering over the violent beaches of Brighton beach to consider cult films and 'INVASION'. Expect cross-dressing Transylvanians, apartheid aliens and disgruntled mods as the gang yap on about tonnes of choice flicks including Repo Man (1984), The Bay (2012), District 9 (2009) and loads more. Take us to your leader or at least put the kettle on. 

On this episode, Erika Bean, Rich Johnson and Andrew Graves, get all holier than thou and plunge into the murky world of cult cinema and the seven deadly sins. Expect lots of talk about lust, pride, wrath and the whole shebang. The trio will cram themselves into the confessional booth and examine films like Deep End (1970), The Return of Ringo (1965), The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994) and loads more. Say ten Hail Marys and listen to this episode now. 

On this episode, Erika Bean, Rich Johnson and Andrew Graves, get all ‘hell and damnation’ and delve into the heady world of cult cinema and ‘possession’. Expect lots of talking in tongues, backwards messages and evil ventriloquist dummies as the team work their way through oldish and newish movies such as Magic (1978), The Wretched (2019), Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959), Poltergeist 2 (1986) and Black, Snake Moan (2006). The power of Christ compels you to listen to this episode. 

On this episode, Erika Bean, Rich Johnson and Andrew Graves make no effort to try and cheer you up or take your minds off this whole social distancing lark, instead they revel in our collective unease and dedicate a two-hour plus show to the theme of ‘Isolation’. Expect endless chat about Martin (1977), Repulsion (1965), Rebecca (1940), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and loads more. Welcome to Mondo Moviehouse, is there anybody out there? 

On the first of the new format episodes, Erika Bean, Rich Johnson and Andrew Graves, ponder examples of shrinking within the realms of cult cinema. The trio offer their views and theories on movies like Dr Cyclops (1940), Fantastic Voyage (1966) and loads more, and lose themselves in a terrifying world where giant cats stalk the living room, lawns become jungles and the inner human body is a vast battlefield of exotic danger. Welcome to Mondo Moviehouse: where size does matter.  

On this episode, the last of our usual format episodes, Rich Johnson, Andrew Graves and brand new team member, Erika Bean, plunder the Lovecraftian creation that is Richard Stanley's Color out of Space. They assess the director's previous efforts, hold up the film's merits as a successful adaptation and wrap their tentacles around the anomaly that is Nicholas Cage. The trio will also revisit care home hokum Bubba Ho-Tep in the final ever outing of Charity Chainsaw. You have been warned. 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson travel to yet another mysterious island in search of the undead, cannibals, and some mad doctor who looks like the crack-den version of Harvey Keitel. Marino Girolami's Zombie Holocaust is an early eighties piece of Italian exploitation cinema, which borrows heavily from both Zombie Flesh Eaters and Cannibal Holocaust, but will the duo find it a satisfying meal, or discover they’ve bitten off more than they can chew. The pair will also look at Millennial British horror The Cottage, in Charity Chainsaw. You Have been warned. 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson wander unwisely into the world of Tales that Witness Madness, where they fall in love with a tree trunk, get taken back to past on a penny farthing and then get eaten by an imaginary tiger. Together they explore the history of the portmanteau horror film, examine Dead of Night, Amicus and American offerings like Creepshow and Twilight Zone the Movie, and ponder the appeal of these daft little films. They also toy with 1988 slasher, Child’s Play in Charity Chainsaw. You have been warned. 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson sleepwalk their way into the Danish nightmare that is Vampyr(1932). The film, directed by Carl Dreyer, is a sort of semi-silent waking dream full of off-kilter images, and unlike many American productions it is less influenced by German expressionism than it is more abstract movements like surrealism and Dada. But will this thirties piece still feel fresh or should it be left to rot in the shadowy graveyard? The Mondo team will also re-examine the often-overlooked Hitchcock production, Stage Fright(1950) in regular feature Charity Chainsaw. You have been warned. 

It’s the first of our special episodes. On this one, Rich Johnson and Andrew Graves explore the weird twilight world where children’s programming and horror cross over in an unpredictably twisted fashion. Welcome to MONDO MOVIEHOUSE MEETS KIDS TELLY. Expect a robot bigfoot, a warped scarecrow, and a soggy old cloth cat. Are you sitting uncomfortably? Good, then we’ll begin…

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson go on an ill-advised Portuguese holiday and wind up playing slow motion cat and mouse with some seriously dodgy undead Knights Templar. Amando de Ossorio’s Tombs of the Blind Dead is a dusty, 1970s relic from a dying Franco era Spain. Though vaguely anti-establishment, its political social commentary is often overshadowed by its blood thirsty misogyny and (of the era) attitudes to sexual violence, yet the wonderfully realised central mummified religious order of the film, provide us with one of the creepiest and genuinely scary set of monsters ever to have entered our collective cinematic psyche.  But what will the team make of it? The pair also examine seminal slasher Friday the 13th (1980) in Charity Chainsaw and answer listener questions in Mail from the Crypt. You Have been warned. 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson blag their way into the social elite and end up getting closer to the 1% than is humanly healthy. Brian Yuzna’s Society is both throwaway teen horror comedy and dark anti-capitalist satire, combining Baywatch style aesthetics with grimly sadistic special effects by Japanese gore guru Screaming Mad George, but will the pair dub the film to be full of rich pickings or just another poverty row disgrace? The regular Mondo team will also examine 1953s House of Wax in Charity Chainsaw and give listener questions a good going over. You have been warned. 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson pay a seasonal visit to the circus and get lost in a nightmarishly warped vision bought to us by the seriously strange mind of Alejandero Jodorowsky. Santa Sangre is a bizarre cult film encompassing religious maniacs, freak shows, tattooed ladies, lunatic asylums and horrifically graphic elephant deaths. But will the team judge it to be a weird masterpiece or a colourfully dark mess? The Mondo crew will also examine Sam Raimi’s often overlooked pre-Spiderman, twisted comic book thriller, Darkman  in regular feature Charity Chainsaw. You have been warned. 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson wander out into the woods and find themselves at the mercy of sadists, murderers and some seriously dodgy acting. This time around the Mondo team examine Wes Craven’s extremely influential if highly controversial early shocker Last House on the Left.But will they find it to be a gutsy and courageous example of the ‘New Horror’, incorporating sharp social commentary and political subtext or will they judge it to be a more throwaway bit of mindless exploitation. The pair will also answer listener questions and pull apart Q the Winged Serpent in regular feature Charity Chainsaw. You have been warned. 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson take an ill-advised holiday in the remote Swedish landscape finding themselves embroiled in bizarre sex rituals, witchcraft and mob sanctioned murder. Ari Aster’s Midsommar is a visually arresting bit of folk horror, which has instantly become a cult favourite, blending as it does graphic violence, knife edge tension and an unforgettable sense of foreboding. But will it weave its magic with the Mondo team or feel flatter than a pensioner’s mashed in face? The pair will also examine David Cronenberg’s seminal Scanners in Charity Chainsaw and answer loads of listener questions. You have been warned. 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson go full on danse macabre, perversely pirouetting into the strangely hypnotic world of Dario Argento’s 1977 cult classic Suspiria. The pair will scrutinise the film’s controversial nature, its mesmerising visuals and re-examine its standing within the modern horror community. They will also compare the original to Luca Guadagnino’s 21stcentury reimagining, discussing Tilda Swinton, Thom Yorke and its choregraphy of the damned. As well as all this, it’s Rich’s turn on Charity Chainsaw and this time he’s taking us all the way back to 1971 with his second-hand copy of Blood on Satan’s Claw. You Have been warned. 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson sharpen their fangs and try to suck some sense out of Werner Herzog’s odd little vampire remake, Nosferatu the Vampyre. The film, a strangely jarring mix of naturalism and horror is a slow burning late 70s effort which leans heavily on the director’s patent mix of drab on location settings and understated tensions. But can it still get the blood pumping or is it largely a toothless affair? Also on this episode, the duo revisit Peter Jackson’s low budget chaotic debut splatter fest, Bad Taste, which gets a thorough going over in regular feature Charity Chainsaw. You have been warned. 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson go on an ill-advised camping holiday in the middle of the English Civil war. With little to protect them from the elements and nothing on the menu is except some dodgy looking wild mushrooms, the pair entertain themselves by questioning the very nature of the universe and examining Ben Wheatley’s odd, hallucinogenic folk horror fable, A Field in England. Shot in stark black and white, the film weaves a strange magnetic spell, combining fantastic performances from the likes of Reece Sheersmith, Michael Smiley and Richard Glover and a trippy, out there aesthetic. The pair also go toe to fist on the director’s earlier film Kill List, rip apart 90s Kenneth Branagh vehicle Mary Shelley’s Frankensteinin in Charity Chainsaw and answer loads of listener questions. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson get their hooks into early 90s horror flick Candyman. Starring Tony Todd and Virginia Marsden, it’s a rich yet slow burning classic which taps into issues around race, poverty and societal divisions. The film centres around the son of a slave who is tortured and killed by a braying mob. Years later he returns from the grave to wreak havoc on impoverished black housing project, Cabrini Green. The regular Mondo team also discuss Clive Barker, Hellraiser and tonnes of other stuff as well as ripping into John Carpenter’s Christine in new feature Charity Chainsaw. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson get locked in the dungeon and endure 2008 French horror Martyrs. The film, a gruelling 21st century gore-fest, springs from the abattoir mind of controversial director Pascal Laugier. The Mondo team will assess whether the film is merely another example of misogynist torture porn or if the confusing narrative is alluding to something more spiritual in nature. The pair will also discuss European chillers Eyes Without a Face and Les Diaboliques and examine cult classic Return of the Living Dead in brand new feature Charity Chainsaw. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson stumble about the nursery in dirty nappies and childishly try to make some sort of sense of Ted Post’s oddly chaotic 70s exploitation flick, The Baby. Noted for its offbeat nature and culter than cult status, it’s a film which is both charming, alarming and horrific. Dealing with themes of motherhood, control and the abuse of power it really is a movie which needs to be seen to be believed. But is it a schlocky slice of late twentieth century horror cheese or is it trying to relay some deeper feminist vibe? The pair will also introduce brand new feature Charity Chainsaw and answer listener questions in Mail from the Crypt. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!   

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson dodge the ticket inspectors and ride the decidedly dangerous railroads in order to make sense of 2016’s Train to Busan. This well regarded super speedy Korean zombie flick is noted for its high-octane action set pieces and heart stopping tension; but is it just good undead fun or does the blood on the tracks represent a more politically charged piece of angry social commentary? The pair will also explore the wider world of Korean cult horror and answer listener questions in Mail from the Crypt. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson go in search of the dead in order to try and make sense of Michele Soavi’s darkly comic fright fest Dellamorte Dellamore AKA The Cemetery Man. The often overlooked Rupert Everett vehicle is a heady mix of zombies, guns sex and violence, a visually arresting piece of 90s Italian exploitation cinema. But is it a throwaway oddity, a misogynist walk on the dark side or is it offering something deeper; a strangely hypnotic absurdist masterpiece which examines the human condition from the inside of a coffin? The team also offer new recommendations in Streaming Blu Murder and answer listener questions in Mail from the Crypt. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! 

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson don Crucifixes and sacred vestments and plunder the weirdly unsettling world of The Exorcist’s much maligned 1977 sequel The Heretic. Described by William Friedkin as ‘The worst piece of shit I’ve ever seen’ the film, directed by John ‘Zardoz’ Boorman gets little love from horror fans or critics. But just what will the Mondo team make of it? Will the power of Christ compel them to love it or will they consign it to the depths of cinematic hell? Also on this episode the gang offer brand new film and TV recommendations in Streaming Blu Murder and answer all listener questions. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

On this episode, Andrew Graves and Rich Johnson find themselves cast ashore at the mercy of mad doctors, drunken sailors and a distinctly hairy looking Bela Lugosi. Earl C Kenton’s Island of Lost Souls is a bizarre and unsettling piece of pre-code cinema, which manages to be both of its time and ahead of its time, influencing later works like Apocalypse Now and Zombie Flesh Eaters. Though the film admirably covers issues like vivisection, bestiality, colonialism and race, it was famously hated by HG Wells, author of the original novel but just what will the regular Mondo team make of this odd slice of 1930s horror. Will they worship it like a god or consign it to the House of Pain? The pair will also sink their claws into censorship, body horror, Freaks and A Clockwork Orange and offer their recent film and TV recommendations in regular feature Streaming Blu Murder. THERE WILL BE SPOLIERS

On this episode, Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Gabriele Zuccarini loiter nervously by the local ante-natal unit in order to try and get a handle on Alice Lowe’s darkly comic 21st century horror effort, Prevenge. It’s a bloodthirsty yet intelligent feature which mixes the strange with the mundane in a uniquely British fashion. The gang also dissect UK horror film and TV, picking apart Dead of Night, Amicus, Tales of the Unexpected and Hammer House of Horror and examine pregnancy related shockers such as Eraserhead, Rosemary’s Baby and Village of the Damned. The Mondo team also explore some new releases in Streaming Blu Murder and go off on some seriously odd tangents about Spartacus the chinchilla, Antarctic holidays and Rich’s obsession with his Thing. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

On this episode, Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Gabriele Zuccarini get extremely confused and more than a little disturbed as they plunge inadvisably into Andrzej Zulawski’s troubling 1981 shocker, Possession. Classed as both throwaway video nasty and arthouse masterpiece, the odd story featuring Sam Neill as a returning spy and Isabella Adjani as his strangely dangerous wife, is a heady mix of murder, divorce and visceral horror, which explodes into an unnerving mess of tentacles, demonic possession and darkly charged erotica. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

On this episode, Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Gabriele Zuccarini pay tribute to seminal British director Nicolas Roeg, who unfortunately died last month. Together, they plunge the murky Venice waters to explore his 1973 classic, Don’t Look Now. They examine the film’s many facets – from its controversial reputation to its off-kilter narrative and fascinating use of motif and colour, asking why it’s such a skilfully presented psychological horror that manages to create questions not only about grief and loss but about the very nature of life and death itself. Expect in-depth analysis, banter and a mysterious red-coated figure lurking in the background. The gang will also discuss their favourite Christmas horror film and TV moments in Streaming Blu Murder and answer some key listener questions.  CONTAINS SPOILERS!

On this episode, Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Gabriele Zuccarini take to horse back and head out on the trail in search of the new frontier. What they find though is a seriously messed up troglodyte clan, who look very hungry. More John Wayne Gacy, than John Wayne, Bone Tomahawk, an instant cult horror/western classic from 2015, is both beautiful, tense and sickeningly violent. The regular gang pick apart its merits, gnawing at the bones of its esteemed reputation and continued popularity. The Mondo mob will also discuss westerns, cannibal films, Kurt Russell, give recommendations in Streaming Blu Murder and answer all listener questions. CONTAINS SPOILERS!

On this episode, Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Gabriele Zuccarini try to keep calm and kiri, kiri, kiri on as they delve into the cavorting sack of gut churning terror that is Takashi Miike’s Audition. Branded by some as a feminist piece and by others as a cacophony of misogynist sleaze, the controversial Japanese film has always managed to split opinion. With its scenes of graphic violence and incredibly disturbing imagery, this pre 21st century bit of Eastern weirdness can be an uneasy film to endure. However, the skilful direction, beautiful cinematography and memorable performances ensure that it is never less than fascinating. As well as dissecting the film’s merits the gang will also answer key listener questions and offer new release recommendations in Streaming Blu Murder. CONTAINS SPOILERS!

On this episode, Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Gabriele Zuccarini go toe to fist with a bunch of rotting corpses and tear out the guts of Lucio Fulci’s cult undead video nasty classic, Zombie Flesh Eaters AKA Zombi 2. The film, an unofficial cash-in sequel to Dawn of the Dead, draws back the sub-genre to its voodoo beginnings and it’s a bombastically horrific piece of Italian exploitation cinema, incorporating the living dead, Moreau style mad doctors, nudity and Jaws. With its crackpot script and ground-breaking special effects, this particular slice of zombie mayhem is beloved by extreme horror fans all over the world. With freshly torn off bits of flesh in their hands, the regular Mondo team attempts to discover why. The gang will also introduce new feature Streaming Blu Murder and answer some key listener questions. CONTAINS SPOILERS!

On this episode, Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Gabriele Zuccarini wander dreamlike through the strange black and white psychodrama which is the 1962 cult classic, Carnival of Souls. Together they fend off a seedy looking bloke from across the hallway, hang about a in a dilapidated dance hall and get pursued by a make-up caked phantom known only as ‘The Man’. Expect pre-Night of the Living Dead chills, weirdo proto-type David Lynch aesthetics and a nightmare inspiring score which will crawl under your skin. Stark, beautiful, scary and unique, Heck Harvey’s only feature has often been hailed as a masterpiece but will our regular pundits agree or will they be too busy playing with their organs?

On this episode, Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Gabriele Zuccarini slap on the factor 30 and head off to a secluded Spanish island where the kids are in charge and all the responsible adults appear to be missing. What could possibly go wrong? 1976 shocker Who Can Kill a Child? is a cult horror classic which centres around a vacation that’s more blood soaked than sun soaked. Director Narciso Ibanez Serrador, creator of 80s quiz show 3-2-1 (yes, really), presents a terrifying vision of what can happen when you choose to go off the beaten path. Middle class travellers Tom and Evelyn find themselves coming face to face with a bunch of wild eyed children whose idea of play, is something decidedly more deadly than hide and seek or tiggy. Expect murder and mayhem and the sickest version of piñata you’re ever likely to see. Happy holidays, people.

On this episode, Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Gabriele Zuccarini don ludicrous helmets and struggle into tight leather trousers in order to try and make sense of Don Sharp’s deeply confusing and frankly barmy, horror biker movie, Psychomania. Together they undertake a strange 70s road trip incorporating supermarkets, badly drawn stone circles, Beryl Reid and frogs. Expect desperately out of touch representations of youth culture, ridiculous suicide attempts and some seriously un-hip Hells Angels, in this archetypal low budget cult classic. So, get on the back of our anti-hero’s bike and hang on cos this journey’s about to get very messy. As unlikely gang member Chopped Meat once sang ‘to ride was more than living, the taking more than giving’ whatever the fuck that means.

On this episode, Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Justine Peres Destounis Smith pull on the rubber gloves and shove their collective hands down the bubbling toilet bowl of David Cronenberg’s twisted imagination. Together they examine his 1975 cult classic, Shivers, where they tackle creeping rubber phallic maggots, a dangerously lustful Barbara Steele and erupt in a choking, visceral mess of gory body horror and sexual perversion. Expect slime, pulsating latex blood bags and distinctly un-NHS style medical procedures. Brooding, clinical, unsettling and bizarre, it’s a stunning example of the director’s early work. However, just remember when you move in to your apartment at newly built Starliner Towers, the parasites may well be waiting to move into you.

On this episode, Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Gabriele Zuccarini get lost in the outback with a bunch of blood crazed kangaroo hunters and a manky looking English teacher. As they sink deeper into a pit of their own depravity, they gorge themselves on hunks of rotting meat and guzzle down cans of West End Bitter in an effort to block out the memory of being touched up by a mad-eyed Donald Pleasence. Ted Kocheff’s Wake in Fright is an exhausting barrage of lager fuelled horror, buzzing with flies and dripping with sweat. Skippy might be terrified and this might be the grimmest Christmas movie ever made but don’t you worry mate, cos there’s a party EVERY night in the Yabba.

On this episode Andrew Graves, Rich Johnson and Gabriele Zuccarini take a wander through the strange psychedelic landscapes of Mario Bava’s 1963 horror anthology, Black Sabbath. Join them as they scavenge through the bones of this classic Italian chiller featuring dodgy phone calls, folkloric vampires and sticky fingered nurses. The film, a heady mix of gothic Victoriana, brooding purple haze fairy tale and dreamlike European giallo, plays out over three episodes and sends our regular crew of Mondo Moviehouse pundits into a right old froth of nerdish blather. So, would you let Boris Karloff babysit your kids? Would you mess with the ring of scary old woman? And just why was Gabriele’s childhood so bloody creepy. Find out the answer to these questions and many more by tuning in.