Podcast
The Bloody Pit
Hosted by Rod Barnett · EN
Eclectic Cult Film Discussion
13episodes
Episodes
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224 - DOLLS (1987)
Dec 201:41:40Tap to summarizeA fairy tale? DOLLS (1987) was the third released feature film directed by Stuart Gordon but the second one shot. Does it measure up to his Lovecraft adaptations? Well, I am joined by John Hudson and Troy Guinn to compare notes on this deviation from the energetic gorefests we had come to expect from Mr. Gordon. We have much to say even though Troy is dialing in from an undisclosed location. What is his day job, anyway? We examine the genesis of the project and relate numerous behind the scenes tales from the director and the scriptwriter Ed Naha. John tells us of his longtime appreciation of Naha with a story from his childhood. We talk about the various fairy tale stereotypes that the film’s characters fall into and are amused by all the anti-ques. We discuss the excellent stop-motion special effects and the skill on display technically throughout the movie. I gush about the cinematography and point out some lovely visual moments. And we are all thrilled to have Mr. Sardonicus show up as a (relatively) good guy and use that film’s Punishment Poll as a guide for judging this movie. We have no shame. If you have any comments about Stuart Gordon movies or our plans to talk about which ones to cover thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address to send them. Thanks for listening!
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223 - Planet of the Apes Television Show (1974)
Nov 1202:55:58Tap to summarizeAfter avoiding podcasting about the Planet of the Apes franchise for years it is finally time to talk about one of the weakest parts of the classic run. The 1974 television series lasted only fourteen episodes and was one of the most expensive shows produced up to that time. Author Mark Clark joins me to discuss the entire run and we go on for far too long than is healthy. Bear with us for the full running time as we dig out the interesting elements and lament the missed opportunities of this nearly forgotten show. Is this truncated series of adventures with two time-displaced astronauts and an ape companion worth discovering or revisiting? We make our case. Seen as part of the ongoing 1970’s journey of the science fiction story from the four sequel films, the POTA TV series is clearly a Cul-de-sac branching away from the established road. The first episode both negates a connection to the previous stories and tries to link it to the original film with an earlier astronaut landing spoken of by the leaders of Ape society. Mark makes a strong argument for how the show could take place in one of the two timelines set up in the films already but I am skeptical. We go through each episode pointing out the usually hackneyed plots and overused clichés that litter the stories being told. Often the scripts could easily have been written as installments of a 1960’s western show and simply repurposed for the world of the apes. But the few times the show leans on its science fiction premise are more interesting even if it inevitably leads to very little. If you’ve never watched this series, I hope our spoiler filled podcast won’t put you off at least a partial exploration of our favorite episodes. We can’t claim it’s our most loved part of the franchise but it has its points of interest and entertainment. If you have any comments about the Planet of the Apes TV series or our plans to talk about the sequel films thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address to send them. And if you are interested in the projects Mark speaks about near the end of the show there are links below. Thanks for listening! SCREEM Magazine Jack Hill book
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218 - MURDER IN THE BLUE ROOM (1944)
Aug 7, 2025Tap to summarizeUniversal’s output in 1944 was packed with horror tales and MURDER IN THE BLUE ROOM seems a likely addition to that list of chillers. At least until you realize that a firm 20% of the film’s scant running time is taken up by song & dance numbers! Yes, its another horror comedy with a script that started life as a Ritz Brothers feature, but don’t let that scare you off. The chills may be lacking but the entertainment value is surprisingly high. And there is a ghost enlivening the proceedings. Oh! And a murder as well. Troy Guinn and I take a run through this humorous creeper and find ourselves having more fun than expected. The credit for that goes to the talented cast so we spend a lot of time talking about the stars and a few of the amazing bit players as well. Where else other than in this movie are you going to hear actor Ian Wolfe say the word ‘Zut’? The film has several great songs and I include Troy’s favorite tune in the show because it is far too catchy to ignore. We discuss the plot shenanigans and the script’s careful skipping past a subject usually forbidden by the Hays Code. Mention is made of the award-winning career of one of the screenwriters and we point to areas in the dialog where his efforts might be heard. Also, we point the curious to the first English language version of this tale, THE SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM (1933), as a better source of horror thrills if not toe-tapping fun. This 1944 version might serve as a good pairing with that minor classic but only if we can ever get a better-looking print. Come on, Universal. If you have any song recommendations from a scary film thebloodypit@gmail.com is where to send them. And let us know what you think of this film and the podcast in general too. Thank you for listening!
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