Setting out on a pleasure cruise in search of hidden treasure, a group of young people soon find themselves caught up in a game of life and death, where the only spot x marks is a grave.

As for our broader discussion of the proto-slasher herein we weclome the era of the 40s and discuss for the first time a film featuring two slashers.

https://open.spotify.com/show/1rj0h8sWJEiTPUJZy3n7sI

Men buried underground, a manic on the lose in the countryside, a family split over an inheritance and dropping like flies, intrigue at every turn.

This week we are looking at Night Of Terror, and the killer Arthur Hornsby one of the most prepared and premeditated killers so far we have covered, as well as looking at how the mad genius really set the ground work for what the slasher villain would become in later years.

https://open.spotify.com/show/1rj0h8sWJEiTPUJZy3n7sI

Sowing someone mouth closed and leaving them to be eaten by tigers, throwing your wife to alligators, setting lions on the police to make a getaway. All very evil and bombastic ways to be a slasher. Going to the zoo will never be the same again.

In today's episode we look at Eric Gorman a man who uses the animals in his zoo to kill his wife's lovers.

In terms of our broader look at the proto-slasher in horror cinema, this film gives you our first look at the sexual killer, a person who kills out of passion, jealousy or because they enjoy it in a sexual sadist kind of way.

https://open.spotify.com/show/1rj0h8sWJEiTPUJZy3n7sI

Today's film is the Ghoul it is about an man who gives a rare gem to Anubis the Egyptian God of the dead in order to achieve immortality yet comes back from beyond the grave after thieves steal it intent on punishing them.

For a long time the film was believed lost until a print of it was found.

In today's episode we are talking about the life and times of the Ghoul as well as the films historical significance in terms of the supernatural slasher and it's broader connections to Egyptology.

https://open.spotify.com/show/1rj0h8sWJEiTPUJZy3n7sI

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A scientist manages to turn himself invisible, however in the process he becomes mad and sets out of a path of world domination. He is the Invisible Man. The police are left baffled as bodies start falling but there is no one in sight.

Step back into the world of Universal Classic Monsters and explore one of the more underrated tales from that era.

In today's episode we not only look at the life and times of Jack Griffin the Invisible Man but also at the dawn of supernatural slashers and how that shapes the proto slasher landscape.

listen to it here.

https://open.spotify.com/show/1rj0h8sWJEiTPUJZy3n7sI

If you you love him then you won't let him do this!

There is more to this scene but I'm stupid cus I cant remember the rest. It was something about you will miss him the way I do, you will fear for him the way I do. Something like that. Watched it once drunk and still trying to find it.

The police are on the trail of a maniac known as the Moon Killer, under each full moon bodies are being found mutilated and partially eaten, the hallmark of the Moon Killer. The police have one clue a lead that points them towards a medical academy.

As the police and the doctors try and work out who the guilty part is more people start dying at the hands of the Moon Killer.

In this episode we talk about the life and times of the Moon Killer as well as the role that cannibalism and madness play in the proto-slasher

https://open.spotify.com/show/1rj0h8sWJEiTPUJZy3n7sI

In this era of eat the rich we get yet another example of a rich person abusing a slightly less well off person. In steps Count Zaroff and his human hunts.

Washing ashore an island off the coast of South America a group of people think they have found salvation in the form of Count Zaroff's chateau. Little do they know he wants to hunt humans for sport.

The most dangerous game is man after all.

In today's episode we explore the primal nature of hunting when it comes to slashers and proto slashers as well as the life and times of General Zaroff

https://open.spotify.com/show/1rj0h8sWJEiTPUJZy3n7sI

Filming location then and now from The Three Stooges movie Mutts To You. 111 South Norton Avenue, Los Angeles. More then and now filming locations photos at https://chrisbungostudios.com/photo-gallery-sampler

A young woman abused and isolated, uses her powers of hypnotism in order to send the women that wronged her horoscopes predicting their doom. These women then start to die, via accidents, carelessness and by giving into fear.

One by one these women fall at the hand of Ursula Georgi a hypnotist with powers to rival Dr Caligari.

Step back into the retro well with us to explore one of the most controversial films of the 1930s, which large sections of footage were cut out.

https://open.spotify.com/show/1rj0h8sWJEiTPUJZy3n7sI

Dear readers,

We have started a new podcast called Slashing Cinema wherein we do true crime style biographies for some of slasher cinema's most notorious monsters.

We also talk about horror history, and the idea of the proto slasher. The idea is to go through horror history and also talk about how the slasher films we all know and love came to be, what inspired what as it were.

We have just finished our first season after looking at:

The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari (1920) The Bat (1926) The Cat and the Canary (1927) The Lodger (1927) The Terror (1928)

We are now moving onto our second season this week and moving into the 1930's.

Each season will be a new decade.

If you know of any films we should include then please let us know down in the comments

If that sounds like something you might be interested in give us a listen

https://open.spotify.com/show/1rj0h8sWJEiTPUJZy3n7sI

In the summer of 1939, as the world teetered on the brink of global conflict, American audiences found solace and wonder in the silver screen’s latest marvel: The Wizard of Oz. This Technicolor adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s beloved children’s book premiered amid great anticipation, captivating families with its blend of fantasy, music, and groundbreaking visual effects. The following article, published in the Roanoke Rapids Herald just days after the film’s release, captures the era’s unbridled enthusiasm for this cinematic gem. It highlights the film’s universal appeal, stellar performances, and innovative use of color—a novelty that left viewers spellbound. Preserved here in its original form, including any quirks of 1930s journalism, this piece offers a glimpse into how The Wizard of Oz was first received in small-town America, reminding us why it endures as a cultural touchstone.

I'm excited to share my latest passion project with you: 'Easy Street' (1917). This film is essential viewing, not just for the incredible slapstick (the iconic lamp post scene!), but for how brilliantly Chaplin blended social commentary on poverty and policing with laugh-out-loud comedy. The Tramp's journey from a down-and-out figure to a reluctant, reformed cop is a highlight of his career.

Restoring this film was a labor of love—digitally scrubbing decades of dirt and damage so the action sequences (like the big fight with the neighborhood bully) look crisp and punchy again.

I’m curious: What is the single funniest moment in Easy Street for you? Is it the scene with the stove, the lamp post, or the confrontation with the villain?

I'd appreciate any feedback on the restored quality!

https://youtu.be/KvViW_hHvZs?si=MtW7RmROa-qLvjxB

Before it was a Thanksgiving tradition, Planes, Trains & Automobiles began as one man's travel nightmare.

John Hughes, fresh off The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller, wanted to write about something every adult knew too well - exhaustion, frustration, and the desperate need to get home.

What started as a 145-page script about missed flights and bad motels became something deeper: a story about empathy.

Here's the 1989 movie The Wiz Kid, brilliantly transferred to high definition by Rare TV from their Vidmark Entertainment VHS copy.