Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy – Details, episodes & analysis

James Dewar, star of The Great British Bake Off, joins us to discuss the director's cut of Clive Barker's misunderstood monster melange, Nightbreed.

Stop-motion animation, queer allegory, big demon statues, David Cronenberg in a gimp mask and furry jump scares await.

We share our thoughts on the film and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Do we stan Sheryl Ann? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back for Season 2 with some special guests! Cullen and Hannah from Not My Fantasy podcast join us to discuss this much beloved movie.

Mixtapes for Fred Savage, the Blorpo alien empire, storytelling as an act of love, Nicole-Bertha the Ancient Booer, and watching a lime-green Shrek VHS cassette on a TV that has an ass await.

We share our thoughts on the film and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Does anybody want a peanut? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The library is open for episode 2. Power ballads, scroll beards, the McDonalds coffee lawsuit and Whoopi Goldberg as an anthropomorphic book adjusting her pantyhose.

We share our thoughts on the film and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Will we get vaporised by a Sphinx? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Falkor fur coats to Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas and a big warehouse full of fairies, join us in the magical land of Fantasia for our first episode.

We share our thoughts on the film and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Will we get vaporised by a Sphinx? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's our end-of-season celebration! Join us as we look back, answer listener questions and rip open a Lucky Bag of 80s and 90s fantasy mini-topics including Starla and the Jewel Riders, The Pirates of Dark Water, Through the Dragon's Eye, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, Final Fantasy 7 and Highland Mysteryworld

Plus, we remember Faerie Tale Theatre legend Shelley Duvall, pick our theme song Top of the Pops, and crown Miss Fantasy!

Thank you for listening - we hope you'll join us soon for the next season of the podcast along with some special guests.

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We return to Fantasia for The NeverEnding Story 2: Electric Boogaloo before a beard-flight to The Land of Faraway based on Astrid Lindgren's Mio min Mio.

Prepare for Christopher Lee's Sasha Fierce claw, Power Rangers meets Encarta 95 vibes, Benny and Bjorn from ABBA, a draggy sorceress, swimming pools, and Geiger counters.

We share our thoughts on the films and their themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Will we get vaporised by a Sphinx? No, because we forgot to do a Sphinx question this episode! Oh well! We call it a bird course because we fly right through.

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dance, magic dance! There is a spark inside us! Our goblin double bill brings us Henson hot takes, magic phone cards, a rotten Hoggle, the twelve tapdancing toes of the Goblin Queen, the best and worst of David Bowie's costume and a very special grandma ghost. Oh, and singing.

We share our thoughts on the films and their themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Will we get vaporised by a Sphinx? Who do? You do? Do what? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 7 is a hot mess express with a lot of love for Stan Winston, special makeup effects artist and creature creator extraordinaire, but less so for his second feature as director, a bizarre buddy comedy with a puppet gnome. Derailing from our usual format, we share our thoughts on the film in the first half (with tangents about Mr Blobby's Blobbyland and the Psammead), and in the second half we chat about Stan Winston's movie magic throughout the years, from the Reese's peanut butter cup noses of The Wiz to the killer mermaid of She Creature, with Aliens, Predator, The Thing, The Terminator and a visit to Jurassic Park along the way.

Yeah, this episode is a LOT. It might even make your toes curl.

Other movies briefly discussed as part of our Stan Winston special:

The Wiz (1978)

Heartbeeps (1981)

The Thing (1982)

The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

Aliens (1986)

Predator (1987)

Pumpkinhead (1988)

Batman Returns (1992)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Tank Girl (1995)

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

Small Soldiers (1998)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

She Creature (2001)

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well, excuuuuuuse me princess - our sixth episode is our wildest wander yet! With a tip of the hat to Brian Froud and Alan Lee's Faeries book and TV special, we find ourselves in the ridiculously glittery sets of Ridley Scott's Legend. The devilish Darkness, dancing dresses and Tom Cruise's thighs. Big nostalgic memories of the Atmosfear VHS board game and the Clarks Magic Steps shoe commercial.

We share our thoughts on the film and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Will we get vaporised by a Sphinx? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 5, how she sparkles, The Last Unicorn! Melancholy mythical creatures, surprising celebrity superfans, internalised unicorniphobia and more misguided impersonations.

We share our thoughts on the film and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Will we get vaporised by a Sphinx? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.