The Bear Cave of Terror – Details, episodes & analysis

On this week's episode of the Bear Cave of Terror, Steve invites one of the Movie Bear Podcast's hosts and horror fan, Will Lindus, to discuss one of his favorite fright films, John Carpenter's The Thing, from 1982! A big-budget remake of The Thing From Another World, released 30 years earlier, Will and Steve talk about the history of the making of the film, the creativity and impressive work put into those shocking and splattery scenes of the "thing" transforming and absorbing the people (and dogs) around it, the actors, and ultimately, the unfortunately poor reception when it was released in the summer of '82, a banner year for SciFi classic films destined to become cult favorites. Although, given the enduring sense of paranoia, mystery around which characters were actually infected, and of course, the ambiguous downer of an ending, the legacy of this film has only grown over the past 40+ years to become one of the peak examples of the SciFi Horror genre.

Additional resources for this episode:

The Thing: Terror Takes Shape (1998), dir, Michael Matessino, Universal Studios

1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever (2023), dir. Roger Lay Jr., dist. by The CW - Episode 2 "Science-Fiction"

"The Thing: An Oral History...." by Josh Weiss, 9/23/24, Syfy.com

"Mike Ploog" by Ellen Carlomagno, Fangoria vol. 3 no. 18, April, 1982 pp 44-47, 65

"On Location with The Thing" by Bob Martin aka Uncle Bob, Fangoria vol. 3 nos. 18-20, April 1982-June 1982, various pp

"Rob Bottin & The Thing" by Ellen Carlomagno, Fangoria vol. 3 no 21, August 1982 pp 13-16, 63

Will Lindus and the rest of the Movie Bears can be heard weekly on the Movie Bears Podcast, at moviebearspodcast.com, apple podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and on Letterboxd.com as themoviebear

Autumn is just around the corner, and what's better than a gothic horror fantasy to put you in the mood? Steve is joined in the Bear Cave by bear extraordinaire Jon Runyan aka JonOn(Van)Demand) of A Comic Book Look and Comics by Night to chat about Tim Burton's 1999 turn-of-the-century classic, Sleepy Hollow. Referencing Hammer Studios classic horror, Mario Bava's Black Sunday, and even the Disney cartoon, Burton presents a late-18th century supernatural mystery with gorgeous costumes, a stellar cast, and more decapitations and bloody neck-stumps than you can shake an undead Hessian at! Johnny Depp as NYC constable Ichabod Crane, Christina Ricci as the ethereal beauty and love interest, and Christopher Walken as the Headless Horseman (when he has a head), plus a cast of full of Hammer veterans, a future Dumbledore, and blood so bright red it'd put the Horror of Dracula to shame!

Additional resources for this episode:

"Bring me the head of Tim Burton" by Emma Forrest, The Telegraph Magazine (UK), 12/11/99

"25 Years Ago, Sleepy Hollow gave us peak Tim Burton Aesthetic" by Matthew Jackson, Pastemagazine.com 11/18/24

"The true history behind 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'" by Richard Kiln, Westchestermagazine.com, 10/16/24

IMDB.com

youtube.com/@CostumeCo - "The Costumes of Sleepy Hollow"

Jon can be found on A Comic Book Look podcast on facebook.com/groups/171257686275482 and youtube.com/@acomicbooklook and the Comics By Night podcast at youtube.com/@comicsbynight

It's never too early for holiday horror, and in this episode, Steve is joined in the Bear Cave by horror fan Jay Yospa of the Life on the Sh*t List (LOSTL) podcast, who brings one of his favorites, the seminal 70s slasher, Black Christmas (1974), directed by Bob Clark. In this film, Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, and Andrea Martin are among the sorority sisters terrorized by an unseen murderer with a penchant for disturbing crank calls. John Saxon brings his woofy self to the mix as a concerned police lieutenant. Jay and Steve chat about the urban legend (and real murders) that inspired the film, the sound design, the house itself, the choices never to fully reveal the killer, and the ambiguous ending, and the infamous *69 gets a mention, too!

Additional resources for this episode:

"The Legacy of Black Christmas: Women in horror, Feminism, and the Blumhouse remake of the cult classic" by Moxie McMurder, Honeysucklemag.com

"Black Christmas remains emblematic of Canadian Horror" by Chad Collins, 12/1/20, Rue-Morgue.com

"The Chilling True Story that Inspired Black Christmas" by Riley Presnell, 12/21/23, Collider.com

IMDB.com

It's Me, Billy:A Black Christmas Fan Film, dir. Dave McRae - both parts available on YouTube.com/@DaveMcRaeofficial

Jay Yospa can be found on the Life on the Shit List podcast (aka LOTSL) - https://podcasts.apple.com › podcast › lotsl

In this episode, Steve is joined in the Bear Cave by horror fan Craig Lantz of Southern Fried Geekery, who introduces him to one of Hammer Studios' finest, 1958's Dracula (aka Horror of Dracula), directed by Terence Fisher. In this film, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing face off as Dracula and Dr Van Helsing for the first time in this British horror classic, that rewrites the standard Dracula plot and story by swapping Victorian London for 1800s Karlstadt, along with the relationships of the characters, including vampire hunter Jonathan Harker, Lucy his fiancée, and Mina her sister-in-law (married to Arthur)! Lee's legendary portrayal of the bloodsucker is famous here, as is the rivalry established between him and Cushing's younger, but every bit as knowledgeable about the vamp menace, Van Helsing. Craig and Steve discuss the aesthetic choices, the stark morality message pushed by the director, and possibly some gay subtext? (Although that may just be Steve's wishful thinking).

Additional resources for this episode:

"Hammer's Dracula: A Bloody Legacy" by Tony Caldwell, 3/27/25 famousmonsters.com

"Horror of Dracula" comic retelling by Russ Jones and Joe Orlando, Famous Monsters of Filmland issue #32

British Film Institute - screenonline.org.uk

"From Coffin to Closet: Dracula's Queer Legacy" by Ella Gallego monstrousdesirestudy.com

In this episode, Steve invites guest Mike Lovins from the Reel Gay Movie Show to talk about one of his favorite horror flicks, 1987's The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher, and starring a fantastic cast of 80s who's who, including Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Jamie Gertz, and the Coreys Feldman and Haim! They cover the make-up effects, inspiring soundtrack, and lasting legacy (including two different musical spin-offs), plus a few of their favorite scares.

Additional resources for this episode:

"Greg Cannom: Vampire Maker" by Marc Shapiro, Fangoria Magazine - vol.1, issue 66 pp 50-53, 67

"The Frog That Roared" by William Rabkin, Fangoria Magazine - vol. 1, issue 67 pp 25-27

G Tom Mac interview by Derek Anderson, Dailydead.com, 8/24/17 and "The Lost Boys Stage Musical is Almost Done" by Josh Weiss, Syfy Wire, syfy.com 7/8/20

Cry Little Sister The Rock Musical by G Tom Mac, https://www.gtommac.com/cry-little-sister-the-rock-musical

https://lostboysmusical.com/

"The True Story of the Lost Boys' Sax Man" by Germain Lussier, gizmodo.com 4/14/20

The Lost Boys Reunion Kiefer Sutherland, Alex Winter, Billy Wirth, Jason Patric/FTLOH 23 https://youtu.be/v2IZJCj26o8?si=0NMXKAsQVyqDSoVL

The Lost Boys Makeup- a 30th Anniversary Tribute/Original Artists https://youtu.be/9AKxTT4mOag?si=8TKNuynNpdLnTD5Y and https://youtu.be/to6_d_eGnek?si=ivB5B5hsjnhIH_m9

Mike Lovins can be found on the Reel Gay Movie Show podcast - The Reel Gay Movie Show https://reelgaymovieshow.buzzsprout.com/

Spinning off from the Comic Book Bears Podcast, regular hosts Bill Zanowitz and Steve Mowry talk about the blockbuster classic JAWS, celebrating its 50th anniversary in the summer of 2025. After some introduction to the concept of a "backdoor pilot", and some background on Steve's introduction to horror films from a young age, thanks to cool babysitters, Saturday Matinee on the local indie station, and USA Up All Night, Steve also gets into what to expect with this new podcast series, and his hopes for upcoming episodes.

Diving into JAWS, we bite into the meat of why Bill loves this movie so much. Steve provides a (low spoiler) summary of the movie before taking a look at the filming process, the reception in 1975 and beyond, some behind-the-scenes bits, and of course, their favorite scary moments. Bill also lists off some of his other favorite "Jawsploitation" horror films that came after the success of the first international blockbuster - some to be explored in future episodes!

Additional resources used for this episode:

JAWS (1975) dir. Steven Spielberg

Jaws at 50 (2025) by Amblin Documentaries

How Jaws Changed the World (2012/2025) by Channel 4, Discovery Channel

IMDB.com

Oscars.org

FilmAffinity.com

JAWS can be streamed on the following services: Netflix and Peacock; available for rent or purchase on most digital platforms, or on DVD or 4k/Blu-ray disc.

Email The Bear Cave of Terror at bearcaveofterror@gmail.com, or follow on social media:

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