Cleo's back and we are joined by a very special first-time guest of the show! We chat about a decades in the making quadrilogy, a new classic horror film, and other bits and bobs throughout. Give it a listen, won't you?

WUH is happy to offer the premiere episode of the Chasing Chevy Chase Podcast. Head over to Weirding Way Media or wherever you listen to podcasts to subscribe. 

"Welcome to the 1980s and the wild world of Chevy Chase. On our official first episode we're discussing Joe Camp and his Benji Empire which includes the film Oh! Heavenly Dog in which Chevy plays a private dick whose killed on a case and gets sent back to Earth not as Warren Beatty but Benji the dog. He tries to solve the case of his own murder and continue wooing Jane Seymour."

Our Foul Play episode: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/s7e2-she-was-one-tough-old-mama-foul-play-1978--57411265

I'd almost forgotten about the only interview I've done, but since I'm cleaning up old episodes this popped back into my head. This was for Pick Up a Podcast which seems to have stopped producing new episodes back in 2020. This dates back to early 2019 so it might be kind of fun to see how things have or have not changed since then.

As in Extra Special! Along with my own ramblings on a handful of films that didn't get the full treatment on previous episodes (Creepshow, Children of the Corn, Maximum Overdrive, Stand By Me, etc.) there is an interview with horror film journalist and filmmaker Jerry Smith regarding his Dollar Baby Deal.

For more visit the show notes: https://www.wakeupheavy.com/2019/09/wuh-stephen-king-extras.html

I love a good detective story (just think of all those Murder, She Wrote references on the show) and I love to hear behind the scenes tales about my favorite movies. When I discovered Simon Fitzjohn on Twitter I was immediately intrigued by the work he was doing to track down the rights for the film Full Circle (more commonly known in the States as The Haunting of Julia). After watching one particularly intriguing video on his YouTube channel (which mentioned Prince Charles of all people) I decided to ask Simon if he had done any podcasts so that I could have a listen and get more information on his quest. When he said he hadn't I immediately invited him to appear on Wake Up Heavy. After some months we finally got the chance to sit and have a talk and it was illuminating.

UPDATE: Parts 1 and 2 are now combined into this one, long episode.

Were there signs of King slowing down over the next four years? Heck no! Remember what I said about 1980-83 being over saturated? Well that may have been premature. Between 1984 and 1987 King published six novels, one novella, one collection of short stories, and the Bachman book Thinner. The previous four Bachman books were also re-released as an omnibus, which we will get to in time.

Eight movies were released during this time with many of them being adaptations of short stories, or novellas. I.e. Hollywood was really digging deep to provide movie goers with their King fix, but they were mining some of the lesser works.

For more info visit the show notes: https://www.wakeupheavy.com/2019/09/wuh-stephen-king-1984-87.html

The years 1980 through 1983 might possibly be the most over-saturated in terms of Stephen King output. During this time five novels were published and five movies were released, and if you didn't know who King was you must have been living under a (Castle) rock. Ha ha. And lest we forget we also got the collection Different Seasons, as well as two novels published as Richard Bachman: Roadwork and The Running Man. That's EIGHT books in three years people!!

To one extent or another all of the books published in those years have been adapted to screen: Firestarter (1984), Cujo (1983), The Dark Tower (2017), Christine (1983), and Pet Sematary (1989).

For more check out the show notes: https://www.wakeupheavy.com/2019/09/wuh-stephen-king-1980-83.html

Stephen King shot out of the gate with the publication of Carrie in 1974. Though the hardcover didn't sell all that well the paperback rights were acquired for a whopping $400,000.00, of which King received half plus royalties. The paperback went on to sell one million copies in its first year.

Over the next five years King followed up with 'Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Stand, and The Dead Zone in quick succession. That's six novels in six years, plus the short story collection Night Shift in 1978 AND the books Rage and The Long Walk written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Whew!

In 1976 Brian DePalma brought CARRIE to the big screen...
[For more see the show notes: https://www.wakeupheavy.com/2019/09/wuh-stephen-king-1974-79.html]

The last WDIRT in Volume 3 is on Jack Sholder's quirky slasher-home-invasion hybrid Alone in the Dark. It's got Martin Landau as a pyromaniac ex-preacher, Jack Palance as a paranoid POW, Erlind van Lidth as a hulking child-molester, and the mysterious hockey-mask-wearing killer known as The Bleeder. Donald Pleasence rounds out the cast as the equally nutty psychiatrist Dr. Leo Bain.

Stephen King is one of America's most prolific writers whose books have sold roughly 350 million copies worldwide. The Master of Horror, as he's been known for quite some time now, knows how to scare people and sell books, and naturally Hollywood has mined his voluminous output in the hopes of putting butts in the seats and dollars in the bank. From his earliest novel, Carrie, which was put to film two years after publication, hardly a year has gone by without a King adaptation being released in one form or another. There have been big-budget prestige films, low-budget passion projects, TV movies, mini-series, television series, all those "dollar babies" and, more recently, a number of long-form shows and movie options on streaming platforms.

For more visit the show notes: https://www.wakeupheavy.com/2019/08/wuh-stephen-king.html

It's been a year (give or take a day or two) since I put out the first couple of episodes of Wake Up Heavy. 40 or so episodes, a handful of guests, a lot of learning and dozens of movies later, here we are.

In this episode I once again get helped out by my daughter who asks me some questions about this first full year of WUH and my plans for the next.

Thank you to everyone who has listened to Wake Up Heavy, even if it was just one episode! Ultimately that's the point of all this, right? Otherwise I could just sit in front of the computer and talk to the screen about these movies. That would be weird though.

Show notes.

And here is the bonus episode with more discussion from Sam and me.

Subjects discussed: Pittsburgh filming locations, "Murder, She Wrote," Marc Lawrence, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Italian horror, EXORCIST rip-offs, AMITYVILLE sequels, Linda Blair, Tom Atkins, Eli Roth (again), CHILD'S PLAY, "Cinema Sins," Claudio Fragasso, and Amicus.

Before the OTHER bonus episode with Sam here's a super short extra-extra-bonus special episode of me reading my initial viewing notes on UTSL. This one's a little spoilery so be careful.

Yes, I have done an episode on Black Christmas (1974) before, but when you get a chance to be on The Projection Booth you take it. This was part of a crossover event from back in 2021 when Mike White co-hosted several episodes of WUH on the horror films of Bob Clark and Alan Ormsby. This culminated with TPB's episode on Black Christmas that ended up being just shy of FOUR HOURS LONG. I hadn't been able to import the episode until now, so here it finally is. There are a TON (29!!) of ads in this episode, so head over to my Patreon to listen ad-free if'n you want.

On this episode I am joined by Sam Panico to discuss David Robert Mitchell's ambitious (yet messy) sunscorched-Neo-Noir-comedy-thriller Under the Silver Lake. Andrew Garfield plays Sam our hapless protagonist who is pulled into a labyrinthine mystery after a brief encounter with his neighbor Sarah (Riley Keough) and her sudden disappearance. Sam is bombarded by cryptic codes, conspiracy theories, secret societies, subliminal messages, underground zines, backward masking, LA hipsters, and an incoherent parrot as he searches for a truth that may be better left uncovered.

Much like the movie itself this episode dips and dives into many different points of reference which ends up being a whole lot of fun. Since Sam and I discussed a lot of other stuff at the beginning and end of the recording I will be putting that out as a separate bonus episode shortly.

Sam's Review Site: https://bandsaboutmovies.com/

Show Notes: https://www.wakeupheavy.com/2019/07/wuh-under-silver-lake-2018.html

WUH comes back from hiatus with a new WDIRT episode on Harry Bromley Davenport's nutso early-80s Alien rip-off that's actually so much more than that. Filled with too many WTF moments to count, and some of the most inspired and gloopy SFX from the era, XTRO would have damaged my brain as a kid. Now that I'm older I can soak in this odd-ball treasure with wild abandon.

"It must have been the magpies."

Peter Strickland's Berberian Sound Studio is an eerie love letter to Italian horror films like Suspiria (see previous entry) and psychological thrillers like The Tenant. Toby Jones plays Gilderoy, a sound mixer who travels to Italy to work on "The Equestrian Vortex," a graphically violent movie involving witches at a horse-riding school. Nearly everyone at the recording studio is dismissive of, or openly rude to him. This, along with the violent nature of the film and his home-sickness, sends Gilderoy down a spiral of identity confusion.

Included in this episode is my little story about how Peter Strickland and I watched a movie together in London back in 1990. Maybe. ;)

Show notes: https://www.wakeupheavy.com/2019/05/wuh-berberian-sound-studio-2012.html

Like many people my age, Dario Argento's Suspiria was my introduction to Italian horror films. The imagery was phantasmagoric, the music was bombastic, and the violence was horrific. Unlike anything I'd seen before, SUSPIRIA opened up a whole new world of horror cinema, though one that was ultimately elusive and frustrating.

Ronald Dzerigian is back to join me in discussing this seminal film--arguably Argento's best--the other entries in the Three Mothers trilogy, and the 2018 remake by Luca Guadagnino. Along the way we discuss our views on spoilers, and kvetch a little more about CGI.

Show notes.

WUH's first Special Guest is a fellow I've known for 25 years, give or take, and is the "movie buddy" I've referred to in a number of episodes. In this episode we talk about one of his Recollections of Horror: Joe Dante's 1981 self-referential werewolf flick The Howling.

The Howling is not a movie I watched a lot back in the Eighties but have grown to appreciate much more of late. Listen as we compare and contrast our first viewings of the film and kvetch like two old-timers about modern CGI. We try to figure out why 1981 was The Year of the Werewolf, and you get to hear me complain about watching the first three sequels (which is far as I'm willing to go in the franchise).

Visit the show notes for more.

Buy Ronnie's book.

It's been awhile... Since I did a listy-list episode that is. So here ya go, more modern horror flicks I like which proves I'm not just a nostalgia baby stuck in horror's heyday. Heck, right now might just be horror's heyday so jump on the bandwagon and check out these frightening films! What's on the list, you so impertinently ask? Listen to the dang episode says me. And then listen to this one too: https://soundcloud.com/wakeupheavy/minisode-2-favorite-modern-horror

Thanks to Kim and Ket for letting me use a clip from their show. Check it out here, along with their other episodes.

[EPISODE CORRECTION: Realized that I didn't give the title for the movie that I thought was a remake of Rituals. It's called The Ritual. Makes sense now, yeah?]

Here's another instance of my stupidity: I saw the very intriguing video box image for Eyes of Fire probably 50 million times back in my teens and never took a chance on renting it. Dumb, Mark, just plain dumb! This is one fascinating oddity that has never really gotten its chance to shine. The film didn't get very positive reviews when it came out, died at the box office, and wasn't given a VHS release until 1987. At that point it gained a cult following, but once again got buried in obscurity. If you like The Witch you should definitely check this one out!

Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1974), directed by Richard Blackburn and starring Cheryl Smith and Leslie Gilb.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970), directed by Jaromil Jires and starring Jaroslava Schallerová.

Quite by happenstance I watched both of these films recently and was struck by their similarities. Two young girls, Lila Lee in the American South and Valerie in Czechoslovakia, are each experiencing the perilous journey into womanhood. Both are pursued by lecherous clergyman, amorous lady friends, relatives, and vampires within dark fairy tale landscapes. Will one or both succumb to the temptations laid before them, or emerge with their purity in tact?

Visit the show notes for more information on both films.

Back when I first tried my hand at a Patreon subscription the goal was to offer "exclusive content." It lasted for four episodes. Then I closed the account (which I eventually brought back in a different form). Here are the first two of those episodes.

--Barton Fink (1991)
Wherein I talk about MY favorite Coen Bros. movie in a roundabout way. More stream-of-conscious musing than film talk, this episode is heavy on recollections. Get it!?

--After Hours (1985)
Got Scorsese on the brain after the Taxi Driver episode and thought it might be fun to talk about one of his outlier films. Described as a "Yuppie Nightmare" After Hours brings out some of my social anxieties and elicits my distaste for comedies of error. Plus, Paul Hackett's a dick!

Back when I first tried my hand at a Patreon subscription the goal was to offer "exclusive content." It lasted for four episodes. Then I closed the account (which I eventually brought back in a different form). Here are the first two of those episodes.

--Images (1972)
This was a new discovery for me last year, and I immediately fell in love with it. Robert Altman's entry into the "hysterical woman" sub-genre stars Susannah York as Cathryn who is haunted by a dead ex-lover and her own doppleganger.

--The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film
The PEF is one of the most influential compendiums of weirdo films to ever be put to print. I read it religiously and made a LONG list of films I hoped to track down. Out of approximately 230 films from that list I have since seen a mere 42 of them, most within the last six years or so. This is me talking about those films!

Been making some changes, and updating some old episodes. Find out about that and how many times I've watched The Beatles: Get Back over the last week. :)

Almost three months after the end of Season One Wake Up Heavy is back with our Season Two opener on Martin Scorsese's gritty-seventies-existential-nihilistic masterpiece Taxi Driver. WUH welcomes back Mike White from The Projection Booth podcast for another stimulating discussion. http://www.projectionboothpodcast.com/

Powerful in its cinematic style and controversial in its depiction of violence, Paul Schrader's script and Scorsese's frenetic direction imbue the film with a mounting tension that ultimately explodes in a "kill crazy rampage." By the end happenstance turns Travis Bickle, our Avenging Angel, into the "Hero Cabbie."

Robert DeNiro, in a role that has followed him through his career, leads a stellar cast including Cybil Shepherd, Albert Brooks, Peter Boyle, and, in one of five movies from 1976, 12 year-old Jodie Foster. Her role as a young prostitute was one of the more controversial aspects of the film, and would in turn inspire John Hinckley, Jr. to try and assassinate President Ronald Reagan.

What's in the cellar, Rynn? Where is your father? What does Frank Hallett want? What's the big deal about those jelly jars? Have a listen and get answers to (some of) these questions!

Another quick episode to lead into the season two premiere on Taxi Driver, TLGWLDTL was one of five movies starring Jodie Foster that was made or released in 1976. I caught this one on TV as a young'n and it struck a chord and stuck with me for years. Martin Sheen's never been creepier and Foster once again plays a precocious teen knowledgeable beyond her years.

Why didn't I rent this? Apparently I'm a dingus. "It's The Evil Dead for kids!"--Mark Begley. 'Nuff said.

Taking a break from horror to talk about this little movie from 1984 that I'd never heard of until a few months ago. I wanted to discuss this film as a lead-up to the season two premiere on Taxi Driver since both feature protagonists that seek vengeance to regain power under wholly different circumstances.

Karen Young plays Kathleen Sullivan, a teacher from Boston working at a high school in Texas. She meets Larry, a charming lawyer, man's-man, and gun nut, who aggressively pursues her affections. When the system fails her she seeks her own brand of justice.

Thanks to the guys at '80s All Over for talking about it on their January 1984 episode, and for letting me play a clip from said show.

Please be warned that the film portrays the rape of its protagonist, which is discussed within the episode, along with some offensive language.

Philip Ridley's "prairie gothic" The Reflecting Skin was released in 1990 to much acclaim and derision, and then quietly disappeared.

Young Seth Dove traverses the nightmare of childhood among the wheat fields of 1950s Idaho, mostly left to his own devices by his chronically sad father and hysterical mother. He and his friends terrorize a widow they are convinced is a vampire, run afoul of delinquents that cruise the dirt roads in a big black Cadillac, and discover the wonders and horrors of the adult world.

After a stay in a mental institution, Jessica, along with her husband and their friend, moves from Manhattan to Connecticut in hopes that her fragile mental state will improve. They encounter a mysterious stranger squatting in their new home, strange, hostile men covered in bandages, and a mute girl, all of whom may be the victims of a century old vampire. Will Jessica escape alive and with her sanity in tact?
p.s. There's outtakes at the end of this one! :P

Women in Horror Month 2019 concludes at WUH with an episode on Jocelin Donahue and Alex Essoe and their starring roles in two of my favorite modern horror movies: The House of the Devil (2009) and Starry Eyes (2014).

Mia Farrow, though not necessarily labeled a genre actress, has been in some of my favorite horror films. In Episode Three of the #WomenInHorrorMonth series I discuss four (well five) of Ms. Farrow's horror films: Rosemary's Baby (1968), Secret Ceremony (1968), See No Evil (1971), The Haunting of Julia (1977), and (ever so briefly) The Omen (2006).

Please check out The Projection Booth's episode on The Haunting of Julia.

The second episode of the Women in Horror Month special series is on Karyn Kusama's tense horror/thriller The Invitation. This movie triggers my social anxieties, contains my favorite horror sub-genre, and has a killer cast.

The first episode of the Women in Horror Month special series is The Slumber Party Massacre. Written by Rita Mae Brown as a parody of the slasher genre but filmed straight by Amy Holden Jones, what emerged was a slightly off-kilter horror flick that might just make you question what it is you like about these films.

[EPISODE CORRECTION: Brinke Stevens was in TSPM not Michelle Bauer.]

Cleo is headed back to school, but we were able to squeeze in one last episode before then. Since last we spoke we've watched a bunch of my modern horror faves, some raunchy comedies, a Coen Bros. classic, Black Mirror, and other bits and bobs. Enjoy and thanks for listening!

The wonderful Green Room poster was designed by Oliver Barrett.

It's Women in Horror Month and I wanted to do my part to promote films directed by women and centered around women. This is the preview episode, and my plan is to put out a short episode every week in February, with the goal of compiling them all at the end.

This slightly sleazy, giallo-esque proto-slasher gained notoriety for starring Little Brooke Shields. But it was the anti-Catholic sentiment and shocking violence that got it condemned. Director Alfred Sole borrows from Hitchcock, throws in some Don't Look Now and tops it all off with a creepy masked killer. Enjoy!

[EPISODE CORRECTION: Jason Patric and Joshua John Miller are half-brothers, not step-brothers.]

Well here it is, the season finale of Wake Up Heavy. David Lynch's 1977 seminal masterpiece Eraserhead is not only my favorite horror film it is unequivocally my single favorite film of all time. Lynch has called it, "A dream of dark and troubling things," and there is no more apt description than that. A wholly personal film, Eraserhead is a confusing conundrum of confluences that proves impossible to dissect (pun intended) unless you are David Lynch. The story itself is based on very simple, very human fears, yet those who see it are compelled to analyze the bizarre images and perplexing scenarios in an attempt to alleviate the disquieting unease the film elicits.

--Special guest this episode is Mike White, host of the only podcast that matters: The Projection Booth.

This is a long one, so pace yourselves. Time stamps included for anyone who loses their place or wants to listen to certain sections only.

Part I: My history w/ Eraserhead & Lynch (00:01)
Part II: London & The Scala Cinema--Seeing Eraserhead on the big screen (19:03)
Part III: Synopsis & movie facts (28:24)
Part IV: Interview w/ Mike White (35:06)
Part V: ERASERHEAD 2000--the re-release on DVD (1:18:26)
Part VI: The "Weird" stuff (1:26:25)
Part VII: What influenced ERASERHEAD (1:32:56)
Part VIII: The missing scenes (1:39:23)
Part IX: Soundscape, motifs & favorite things (1:43:02)
Part X: Cast & crew, theories & wrap-up (2:00:24)

For more info check out the show notes.

It's a last minute pseudo-year-end wrap up. Keeping things confusing by offering this up before the season finale episode 'cuz that's how I roll. Plus, it's stuff I was going to include in that EP anyway, but thought it better to pull it out to knock down the run time and get this stuff out there before year's end.

Included herein are thank yous, podcast suggestions, ratings & reviews*, Patreon possibilities (and other $$$ talk), those damn stickers, the goal of WUH, a quick episode recap, and a preview of the season finale. Kind of.

*If you've left a review you'll get a shout out from moi. And if that ain't incentive enough to leave a review in the future then you're dead inside. Thanks to yinz who've left one, to anyone who's given a rating, and to every single person and bot who has pricked up their ears to listen to me gab about weird movies. You rock!

For the list of podcasts I mentioned please visit the WUH Blog.

It's that time of year! You know the time, when we watch Bob Clark's Holiday Classic for 24 hours. No, not THAT Holiday Classic, THIS classic! That's right, Clark's Black Christmas, the proto-slasher that, according to many, inspired John Carpenter's Halloween, and laid the bloody groundwork for one of the most popular horror sub-genres. I explore the similarities and differences between the two films, and offer up some potentially controversial theories.

[EPISODE CORRECTION: The murder that the urban legend of, "The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs," is supposedly based on actually took place in 1950 in Missouri.]

Hot take on a current movie I really dug. Trying to dig up the article about watching movies alone, will post when/if I find it. CHEDDAR GOBLIN RULES!! And so do The Carpenters.

Ah, Ed Gein, that perpetual paradigm of perversion spawned myriad torrid tales of terror, including, but not limited to, Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs. His horrific happenings may have been presented in their truest and most disturbing form in this wicked number from 1974 helmed by Alan Ormsby, starring Roberts Blossom, and produced in part by Bob Clark. I think this one looked just a bit too on the nose for young Markie back in the '80s.

Please check out these later episodes of WUH as well: a second more in depth episode on Deranged, and one on Silence of the Lambs.

From the screenwriting power duo who brought you Howard the Duck, it's the 1973 (or is it 1971? or maybe 1974?? or...) oddball Messiah of Evil (or Second Coming? or Revenge of the Screaming Dead? or Return of the Living Dead?? or the sublime Dead People???). Any way you slice it this is one kooky flick. If little 13-year-old Mark had laid his eyeballs on this one he might have grown up to be a weirdo! Oh, wait...

Philipe Mora's films are quite varied, but they all share a certain bizarre quality. The Beast Within is no exception. I remember the box art for this one so distinctly but never took the plunge. I wish I had because it's a very unique horror film from one of the busiest years for the genre. Plus, those bladder effects!

If I ever start a band (which, to be honest, will never happen) I already have a name for it: The Regular Rentals. Back in the '80s my sister and I would watch the same movies again and again and rarely tire of them. If we liked something we really liked something. One of the movies that made it into heavy rotation was Dead & Buried, which remains a favorite of mine to this day. Atmospheric yet violent, confusing as all get-out, with an amazing cast including Grandpa Joe, Dale Arden, a future Horror Icon, and possibly more people that have appeared on Murder, She Wrote than any other movie. Listen and witness the moment my brain implodes with questions. Oh so many questions.

Cleo is finally back and we've got a hefty round of movie watches and recs. From an undersung Stephen King adaptation to a modern comedy classic to a sun-drenched folk tale we dive into a few faves of the last few months.

October is always a special time for Horror Enthusiasts and it is no different for this guy. I watch horror movies all year long, but once October hits the juices really start flowing. Something about the change in weather--the shorter, colder, drearier days--makes warming up to a good spooky flick all the more enjoyable. I had planned to talk about Dead & Buried for October, but left it up to listeners and Halloween III won out hands down. I had fun doing this one because heck, it's a fun movie and there's a lot to talk about. Listen to find out where I rank this among the Halloween franchise, what I think about Tom Atkins as a leading man, and some thoughts on filmmaker Tommy Lee Wallace. And if you count how many times I say "clunky" or one of its derivatives you can win some stickers! Post the number on any platform for your chance to win. Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to Wake Up Heavy!

[EPISODE CORRECTION: I made an error when I called Jamie Lloyd Laurie Strode's niece, she's her daughter, and therefore Michael Myers' niece.--MB]

It's time for a new, full episode of Wake Up Heavy. This time I tackle David Schmoeller's 1979 classic freakfest Tourist Trap. Starring pre-The Beastmaster Tanya Roberts and post-The Rifleman Chuck Connors. Do mannequins creep you out? Then you're in for a bumpy ride with this one!

In which Mark, your Horror Host, rattles off another list of movies that are good and that you should watch. If your mom will let you! This time though it's the newer stuff, and it's the shortest episode yet.