Cult Film School

In this episode of Cult Film School, Adrian and Dion expose themselves to some iconic cult world cinema: Indonesian Cult Classics Mystics in Bali (1981) and Lady Terminator (1989). Black magic, witchcraft, supernatural insanity, and consistently baffling English language dubbing (and other narrative and editing choices!) are a feast for the senses. Can they make sense of this wtf bounty? If only they were “anthropologists”…   Chapters: 0:00:12 - Welcome to Cult Film School 0:03:14 - Why Indonesian Cult Classics? Why now? 0:09:06 - A Little Context for Home Video Label Mondo Macabro and Indonesian Cult Cinema of the 1980s 0:13:10 -  Mystics in Bali (1981): IMDb Plot Summary 0:13:46 - The Decoder Ring for Mystics in Bali: An Adaptation of Dracula 0:20:36 - Sexual Tension (?) in Mystics in Bali 0:25:03 - Mystics in Bali: Perhaps the Most Amazing Scene in the History of Cinema 0:33:25 - The Epic Climax of Mystics in Bali 0:37:45 - Mystics in Bali (1981): Tagline 0:38:41 - Lady Terminator (1989): IMDb Plot Summary 0:45:03 - In Case You Missed It, It’s Terminator (with a splash of Lifeforce) 0:48:37 - The Good Guy Cop and His Mullet-Rocking Cop Buddies 0:52:02 - Terminator’s Famous “Eye-Cutting” Scene (but in Lady Terminator) 0:54:13 - The Explosive Climax of Lady Terminator 1:01:21 - Lady Terminator (1989): Tagline 1:02:19 - Reflections on Mystics in Bali and Lady Terminator   Connect with Adrian & Dion: Letterboxd ~ CultFilmSchool Instagram ~ @cultfilmschool  Threads ~ @cultfilmschool X ~ @cultfilmschool Facebook  ~ Follow Us! Send an Email ~ cultfilmschoolpodcast@gmail.com  Don’t forget to leave a rating and review!

This Christmas season, Adrian and Dion return to the Winter Wonderland of Christmas trauma with the Black Christmas remakes: Black Christmas (2006) and Black Christmas (2019). Bob Clark’s 1974 film is a horror classic, so what could go wrong when these films remake it? Grab your eggnog, and get ready for plenty of Christmas decorations and confusing choices (cannibalism? message movie?). Adrian and Dion won’t be dreaming of a "Black Christmas," but, oh, the nightmares.   Chapters: 0:00:12 - Welcome to Cult Film School 0:02:42 - Why the Black Christmas Remakes?!? 0:05:01 - Black Christmas (2006): IMDb Plot Summary 0:05:44 - Black Christmas (1974): IMDb Plot Summary 0:07:01 - Black Christmas (2006): Similarities to the Original 1974 Film? 0:09:14 - Black Christmas (2006): Differences from the Original 1974 Film? 0:11:37 - “The Weinstein Touch,” or, How Bob and Harvey Weinstein Interfered in the 2006 Production 0:18:55 - The Gifts of Black Christmas (2006) 0:21:16 - The “Sort-Of” Mystery in Black Christmas (2006) 0:24:39 - The Problems with “Agnes” and the Backstory in Black Christmas (2006) 0:29:31 - The Alternate Endings of Black Christmas (2006) 0:34:07 - Black Christmas (2006): Tagline 0:36:32 - Black Christmas (2019): IMDb Plot Summary 0:37:40 - Black Christmas (2019): Similarities to the Original 1974 Film? 0:41:01 - Black Christmas (2019): Differences from the Original 1974 Film? 0:42:02 - Sophia Takal’s Always Shine (2016): A Director on the Rise? 0:44:57 - Production History of Black Christmas (2019) 0:46:51 - The Many Problems with the “Message-Movie” Black Christmas (2019) 0:52:49 - Black Christmas (2019) and its Presentation of Female and Male Characters 0:56:50 - Black Christmas (2019) as Public Service Announcement 0:59:51 - Black Christmas (2019): Alpha Males and Beta Males 1:03:42 - The Ideological “Message” of Black Christmas (2019) 1:07:16 - Black Christmas (2019): Tagline 1:09:29 - The Blackest of Christmases: A Christmas Carol of Contrasts 1:12:09 - Next Episode Preview   Connect with Adrian & Dion: Letterboxd ~ CultFilmSchool Instagram ~ @cultfilmschool  Threads ~ @cultfilmschool X ~ @cultfilmschool Facebook  ~ Follow Us! Send an Email ~ cultfilmschoolpodcast@gmail.com  Don’t forget to leave a rating and review!

In this episode of Cult Film School, Adrian and Dion circle back to the 1980s with alien invasions that burst into song: Musical Aliens! They look to the “everything-and-the-kitchen-sink” genre parody Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984) and the bubblegum brightness of the SoCal musical alien sex comedy Earth Girls Are Easy (1988). They’ll discuss the excesses and oddities in both films, the music, the aliens, and some questionable choices, and the joys these musicals bring. Will Adrian and Dion survive these alien visitors? Maybe, but only if they could carry a tune.   Chapters: 0:00:12 - Welcome to Cult Film School 0:03:17 - Re-introductions to 1950’s Aliens & Contemporary Genre Mash-ups (A CFS Primer) 0:07:25 - Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984): IMDb Plot Summary 0:08:39 - Inspirations for & Production History of Voyage of the Rock Aliens 0:12:49 - Music Video Confusion in Voyage of the Rock Aliens 0:16:22 - Musicians as Actors as Aliens and “Comedy” 0:17:10 - The Many Narrative Confusions of Voyage of the Rock Aliens (aka “Why? Just Because!”) 0:19:56 - Adrian & Dion Bond Over “Cotillion” 0:21:13 - 1980’s Nostalgia for the 1950s 0:24:12 - More Music Video Confusion in Voyage of the Rock Aliens 0:29:01 - Shocking Reactions to Voyage of the Rock Aliens 0:34:36 - Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984): Tagline 0:36:32 - Earth Girls Are Easy (1988): IMDb Plot Summary 0:37:00 - Earth Girls Are Easy’s Production History 0:42:04 - Why Adrian Loves Earth Girls Are Easy 0:46:07 - Why Dion Doesn’t Love Earth Girls Are Easy 0:48:18 - Cotton Candy as Metaphor 0:49:52 - Adrian’s Favourite Songs in Earth Girls Are Easy 0:51:00 - The Many Joys of Earth Girls Are Easy 0:55:07 - Earth Girls Are Easy (1988): Tagline 0:56:48 - Musical Aliens Reflections 1:01:03 - Next Episode Preview   Connect with Adrian & Dion: Letterboxd ~ CultFilmSchool Instagram ~ @cultfilmschool  Threads ~ @cultfilmschool X ~ @cultfilmschool Facebook  ~ Follow Us! Send an Email ~ cultfilmschoolpodcast@gmail.com  Don’t forget to leave a rating and review!

In this episode of Cult Film School, Adrian and Dion overstay their welcome in Fairvale to soak in the ambience of the three Psycho sequels: Richard Franklin’s Psycho II (1983), Anthony Perkin’s Psycho III (1986), & Mick Garris’s Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990). They discuss the different attempts at returning to the 1960 film, and the different ways the sequels remake and reimagine it. They also consider the many incarnations of Norman Bates while attempting to answer the question, ‘How many film references can one sequel have?’ Spoiler: Probably enough to fill a bathtub.   Chapters: 0:00:12 - Welcome to Cult Film School 0:03:00 - Personal Introductions to the Psycho Sequels 0:06:38 - Psycho II (1983): IMDb Plot Summary 0:07:38 - Contexts for Psycho II: The Hitchcock Five, Robert Bloch’s Sequel Novel, & Production History 0:14:45 - Psycho II: “This film has no right being as good as it is.” 0:24:21 - The Ambiguous Psychology of Norman Bates 0:32:34 - Violence in Psycho II 0:36:43 - Psycho II (1983): Tagline 0:37:59 - Psycho III (1986): IMDb Plot Summary 0:39:28 - The Visual Style of Psycho III: “Blood Simple by Michael Mann” X Giallo 0:43:10 - Jeff Fahey Appreciation Society (& Crotch Lamp Sex Scene) 0:48:06 - Hysteria of Psycho III 0:52:19 - Confusion with Psycho III 0:55:34 - Psycho III (1986): Tagline 0:57:07 - Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990): IMDb Plot Summary 1:01:59 - “The Rob Zombie Halloween of Psycho films” 1:03:04 - The Confusing Loose Ends of Psycho IV: The Beginning 1:08:16 - Psycho IV: The Beginning: What If Norman Bates was an Unreliable Narrator? 1:13:22 - Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990): Tagline 1:15:18 - Psycho Sequels Wrap-Up 1:18:14 - Next Episode Preview   Connect with Adrian & Dion: Letterboxd ~ CultFilmSchool Instagram ~ @cultfilmschool  Threads ~ @cultfilmschool X ~ @cultfilmschool Facebook  ~ Follow Us! Send an Email ~ cultfilmschoolpodcast@gmail.com  Don’t forget to leave a rating and review!

In this episode of Cult Film School, hosts Adrian and Dion reminisce on their relationships with film critic Robin Wood, and talk about his work on the horror film, culminating in the influential The American Nightmare film program (and book) in 1979. On its 45th anniversary, they discuss Robin Wood's contributions to the critical study of horror through two films he championed: Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) and Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left (1972). They discuss personal memories as well as themes and reactions to the films, and the critical perspectives Robin Wood brought to bear on the horror film genre.   Chapters: 0:00:12 - Welcome to Cult Film School 0:02:09 - Robin Wood Stories 0:09:28 - The American Nightmare (1979) 0:11:22 - Thanks for the Film Recommendation, Daniel! 0:12:36 - Psycho (1960): IMDb Plot Summary 0:13:34 - Robin Wood's "Psychoanalysis of Psycho" (1960) 0:15:15 - Psycho as Exploitation Horror Film Experiment 0:17:30 - Film Marketing and Hitchcock as Showman 0:19:36 - Psycho as Transitional (and Seminal) Film 0:25:35 - Families in Psycho 0:29:18 - Psycho (1960): Tagline 0:32:47 - The Last House on the Left (1972): IMDb Plot Summary 0:34:26 - Robin Wood's "Neglected Nightmares" (1980) 0:38:39 - Tonal Shifts in The Last House on the Left 0:43:19 - Empathy in The Last House on the Left 0:49:15 - Off-putting Imagery in The Last House on the Left 0:54:00 - The Last House on the Left (1972): Tagline 0:55:05 - Taking the Horror Film Seriously 0:58:30 - Curious to Read Robin Wood? 1:02:33 - Happy Halloween! 1:03:23 - Next Episode Preview   Robin Wood on the Horror Film: Collected Essays and Reviews (2018) is available via Amazon: Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, or Amazon.co.uk.   Connect with Adrian & Dion: Letterboxd ~ CultFilmSchool Instagram ~ @cultfilmschool  Threads ~ @cultfilmschool X ~ @cultfilmschool Facebook  ~ Follow Us! Send an Email ~ cultfilmschoolpodcast@gmail.com  Don’t forget to leave a rating and review!

In this episode of Cult Film School, hosts Adrian and Dion dissect David Gordon Green's Halloween trilogy. They discuss the successes and shortcomings of Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022). The conversation spans the trilogy's themes, character arcs, and narrative choices, while also comparing the recent films to previous entries in the iconic Halloween franchise.   Chapters: 0:00:14 Welcome to Cult Film School 0:02:47 The Halloween multiverse (of continuities) 0:06:21 Halloween (2018): IMDb Plot Summary 0:10:26 2018 Michael Myers “on brand” + futile searches for motivations 0:16:29 Why comedy kills tension in Halloween (2018) 0:20:40 Legacy Sequel / Soft Reboot / Halloweens Redux 0:26:39 Halloween (2018): Tagline 0:28:08 Halloween Kills: IMDb Plot Summary 0:31:19 Michael Myers - Man or Supernatural? 0:36:35 “Evil Dies Tonight!” (And Other Attempts at Subtlety) 0:38:29 “It’s Not About You! It’s About Me!” 0:42:31 Is Halloween Kills a Black Comedy or Satire? 0:52:24 Halloween Kills: Tagline 0:52:51 Halloween Ends: IMDb Plot Summary 0:53:32 A Halloween Love Story 0:55:45 Carpenter’s Halloween or Carpenter’s Christine? 1:00:53 A Character Arc for Laurie Strode? 1:06:17 Allyson forgotten 1:11:43 Halloween Ends: Tagline 1:14:23 Trilogy Postmortem 1:20:13 Next Episode Preview   Connect with Adrian & Dion: Instagram ~ @cultfilmschool  Threads ~ @cultfilmschool Facebook  ~ Follow Us! Letterboxd ~ CultFilmSchool Send an Email ~ cultfilmschoolpodcast@gmail.com  Don’t forget to leave a rating and review!  

In this episode of Cult Film School, hosts Adrian and Dion take listeners "on a strange journey" through two unique films: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and its lesser-known follow-up, Shock Treatment (1981). They dive deep into the cultural impact, themes, and the differences between the original cult classic and its sequel that never quite captured the same magic.   Chapters: 00:15 Welcome to Cult Film School 03:14 Personal Experiences with Rocky Horror 08:55 The Rocky Horror Picture Show: IMDb Plot Summary 09:38 The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Context 12:02 Why The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a Cult Classic 22:30 Cult Film as Community 27:45 Stage Play vs. Film Adaptation 29:58 The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Tagline 32:43 Shock Treatment: IMDb Plot Summary 33:43 The Backstory of Shock Treatment 39:06 What is Shock Treatment About? 50:53 Shock Treatment's Music "Bigger" Than the Movie 54:04 Shock Treatment: Tagline 55:47 "Cult Film is Found Not Made" 57:07 Unmade Sequels and Attempts to Revive Rocky Horror 1:04:03 Next Episode Preview   Connect with Adrian & Dion: Instagram ~ @cultfilmschool  Threads ~ @cultfilmschool Facebook  ~ Follow Us! Letterboxd ~ CultFilmSchool Send an Email ~ cultfilmschoolpodcast@gmail.com  Don’t forget to leave a rating and review!  

In this episode of Cult Film School, Adrian and Dion dive deep into the cinematic underworld of E.T. ripoffs with a focus on Mac and Me (1988) and Nukie (1987), two infamous examples that scraped the bottom of the bargain bin. From laughable special effects to questionable plot decisions, join them as they dissect these cult classics and explore what makes them so enduringly bad.   Chapters: 00:13 Welcome to Cult Film School 00:45 Suggest a Film: Thanks Andrew! 02:14 Memories of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 04:58 Mac and Me: IMDb Plot Summary 06:00 The McDonald's E.T., Product Placement, and Delicious Coca-Cola 10:37 Infamous McDonald's Dance Scene 15:27 Mac and Me's Alien Character Design 17:50 Music in Mac and Me 20:20 Mac's "Phone Home" Telepathy 22:26 Final Act of Mac and Me 28:57 Wheelchair-using Protagonist 32:47 Critical Reception and Razzie Wins 33:38 Mac and Me: Tagline 34:44 Nukie: IMDb Plot Summary 37:13 Nukie "Plot" Breakdown 39:26 "Miko..." "Nukie..." 44:41 Plot Incoherence and Talking Monkeys 50:16 "The Nukie Dance" and Plot Questions 52:35 Nukie's Alien Character Design 59:40 Nukie: Tagline 1:00:36 The Trainwreck of Nukie 1:02:30 Closing Thoughts 1:06:44 Next Episode Preview   Connect with Adrian & Dion: Instagram ~ @cultfilmschool  Threads ~ @cultfilmschool Facebook  ~ Follow Us! Letterboxd ~ CultFilmSchool Send an Email ~ cultfilmschoolpodcast@gmail.com  Don’t forget to leave a rating and review!  

On today’s episode of Cult Film School hosts Adrian & Dion kick off a new semester with none other than the King of Teen Movies himself, John Hughes. Taking a deep dive into Pretty in Pink (1986) and Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), get ready for the start of a great semester ahead. So grab your book bag, sharpen your pencils, and don’t be late to class!    Chapters: 02:27 John Hughes and Teen Movies 06:38 The Impact of John Hughes 10:43 Pretty in Pink 37:41 Some Kind of Wonderful 59:14 Comparing Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful 01:03:10 John Hughes' Legacy in Teen Cinema 01:04:54 Favourite John Hughes Movies 01:06:20 Upcoming Episode Sneak Peak   Connect with Adrian & Dion: Instagram ~ @cultfilmschool  Threads ~ @cultfilmschool Facebook  ~ Follow Us! Letterboxd ~ CultFilmSchool Send an Email ~ cultfilmschoolpodcast@gmail.com  Don’t forget to leave a rating and review!  

In this Extra Credit episode of Cult Film School, hosts Adrian and Dion take a break from their summer hiatus to discuss the films they've watched. Expect a mix of humour, horror, and deep dives into cult cinema as they cover: The Redeemer: Son of Satan!, Ninja Terminator, MaXXXine, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Phenomena, Twisters, Arcadian and two standout films they spoil for each other: Longlegs and The Coffee Table.   Chapters: 01:37 Summer Break Catch-Up 33:28 Longlegs (2024) 01:00:30 The Coffee Table (2022)  01:27:58 Next Semester Sneak Peak   Connect with Adrian & Dion: Instagram ~ @cultfilmschool  Threads ~ @cultfilmschool Facebook  ~ Follow Us! Letterboxd ~ CultFilmSchool Send an Email ~ cultfilmschoolpodcast@gmail.com  Don’t forget to leave a rating and review!