Behind the Couch

The Company of Wolves  (1984) is a unique beast; part fairy tale, part werewolf film, part horror film, part rite of passage narrative. It was Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan’s second film, and his first foray into the realms of Gothic horror. Jordan co-wrote the screenplay with British novelist Angela Carter, and it is based upon several short stories from Carter’s  The Bloody Chamber , a collection of reinterpreted folk tales and classic literary fairy tales told from a piercing feminist perspective. The latest episode of Mike White's critically acclaimed podcast The Projection Booth features culture writer Heather Drain and author and editor of Diabolique  Magazine Kat Ellinger discussing The Company of Wolves . I was invited on to chat about my book on the film (part of the Devil's Advocates book series ) and the research and writing process. We also talk about the importance of libraries and how, like folk tales, they facilitate access to our past and help us understa...

Friday Night Frights is the Official Starburst Magazine Horror Podcast. It’s brought to you each week by Jon Towlson of Shocks to the System: Subversive Horror Films , who recently invited me to join him for a chat about Dario Argento. Our conversation covers Argento’s entire career, from his beginnings as a film critic and screenwriter, and his international success with the likes of Deep Red and Suspiria , through his recent offerings such as Giallo and the forthcoming Dracula 3D ; we cover the lot! Head over to Starburst’s online lair to listen to/download the podcast. 

John Carpenter and Alan Howarth, circa 1981. This month marks the first anniversary of the Audiodrome: Music in Film series over at Paracinema.net . As such, we wanted to do something special to mark the occasion. When the idea of producing a podcast was suggested, we decided to focus on the work of a composer who has not only a long and wide-ranging career in film soundtracks, but whose work is distinctive, original and enjoyable to listen to. John Carpenter is not only a renowned filmmaker responsible for some of genre cinema’s most influential and entertaining titles – he is also an accomplished musician. Experimenting with analog synthesizers and digital synthesis at a time when the technology was only just beginning to be explored, his trailblazing early soundtracks highlight him as a true pioneer of electronic music. Head over to Paracinema.net to download the podcast , and let me guide you through Carpenter's moody scores, film by film.  And while you're ther...

A few weeks back I was invited to make a podcast with Aaron Duenas of The Death Rattle . We chatted for a couple of hours over Skype - Aaron in Hawaii, me in Northern Ireland - about Italian horror cinema, my book on Dario Argento, and the little seen Italian-shock cult oddity, The Spider Labyrinth . The podcast is now online, so why not head over to The Gentlemen's Blog to Midnite Cinema to check it out.  For great appreciations and critiques of everything from Seventies Ozploitation to lesser spotted Eurocrime titles, plus a slew of in-depth interviews with the likes of Laurence Harvey ( The Human Centipede II ), Sherilyn Fenn ( Twin Peaks, Boxing Helena ) and John Jarratt ( Wolf Creek, Picnic at Hanging Rock ) to name but a few - don't forget to check out Aaron's blog The Death Rattle . Adios!