HORROR BUSINESS Episode 48: Horror Business Goes North Of The Border! (DEATHDREAM & CURTAINS)

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Greetings, and welcome back to Horror Business. We have one awesome episode in store for you guys. On this episode we’re discussing Canadian horror films with Deathdream and Curtains.

First and foremost we want to give a shoutout to our sponsors over at Lehigh Valley Apparel Creations, the premiere screen-printing company of the Lehigh Valley. Chris Reject and his merry band of miscreants are ready to work with you to bring to life your vision of a t-shirt for your business, band, project, or whatever else it is you need represented by a shirt, sweater, pin, or coozy. Head on over to www.xlvacx.com to check them out. Also, thank you to our Patreon subscribers. Your support means the world to us and we are eternally grateful for that support. Thanks!

We start by talking about what we’ve seen or done lately in the field of horror. We discuss seeing Panos Cosmatos’ new film Mandy. We discuss the paradox of Nicholas Cage being both a very talented actor and a very weird person given his choice in the films he makes, as well as some of the problematic elements of the film, including the idea of a film focusing on a female character whose only purpose is to die and send the male character on some kind of quest. Justin talks about attending the Monster Mania and New Jersey Horror conventions and his semi-annual rereading of Robert McCammon’s Usher’s Passing.

Up first is 1974’s Deathdream aka Dead Of Night. We give a brief summation of the film. Liam points out that it’s the “weirdest version of a lot of things: a zombie film, a Canadian film about America, and a Canadian film about the Vietnam War.” The film as a metaphor for PTSD is discussed at length, as is the similarity of Andy’s experience coming home to veterans coming home.

The “fish out of water” scenario that Andy experiences is compared to going from homelessness to not being homeless. The scene where Andy kills a dog is discussed, in that it’s one of the few scenes in a movie where a dog is killed for a valid reason; in this case it is to show how “non-conscience” Andy is and how is this is a reflection of soldiers are often thrust back into civilian society without being properly “deprogrammed” from military life.

The intensity and darkness of the climax and ending of the film is discussed, especially the scene where Andy’s father takes his own life and the very end where Andy, decayed and decrepit, attempts to bury himself in a shallow grave he has dug for himself.

Justin makes the comparison to the ending of An American Werewolf In London in how it’s the furthest possible thing from a happy ending.

Up next we talk about 1983’s Curtains. We give a brief summation of the film. We discuss the disjointed nature of the film, in that it feels as there are numerous films occurring once and none of them are connected.

The film struggling to be a giallo or a traditional slasher or a made for TV drama is discussed. We attempt to understand the various plot holes of the film, the technical discrepancies, and the failed “red herrings”.

We discuss the “wasted talent” of the film, in that several accomplished actors are in this movie for nothing.

As always thanks to everyone and anyone who donated on Patreon, checked this episode out, or shared a tweet/shared a post on FB/gave us love by recommending us to someone. We love you forever for listening. Any questions, comments, suggestions for movies and guests, or if you yourself want to join us for a movie viewing or even an episode, can be sent to [email protected]. We would love to hear from you! Thanks always to Justin Miller and Doug Tilley for their technical contributions and fliers, Mike Smaczylo for the shirts and fliers (you can check more of his work out at here), and also thanks to Josh Alvarez for the theme song, Chris, Brad, Alexis, and LVAC for the support and buttons (check them out at www.xlvacx.com), and a HUGE thank you to anyone who retweeted us or shared something on Facebook that we posted. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @thehorrorbiz666, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/thehorrorbiz66, and remember to rate, review, and subscribe to us on ITunes. In fact, if you write us a review, email us with your mailing address and we’ll send you some free pins and stickers! Check out www.cinepunx.com for more info on some of our other podcasts, some ultra stylish Cinepunx related merchandise, and how you can donate to our Patreon! Until next time…thanks!