Tag Archives: Tobe Hooper

Episode 98. House Warning: The Amityville Horror (1979) and Poltergeist (1982)

Call your bank and pack the moving truck because we’re uprooting everything we think we know about home ownership. From the Lutz’ mortgage with Devil to the skeletons in the Freelings’ closet (and backyard), Andrea and Alex unearth what lies beyond and beneath the white picket fences of American suburbia.
 
 
Salem Horror Fest 2021 – tickets and info now available!

REQUIRED READING

The Amityville Horror. Dir. Stuart Rosenberg, 1979.
Poltergeist. Dir. Tobe Hooper, 1982.

EXTRA CREDIT

Gaylords of Darkness Amityville 4 episode. The incomparable Stacie and Anthony tackle one of the strangest movies ever made. A must-listen!
 
Stephen King’s Danse Macabre. King’s non-fiction treatise on all things horror.
 
Romance and Real Estate, Walter Benn Michaels. Michael’s chapter on the emotional ties to owned property.
 
Owning Up: Privacy, Property, and Belonging in U.S. Women’s Life Writing, 1840-1890. Katherine Adam’s book about the rise of individuality, property and women’s relationship to owning a home.
 
In the Nation, Why Owning a Home is Still the American Dream. A history of status, taxes and the uses of home ownership.
 
Digging Up the Indian Burial Ground Trope. Shea Vassar’s breakdown and history of the trope which includes Terri Jean’s 5 reasons for the trope’s enduring popularity.
 
The Terrifying True Story that inspired Poltergeist. A look at Amityville‘s neighbours that inspired Poltergeist.
 
Reaganomics killed America’s middle class. An examination of Reagan’s economic policies and their lasting effects.
 
Half-True Crime: Why the Stranger-Danger Panic of the ’80s Took Hold and Refuses to Let Go. A deep-dive into the 1980s moral panic and its after-effects.
 
Cursed Films: “Poltergeist”: The Shudder series by Jay Cheel tackles the many urban legends surrounding the Poltergeist franchise.
 

LISTEN

Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

Tagged , , ,

Episode 11. Family Dinner: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

TCM

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, so Andrea and Alex take a bite out of Tobe Hooper’s horror classic and all the film and cultural theory that goes with it because the family that eats together, stays together.

REQUIRED READING

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Dir. Tobe Hooper. 1974 [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Dir. Marcus Nispel. 2003 [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

EXTRA CREDIT

The E! True Hollywood Story: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A sensationalist look at the inception, production and reception of Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre in time for one of the Platinum Dunes retreads.

LISTEN

Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Tagged ,