The latest season continues a chilling journey into what amuses and terrifies us in horror movies – both in the classics of the genre and in less known titles. The new episodes will tackle themes such as sequels (the quite successful ones), infection and disease, psychic abilities, mad scientists, post-apocalyptic horror, and the one taking place on special occasions.
Horror master Eli Roth, who also executive produced the series, returns as the host and with him a galaxy of interlocutors (in alphabetical order): Cate Blanchett, Margaret Cho, Jeffrey Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Geena Davis, Lex Scott Davis, Robert Englund, Vanessa Hudgens, Elliott Knight, David Koechner, Christopher Landon, Meat Loaf, Greg Nicotero, Jonah Ray, Giovanni Ribisi, Jessica Rothe, Madeleine Stowe, Quentin Tarantino, Jennifer Tilly, Edgar Wright, Rob Zombie and many others.
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE EPISODES
Episode 301 – “Sequels (That Don’t Suck)” – Premiere November 11 at 10 p.m. AMC
It is known that when there is a Roman or Arabic numeral next to the title, it is better to be careful! But if that’s true, why are sequels so popular? They wouldn’t be made if people didn’t want to see them. Perhaps we want to re-immerse ourselves in the dark worlds that both terrified and fascinated us the first time … or we want to see the heroes we become familiar with in action again. There’s another reason that is rarely mentioned: sometimes the sequels are just as good, or even better than, the originals. They can use best practices and turn them into something fresh and crazy, like Joe Dante’s anarchic anti-sequel to Gremlins 2 ; or use a strong concept and place it in a current social situation, as done in the movie The First Purge Gerard McMurray.
Episode 1’s mission is to change the reputation of this most vicious cinematic category, sequels. After all, just because you weren’t the first doesn’t mean you can’t be the best.
The program will return to such hits as: Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors , Psycho II , The First Purge, Bride of Chucky, Scream 2 and Gremlins 2 .
The interviewees will include (in alphabetical order): Justina Bonilla, Diablo Cody, Dean Cundey, Joe Dante, Lex Scott Davis, Tananarive Due, Robert Englund, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Chris Hardwick, Lydia Hearst, Tom Holland, Heidi Honeycutt, Vanessa Hudgens , Heather Langenkamp, Leonard Maltin, Don Mancini, Anthony Masi, Greg Nicotero, Jonah Ray, Tori Spelling, Quentin Tarantino, Nathaniel Thompson, Jennifer Tilly, Joivan Wade, Kevin Williamson, Edgar Wright and Rob Zombie.
Episode 302 – “Infections” – Coming November 18 at 10pm on AMC
Viewers from the last two years can be divided into those who watched films about infectious diseases and those who did not. Horror fans usually fall into the former category, seeing this genre as a way to free themselves from their biggest fears (it’s bad, but it could be worse – just look at what happened to Gwyneth Paltrow in Contagion) and methods to prepare for nightmare experiences in real life.
This episode covers a spectrum of scary scenarios of all kinds of infections, ranging from reality-based movies ( Epidemic , Contagion, Twelve Monkeys ), to works of surreal plagues ( Chills, Rage, and The Masque of the Red Death ) and terrifying zombie epidemics ( [ REC] and Pontypool ), in films about pathogens coming from space, ending ( The Andromeda Strain and Color Out of Space ).
We all have a deep-seated fear of infection. But as the above-mentioned movies and real life show, the human ability to survive is just as strong.
Interviewees include (in alphabetical order): Madeleine Arthur, Max Brooks, Scott Z. Burns, Axelle Carolyn, Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, Bryan Fuller, Mick Garris, Dana Gould, Bill Hader, Lydia Hearst, Joe Hill , Tom Holland, Elliot Knight, Leonard Maltin, Rebekah McKendry, David Morse, Greg Nicotero, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Stacey Sher, Madeleine Stowe, Quentin Tarantino, Nathaniel Thompson and Edgar Wright.
Episode 303 – “Physics” – Coming November 25 at 10pm on AMC
What are the downsides to having psychic abilities? After all, reading minds or moving objects without using muscles is a very pleasant fantasy. But what if these powers showed you things that you wouldn’t want to see? What if people wanted to use your gift for their own sinister purposes? Even worse: what would happen if someone with psychic powers turned their powers against you?
Movies about the medium strike the ego of the human species – people with psychic abilities have risen to the top with their powerful, multi-layered brains – but they can also use the ground where we ordinary humans feel insecure. We know very little about cognition and free will, but we must realize that only a brain tumor separates us from radical personality changes and psychotic behavior. Fear of the bad side of psychic powers is fear of our own troubled minds.
This episode features a vast array of psychic films from top-notch filmmakers including David Cronenberg’s Scanners and the Dead Zone , a thrilling adaptation of Stephen King’s Sleep Doctor directed by Mike Flanagan, Brian DePalma’s Fury , Sam Raimi’s Gift , The Frighteners Peter Jackson and Tim Burton’s horror comedy masterpiece Beetlejuice .
The interviewees will include (in alphabetical order): Cate Blanchett, Jeffrey Combs, Joe Dante, Geena Davis, Chris Dumas, Alex Essoe, Michael Fimognari, Mike Flanagan, Mick Garris, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Bill Hader, Chris Hardwick, Joe Hill, Vanessa Hudgens, Mark Irwin, Stephen King, Don Mancini, Greg Nicotero, Jonah Ray, Giovanni Ribisi, Quentin Tarantino, Nathaniel Thompson, and Edgar Wright.
Episode 304 – “Apocalyptic Horror” – Coming December 2 at 10pm on AMC
The higher they rise, the greater their fall. And when it comes to our civilization, the modern world is as large and so populated as never before, so when it comes to an end it will surely be spectacular. After the fall of the Roman Empire, about a thousand years of hard times followed for mankind. The collapse of our civilization will therefore probably be even more traumatic and frightening.
However, as our history shows and horror films confirm, humans can survive almost anything, including world wars, global plagues, mass famines, and perhaps a zombie apocalypse. There is no doubt that survive fans of horror films, who managed to assimilate the lessons of such spectacles on the end of the world as World War Z , Zombie express , Zombieland , War of the Worlds , I Am Legend , The Omega Man , Cloverfield Lane 10 , it is already the end and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
The interviewees will include (in alphabetical order): Max Brooks, Margaret Cho, Joe Dante, Lex Scott Davis, Michael Dougherty, Chris Dumas, Ruben Fleischer, Bryan Fuller, Dana Gould, Chris Hardwick, Lydia Hearst, Joe Hill, Vanessa Hudgens, Leonard Maltin, Rebekah McKendry, Greg Nicotero, Jonah Ray, Quentin Tarantino, Nathaniel Thompson, Dan Trachtenberg, Joivan Wade, Edgar Wright, and Rob Zombie.
Episode 305 – “Holiday Horror” – Premieres December 9 at 10pm on AMC
It started with Black Christmas . Bob Clark’s groundbreaking slasher picked up the then shocking idea of placing a bloodbath over Christmas, offering a dark contrast to the joys of the Christmas season. Halloween came a few years later, and its success started with a series of horror films about various occasional holidays. This idea is still successful every decade, modified to meet the needs of new generations of viewers.
The question is why are such films so popular? Partly because horror is the “bad boy” of cinema who is always looking for ways to cross borders and topple the sacred cows. The creators of horror films are just waiting to pour the stage blood of the magical whiteness of Christmas. There is one more important reason for making such films: each of us knows that Christmas is the time when we meet our family, and that it is sometimes a joyful and sometimes painful experience. For some, violence in Christmas slasher movies is actually giving a voice to all the grievances and malice that accumulate at the family table, and very often are not spoken out loud. For others, the shocking juxtaposition of the day of celebration with the cruel scenes of murder and slaughter is just another element of the chilling fun.
This episode features a sample of the deluxe festive chaos, including Black Christmas , Krampus. Christmas Ghost, Silent Night, Deadly Night , Terror on the Train , My Bloody Valentine , April Fool’s Day , Death Is Coming Today and the 2018 smash hit sequel to Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis.
The interviewees will include (in alphabetical order): Justina Bonilla, Margaret Cho, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Dougherty, Bryan Fuller, Mick Garris, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Chris Hardwick, Lydia Hearst, Joe Hill, Heidi Honeycutt, Vanessa Hudgens, John Jennings , David Koechner, Christopher Landon, Anthony Masi, Rebekah McKendry, Jessica Rothe, Sofia Takal, Quentin Tarantino, Nathaniel Thompson, Ryan Turek, Edgar Wright, and Rob Zombie.
Episode 306 – “Mad Scientists” – Premieres on December 16 at 10pm on AMC
The pursuit of knowledge can sometimes lead us down dark, unknown paths. Our desire to understand the workings of the universe made us move from caves to cities, from desert to moon. Unfortunately, it also has negative effects: it has caused diseases to our bodies and our planet, it has given us weapons of mass destruction and police states, and not so long ago also created the tricky tool of the Internet, which completely disrupted the way we live and think.
The legitimate fear that humanity’s science will unleash even more powerful forces that we cannot or will want to control is one of the favorite themes of horror movies. This fear is embodied in the figure of the mad scientist who is usually either an amoral and egomaniac villain, or a noble researcher who is eventually lost by his unbridled lust for knowledge. Similar to movie monsters, mad scientists also refer to our rebellious nature. For every unbalanced Dr. Frankenstein, there is the lascivious Dr. Frank-N-Furter who happily challenges the boundaries of an obedient society.
Introducing: the many incarnations of Frankenstein , The Invisible Man, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , as well as Ex Machina , Faceless Eyes , and the hideous Dr. Phibes , Altered States of Consciousness and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Interviewees will include (in alphabetical order): Axelle Carolyn, Margaret Cho, Joe Dante, Geena Davis, Lex Scott Davis, Chris Dumas, Bryan Fuller, Mick Garris, Dana Gould, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Joe Hill, Heidi Honeycutt, Vanessa Hudgens , Mark Irwin, Meat Loaf, Leonard Maltin, Rebekah McKendry, Greg Nicotero, Jonah Ray, Jessica Rothe, David J. Skal, Quentin Tarantino, Andrew Kevin Walker, Edgar Wright and Rob Zombie.
