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The Bear Cave of Terror

The Bear Cave of Terror

by Steve Mowry

Film History Film Reviews

Season 1

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 44 - Scream 3 (2000)

After bringing the first sequel into the Bear Cave of Terror last week, Ben Raifsnider of the Little Dead Aliens podcast is back to talk about the next installment in one of his favorite horror series, the Scream franchise: 2000's Scream 3, again directed by Wes Craven! Originally intended to bring the saga back to Woodsboro per Kevin Williamson's original script idea, things changed drastically between new screenwriters and the tragedy of Columbine High School in 1999. Instead, the "final installment" (at least until the next film) of the Scream trilogy decided to take the gang to Hollywood, setting the new string of murders onto the soundstage of the meta Stab 3 movie, which of course brings Gale, Dewey, and final girl Sydney right into the middle of the mystery of the new Ghostface killer. This time, they're slashing their way through a new group of late-90s hot, young actors. Along with the returning cast (including one whose character didn't make it out alive from the last film), some possible supernatural influence, including getting between places almost instantaneously despite L.A. traffic, and of course, Parker Posey, the third Scream keeps the viewer on their toes to the end. Ben and Steve also talk about the script changes and fake-outs, THAT hilarious cameo, questionable studio choices, and more! Resources for this episode: Your Favorite Scary Movie, Ashley Cullins, 2025, Penguin Random House

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 43 - Scream 2 (1997)

One of the modern slasher horror franchises that is still making sequels today is the storied Scream series, and on this episode, we welcome back Scream super-fan and frequent guest, Ben Raifsnider of the Little Dead Aliens podcast to share his love of the first sequel to the surprise 90s hit, 1997's Scream 2, directed again by Wes Craven and also written by Kevin Williamson! This quickly greenlit and filmed sequel, released one year after the original sliced its way through cinemas and into the hearts of slasher fans everywhere, further establishes the world and rules of the Scream franchise and its meta film-within-a-film, Stab! Will Sydney and Randy's college years be less exciting than high school? The high bodycount and bloody mystery of who is killing co-eds is a sign that they'll probably be a bit messier. More returning cast members, and the addition of hot young actors of the late 90s make this a fun sequel that hits many high notes, with some great scenes, some fun trickery with multiple scripts to keep the early internet sleuths guessing, and solidifies the series as a big ticket draw for the studio! Additional Resources for this episode: "Scream creator confirms longterm theory" by Cathal Gunning, 6/12/25 screenrant.com The-Numbers.com Film Review: Help! He's Back! Run! Shriek! Tempt Fate!" by Janet Maslin, 12/12/97 New York Times "Cassandra's Curse" Unheeded Warnings in Scream 2 and Black Christmas" by Jessica Scott 3/2/23 Fangoria.com "The Silence of the Cast" by Marc Shapiro w/Ian Spelling, Fangoria 170 March 1998, pp 38-41 HelloSidney.com

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 42 - Suspiria (1977)

This week in the Bear Cave of Terror, Jay Yospa graces us with his presence and brings with him one of his and Steve's favorite horror movies, 1977's Suspiria, directed by Dario Argento. An expressionist, explosive, and twisted tale of a young American dancer who begins attending a dance academy in Munich, Germany, and discovers a host of deadly secrets involving witchcraft, violent murders, and rooms filled with...razor wire? Considered one of Argento's best films, with gorgeous cinematography, settings, and a blistering score by his band Goblin, the Giallo-adjacent first of the Three Mothers trilogy is arguably the best entry. So turn down the lights, turn up the volume (but not too loud!), and listen to the latest episode of the Bear Cave of Terror! Additional Resources for this episode: "Movie Locations: Suspiria" - movie-locations.com "In the Know" Suspiria Trivia by David Kalat 8/20/08 TCM.com "Dario Argento's Three Mothers Trilogy: An Introduction" by PekoeBlaze, 2/23/23 pekoeblaze.wordpress.com

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 41 - Zombeavers (2014)

In this episode of BCoT, Rob Staeger finds himself back to talk about a much-celebrated, oft-cited, classic example of the golden age of cinema...or he normally would, if he actually wasn't here to talk about the schlocky, silly, and thoroughly fun and enjoyable 2014 B-movie flick, Zombeavers, directed by Jordan Rubin! Filled with practical effects (like beaver puppets made from tshirt-stuffed beaver pelts, and radio controlled swimming critters), satirical dialogue, and plenty of callbacks and homages to other cabin-in-the-woods horror like Evil Dead, this feature plays on all the cliches and still manages to subvert expectations by treating the goofy and over-the-top premise with the seriousness of a straight zombie survival thriller. Grab your severed foot, throw a dog in the water as a distraction, and remember: beavers can chew through wood barricades! Additional Sources for this episode: "Zombeavers Director: This isn't Sharknado..." by Aaron Couch, 2/20/14 The Hollywood Reporter "Zombeavers is so much better than it sounds" by Tyler Doupe, 1/01/22 Dreadcentral.com Zombeaver Puppet, youtprops.com "It's the Zombie Beaver Puppets that Steal the Show in Zombeavers" by Rob Staeger, 3/18/15 The Village Voice

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 40 - The Howling (1981)

Werewolves are loose in the Bear Cave yet again, with guest host Craig Lantz bringing the other big werewolf film of 1981, Joe Dante's The Howling, to chat about. Often playing second-favorite to An American Werewolf in London, The Howling nevertheless was released first, and contains some gruesome (and plentiful) werewolf creature transformations, and is filled with references, homages, and even actor cameos from legacy horror and monster movies, while playing with - and redefining - rules for werewolves and shapeshifters for the modern era. Some creature designs and transformations may be more successful than others, but the story of a TV reporter (played by Dee Wallace) suffering from PTSD due to a botched sting operation to catch a serial killer, sent to recover in a country village called "The Colony", only to find herself surrounded by pointy-eared and murderous shapeshifters, is a pretty gripping one. Supported by a couple of other journalists discovering that the serial killer may have been more than human, the nest of werewolves reveal themselves before a fiery final confrontation. The dual nature of mankind, wild practical effects and gore, and some grisly attacks make The Howling a wild ride. Even a goofy WereYorkie can't bring this move down! Additional Resources: In Search of Darkness: AJourney into Iconic 80s Horror (2019), directed by David A. Weiner, produced by CreativeVC "Channel Your Inner Werewolf..." by Maggie Boccella, 1/29/26 Fangoria.com "The Howling" by Bob Martin and Jim Wynorski, Fangoria 9, Nov 1980, pp 9-13

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 39 - They Live (1988)

In this special version of the Bear Cave of Terror, host Steve Mowry has been transported to the Comic Book Keep in South Dakota after attending the Screams by Night Halfway to Halloween Con. There, he joins Jon Runyan and Ken Creamer, both previous guests in the Bear Cave, to talk about John Carpenter's 1988 horror classic, They Live! Ken and Steve hold this as one of their top 80s flicks, but Jon gets to experience the mullets, sunglasses, and hideous alien faces for the first time. We chat about the ghouls, the quotable lines, and the infamous Keith David/Roddy Piper fight scene, along with how wildly prescient this movie is in 2026, almost 40 years after its release. So be sure to watch TV, consume, and listen to the Bear Cave of Terror as we chat about the docume..., er, sci-fi horror film, They Live! Additional Resources for this episode: In Search of Darkness: A Journey into Iconic 80s Horror, 2019, directed by David A. Weiner, produced by CreatorVC

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 38 - Jennifer's Body (2009)

In this week's episode of the Bear Cave of Terror, Ben "Little Dead Aliens" Raifsnider joins us again to talk about one of his favorites, the great 2009 cult horror-comedy, Jennifer's Body, directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody. Underappreciated and maligned at the time it was originally released, this witty, gory, and immensely-quotable flick found its fans over the past 15+ years since its release to become one of the great horror films of the 2000s. From a great pairing of Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox on screen, to quippy, memorable dialogue, and some messy kills, the story of a cheerleader becoming possessed by a demon and her best friend trying to figure a way to stop her eating the boys at school is a wild ride with some great visuals and a creative team that clearly loves how to play with horror. Poorly marketed to the wrongs audiences by a clueless PR team with insulting test screenings, running afoul of early Twitter and misogynistic blog culture, and blowback against the successes of Megan Fox and Diablo Cody really hurt the film's chances at the box office, and it would have faded away if hadn't been discovered by the real intended audience that have championed it over the years. With snarky humor, gory kills, and a great pair of leads, hopefully this becomes one of your favorites, listener, if it isn't already! (Robot voice warning: Steve's mic decided to go periodically "Dalek" during the recording) Additional resources for the film: "Fox Searchlight Lawyers Defend Jennifer's Body from Snarky Bloggers" by Kate, 2/11/08, Mediabistro.com "Megan Fox, Diablo Cody Interview: Jennifer's Body" by Sheila Roberts, 9/5/09 moviesonline.ca "How Jennifer's Body became a true cult classic" by BJ Colangelo 11/7/22 SlashFilm.com "Jennifer's Body Reunion" - ET Live 9/19/19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2JLRtWlq0o

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 37 - Chopping Mall

In this episode we're joined by both hosts of the Screams From the Basement podcast, Sam Lenz and Casey Kellerman, to talk about one of their most favorite horror films of all time, the classic 1986 horror, Chopping Mall, directed by Jim Wynorski and produced by Roger and Julie Corman! Filmed in an active mall, this slasher set in a mall after-hours, where young people try to survive the night trapped with 3 killer security robots, originally released under the title Killbots, and contains some of the best quotable dialogue, fun characters, serious, high-stakes kills, and cameos from characters out of other movies, just for kicks! Starring Kelli Moroney and Barbara Crampton, and several other 80s horror staples, Steve, Sam and Casey chat about the imprtance of "The Mall" in 80s-90s teen culture, the fun performances, the great design of the killbots, and that great soundtrack. Lost for a few decades between the indie VHS days and the DVD/Blu-ray revolution in physical media, it's now available to stream or own again, so you too can experience a tight 77 minutes of head-exploding, elevator-sabotaging, and furniture store partying that we all need in our horror-loving lives. Additional Resources for the film - "8 80s Horror Movies that Accidentally became Comedy Cult Classics" by Adam Symchuk, 6/14/25, Movieweb.com "The Fucking Black Sheep: Chopping Mall (1986)" by Jake Dee, 2019, Joblo.com "Exclusive Interniew w/Cult Filmmaker Jim Wynorksi" y Christian Sellers, 4/19/09 - Retroslashers.us "The Killbots of Chopping Mall" by Meagan Navarro, 8/20/19 bloodydisgusting.com

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 36 - Cat People (1942)

This week, the Bear Cave of Terror looks back over 80 years to discuss one of guest host Rob Staeger's noir horror favorites, Cat People, directed by Jacques Tourneur and released from RKO's horror unit headed by the legendary Val Lewton. We look at this subtle, but inspirational "frugally-budgeted" classic from an era dominated by Universal's Horror line that nevertheless hold its own with a tense atmosphere, clever writing, and some techniques that became horror film staples decades later. We touch on the symbolism, the money-saving tricks that still gave audiences the suspense and thrill of big-budget horror, and even how there could be a queer reading between the "cat person" Irena and the romantic rival, Alice! (Steve also mentions multiple times how much of a slimy jerk that Dr Judd is!) So get your fare ready for a ride on the Lewton Bus, hide any canaries, and have a listen to us talk about original Cat People! Additional Resources for this episode: "Cat People Movie Review" by Variety Staff, 12/31/1941, Variety "The Prince of Poverty Row" by Barry Gifford, 4/6/2006, The Guardian "How an Iconic Scene in Cat People Created the Cinematic Jump Scare" by Meagan Navarro, 11/18/20, Slashfilm.com Cat People: Criterion Collection release, Audio Commentary by Gregory Mank, 2005

CBB Presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 35 - Grizzly (1976)

On this episode of the BCoT, we welcome back Executive Producer of the Comic Book Bears Podcasting Network, Bill Zanowitz! One of Bill's favorite type of horror is the surprisingly robust sub-genre of Jawsploitation, and so we'll be talking about one of the first of the films to join that list is 1976's Grizzly, directed by mockbuster pioneer William Girdler. Coming just one year after the original 1975 blockbuster, Jaws, Grizzly takes the same premise, but stages it on land at a national park, and instead of a giant shark, it throws a giant (and very hungry) grizzly bear at the campers, rangers, and inhabitants of the land reserve. Limbs fly, blood pools, and a trio of manly men pledge to stop the bear's rampage in this surprisingly well-made imitation of the previous year's breakout hit. A hit in its own right, despite poor critical reception and not the best script, it went on to become the highest-grossing independent film of the 70s before being dethroned by a little horror slasher called Halloween. A real bear, a broken mechanical prop, a young almost-genius filmmaker, a crooked distributor, this film has it all behind-the-scenes! Additional resources for this episode: "Grizzly" - American Film Institute - catalog.afi.com/catalog/moviedetails/55963 "Grizzly" by David Kalat, 5/5/11 TCM.com "The Zebra Killer" by Steven Puchalski, 2000 - Shock Cinema Magazine "William Girdler, King of the Knock-Offs" by Jim Knipfel, 7/5/16 DenOfGeek.com

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