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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. 56 - Creature from the Black Lagoon

In this week's episode of the Bear Cave of Terror, guest host Rob Staeger brings us another classic film favorite to chat about, with Universal's 1954 monster masterpiece, Creature From the Black Lagoon, directed by Jack Arnold. Originally shot and presented in 3D (which sadly, Steve has yet to see in the original format), Universal presented a brand new monster to add to its pantheon for the first time in 20 years. Debuted on national television during a special featuring Abbott and Costello, CFTBL went on to terrify audiences for generations through re-release in cinemas and on TV. With a face and head designed by Millicent Patrick and sculpted by Chris Mueller Jr, the Gill-Man's recognizable appearance was portrayed by two different actors in the film who both literally walked, or swam, into the role. Complex underwater filming, great on-location visuals in Florida standing in for the Amazon rainforest, and a fairly high body count make this film visually exciting, as do the frequently shirtless, and pretty caked up, actors portraying the male scientists searching the lagoon for proof of a prehistoric amphibious evolutionary off-shoot. The female lead also doesn't disappoint with a scandalous one-piece and the even more scandalously progressive relationship she maintains with one of her fellow male scientists, as well as her ability to pack more costume changes in 60 minutes than should be possible on a steam boat in the jungle! Additional resources for the film: Creature Feature: 60 Years of the Gill-Man (2014) directed by Matt Crick, and narrated by Keith David The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O'Meara, (2019) published by Hanover Square Press

CBB Presents the Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 55 - Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker

On this week's episode, Joshua R. Pangborn of Sidekick Productions stops in with a little bit of hagsploitation with a progressive queer message - 1981's Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker, directed by "I Love Lucy" and "Beach Blanket Bingo" alum, William Asher! Creatively-eyebrowed Aunt Cheryll, played by Oscar-nominee Susan Tyrrell, is a bit too over-protective...and overly into...her 17 y.o. nephew Billy, who just wants to play basketball and hang out with his yearbook photographer girlfriend Julia. A scheme to keep Billy from going to college out of state goes awry, and Cheryll ends up murdering a gay TV repair man, bringing in a homophobic and all-around terrible detective played by Bo Svenson, who believes Billy is the killer! Positive portrayals of the gay basketball coach, teen heartthrob Jimmy MacNichol, and future Sugarbaker Julia Duffy round out a cast that also features a whiny, bullying jerk played by young Bill Paxton. If you're a fan of other red-haired horror hags, you'll love Aunt Cheryll and her penchant for pickling human heads and walking in on her nephew while he tries to shower! The inevitable twist and climactic hack-and-strangle extravaganza even makes you feel sorry for the nosy neighbor. Additional resources for this film: "Is Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker too problematic for 2022?" by Maya Capasso, 1/8/22 HorrorPress.com "Monster Invasion: Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker" by staff, Fangoria #17, Feb 1982 "Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker" by Nathanial Thompson 12/13/18 TCM.com The film was also released on video in the 1980s under "Night Warning"

CBB Presents the Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 54 - Matango (1963)

This week we're joined in the Bear Cave by Doug Fink of Skree-Onk and many other fine podcasts to talk about a film helmed by Ishiro Honda, famous director of many early Godzilla films of the Showa era, but this time presenting a different type of monster entirely: the creepy mushroom people of Matango (1963)! Moving quickly from a mod yacht-party film into psychological breakdown, survivors of a shipwreck arrive on a deserted island and try to survive on a derelict ship, all while they run low on food and are tempted to ingest the fungus that grows all over the island, the ship, and eventually, the castaways themselves. Based on an early 1900s short horror story, "The Voice in the Night" by WH Hodgson, Honda uses the premise to highlight a group of Tokyo frenemies as they exhibit their worst selves until some inevitably give into the bliss of joining the zombified mushroom creatures, raising the question - which ones are the real monsters? Tales of purposefully missing teeth, the South Pacific market for turtle eggs, concrete vs fungal jungles, and why Survivor needs to get on this premise asap, are all covered in this episode - have a listen! Additional Resources for this episode: "The Voice in the Night" - W.H. Hodgson, 1907 Suspicion (1957) - Episode 1-24, 1958, directed by Arthur Hiller, originally aired on NBC - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssi6_YWrrxc

CBB Presents the Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 53 - The Brood (1979)

This week, musician and cool cat Wendi Freeman, aka Marital Streep, joins Steve in the Bear Cave to talk about a wild slice of psychological and body horror from David Cronenberg, the Canadian master of terror, The Brood (1979)! What started as a script based on the director's own contentious divorce and custody battle, pulls in the public fascination with experimental therapy, discomfort with psychiatry, and some gross, mutant, childlike rage monsters with beaks and no bellybuttons to craft a horror where almost everyone's a victim, not just the ones ending up bludgeoned to death by monsters in colorful snowsuits! Canadian home layouts, Estonian little people, the chilling score, the erotically-charged loud whispering of daddy bear Oliver Reed, and the maniacally intense Samantha Eggers' performance combine to create a tense, bloody thriller. So grab your mittens and barricade your milk doors, and have a listen as we discuss one of this week's guest's favorite horror films! Additional resources for this episode: "The Brood: Separation Trials" by Carrie Ricky, 10/13/15, Criterion Collection "Horror good for you" by Mike Leo, 8/1/79, Ottawa Journal "Birth Pains" (2015) produced for The Criterion Channel

CBB Presents the Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 52 - Elvira: Mistress of the Dark

This week, BCoT is happy to have guest host Jacques Lamarre joining us for the first time to talk about cult 80s horror spoof, featuring the gal who put the "boob" back in "boob tube" and former host of Movie Macabre, Elvira, in her signature film, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988), directed by James Signarelli! TV horror host Elvira quits her job in L.A. and road trips back East to the puritanical New England town of Fallwell, Massachusetts after inheriting her great aunt's house, poodle, and book of spells, er, recipes. With lots of cameos from her fellow Groundlings, some incredibly quotable lines, spooky situations, and some fun practical effects, this queer icon's film still shines even after being forced to shoehorn a plot involving local teens, pull back on the raunchy jokes (but not too much, thankfully), and failing to have hunky Daniel Greene shuck his flannel! Horror homages abound while spoofing well-known tropes, there are call-outs to longtime friend and co-creator of the Elvira, Robert Redding, plenty of groan-worthy book jokes, and we also chat about some fun trivia from the making of the flick. Have a listen...and Unpleasant Dreams! Additional Resources for this episode: "Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira Mistress of the Dark" (2018), directed and produced by Anthony Timpone, Michael Krueger, and Sven Thomas Weber, Ira Heiden "Movie Reviews: Elvira Matches Films she Introduces on TV" by Kevin Thoma, 9/30/88, Los Angeles Times "Why Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is an honorable horror film"by Samantha Parrish, 2021, vocal.media/horror Theenvelope.latimes.com Razzies.com

CBB Presents the Bear Cave of Terror Ep. 51 - The Haunting (1963)

Stepping into the Bear Cave for the first time is Jay Gravatte, and he brings with him this week another classic horror film, the original The Haunting from 1963, directed by Robert Wise. Brilliantly shot, with fantastic performances, this psychological and supernatural thriller makes bold use of sound and bizarre angles to terrify the bejeezus out of the characters spending the night in the most haunted house in New England (and do a great job of keeping the audience on edge, too)! With the tortured inner monologue of the heroine, cramped sets and skewed camera angles, an out, chicly dressed psychic lesbian, and one rickety and wobbly spiral staircase, The Haunting basically defined the haunted house movies for decades after. Holding a place in our guest host's heart (and firmly in his top five horror films), this adaptation of Shirley Jackson's "Haunting of Hill House" is one of the horror genres best-known classics for a reason! Additional resources for this episode: the-haunting.com - run by Laurent Delsarte, is essentially THE definitive resource for all things The Haunting! "Memories of Monsters" - WHAS-11 - intro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-nI5Yst1JY and other clips can be found on YouTube

CBB Presents the Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 50 - Drag Me to Hell

In this, the 50th(!) episode of the Bear Cave of Terror, we welcome back Casey Kelderman of the Screams from the Basement Podcast to talk about one of his absolute favorites, Drag Me to Hell from 2009, directed by Sam Raimi. As a Raimi fan, Casey talks with Steve about why Drag Me to Hell is a return to gonzo horror after the director's streak with the pre-MCU Spider-Man series, and how much DNA it shares with the Evil Dead series that made him famous. Car fights, goop, bugs, nasty dentures, ancient curses, puppet goats and late 2000s CGI combine to make a cartoonish, gross, and horrifying tale with Alison Lohman's seemingly innocent Christine, and featuring Scream King Justin Long as her confused boyfriend, as she tries to rid herself of a curse put on her by an old Roma woman she disrespects. Look out for a certain car, a Wile E. Coyote gag, and more slime than an 80s episode of You Can't Do That on Television! Additional Resources for this episode: Filmoblivion.com/2018/08/22/drag-me-to-hell-2009/ "Sam Raimi Teases..." by John Weiss, 3/9/23, SyFy Wire, Syfy.com "Sam Raimi explains why there hasn't been a sequel" by William Bibbiano, 7/11/19 BloodyDisgusting.com "Drag Me to Hell Star reacts..." by Inga Parkel, 6/20/24, The-Independent.com

CBB Presents the Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 49 - Hot Spring Shark Attack

The Bear Cave of Terror welcomes Sam Lenz of the Screams from the Basement Podcast back to chat with Steve about favorite horror flicks, and this time, they're looking at the wild, schlocky, fun-as-hell homage to shark horror movies: Hot Springs Shark Attack aka Onsen Shark from 2024, directed by Morihito Inoue! This film has unexpected gags, special effects that run from practical to (bad) CGI, talking shark puppets, intricate models, blood splatter, and a mix of references to everything from the original Jaws, Jaws 2, the Meg, Sharknado, and more! The cast has fun, so whether you're rooting for the over-it Chief, the failing-upwards mayor, the shark-obsessed professor, or the mysterious and jacked, shark-punching Macho himself, there's a lot to enjoy in this Japanese import. Don't be shy about the subtitles, and give it a watch, and tell us what you think! Additional Resources for this film: "Hot Spring Shark Attack Review: Japanese Horror Comedy is a zany live-action cartoon" by Jonathan Dehaan, 7/8/25, nofspodcast.com "Hot Spring Shark Attack Review" by Christopher Cross, 7/10/25, asynchronousmedia.com "Hot Spring Shark Attack: Early look at indie Japanese Monster Movie" by Staff, SCIFI Japan Amateurkaijucontest.wixsite.com - for more information about the annual amateur kaiju monster movie championships

CBB Presents the Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 48 - Poltergeist (1982)

In this week's episode, Craig Lantz pops by to talk with Steve about one of the main contributor to 80's kid's nightmares, 1982's Poltergeist! Directed by Tobe Hooper and produced/co-written by Steven Spielberg, this was one of the many excellent genre films to come out of 1982, terrifying legions of children and their parents who thought "how bad could a PG-rated horror movie be?" What is ostensibly a haunted house film became a cultural touchstone that birthed dozens of parodies, quotable lines, and influenced decades of horror films afterwards. Not without some controversy, and long-rumored to have given rise to an infamous Hollywood curse due to the tragic deaths of several stars, including young Heather O'Rourke who played Carol Anne, it nevertheless remains a long-time favorite for several generations of fans, spawning 2 direct sequels, a recent remake in the 2010s, and probably PSAs for kitchen hygiene (or really should have). So fire up your CRT TV, and tune it to static, because they're here to chat about Poltergeist! Additional Resources for this episode: "The Untold Story of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg's (almost) collboration" by Anthony Breznican, 5/15/18, Entertainment Weekly "Poltergeist's PPG Rating was a Crime against Kids of the 80s" by Owen S. Good, 10/3/20, Polygon.com "Click over Children! All are Welcome!..." by Quint, 10/2/07, Ain't It Cool News https://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/34266 "What Really Happened During the Making of Poltergeist" by Anthony Breznican, 9/22/22, Vanity Fair Heather O'Rourke: She Was Here (2026) dir. by Brian Pocrass & Nick Bailey, produced by Indiecan Entertainment Cursed Films (2020), Season 1, Episode 3: "Poltergeist", dir. Jay Cheel, produced by First Love Films

CBB Presents the Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 47 - Backrooms (2026)

For a first on the Bear Cave of Terror, we're featuring a film that is still in theaters (at the time of recording), but has already become a favorite of huge numbers of horror fans, including this week's guest host, comic creator and artist, Mayday Trippe! Mayday joins Steve to talk about the smash hit, Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons and based on both his series of YouTube short films on the KanePixels channel, and the ever-expanding creepypasta phenomenon of the same name. As Mayday and Steve get lost in the complex and maze-like liminal environment as the dread builds, they also dive into the many layers of the story of two main characters created for the film, Clark and Mary, and their separate and colliding experiences deep in the Backrooms - who is the real monster? How does time work in the film? Does anyone ever really get out? The attention to detail and visual clues scattered through the movie from a 20 y.o. director, who now has the distinction of helming one of the most successful and highest grossing independent movies of 2026 so far, shows that the concept has real life outside of YouTube and collaborative video games, and has been able to reach a much wider audience who have found their way to a new favorite horror! Additional resources for this episode: https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Backrooms-(2026) "Backrooms director Kane Parsons: What to know..." by Lexi Carson, 6/4/26 Hollywoodreporter.com Be sure to check out Youtube.com/@kanepixels for the original short films

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