Puppet Masters / Castle Freaks
This is the definitive Full Moon Features podcast! Each week, we’re going to watch a different film from Charles Band’s madcap universe of low-budget horror thrillers, encompassing not only the Full Moon films but also the earlier stable of Empire International Pictures and sub-labels like Moonbeam and Torchlight!
Episodes

Friday Nov 03, 2023
Friday Nov 03, 2023
He's thirteen inches... with an attitude. He's DOLLMAN, Tim Thomerson's wacky return to the Full Moon universe, a badass space cop who travels to Earth, where he learns he's six times smaller than everything around him. This silly, gory action-comedy boasts some oddball laughs and a fun villain turn from future Oscar nominee Jackie Earle Haley, and we're excited to be joined by Eric Walkuski from JoBlo.com to talk through all the pint-sized action.
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck
Logo by Doug McCambridge
Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks
Next week's episode: Blood Dolls

Friday Oct 27, 2023
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Perhaps the gnarliest film in the entire catalog, Stuart Gordon's CASTLE FREAK was a notorious low-budget shocker that completed his Combs/Crampton/Lovecraft trilogy that began back with RE-ANIMATOR. Of course, when talking about CASTLE FREAK, there's only one guest we could have had, a man who's worked himself into the lore of the series and helped perpetuate it's reputation: Stuart Wellington! The co-host of the legendary FLOP HOUSE podcast joins us this week to talk about his enduring love of this oddball little chiller.
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli
Logo by Douglas McCambridge
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck
Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks
Next week's episode: Dollman

Friday Oct 20, 2023
Friday Oct 20, 2023
Full Moon's most prominent killer clown makes his PM/CF debut this week. KILLJOY, the tiny-budgeted shocker from 2000, helped usher in a new era of Full Moon features, for better and for worse. We're excited to welcome the amazing Stevie Webb, host of BRAIN ROT, the UK's best horror podcast, to talk all about the cheap thrills of this ice cream-peddling demon clown!
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli
Logo by Douglas McCambridge
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck
Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks
Next week's episode: Castle Freak

Friday Oct 13, 2023
Friday Oct 13, 2023
SHRUNKEN HEADS tells the classic tale of three murdered children who are decapitated, resurrected by voodoo, and become crime fighters who turn criminals into farting zombies. You know, that tired old trope.
Richard Elfman's gonzo dark comedy is one of the wildest discoveries we've had on this show so far; luckily we've got an amazing special guest on hand to help us make sense of it. Grady Hendrix, the New York Times bestselling author of HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE, MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM, THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB'S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES, and many more, joins us to talk about all the switchblade-wielding, gender-bending, absolutely bizarre shenanigans for an episode you don't want to miss.
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli
Logo by Douglas McCambridge
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck
Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks
Next week's episode: Killjoy

Friday Oct 06, 2023
Friday Oct 06, 2023
Stuart Gordon takes on Edgar Allen Poe this week, with a stacked cast of craggy character actors and a prominent role for Charles Band's castle! This week, we're talking THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM with the great film critic and podcaster Scott Weinberg!
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli
Logo by Douglas McCambridge
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck
Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks
Next week's episode: Shrunken Heads

Friday Sep 29, 2023
Friday Sep 29, 2023
The single most successful film in the entire Full Moon canon isn't PUPPET MASTER or DEMONIC TOYS or even FEMALIEN; it's a kid-friendly adventure that tried to cash in on the popularity of JURASSIC PARK. This week, we're watching PREHYSTERIA!, the first film from the wildly successful, family-friendly Moonbeam Entertainment sublabel. Join us as we meet Elvis, Madonna, and the rest of the tiny dinos.
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli
Logo by Douglas McCambridge
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck
Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks
Next week's episode: The Pit and the Pendulum

Friday Sep 22, 2023
Friday Sep 22, 2023
Just when you thought it was safe to go to the bathroom... it's a double dose of the GHOULIES! More than just a GREMLINS knock-off, the original GHOULIES was the breakout hit that allowed Empire Films to thrive, and the sequel let Charlie's father Albert Band jump behind the camera once again for a fun monster movie romp. Horror podcaster Kevin Lane (from the Spill Your Guts podcast) joins us to talk about the smash-hit films that made the entire Full Moon universe possible!
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck
Logo by Doug McCambridge
Email: puppetmasters_castlefreaks@gmail.com
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks
Next week's episode: PreHysteria!

Friday Sep 15, 2023
Friday Sep 15, 2023
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST meets DEAD RINGERS this week for the sexy-yet-problematic gothic romance MERIDIAN: KISS OF THE BEAST! Starring a young Sherilyn Fenn and Full Moon favorite Charlie Spradling, the movie delivers on lascivious thrills. but does it hold up to modern scrutiny? Special guest Charles Williamson is on-hand to help us sort it out.
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck
Logo by Doug McCambridge
Email: puppetmasters_castlefreaks@gmail.com
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks
Next week's episode: Ghoulies / Ghoulies II

Friday Sep 08, 2023
Friday Sep 08, 2023
It's time for a Jack-Attack! This week, we're watching another seminal entry in Charlie Band's Tiny Terrors with DEMONIC TOYS! Special guest Dan Bookbinder locks himself in an abandoned toy factory with us to discuss Baby Oopsie-Daisy, Mr. Static, Grizzly Teddy, and Jack Attack as they wreak their special brand of havoc.
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck
Logo by Doug McCambridge
Email: puppetmasters_castlefreaks@gmail.com
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks
Next week's episode: Meridian: Kiss of the Beast

Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
We're very excited to be joined this week by director/writer/producer/actor Sam Irvin! Sam has directed three movies for Full Moon, including the two OBLIVION films and MAGIC ISLAND for Moonbeam, and he shares his memories from the set while also walking us through his incredibly varied and prestigious career! From turning a Romanian film studio into an Old West town to getting the giggles with Christopher Lee, Sam has a ton of fascinating and entertaining stories.
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck
Logo by Doug McCambridge
Email: puppetmasters_castlefreaks@gmail.com
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks









