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!

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Episodes

Friday Aug 02, 2024

Though it's largely forgotten today, PARASITE was a crucial launching point for a lot of very important careers, not the least of which was Charles Band himself. Band teamed up with some future visionaries (SFX artist Stan Winston, star Demi Moore) to attempt to revitalize the 3D movement, and for a few years they nearly succeeded! We're thrilled to be joined by Fangoria editor-in-chief Phil Nobile, Jr. to dig into this slimy, oddly post-apocalyptic thriller. 
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: Breeders / Robot Holocaust / Mutant Hunt 

Friday Jul 26, 2024

It's time for the next chapter of our SUBSPECIES retrospective! Michelle and Radu's journey continues with BLOODLUST: SUBSPECIES III, shot at the same time as the acclaimed second film. Then, we're looking at VAMPIRE JOURNALS, the series spin-off that may just be the best-looking Full Moon movie, period. Michael Varrati is back on the show to help us sort through Ted Nicolaou's Romanian vampire saga. 
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: Parasite 

Friday Jul 19, 2024

Cecil Trachenburg is back this week as our cinematic tour of Eastern Europe continues, this time with the surprisingly smart and elegant DARK ANGEL: THE ASCENT! Starring model Angela Featherstone as a rise demon who becomes an earthly avenger, the film is one of Full Moon's more accomplished early efforts. 
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: Bloodlust: Subspecies III / Vampire Journals

Friday Jul 12, 2024

Charles Band makes his biggest push yet at builidng out his Marvel-esque shared universe with two back-to-back superhero flicks! Filmmaker Nathan Faudree (SITE 13) joins us as we talk about sci-fi saga MANDROID and it's pulpy direct sequel INVISIBLE: THE CHRONICLES OF BENJAMIN KNIGHT!
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: Dark Angel: The Ascent 

Friday Jul 05, 2024

The boys of Neon Brainiacs join us on our magical trip back to Moonbeam territory for PET SHOP! This kid-friendly bit of fluff boasts some cuddly critters and weird space cowboys in a weird attempt at a budget Tim Burton family flick. 
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: Mandroid / Invisible: The Chronicles  of Benjamin Knight

Friday Jun 28, 2024

A robot warrior. A scientist. A mercenary. A ninja. What happens if we put them all in the Florida swamps and sent rednecks after them? Let's find out, with the high-octane thrills of ELIMINATORS! Black VVideo's Shea Mossefin returns for this gleeful genre pastiche that seems to be every 80s B-movie in one. 
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: Pet Shop 

Friday Jun 21, 2024

Hollywood gets haunted this week in the surprisingly audacious 2012 direct-to-Redbox feature THE DEAD WANT WOMEN! Starring the ubiquitous B-movie legend Eric Roberts, this film starts off with a bang in Hollywood's roaring 20's to tell it's sleazy tale of fame, sex, and the occult. Writer Jerry J. Sampson joins us this week for this wild romp. 
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: Eliminators 

Friday Jun 14, 2024

We're back in Toulon's territory this week for a pair of PUPPET MASTER sequels that at one point were going to be one theatrically-released film! PUPPET MASTER scholar Nat Brehmer returns to the show as we talk through parts 4 and 5 of Full Moon's flagship, as the puppets transition from baddies to goodies and take on a new threat from the demonic underworld. 
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: The Dead Want Women 

Friday Jun 07, 2024

Charles Band wasn't going to let a tiny thing like a massive global pandemic stop him from making movies. Released only one month after the lockdown was initiated, CORONA ZOMBIES was cobbled together from two wildly different films, with wraparound footage of a ditzy blonde and her search for toilet paper brought in to tie it together. It's as chintzy and dumb as it sounds, but it's also a testament to Band's indefatigable work ethic and true exploitation film bona fides. Comedian Hoff Matthews joins us this week as we analyze this odd little comedy that captures a very specific time in amber. 
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: Puppet Master 4 / Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter 

Friday May 31, 2024

One of the only female-directed films in the entire Empire/Full Moon canon, Anita Rosenberg's ASSAULT OF THE KILLER BIMBOS is a funny, sunny sexploitation romp that's just a little bit smarter than it has to be. Returning guest Becky Darke joins us to discuss the film's weirdly tragic cast, the relative merits of being a bimbo, and whether or not this film inspired THELMA & LOUISE (sounds far-fetched, but there's a strong argument to be made). 
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: Corona Zombies 

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