Puppet Masters / Castle Freaks

Killjoy (with Stevie Webb)

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 

Shrunken Heads (with Grady Hendrix)

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 

The Pit and the Pendulum (with Scott Weinberg)

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 

PreHysteria!

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 

Ghoulies / Ghoulies II (with Kevin Lane)

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! 

Meridian: Kiss of the Beast (with Charles Williamson)

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 

Demonic Toys (with Dan Bookbinder)

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 

BONUS: Sam Irvin Interview!

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
 

Lurking Fear

Another of Full Moon's HP Lovecraft adaptations, LURKING FEAR tends to get forgotten in the shadow of the Stuart Gordon trilogy, but this fun genre mash-up has a lot to like. With plenty of genre stars (including Vincent Schiavelli, Jon Finch, Ashley Laurence, and Jeffrey Combs), the story melds a hostage flick with supernatural horror as a skeleton crew of survivors hole up in a cemetery to fight a violent creature stalking the graves. 
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli 
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks
Next week's episode: Demonic Toys 

Puppet Master II / Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge (with Nat Brehmer)

The first two PUPPET MASTER sequels are both major fan-favorites, so we knew we had to bring in an expert to weigh in! This week, we're joined by Nat Brehmer, the author of PUPPET MASTER COMPLETE: A FRANCHISE HISTORY, to talk through two early Full Moon classics. Firstly, PUPPET MASTER II, which follows up on the original with more puppets and more gore while letting SFX master Dave Allen take a turn in the director's chair! Then, we're checking out the surprisingly complex prequel film PUPPET MASTER III: TOULON'S REVENGE, which takes us back to World War II in an attempt to re-brand the violent puppets as heroes! 
Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli 
Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks
YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks
Next week's episode: Lurking Fear