68. The Journeyman: Curtis Hanson #1: The Dunwich Horror (1970)

Season 4 is here and we begin our journey through the career of of Curtis Hanson with his first credited work as a co-screenwriter for The Dunwich Horror (1970). A.J. explains why he chose Curtis Hanson and Bryan provides some background on Hanson’s early life and career beginnings. We discuss how The Dunwich Horror fits into the post-Rosemary’s Baby horror landscape and how it helped Sandra Dee shed her child-star persona. We also talk about the influence of American International Pictures (AIP), Roger Corman, and H.P. Lovecraft. This episode’s themed drink was: spiked tea.

#20: Coppola Cast 2: The Haunted Palace (1963) & The Terror (1963)

…And we’re back! After a longer than expected hiatus, Bryan and A.J. return to the discuss the early work Francis Ford Coppola did for legendary B-movie king Roger Corman. Coppola was still attending UCLA when he became Corman’s “ace assistant” doing various jobs on different movies including even writing and directing low budget horror movies. Coppola rewrote the screenplay for The Haunted Palace, starring Vincent Price, and worked for a few days (3 or 4 or 11 depending on the source) as director for the notorious B-movie The Terror, starring Boris Karloff and Jack Nicholson. We praise Vincent Price and Roger Corman, try to figure out just what the hell is happening in The Terror, and wonder how you forget to copyright a movie. This episode’s Coppola wine was: Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Ivory Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2016.