Episode #003 – WHEN THE WOLFSBANE BLOOMS

Our third podcast episode finds the Damn Dirty Geeks growling and howling under the full moon as we get under the skin of werewolf movies and mythology — recorded on Lon Chaney Jr.’s birthday no less!

Frank, Jack, Frank and Scott are joined by special guest Mallory O’Meara, who dives right into the deep end of Damn Dirty Geekdom with great insights on our discussion of Universal’s classic monster movie THE WOLF MAN, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, THE HOWLING, THE CURSE OF THE WERWOLF and more.

Episode #003 also delves into werewolf and horror fiction with Angela Carter’s story THE COMPANY OF WOLVES later adapted into a unique werewolf film of the same name. Mallory also digs into the supersitions of the past to shed some moonlight on varying myths about lycanthropy, vampirism and the undead. It’s our most monstrous episode yet!

And we promise that Damn Dirty Geek member Trish Geiger WILL finally be heard in an upcoming episode, so subscribe and keep listening for Trish’s long-awaited debut.

SHOW NOTES:

Trivia: Screenwriter Curt Siodmak invented many of what we consider age-old myths about werewolves in his script for THE WOLF MAN in 1941, including a victim contracting the werewolf curse once bitten by another werewolf, killing a werewolf with a silver weapon, and werewolves transforming under the light of a full moon.

Trivia: AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON makeup artist Rick Baker won the first ever Best Makeup Academy Award for his work on this film, an award category created in 1981 to honor artists in this burgeoning technical field of filmmaking.

Trivia: Joe Dante’s THE HOWLING features three prominent cameo appearances: Famous Monsters magazine founder Forrest J. Ackerman appears uncredited as a customer in the bookshop, carrying a copy of his renowned publication; filmmaker Roger Corman appears as the man waiting to use the payphone after Dee Wallace; and uncredited co-screenwriter John Sayles appears and the morgue attendant revealing Eddie Quist’s body has disappeared.

Dark Dunes Productions website – http://www.darkdunesproductions.com creator of upcoming films HARBINGER DOWN, MONSTERS VS. KIDS and YAMASONG
Chaney Entertainment website – http://lonchaney.com Lon Chaney Sr.’s great-grandson Ron extends the Chaney family history created by Hollywood’s famous and iconic father-son legacy
Makeup/Special Effects artist Frank Ippolito’s website – http://www.frankippolito.com
Scott Ian’s Bloodworks (Walking Dead Episode), produced by Jack Bennett with Justin Cruse – http://www.nerdist.com/vepisode/bloodworks-scott-ian-gets-zombified-on-the-set-of-the-walking-dead/
Crestwood House Monster Books – Facebook page devoted to the history of this classic monster movie book series