Gobbledygeek episode 452, “Gobbledyween: Nightbreed (feat. Joseph Lewis),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Listen to them, the children of the night. What movies they make! For the second installment of Gobbledyween 2021, A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis joins Paul and Arlo for a discussion of Clive Barker’s 1990 film Nightbreed. Butchered by the studio on initial release and restored to its full grotesquerie decades later, Nightbreed is a bizarre fusion of epic fantasy, slasher, and supernatural horror. The gang discusses why that mix is so fascinating, why it’s important that the monsters are the good guys, auteur David Cronenberg’s turn as the evil Dr. Dekker, and the queer framework that gives the film extra resonance. Plus, as promised, Joe has some thoughts on The House of the Devil.

NEXT: speaking of that Cronenberg guy, Alex Jonestown Massacre guitarist Kenn Edwards helps us continue Gobbledyween with a discussion of 1986’s The Fly.

BREAKDOWN

• 00:01:00  –  Intro / Joe’s thoughts on The House of the Devil
• 00:24:30  –  Nightbreed
• 01:43:53  –  Closing shenanigans (The Box-Office Game?)
• 02:00:18  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

• [Horror Queers] The Inherent Queerness of Clive Barker’s Nightbreed by Trace Thurman, Bloody Disgusting
• Nightbreed: The Enduring Appeal of a Horror Classic by Marc Buxton, Den of Geek
• The Monsters of Midian by Duncan Ralston, duncanralston.com
• Mac Tonight Compilation (video)
• Joe’s Letterboxd Gobbledyween List

MUSIC

• “Blessed Are You” by Iced Earth, Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998)
• “Johnny Get Angry” by Anne Bobby, Nightbreed Soundtrack (1990)
• “Berserker” by Love Among Freaks, Clerks (Music from the Motion Picture) (1994)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 
• Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
• Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/ 
• Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
• Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
• Register to vote: https://vote.gov/