In Film We Trust

Richard Baylor joins the show! Richard is an underground filmmaker who made his name, an American émigré in the United Kingdom, within the British punk scene of the 1980s that would lead him to picking up the camera and making his 1990 debut Our Own Personal Hell.
Working exclusively in the short film format, we touch on many of Richard's films, all the way to arguably his most astute, and subversion film, 1993's Cirsium Delectus - based on the Sunset Strip Killings. A film that would lead Richard to a multi-year dialogue between himself and jailed serial killer Douglas Clark.
But like Richard's characters, our past and circumstance informs us. Whether that's Richard being born of rural Michigan stock, his time in the military, or cinemas very own Cinema of Transgression - it all comes through in our art, whether consciously or subconsciously. If you're familiar with Richard's work, you'll see running themes such as abuse, desolation and oppression pop up, but there's also an added ingredient to his work that we discuss.

Check out Richard's band Earth Fucker Fucker's record IVF at: https://antigenrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ivf
Pick up Saturn Core's Our World Is Drowning and Going To Hell: The Underground Films of Richard Baylor at Strangevice.co.uk
Thanks again to Chris Babalis for providing the great poster art for this episode.
Support the show at buymeacoffe.com/ifwtpod

Author of The Satanic Screen and leader of gothic band Radio Werewolf, Nikolas Schreck returns to the show!
And lucky for us, he's here to discuss the feature length debut of his late friend, and collaborator, Curtis Harrington - the terrific and surreal Night Tide!
Night Tide is a noir-ish nightmare that stars Dennis Hopper in his first lead role, as a sailor who meets the mysterious sideshow attraction Mora The Mermaid. But...could she possibly be a real mermaid, and what exactly does the ending mean!?
These questions persist due to Harrington's esoteric world building, that revels in ambiguity and symbolism, and with Schreck's insight into Harrington, both as a man, and artist, he drops many anecdotes about who Harrington really is, and maybe...just maybe, these revelations could provide some answers to Harrington's work.
Nikolas also drops the lowdown on his upcoming spiritual-sequel to his documentary Charles Manson Superstar!
So tune in for a discussion about one of cinema's greatest enigmas.
Artwork for this episode provided by friend of the podcast Chris Babalis ( Instagram: @ChrisWitchyStuff)
You can help support the podcast at www.buymeacoffee.com/ifwtpod , thanks!

This week I'm joined by Chris Babalis, frontman of Greek doom metal band Acid Mammoth, so it's only appropriate that we discuss one of cinema's most doom-laden and oppressive sword and sorcery epics, Conan The Barbarian!
Written by John Milius and Oliver Stone, with Milius behind the camera, Conan The Barbarian stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as an orphaned Cimmerian boy, who rises from slavery to avenge the death of his father, figure out the Riddle of Steel and confront his arch-nemesis Thulsa Doom!
If you're a long time listener, or new to this podcast, you'll know it has been Patreon-free and ad-free for it's several year duration. But I've just started a Buy Me A Coffee (www.buymeacoffee.com/ifwtpod), for those who'd like to support the podcast. All contributions appreciated.

Filmmaker Kansas Bowling exploded onto the scene as a mid-teen, directing the first ever pre-historic slasher B.C Butcher for Troma. Since then she has acted in everything from Murdercise, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and being cast in Neil Breen's upcoming film Dire Duplicity.
But today Kansas drops by to discuss her film Cuddly Toys, a genuine mondo film, influenced by the likes of Mondo Hollywood and Faces of Death. Cuddly Toys is a warning call to all parents about their teenage daughters - a scattershot cinema verité film about abuse, runaways, anorexia, drug abuse and everything else your parents warned would lead to your destruction.
And because this is a new film - at least on home release - we keep this episode spoiler free, as we dive into the peripheral: the making of, the cast, financing and plenty of humorous anecdotes that happened throughout the making of this film. And of course, we deal in certain plot elements and themes along the way!

IFWT is taking a trip to Mexico with Satanic witch and burlesque performer Szandora LaVey - a surname synonymous with counter-cultural diabolism since Anton LaVey founded the Church of Satan in 1966 - as we attempt to decipher Juan Lopez Moctezuma's 1977 vampire oddity Alucarda.
Alucarda, a loose adaptation of Le Fanu's novel Carmilla (that predated Stoker's Dracula by 25 years!) tells the story of the titular Alucarda and Justine. Two orphaned girls who are placed into the care of a Catholic convent. Part folk-horror, part possession movie, part nunsploitation - in fact, this film, still underseen by many horror fans, contains a multitude of elements with many thematic injections that make it a multi-layered experience, and one that is ripe for the IFWT treatment.
So lock up the chastity belt and say a few Hail Mary's as Szandora and I discuss, dissect and deepdive 1977's Alucarda.