Neon Brainiacs (A Retro Horror Movie Podcast)

Prepare for some Christmas punishment, maniacs, because our first holiday episode finds us talking about one of the most infamous killer Santa flicks, Silent Night Deadly Night! Before we get into the episode, we dig into some listener mail. While we unpack the movie, we discuss topics such as kid mullets, egregious product placement, and we invent a new toy just in time for the holidays.

It's the Blackest Friday, the Devil's Friday, and we've got our 2019 Holiday Horror Fan Gift Guide ready for your ears! Think of this as a Sears Wish Book for horror weirdos such as ourselves. We talk about some great companies and great deals this weekend: Studiohouse Designs, Media Crypt, The Joe Bob Briggs Fanzine, Slashdance Zine, House Of Mysterious Secrets, Vinegar Syndrome, Lunaris Records, BPO Films and Retro Release Video. Go support small businesses and get some cool stuff for yourself or the horror fan in your life!

Save some room for dessert, maniacs, because we're wrapping up our Thanksgiving Buffet theme with Return Of The Living Dead II from 1988! This was Ben's first zombie movie viewing ever as a kid, so while he spins that yarn, we also discuss topics such as driving with headphones on, hanging out in unfinished housing developments, and the weird list of featured zombies in this movie.

Let's set the table for a wholesome family meal, maniacs, because our Thanksgiving Buffet marathon continues with the 1989 weirdo cannibal film Parents! While we uncover the Lynchian layers of this onion, we also talk about subjects such as meatloaf, stranger danger, The Big Bopper and our golf woes.

We're going underground, maniacs, because our Thanksgiving Buffet marathon continues with the partially-local zombie flick Day Of The Dead from 1985! To help us discuss this Romero classic, we're joined by our pal EK Wimmer from the Laser Graves podcast. While we talk about how bleak this film is, we also discuss alligators on the loose, musician zombie cameos, and being paid $1 to be a zombie.

Hope you're hungry, maniacs, because we're starting our Thanksgiving Buffet series this month with the 1986 thriller Manhunter! This one features a brief glimpse at infamous on-screen cannibal Hannibal Lecter. While we discuss the film we also talk about flashlight terror, our favorite cereals and we also conduct a brief TED talk on 90s emo.

Get ready to do it by the book, maniacs, because the final installment in our holiday spectacular is Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers from 1988! As we discuss the first franchise appearance of Jamie Lloyd, we also discuss keeping kitchen utensils in the attic, stranger danger, and cars with gas tanks behind the license plate.

Gather round, caterpuppies, because we're continuing our Halloween countdown with the Nickelodeon movie in disguise, House II: The Second Story! As we try to figure out how this kid-friendly movie slipped into our programming, we discuss topics such as hockey hair, Nickelback memes, Muppet Babies, and this film's many connections to the Friday The 13th franchise.

Grab your magic kits, maniacs, because our Halloween spectacular continues with the 1982 snoozefest Trick Or Treats! This cheap slasher clone has us bringing up many tangents, including paper Halloween decorations, hidden punk artifacts, and "junior" cartoons of popular properties.

Grab your costume, nutcakes, because week two of our Halloween extravaganza finds us tackling the 1988 shot-on-video flick Hollow Gate! How bad can it be? As we find out, we also discuss topics such as character's obsessions with sandwiches, debates about candy, and GOOD GOD BOBBING FOR APPLES IS BACK AGAIN. GROSS.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, maniacs! We kick off five weeks of Halloween-themed horror flicks with the 1981 TV movie Dark Night Of The Scarecrow! While we voice our disdain for the game of bobbing for apples, we also discuss topics such as garden gnome gardens, weird southern lingo, and flapjacks. Lots of flapjacks.

Grab your jester masks and fix your tractors, maniacs, because we're wrapping up our Back To School trilogy with the 1986 English slasher Slaughter High! This one's got gnarly effects but not much else. While we dissect the nasty kills, we also discuss topics such as terrifying tour stories, horror Fatheads, how to conceal a British accent, and once again the "free drugs" myth rears its ugly head!

Class Clowning 101 is in session this week, maniacs, because we're continuing our Back To School trilogy with the 1981 slasher parody Student Bodies! Topics include horse head bookends, sad Big Bird, and plenty of Seinfeld tangents for all.

Grab a glass of Nilbog milk, maniacs, because we've got a bonus live episode with actor/dentist George Hardy of Troll 2! We conducted a Q&A with George last night before a rowdy sold out screening of the film at Pittsburgh's own Row House Cinema and were able to capture it in all its wild glory. We talk about his life after Troll 2, his cult actor status, upcoming project he has in the wings, and there's even a surprise in the crowd towards the end. Eternal thanks to George for joining us, Travis for asking us to be a part of the event, Jamie and the rest of the crew at Row House for their hospitality (which they definitely did not piss on), and everyone that made the night a raucous success!

Take your seats, maniacs, because this week we're kicking off our Back To School trilogy! And what better way to start than talking about 1981's Night School? While we dissect this American giallo flick, we also discuss topics such as using the newspaper to find things to do around town, generic Kelsey Grammer, and Slimer's butt.

It's our two year anniversary, maniacs, and you know we've gotta get local! So to celebrate this new milestone we're tackling the locally filmed George Romero/Stephen King collaboration Creepshow from 1982! Topics include music references, Bob Newhart and Ben finally makes a Simpsons reference.

The sun's almost rising on our Vampire Weekend trilogy, maniacs, so that means we're closing it out with 1987's Near Dark! Our pal Brian from Start The Beat With Sikes joins us to discuss this cult horror flick. While we dissect all of Bill Paxton's amazing one-liners, we also talk about sick roller coasters, train math, a lengthy history lesson on King's Island, and ways to tell if your Sweetwater Sound representative is a vampire.

Lock your doors and windows tight, maniacs, because week two of Vampire Weekend brings us 1985's Fright Night! This is one of Ben's favorites so strap in. We'll talk about booking William Ragsdale when Crispin Glover isn't available, driving stories, and Chris Sarandon's A+ sweater game.

This theme sucks, maniacs! We're kicking off our Vampire Weekend trilogy with some returning guests, Sarah and Amanda from Ghoul On Ghoul, to discuss the Larry Cohen-directed sequel A Return To Salem's Lot from 1987. Topics include Canadian lingo and rituals, blood cake, and the darkness of child weddings.

We want our two dollars, maniacs, because we're celebrating our 100th episode! And to kick off the party, we're breaking format and talking about Gregg's favorite movie of all time, Better Off Dead! Returning to the show is Ben's film partner Blake, who watched this movie for the first time the night before we recorded. Topics include loose cereal, Ben's career as a paperboy, and weirdly sexual food signs in inappropriate places.

Stop by the Cut-Rite and grab yourself a few chainsaws, maniacs, because we're closing out Savini Splatter Fest by going down south to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2! We're joined by our good pal and VHS collector Josh (@joshgoestohell) to dissect this one. While we tend to our achin' bananas, we also discuss fake southern restaurants, Dennis Hopper's secret to acting drunk, and get a good dose of Texas history.

Let's go ape, maniacs, because this week we continue Savini Splatter Fest with the locally filmed George Romero flick Monkey Shines from 1988! While we tell you where some of these filming locations are, we also discuss side butt, economy cars of the past and present, and the origin of the Big Mac.

You're in luck, maniacs, because this week we're talking about you! Sort of. We kick off week 2 of Savini Splatter Fest with the 1980 film Maniac! As we follow Joe Spinell around the Big Apple, we share a story about Gregg's parents, our opinions on continental breakfasts, and was Frank Zito a prototype of Matt Foley? Tune in to find out!

Hope you're ready for the graduation dance, maniacs, because this week kicks off a new theme celebrating a local legend... Savini Splatter Fest! We begin with the 1981 Joseph Zito piece The Prowler! Tom Savini considers this his best work so strap in. Topics include cursive writing, fire hazards and poor bathroom etiquette.

Time to cure that undead appetite, maniacs, because this week we're talking about the locally filmed Flesh Eater from 1988! Joining us as our first three-time guest is Ryan from BPO Films! The three of us get super regional with our discussed topics: Beaver county, yinzer accents, Iron City beer, and Foodland.

Grab some fritters and your favorite critters, maniacs, because we're wrapping up Vicious Vacation with Farmer Vincent and the gang in the 1980 cult classic Motel Hell! While we wait to get to the exciting conclusion of this movie, we talk about subjects such as 8-track players, eating Pee-Wee Herman's suit, and whether or not we would put ketchup on chicken.

Grab your rifle and plenty of ammo, maniacs, because we're going on a hunting trip for week 3 of Vicious Vacations as we discuss the 1986 backwoods redneck slasher Hunter's Blood! Lots of really great actors in this one like Clu Gulager, Bruce Glover and even Billy Bob Thornton. As we try to dodge murderous hill people, we also discuss gender role reversals, Ren & Stimpy euphemisms, and all of the random wildlife you see in the background of this film.

It's time to check in, maniacs, because week two of our Vicious Vacations theme brings us 1983's Mountaintop Motel Massacre! This one's not great so we go on some wild tangents about Mike Lange catchphrases, Chingy, Alan Jackson, free sacks, and what the phrase "lemme get my shoes" really means.

Pack up the car and bring plenty of sunscreen because we're kicking off our Vicious Vacations theme with a trip to Blood Beach from 1980! Topics include weird food, Pure Moods, and the many ways we can make this movie better. Check out our bumper up front for details on our next live event!

Get ready to wheeze some juice this week, maniacs, because we're wrapping up Before They Were Famous with the early Pauly Shore vehicle Phantom Of The Mall: Eric's Revenge! The Sherman Oaks Mall makes an illustrious comeback in this modern Phantom Of The Opera adaptation. We discuss our own mall memories, toy stores of our youths, and Ninja Turtle living situations. This episode is sponsored by House Of Mysterious Secrets!

It's senior skip day, maniacs, so let's keep Before They Were Stars rolling and talk some Brad Pitt in the 1989 high school slasher Cutting Class! This one's also got the fantastic Jill Schoelen returning to our show as well as Martin Mull. Topics include flappy T-shirts, getting outwienered, and Scream as written and directed by Tommy Wiseau. This episode is sponsored by House Of Mysterious Secrets!

We're going back to the future this week, maniacs, as we dive into the 1984 Charles Band sci-fi flick Trancers! Week two of Before They Were Stars showcases a young Helen Hunt in this movie. While we discuss the insanity of Trancers, we also talk about Gregg's VHS woes, the term "squid" and really gross euphemisms that we hope never catch on. This week's episode is sponsored by House Of Mysterious Secrets!

It's a full house this week, maniacs, as we kick off our Before They Were Stars block with the 1985 revenge thriller The New Kids starring James Spader and Lori Loughlin! We discuss Loughlin's stint in the news recently, but also talk about sweaty butts, water fountain terror, and Tom Green's rap career. This episode is sponsored by House Of Mysterious Secrets!

Bonus time, maniacs! Here is our live set from Podcast Night At The Tolma 2, which we shared with our buds Start The Beat and Thrifty. For this show, we drafted our own horror music mixtapes! We also made Youtube playlists of these, which we'll link to on our social media. This was a lot of fun, and thanks again to Brian for recording this and Toddy for opening his home for the show. Enjoy!

Hope you're hungry, maniacs, because this week we're taking a bite out of the 1986 creature feature Critters! While we discuss the fuzzy bundles of interdimensional terror, we also talk about Billy Zane's ponytail, Dee Wallace perpetually making breakfast in every 80s movie, and truck nuts in space.

No more Mr. Nice Guy, maniacs, because this week we're talking the 1989 Wes Craven flick Shocker! This one is really bizarre but has a killer soundtrack. While we talk about all that, we also discuss drive-thru pranks, Bobby's World, and this film's similarities to A Nightmare On Elm Street.

We're taking a trip to Tromaville, maniacs, because this week we're talking The Toxic Avenger with our buddy Lance Parkin from Locust Street Entertainment! While we discuss our histories with this franchise, we also talk about the vision boards of villains, the phrase "fix your wagon", and R-rated movies that spawned Saturday morning cartoons.

Grab a soft pretzel and a red Slushie, maniacs, because this week we're going to Hills... The Hills Have Eyes 2, that is. Joining us is our boy Toddy Tondera from Thrifty Podcast, plugging our collaborative live show, Podcast Night At The Tolma 2, happening this Friday! While we discuss the movie we also talk about the various lapses in logic in the film, dog flashbacks and ask the question: can you ride a dirtbike in a horror film and survive?

New York's alright if you like Jason Voorhees, maniacs! This week we welcome back our friends Sarah and Amanda from the Ghoul On Ghoul podcast to discuss Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan! It's a long one but trust us, it's worth it. Topics include landmark jewelry, Jason as a LifeAlert customer, wasting drugs on a stranger and we collectively decide what our new business Top Dollar Toot will sell.

It's party time, maniacs! This week we're talking about the 1985 zombie classic Return Of The Living Dead with our new buds James and Chelsea from the Dead Meat podcast and YouTube channel! The four of us discuss topics such as movie punks (obviously), the excess of the 1980's and Linnea Quigley's perpetual state of undress. This episode is sponsored by Hellraising Hot Sauce! Use code "neonbrainiacs" at checkout to save 20% until March 31st.

Sit! Stay! Kill! This week we're rounding out our Animal Terror trilogy with one of the most iconic horror dogs in the genre: Cujo from 1983! While discussing man's best fiend we also talk about kitchen television, laser tag, and we go on yet another rant about ketchup that isn't Heinz. This episode is sponsored by House Of Mysterious Secrets and Hellraising Hot Sauce!

Crikey! We're smack dab in the middle of our Animal Terror trilogy, maniacs, and this week we're tackling the 1980 Lewis Teague film Alligator. Join us down in the sewers as we discuss effective ways to store vinyl records, rollerblading and the bizarro version of Face/Off starring Nicolas Cage and an alligator. This week our show is sponsored by House Of Mysterious Secrets and Hellraising Hot Sauce, who is offering our listeners 20% off your entire order with the code "neonbrainiacs"!

Is it Shark Week, maniacs? No! We're kicking off our Animal Terror trilogy with the most infamous animal in cinema history in 1983's JAWS 3-D! We're also joined by Jamie from Neo Trash Video who put together Bad Movie Bingo here in Pittsburgh. While we fish around for something nice to say about this movie, we also discuss Shamu, bumper boats, and ask what the hell is the game Standoff!? This episode is sponsored by House Of Mysterious Secrets!

Alright maniacs, we're rounding out our BODY HORROR trilogy by making some fine contributions to Society! While we talk about this bizarre 1989 Brian Yuzna flick, we also talk about a whole mess of our own bizarre topics: Sisqo! Gilmore Girls! Nick Arcade! Shoes! Pleated Pants! Check it out. This episode is sponsored by House Of Mysterious Secrets!

Be afraid, maniacs, be very afraid! This week we're continuing our BODY HORROR block with a flick from the king of body horror: David Cronenberg's 1986 masterpiece The Fly! Topics discussed include Norm MacDonald's run on SNL, Doug Funnie's wardrobe and Gregg offers up some journalism tips and tricks.

Bust out those resonators, maniacs, and let's get freaky... This week we kick off a new theme with our BODY HORROR trilogy! And what better place to start than 1986's From Beyond with our pal Brian from the Start The Beat With Sikes podcast! We get into all the goopy details of this movie and also discuss Spencer's Gifts, chalk outlines, unique insults and unintentional Pee-Wee Herman impressions.

Whatever you do, maniacs, don't fall asleep... because you might just miss us talk about an absolute modern classic, 1984's A Nightmare On Elm Street! This is where Freddy's legacy (as well as New Line Cinema's) all started. While we chat about our favorite dream demon, we also discuss topics such as baths, Clarissa Explains It All, and do women still wear nightgowns to bed? This episode is sponsored by Retro Release Video!

This episode is from our first ever live show as part of Podcast Night At The Tolma on January 25th, 2019, which also featured our buds at Ghoul On Ghoul, Thrifty Podcast and Start The Beat With Sikes. We discuss our memories of renting at the video store and also get some video store tales from the audience. You can find a video version on our social media as well. Big thanks to Toddy from Thrifty for putting the event together and Brian from Start The Beat for capturing the audio. Enjoy!

Who made who, maniacs!? This week we're rounding out our CAR TERROR trilogy with one of the more wacky auto-related horror movies: Maximum Overdrive! While we careen down the cocaine expressway to Stephen King's brain, we discuss Twisted Metal, the origin of "eat my shorts", and our opinions on AC/DC. This episode is sponsored by Retro Release Video!

We're going down under for week two of the CAR TERROR trilogy, maniacs! This week we're talking about Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis in Road Games from 1981.We also talk about Parks And Recreation, weigh stations and gross names for adult magazines. Don't forget about our live event this Friday, January 25th, with our friends at Ghoul On Ghoul, Thrifty and Start The Beat. This episode is also brought to you by Retro Release Video!