Episode 726: Red Lights (2012)

Guest Co-Hosts: Rod Lott, Ryan Luis Rodiguez

We dive into Red Lights (2012), a psychological thriller that blends skepticism, belief, and the enigmatic world of psychic phenomena. Written and directed by Rodrigo Cortés (Buried), the film stars Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver as a pair of investigators determined to expose fraudulent psychics. Their sights are set on Simon Silver (Robert De Niro), a legendary blind performer whose mysterious powers defy explanation—or do they?

Co-hosts Rod Lott and Ryan Luis Rodriguez team up to discuss this layered tale of science versus the supernatural, unraveling its twists and themes. Along the way, they explore if this overlooked gem from James Brummel's Patreon request deserves a closer look. Is Red Lights a misunderstood thriller or a missed opportunity?

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 726: Red Lights (2012)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Red Lights on Blu-Ray
Listen to Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf

Music:
"Red Light Spells Danger" - Billy Ocean

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Episode 555: The North Avenue Irregulars (1979)

Special Guests: Bruce Bilson, Don Tait, Edward Herrmann
Guest Co-Hosts: David Kittredge, Rod Lott

David Kittredge and Rod Lott join Mike to look at the 1979 film The North Avenue Irregulars. Based on the non-fiction book by Reverend Albert Fay Hill, the film stars Edward Herrmann as Reverend Mike Hill, a minister who arrives with his two children at their new congregation to find a rather wacky group of women who help run the church. When one of them loses the church’s money on some illegal gambling Hill tries to get it back. Humiliated and chagrined by the mob who run the gambling there, Hill teams up with the Treasury Department in order to take down crime with his team of irregulars.

Interviews include director Bruce Bilson, screenwriter Don Tait, and actor Edward Herrmann.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 555: The North Avenue Irregulars (1979)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy The North Avenue Irregulars by Rev. Albert Fay Hill
Buy Get That Cat Outa (sic) Here Edited by Ben Ohmart
Buy The North Avenue Irregulars on DVD

Music:
"Pass a Little Love Around" - The Strawberrry Shortcakes

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Special Report: Pandemonium (1982)

Special Guests: Miles Chapin, Alfred Sole, Jamie Klein, Richard Whitley
Guest Co-Hosts: Rod Lott, Gary Hill

We’re looking at Alfred Sole’s Pandemonium (1982) which stars Candice Azzara as Bambi, a witness to the horrific murder of her high school cheer leading squad who, years later, fulfills her lifelong dream of starting her own cheer leading camp at It Had To Be University.

Rod Lott and Gary Hill join Mike to discuss the film and other horror comedy parodies from the early '80s. Special guests include Miles Chapin, Alfred Sole, Richard Whitley, and Jamie Klein.

Update: Thanks to listener Matt M. for the explanation of the Blue Grange joke! "Harold Edward "Red" Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost" and "The Wheaton Iceman", was an American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League (NFL)."

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Pandemonium (1982)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Pandemonium on Blu-Ray
Buy the Paracinema Magazine with Mike's Horror Parodies article

Music:
"It Had to be You" - Doris Day

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Special Report: Time Warped - The Greatest Cult Films of All Time (2020)

Special Guests: Paul Fishbein, Danny Wolf, Edwin Neal
Guest Co-Hosts: Chris Stachiw, Rod Lott

On this special episode of The Projection Booth we look at a new series called Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time. Directed by Danny Wolf and produced by Paul Fishbein, the title might tip you off that this is a documentary about cult movies with an audacious title and scope.

Rod Lott and Chris Stachiw join Mike to discuss ambitious 5 1/2 hour, 3 part series.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Time Warp - The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time (2020)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Read What Makes Cult Movies So Irresistible? by Donald Liebenson
Rent / Buy Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time Vol 1 - Midnight Madness on Amazon Prime

Music:
"Strange Movies" - The Troggs

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Episode 456: Fuego! (1969)

Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Rod Lott

Our exploration of 1969 continues this week as we head from Europe to Argentina to check out Armando Bo's Fuego. It’s the story of Laura who’s played by the one and only Isabel Sarli. She is a woman driven by her passions. After she marries Carlos (Bo), she realizes what a hopeless nymphomaniac she is.

Heather Drain and Rod Lott join Mike to talk about the film and Sarli, a South American firecracker.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 456: Fuego (1969)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Fuego on DVD-R
Buy the Incredibly Strange Films book
Watch the dubbed version of Fuego
See more Isabel Sarli movies at Something Weird Video

Music:
"Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town" - Kenny Rogers

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Special Report: The Writer with No Hands (2017)

Special Guests: William Westaway, Matthew Alford
Guest Co-Host: Rod Lott

Directed by William Westaway, The Writer with No Hands (2014/2017) tells the story of writer and professor Matthew Alford and his investigation into the strange case of Hollywood screenwriter Gary DeVore (Running Scared, Raw Deal, Traxx).

Rod Lott (Bookgasm, Flickattack) joins Mike to tackle this film.

Links:
Buy The Writer with No Hands on iTunes
Buy The Writer with No Hands by Matthew Alford
Like The Writer with No Hands on Facebook
Read The Mystery of the Dead Hollywood Screenwriter Whose Hands Were Never Found by Thomas Gaine

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: The Writer with No Hands (2014/2017)" on Spreaker.

Music:
"No Hands" - Lowly
"Look Ma No Hands" - Hicksville
"No Hands" - Severe Illusion

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Special Report: Who is Arthur Chu? (2017)

Special Guests: Scott Drucker, Yu Gu
Guest Co-Host: Rod Lott

Rod Lott joins Mike to discuss the 2017 documentary Who Is Arthur Chu? The film is ostensibly about "Jeopardy" champion Arthur Chu but goes into larger discussions of race, gender, nerd culture, and more.

Mike speaks to filmmakers Yu Gu and Scott Drucker about the creation of and response to the film.

Links:
Visit the official Who is Arthur Chu website
Follow Arthur Chu on Twitter
Visit the official Arthur Chu website
Visit the The Final Wager
Visit the J Archive
Read No Girls Allowed: The Lasting Rules of GamerGate and Toxic Misogyny by Sam Riedel
Read I’m not “that creepy guy from the Internet”: How Gamergate gave the geek community a bad name by Arthur Chu
Follow Ken Jennings on Twitter
Read How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco's Life by Jon Ronson
Listen to the Slanted Screen episode

Download Episode Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Who is Arthur Chu? (2017)" on Spreaker.

Music:
"Think!" - Merve Griffin
"I Lost on Jeopardy" - Weird Al Yankovic

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Special Report: Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's the Fantastic Four (2015)

Special Guests: Marty Langford, Carl Ciarfalio, Chris Gore
Guest Co-Hosts: Rod Lott, Rob St. Mary

Marty Langford's Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's the Fantastic Four (2015) examines the making and fate of Oley Sassone's The Fantastic Four (1994).

Mike talks with director Marty Langford, actor Carl Ciarfalio and journalist Chris Gore.

Rod Lott and Rob St. Mary join Mike to discuss the film and how it fits into the current "making / unmaking of" documentary trend.

Listen / Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's the Fantastic Four (2015)" on Spreaker.

Bonus Interview with Chris Gore
Chris Gore dishes about the future of Film Threat including a project with former Projection Booth host, Rob St. Mary!

Listen to "Bonus Interview: Chris Gore on the Future of Film Threat" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy DOOMED! on Blu-Ray
Visit the official Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's the Fantastic Four website
Like DOOMED on Facebook
Visit the official Carl Ciarfalio website
Buy Stars, Stunts and Stories: A Hollywood Stuntman's Fall to Fame by Carl Ciarfalio
Visit FilmThreat.com
Read the original coverage of The Fantastic Four in Film Threat
Read Rod Lott's review of Doomed!
Read Rod Lott's review of Fantastic Four 2015
Visit FlickAttack.com
Visit Bookgasm.com
Check out Rob St. Mary's Hold Fast Vinyl

Music:
"The Fantastic Four" - Norm MacDonald
"Silver Surfer" - Icarus
"Fantastic Four Theme Song (1967)"
"Fantastic Four Theme Song (1994)"
"Silver Surfer Ghost Rider Go" - Trentemoller
"Fantastic Four" - Icarus

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Special Report: Movie Freak

Special Guest: Owen Gleiberman
Guest Co-Host: Rod Lott

On this special episode of The Projection Booth, Mike talks with film critic Owen Gleiberman about his memoir, Movie Freak: My Life Watching Movies, which tells the story of Gleiberman's love of movies, his years at Entertainment Weekly, his family and love life, as well as his friendship with Pauline Kael.

Rod Lott joins Mike in discussing the book as well as the place Entertainment Weekly once held for them.

Download Episode Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Movie Freak" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Movie Freak: My Life Watching Movies by Owen Gleiberman
Buy Movie Freak via Audible
Follow Owen Gleiberman on Twitter
Visit FlickAttack.com
Visit Bookgasm.com

Music:
"Double Indemnity - Prelude" - Miklos Rozsa
"Carrie - Finale" - Pino Donaggio

Special Report: Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made (2015)

Special Guest: Tim Skousen & Jeremy Coon
Guest Co-Host: Rod Lott

Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made documents the making of the shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark by a group of high school kids from Mississippi.

Filmmakers Tim Skousen & Jeremy discuss the making of the documentary about the making of the fan film about Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Rod Lott of FlickAttack and Bookgasm returns to the Projection Booth to discuss the doc, the fan film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and a lot more.

Note: Cleveland Smith: Bounty Hunter has a release date of 1982, a year after The Evil Dead.

Download Episode Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made (2015)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy/Rent Raiders! on Amazon streaming video
Visit the official Raiders! website
Visit the Drafthouse Films page for Raiders!
Read When George Lucas Had Talent by Mike White
Read A holy grail of Indiana Jones artifacts from Cinephilia & Beyond
Visit FlickAttack.com
Visit Bookgasm.com

Music:
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" - Midi Version
"The Map Room" - John Williams

Watch:

Raiding The Lost Ark: A Filmumentary By Jamie Benning from Filmumentaries - Jamie Benning on Vimeo.

Episode 50: Cube (1997)

Special Guest: Vincenzo Natali
Guest Co-Host: Rod Lott

Cube (1997), a low-budget character study from Canada, kick-started Vincenzo Natali's career in creating intelligent science fiction films (Splice, Nothing, Cypher, etc).

Joining Mike is Rod Lott of the zine Hitch and the websites Bookgasm and FlickAttack!

Links:
Buy Cube on DVD
Buy Cube: Inside the Making of a Cult Film Classic by A.S. Berman
Visit the Cube archives at Vincenzo's site

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 50: Cube (1997)" on Spreaker.

Watch: