Turn off the lights. Pull the covers up. Stay absolutely still. And whatever you do, don't answer the phone.
This week on Midnight Cinema, Art and Erik take a trip back to the shadowy corners of childhood to revisit the horror movies that absolutely terrified them when they were kids.
You know the ones.
The movies you stumbled across on late-night TV. The VHS tapes with the covers that scared you before you even pressed play. The scenes that burned into your brain and you couldn't stop thinking about until well after midnight!
From Italian nightmare logic to haunted houses to killer animals, satanic cults, and one very unsettling ventriloquist dummy - these are the films that left permanent scars on our young horror-loving brains.
So grab a flashlight, and join us as we check under the bed to reveal theis nightmare gallery of flicks that fueled out nightmares as kids, and still give us goosebumps today!
Erik's Childhood Nightmares
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Suspiria (https://midnightcinemapod.com/episode/suspiria-1977) (1977) – Dario Argento's neon nightmare of witches, murder, and Goblin's pounding score.
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Salem's Lot (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079844/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1979) – The TV vampire epic that traumatized a generation, especially that iconic encounter at the window!
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Dawn of the Dead (https://midnightcinemapod.com/episode/dawn-of-the-dead-1978) (1978) – Romero's mall-set zombie apocalypse that proved the undead could be funny and horrifying.
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Attack of the Giant Leeches (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053611/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1959) – Drive-in creature feature nightmare fuel lurking in the swamp.
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The Killer Shrews (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052969/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1959) – Tiny terrors in oversized suits. Childhood imagination did the rest.
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The Sentinel (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076683/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1977) – One of the strangest and most disturbing supernatural films of the '70s.
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Black Sabbath (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057603/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1963) – Mario Bava's gothic anthology with one story in particular that still creeps Erik out.
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Ruby (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076644/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1977) – Mobsters, ghosts, and drive-in revenge.
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Burnt Offerings (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074258/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1976) – The creepiest chauffer in movie history?
Art's Childhood Terrors
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I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050531/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1957) – Mad science and stitched-together monsters straight from the late-night creature feature era and chute in the laboratory that kept Art awake at night!
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When a Stranger Calls (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080130/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1979) – An urban legend turned into a terrifying opening sequence that kids should never watch!
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The Changeling (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080516/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1980) – A ghost story with a bouncing ball AND a creepy wheelchair!
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The Pack (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076516/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1977) – Because sometimes the scariest monsters… are dogs.
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Race with the Devil (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073600/) (1979) – Satanic cults and paranoia on the open road.
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Magic (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077889/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1978) – Anthony Hopkins is an insane venitriloquist, but the dummy keeps you up at night!
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Let's Scare Jessica to Death (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067341/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1971) – Quiet, eerie, and deeply unsettling '70s folk horror vibes.
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Phase IV (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070531/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1974) – Ants. Intelligent ants. They don't stop. That's enough.
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The Amityville Horror (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078767/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) (1979) – The haunted house movie that made every creak in the house sound sinister and a set of glowing eyes that still makes Art jump!
Along the way, we compare notes, make hysterical observtions and shout out childhood horror memories from our listeners!
If you've finally cleared your closet of monsters, we'd love to hear from you! Let us know you're getting some sleep again by visiting us at midnightcinemapod.com. (https://midnightcinemapod.com/)
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