Episode Details

Greetings, and welcome back to Horror Business. We have one awesome episode in store for you guys. On this episode we’re discussing Canadian horror films with Deathdream and Curtains.

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We start by talking about what we’ve seen or done lately in the field of horror. We discuss seeing Panos Cosmatos’ new film Mandy. We discuss the paradox of Nicholas Cage being both a very talented actor and a very weird person given his choice in the films he makes, as well as some of the problematic elements of the film, including the idea of a film focusing on a female character whose only purpose is to die and send the male character on some kind of quest. Justin talks about attending the Monster Mania and New Jersey Horror conventions and his semi-annual rereading of Robert McCammon’s Usher’s Passing.

Up first is 1974’s Deathdream aka Dead Of Night. We give a brief summation of the film. Liam points out that it’s the “weirdest version of a lot of things: a zombie film, a Canadian film about America, and a Canadian film about the Vietnam War.” The film as a metaphor for PTSD is discussed at length, as is the similarity of Andy’s experience coming home to veterans coming home.

The “fish out of water” scenario that Andy experiences is compared to going from homelessness to not being homeless. The scene where Andy kills a dog is discussed, in that it’s one of the few scenes in a movie where a dog is killed for a valid reason; in this case it is to show how “non-conscience” Andy is and how is this is a reflection of soldiers are often thrust back into civilian society without being properly “deprogrammed” from military life.

The intensity and darkness of the climax and ending of the film is discussed, especially the scene where Andy’s father takes his own life and the very end where Andy, decayed and decrepit, attempts to bury himself in a shallow grave he has dug for himself.

Justin makes the comparison to the ending of An American Werewolf In London in how it’s the furthest possible thing from a happy ending.