Episode Details

Greetings, and welcome back to Horror Business, the most unholy podcast in all the land. In this episode we’re talking two films dealing with teenagers turning to the dark power of Satan to help them find their way in the world: 1982’s Evilspeak and 1989’s 976 Evil. We’re joined on this episode by longtime friend of the podcast and friend in general Andrew McArdle from Washington D.C.

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We begin by talking about what horror related things we had done lately. Andrew discusses catching a screening of Ringu in Pittsburgh, Liam talks about attending the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, and Justin talks about recently watching the Netflix original The Babysitter. Liam and Justin then briefly discuss the recent screening of Get Out at Lafayette University, hosted by Liam himself!

Up first is 1981’s Evilspeak. We begin by giving a basic outline of the plot. We talk about how Clint Howard’s unlikely characterization as a normal sympathetic character in this film. We briefly discuss the dynamics of race in this movie, in that Howard’s character’s only friend is a black student who likely experiences being ostracized at the military academy and feels sympathy for a fellow outcast. The heavily dated portrayal of computers in this movie is discussed.

The task the film has of taking a character that will eventually become the villain and making them initially sympathetic is touched upon, as is the character arc of the bullies who harass Howard’s character and drive him to embracing whatever dark power is behind all of this. The concept of “male rape” and how the hyper masculine and threatening nature of the antagonists plays a heavy part in the how they relate to Howard’s character and how that in turn relates to the films scant portrayal of women as hypersexual objects is discussed. The emphasis of masculinity in the world of magic and Satanism is likewise touched upon.

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