Show Notes
In the first episode of Old Movies - the world’s first film podcast - novelist Julia Armfield joins Paul to discuss the most infamous horror movie of all time: The Exorcist. In a wide-ranging chat on the film from two card-carrying Exorcist nerds, topics covered include the creative and ideological tension underpinning the between Williams Peter Blatty and Friedkin, the heroic portrayal of the priesthood, its complex treatment of women both on and off screen, and much more besides. There’s even a space for Julia to get off some scorching hot takes on modern horror movie darlings towards the end (with some spoilers along the way). Expect a lot of enthusing, plenty of not-so-subtle Simpsons references, and good evil vibes. Support the pod on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/oldmoviespodcast
Watch and share the video version here: https://youtu.be/YlC45AT_4MU
Subscribe to the Youtube channel:http://www.youtube.com/@OldMoviesPodcast
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/oldmoviespodcast Follow us on ‘X’: x.com/oldmoviespodcast Follow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/oldmoviespodcast.bsky.social
FURTHER READING/WATCHING: Julia’s essay ‘Guts’: https://www.thewhitereview.org/feature/guts/ Friedkin and Blatty’s 1998 interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_N2497Puec The infamous French and Saunders Exorcist parody (DO NOT WATCH): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BczGvH60a38 Julia’s Substack on Weapons: https://substack.com/home/post/p-172717459 Tickets to Julia’s event with M. John Harrison at the London Review of Books Bookshop: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/m-john-harrison-julia-armfield-the-end-of-everything-tickets-1987073081076 Buy Highway to Hell from Radiance Films: https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/products/highway-to-hell-le
More from Old Movies
Normal service has yet to resume at Old Movies towers so while we wait for that here's a quick, rambly, Summer check-in, including an update on the future pod schedule; the new Radiance and Transmission releases; worrying new developments in the world of physical media; Paul's trip to Il Cinema Ritrovato, the world's premier old movies festival; and some quick thoughts on The Odyssey and the World Cup. It's a straight up 40 minute stream of consciousness monologue from a very tired man, so don't get your hopes up or anything.
This week on Old Movies we're delighted to welcome our first director to the show: the wonderful Robert Bierman, director of Vampire's Kiss, one of Paul's favourite cult films of all time. Ahead of the new 4K UHD release of 1988 dark comedy, Robert stops by to discuss the start of his career as one of the go-to British advert directors, his cult early short horror The Dumb Waiter, and his experiences directing on the ultra-low budget set of Vampire's Kiss, including - of course - his time spent directing THAT performance from Nicolas Cage. Charting the journey from hot script to commercial failure to cult oddity to meme-driven internet infamy, if you're a fan of Vampire's Kiss - or even coming to it for the very first time - it's a must-listen!
This week on Old Movies, it's the lord of Letterboxd himself, Sean Fennessey: host of The Big Picture, Head of Content at The Ringer, key contributor to The Rewatchables, and close personal friend of Steven Spielberg. Sean comes to the pod to talk about Preston Sturges' wickedly funny (and surprisingly violent) black comedy UNFAITHFULLY YOURS, and we discuss the film's journey from scandal-stricken flop to perhaps the Sturges film that might work best for modern audiences. Along the way we find time to talk about the state of the movie industry, the parasocial power of podcasts, the constant conflict between wanting to watch new films and seek comfort in old movies, Sean’s ludicrous plans to stream Death Stranding and Elden Ring, a quick physical media check-in, and much more besides. Also, Old Movies now has a Patreon page! Go to Patreon.com now to check out the tiers and sign up to get exclusive content and support the show: https://patreon.com/Old_Movies
Joining Paul this week is curatorial director of the Criterion Collection and author of The World of Black Film, Ashley Clark, to discuss the underappreciated 2000 British crime movie Gangster Number One. As well as digging into Ash's new book, in their conversation Ash and Paul discuss their respective starts in the rough and tumble world of film-blogging, how Ash keeps his in touch with his Streatham roots via the local Wimpy, what ultimately motivates Ash's insane and relentless championing of the Tom Hardy concrete car classic Locke, and the British Gangster film revival of the new millennium - a golden age for the British crime film, or a right royal cockney barrel of monkeys? And as an added bonus, Paul makes the definitive top 11 list of the best movies that came out between 2011 and 2012. Email us at [email protected] LIKE/SUPPORT/SUBSCRIBESupport the pod on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/oldmoviespodcastSubscribe to the Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/@OldMoviesPodcastFollow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/oldmoviespodcastFollow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/oldmoviespodcast.bsky.socialUPCOMING EVENTSTransmission Presents All-Nighter at Picturehouse Central - tickets here: https://www.picturehouses.com/movie-details/000/HO00018052/all-nighter-transmission-presents/Come and see Transmission's events at the Prince Charles Cinema: https://princecharlescinema.com/seasons-events/tx/FURTHER LINKS/READINGBuy your copy of Ash's book The World of Black Film here: https://amzn.eu/d/07VNDVHI"Garry Mulholland's This is Uncool: The 500 Greatest Songs Since Punk and Disco: https://amzn.eu/d/098FTp5i Ash's article on the Streatham Wimpy: https://ashleyclark.substack.com/p/wimpy-strongIt's A Right Royal Cockney Barrel of Monkeys: https://youtu.be/1bb_Pfgu-wg?si=006AGmPmbNr7SmEe
Old Movies is delighted to welcome the living legend, author, critic and horror expert Kim Newman to the podcast to discuss a subject he is, without hyperbole, a world-leading authority on: everyone's favourite blood pervert, Count Dracula. Specifically, we discuss the 1931 Tod Browning Universal adaptation of Dracula, and its tortured journey from book to stage and screen, playing a key role in what has to be one of the first and most consequential battles over intellectual property and screen adaptations. We discuss the personal connection the film has to Kim, as well as exploring the possiblity that Dracula is the most represented screen character ever; at least, he's ubiqutous enough to keep Kim's 'Daily Dracula' going every day for six whole years.