The Hamlyn Book of Horror

Unearthing horrors from the past is of course the default setting at The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour, so Hallow'een makes that especially enjoyable. And what could be nicer on a wet, grey autumnal evening than a dram of something potent and a book by the fireside?

The second of this year's supernatural specials is but a turn of the page away, as Doctor Velvet and Blackout creak open the eldritch tome of 1979's Hamlyn Book Of Horror, suppressing the hard-wired fear of more than four decades to give it another pass...

How does a book which is already largely a historical study age over the decades, when compared with an evolving cultural appreciation of its original source material? Is the the compulsion to scare oneself with un-nerving media as universal and timeless as the horror-genre would suggest, or does it only feel that way to people already predisposed toward it? And can a book really give you the diarrhoea?

Light the thirteenth candle, press Play and see what answers float through the aether...

WE HAVE BEEN READING:

Programme: The Hamlyn Book of Horror
Published: July 27th 1979, hardcover.
Publisher: Hamlyn
Author: Daniel Farson
Illustrations: 'The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited'. Outrageous.
Featuring: Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Max Schreck, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe, M.R.James, Robert Louis Stevenson, Montague Summers and his absolutely magnificent hair.

...and these are the things we see when we close our eyes...

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The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet, with additional live accompaniments by Ozzy Bognops. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to PeggyMountPod@gmail.com

The Return of Captain Invincible

Okay, it's all very well handing in the paperwork for a superhero flick at the pitch meeting and then blowing the budget on a spy caper (yes Disney, we're looking at you) but at MountPeg Towers, capes are taken incredibly seriously. To redress the balance, our heroes have invited round the gentlemen from The ExtonMoss Experiment to form a committee for auditing silver spandex on celluloid...

And tasked with bringing the very best of cutting-edge contemporary superhuman cinema to the luxury screening room, Producer Ken has returned from Ritz with a jar of picked eggs and 1983's The Return Of Captain Invincible. It is unclear whether the tape has been rewound or just never before rented out.

How does one go about making a superhero film in the wake of Richard Donner's Superman - and starring Sir Christopher Ruddy Lee, no less - which will remain largely unseen, even in an age obsessed with superheroes? How does one maintain that it's definitely a superhero film when it features an entire song comprising lyrically of one swear-word and a scene with thirty possessed Hoovers? And what's the refund policy at the video shop?

Turn on your magnet-powers and feel the draw toward that Play button...

WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING:

Title: The Return of Captain Invincible
Original release: 1983
Studio/Distributor: Seven Keys
Writer: Steven E. de Souza / Andrew Gaty
Music: William Motzing (score)
Producer: Andrew Gaty
Director: Philippe Mora
Starring: Alan Arkin, Christopher Lee, Kate Fitzpatrick, Michael Pate

...and if you want to read some words about the film which aren't quite so rambunctous, you can do that here:

The Return of Captain Invincible isn't currently available on the big streaming services, but fans of physical media can snag it on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray.

You can Subscribe, Like, Follow, Rate and Review on:



The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet, with additional live accompaniments by Ozzy Bognops. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to PeggyMountPod@gmail.com