Mass Hypnosis Podcast

It has been a bit of a hiatus since our last episode while I take care of some health problems, but hopefully I can attack 2016 with regained vigor and enthusiasm. This will be the final episode of 2015, and what better way to endcap the year on a film festival podcast than with a conversation all about independent film production? Joining me for this conversation are Ben Steiner and Dan Dixon of the UK-based Fume Films, whose short film THE STOMACH took home an Horrible Imaginings trophy back in 2014.

Now, while we talk about independent filmmaking in some general terms that should interest anyone who wants to hear about the process, it will help if listeners have seen some of Fume Films' output in order to give this episode some more context. These are excellent and creatively original short films well worth your time. THE STOMACH is the film that took home our trophy for best Paranormal short film. You can watch it on iTunes for just a couple of bucks! Click the poster for a direct link to that download:

You can also see THE FLEA for free here:

The Flea from FUME FILMS on Vimeo.

We also discuss some of the poster work in the podcast. Here are some of the other posters to give that discussion some context:

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE:

The post #149: I Talk Indie Film Production with UK-Based Fume Films appeared first on .

Direct download: HIP_Ep_149_Fume_Films.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:45pm PDT

John Skipp and Andrew Kasch, the directing duo behind the THIS MEANS WAR segment of the new Halloween celebration anthology called TALES OF HALLOWEEN, joined us for a fantastic and hilarious Q&A following our screening. It was after 1am by the time this Q&A happened, but there was no shortage of energy or thoughtfulness. And now all you in the internet world can enjoy it, too!

In this episode, we talk:
1. Capturing the unique characters behind home haunts
2. Different types of horror fans
3. The popularity of anthology horror and horror in the short form
4. The challenges and benefits of a huge collaboration like Tales of Halloween
5. How the duo started working together
6. The future of ClownTown
And More!

As of this posting, there are five more San Diego showtimes of Tales of Halloween with the short film Yummy Meat: A Halloween Carol! If you are in town get your butt to the Digital Gym Cinema to watch this with a crowd on the big screen and have some fun celebrating our favorite holiday! Here are the showtimes:
10/26 8:30 PM

10/27 5:15 PM

10/28 5:15 PM

10/28 9:15 PM

10/29 5:15 PM - 7:15 PM
See more at: http://www.hifilmfest.com/events

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE:

The post #148: Tales of Halloween Q&A with John Skipp and Andrew Kasch appeared first on .

Direct download: hip_ep_148_Tales_of_Halloween.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:12pm PDT

Amazingly, it has been one month since my episode reflecting on Horrible Imaginings Film Festival. I have several episodes awaiting post production, but it's the Halloween Season and this one needed to move to the front of the line! I was invited to a live panel Halloween event at the San Diego Public Library on Saturday to discuss horror in both literature and film! It was like a live version of my podcast, so of course I had to record it for as many of you to enjoy as possible! Thank you to Anthony Trevino for the invitation! Joining me on stage to offer their horror insights were:

David Agranoff, author of Amazing Punk Stories. Follow him on Twitter at @DAgranoffAuthor
Scott Sigler, author of the Infected Trilogy. Follow him on Twitter at @scottsigler
Bryan Killian, author of Welcome to Necropolis. Follow him on Twitter at @bkillian13
Ryan C. Thomas, author of The Summer I Died. Follow him on Twitter at @ryancthomas
Robert Essig, author of In Black. Follow him on Twitter at @Robert_Essig

We talk about our favorite authors and stories before going into our experiences with horror in film. This is a pretty great discussion with lots of people who have had their lives changed by scary stories. Truly, a celebration of Halloween!

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE:

The post #147: Halloween Super Special with SoCal Horror Authors! appeared first on .

Direct download: HIP_Ep_147_Halloween_SDPL.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:35pm PDT

Another year has come and gone, leaving us with the best Horrible Imaginings Film Festival yet! Our new venue at The Museum of Photographic Arts was a hit, the films were top notch, the audience was incredible, and the feedback has been overwhelming. Join me in a reflection of the event, along with Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando and film festival regular attendee Joshua Sutton as we discuss highlights and think about the future!

See the full list of awards recipients here!

Listen to the episode HERE:

The post #146: The 6th Annual Horrible Imaginings Film Festival Wrap-Up and Reflection appeared first on .

Direct download: hip_ep_146_2015_HIFFSD_WrapUp.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:15pm PDT

Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2015 has come to an end, but people around the world can re-live one of our best moments in this podcast! We got Mexican filmmakers Gigi Saul Guerrero, Aaron Soto, and Mauricio Chernovetzky to join me on the stage to talk about the unique place that horror and fear have in […]

The post #145: Mexican Horror Panel at Horrible Imaginings with Gigi Saul Guerrero, Aaron Soto, and Mauricio Chernovetzky appeared first on .

Direct download: HIP_ep_145_Mexican_Horror_Panel.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:24pm PDT

Three French Canadian directors behind the latest indie hit TURBO KID--Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell, and François Simard--join us for a last-second podcast conversation about their retro post-apocalyptic baby. I'm rushing this one through, because I am hoping this will get people in San Diego to the Digital Gym Cinema to see it either tonight (9/5 […]

The post #144: TURBO KID’s Trio of Directors Talk Retro Action Mayhem! appeared first on .

Direct download: hip_ep_144_Turbo_Kid.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:11pm PDT

I often say I like to use this podcast to discuss horror in art, history, literature, film, and beyond. Film tends to hog the limelight there, but today I get to talk art. Specifically, dance and performance art. Russian-born Anna Yanushkevich has been performing her curious acts in San Diego for at least as long […]

The post #143 Merging the Horrific with the Beautiful: A Conversation with Performance Artist Anna Yanushkevich appeared first on .

Direct download: HIP_Ep_143_Anna_Yanushkevich.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:26am PDT

In his book "On Writing," Stephen King compares his writing process to a type of archaeology, where he digs the story out of the Earth's clay, piece by piece, rather than meticulously planning it from the start. I have always thought that method is where he is sometimes led astray as a writer. Imagine putting […]

The post #142 Rape Culture-Revenge: FELT Director and Star Discuss Their Unconventional Thriller appeared first on .

Direct download: HIP_ep_142_Felt_Interview.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:57pm PDT

It's time for another Storytime Edition! That's right! One of my audiobook-style readings of various types of public domain stories. For today’s Storytime, I’ve chosen William Hope Hodgson’s “The Voice in the Night.” William Hope Hodgson was a British writer with a penchant for the macabre. He spent a lot of his young life on […]

The post #141: Storytime Edition’s The Voice in the Night by William Hope Hodgson appeared first on .

Direct download: HIP_ep_141_The_Voice_in_the_Night.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:25pm PDT

You are in luck, especially if you were not able to make our Funky Bollywood discussion at San Diego's own Digital Gym Cinema last night, because I decided to make a podcast of the episode. And what a great idea, too, because it turned out to be one of the best and most enthusiastic Q&A's […]

The post #140: Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970s Indian Action Cinema with Todd Stadtman appeared first on .

Direct download: hip_ep_140_Funky_Bollywood.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:46pm PDT