On this week’s episode of the podcast, George and his special guest discuss the John Carpenter cult classic “Big Trouble in Little China”.
It was a genre-bending, commercial failure that left Carpenter disillusioned with Hollywood. So how did Big Trouble in Little China become a cult classic and land on our guest’s “Best Horror Movie Ever Made” list? Tune in to find out!
ABOUT THIS WEEK’S EPISODE:
Episode 48: “Big Trouble In Little China” with Bill Bodkin (1 hour, 32 minutes)
Bill Bodkin (Editor and co-founder of The Pop Break) is pulling up to the Best Little Horror House in Philly with the Porkchop Express to talk about Big Trouble in Little China!
We talk about how he got scared by Willow, didn’t get back into horror until his wife started forcing him to watch the movies she liked, and how his taste has expanded. After discussing Bill’s background, we move to John Carpenter himself and the accessibility of auteur horror versus schlock, plus the way critics constantly get it wrong about his movies until years later.
We pay homage to the cast with James Hong and Kurt Russell in particular getting some love, and then we talk about the original script plans, the tumultuous production, marketing campaign and threat of a remake. We also discuss the similarities to Buckaroo Banzai, Flash Gordon, and other pulpy movies while subverting the John Wayne archetype.
When we get to the horror, we discuss how it’s effective because it’s used sparingly and not signaled. We discuss the way VHS saved Kurt Russell’s career and why it means so much to so many people. Finally, we explore how this movie subverts expectations right up until the end — and why our guest considers this the best horror movie of all time.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
BEST LITTLE HORROR HOUSE IN PHILLY IS a weekly cast where host George Heftler and his special guest discuss the best horror movie ever made…according to his guest, at least! It’s a safe place for horror fans to talk about the movies they’re passionate about — a place to talk about venerated entries already in the canon, modern-day classics, and everything in between.
Be sure to tune in to Morbidly Beautiful every Thursday to catch a new episode of the show.
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