Sean selects his VHS copy of the 1984 holiday horror classic Gremlins, written by Chris Columbus, directed by Joe Dante, and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Frances Lee McCain, Hoyt Axton, Dick Miller, and Corey Feldman.
Merry Quarantinemas! In this belated holiday special, Lyndsey and Sean tackle not one, not two, but THREE films of the Home Alone series that all began with director Chris Columbus' 1990 classic starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, and Catherine O'Hara. We also discuss the 1992-based Manhattan sequel featuring a memorable extended cameo from Tim Curry, plus the 1997 black sheep of the family starring Alex D. Linz. We hope you're ready to see hell!
Philip Laird returns to Tapeheads with his sister Liz in tow to discuss the 1977 TV holiday special Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, a Jim Henson tale that depicts a cute but dystopian world in which talented Muppet animals distract themselves from their extreme economic hardships with a little bit of washtub bass. Topics of discussion include the Laird siblings’ history with the tape, the Riverbottom Nightmare Band, and the baffling economic structure of Frogtown Hollow, which may in fact be a post-apocalyptic wasteland populated by mutant creatures.
It's that holly jolly time of year, which means it's time for Sean to introduce Lyndsey to what he alone considers one of the great Christmas movies of the 20th century. 1986's Cobra stars Sylvester Stallone as hero cop Marion "Cobra" Cobretti who must face down an aimless psycho cult during the holiday season. The film co-stars Stallone's then-wife Brigitte Nielsen, Brian Thompson, Reni Santori, and Marco Rodriguez as the extremely memorable Supermarket Killer. "It's the way of the new world!" *Axes clank*
It's the Christmas season, which means it's time for Lyndsey to unwrap her VHS copy of Disney's 1994 hit The Santa Clause, starring Tim Allen, Eric Lloyd, Wendy Crewson, David Krumholtz, and Judge Reinhold. Together, the Tapeheads dissect the logistics of becoming Santa Claus, the 90's fascination with absentee fathers, and whether or not 1-800-SPANK-ME is a real phone sex number.
A chain-smoking department store Santa must stop a Nazi plot to create a new master race of two-foot elves on Christmas Eve! No, we're not making this up. It's 1989's Elves, starring Dan Haggerty (Grizzly Adams), a deep cut from Sean's holiday VHS collection. Topics include the trailer for Alien Seed, incest, rape culture, conspiracy theories, weirdo professors, cover art, and our favorite VHS Instagram accounts.
Ho, ho, ho! For the holiday season, Lyndsey revisits her VHS copy of the Olsen twins classic, To Grandmother's House We Go from Full House creator Jeff Franklin. The film stars Mary-Kate and Ashley (of course), with co-stars Cynthia Geary, J. Eddie Peck, Rhea Perlman, and Jerry Van Dyke. Topics include egg nog cocktails, the absence of likable characters, and a major ethical dilema that goes largely ignored. Trailers: The Little Princess, The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, and a lot of Dual Star productions.
