Special guest Jonathan Rigby joins Sergio to discuss WOMEN OF TWILIGHT (1952), the film adaptation of Sylvia Rayman's 1951 groundbreaking all-female play.
Jonathan Rigby has been writing about films for over 30 years now - and has been an actor for even longer. He is the author of several books on horror cinema, including English Gothic, American Gothic and Euro Gothic - with American Gothic 2 on the way – and Studies in Terror, and has also written biographies of Christopher Lee and Roxy Music. He has also recorded loads and loads of audio commentaries and solo video interviews for Blu-ray releases. As an actor, he's best known for playing radio comic Kenneth Horne on numerous occasions, and as a director he revived the Sylvia Rayman play Women of Twilight for the first time in nearly 60 years - and that was over ten years ago, with no further professional revival having happened since. Today we’re going to talk about that play, his revival and the 1952 film adaptation, originally released in the US as Twilight Women.
--------
1:01:13
--------
1:01:13
32. JOHN WICK (2014 to 2023), with Professor Stacey Abbott
To celebrate the first anniversary of the Tipping My Fedora podcast, Sergio is joined by Professor Stacey Abbott to explore the wonders of the John Wick film series starring Keanu Reeves.
Please note, we pretty much spoil the endings of all four films.
[This episode is being re-presented to correct an earlier technical problem]
My very special guest is Stacey Abbott, Professor of Film at Northumbria University, where she is a member of their Horror Studies Research Group. Her research focuses on horror and cult film and television, with a particular interest in vampire and zombies.
She is the author of Celluloid Vampires (2007), Undead Apocalypse (2016) and the BFI Film Classic on Near Dark (2020). She is the co-author of TV Horror (2013) and the co-editor of Global TV Horror (2021), both with Professor Lorna Jowett.
She regularly writes essays to accompany DVD and Blu-ray releases, including Second Sight’s Ginger Snaps, Possessor and Blair Witch Project, as well as Eureka’s Tank Girl and The Secret of NIMH.
She is currently writing a book on Horror Animation.
Publication details:
Near Dark (BFI Classics) by Stacey Abbott: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/near-dark-9781911239277/
Angel (TV Milestones) by Stacey Abbott: https://mitpressbookstore.mit.edu/book/9780814333198
Celluloid Vampires by Stacey Abbott: https://utpress.utexas.edu/9780292716964/
Global TV Horror edited by Stacey Abbott and Lorna Jowett: www.uwp.co.uk/book/global-tv-horror/
TV Horror edited by Stacey Abbott and Lorna Jowett: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/tv-horror-9781848856189/
Undead Apocalypse by Stacey Abbott: https://academic.oup.com/edinburgh-scholarship-online/book/19174?login=false
--------
1:22:26
--------
1:22:26
31. JOHN WICK, with Stacey Abbott
The Fedora podcast is one year old today. And it's also my birthday! To celebrate, my awesome buddy Professor Stacey Abbott (who also just had her birthday) makes a very welcome return visit to Fedora. This time we get together to celebrate the John Wick series starring the mighty Keanu Reeves.
Please note, we pretty much spoil every single one of the films.
[This episode is being re-presented to correct an earlier technical problem]
My very special guest is Stacey Abbott, Professor of Film at Northumbria University, where she is a member of their Horror Studies Research Group. Her research focuses on horror and cult film and television, with a particular interest in vampire and zombies.
She is the author of Celluloid Vampires (2007), Undead Apocalypse (2016) and the BFI Film Classic on Near Dark (2020). She is the co-author of TV Horror (2013) and the co-editor of Global TV Horror (2021), both with Professor Lorna Jowett.
She regularly writes essays to accompany DVD and Blu-ray releases, including Second Sight’s Ginger Snaps, Possessor and Blair Witch Project, as well as Eureka’s Tank Girl and The Secret of NIMH.
She is currently writing a book on Horror Animation.
Publication details:
Near Dark (BFI Classics) by Stacey Abbott: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/near-dark-9781911239277/
Angel (TV Milestones) by Stacey Abbott: https://mitpressbookstore.mit.edu/book/9780814333198
Celluloid Vampires by Stacey Abbott: https://utpress.utexas.edu/9780292716964/
Global TV Horror edited by Stacey Abbott and Lorna Jowett: www.uwp.co.uk/book/global-tv-horror/
TV Horror edited by Stacey Abbott and Lorna Jowett: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/tv-horror-9781848856189/
Undead Apocalypse by Stacey Abbott: https://academic.oup.com/edinburgh-scholarship-online/book/19174?login=false
--------
1:22:26
--------
1:22:26
30. BASIC INSTINCT (1992), with Rebecca McCallum
Today we launch headlong into the erotic thriller genre with a very deep dive into the 1992 box office smash, Basic Instinct. Starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, written by Joe Eszterhas and directed by Paul Verhoeven, this gaudy and controversial Neo Noir has many strong links to Hitchcock's Vertigo. To discuss this film and more, Sergio is joined by very special guest, Rebecca McCallum.
N.B. The podcast, recorded in February 2025, includes huge spoilers - and gives away the ending to Basic Instinct and Vertigo too!
Rebecca is a writer, speaker and creator/host of Talking Hitchcock, a podcast that explores the work and the world of her favourite director. The podcast covers deep dives on Hitchcock’s films as well as topic driven discussions on everything in the Hitchcockian universe. She curates, hosts and speaks at Hitchcock screenings and festivals up and down the UK and has written about the director’s films both online and in print for many publications including Fangoria, Grim Journal, Hemlock Books and MovieJawn. She has presented at Hitch Con, the largest international Hitchcock conference of its kind and co-hosted a Hitchcock programme on BBC Radio.
Talking Hitchcock Podcast:
Listen to Talking Hitchcock Podcast here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/rebecca-mccallum/
Instagram/Bluesky: @talkinghitchpod
Linktree https://linktr.ee/PendlePumpkin to Read/Listen to Rebecca's Work: Rebecca McCallum | Twitter @hitch_pod
Find and Follow Rebecca
Instagram: @pendlepumpkin
--------
1:42:19
--------
1:42:19
29. Film Noir Fest 2025, with James Harrison
James Harrison of Film Noir UK joins Sergio to preview the 2025 Film Noir Fest, which is taking place from 31 October to 2 November at the Plaza Cinema in Weston-Super-Mare. This year's theme is heist movies and highlights include screenings of:
Kubrick's KILLER'S KISS (1955) and THE KILLING (1956), Huston's THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950), Siodmak's CRISS CROSS (1949), Dassin's RIFIFI (1955) and Tarantino's RESERVOIR DOGS (1992).
There is also a retrospective dedicated to crime films starring Ida Lupino, including HIGH SIERRA (1941), ROAD HOUSE (1948), ON DANGEROUS GROUND (1951), BEWARE, MY LOVELY (1952) and WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS (1956). In addition there will be a silent Heritage Noir double bill with a live score by Neil Brand and screenings of British thrillers courtesy of Talking Pictures TV / Renown.
For full details about the festival and tickets, visit the homepage of Film Noir UK: https://ti.to/film-noir-uk/filmnoirfest2025
Netherlands