Episodes
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This month, host Johnny Restall is joined by author and horror enthusiast Andrew Lyall to unravel Richard Donner's classic horror thriller THE OMEN (1976), starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, and Billie Whitelaw. Check your body for unusual numerical birthmarks and join us as we explore a brilliantly-told tale of Satanic plots, grisly 'accidents' and maybe the end of the world...
If you'd like to see more of Andrew, you can find his Youtube channel here and you can buy his book of short stories here.
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Host Johnny Restall is joined by author and critic Mario Dhingsa to explore Fred Zinnemann's meticulous assassination thriller THE DAY OF THE JACKAL (1973), starring Edward Fox, Michael Lonsdale, and Delphine Seyrig. How well does the film stand up today - is it still 'the ultimate analogue thriller'? How does it compare with Frederick Forsyth's original doorstop-sized novel? How does its blend of fact and fiction stay so taut? And how many cravats can one Jackal need ? Find out by listening...
You can find Mario on X at @mariodhingsa and you can buy his books on Amazon here.
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Missing episodes?
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"Got a smoke?" This month, host Johnny Restall is joined by writer and podcaster Steve Hunt to discuss John Carpenter's cult classic action thriller ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976), starring Austin Stoker and Darwin Joston. Armed only with their wits and their expert film knowledge, Johnny and Steve tackle a ruthless gang of questions attacking Carpenter's thrifty but highly impressive second feature. Join them and find out if they survive!
If you'd like to hear more of Steve Hunt, you can find his excellent Boxing Movie Podcast here: https://boxingmoviepodcast.alitu.com/1?order=newest.
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This month, host Johnny Restall is joined by film critic Matt Glasby to discuss Alan Parker's genre-shifting cult mystery ANGEL HEART (1987), starring Mickey Rourke, Lisa Bonet, Robert De Niro and Charlotte Rampling. Join us as we explore its noir-inflected journey to the centre of the soul and explore its unique atmosphere and beguiling mixture of detective story and horror...
If you're hungry for a little more, you can also find Johnny's article exploring the multiple identities of ANGEL HEART for the Film Cred website here
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This month, host Johnny Restall is joined by writer, critic and speaker Rebecca McCallum to discuss the mysteries of Francis Ford Coppola's masterful 1974 thriller The Conversation, starring Gene Hackman and John Cazale. As the world of surveillance expert Harry Caul begins to crumble, everything is deliberately thrown into doubt. Can the viewer trust the protagonist? Can we trust the filmmaker? Can we even trust our own perceptions? Join us as we explore a paranoid classic that only seems to grow more pertinent with time...
If you'd like to hear more about Rebecca McCallum's Hitchcock podcast, you can find it here: https://linktr.ee/talkinghitchcockpodcast
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This month, Johnny Restall is joined by writer and critic Nate Roscoe, who picks three favourite OVERLOOKED GIALLO FILMS. Join us as we try to define gialli by celebrating three slightly neglected films that both conform to and push against the conventions of the genre. We discuss THE FLOWER IN HIS MOUTH (1975), FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON (1975) and I KNOW WHO KILLED ME (2007) - black hat, trenchcoat, and murder weapon of choice not necessarily required...
If you'd like to find more of Nate Roscoe's work, his website can be found here: https://trashtotarkovsky.com/
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This month, host Johnny Restall is joined by writer and podcaster Tim Coleman to discuss Michael Mann's epic 1995 crime drama HEAT, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Expect spoilers as they analyse this simple but slippery beast of a film. Is it the ultimate cops-and-robbers thriller or a bombastic, tragic melodrama? Is it secretly a Western? Is it a criticism or a celebration of machismo? Is there a secret brotherhood of mulleted villainy between Waingro and Nate? Find out by listening...
If you'd like to hear more from Tim Coleman, you can find episodes of his Moving Picture Film Club podcast here: https://movingpicturesfilmclub.com/
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This month, host Johnny Restall is joined by the author and cinema enthusiast James Stoorie to discuss Unswinging British Thrillers of the 1960s. Together, they explore this beautifully drab sub-genre of suburban gothic, where kitchen sink meets crime and the grooviest parties are always happening somewhere else. Movies discussed include SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON (1964), BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (1965) and OUR MOTHER'S HOUSE (1967) and be warned - there will be spoilers, along with tepid cups of tea and loneliness...
If you'd like to find out more about James Stoorie's writing, you can buy his books here: https://www.lulu.com/search?contributor=James+Stoorie&page=1&pageSize=10&adult_audience_rating=00
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Film critic Johnny Restall discusses Joel and Ethan Coen's Oscar-winning dark comedy thriller FARGO (1996), starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare. Is it truth or is it fiction? Is it tale of good vs. evil or just a slapstick story about idiotic crooks? Is it a Scandinoir or a Columbo? Find out (sort of) by listening...
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This month on The Thriller Cabinet, film critic Johnny Restall celebrates the 75th anniversary of one of the finest noirs of them all: Abraham Polonsky's subversive and scathing FORCE OF EVIL, starring John Garfield, Thomas Gomez and Beatrice Pearson. Expect corruption, politics and tragedy as he explores the film's fiercely moving excoriation of success, integrity, brotherly love and the capitalist dream...
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For the festive season, writer and critic Johnny Restall examines Bob Clark's classic Canadian psychological slasher thriller Black Christmas (1974), starring Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder and John Saxon. Expect discussion of the film's pioneering style, its pleasingly complex themes and characterisation, and the ways it both sets up and subverts genre tropes. If this episode doesn't make your skin crawl, it's on too tight!
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This month, Johnny Restall grapples with Robert Wise's classic film noir THE SET-UP, starring Robert Ryan and Audrey Totter. Take your seat at the ringside for an in-depth exploration of the film's background and its bruisingly relevant themes of exploitation, honour, and cold hard greed...
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This month, writer and critic Johnny Restall explores a Halloween treat with Peter Medak's beautifully judged, cult classic ghost story THE CHANGELING starring George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, and Melvyn Douglas. He discusses the film's 'true' back story, its unusual blend of haunted house and conspiracy thriller, and the ways in which it complements and contradicts other highlights of supernatural cinema. Come on in, but watch out for the banging pipes - and whatever you do, don't go into the attic...
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This month, writer and critic Johnny Restall examines Terrence Malick's remarkable 1973 debut film BADLANDS, starring Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year. He takes an in-depth look at the film's highly distinctive style, its disturbing underlying themes, its relationship to its real-life inspiration, its subsequent influence, and its place in the careers of the director and stars.
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Writer and critic Johnny Restall explores the style, themes, and characters of Alan J Pakula's 1971 classic KLUTE, starring Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, and Roy Scheider. The first of Pakula's 'Paranoid' trilogy, the film breaks traditional thriller rules with unexpected success, with a uniquely fascinating and frightening approach to the genre.
