Episode 12: The Cat and The Canary (1939) & The Corruption of Chris Miller (1973)

Welcome to episode 12 of the horror double bill the podcast where each week we combine 2 films to create something far greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are exploring the horrors of the old dark house, and the enduring influence of its many tropes on horror cinema.  

First up is The Cat and the Canary from 1939 — a horror comedy starring Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, George Zucco, and Gail Sondergaard. Then we head back to Spain for The Corruption of Chris Miller  a twisted psychological thriller from 1973 starring Jean Seberg, Marisol, and Barry Stokes.

Both films explore the familiar tropes of the quintessential Old Dark House movie — isolated settings, threatened heroines, power outages, and deranged killers. But while the first takes a lighter, meta commentary and comedic approach, the second leans into something far darker and psychosexual. Along the way we’ll be discussing the origins of the subgenre, the career of Juan Antonio Bardem, and also taking a closer look at the lives and careers of, Gale Sondergaard, Paulette Goddard, Marisol, and Jean Seberg, four actresses whose lives were shaped in very different ways by state surveillance, government oppression, and the systemic abuse of power. 

Socials

IG: @thehorrordoublebill

email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com

Artwork by Justin Parker:

instagram: @jpkr_illustration

Sources: Introduction & The Cat and the Canary

Silentfilm.org, 

American Gothic six decades of classic horror cinema by Jonathon Rigby

charliechaplin.com

ladailymirror.com

starsandletterblogspot.com 

https://broadcast41.uoregon.edu/biography/sondergaard-gale#:~:text=In%201951%2C%20she%20was%20subpoenaed,%2C%20un%2DAmerican%20woman.%E2%80%9D&text=1Gale%20Sondergaard%2C%20%E2%80%9CWe%20Speak,August%201951%2C%207%2D8.

https://youtu.be/JXwHouiznKA?si=cArp5DMmtoETW2wT

Sources: The Corruption of Chris Miller

Interview with Juan Antonio Bardem on the Vinegar Syndrome Blu ray release of the film

Euro Gothic Classics of Continental Cinema by Jonathan Rigby

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/09/05/the-jean-seberg-story/11049a35-bbdb-4aef-ab67-22d06a9e98e5/

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/apr/22/mondaymediasection.filmnews

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/12/9004756/jane-seberg-movie-true-story-black-panthers-fbi#:~:text=In%20Seberg%2C%20Jean%E2%80%99s%20involvement%20with,profile%20celebrities%20for%20their%20support

https://www.pikaramagazine.com/2018/11/pepa-flores-marisol/#:~:text=,no%20una%20familia%2C%20sino%20cuatro

https://www.eldiario.es/cultura/cine/misterio-marisol-mujer-rebelo-pepa-flores-no-fantasia-infantil-franquismo_1_10976274.html#:~:text=Fue%20el%20comienzo%20de%20un,de%20donar%20al%20partido%20el

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/nov/02/guardianobituaries.filmnews#:~:text=But%20in%20the%201950s%2C%20a,folkloric%20costume%20films%20it%20sanctioned.

Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill

email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com

youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)