Ménage Á Pop is a three times a week intimate discussion between two people and a piece of pop culture.
Is that the whine of a blood splattered chain saw thrashing through the meat of today’s episode? Well … no… they’re doing construction on Tim’s street and he hasn’t really sound proofed the room. Still, its an apt enough sound for today’s gore filled installment of a gore-filled franchise. It also works for guest Sara Century’s own account of publishing pop culture criticism for the slasher-like antagonism of pop culture fans. It’s TWO horror stories and in under 20 minutes. So peek out from under those covers just enough to hear what Sara has to say about this.
You can follow today’s guest SARA CENTURY on TWITTER @saracentury and on INSTAGRAM @sarcentury. You can also listen to her podcast BITCHES ON COMICS and read selections for her pop culture journalism at www.saracentury.com .
POP NOTES
Released in the U.S. on December 23rd 1988, the movie was directed by Tony Randal (not of THE ODD COUPLE) who had worked as one of two editors on the 1987 original HELLRAISER.
Initially rated “X” for intense violence, the filmmakers had to exorcise about 5 minutes of footage to ensure its eventual R rating. Cut footage included longer scenes of patients cutting themselves, knife carving across Pinhead’s skull and the character Skinless Frank being graphically torn asunder by spiked chains (it was shortened in the final film to Pinhead’s single line “ We’ll tear your soul apart.”)
During production it was envisioned that future installments would focus on the character of Julia as the main antagonist. However, based on fan reaction to Pinhead ‘s return , this idea was abandoned for the direction the franchise ultimately followed (eventually into space).
With multiple portrayals of Pinhead, actor Doug Bradley holds the distinction of being one of seven actors to portray a horror icon in six consecutive appearances. The six other fiendish thespians include Christopher Lee (Dracula in the Hammer film series), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger from Nightmare On Elm Street), Brad Dourif (the voice of Chucky in Child’s Play ), Warwick Davis (the Leprechaun from Leprechaun) Tobin Bell (Jigsaw in Saw) and Bubba Smith (Hightower in Police Academy).
A scene of Dr. Channard entering the Cenobite cube is framed in homage to artist Francis Bacon’s 1954 work “Figure With Meat..” This same painting would be featured the following year in Tim Burton’s BATMAN as the one piece the Joker salvages during his vandalism of the Flugelheim museum.
The film originally intended to delve further into Pinhead’s origin but , due to budget restraints, omitted most of this material. Elements of this story were worked into subsequent sequels, beginning with 1992’s HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH.
Tune back Friday when Sara and Tim cut themselves some slack…er. Ahm ... its a pun … and its also 1995’s GENERATION X ISSUE 6.
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MUSIC FEATURED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:
“Three Ways To Do That” (opening theme) composed and performed Madeline Prior.” All rights reserved with Not A Holograms podcasts.
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Try to understand the present while living in the past with Tim’s weekly podcast 20TH CENTURY POP! at www.nahpods.com/20popcast
For questions, queries or, by random chance, press contact Tim Blevins at subcultist@gmail.com.