Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy

"Help each other, draw upon one another, and always remember the power that binds you."

We're joined by comedian, writer, broadcaster, Faithful and all-round icon Tranna Wintour to discuss the totally tubular TMNT phenomenon - from comics to cartoons to tons of toys - focusing in on the Turtles' 1990 big screen debut. Fun fact - in the UK we originally knew them as "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles"!

April O'Neil's yellow raincoat, soft masculinity, the grounding effect of pop culture references, Krang, Henson family dynamics, kung fu, Tranna's frozen pizza tips, malfunctioning animatronic faces, Pleasure Island, the questionable presence of Casey Jones, dad feelings, Shredder's sparkly jumpsuit, video nasties, and an emotive giant rat puppet await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.

Who’s our favourite Turtle? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly:
Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)
Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)
Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)

https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Paranormal? Is that what they're calling your kind these days?"

In honour of the late, great Catherine O'Hara and her brilliant turn as Delia Deetz, we're finally covering a Tim Burton film - and it's a goofy, ghoulish game changer that will rattle your funny bones.

An outsider's found family, nods to B-movie horror, Michael Keaton's bonkers energy, some delightfully absurd special effects, the Usborne Book of Ghosts, queer film lighting, Winona Ryder as goth icon Lydia Deetz, spontaneous human combustion, Sammy Davis Jr, a sweet love story, the camp of Miss Argentina, the Cathouse rock club, Alec Baldwin's chinos, ghost photography, the many careers and gay supernatural talents of Otho, and a truly memorable lipsync extravaganza await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.

What was the originally scripted ending that would have made this the perfect fit for our Size Matters season? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly:
Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)
Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)
Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)

https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"We have too long forgotten the magic powers of nature. The time has come to call on them again."

We're going down under to dance with some fairies who conspicuously lack Australian accents in this gorgeously green animated eco-fable.

Tim Curry as a malevolent spirit singing about acid rain pouring down like egg chow mein, Crocodile Dundee, changing sociocultural perceptions of enviromentalism, Robin Williams improvising for 14 hours, Kath and Kim, a cyborg artist's antenna, Magi Lune serving so hard she crystallizes, a goanna voiced by Tone Loc, climate anxiety, Steve Irwin, a Walkman, romance, a Sheena Easton performance debacle, the influence of The Little Mermaid, the power of collective action and some wild deleted lyrics await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.

Exactly how much of the Batty Rap do we feature? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly:
Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)
Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)
Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)

https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Don't call it violence, call it action. Kids love action! It sells!"

Bustin' out of the box, we're prepared to defeat the Commando Elite in this sanded down but still bitingly satirical romp about AI toy warfare. Life in plastic? It's fantastic.

Joe Dante giving us Susan Sontag camp sensibility, the Everything Is Terrible Jerry Maguire video pyramid, transmascs loving shark movies, Action Man vs G.I. Joe, corporate synergy, Aladdin's nipples, Martika's Kitchen, the Toy Story of it all, Spinal Tap turning it up to 11 as assorted Gorgonites, the Frankenstein throwback of the Gwendy doll conversion, Sarah Michelle Gellar being sued by Burger King, contraband Furbies, the pronunciation of Kirsten Dunst, the Barbie Liberation Organisation, surprise Spice Girls connections, the diva doll herself Dead Meat's James A Janisse, Phil Hartman's big TV, loving Archer loving Encarta, Gremlins comparisons, putting away childish things, Led Zeppelin, the Creatures life simulator PC games and Titanic references await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.

Why did we decide to cover this when there's no magical or supernatural element involved? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly:
Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)
Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)
Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)

https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Now you will see a film made for children... perhaps."

An experimental little solo episode from Callum, exploring this Czech surrealist stop motion dark fantasy from Jan Švankmajer.

It's an extra weird one, but that's what happens when you talk to yourself...

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly:
Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)
Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)
Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)

https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.