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TV genres are more like arbitrary guidelines than strict boundaries, but viewers have come to rely on them all the same.

We expect to see cops in police procedurals, doctors in medical shows, and dragons on dragon shows.

But what happens when a TV series jumps its genre guardrails and goes rogue?

(Apple TV+)

This scenario happens more often than you’d think, especially with shows taking a supernatural twist.

It’s so common there’s even a name for it: The Paranormal Trope.

Wait … Did You Hear That??

TV shows often feature a supernatural episode for Halloween, which makes sense.

It’s a time of year when spooky shenanigans can be enjoyed and easily explained away (or just never mentioned again).

(HBO/YouTube screenshot)

A “true” supernatural aspect buried in that holiday’s fake trappings blurs the line between a show’s established reality and how much that reality...

The Man on Her Mind

Written by Alan Hruska

Directed by Alan Hruska & Bruce Guthrie

USA, 2014

It’s no fun to bash a no-budget passion project like The Man on Her Mind. Every frame practically oozes with the blood, sweat and tears of the filmmakers; every exterior shot almost certainly “stolen;” every interior shot almost certainly filmed at a generous friend’s house. You can smell the cigarette smoke and taste the wine as they celebrated another successful day of filming. It’s the spirit of independent filmmaking that keeps cinema rich and vibrant. And yet, failure is also a part of the creative process, and this film simply fails on too many levels to warrant your time.

It is an extremely tricky business adapting a stage play to film. At best, you can recapture some of the immediacy and energy of the original theatrical production. At worst, it can feel clunky and…...

A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre releases for June.

Harold and Maude (1972) Criterion Blu-ray and DVD Available Now

Forty years later, this 1972 Hal Ashby cult favorite remains a lovably eccentric meditation on life. The romance between a death-obsessed youth (an adorable Bud Cort) and a vivacious geriatric (the mythic Ruth Gordon) is still as beguiling and heartfelt as it was upon its original release. Written by Colin Higgins (9 to 5, Foul Play) and featuring an iconic soundtrack with several Cat Stevens hits, this is a must-have release for cult film buffs.

The much-anticipated Criterion release features:

A new high-definition digital restoration with uncompressed monaural soundtrack, optional remastered stereo soundtrack, audio commentary by Hal Ashby, Nick Dawson and Charles B. Mulvehill, illustrated audio excerpts of seminars by Ashby and Colin Higgins, new interview with songwriter Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), plus a booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Wood and more!

Well, the dog days of summer are fast approaching, and what better way to duck out of the heat than by spending a cool day inside, AC-blasting, with your Blu-ray player and an endless supply of chilled adult beverages. June sees the release of an Alfred Hitchcock classic (beautifully restored), a trio of Lina Wertmüller gems, a nearly lost Michael Curtiz effort, a movie about the sex lives of ghosts, and a plane crash survival tale sold on the, er, ample merits of its female lead.

“The 39 Steps” (Alfred Hitchcock, 1935)

Why You Should Care: Because “The 39 Steps,” a crackling (86 minutes!) spy thriller from Alfred Hitchcock, is one of the most beloved British movies of all time, coming in at fourth place in the British Film Institute’s poll of top British films, and more recently, named the 21st greatest British film of all time by movie magazine Total Film. The film,...

Composer Vic Mizzy wrote the classic theme songs for the 1960s television comedy series The Addams Family and Green Acres. His best known work commenced with a “buh-buh-buh-bump” – two finger snaps – another “buh-buh-buh-bump”, and the opening verse “They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, they’re altogether ooky – the Addams family.” Mizzy sang, overdubbing his voice three times, and played the harpsichord himself for the theme. He also directed the title sequence where the actors who played the Addams clan where instructed to snap their fingers in a bored fashion. He also retained the publishing rights to the theme, which remained profitable throughout his life.

Mizzy was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 9, 1916, and began playing musical instruments as a child. He began writing songs after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Mizzy began working in television in the late 1950s, scoring...

The William Castle Film Collection (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, $80.95) includes eight pictures produced and directed by master showman Castle. In Part One of this lengthy DVD review, I dissected four of them—13 Ghosts, Homicidal and the two best, The Tingler and Mr. Sardonicus. Believe you me, it was a ghastly business! As Sardonicus would say, “I have known a ghoul—a disgusting creature that opens graves and feeds on corpses.” Like a DVD reviewer. See here.

In this epic conclusion, I am fitted out with a Strait-jacket (about time!) and also chronicle Zotz!, 13 Frightened Girls and The Old Dark House, the three Castle entries new to DVD (which lack the short, individual “making of” documentaries accompanying the other five). Only two of these eight flicks were shot in color (Girls, House); theatrical trailers are included with all of the movies. And that’s all you need to know as we continue—in amazing Screamarama,...