We’re back with an all-new season of Guide for the Film Fanatic! In each episode, Jason Bailey and Mike Hull invite a guest from the world of film (including filmmakers, authors, critics, actors, and more) to select one of the 1600+ “must-see movies” collected in Danny Peary’s seminal 1986 book, Guide for the Film Fanatic. Bailey, Hull, and their guests deep dive on each film, discussing its history, themes, style, performances, initial reception, and legacy, taking a fresh look at some of the most beloved titles in cinema history.

Did you know that fear lives within your body, a creature that attaches itself to your spine that can only be subdued by screaming? True medical fact! At least that’s the premise of William Castle’s 1959 shocker The Tingler, notorious for installing buzzers in audience members’ seats. Matt Singer joins us to share the love for Castle and Vincent Price — and to discuss his fantastic new book, Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’ve partnered up with One Heat Minute Productions on this show, so we’ve migrated over to their feed; subscribe now if you haven’t already. 

We’re also putting our new episodes up on YouTube! Watch the show on our YouTube channel, @guideforthefilmfanatic, for visual accompaniment and bonus stuff and who knows what else:

The Tingler is streaming on Tubi, Plex, and a variety of ad-based streamers. On the “Double It Up” side, The Haunted Castle is on Amazon Prime, Kanopy, and Tubi; Matinee is on Amazon Prime; Rosemary’s Baby is on Paramount+ and Kanopy; Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story is on Plex, Tubi, Hoopla, and Kanopy; and Bloodbath at the House of Death is on Tubi.

You can read Howard Thompson’s New York Times review here, Variety’s review here, and John Waters’ top five list here. And if you’d like to read the full opening day newspaper that Mike enjoyed so much, you can find it here.

Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever is out on Tuesday, and you can buy it here. You can buy Matt’s previous books here (including his wonderful Siskel & Ebert biography Opposable Thumbs), read his work on ScreenCrush here, subscribe to his “Filmspotting SVU” podcast here, check out his website here, and follow him on Bluesky, Letterboxd, and Instagram. 

You can listen to Mike’s new podcast “Whitewashed History” here, and you can also watch his documentary Betrayal at Attica on Tubi and Apple TV+. And Jason’s new book Yippee Ki‐Yay:“Die Hard,” Bruce Willis, and the Reinvention of the Action Movie (out 5/11/27) is now available for preorder from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Inidigo, or wherever you get your books.

Last but not least, if you’d like to make a little donation to support us and the show, you can do that at Ko-fi!