x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy

Once Upon A VHS

On a queer and neverending quest through the fantasy films of the 80s & 90s, and all the memories and feelings they conjure up. From animated adventures and sword and sorcery epics to magical romcoms and fairytale horror, we will journey through the big blockbusters and cult classics.https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhsJoin 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

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

1:20:19

The Worst Witch (1986) and A Return to Return to Oz...

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/10/31

Anything can happen on Halloween... Celebrating Once Upon A VHS icon Fairuza Balk, we have a special double-dunter!First up, an addendum to last year's episode about our beloved Return to Oz. We saw the 40th anniversary screening of Return to Oz at the DCA in Dundee as part of the Dundead horror and cult film festival lineup, and give our reactions to seeing on the big screen as well as expanding on our thoughts and theories about this gothic and gorgeous movie.Then we join Mildred Hubble for a

en

1:43:31

The Company of Wolves (1984) with Rachel Lydia Barker...

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/10/23

As you're pretty, so be wise - wolves may lurk in every guise...Rachel Lydia Barker, film critic, video essayist and creator of the Girl on Film YouTube channel joins us in straying from the path to discuss a truly wild film. It's not just a dark and edgy reworking of Little Red Riding Hood, but a surreal and sensual gothic fairytale overflowing with symbolism, feminist allegory and sharp commentary about gender and power dynamics.Literary trailblazer Angela Carter and The Bloody Chamber, roadtrips

en

1:41:49

Cannon Movie Tales: Hansel and Gretel (1987) with...

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/10/16

With Michael lost in the woods, Callum calls upon returning guest co-hosts Pete and Scott from the fabulous Movies That Made Us Gay podcast to dive into discussion, dissection and dissemination of the Cannon Films "package" of fairy tale films, focusing in on Hansel and Gretel - it is the season of the witch, after all!We also discuss a few other adaptations of Hansel and Gretel including Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre, Tim Burton's kung fu influenced 1983 short, the 2020 horror film Gretel

en

1:41:52

The Witches (1990) with Robert Berg

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/10/09

Witches of England... you are a disgrace!Robert Berg, writer and copy editorial director of Bona Books, a queer press specialising in fantasy, science fiction and horror, joins us to peel back the layers of weirdness with this unsettling adaptation.The complicated legacy of Roald Dahl, loving a sad wash, the performance of gender, gay gasps at the long list of women who might have played the Grand High Witch, feminist filmmaking pioneer Mai Zetterling and her missing finger, feelings about the

en

1:15:32

The Craft (1996) with Juno Dawson

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/10/02

We are the weirdos, mister. Light as a feather, stiff as a board. I bind you, Nancy, from doing harm... It's October, it's an iconic performance from Fairuza Balk, it's time to celebrate Fairuzaween with THE millennial mall-goth high school witch horror, 1996's The Craft.Our special guest Juno Dawson, bestselling author of the bewitching Her Majesty's Royal Coven series, screenwriter, actress and cohost of So I Got To Thinking podcast, joins us to call the corners.Sarah's cement-front wig, invoking

en

1:13:32

Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996) with Alice Boyd-Leslie

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/09/25

Before the hugely popular 90s sitcom, Sabrina the Teenage Witch had something of a trial run with this tonally very different TV movie. The delightful Alice Boyd-Leslie of Drunken Horror and Not Another Teen Podcast joins us for a trip down Memory Lane in enchanted super-fast sneakers. We also discuss other incarnations from her 60s Archie Comics origin to the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix.Melissa Joan Hart portraying two of the greatest teen girl characters of all time, Channel 5 vibes,

en

1:40:11

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/09/18

Come on, you poor unfortunate souls! We've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty, and our first Disney animated classic deep dive brings us a real Renaissance woman for the season of the witch - Divine meets Joan Collins, the diva doll herself, Ursula. We have a sincere love for this one - just don't ask us to give up our voices for it.Hans Christian Andersen crying on Charles Dickens' lawn, the queer genius of Howard Ashman, desire, the gorgeous art of Kay Nielsen, soft masculinity, a surprise appearance

en

1:35:00

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/09/11

A Kiki is a party for calming all your nerves, and we have a special delivery coming!The Pippi Longstocking connection, Hayao Miyazaki's perfectionism, coming of age, British publishing jargon, the origins of Ursula's painting, San Francisco apparently being a European city, Totoro on stage, variations between dubs, His Dark Materials, grief, geese, not being the baby any more, herring and pumpkin pie, built-in obselence, etiquette, neurodiverse readings, freelancer burnout, women mentoring women,

en

47:37

The Halloween Tree (1993) - Double Feature Part 2/2

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/09/04

Pick your soul pumpkin and grab a corner of a cape as we hurtle into the second part of our Ray Bradbury double bill with this Hanna-Barbera animated treat.Lollygagging, the Roseanne Halloween special, TV quality animation, "that mortician woman on YouTube" (Caitlin Doughty), edutainment, a slingshot on a sarcophagus, purple prose readings, Carmen Sandiego, the gargoyles of Notre Dame, transatlantic traditions, a big sombrero for Dia de Los Muertos, a beastly kite with lots of eyes and fangs, Mari

en

1:20:40

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) - Double...

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/08/27

Roll up, roll up! In this first part of our Ray Bradbury double bill, we take a ride on the creepy carousel of the October People in a dark and moody film that Disney would probably rather keep secret.Our thoughts on Ray Bradbury's writing, the politics in the Dark Pandemonium Carnival,extreme Pam Grier appreciation mania, Grandpa Simpson's onion on his belt which was the style at the time, schmoozing with celebs, nostalgia as a sickness, the Vogue rap, American boyhood, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, spiders

en

1:46:45

Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997) with Tom Bloom

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/08/21

The Brothers Grimm get even grimmer with this gothic horror dark fairytale with possibly the most metal trailer in existence, Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1998). Writer, artist, coin-operated fortune teller and marketing and design superstar at indie perfumery Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Tom Bloom, joins us for a deep dive into the old ways.Sigourney Weaver being mother, the grunge roots of the Grimmification movement, whimsygoth culture, escaping from the Superstition Mountains, hagsploitation, the

en

1:41:18

The Witches of Eastwick (1987) with Morgan M Page

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/08/14

Is it feminist? Is it queer? It's Cher, bitch! Seduced by this wayward success story of the witch film canon, we join forces with our longtime friend, writer, historian, artist and activist Morgan M Page, to mull over this oddball outlier.Barbra Streisand's fateful wig that led to giant mechanical spiders, everyone wanting a boyfriend who looks like a lesbian, zucchini, squirty cheese and cherry pits, deleted footage of an upsetting Veronica Cartwright animatronic, penis curvature conversations,

en

1:41:55

A Simple Wish (1997) with Tara Tagliaferro (Down the...

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/08/07

Get your jelly sandals on and your magic wands at the ready - we're not in Manhattan any more! The wickedly talented Tara Tagliaferro of Down the Yellow Brick Pod returns to chat with us about this quirky little number that captivated a micro-generation with its peculiar charms, and highlights some favourite fantasy books from her childhood.Truth-speaking 90s family movie icon Mara Wilson, preposterous auditions, Kathleen Turner's witch-to-conductor costume change, characters being flattened with

en

1:26:17

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/07/31

We're back - and it's the season of the witch! Join us as we fly over Salem with the Sanderson sisters for this Hallowe'en classic that is creepy, comedic, camp and a few other words beginning with "c".Pop culture witchcraft (and drag) reemerging in turbulent times, inflating a squashed cat puppet, "kiss me I'm Alison!", Bette Midler going on Zoom, an apology to David Kirschner, a virgin lighting the Black Flame Candle, remarkable musical numbers, a book bound with human skin, retro company logos,

en

53:32

BONUS Patreon Preview: Jim Henson's The Storyteller -...

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/07/17

A preview of our brand new Patreon exclusive coverage of Jim Henson's The Storyteller featuring the pilot episode, Hans My Hedgehog. To hear the whole thing, our Star Wars and Lord of the Rings episodes and much more to come, check out our Patreon: https://patreon.com/onceuponavhsJoin our Clamshell Club for $5 or £4 per month to gain access to three strands of exclusive bonus episodes:Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy

en

1:39:01

The Hero's Knapsack - Season Finale and Mailbag

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/06/03

Hello Podlings, it's time for a chat! Join us as we talk a load of rubbish and have a rummage in the hero's knapsack. We answer listener questions, look back on our journey so far, share some exciting news about our Clamshell Club and crown this season's Miss Fan Favourite.The Once Upon A Time magazine and audio cassette carrycase, Gobbolino the Witch's Cat, Michael's mum reading 50 Shades of Grey, our thoughts on the first episodes recent TV continuations Willow (2022) and The Dark Crystal: Age of

en

2:01:00

The Dark Crystal (1982)

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/05/15

In the Age of Wonder, everybody loves puppets! We're journeying through Thra, somewhere between the Land of Gorch and Fraggle Rock, on a quest to restore balance to a broken world. Or at least make an entertaining podcast.To celebrate this iconic movie in the spirit of collaboration, community and The Great Conjunction, we invited our listeners and guests from previous episodes to contribute shards of their experiences with the film, scattered throughout the episode. A huge thank you to everyone who

en

1:36:19

Drop Dead Fred (1991)

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/05/08

We're joined by fabulous artist and writer Rose Ruane to unpick this oft-reviled movie about an unruly, uncouth and uncanny imaginary friend in the form of a surprisingly sexy Rik Mayall. Heads up: while packaged as a comedy caper, this film deals with some heavy topics of otherness, mental health and overcoming abuse, and we discuss its suprising emotional impact.Queer failure, the hauntology of British public information films, mother's power-dressing, a tennis ball with a bit of fluff stuck on

en

1:15:20

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/05/01

Kodama-rama! We finally cover a Studio Ghibli anime classic with this brutal and brilliant film from Hayao Miyazaki.Gorgeous foliage, graphic violence, a wolf goddess with the voice of a drag queen, the curse of generative AI, Uncle Boonmee-coded apes, the "No Cuts" story, Final Fantasy VII, Lady Eboshi serving Creation Destruction Charisma Uniqueness Nerve and Talent, and a star-studded dub await.We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the

en

58:06

Ladyhawke (1985)

Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy ·

2025/04/24

We're feeling the romantasy with this swoonworthy effort from Richard Donner. We also insist that Michelle Pfeiffer needs to get her flowers.Great casting, gorgeous cinematography, grappling with the commodification of nostalgia, a horse in a wig, a detour to the origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the curse of desire, deleted monsters, reverse penetration, a hot take about Grease 2 and our thoughts about that infamously divisive Alan Parsons produced score await.We share our thoughts on the

en

52 results

Similar Podcasts

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE

David Yontef

Nerd Culture - A Gamekings Podcast

Blammo Media

UPodcast

UPodcast

The Writers Hangout

Sandy Adomaitis

The Sarah Fraser Show

Sarah Fraser