Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering The Heat Wave Lasted Four Days (1975), a Canadian crime thriller directed by Douglas Jackson and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Set in Montreal during a summer heat wave, the film follows a television reporter who stumbles into a criminal operation and slowly ruins his life through greed, bad choices, and mounting pressure.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s unusual origins as an English-as-a-second-language teaching tool, its multiple cut versions, and its surprisingly tense ABC Wide World of Mystery presentation. We discuss the stripped-down dialogue, sleazy moral spiral, downbeat ending, and why this obscure Canadian TV movie works better than it has any right to.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Dolls (1987), a gothic horror fantasy directed by Stuart Gordon and produced by Charles Band’s Empire Pictures. When a young girl, her abusive parents, and a group of stranded travellers take shelter in a remote English manor, they discover their elderly hosts are doll makers whose creations punish cruel adults and spare the innocent.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s dark fairy-tale tone, creepy practical effects, and stop-motion killer dolls. We discuss its fast pacing, gothic atmosphere, moral framework, and how this predates Child’s Play and Puppet Master while standing on its own as one of Gordon’s most unsettling films. Tune in to hear why this compact 80s horror gem earns its cult reputation.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Alphabet City (1984), a stylish neo-noir crime drama directed by Amos Poe and shot on location in early 80s New York City. Starring Vincent Spano, Kate Vernon, Jamie Gertz, and Michael Winslow, the film follows a small-time mob runner over one long night as he tries to escape the life after being ordered to burn down his own family’s building.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s music-video energy, neon-soaked cinematography by Oliver Wood, and Nile Rodgers’ electronic score. We discuss its thin but focused story, Fear City atmosphere, and why this feels more like a time capsule of pre-gentrification Alphabet City than a traditional crime thriller. Tune in to hear why this vibe-heavy cult noir works best as a snapshot of a vanished era.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Primal Rage (1988), an Italian-American horror thriller directed by Vittorio Rambaldi and Patrick B. White. Often mistaken for a killer monkey movie, this cult oddity is actually a rage virus horror film where a lab baboon bite turns college students into violent, screaming maniacs.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s Italian horror DNA, uneven pacing, and low-stakes body count. We discuss the misleading premise, the Halloween party massacre, Goblin-adjacent score vibes, and why this plays more goofy than scary. Tune in to hear why this oddball rage virus entry is more curiosity than classic.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Good Boy (2025), an indie horror hit directed by Ben Leonberg and co-written with Alex Cannon. Told almost entirely from a dog’s perspective, this haunted house horror drama follows Indy as he moves with his terminally ill owner to a rural family home where grief, illness, and something possibly supernatural begin to overlap.

Join JD and Randy as they explore the film’s festival buzz, minimalist storytelling, and emotionally heavy tone. We discuss the dog-centred POV gimmick, Larry Fessenden’s appearance, the ambiguous horror elements, and why this unsettling indie stands out among recent low budget horror releases. Tune in to hear why Good Boy lingers long after the credits roll.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Black Christmas (1974), a Canadian horror thriller directed by Bob Clark, also known for A Christmas Story and Porky’s. Set during the holidays, the film follows a sorority house plagued by obscene phone calls and a series of murders, laying the groundwork for the modern slasher film.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s slow-burn tension, restrained violence, and eerie sound design. We discuss its ambiguous killer, unreliable assumptions, and lasting influence on slashers like Halloween and Scream. Tune in to hear why this bleak, unsettling classic still holds up fifty years later. Merry Christmas.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re diving into Magic Crystal (1986), a high-energy Hong Kong action fantasy from Wong Jing, starring Andy Lau, Cynthia Rothrock, and Richard Norton. When a mysterious alien crystal falls to Earth, cops, criminals, and spies race across the globe as the film jumps from police thriller to sci-fi adventure to Indiana Jones-style spectacle.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s kitchen-sink approach, wild tonal shifts, and nonstop martial arts action. We talk Cynthia Rothrock at her Hong Kong peak, Wong Jing’s self-deprecating comedy role, the family-friendly chaos, and why this feels like Big Trouble in Little China filtered through 80s Hong Kong cinema. Tune in to hear why this hidden gem delivers on action, humour, and pure genre fun.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re checking out Jimmy and Stiggs (2025), an independent sci-fi horror thriller written, directed by, and starring Joe Begos, also known for VFW. Set almost entirely in a single apartment, the film follows a self-destructive filmmaker who believes he’s been abducted by aliens and pulls an estranged friend back into his life just as reality begins to fracture.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s claustrophobic structure, extreme practical gore, and unreliable first-person perspective. We discuss the heavy use of colour, sensory overload, substance abuse themes, and the ambiguity surrounding what actually happened. Tune in to hear why this intense, minimalist horror film sparks debate and lingers long after the credits roll.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.