The Horror Double Bill
Welcome to The Horror Double Bill, where we pair classic and modern horror films to explore the dark, the horrifying and the bizarre. Inspired by the legendary BBC2 horror double bills of the 1970s and 1980s, each week we discuss two films that share twisted themes, unsettling atmospheres, or strange connections—whether it’s psychological terror, gothic chills, ultra-violence, sci-fi or absurd black comedy.
From the shadowy corridors of black and white classics to the paranoia-fueled chaos of the 21st-century, we take a deep dive into what makes these films memorable and the social context in which they were made. Expect discussions on film history, censorship, director profiles, folklore, and cultural anxieties, with a dry British wit (well, I think I'm funny) and a love for horror in all its forms.
Subscribe for unexpected pairings, and a celebration of horror as a feeling—not just a genre.
New episodes every Sunday.
📸 @thehorrordoublebill
📧 thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com
The Horror Double Bill
Episode One: La Cabina (1972) & El Bar (2017)
Episode One: La Cabina (1974) and El Bar (2017) - claustrophobia and paranoia in Madrid
Welcome to the debut episode of The Horror Double Bill, a podcast that celebrates horror in all its unsettling, uncanny, and occasionally absurd forms. Inspired by the BBC2 double bills of the 1970s and early ’80s, each week we pair two films that share themes, tones, or a peculiar sense of dread that lingers long after the credits roll.
This week, we descend into the claustrophobic madness of Spanish horror with Antonio Mercero’s eerie TV classic La Cabina and Álex de la Iglesia’s explosive ensemble thriller El Bar. We talk BBC horror double bills, the Spanish civil war, Franco-era censorship, the golden age of spanish horror, urban paranoia, and why no respectable Spanish man would eve let himself become a werewolf.
New episodes every Sunday.
you can watch La Cabina here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H1_p6B4Ugo
main sources used for this episode
The Spanish Fantastic: Contemporary Filmmaking in Horror, Fantasy and Sci-fi by Shelagh Rowan Legg
The Spanish Horror Film By Antonio Lazaro-Reboll
Sex, Sadism, Spain and Cinema by Nicholas G Schlegel
Spanish Civil War resources:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH4to6F_MKfJGJf_4mSL_Xh6fVhHe86tB&si=Z-MPyHj13KBqbdVr
https://youtu.be/hjr3LrgqnuQ?si=t_SXOl99acunLple
La Cabina resources:
La Cabina Creating Horror from the absurd by Amyus: https://the-artifice.com/la-cabina/
El Bar resources:
https://anthemmagazine.com/living-legends-alex-de-la-iglesia/
https://cineuropa.org/en/interview/322757/
https://variety.com/2014/film/festivals/alex-de-la-iglesia-preps-my-big-night-and-the-bar-for-2015-1201374693/
https://youtu.be/EHNCNth6jxw?si=oJGPvoDd7zjNRh-7
https://youtu.be/EzwlBGDsffw?si=eusjzlk-VyfE2EYg
📸 thehorrordoublebill
📧 thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com
artwork by Justin Parker
📸 jpkr_illustration