Latest episode
2. Spice World (1997)
01:34:16||Season 5, Ep. 2"Will you turn that bloody racket down?"Time for some Girl Power! Who said anything about Space Ghettos? We celebrate the British pop phenomenon with a great big episode about their smash hit turned cult classic feature film Spiceworld and the Lynchian video for their single Viva Forever in which two children are spirited away by Aardman animated tin-toy fairies resembling Scary, Sporty, Ginger, Baby and Posh Spice.Our renditions of notable ad libs, Michael's pitch for a biopic centred on Geri Halliwell, the presence of literal aliens, Spice Force 5, Trap Door, the socialist community in Liverpool, Rupert the Bear annuals, the Playstation game, Robb Stark getting his bum out, A Hard Day's Night vs The Monkees' Head, Chupa Chups lollipops, the clones of S Club Seeing Double, the coolness of Richard E. Grant and hot twink Alan Cumming, turbulent times on The Island of Doctor Moreau, deciding which Spice Girl would play various roles in Doctor Who, dreamfasting, the French and Saunders Mamma Mia sketch, high femme drag, toilet horror, the comedic timing of Victoria Beckham, buying the VHS tins in Woolworths, and a camera sticking out of a cow await.We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.Why the double bill with The Borrowers? Listen and find out!Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.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 Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs
More episodes
View all episodes
1. The Borrowers (1997)
01:09:25||Season 5, Ep. 1We're crashing into our new season with an action-packed adaptation of Mary Norton's classic children's books. Comparisons with the 1992 and 2011 TV versions and Studio Ghibli's 2010 anime The Secret World of Arrietty, the Trocadero Centre, post-war allegory, the incredible filmography of visual effects supervisor Peter Chiang, ice cream made of mashed potato, Penelope Wilton delivering an impassioned speech in Bob & Rose, product placement, a hat on a hat, Celia Imrie's enormous Chappell Roan wig, an officious Ruby Wax, a cheese-eating dog, John Goodman getting tied up by a ceiling fan, Smack the Pony, Jane Norman carrier bags, The 10th Kingdom, life in a dystopian steampunk Hovis advert, and a young Tom Felton's chinchilla named Stanley await.We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.Why the double bill with Spice World? Listen and find out!Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.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 Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)https://patreon.com/onceuponavhsThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1988 BBC TV series)
02:23:10|It's time for a Christmas VHS classic - the first instalment of the BBC's adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.Thank you so much to all our guest contributors on this special episode: Richard, Daniel, Cullen, Sophie, Paul, Rob, and Daniel Boxyteeopatra.We share our thoughts on the series and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.Which weapons would Father Christmas hand out to us? Listen and find out!Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.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 Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs16. Sac Magique - Season Finale and Mailbag
01:24:47||Season 4, Ep. 16It's time to wrap up the Season of the Witch by opening a magic bag full of listener questions, updates and also-rans. Ursula K. Leguin's Carrier Bag Theory, Tilly from Tots TV, the population of Iceland, Bette Davis, Halloweentown, Poison for the Fairies, Hilary Duff, Grotbags and Wizadora await.Want to find out our favourite fantasy novels? Listen and find out!Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhsBONUS: Wicked: For Good (2025)
02:47:11|I've heard it said that podcasts come into our lives for a reason...SPOILER ALERT! This epic bonus episode features our extended and detailed discussion of the new movie Wicked: For Good, scene by scene. Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove.https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs15. The Black Cauldron (1985) with James Swanton
01:48:30||Season 4, Ep. 15It's time for one of the most infamous entries in the 80s dark fantasy canon - Disney's boldly ambitious animated epic, The Black Cauldron. Joining our discussion of the film's merits and shortcomings is actor, writer and horror icon James Swanton.Three wayward witches, an oracular pig, green mist, Welsh mythology, Elmer Bernstein's ondes martenot-heavy score, and one bonechilling villain in the Horned King await. We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.How do we feel about Gurgi? Listen and find out!Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.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 Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs14. The Worst Witch (1986) and A Return to Return to Oz (1985)
01:20:19||Season 4, Ep. 14Anything 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 whole lot of trouble in The Worst Witch, a TV movie adaptation of Jill Murphy's book series set at a magic boarding school with a wild cast including Charlotte Rae, Diana Rigg and Tim Curry. Oh, and some "remarkable" songs and visual effects. We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.Has anybody seen my tambourine? Listen and find out!Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.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 Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs