{"podcast":{"title":"The VHS Strikes Back","slug":"the-vhs-strikes-back-1174704","podcast_index_feed_id":1174704,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/bd52f7c/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://www.patreon.com/thevhsstrikesback","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/1885207/1885207-1599111512346-f90c846c4e82b.jpg","author":"Whatever Entertainment","episode_count":372,"summary":"Nostalgic movie review show hosted by Whatever Entertainment team, Dave and Chris. The guys go back in time to review some wonderful and truly awful movies from the days before streaming and even DVD's and had to go to the video store to pick up the latest entertainment. If you want to email the show please contact us on: thevhsstrikesback@gmail.com","last_synced_at":"2026-07-01T14:20:06.316111+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-vhs-strikes-back-1174704"},"episode":{"title":"Red Sonja (1985) | 80s Sword & Sorcery Fantasy Cult Classic | VHSSB","slug":"red-sonja-1985-80s-sword-sorcery-fantasy-cult-classic-vhssb","published_at":"2026-02-04T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-vhs-strikes-back-1174704/red-sonja-1985-80s-sword-sorcery-fantasy-cult-classic-vhssb","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-vhs-strikes-back-1174704","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thevhsstrikesback/episodes/Red-Sonja-1985--80s-Sword--Sorcery-Fantasy-Cult-Classic--VHSSB-e3eetct","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/bd52f7c/podcast/play/114832221/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-0-31%2Fa8774bfc-ba37-dc4a-c5d8-548a41d8de94.mp3","summary":"Red Sonja (1985) was chosen by Dave, and it represents one of the most high-profile attempts to expand the sword-and-sorcery boom that followed the success of the early 1980s fantasy epics. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by Richard Fleischer, the film was developed as a companion piece to the popularity of Conan-style fantasy cinema, drawing inspiration from the Marvel Comics version of the character rather than directly adapting Robert E. Howard’s original prose stories. The production was mounted as an international co-production, with a sizeable budget for the genre and a clear goal of building a new fantasy franchise centered around a female action lead — something still relatively rare in big-budget fantasy filmmaking at the time. Filming took place primarily in Italy, using large-scale practical sets, location shooting, and practical effects typical of mid-1980s fantasy productions. The movie featured a mix of established stars and European genre actors, and leaned heavily on physical stunt work and elaborate costume design rather than visual effects, which were still limited for fantasy filmmaking at the time. Despite heavy promotion and strong name recognition tied to the wider sword-and-sorcery trend, the film struggled critically and commercially on release. However, over time, Red Sonja has developed a cult following, particularly among fans of 1980s fantasy cinema, and is often discussed as part of the era’s broader push toward larger-scale, effects-driven fantasy storytelling. If you enjoy the show and would like to support us, we have a Patreon ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ . Referral links also help out the show if you were going to sign up: ⁠⁠⁠ NordVPN ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ NordPass ⁠⁠⁠ Trailer Guy Plot Summary In an age of dark magic… one warrior will rise to defy it. For…","meta_description":"Red Sonja (1985) was chosen by Dave, and it represents one of the most high-profile attempts to expand the sword-and-sorcery boom that followed the succes…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3694,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-vhs-strikes-back-1174704/episodes/red-sonja-1985-80s-sword-sorcery-fantasy-cult-classic-vhssb/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-vhs-strikes-back-1174704/red-sonja-1985-80s-sword-sorcery-fantasy-cult-classic-vhssb.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}