Podcast

Theater of Trash on Radio Misfits

Film History, Film Reviews, TV & Film

In the history of cinema, countless films have earned critical acclaim and cemented their place as masterpieces. These are not those movies. Enter The Theater of Trash, where hosts Tom Hush and Nick Digilio celebrate the wonderfully weird, the gloriously misguided and the irresistibly trashy side of filmmaking. From Italian cannibal exploitation flicks and forgotten grindhouse classics to notorious box office disasters and cult oddities, Tom and Nick dig through cinema’s bargain bin in search of hidden gems—and spectacular train wrecks. The Theater of Trash is your front-row seat to the movies Hollywood would rather you forget.

Episodes
6
Releases
Every two weeks
Typical length
50 min
On air since
2026
Latest episode
6 days ago

Episodes

6 episodes, newest first

  1. Theater of Trash – The Slasher Sequel Showdown

    Show notes

    The Slasher Dies and is Reborn (and then dies again!). In this episode, Tom and Nick host a battle of the slashers, as they analyze, discuss and pit Freddy, Jason, and Michael up against each other. It’s the worst movie of each franchise taken apart, put back together again, and ultimately crowned the winner. There’s “Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare,” which is a dated early 90’s carnival-like ride that was originally released in 3-D. The ridiculous “Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan” which mostly takes place on a boat, and not in NYC. And finally, we have “Halloween: Resurrection,” a snide early-oughts attempt to satirize reality TV, in which Jamie Lee Curtis gets killed in the first 10 minutes, and Busta Rhymes does a lot of Kung-Fu. The guys take a deep dive into the movies and have a blast picking the best movie of the three, and the finest moments of them all. A Halloween treat! [Ep 5]

    1 hr 13 min
  2. Theater of Trash – Dracula vs. Frankenstein

    Show notes

    Nick and Tom take a look back at one of the strangest movies of the 70s: “Dracula vs Frankenstein.”
    This is the type of weirdo movie we simply can’t make anymore. Not because there aren’t cool, weird movies being made right now. But because this is a movie rooted in the sensibilities of 30’s horror with a late 60’s edge that feel almost alien to us now. It deals in horrorshow aesthetics, the carnival-esque presentation of terror as entertainment and what we perceive as reality. The flick is widely identified as the final film appearance of both Lon Chaney Jr. and J. Carrol Naish, and there was a real-life murder associated with it as well. A crazy movie…a crazy episode! [Ep 4]

    56 min
  3. Theater of Trash – Hard Ticket to Hawaii

    Show notes

    Tom and Nick take a look at the fantastically awful 80’s video store classic “Hard Ticket to Hawaii.” The plot: Two drug enforcement agents are killed on a private Hawaiian island. Donna and Taryn, two operatives for The Agency, accidentally intercept a delivery of diamonds intended for drug lord Seth Romero, who takes exception and tries to get them back. Soon, other Agency operatives get involved, and a full-scale fight to the finish ensues, complicated here and there by a very dangerous snake infected by deadly toxins from cancer-infested rats. “Hard Ticket to Hawaii” is one of the defining films of Andy Sidaris’ “Triple-B” movies: Bullets, Bombs and Babes. It embraces the philosophy of giving audiences exactly what the title promises—and then throwing a bunch of completely insane stuff on top….and it is an absolute blast. [Ep 3]

    47 min
  4. Theater of Trash – Fever Pitch

    Show notes

    Not to be confused with that stupid Jimmy Fallon/Drew Barrymore nonsense. Tom and Nick have a blast talking about the notorious 1985 bomb “Fever Pitch,” starring Ryan O’Neal. O’Neal plays Steve Taggart, a Los Angeles newspaper sports reporter assigned to investigate compulsive gambling. He travels to Las Vegas and immerses himself in the gambling world, only to become increasingly addicted himself. His gambling begins to affect his career, finances and relationships, turning his journalistic investigation into a personal battle with addiction. This is widely considered one of the worst movies ever made, and, unintentionally, one of the funniest films of all time. Tom and Nick dissect what went wrong, talk about the previously acclaimed work of director Richard Brooks, why the movie is so incredibly hilarious, and how it’s been unavailable for decades, but is now, inexplicably, being broadcast on Turner Classic Movies next week!! Also, Nick has seen this movie dozens of times, and it is truly his favorite bad movie of all time. [Ep 2]

    53 min
  5. Theater of Trash – Tammy and the T-Rex

    Show notes

    Tom Hush and Nick Digilio kick off Theater of Trash with the insane beauty of the greatest robot dinosaur love story ever told, 1994’s Tammy and the T-Rex. Denise Richards, Paul Walker, and Terry Kiser lead a cast delivering performances so completely ridiculous and over-the-top that they’re glorious. Tom and Nick dig into what makes this bizarre movie work on so many levels, along with the fascinating story of how it ever got made.

    They also get into the movie’s 2 very different versions: the straight-to-video, PG-13 family-friendly cut and the absolutely bonkers unrated “gore cut,” packed with outrageous kills and ridiculous violence. Both are awesome. Both are also terrible…and that’s exactly the point! [Ep 1]

    47 min
  6. Theater of Trash – Teaser

    Show notes

    Tom Hush and Nick Digilio, hosts of the new Radio Misfits Podcast “The Theater of Trash,” tease and preview their upcoming podcast, which is described as:

    “In the history of cinema, countless films have earned critical acclaim and cemented their place as masterpieces. These are not those movies. Enter The Theater of Trash, where hosts Tom Hush and Nick Digilio celebrate the wonderfully weird, the gloriously misguided and the irresistibly trashy side of filmmaking.

    From Italian cannibal exploitation flicks and forgotten grindhouse classics to notorious box office disasters and cult oddities, Tom and Nick dig through cinema’s bargain bin in search of hidden gems—and spectacular train wrecks. The Theater of Trash is your front-row seat to the movies Hollywood would rather you forget.”

    The Theater of Trash debuts on the Radio Misfits Podcast Network on Wednesday, September 2nd 2026

    6 min