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Director John McNaughton Discusses His Controversial Film "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer."

Film maker John McNaughton, director of the controversial movie, "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer." The film is loosely based on real-life murderer Henry Lee Lucas. McNaughton shot the film in 1986, but it's only now gaining wide release. The delay is in large part do to the fact that the Motion Picture Association insisted on giving the film a "X" rating, a rating that stemmed less from the graphic violence that the absolute unrepentant nature of the killer. Despite that, the film's already made many critic's ten best lists.

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Other segments from the episode on March 23, 1990

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, March 23, 1990: Interview with Bob Kane; Interview with David McCormick, Wardell Sanders, Ed Kaiser, and Tim Frueh; Interview with John McNaughton; Interview with Mark…
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23:13

Batman Creator Bob Kane.

Batman creator Bob Kane. In his new autobiography, "Batman & Me," Kane tells how he came up with the idea for the caped crusader, and what influence he had on the T-V series and last year's movie. Kane drew Batman from its inception in 1939 to the late 60s.

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07:26

Youth and Passion Not Lost for the Band "Sucker."

Commentator Maureen Corrigan checks out "Sucker." It's a rock band made of four guys who grew up and got real jobs a long time ago, but still keep their rock and roll dreams alive. "Sucker" consists of: David McCormick (now an editor for the New Yorker) on drums, Wardell Sanders (now a law student) on guitar and bass, Ed Kaiser (who now works in the labor movement in Washington, D.C.) on guitar and bass, and Tim Frueh (now a writer in New York) on guitar, bass, and vocals.

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

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21:36

Horror's 'Shock Value' Redefined In The 1960s.

Rosemary's Baby, Night of the Living Dead and Targets all came out in 1968. Theater critic Jason Zinoman says the three films redefined Hollywood horror in the aftermath of the Vietnam War — and influenced the genre for the next several decades.

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21:10

Filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar

28-year-old Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar's new film, a horror film called The Others, stars Nicole Kidman. It his first English language feature. His first film Tesis (Thesis) won seven Goyas, the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars, in 1997. His second movie, Abre los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) has been remade in the US. The film, Vanilla Sky, was made by Cameron Crowe and stars Tom Cruise.

Interview

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52:30

How the duo behind 'The Invite' wrote a sex comedy (that's not really about sex)

Screenwriters RASHIDA JONES and WILL MCCORMACK. They're the writing team behind the new film The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde and starring Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton. They've been creative partners for more than two decades, first as co-writers of Celeste and Jesse Forever. JONES is an actor, writer, producer, and director. She won a Grammy for co-directing the documentary Quincy, about her father, Quincy Jones, and recently earned an Emmy nomination for her performance in Black Mirror. MCCORMACK is an Academy Award-winning writer, director, and actor.

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30:44

Remembering music theater historian Robert Kimball

(1.) ROBERT KIMBALL, the musical historian who rediscovered and rescued music and manuscripts by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and others – and who co-wrote important books about George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Eubie Blake – died last week, at the age of 86. He was the artistic advisor to the Cole Porter and Ira Gershwin estates.

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