Welcome back to Hero Hero Ghost Show! I’ve been away a while, but back in time to celebrate a day of togetherness… and what better way to celebrate than with the two women that perhaps best represent Japanese horror? That’s right, we’re talking Ringu vs Ju-on , yurei vs yurei… it’s Sadako vs Kayako ! In a solo run, we go through the surprisingly comprehensible story, the awesomeness of Tamao, the superior rock-tossing skills of Keizo and the final, titular battle! Does this movie actually work? ...
Feb 14, 2017•59 min•Ep. 22
Welcome back to Hero Hero Ghost Show! Relieved of solo duties, I am joined by Hello! This is the Doomed Show ‘s Richard Glenn Schmidt for our second venture into the land of Japanese love demons. We begin with Takashi Shimizu’s wonderful take on the Tomie story, Tomie: Rebirth , and it’s amazing set pieces and horrible gift-giving ideas. Then, we take on Tomie: Forbidden Fruit , the movie that should be the naughtiest in the series and somehow just… isn’t. Warning, there is a whole lot of sillin...
Dec 13, 2016•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 21
The solo train keeps rolling, but enough bonus content, let’s do a real episode! This time out, we take a look at a listener request in the form of Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman . Based on an urban legend, the movie is a weird blend of urban fairy tale, slasher and treatise on child abuse… maybe? We take a stroll through the plot before trying to figure out if this is just an entertaining piece of horror cinema or if something deeper is going on under the hood. Spoilers, there is. Also, Japanes...
Dec 06, 2016•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 20
Here we are, just the two of us. Sure, we usually have some guest yammering on about one movie or another, but if we could distill the show into its purest state, something that could lead to the dawning of a new age? Or, you could just join me for a solo show in which we discuss Takashi Miike’s entry into the Masters of Horror series, “Imprint.” And why not get a little nutty with the low-fi gorefest, Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies ? And maybe even a listener question! It’s just us, so...
Nov 29, 2016•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 19
Ah, Asian horror… With its technicolor lighting and Goblin-esque scores, the brutal killings, the maggots on the ceilings… Hey, wait a second! That doesn’t sound like Asian horror at all! And that’s just what makes 1988’s Evil Dead Trap such an oddball piece of cinema. The movie director Toshiharu Ikeda swears was not influenced by countless giallo movies is a weird blend of classic horror tropes, but through the eyes of a director who spent much of his career in Japan’s Pink subgenre. Along wit...
Nov 22, 2016•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 18
Welcome back to Season Two of Hero Hero Ghost Show! Boy howdy, do we have a weird one tonight – the seminal Japanese body horror/cyberpunk/splatter movie, Tetsuo the Iron Man . This is one of those movies people intend to see, yet never quite get around to it. Along with my co-host Gary Hill (of Two Drink Minimum Commentaries and Cinema Beef fame), we explain why you kinda need to see this to know what you’re missing. It’s expressionistic, it’s loud, it’s slightly Evil Dead by way of KMFDM… it’s...
Nov 15, 2016•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 17
Hey Ghost Show Heroes! We are back for a new ten-episode run of the best and strangest in Asian horror, and we’re starting with a bang. That’s right, it’s Ringu , the movie that made us all scared of long haired girls in wells. We dig into the iconic moments of the film, diabeetus ghosts, raising your children Amish, SGF treatments, the Sadako vs Scanners movie we never got and warm parenting memories from the film. Also, a look at the various versions of the film and its divergent sequels. Big ...
Nov 08, 2016•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 16
Hey there, Ghost Show Heroes! We’re still getting things ready for Season Two, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve your fair share of Asian horror goodness. To keep you tantalized, I have enlisted the help of both a Japanese love demon named Tomie and an American love demon named Richard Glenn Schmidt (he of Hello! This is the Doomed Show ). We’re making our way through every damn Tomie film, starting with the television anthology Tomie: Another Face in which we debate the relative skeevines...
Oct 17, 2016•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 15
You may not immediately recognize the name of our guest, but you will after this episode! Colette Balmain is a speaker and author specializing in Asian horror and literally wrote the book on the subject. Her book, Introduction to Japanese Horror Film, is preparing for its second edition release and has been an invaluable tool in researching this show. She was kind enough to come on and talk what makes Asian horror scary, the best examples of these films, both old and new, the joys of gore cinema...
Aug 30, 2016•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 14
Welcome to the final episode of season one! It has been a long and winding road, but we find ourselves at the end (for now) and in the arms of a love demon named Tomie. Joined by Richard Glenn Schmidt of Hello! This is the Doomed Show! fame and resident Tomie expert, our heroes examine heads in bags, disco fashion, basket babies and just what makes Tomie such a unique and unsettling villain. Also, a PSA on what YOU can do to identify and avoid a Tomie. Big thanks to Richard for educating us on t...
Aug 11, 2016•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 13
The penultimate episode of season one of Hero Hero Ghost Show has arrived! Joined by David Anders of Devour the Podcast fame (or infamy), we sit down to talk about the Japanese ghost apocalypse film, Pulse . We talk about the film’s creepy imagery, the existentialist horror of the film, how ghost unions work, how anyone would allow Kawashima to drive after his ghostly encounter and just how long Walker, Texas Ranger ran on television. It all makes some kind of sense, I swear! Throw on those Cure...
Aug 02, 2016•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 12
Way back in episode one, I promised Takashi Miike would return, and boy is this a return worth waiting for. Ichi the Killer is part mob story, part twisted father/son fable and all blood-drenched (among other fluids). This movie, and the episode, are not for the faint of heart as we dive into the extreme imagery, what it takes to forget about all that semen at the beginning, how unions are affecting semen-supplying crew, how Miike seems to critique his own movies as he makes them and what the he...
Jul 26, 2016•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 11
This is not a test! A brand new episode of Hero Hero Ghost Show is here and, brothers and sisters, it is a classic on the menu tonight. Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle ROyale is a brutal, taboo-shattering slice of Japanese cinema and has earned the moniker ‘classic’ since it’s 2000 release. Joining us is Ricky Morgan, from Hail Ming Power Hour and a returning champion, having accompanied us last on Episode 5 for the movie Phone . What is it with Ricky and crazy kids? You can join us on Facebook here and...
Jul 19, 2016•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 10
Welcome to the latest episode of Hero Hero Ghost Show! This time around, we set the Asian horror wayback machine (AHWM) to 1968 and the Kaneto Shindo ghost story, Kuroneko . Joined by The Podcast Under the Stair’s Duncan McLeish, we dive into the traditional aspects of the story, what we would do for a goblin cat, alternate Fred Flintstone catchphrases, pink cinema, dubbed laughter and what a pain it is to hand someone something in feudal Japan. Finally, you can join us on Facebook here and subs...
Jun 21, 2016•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 9
Welcome back to Hero Hero Ghost Show! So, apologies for the delay in getting the latest episode to you, but scheduling and life conspired to derail us for a couple of weeks. We’re back with a vengeance, however. This time around, Kiss the Goat and Screen Kings host Jeffrey X Martin joins us to discuss the 1977 classic (?) Hausu . Most times when you wonder how a movie got made, it’s due to the inherent awfulness of the film. In the case of Hausu , it’s a minor miracle. Hausu is weird, free-wheel...
Jun 14, 2016•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 8
Welcome to a brand new episode of Hero Hero Ghost Show! This episode, we’re exploring the twisted (heh!) mind of Junki Ito and the film adaptation of Uzumaki . Joined by Brian Sammons, expert editor and co-host of Evil Episodes and The ABCs of Hidden Horror, we dive into the weird world of a spiral-afflicted village. Buckle yourself in for spiral puns, Yeats quotes and speculation on human snail behavior. Also, a look at the roots of the term manga and our very first listener email! Big thanks t...
May 24, 2016•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 7
Welcome back to Episode 6 of Hero Hero Ghost Show! Boy, do we have a good one today. I’m joined by Zena Dixon of Girls Will be Ghouls (a podcast you can find right here on LegionPodcasts.com ) to discuss Dream Home, a Hong Kong slasher from 2010. We talk about our mutual love of House, Zena’s admiration for a really effective killer and whether a slasher can ever really be “too smart.” If you’re a horror fan, you are not going to want to miss this one! You can find Zena on the web at www.realque...
May 17, 2016•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 6
Welcome for round five of Hero Hero Ghost Show! We now turn our eyes to an oft-used trope in Asian horror cinema – the technological as a source of terror. For our first foray into techno-horror goodness, I’m joined by Ricky Morgan of the Hail Ming Power Hour to discuss Phone, a story of ghosts, possession and poor Motorola customer service. We talk story, the amazing child actor that is probably a genuine killer, transgressive imagery, Disney, how to make a haunted house and so much more! Openi...
May 10, 2016•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 5
Welcome back, Ghost Show heroes! First of all, thanks to all who have been listening and offering feedback. You guys are the best! Enough pandering, though, we have ghosts to talk about! In particular, Taeko, Kayako and Toshio, the unholy trinity of spooks in Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-on . Dave Zendano of the Exploding Heads Horror Podcast joins me to talk about the often confusing plot, the similarities between this film and classic Western horror, black cats (some stuffed), croaking and how fear is...
May 03, 2016•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 4
Welcome to Episode 3 of Hero Hero Ghost Show! This time around, we’re talking Ryuhei Kitamura’s chanbara-inspired bouillabaisse of weirdness, Versus . Is this the perfect introductory film to Japanese horror? What’s with the kicking guy? Is our lead character as feminist as he claims to be? Also, we talk the origins of the film and why it’s kitchen sink approach to filmmaking may work in its favor! Big thanks to Mike Maryman and be sure to check out Mike and the rest of the gang at Evil Episodes...
Apr 26, 2016•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 3
Now that we’ve broken the seal on Asian horror with Audition , it’s time to embrace the weird of Tokyo Gore Police , a movie that boasts Cronenberg levels of body mutation and injury. Is the movie political, or is it the cinematic fever dream of director Yoshihiro Nishimura? Can the plot be deciphered by mere mortals? What’s the deal with all the cutting? Fortunately, we have Black Annis’s Misty Marchant here to help me assemble the plot into a semi-decipherable state and talk about the joys of ...
Apr 19, 2016•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 2
Welcome to Episode 1 of Hero Hero Ghost Show! This podcast is devoted entirely to Asian horror cinema, and we’re not screwing around on the premiere episode. We’re talking Takashi Miike’s Audition , joined by Duncan McLeish of Chronicle and The Podcast Under the Stairs. We discuss the story, the uniquely Japanese cultural significance of the plot and, of course, the shocking imagery of the film. Also, alternate interpretations of the movie, the first official bumper sticker for the show, officia...
Apr 12, 2016•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 1
