Byrd, Tom, Kevin, and Lux are back to give a crash course on Japan's biggest yokai franchise, GeGeGe No Kitaro. The franchise, created by famous mangaka Shigeru Mizuki launched Japan's yokai folk creatures into the mainstream, where they have been ever since. GeGeGe No Kitaro is about a yokai boy named Kitaro and his friends often trying to resolve a conflict between the human world and the yokai world. For this podcast, we looked at a sampler of Kitaro anime adaptations from over the years: 196...
Oct 23, 2023•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 317
Byrd, Tom, Kevin and Lux pair up two independent horror films made in Japan by American filmmakers, with a mix of American and Japanese cast and crew. First up we have the Manster, an early body horror film directed by Kenneth G Crane (the American version of Half Human) and starring Peter Dynely (Thunderbirds), Terri Zimmern Jerry Ito (Mothra), and Tetsu Nakamura (Mothra, Latitude Zero). It is about an American journalist in Japan who becomes the subject of an evolution experiment that causes a...
Oct 15, 2023•2 hr 20 min•Ep. 316
Byrd, Kevin, Tom and Lux are back with more Halloween chills and thrills to discuss Toho's two part live action Parasyte adaptation from director Takashi Yamazaki (Godzilla Minus One). Based on the popular body horror manga of the same name, Parasyte is the story of alien body snatchers who have come to earth to prey on humanity. A high school boy Shinichi has his hand possessed by one of the parasites and the two have to work together to take down the alien predators. We'll discuss the films, h...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 58 min•Ep. 315
With Matt on an extended hiatus, Byrd brings in Lux, Tom and Kevin to ring in our annual October horror series of podcasts by talking about Kaneto Shindo's folk-horror classic, Kuroneko! Set in feudal Japan, it tells the story of a mother and her daughter in law who are raped and murdered by a troop of samurai. The two come back as ferocious bakeneko (ghost cat) yokai by making a deal with the underworld to kill all samurai. Things get complicated when the husband/son-in law of the pair returns ...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 314
Byrd, Matt and Tom take a look at the completely baffling experience of the independent film Dragon Lizard Lord Super Monsters and the animated sequel, Hammer of Draco. In 2022, director Omar Sayyah cobbled together a series of Godzilla fan films he made in the late 90s, removed references to Toho's monsters, and dubbed them over to make the bonkers Dragon Lizard Lord, a film that defies description, despite our best efforts. Equally baffling is the animated sequel Hammer of Draco (which looks l...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 313
Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux come together to talk about the long awaited return of everyone's favorite flying turtle, Gamera! Gamera is back, this time on Netflix with the new anime mini-series, Gamera: Rebirth. Directed by Hiroyuki Seshita (Polygon's Godzilla trilogy), the show follows a group of kids in the summer of 1989 as they get wrapped up in kaiju attacks, conspiracies, and other wacky hijinks as Gamera faces off against a rogues gallery of villain monsters. How did the anticipated reboot ...
Sep 18, 2023•2 hr 6 min•Ep. 312
Byrd and Matt are joined again by author John LeMay (The Lost Films, Kong Unmade, Lost Films of the Lost World) to discuss two nostalgic stop motion dinosaur films, Dinosaurus (1960) and Planet of Dinosaurs (1977). 1960's Dinosaurus was directed by Irvin Yeaworth (The Blob, the 4D Man) and tells of a construction crew that awakens a brontosaurus, a t-rex, and a caveman. Planet of Dinosaurs is a low budget indie about a group of space explorers who become stranded on a planet infested with danger...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 311
Byrd and Matt are joined by author John LeMay (The Lost Films, Kong Unmade, Lost Films of the Lost World) to discuss Denmark's entry in the giant monster genre, 1961's Reptilicus! This co-production between Denmark's Saga Studios and America's AIP has a strange history, having filmed two versions with (mostly) the same cast for both countries. We discuss both versions, trouble behind the scenes, and more! We also talk about the canceled 2000's sequel, the novelization, the comic book (which was ...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 310
Byrd and Matt talk about Ray Harryhausen's classic dinosaur Western, the Valley of Gwangi! It tells the story of some showmen and a scientist who go on an expedition into a valley in Mexico to find a prehistoric miniature horse. What they also find is a flesh craving Allosaurus. They bring it back to put it on display for the public and well... things don't go so well. We'll discuss the history of the film, dating back to Willis O'Brien's failed attempts to get it made in the 1940s, the differen...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 309
Byrd, Matt and returning guest host Trev take the dive into the trench to talk about Meg 2! In this sequel, we not only have a giant Megalodon, but also a bunch of other hungry prehistoric beasties trying to eat Jason Statham and friends. It is also the first big blockbuster from British indie horror darling Ben Wheatley. We'll give our thoughts on the film, the career of Ben Wheatley, the tepid critical response, and the state of the modern creature feature. How does Meg 2: The Trench compare t...
Aug 13, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 308
Shin Kamenheimer! We are joined by Kevin and Lux to discuss Hideaki Anno's new film Shin Kamen Rider, the latest entry in the "Shin" series of reboot films. The film works as a retelling of the classic story of Takeshi Hongo's transformation into everyone's favorite Karate Bugman, Kamen Rider! We discuss the trouble behind the scenes of the film, how we feel it works as a reboot of the classic series, and how/if we would like to see more franchises get the Shin treatment. But first we also have ...
Aug 07, 2023•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 307
Byrd and Kevin (with bystander Lux Edwards and sort of Matt) give a rundown of this year's G-Fest convention (which took place this past July 14-16). We talk about the panels we both held and witnessed, the guests, and other highlights. We also review the films we saw at the film festival, including Yoshikazu Ishii's Yuzo the Biggest Battle in Tokyo, Mike Cheslik's Hundreds of Beavers, Kiyotaka Taguchi's Daikaiju Bugon, and more! But first we have a lengthy news roundup, including the latest on ...
Jul 31, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 306
We're joined once again by special guest Bob Johnson (SciFi Japan, Planet 8 Podcast, Bay Area Film Events) for another interview, this time discussing not one but two weekend long tokusatsu film festivals happening this summer in San Francisco. Bob has organized UltraFest coming to the 4 Star Theater from July 21-23rd and GodzillaFest, coming to the Balboa Theater from August 18-20th. Bob talks about the film and guest lineups, and, as always, regales us with many stories from his years in the f...
Jul 10, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 305
Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the brand new Skull Island animated series. Made for Netflix by Legendary and Powerhouse Animation Studios (Castlevania) and developed by writer Brian Duffield (Underwater, Love and Monsters), the series follows a group of shipwreck survivors trying to survive on King Kong's home island. How does the series fare as the first animated series and television venture for the Monsterverse? Does it improve Kong's unfortunate track record in animation? And why do we disagre...
Jul 04, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 304
Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the South Korean obscurity, 1967's Space Monster Wangmagwi! Made (cheaply) to compete with the same year's Yongary, Wangmagwi has been a rarity up until 2023 when it got its first home video release (in any country!) via SRS Cinema in The United States. The film was thought lost until the Korean Film Archive started doing rare showings at festivals in the 2000s, which only made giant monster fans even more curious. The film tells of a space monster sent to destroy th...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 303
We are joined once again by our Kaiju Masterclass co-conspirator, writer Patrick Galvan (SyFy, Our Culture, Ruan Lingyu: Her Life and Career), this time for a full audio commentary for 1991's Godzilla vs King Ghidorah! This 90s rematch between Godzilla and his arch-nemesis has plenty of fans, but it's often considered one of the more confusing and sloppy films in the franchise. However, we believe it is actually more subversive than people often give it credit for, and we'll state our case on wh...
Jun 05, 2023•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 302
We finally take our first step into the vast "giant bug" subgenre with the granddaddy of them all, 1954's classic Them! Along with the Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and Godzilla, this film helped kick off a new era of atomic monster film, warning the public about the threat of nuclear weapons. Written by Ted Sherdeman (Latitude Zero) and directed by Gordon Douglas (Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye), it tells the tale of giant radioactive ants terrorizing New Mexico, as our main characters fight to stop the thr...
May 24, 2023•55 min•Ep. 301
Byrd, Matt, and guest host Trev (Days of Future Podcast, Failure To Franchise) run through a superhero double feature. First up is the recent Power Rangers reunion special from Netflix, which sees many of the original Power Rangers team return to face a robotic reincarnation of their arch enemy, Rita Repulsa. We'll talk about how nostalgia drives the narrative, the lack of certain prominent cast members, and more. After that we have the French Super Sentai pseudo-parody, Smoking Causes Coughing,...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 300
For our first comic book review, we are joined by Trev and Tom to talk about IDW/Boom Studio's crossover comic miniseries, Godzilla vs The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, written by Cullen Bunn (Deadpool, The Sixth Gun, Godzilla: Cataclysm) and drawn by Freddie E Williams II (Batman/TMNT). When Rita Repulsa decides to go to a universe without the Power Rangers, she gets more than she bargained for when she's met by the likes of Godzilla and other Toho kaiju. When the Power Rangers follow her, they...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 299
We are joined by Tom and Trev to tackle another Asylum movie, this time with the sequel to 2021's Ape vs Monster. Ape vs. Mecha Ape brings the giant ape Abraham face to face with a mechanical doppelgänger that is carrying nuclear weapons. Can an ape stop a mecha ape?! Can Tom Arnold help from the comfort of his desk? We answer these riveting questions and more. But first, we have discuss the latest on the upcoming (and newly titled) Monsterverse film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Relax and e...
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 298
We are joined by our Kaiju Masterclass partner, writer Patrick Galvan (SyFy, Our Culture, Ruan Lingyu: Her Life and Career) to discuss Ishiro Honda's banned 1955 film Half Human (aka The Beastman Snowman). Made immediately after the original Godzilla, the film tells the story of a mountain expedition to search for the abominable snowman (and a sleazy promoter looking to kidnap the creature). The film is under a self-imposed ban by Toho due to its offensive depiction of the Burakumin minority gro...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 297
We look at not one but TWO recent giant monster films from Thailand. Although not known for giant monster cinema, last year saw two giant monster movies come from the Land of Smiles. The Lake is the story of a giant creature terrorizing the rural countryside in search of its missing young. The Beast Below is a more light hearted fare about a giant lizard under the desert that starts picking off a group of people digging for water to win a contest. So how do these two recent creature features far...
Mar 26, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 296
We are joined all the way from Thailand by a very special guest, film director Lee Thongkham! Lee takes us behind the scenes of his new independent giant monster film THE LAKE, a Thai/Chinese co-production about a giant creature rampaging the Thai countryside in search of its offspring. We get the details on Lee's inspirations for the film, the mythical and religious symbolism, working the film for the Chinese market, the importance of revealing monsters slowly, and more! Tune in and enjoy! The ...
Mar 20, 2023•40 min•Ep. 295
Byrd, Matt, Tom and Trev are back in the Asylum, this time reviewing their 25th anniversary film, 2025 Armageddon! Aliens invade our world by sending the Asylum's giant monsters to attack Earth. We have Mega Piranha, Mega Shark, Crocosaurus, Megaboa, Sharknado, Transmorphers, zoombies, and more causing mayhem. Does this live up to the hype? Listen and find out! But first we play a bit of Asylum catch up with a review of 2021's Megaboa starring Eric Roberts. We'll also spend a good amount of time...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 294
Byrd and Matt are joined by guest hosts Tom (Final Forum - A Dragonball Podcast), Kevin (Maser Patrol), Lux (of metal bands Soulmass and Wraithstorm), Connor (Easter's Kaiju Kompendium blog) for a giant round table discussion on Tsuburaya's recent reboot, Shin Ultraman! The film was directed by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, following up their massively successful Shin Godzilla (2016). We'll give our full review of the movie as well as talk a bit about how the project came to be. But first we ...
Feb 27, 2023•2 hr 58 min•Ep. 293
Byrd, Matt, and Kevin are joined by Lux Edwards (of metal bands Wraithstorm and Soulmass) to discuss 2022's Norwegian giant monster film, Troll. Directed by Roar Uthaug (Tomb Raider 2018) and released by Netflix, the movie follows a giant troll that is awakened from his ancient slumber by a drilling operation in the mountains. What did the gang think? Tune in and find out!
Feb 20, 2023•53 min•Ep. 292
Byrd and Kevin sit down with Eric McEver, director of the new independent film Iké Boys to talk about the making of the film and how he started making his own short films in Japan. Eric's journey is a unique one, going from being an American kaiju fan to making his own tokusatsu films in Japan with genre vets such as tokusatsu director Daisuke Sato, Toho pyrotechnician Yasushi Iwata and Showa era suit maker Keizo Murase. We also talk about how he cast Billy Zane, Yumiko Shaku and Ben Browder, ho...
Feb 06, 2023•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 291
Byrd, Matt, Kevin and first time guest host Lux Edwards (tokusatsu fan and vocalist for the metal bands Wraithstorm and Soulmass) have a lengthy discussion on the recent Amazon Prime mini series, Kamen Rider: Black Sun! Conceived to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the original Kamen Rider Black (1987), this big budget, adult-oriented reboot has proven divisive for its unsubtle allusions to real social problems such as government corruption, minority oppression, and social prejudices. The serie...
Jan 23, 2023•2 hr 56 min•Ep. 290
We welcome film historian and Willis O'Brien biographer Gregory Kulon to the show! We discuss O'Brien's life and career, including his lost projects and personal tragedies, and we even debunk some common myths about the man. Gregory also discusses the upcoming exhibit, "King Kong at 90: Visualization in the Art of Stop-Motion Animation," which he helped organize at Eastern Michigan University. The exhibit will focus on Kong and the history of stop motion and the evolution of special effects. It ...
Jan 08, 2023•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 289
For our (kind of) Christmas episode, Byrd, Matt and Kevin gather around the Yule log to discuss the indie fantasy film, Iké Boys! This homage to tokusatsu and anime follows two high school students who find themselves with super powers after watching a bootleg of a lost anime. They have to use their new mecha and kaiju forms to thwart a doomsday cult, all the while dealing with the usual teenage coming of age struggles like bullies, girl problems, etc. The film features familiar faces in front o...
Dec 25, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 288
