The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

Byrd, Lux, Matt and Kevin kick off our October Halloween episodes with a discussion about Nobuo Nakagawa's classic Jigoku (aka Japanese Hell, aka Inferno, aka Sinners of Hell) from 1960.  The film follows two friends who accidentally kill a yakuza in a hit and run.  It just so happens that they're also surrounded by other horrible people and when they all die, they meet in the afterlife and have to endure several circles of hell.  This surreal and nightmarish vision of hell was the final film made by the dying Shintoho classic and has influenced other artists such as Takashi Miike, Gasper Noe, Hideo Kojima, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa.  In addition to our thoughts on the film, we also give a news roundup that includes Toho's monster election for a future Godzilla short, rumors of the next Japanese Godzilla film, and Kevin's spoiler-free thoughts on Godzilla Minus Zero.  Enjoy!

Byrd, Tom, Lux and Kevin discuss Brush of the God, the first and only film directed by late kaiju suit maker Keizo Murase.  The semi-biographical film tells of a recently deceased tokusatsu suit maker whose granddaughter is sucked into a fantasy world of fantastical creatures and has to fend off the fearsome Yamata no Orochi, all while learning more about her departed grandfather.  Originally conceived by Murase in the 70s for the Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong, the project had a long road to the screen after a lot of false starts and stops before coming together as an indie kaiju film and released in 2024.  We'll discuss that, as well as give our thoughts on the film.  Come hang out and enjoy the conversation!

Byrd, Matt and Trev discuss the recent dinosaur film The End of Oak Street from writer/director David Robert Mitchell (It Follows).  The film stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as parents who have to protect their family from rampaging dinosaurs when their suburban neighborhood is inexplicably transported into the prehistoric age.  We give our spoiler review of the movie (including unpacking the polarizing ending), how it compares to other post-Jurassic Park dinosaur films, what we hope it does for the genre, and more!  But first, we pay tribute to the late Screaming Mad George, RJ Kizer, and Reggie Bannister.  Relax and enjoy the conversation!

Byrd, Tom and Kevin discuss their experience at this past month's G-Fest convention.  We discuss the guests, the panels, cosplay, the film festival (including our thoughts on Yoshikazu Ishii's new kaiju film Gladio).  As always, we talk about our highlights from the weekend, some of the new things G-Fest introduced this year, and more!  Relax and join the discussion!

Byrd, Kevin and Lux return to discuss the recent Netflix mini series, Human Vapor, a reimagining of Toho's classic 1960 "mutant" film from director Shinzo Katayama (Gannibal, Missing) and writer/producer/showrunner Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, Parasyte: The Grey).  This version opts for a brand new story, although it still follows a man who has gained the ability to transform into gas and uses his powers to carry out a murder spree.  We follow detective Kenji and reporter Kyoko as they uncover secrets involving unethical science, classism, yakuza, and really bad parents.  How did we feel about this radical reinterpretation?  Listen and find out!  But first, we give our tributes to the late Sam Neil and Kaylee Hottle.  Relax and enjoy the conversation!

Byrd, Kevin and Lux discuss Toho's live action adaptation of 20th Century Boys, the beloved manga by Naoki Urasawa (Monster, Pluto).  It tells a story over several decades of a group of childhood friends that reunite when they realize a doomsday cult led by a masked leader named Friend is using elements from a story they wrote as children to carry out mass murder and position himself as a false savior of humanity.  Throughout the trilogy, as Friend gains power and influence in the world, our heroes try to learn his true identity and stop him from world domination.  There's giant robots, airborne viruses, underground freedom fighters, plenty of kaiju and tokusatsu references, and more!  We'll talk about how the trilogy compares to the manga, the challenges of adapting such a sprawling story into film, and some of the real life events and cultural shifts that influenced the story. But first we discuss the recent passings of author Koji Suzuki, actor Kenji Ohba, and director/effects artist Yoshihiro Nishimura.  Relax and enjoy the show!

Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the recently concluded second season of Apple TV's Monsterverse series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.  This season follows Monarch as they track the new monster, Titan X, deal with interference from the tech corporation Apex, and reckon with personal conflicts along the way.  Godzilla and King Kong make their requisite appearances, and we also discover new things about key places such as Axis Mundi and Skull Island.  We talk about how we felt this season turned out, how it compares to the next season, and our hopes for a possible third season.  Relax and enjoy the conversation!

Byrd and Kevin welcome back returning guest and author Ray Morton to the show to talk about the newly revised and expanded second edition of his monumental book King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon! Originally published in 2005, the book covered all things Kong up to just before the release of Peter Jackson’s remake. More than 20 years later, the great ape is more popular than he’s been in decades, thanks to the Monsterverse films and a wave of comics, cartoons, video games, stage plays, and more.

Ray has spent years revisiting and updating the book—adding new material, expanding existing chapters, and bringing this definitive guide into the modern era. We dive into what’s been added and changed, and what it was like to revisit such a massive project. Along the way, we discuss the recent explosion of Kong content, explore lingering myths about the 1933 film’s infamous spider pit scene, attempt to untangle the confusing history of Kong’s IP rights, and touch on some unexpected backlash from Ray’s first appearance—plus much more. Relax and enjoy the conversation!

After a lengthy hiatus, we return as Byrd, Lux, and Tom talk about the recent Norweigan film Troll 2!  No, not THAT Troll 2, but the sequel to Netflix's 2022 film Troll.  The film picks up with the characters from the prior film returning to research another giant troll that has been captured by the government.  When that troll escapes, another troll appears, setting up for a climactic battle between the two.  So how did we feel?  Listen and find out as we talk about the films numerous similarities to the recent Monsterverse films, holy water rockets, confusing lore, and a go on a big tangent on the OTHER Troll 2.  Relax and join the conversation!

Byrd, Kevin, Tom, and Lux (with a cameo from Trev) follow up our Ju-On mega-pod with the film that pitted Kayako against J-Horror's other top star, the Ring's very own Sadako.  While the film was originally announced as an April Fool's joke, the online excitement over the possibility left Kadakawa-Daiei Studio no choice but to bring the monster fantasy match to life.  They recruited J-horror veteran Koji Shiraishi to write and direct.  So does this crossover do justice to the two iconic ghosts?  Listen and find out!