The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

Deep Rising (1998)

We're joined by Trev (Failure to Franchise/Days of Future Podcast) and Tom (Final Forum Dragonball Podcast) to discuss the 1998 aquatic monster movie, Deep Rising!  The film tells the story of a group of hijackers and a small transport boat crew who make their way onto a luxury cruise ship that has been grabbed by a giant creature, whose tentacles are killing everybody on board.  A critically reviled box office failure, the film has gone on to become a cult classic in recent years.  We talk about its complicated production, as well as how it holds up now.  We also do some mythbusting along the way.  And does King Kong have anything to do with all this?  Listen and find out!

BONUS: All Monsters Attack 2022 Convention Recap (feat. The Children of KT)

For this bonus episode we bring in Byrd's daughter Julia and Matt's son Landon to give a recap of the first ever All Monsters Attack convention, held this past from Sept 9-11th in Indianapolis, Indiana.  AMA is a new tokusatsu themed convention organized by Days of the Dead and had a stacked lineup of guests from both Japan and the United States.  So how was the new con on the block?  What were the highlights of the show?  What did the kids think?  Listen and find out!

Evil Dead Trap (1988) and Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki (1992)

October means its another spooky season here at KT with another month full of horror movie podcasts to give you the chills.  This time Byrd and Matt are joined by guest hosts Trev (Failure To Franchise and Days of Future Podcast) and Tom (Final Forum Dragonball Podcast) to talk about two gruesome Japanese shockers, Evil Dead Traps 1 and 2.  Evil Dead Trap is a gory slasher about reporters investigating a snuff film who get picked off one by one by a maniacal killer.  The movie (directed by exploitation director Toshiharu Ikeda) features a truly wild plot twist, as well as great practical effects by a very young Shinichi Wakasa (monster maker for many of the Godzilla films).  Evil Dead Trap 2 was directed by Izo Hashimoto (co-writer of Akira) and co written by Chiaki Konaka (Ultraman Gaia, Marebito, The Big O) and follows a female projectionist who realizes she may be a serial killer who is hunting down young women.  So how did these cult classics hold up for us?  Listen and find out!

Pulgasari (1985) & Galgameth (1996)

We are joined by guest hosts Kevin Derendorf (Maser Patrol) and Justin Mullis to take a deep dive into the infamous North Korean film Pulgasari and its obscure American remake, Galgameth.  Pulgasari has one of the strangest production backgrounds of any monster film, with its director Shin Sang-ok being kidnapped and forced to make movies in North Korea by Kim Jong Il.  But before we get into that wild story, we also have some background on the original Korean myth of Bulgasari and the history of North Korean film.  We cap it all off with a review of the American remake Galgameth, which was written by Shin Sang-ok after his escape from North Korea.  Along the way we also discuss the other various versions of the Bulgasari myth that have been on both the big and small screen!  Relax and enjoy the conversation!

Agon, The Atomic Dragon (1968)

Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the short lived Fuji TV television series, Agon, the Atomic Dragon.  Filmed in 1964 and originally planned to be 26 episodes, this early attempt at a kaiju television series was cut short early and only had four episodes made (which weren't aired until 1968).  The show had some familiar faces behind the scenes including staple Toho screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa and special effects artist Fuminori Ohashi.  We'll talk about the original plan for the show, why it was cut short so early, and some of the episodes that went unfilmed.  But first, we discuss the most recent synopsis and cast/crew announcement for the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel.  Relax and enjoy the show!

Yong(g)ary Double Feature

Join us as we dive into the history of South Korea's premiere giant monster, Yongary!  We start by looking at the 1967 film Yongary, Monster from the Deep, which was an attempt at cashing in on the international success of the Godzilla and Gamera films.  We talk about the long, complicated history of South Korean cinema and the country's complicated relationship with Japan, and how those factors influenced the film.  We then get into the 1999/2001 reboot Yonggary (aka Reptilian), including its notoriously troubled production history, aborted sequels, and its um... interesting director, Shim Hyung-Rae.  This is a wild one, folks.  Relax and join the conversation!

The Men Who Made Ultraman (1989)

Byrd, Matt and Kevin are back to discuss this made for TV drama recounting the creation of the original Ultraman series.  It follows a young director named Heichan (a standin for real life director Akio Jissogi) who finds himself fighting for his creative freedom while making the hit television series.  So how much did they get right in this dramatic retelling?  Listen and find out!

The Magic Serpent (1966) + G-Fest 2022 Recap

We are joined by frequent guest host Kevin Derendorf and special guest Justin Mullis to take a deep dive into Toei's 1966 fantasy/kaiju mash-up The Magic Serpent!  Since the film is an adaptation of the folk tale of Jiraiya, we discuss the origins and history of the character as well.  Byrd and Kevin also recap the highlights of this year's G-Fest convention including the panels, the guests, the films shown, and more!  But first we have some news, including the latest on the Monsterverse and the trailer for the Thai kaiju film The Lake.  

Ultraseven X (2007)

Byrd, Matt and guest host Kevin (of Maser Patrol) discuss the 20th entry in the long running Ultraman franchise, 2007's Ultraseven X!  Produced by Takeshi Yagi for the 40th anniversary of the original Ultraseven, this series brought a more adult spin on the franchise to a "late night tokusatsu" television time slot.  The more character driven show wasn't afraid to venture into more heady science fiction territory.  So how did this more mature Ultra series fare?  Listen and find out!  But first, in keeping with the theme of all things Ultra, we have the latest news and updates on all things Shin Ultraman, including the announcement of prospective sequels.  Relax and enjoy the show!

Jurassic World Dominion (2022) Spoiler Discussion

Byrd, Matt and Tom unpack the latest entry in the Jurassic Park series, the brand new Jurassic World Dominion.  This time, the three leads of the original Jurassic Park reunite to take on dinosaurs with the cast of the recent Jurassic World films.  We talk dino fight clubs, chases through Italy, underground dinosaur selling, and giant locusts (?).  Our in depth discussion of the movie leads to a larger discussion on modern blockbuster film making and how movie franchises have changed over the last 10-20 years.  So how does this anticipated sequel stack up?  Sit back and find out!