The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

What To Do With The Dead Kaiju (2022)

We're back again with Kevin (Maser Patrol) to talk about the recent kaiju satire film, What To Do With The Dead Kaiju.  This Toei/Shochiku co-production tells the story of Japan's  government and scientists trying to figure out how to dispose of a rotting kaiju carcass.  But first, we talk a bit about the passing of Power Rangers actor Jason David Frank.

Nope (2022)

On another Halloween hangover episode, we are joined by Tom (Final Forum Dragon Ball Podcast) and returning guest Justin Mullis to discuss comedian turned horror maestro Jordan Peele's recent sci-fi/horror adventure, Nope!  Now if you've seen the film, you will know why we're covering it on this show.  If you haven't seen it, well... you should.  The film follows two siblings who run a Hollywood horse training ranch who find that something sinister in the skies above them is taking their horses, while the owner of a nearby amusement park is exploiting the situation for profit.  The less said here, the better, since this episode is VERY spoiler heavy.  In addition to our review, we will peel back all the layers of the movie to discuss its many themes.  Along the way, we discuss the real life incidents that inspired the film, the history of UFOs as (spoiler redacted) in ufology, showbiz chimps turning violent, black joy, animal exploitation, the nature of spectacle, biblically accurate angels and more!  But first, we discuss the recent passing of director Kazuki Omori, and the announcement of the upcoming Gamera: Rebirth anime.  There's a lot to unpack with this one, so relax and enjoy the conversation!

The Great Yokai War: Guardians (2021) + New Godzilla vs. Gigan Shorts + Godzilla Day ’22 Recap

We're joined again by Tom and Kevin to talk about Kadokawa's most recent entry in their Yokai Monsters series, Great Yokai War: Guardians!  With Takashi Miike (2005's Great Yokai War) back in the director chair, it features a myriad of yokai, as well as a special guest appearance from Daimajin!  Along the way, we learn about brotherhood, pacifism, and the folly of war.  So how did this long awaited sequel fare?  We'll get there, but first, we have all the news from Godzilla Day, including the long awaited confirmation of Takashi Yamazaki's upcoming G film and reviews of the two Godzilla vs. Gigan short films.  Kick back and enjoy the discussion!

Psycho Goreman (2020/2021)

Happy Halloween!  This time, we're joined by Tom and Trev to talk about the Canadian sci-fi/horror/comedy Psycho Goreman!  Directed by Steven Kostanski (of the cult film collective Astron-6), and inspired by 80s fantasy, Japanese superhero shows and 90s family films, it tells the story of Psycho Goreman (aka PG), an alien warlord who falls to Earth and becomes controlled by a sociopathic little girl.  While PG is playing dodgeball and turning kids into tentacled brain creatures, he has to fend off a rogues gallery of tokusatsu inspired monsters and learn the power of love along the way.  We'll also talk about the history of Canadian filmmaking collective Astron 6.  How does this gore soaked genre mashup fare?  Listen and find out!

Toho’s Haunted School

Byrd, Kevin and Tom discuss the Gakkou No Kaidan (aka Haunted School aka School Ghost Stories aka Ghost Stories) franchise with the main point of discussion being Toho's four live action films from the 1990s.  Haunted School is a multi-media franchise that started as a book of short stories written by a teacher who got ideas for children's horror stories from his students.  It has since gotten film, television, anime, and feature film adaptations, as well as video games, toys, etc.  The Japanese TV specials largely paved the way for the J-Horror boom, including a spinoff series, Ju-On (aka The Grudge), which itself has become a global pop culture phenomenon.  Toho's films were released between 1995 and 1999 with three entries being directed by Hideyuki Hirayama (Samurai Resurrection 2003) and one by Shusuke Kaneko (GMK, Gamera Trilogy) and were met with box office success in Japan but still remain elusive internationally.  So how do these movies hold up?  And how does this franchise tie into Toho's Bloodthirsty trilogy?  Listen and find out!

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!