The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

To celebrate Halloween, Byrd, Trev, Kevin and Lux talk about Toei Animation's Tomb of Dracula (1990) (aka Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned) and Monster of Frankenstein (1991) (aka Frankenstein: Legend of Terror), both collaborations with Marvel Comics to adapt their retrospective comic books. This pair of anime TV movies would also be the first animated films based on Marvel comic books. Monster of Frankenstein opted to ditch the comics and do another adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel, while Tomb of Dracula was more faithful to the comics, making for a crazy ride in which Dracula loses his powers, eats a hamburger, mugs a woman, battles his infant son who has turned into a grown man fueled by the power of angels, and falls in love with Satan's girlfriend. It is every bit as insane as it sounds. So what did the crew think of these classic monsters getting the Toei anime treatment? Listen and find out!

Byrd, Lux and Kevin discuss three more gothic horrors from Daiei Studios (recently released in the excellent Daiei Gothic Volume 2 blu-ray set from Radiance Films). Daiei would often combine the period drama and folk horror genres to create a unique brand of gothic cinema that was a staple of their output in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Here we have three more classic horror films from the studio’s glory days: the historical fantasy The Demon of Mt. Oe, the gothic ghost film The Haunted Castle, and the supernatural revenge tale The Ghost of Kasane Swamp. What did we think? Listen and find out!

As our October horror viewing marches forward, Byrd, Matt, Lux and Kevin disusss Shinya Tsukamoto's 1991 film, Hiruko the Goblin. After Tsukamoto had an international breakout success with his indie Tetsuo The Iron Man, he was offered a much bigger budget to helm this adaptation of Daijiro Morohoshi's Yokai Hunter manga. This is a horror-comedy is about an evil entity that possesses a schoolgirl's disembodied head, as it grows crab-like legs and starts killing other students as a monster hunter tries to vanquish it. What did we think? Listen and find out!

Byrd, Matt, Lux and Kevin keep the Halloween spirit by looking at Hideo Nakata's J-horror classic, 2002's Dark Water, as well as the 2005 Hollywood remake starring Jennifer Connelly. After the success of Ring and the global explosion of Japanese horror, Kadokawa tried to replicate their previous success by hiring Hideo Nakata (Ring) to direct another film based on a story by Koji Suzuki (Ring, Spiral). Shortly after, the rights were bought once again by producer Roy Lee (The Ring) for an American remake, which would be released in 2005. Dark Water tells the story of a mother in the middle of a bitter custody battle, who moves into a run down apartment building with her young daughter. They quickly are burdened with leaky ceilings, floods, and what appears to be the ghost of a little girl. Does Dark Water match up with the stellar reputation of The Ring? How does the remake compare to the Japanese original? Listen and find out!

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!

If you just aren't ready for Halloween season to be over, join Byrd, Tom, Kevin, Lux, (and Trev, kind of) for a talk about one of Japan's biggest horror franchises, Ju-On (also known as the Grudge)! This introduced the vengeful ghost Kayako and her son Toshio to the horror world and they have since become some of Japan's biggest horror icons. The series by Takashi Shimizu originally started with two shorts as part of the School Ghost Stories tv specials, which later spun off into two full length direct to video films, Ju-On: The Curse and Ju-On: The Curse 2 in 2000. They were successful enough that a third film, Ju-On: The Grudge was made for theatrical release in 2002, which led to the series becoming a global phenomenon (leading to Shimizu's own American remake starting a Hollywood branch of the franchise). It was quickly followed by Ju-On: The Grudge 2 and many more sequels after. As we discuss the first four movies and the history of the franchise, we'll discuss haunted houses, ghost children, time loops, and more! Grab your leftover Halloween candy and enjoy the conversation!

Happy Halloween! Byrd, Lux, Tom and Kevin get together to discuss Rankin-Bass' stop motion Halloween feature, Mad Monster Party. Dr. Frankenstein (voiced by Boris Karloff) is about to retire and invites the classic monsters to his castle for a party where he will announce his successor. Among the guests are the Frankenstein Monster and his bride, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Wolf Man, the Gillman, the Hunchback, the Invisible Man, the Mummy, and "It," a legally distinct stand-in for King Kong. This cult favorite was directed by Jules Bass and animated by the legendary Tadahito Mochinaga. We discuss the Rankin Bass holiday specials, enduring an annoying Phyllis Diller performance, the career of animator Tadahito Mochigana, whether the film could be considered anime and/or tokusatsu, and more! Relax and enjoy the conversation.

Byrd, Tom and Lux discuss three classic horror films from Daiei Studios (recently released in the excellent Daiei Gothic blu-ray set from Radiance Films). Ghost of Yotsuya, Snow Woman, and Bride From Hades are all based on famous folk horror stories that have been adapted many times over the years (and would influence much of the J-horror movement later on). These three films take those stories and apply Daiei's iconic art direction and production value of the time to create three memorable versions of classic ghost tales. What did we think? Listen and find out!

Byrd, Lux, Tom and Kevin take a look at another entry in the prolific yokai franchise, GeGeGe No Kitaro franchise. This time we talk about 2008's Hakaba Kitaro, which was a darker take on the material. This changes Kitaro from a good natured yokai ambassador to a mischievous anti hero starring in downbeat morality tales. How did we feel it compared to other versions of Kitaro? Listen and find out!

We kick off another spooky October at KT with Byrd, Kevin, Tom and Lux having a discussion of several films featuring murderous gill-men. Ever since 1954's classic Creature From The Black Lagoon, the trope of a murderous half man/half fish has been entertaining filmgoers on a semi regular basis. We take the opportunity to discuss three such films; Roger Corman's schlockfest Humanoids From The Deep, the Japanese b-movie obscurity Dragon Blue, and the recent Japanese/American/Singaporean/British/German co-production Monster Island (aka Orang Ikan). We talk the Corman legacy, the muddled production of Humanoids (which ties into its eligibility for this podcast), Doug McClure, horny fish monsters, fish-woman harems, and more! Relax and enjoy the conversation!

Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux come together again to talk about the recent anime film Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League. The sequel to 2018's Batman Ninja sees the Caped Crusader and his allies in an another dimension in which Japan is ruled by a Yakuza consisting of evil versions of his Justice League allies. The film sees director Junpei Mizusaki return, with new co-director Shinji Takagi (Ranma 1/2, Japan Sinks 2020) and returning screenwriter Kazuki Nakashima (Gekiranger, Kamen Rider W, Kill la Kill). So how does it compare to its predecessor? Listen and find out!