Zombie Strains

It's our first Hindi zombie film! The last time our zombie hunt took us to Asia, it was in the racist, American-produced REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES (1936); now we finally have a chance to see what Indian filmmakers do with the zombie. What unfolds is a strangely compelling fusion of erotic thriller and supernatural revenge story, in which a good-hearted scientist falls prey to the machinations of a femme fatale. If only she'd known he was researching a zombification formula, she might have chosen a different target for her scam. Get ready for endless song routines, over-the-top fistfights, and of course, the walking dead in DO GAS ZAMEEN KE NEECHE.

SHOW NOTES:

Indian Theatrical Release Date: December 30, 1972

Cover story: the new brand of Bollywood horror films | Hindustan Times

Doom Boom: Bollywood Horror from the Ramsay Brothers | Screen Slate

Ajay Devgn to make biopic on the Ramsay Brothers

DON’T DISTURB THE DEAD | The Bedlam Files

Tulsi Ramsay, cult horror-film director known for Veerana, Purani Haveli, passes away aged 77

Shyam Ramsay, director of horror films like Veerana, Purana Mandir, dies at 67 from pneumonia

Once Upon a Cinema: Ramsay Brothers – An origin story

The Ghost (Lo Spettro) (1963) – Italian Horror Film Review - A Passion for Horror

There's a Hippie on the Highway by James Hadley Chase | Goodreads

We're Alive - Podcast

We're Alive - Spotify

In our first zombie prison movie, a group of incarcerated, formaldehyde-sniffing bad seeds make a break for it, but their plan gets nipped in the bud when the prison guards mow them down. The situation gets even thornier when undead horror quickly blooms from the shallow soil. Will everyone wind up pushing daisies? John, Andy, and Producer Brad grab their pruning shears and head into the GARDEN OF THE DEAD.

SHOW NOTES:

US Theatrical Release Date: August 23, 1972

AFI|Catalog - Garden of the Dead

The 10 Best SFX Makeup Artists Of All Time

Before Pixels, There Was Fire

Trader Hornee (1970)

We've been wondering when the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD knockoffs would arrive. Well, they're officially here, starting with CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS! This movie hides its twenty minutes of solid Romero-style zombie action behind an hour of bizarre drama involving a team of actors, their sadistic director, and lot of black magic mumbo-jumbo. John, Andy, and Producer Brad explore a cult classic that makes them wonder if they should've listened to their parents and stayed far away.

SHOW NOTES:

US Theatrical Release: 1972

AFI|Catalog - Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things

Bob Clark, 67, director

Canuxploitation Interview: Bob Clark

BOB CLARK Explains Why CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS | RUE MORGUE ARCHIVES

Carl Fischer The Bass Grimoire | Guitar Center

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

Additional music by Elarasound.

http://www.pond5.com/

Additional voice work by Russell Bentley.

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It's probably a bad idea to try and resurrect somebody named Baron Blood, right? Especially in a medieval castle with a torture dungeon, an iron maiden, and lots of spikes that could conveniently be used for impalings. Nonetheless, that's exactly what our bold (or foolish) heroes do in this strangely compelling low-budget Italian zombie film directed by the legendary Mario Bava. Will John, Andy, and Producer Brad survive this run-in with an off-brand Dracula and his dungeon full of zombies?

SHOW NOTES:

US Theatrical Release Date: October 27, 1972

Italian Theatrical Release Date: February 25, 1972

The 30 best classic horror movies of all time

Variety The 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time

Joseph Cotten, 88, Is Dead; Actor on Stage and in Films - The New York Times

Quiet Quality: The Life and Films of Joseph Cotten - Best Movies by Farr

The Siberian Hell Sounds - Skeptoid

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

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Scarce ammunition, locked doors, a sewer level, and of course, loads of disgusting bio-mutant zombies: everything that scared you when you first ventured into Spencer Mansion on your 90s-era Playstation is here in Zach Cregger's take on RESIDENT EVIL (2026). So does the much-lauded director of WEAPONS and BARBARIAN successfully evoke the famous horror video game series without stumbling into the usual video game-adaptation pitfalls? And amid all the goo and gunfire, does Resident Evil add anything significant to the family tree of zombie cinema?

Show Notes:

US Theatrical Release Date: September, 2026

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

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Just because they can't see you doesn't mean they can't catch you and tear you apart! John, Andy, and Producer Brad journey across the Atlantic to Spain in the waning days of the Franco regime, where they confront a Euro-horror cult classic that combines lurid exploitation with sharp social commentary. Expect spooky castles, zombie Templars, and a psychedelic confrontation with the undead in a mannequin factory!

Show Notes:

US Theatrical Release Date: February, 1973

TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD film review - Amando De Ossorio Knights Templar Spanish horror — Schlockmania

Legend of the Zombie Crusaders

Amando de Ossorio.O último templario.Parte 1

Amando de Ossorio.O último templario.Parte 2

Yeah, You Know Giallo — But There’s Another European Horror Movement You're Missing Out On

HORROR EUROPA — Mark Gatiss Explores Europe’s Darkest Cinema (2012)

Revenge From Planet Ape

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

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Director Al Adamson's 1965 heist film, PSYCHO A-GO-GO flopped. So in 1969, he hired John Carradine to play a mad scientist, shot new scenes, and retitled it THE FIEND WITH THE ELECTRONIC BRAIN. That, too, flopped. Adamson hired Tommy Kirk in 1971 and shot more new scenes and released it with another new title, BLOOD OF GHASTLY HORROR. Will John, Andy, and Producer Brad be able to keep all this mayhem straight? And will they find an actual zombie movie at the bottom of this genre jumble?

Show Notes:

US Release Date: 1971

Dendle, Peter. THE ZOMBIE MOVIE ENCYCLOPEDIA

Kay, Glenn. ZOMBIE MOVIES: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

Al Adamson Obituary

HORROR DIRECTOR SLAIN, ENTOMBED BENEATH HIS TUB – Deseret News

The Murder Of Director Al Adamson – Original Cinemaniac

The Old Oregon Trail (1928) A Silent Film Review

Victor Adamson/Denver Dixon

ABOUT TOM | tommix

BOOKS OF THE TIMES: Superman at 50!

Shades of Gray: The Life and Death of the Oft-overlooked Master - The Comics Journal

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

http://www.pond5.com/

Contact:

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One giant high-rise in downtown Seoul. Hundreds of people going about their everyday lives inside. Add one mad scientist with a vision for a fungus zombie hivemind apocalypse, and you have the recipe for a wild zombie action film! Director Yeon Sang-ho has already given us two modern zombie classics ("Train to Busan" and "Peninsula") but he's not done with us yet. John and Andy take a quick detour to modern-day South Korea to catch the latest from one of zombie cinema's rising stars.

Show Notes:

Colony Trailer

Colony IMDB

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

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Get ready for the grindhouse! In this zombie double feature, the Zombie Strains team faces down two very different sides of zombie cinema. First up is the ultraviolent schlockfest I DRINK YOUR BLOOD, followed by the curiously retro I EAT YOUR SKIN. One of these is our first glimpse of 70s grindhouse, and the other might be the last dying groan of the traditional voodoo zombie. Which path will John, Andy, and Producer Brad choose?

Show Notes:

AFI|Catalog - I Drink Your Blood

Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury Papers, 1930-2003

Lynn Lowry Interview

Rabies in the United States: Protecting Public Health | Rabies | CDC

AFI|Catalog - I Eat Your Skin

Katherine Dunham dancer Vanoye Aikens passes - New York Amsterdam News

A Woman Ahead of Her Time: Katherine Dunham and Afro-Caribbean Dance

Katherine Dunham | Queen Mother Of Black Dance (Biography)

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

http://www.pond5.com/

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Crime waves... Watergate... disco... 70s zombies don't rise from the dead in a vacuum! The 70s was the decade that horror broke into the mainstream. So what lurking fears of the 1970s were exploited and amplified by zombie cinema? John and Andy take a little break from the regular lineup of zombie movies to talk through what exactly was so scary about the groovy 70s.

Show Notes:

Us Theatrical Release Date:

The Cinema of Solitude by Charles Ramírez Berg

Shock Valueby Jason Zinoman

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

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The end of the world was just the beginning of Robert Neville's problems. Sure, he's set up in a swanky post-apocalyptic penthouse suite, but he's cursed to spend his days and nights battling a Luddite cult of zombie hippies! John, Andy, and Producer Brad brave their first big-budget Hollywood zombie epic of the 1970s. Will this action blockbuster, another adaptation of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, contribute as much to zombie cinema as its 1964 predecessor did?

Show Notes:

Us Theatrical Release Date: August 1, 1971

The Friends fountain

Kinney National Company | Logo Timeline Wiki | Fandom

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

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What happens when zombie horror gets put on a collision course with... the early 20th century temperance movement? Add a toucan, a snake dancer, acid trips, and Boris Karloff (and did we mention all the snakes?), and you have SNAKE PEOPLE. John, Andy, and Producer Brad return to the voodoo roots of zombie cinema in a film that combines decades-old horror cliches with the salacious sentiments of 1970s exploitation films.

Show Notes:

US Theatrical Release: March, 1971

Zombie Strains Merch

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

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Teleporting zombies. A tortured antihero. A sinister satanic cult. Only one man can save the day! The world's greatest luchador Santo returns to Zombie Strains for one last match against the undead. This time, the horror begins in colonial New Spain, travels to 1971 Mexico, and culminates in a trip to hell itself. John, Andy, and Brad don their masks and capes for one last wrestling match against zombies, witches, and demons.

Show Notes:

Mexican Release Date: October 1, 1970

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

Additional music by Elarasound.

http://www.pond5.com/

Additional voice work by Russell Bentley.

Contact:

zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com

http://www.zombiestrainspodcast.com/

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Santo's back, and so are his wrestling zombie enemies! He might be facing a full rogue's gallery of classic Hollywood monsters, but he's not alone in the fight. He's joined by the mysterious luchador Blue Demon... at least until Blue Demon is cloned and turned against Santo. There's just so much to deal with in our first 1970s zombie film that we called in some backup to help us wrestle with it: Javier Grillo-Marxuach (writer for Lost, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Witcher, and more). Grab yourself a ringside seat and find out who's still standing at the end of SANTO AND BLUE DEMON VS. THE MONSTERS.

Show Notes:

Mexican Release: May, 1970

The Many Origins of Santo

History/Review of Santo and Blue Demon vs the Monsters

Bechdel Test

Children of Tendu

Don your most posh bowler hat, squeeze into your brightly-colored jumpsuit, and grab your umbrella sword. We're on a mission to Swinging London! John and Andy once again commandeer the Zombie Strains lab to visit the '60s spy-fi hit THE AVENGERS. See what happens when secret agents John Steed and Emma Peel face off against a two-pronged zombie threat... and find out what 1960s network TV was doing with the concept of the zombie.

Show Notes:

The Fashion Guide to "The Avengers" season 5: John Steed, and Emma Peel

60 Years of Emma Peel fashion

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Support the podcast!

Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

http://www.pond5.com/

Contact:

zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com

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Pigeons aren't the scariest bird... UNLESS they team up with vengeful zombies in the post-Civil War South. Then they become a force to be reckoned with! John and Andy take a swampy detour on the trail of PIGEONS FROM HELL, a 1961 episode of the TV show "Thriller" based on a short story by pulp maestro Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan and other pulp heroes). Will they survive the night camped out in this creepy, pigeon-infested plantation?

Bunny isn't the only thing missing in BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (1965)! There's also no trace of zombies. Or is there? In the interlude between Zombie Strains seasons, John and Andy take a curious detour into a psychological thriller about a possibly delusional mother's quest to find her possibly non-existent missing child. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, and you just might pick up the trail of a very unique kind of "zombie."

Show Notes:

Support Zombie Strains HERE

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

http://www.pond5.com/

Contact:

zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com

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Against all odds, we've survived to the end of the 1960s! What have we learned about zombies along the way? What were the unexpected delights and the unprecedented horrors of the last twenty years of zombie cinema? John, Andy, and Brad wrap up season 2 of Zombie Strains--and brace themselves for the coming disco era--by reflecting on the remarkable ways that zombies evolved through the 1950s and 60s.

Show Notes:

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

http://www.pond5.com/

Contact:

zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com

http://www.zombiestrainspodcast.com/

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Seven terrorized survivors. One isolated farmhouse. And one endless horde of the living dead. It's time to confront the patient zero of modern zombie film, Night of the Living Dead (1968)! In addition to guns, torches, and survival supplies, John, Andy, and Brad are bringing all the knowledge of zombie cinema they've gained from watching four decades of zombie movies. What did this masterpiece invent? What did it draw from previous films? And will all that accumulated zombie trivia help John, Andy, and Brad survive the night?

Show Notes:

US Theatrical Release Date: October 4, 1968

AFI Catalog Entry

Did George Romero Ever Think Pittsburgh was Scary?

The Empire Film Podcast with George Romero

George Romero's obituary

Mister Rogers Gets a Tonsillectomy - Directed by George Romero

Duane Jones' obituary

Perspective: An Appreciation of Duane Jones | University of Pittsburgh

Marilyn Eastman Dies: ‘Night of the Living Dead’ Actress & Producer Was 87

Birth of the Living Dead (2013 documentary)

The Top Ten Best Low Budget Horror Movies of All Time

Interview Magazine, 1969 Night of the Living Dead Review

Cahiers du cinema, 1970 Night of the Living Dead Review

Variety, October 15, 1968. Night of the Living Dead: Film Review

New York Times, December 5, 1968. Night of the Living Dead Review

Roger Ebert's January, 5, 1969, reaction to Night of the Living Dead

Fred Rogers: The Last Interview and Other Conversations. Melville House

Williams, Tony. George A. Romero Interviews. University Press of Mississippi

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Support the podcast!

Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

http://www.pond5.com/

Contact:

zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com

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How do you take down a vampire mastermind who's out to conquer the world? You send in hell's most dangerous secret agent! Aided by his zombie henchwomen, the enigmatic antihero Dr. Satan must match wits with the bloodsucking Yei Lin in a wild series of heists, assassinations, and intrigues. Who will be the last one standing? John, Andy, and Brad venture into the deadly world of the Mexican vampire/zombie/devil/spy movie Dr. Satán y la magia negra (1968) (AKA Dr. Satan vs. Black Magic) to find out.

Show Notes:

US Theatrical Release Date: 1968

Ciuk, Perla. DICCIONARIO DIRECTORES CINE MEXICANO (2000)

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Theme music composed by Neil Dube.

http://www.pond5.com/

Contact:

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