Retro Ridoctopus

The legendary Ellen Datlow has been called “the venerable queen of horror anthologies” per the New York Times, and with over 40 years in the business, it's not hard to see why! In celebration of her new horror anthology, "Fears: Tales of Psychological Horror" from Tachyon Publications... Retro Ridoctopus proudly presents "The Fears of Ellen Datlow"! We'll have readings from hor...

For many of us, rushing home to plop our butts in front of the Disney Afternoon was a seminal part of childhood! From Gummi Bears, Ducktales and Rescue Rangers to Goof Troop, Tail Spin and beyond, these were some of the best produced children's cartoons on television and we ate 'em up! In this episode, Coopster Gold leads us through a discussion of 6 of our favorite Disney Afternoon shows! We'll e...

Returning guest, Bobby Canipe Jr. started his film making career with the killer 2022 documentary "Mom n' Pop: The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s/90s" but has been making horror flicks ever since! For this episode, we'll touch upon what it was like starting from nothing to doing a documentary on video stores to making numerous scary movies a year for SRS Cinema! We'll talk about tons...

In a rare non-celebratory episode, we welcome the co-writer/star/director of the hilarious flick, BAD CGI SHARKS, Jason Ellsworth to join us in a critical discussion on some of the LESS impressive FX we've seen in movies. These are the sequences that are so jarringly inadequate, they hit like a Mac truck, smashing any semblance of immersion to smithereens. We each pick 2 examples of the worth effe...

A 'beat 'em up' or 'brawler' is a style of video game where the player character walks from left to right, beating up a seemingly endless number of enemies, until reaching the inevitable boss encounter at the end of the level. Simple, repetitive and addictive as heck, this genre of games were very popular in the late 80s and early 90s with beloved entries such as Final Fight, Double Dragon, Golden...

Rotting in the BRIG this week, we have another returning guest, Paul R. McNamee! Paul is a talented author and lover of all things pulp… who’s short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies and magazines including STORYHACK, WEIRDBOOK, and BLOOD ON THE BLADE. And in 2021, he released the superhero novel Hour of the Robot!. His brand new collection, HEROES AMONG SHADOWS, was just released last...

The X-men theme that was just too big for one episode continues! In this second action-packed installment of our X-Men Cartoon Apocalypse, we celebrate 2 more of the 4 major X- men cartoons! As with last time, each host will present a favorite episode from each. Joining the team just time is new recruit and X-Men über fan, Kevin "Kex" Hayes! For this first part, we are covering... • Wolv...

This idea has been brewing for a while and it was just too big for one episode! This action-packed episode celebrates 2 of the 4 major X- men cartoons! Each host presents a favorite episode from each with the help of our very special guest... our returning pal and constant poster Santino "The San Man" Mancebo! For this first part, we are covering... • X-Men: The Animated Series (AKA: X-M...

Good friend of the show, Josh Nealis (from Cutthroat Comics) makes Ridoctopus history by becoming the only person to get locked in THE BRIG for a THIRD TIME! He talks candidly with Parasite Steve about his latest books "Gloves Off: Going Toe-to-Toe with Cancer", "Judy and Her Irrational Fears" the final issue of his "Turkey Sharks" comic series and what it was like cr...

Roger Corman did it all and he did it in spades. Whether you call him the King of Cult or the Pope of Pop Cinema, it's no exaggeration to say that Corman had an output unmatched by anyone in the industry. And while he is perhaps known as much for his schlock as his amazing Poe Cycle with Vincent Price, one thing is for sure. The man constantly did what he loved, and that was making movies! For thi...

This week, in THE BRIG… Deader is Better! We welcome the co-creator of the world's longest continually running series of collectible horror themed dolls. The Living Dead Dolls. Make no mistake, folks… this is a guy who makes nightmares come to life, New Jersey’s own… Damien Glonek! Ever wondered how you can turn a quirky little idea into a vast 26 year empire, beloved and fiercely collected by fan...

The 1980s and 90s saw the release of an unprecedented number of cartoons, movies, toys and games starring DINOSAURS! And unlike the adventure films of the 60s & 70s these projects took everyone's favorite extinct behemoths out of their hidden savage land environments and made them cool again. Mashing them together with genres like science fiction, post-apocalypse and even sitcoms! You want din...

It's 11:00 in Nosgoth. Do you know where your vampires are? This week's motley crew includes Parasite Steve, Synopsis (Boss Rush Mode) Grim and Lady Carianna (in her first appearance)! All three have stocked up on Hearts of Darkness and have a serious blood lust for the classic PS1/PS2 series known as THE LEGACY OF KAIN! These gothic dark fantasy treasures are known for their incredible entwining...

The GODFOE Universe: APOLLYON 20XX is a gritty new indie comic from the team of artist Joshua Adams and writer Dan Evans. For this episode, the book's artist Joshua give the lowdown on this massive media-panning project, which will eventually span comic, novels, films and even video games. Is that ambitious enough for ya?! For more info on this awesome project, check out the official website! ----...

Our secret nerdom revealed at last! We at the Retro Ridoctopus cephalopodcast are all huge geeks about animals and all sorts of creatures that walk, crawl, swim and fly over this fantastic blue marble we call Earth! For this science-centric episode, the Octo-hosts each pick 4 animals we think are the most fascinating and share a bunch of fun facts about them! Pretty simple, pretty different and ho...

This week, down in the dank and the dark of that den of madness we call the BRIG… we've got the wicked cool Renee S. DeCamillis! Renee is a talented writer and editor of all types of horror, the author of numerous published short stories and her recently released debut novel, Chisel The Bone. And as if that wasn’t enough, she’s also the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the band Scars Aligned !...

Is it Duck Season? Wabbit Season?! With over one thousand episodes of Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies you never have to choose! Before the pig pops out of the drum... we'll build blocks of episode-picks around 4 of the most legendary characters! We'll talk some history, personal memories and fun facts about these screwball heroes of the Golden Age of Cartoon Animation! ----------------------------...

In the 90s was when the anime floodgates opened in America, when programs like FOX KIDS started playing blocks of Japanese cartoons! But did we really need to catch 'em all? Shows like Shaman King, Yu-Gi-Oh, Digimon, Monster Rancher and even (the best left forgotten) Fighting Foodons were trying to cash in on the enormous Pokemon craze. But there were others too. A few diamonds in the rough, as it...

When it comes to classic RPG series, Final Fantasy is always in the conversation. This long running series has achieved LEGENDARY status with 16 main titles and a Bahamut-sized hoard of sequels and spin-offs. This week, with the help of our Retroid Bobby MacGibbon, we'll spotlight our favorite games, characters and even summon monsters in the series. So gear up that Buster Sword with all your best...

This episode is dedicated to someone who has been my second Mother since I was ten years old, Parasite Steve and 8 Bit Alchemy's Mom Nancy. Please check out Crow's Nest: Our Mom's Favorite Games first as I play the music from the games mentioned in that episode plus some of the music that reminds me of her. I also share some personal memories and stories I have with Mom (or as I always called her,...

Parasite Steve leads a sprawling discussion between two true-blooded fans, who unabashedly gush over both movies and books in the horror genre! Not every kid learns to read with Salem's Lot, but our guest this week is exactly that cool! When journalist Michael Miller isn't writing an article or interviewing one of horror's top stars, you can bet he's injecting the genre he loves direct into his ve...

Even before the internet, rumors about weird stuff in video games were always swirling around the playground. Sometimes it was how to get a new character or access to part of a stage. Other times it would be a code for more lives, a secret boss fight or even just some crazy glitch. But how many of those tantalizing tricks and tidbits ended up being true in the end? Some? Most? NONE? One things for...

Xardion isn't exactly a classic of the SNES, but 8-Bit Alchemy & Parasite Steve recently discussed it as one of the games their mother used to love and was actually able to beat. Well, thanks to much perseverance and level grinding, when if comes to this bizarre Run and Gun RPG Platformer, the boys are now (almost) as cool as she was! This game is weird in a dozen ways, but if you can stick wi...

With host 8-Bit Alchemy at the wheel, the crew hits the road. We've got plenty of snacks, a trunk full of AA batteries and our favorite classic portable video game systems! Our companions are the Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, the DS, the Game Gear, the PSP and on this long and lonesome highway, we're gonna play 'em all! Oh did we mention that Nintenjoe hopped in at the last minute? Later on we'll do...

Noy Jitat! Pirates of Dark Water is a pirate fantasy adventure series by Hanna Barbera, which originally aired between 1991 and 1993. And since our very own Coopster Gold happens to be a HUGE fan of the show, he's at the helm with one eye set on ADVENTURE in the land of Mer! So grab your nearest monkey-bird and settle into the CROW'S NEST for a comprehensive ride through this fantastic series! ---...