Kaiju Vs. History

We return to the islands of Japan for a Toho classic that feels both ahead of its time and still out of place on the Kaiju list, its 1957’s “The Mysterians”. A much more different film from director Ishiro Honda’s past offerings, this super colorful sci-fi epic does have a Kaiju shoe-horned in on producer’s insistance. Follow us through the stars and underground tunnels to discover the Daikaiju de...

The start of a trend of giant human monsters pops up with an atomic blast and a radioactive growing man in 1957’s “The Amazing Colossal Man”. Come along with us when we discover that the real monster was the friends that we made along the way…and also Colonel Glenn Manning. Discover the history of a cheaply made monster in the form of an actor that chews the scenery in this week’s Kaiju Vs. Histor...

With a new setting, a host of supposed King Kong armature, and a child actor getting into trouble, this week we dive into 1957’s “The Black Scorpion”. Mara Corday returns to play a wealthy rancher in the shadow of a Mexican volcano. A host of monsters are unearthed from an underground cavern. Willis O’Brien and a Pete Peterson return to bring these monstrous scorpions to life, and an inaccurate go...

Hot on the heels of what many consider the worst Kaiju film of all time, June of 1957 isn’t over yet as we also get the release of “Beginning of the End”. What do the infamous Mr. BIG, cannibalistic bugs and the term “Ultra Low Budget” have in common? Why those are all small sneak peaks at the behind the scenes history of this monstrous movie! The squeamish may want to skip this film as we have li...

We take a break from season 1 of Kaiju Vs. History in order to exchange some presents, talk about some Kaiju gift giving options for the year, and go on to muse about what a Kaiju Christmas movie might be like. We have a perfect $5 stocking stuffer for the Godzilla fan in your life, and next year we will be back in the middle of season 2 to do this again. Twitter: @kaijuvshistory Email: kaijuvshis...

We explore the history of what many say is the worst Kaiju film of all time, the towering wreckage and dangling marionette of 1957’s The Giant Claw. This film on paper has all the hallmarks of a classic creature feature, but the execution leaves more than most to be desired. Scream queen Mara Corday of Tarantula! and The Black Scorpion fame returns, and stars opposite Jeff Morrow. Is this film as...

The most giant of bugs is dethawed and runs amok on the US this week as we explore the history of 1957’s “The Deadly Mantis”. Universal looking to score big brings in a larger than life prop, B-roll footage, and a real life mantis to show a world under siege. Looking to capitalize on the plot points and action of earlier Kaiju films “The Deadly Mantis” delivers a tried and true formula but a film...

Toho tries their hand another new giant monster movie, but with the marked improvements of seasoned actors and color film stock. Director Ishiro Honda is back, and so are Akira Ifukube and Eiji Tsuburaya, completing the dream team from 1954’s ‘Godzilla’. Rodan is a spectacular achievement in the art of miniatures and monster story-telling, and introduces us to a vibrant world of horrific prehistor...

As proof of the power of Ishiro Honda’s masterpiece Gojira this week we are getting some leftovers after Thanksgiving. This week’s Kaiju Vs. History is looking at the Americanization of the Japanese classic, with the US version called “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”. Toho sold the rights to the original Godzilla film to the US along with permission to recut, refilm and edit Gojira. They cut almos...

We return to American monster movies this week with a sci-fi classic, 1955’s Tarantula! This film was a reaction certainly to the success of “Them” and other creature features that made big bank at the box office. At time it feels like it is trying to do something interesting and other times it feels like the cash grab that it is. Join us as we look at the production of this film, take a dive into...

Kaiju Vs. History Episode 10 – It came from beneath the sea (1955) Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 30 seconds 00:00 / 00:40:56 Subscribe Share Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify RSS Feed Share

What happens when you rush a sequel but don’t have access to the same stars and visionary director? Well you get a film that fairs better than 1933’s ‘Son of Kong’ but that’s a low bar. Follow a new Godzilla monster and director Motoyoshi Oda as they chart the franchise into sequel territory. We have monster battles, military might on display, and tenuous bonds to the spirit of the first film. Wou...

The Ishiro Honda classic “Godzilla” exploded on the screen like an atomic bomb almost 70 years ago this week. This film is what started a series that would go on to have more main entries than James Bond. It would spawn more imitators that Michael Myers and Freddy. It single handedly maintained and invigorated the entire genre into the modern era. Join us this week as Kaiku Vs. History dips our to...

When nuclear testing unleashes giant monsters on an unsuspecting world, its up to a scientist, a police officer and the FBI to stop global destruction. This week’s episode is the classic giant ant monster film, THEM! Released only a few months before Gojira released in Japan, listen as we dive into the history of what might be a spiritually related film from across the pacific. This movie is massi...

American monster movies of the 1950s have a reputation for being an hour and 20 minutes of cheesy effects and bad acting. One film though kicked off this decade, became a special effects dynamo, and spawned countless imitators. This week’s episode is on the classic dinosaur-like monster of THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS! This film was the brain child of the Edison of stop-motion film, none other th...

Our tour through proto-Kaiju films continues with a loving and beloved spiritual successor to King Kong with 1949’s hidden gem “Mighty Joe Young”. Original cast and crew from 1933’s Godzilla return to make a very different feel good film. The amazing stop motion work of Ray Harryhausen is put on full display here animating the animalistic movements of Joe. This film, while not connected to King Ko...

Get ready to return to Skull Island with familiar faces and similar stop motion animation done on a dime. This week Kaiju vs. History dives into what will soon be a hallmark of kaiju cinema in rushing a sequel to the screens to capitalize on ticket sales. This week we are diving into 1933’s “Son of Kong”. This RKO picture was done with a slashed budget and came out nine months after the smash hit...

This is the official start of the history of the Kaiju Genre and the original 8th Wonder of the World. On this first full film review for the Kaiju Vs. History Podcast we travel back in time 88 years. New York City sees the release of one of the most ground breaking and influential special effects driven films of all time. This week’s episode is on 1933’s King Kong! In this weeks episode we look a...

Welcome to the second episode of Kaiju Vs. History Podcast. In this episode we go over some of the early examples of monster movies. We dive into the origin of giant Kaiju like creatures in the collective world consciousness. Before King Kong graced the silver screen and after there were several proto-Kaiju and dinosaur films that would help formulate the tropes and cinema styles of the genre. Fir...

Welcome to the first official episode of Kaiju Vs. History podcast! This show is an atomic blast through cinema’s feature creatures, from Anguirus to ‘Zilla, watching every single major film in the history of Kaiju. We are going chronologically through the history of this genre, year by year, and we are inviting you to come along with us! This episode is a primer for what this podcast is going to...