The Show Where They Talk About Monsters

Welcome back all monster heads! For the first episode of Season 4 of the Show Where They Talk About Monsters , Doc and Mike speak with the incomparable, inimitable monster enthusiasts/podcast hosts/comic book artists, Ryan and Marshall Betts-Ng! The two brothers recently featured on an NPR spot when they entered the NPR Student Podcast Challenge for their podcast on Bigfoot. Hear how Ryan and Mars...

University of Georgia professor, Rafiki Jenkins, joins Doc and Mike to discuss the origins of human monstrosity (can a human be monstrous?) and how horror fictions presents and complicates history and American culture. We hope you have a fortunate Friday the 13th!   Jerry Rafiki Jenkins is Assistant Director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Georgia. Rafiki holds a...

How awful is your favorite author?  Did you once love the works of a film director and the ideals they expressed, but, to your dismay, they turned out to be a lout? How does their badness change their art? Do texts belong to the author once they're released into the world? In this episode, Doc and Mike talk with the Co-Director of the Center for Monsters Studies, Renee Fox, about the concept of th...

In this episode, Mike and Doc explore the origins of our favorite lump of animated clay, the GOLEM (pronounced GOAL-EM, not GAUL-UHM)! Protector of Jewish communities, the golem is a powerful ally, but you have to be very specific with your instructions, as it will carry out the task you give it with lethal literality. Enter, if you dare, and learn about the history of the golem, the monster's tie...

It's...uh...live!  Join Mike and Doc as they record their podcast on THE DEVIL in front of a live audience at UC Santa Cruz Center for Monsters Studies' 2024 Festival of Monsters!    We also have video evidence that Mike and Doc are not actually ghosts that haunt your smarphones! Watch the podcast here: https://youtu.be/5yFNEpWMwEk   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our...

Mike and Doc interview Oscar-winning director, animator, writer and Chief Creative Officer of Pixar, Pete Docter! Docter wrote and directed some of your favorite Pixar movies including Inside Out, Up, Soul, and, discussed in detail here in the interview, Monsters, Inc.  About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a pop...

Witches! Part deux! Mike and Doc continue to stir their bubbling cauldron, discussing the North Berwick Witch Trials in 16th century Scotland, the witches of Macbeth and other popular representations of witchcraft. This episode is dedicated to the late actor, Dame Maggie Smith, whose lengendary career spanned seven decades and included a famous turn as Minerva McGonagall a witch/professor at Hogwa...

Witches! Mike and Doc confront an all-time favorite monster—with roots as ancient as the werewolf—and delve into the very nature of magic as they explore this terrifying monster. About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but...

FRANKENSTEIN! In the Season Two closing episode, Doc and Mike take on the most iconic monster around and learn a lot about the changes the Creature has undergone in the last 200 years.   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to fright...

This episode features a hard-hitting interview with the creator of monster studies, Jeffrey Jerome Cohen! The guys get into the nitty gritty with one of the greatest minds in the field!  About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to fright...

Episode 2.6 Ogopogo Switching it up! This week Mike is interviewed by Doc about the mysterious and ancient lake monster, the Ogopogo!   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to instruct on the nature of good and...

Episode 2.5 Interview with Haden Blackman In a first, Doc and Mike do an interview! Their guest is Haden Blackman, author of the video game  Star Wars: The Force Unleashed  and  The North American Field Guide to Monsters !   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own un...

Episode 2.4 Vampires part 2 VAMPIRES! Among all monsters, this is the one that has seized our collective imaginations by the throat! Join Mike and Doc as they explore the cultural history of these seductive bloodsuckers and discover them lurking in some of the darkness corners of our social unconscious!    About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphra...

Episode 2.3 Vampires VAMPIRES! Among all monsters, this is the one that has seized our collective imaginations by the throat! Join Mike and Doc as they explore the cultural history of these seductive bloodsuckers and discover them lurking in some of the darkness corners of our social unconscious!    About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emil...

Episode 2.2 Werewolves, Part 2 Doc and Mike sink their teeth into one of the planet's oldest and most popular monsters, and uncover many astonishing secrets about the man-beasts! Tune in for the new and improved second season!   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its ow...

Episode 2.1 Werewolves, Part I Doc and Mike sink their teeth into one of the planet's oldest and most popular monsters, and uncover many astonishing secrets about the man-beasts! Tune in for the new and improved second season!   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its ow...

Episode 1.7. Trolls When it comes to the worst monsters we can imagine, trolls are serious contenders. What are the origins and permutations of these Nordic nightmares?   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to...

Episode 1.6. Dragons part 3 As one of the oldest and most compelling monsters in human history, the dragon needs a lot of air time to get justice done. Mike and Michael bring home the draconic mini-series with this episode.   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own u...

Episode 1.5. Dragons, part 2 There's way too much in the way of dragons to complete a discussion in a single episode! Join Mike and Michael as they confront the legendary serpent and its astonishing cultural contexts! About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique mo...

Episode 1.4. Dragons, part 1 The ever-popular dragon has dominated monster culture since ancient times. What compels us about these serpentine beasts that they still command our fear and attention?   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to t...

Episode 1.3. La Llorona Michael and Mike face down the scariest of Mexican monsters, fearlessly exploring her heritage and progeny.   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to instruct on the nature of good and ev...

Episode 1.2. Ghosts In this haunted episode, Mike and Michael take on the most ubiquitous of all monsters, and confront the phantom messages they carry.   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to instruct on the...

Episode 1.1. Zombies The conversation that started it all! Michael and Mike talk zombies, from their Haitian origins to their most recent appearances, with all the strange changes they have undergone and what that says about us. About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its ow...