Zombie Strains

Multiplex Overthruster is a podcast dedicated to the summer movie's of the 80s. It is hosted by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (writer of Lost, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Witcher, and creator of The Middleman), Paul Alvarado-Dykstra (co-founder of Fantastic Fest, the leading genre film festival in the US), and produced by Zombie Strain's Producer Brad. Enjoy this episode on Poltergei...

We made it! We survived the first three decades of zombies--22 movies in all. What did we learn? And what's coming next? In this special season 1 wrap-up episode, John, Andy, and Producer Brad answer listener feedback, take a surprise zombie trivia quiz, reflect on the journey so far... and prepare for the horror to come as we strike out into the world of 1950s zombies. Support this podcast at...

John, Andy, and Producer Brad have time for one last trip to the Caribbean to see a movie they missed the first time around; 1938’s The Devil’s Daughter . In this loose remake of team favorite Ouanga the action moves from Haiti to Jamaica, and from voodoo to obeah. How does this film stand up to the original? Join us in the lab as we break it down. US Theatrical Release Date: December 7, 1939 Movi...

Let's welcome a brand new horror legend to the zombie genre: Boris Karloff, playing a wrongly-executed man brought back to life by mad science. You'll be as surprised as we were by this somber, atmospheric tale of justice from beyond the grave. Whether this is truly a zombie movie is a matter of debate (and we do debate it!), but you won't regret taking a stroll with John, Andy, Produc...

The Zombie Strains team goes waaaay back to 1919 and the dawn of cinema to watch J'accuse, a French zombie movie. Don’t worry, it is not as bad as that sounds. Actually, it is really good! The team skipped this one initially, but now that we have circled back to watch it… Is this the zombie horde John, Andy, and Producer Brad have been looking for all this time?! French Release Date: April 25,...

So much awaits us in the Valley of the Zombies : an undead mortician with very specific medical needs! A desperate car chase centered around a malfunctioning radio! And best of all, a chilling new zombie master (Ian Keith) who just might rival the great Bela Lugosi with his scenery-chewing menace. Join John, Andy, and Producer Brad as they explore a fascinating off-shoot of the zombie genre that p...

Legendary comedy duo Abbott and Costello bravely (?) stumble into a monster mash in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein ! This movie may not feature a zombie, but it's too important a genre influence to not investigate--and after Zombies on Broadway , it's time to see horror comedy done right. Zombie Strains hall-of-famer Bela Lugosi is joined by Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange...

PR men Jerry and Mike have to find a “genuine zombie” before the opening of the hot new nightclub, the Zombie Hut. If they don’t, the mobster who hired them is going to put them on ice. It's a tough job. But is it as tough as sitting through Zombies on Broadway ? John, Andy, and Producer Brad aim to find out. US Theatrical Release Date: May 1,1945 Movie Poster 1945 Domestic Box Office 1946 Aca...

Our old friend Bela Lugosi makes his return to the Zombie Strains laboratory… this time with a laboratory of his own! He’s concocting a desperate plan to bring his beloved wife back from the dead by stealing the life essence of innocent young women. Can he be stopped?! And more importantly, is there a new strain of zombie here? Join John, Andy, and Producer Brad as they enter the tangled web of th...

More Nazi zombies! The elite of the German army have been on ice since the end of WWII. Doctor Norberg must perfect his technique of reanimating his zombicles before his plans are foiled by his… niece? Join the Zombie Strains crew as they encounter animated body parts! Talking severed heads! Attempted murder by potted plant! Can they survive The Frozen Dead ? BONUS: Stay tuned to the end where Joh...

John, Andy, and Producer Brad travel deep into the swamps of Louisiana hot on the trail of a new zombie strain: The Nazi Super Soldier! Revenge of the Zombies has it all - Mad science, German spies, switched identities, and (best of all) podcast favorite Mantan Moreland. But there’s more! If you listen closely you’ll hear the first cinematic instance of brains being the key to a zombie’s existence...

After the cinematic high of I Walked with a Zombie it was inevitable that the pendulum would swing in the opposite direction. Specifically in the direction of 2002's Ritual , a loose remake of I Walked with a Zombie that stars Tim Curry, Jennifer Grey, and... the Crypt Keeper. How do the nuanced themes of the 1943 original interact with the salacious direct-to-DVD horror of this Tales from the...

Based on Charlotte Bronte’s lyrical Jane Eyre and directed by legendary French director Jaques Tourneur, I Walked with a Zombie is a beautifully shot melodrama about… Wait what the hell is going on here?! Have John and Andy stumbled into the wrong podcast?! Or have they stumbled into… a good movie? Join us to discover what it is like when an auteur enters the zombie-verse! Theme music composed by...

What is this? Bowery at Midnight stars Bela Lugosi as a kindly man running a soup kitchen for the down-and-out residents of the Bowery? Can you believe it !? Haha, no. We couldn't believe it either. As Bela builds his crimal empire, one of his henchmen secretly introduces one of the most critical Zombie Strains yet! Join John and Andy as they analyze the movie and share the startling results....

King of the Zombies  is the next mini-boss for our intrepid zombie adventurers, John and Andy. This film has the increasingly familiar mad scientist mixed with voodoo mash-up. But  King of the Zombies  adds a twist…Not just a mad scientist, but a Nazi mad scientist... using his zombies to uncover American military secrets. Will his foul plan succeed?! Or will he become a victim of his own machinat...

John and Andy get reckless and jump all the way to the present with The Gorge (2025) starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller. It is an action movie! And a love story! But is it a zombie movie? Join us as we try to figure out what The Gorge is trying to tell us about zombies today. Movie Poster 2024 US Domestic Box Office 2024 US Horror Films Box Office Interview with writer Zach Dean Theme music...

Last episode, John and Andy watched the first zombie comedy, The Ghost Breakers (1940). This episode John and Andy watch the best zombie comedy. Like an oasis from the future in the desert of the 1940s, Shaun of the Dead arrives to remind us why we fell in love with zombie movies in the first place. Original U.S. one sheet poster 2004 Box Office 2004 Horror Box Office Edgar Wright's early infl...

We have a new Strain of zombie movie! Our first zombie comedy , starring Bob Hope(!?), Paulette Goddard, and Willie Best. Released in 1940, it is one of the first horror comedies. Dan Akroyd even cites it as a huge influence on Ghostbusters! Join Andy and John in the lab to analyze all of these new zombie developments. Producer Brad tells the tale of how he met Bob Hope decades ago. Don’t miss it!...

Revolt of the Zombies (1936) is our fourth and final zombie film from the 1930s. Set in Cambodia during World War I, it was intended to be a sequel to White Zombie (1932). It trades Haitian voodoo zombies for ancient Asian zombies. It starts off with a collection of generals fearful that zombies will disrupt the balance of world power. In the end, this is another love story about a boy, standing i...

After watching Maniac (1934), John and Andy are praying that the next zombie movie on their list, Ouanga (1936), is a return to the horror movies they love. What looked like another run-of-the-mill “voodoo” zombie movie contained an unexpectedly amazing performance. What other secrets does Ouanga hold?! Listen on your podcast app! US Theatrical Release Date: 1942 Ouanga poster Link to view restore...

John and Andy take an unexpected turn on their zombie journey and stumble into Maniac (1934), an early exploitation flick. The film’s poster promises “dynamic sex lectures” and “strange loves exposed”, but the movie delivers mad scientists, murder, a cat named Satan and maybe one zombie. US Theatrical Release Date: September 11, 1934 US One Sheet Poster Theme music composed by Neil Dube. www.pond5...

John and Andy go back 93 years to the dawn of zombie films to watch White Zombie (1932), the very first zombie movie. Horror movie legend Bela Lugosi stars as a sinister zombie master, just one year after he terrified audiences as Dracula. What connections to modern zombie strains will John and Andy find? US Theatrical Release Date: August 4, 1932 US One Sheet Poster AFI Archive Motion Picture Pro...

It’s Andy’s turn to present his baseline zombie film. His choice, The Girl with All the Gifts (2017), is strikingly different than John’s. Fast zombies? Check. Fast transmission? Check. Hordes of children who turn into zombies at the scent of humans? That’s new! Andy and John discuss this thought-provoking movie as they take another step on their zombie journey. US Theatrical Release Date: Februar...

John and Andy begin their zombie journey with Zach Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead (2004). John goes big with his choice for the ideal zombie movie. Fast zombie hordes with quick transmission rates forcing moral choices as the world ends is John’s zombie jam. US Theatrical Release: March 19, 2004 US One Sheet Poster Opening Weekend Box Office, March 19, 2014 2004 Box Office Dawn of the Dead Box Office T...