Byrd is joined by Lux, Tom (of the Final Forum Dragonball Podcast), and Trev (of the Failure to Franchise Podcast) to talk about the new film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire! This new entry in Legendary Pictures' Monsterverse is another crossover between the two monster icons, as they go up against the threat of the evil ape Skar King and his army …

Our pals Trev (frequent KT guest) and Chris over at the Failure to Franchise podcast had Matt and Byrd on their show to discuss Godzilla 1998! We discussed how it came to be, memories of living through the marketing and release of the film, the backlash to it, and the lasting effects it had on the franchise. Did the movie impact the series for good…

Byrd and Matt discuss Daiei's 1962 period monster movie, The Whale God (aka The Killer Whale). Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka (Zatoichi series), with a script written by Kaneto Shindo (Onibaba, Kuroneko) based on the novel by Koichiro Uno, it tells the story of a whaling village in the early Meiji period being terrorized by a gigantic whale. Two men, Sh…

Byrd, Kevin and Justin interview poet and Japanese literary translator Jeffrey Angles about his recent translations of Shigeru Kayama's 1955 novelizations of Godzilla '54 and Godzilla Raids Again (now available for the first time in English via University of Minnesota Press). We talk about Angles' interest in Japanese literature, his love of Edogaw…

Byrd, Matt and Tom discuss Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the recent MonsterVerse spin-off series on Apple TV+. The story flashes between the 1950s and the 2010s as it follows the founding of the Monarch organization (introduced in 2014's Godzilla reboot) and two siblings trying to untie their family's mysterious history with it. Join us as we discus…

Byrd and Lux ring in the new year by talking about two Showa-era "colliding worlds" epics. First is Daiei's Warning From Space, the first Japanese science fiction film made in color. It tells of a race of cyclops starfish aliens who warn humanity that a planet called Planet R is on a collision course with the earth. After that we discuss 1962's Gor…

Byrd, Matt, Kevin, Lux, Trev, and Tom assemble for a sprawling mega-sized, in depth review of Godzilla Minus One. Toho's latest entry in the franchise is a reboot taking place in the 1940s, as Japan rebuilds after World War 2. It follows Koichi, a former kamikaze pilot with survivor's guilt and PTSD as he struggles to find his lot in life and confr…

In our lead up to Godzilla: Minus One, Byrd, Lux, Tom and Kevin examine more science fiction and fantasy films from director Takashi Yamazaki (Parasyte, Ghost Book, The Eternal Zero). Yamazaki made his first feature in 2000 and has been a consistent hit maker since, making some of the most successful Japanese films of recent years. For this episode…

If you think Halloween came and went too soon, Byrd, Tom, Lux and Kevin are here to help soothe your Halloween Hangover with some more yokai-centric madness, with Toho's 2022 fantasy film Ghost Book (aka Yokaipedia). Directed by Takashi Yamazaki (Godzilla Minus One, Eternal Zero, Parasyte 1 & 2), this adaptation of the "Ghost Book Obakezukan" pictu…

Our October horror series continues as Byrd, Tom, Lux and Kevin discuss Shinya Tsukamoto's cult classic Tetsuo trilogy! Tsukamoto burst onto the Japanese indie scene with the first film in 1989, cementing him as a master of surrealist outsider cinema, putting his name alongside directors like Sogo Ishii, David Lynch, and David Cronenberg, and also …

Byrd, Tom, Kevin, and Lux are back to give a crash course on Japan's biggest yokai franchise, GeGeGe No Kitaro. The franchise, created by famous mangaka Shigeru Mizuki launched Japan's yokai folk creatures into the mainstream, where they have been ever since. GeGeGe No Kitaro is about a yokai boy named Kitaro and his friends often trying to resolve…

Byrd, Tom, Kevin and Lux pair up two independent horror films made in Japan by American filmmakers, with a mix of American and Japanese cast and crew. First up we have the Manster, an early body horror film directed by Kenneth G Crane (the American version of Half Human) and starring Peter Dynely (Thunderbirds), Terri Zimmern Jerry Ito (Mothra), an…

Byrd, Kevin, Tom and Lux are back with more Halloween chills and thrills to discuss Toho's two part live action Parasyte adaptation from director Takashi Yamazaki (Godzilla Minus One). Based on the popular body horror manga of the same name, Parasyte is the story of alien body snatchers who have come to earth to prey on humanity. A high school boy …

With Matt on an extended hiatus, Byrd brings in Lux, Tom and Kevin to ring in our annual October horror series of podcasts by talking about Kaneto Shindo's folk-horror classic, Kuroneko! Set in feudal Japan, it tells the story of a mother and her daughter in law who are raped and murdered by a troop of samurai. The two come back as ferocious bakene…

Byrd, Matt and Tom take a look at the completely baffling experience of the independent film Dragon Lizard Lord Super Monsters and the animated sequel, Hammer of Draco. In 2022, director Omar Sayyah cobbled together a series of Godzilla fan films he made in the late 90s, removed references to Toho's monsters, and dubbed them over to make the bonker…

Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux come together to talk about the long awaited return of everyone's favorite flying turtle, Gamera! Gamera is back, this time on Netflix with the new anime mini-series, Gamera: Rebirth. Directed by Hiroyuki Seshita (Polygon's Godzilla trilogy), the show follows a group of kids in the summer of 1989 as they get wrapped up in …

Byrd and Matt are joined again by author John LeMay (The Lost Films, Kong Unmade, Lost Films of the Lost World) to discuss two nostalgic stop motion dinosaur films, Dinosaurus (1960) and Planet of Dinosaurs (1977). 1960's Dinosaurus was directed by Irvin Yeaworth (The Blob, the 4D Man) and tells of a construction crew that awakens a brontosaurus, a…

Byrd and Matt are joined by author John LeMay (The Lost Films, Kong Unmade, Lost Films of the Lost World) to discuss Denmark's entry in the giant monster genre, 1961's Reptilicus! This co-production between Denmark's Saga Studios and America's AIP has a strange history, having filmed two versions with (mostly) the same cast for both countries. We d…

Byrd and Matt talk about Ray Harryhausen's classic dinosaur Western, the Valley of Gwangi! It tells the story of some showmen and a scientist who go on an expedition into a valley in Mexico to find a prehistoric miniature horse. What they also find is a flesh craving Allosaurus. They bring it back to put it on display for the public and well... thi…

Byrd, Matt and returning guest host Trev take the dive into the trench to talk about Meg 2! In this sequel, we not only have a giant Megalodon, but also a bunch of other hungry prehistoric beasties trying to eat Jason Statham and friends. It is also the first big blockbuster from British indie horror darling Ben Wheatley. We'll give our thoughts on…

Shin Kamenheimer! We are joined by Kevin and Lux to discuss Hideaki Anno's new film Shin Kamen Rider, the latest entry in the "Shin" series of reboot films. The film works as a retelling of the classic story of Takeshi Hongo's transformation into everyone's favorite Karate Bugman, Kamen Rider! We discuss the trouble behind the scenes of the film, h…

Byrd and Kevin (with bystander Lux Edwards and sort of Matt) give a rundown of this year's G-Fest convention (which took place this past July 14-16). We talk about the panels we both held and witnessed, the guests, and other highlights. We also review the films we saw at the film festival, including Yoshikazu Ishii's Yuzo the Biggest Battle in Toky…

We're joined once again by special guest Bob Johnson (SciFi Japan, Planet 8 Podcast, Bay Area Film Events) for another interview, this time discussing not one but two weekend long tokusatsu film festivals happening this summer in San Francisco. Bob has organized UltraFest coming to the 4 Star Theater from July 21-23rd and GodzillaFest, coming to th…

Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the brand new Skull Island animated series. Made for Netflix by Legendary and Powerhouse Animation Studios (Castlevania) and developed by writer Brian Duffield (Underwater, Love and Monsters), the series follows a group of shipwreck survivors trying to survive on King Kong's home island. How does the series fare as the …

Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the South Korean obscurity, 1967's Space Monster Wangmagwi! Made (cheaply) to compete with the same year's Yongary, Wangmagwi has been a rarity up until 2023 when it got its first home video release (in any country!) via SRS Cinema in The United States. The film was thought lost until the Korean Film Archive started doi…

We are joined once again by our Kaiju Masterclass co-conspirator, writer Patrick Galvan (SyFy, Our Culture, Ruan Lingyu: Her Life and Career), this time for a full audio commentary for 1991's Godzilla vs King Ghidorah! This 90s rematch between Godzilla and his arch-nemesis has plenty of fans, but it's often considered one of the more confusing and …

We finally take our first step into the vast "giant bug" subgenre with the granddaddy of them all, 1954's classic Them! Along with the Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and Godzilla, this film helped kick off a new era of atomic monster film, warning the public about the threat of nuclear weapons. Written by Ted Sherdeman (Latitude Zero) and directed by Go…

Byrd, Matt, and guest host Trev (Days of Future Podcast, Failure To Franchise) run through a superhero double feature. First up is the recent Power Rangers reunion special from Netflix, which sees many of the original Power Rangers team return to face a robotic reincarnation of their arch enemy, Rita Repulsa. We'll talk about how nostalgia drives t…

For our first comic book review, we are joined by Trev and Tom to talk about IDW/Boom Studio's crossover comic miniseries, Godzilla vs The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, written by Cullen Bunn (Deadpool, The Sixth Gun, Godzilla: Cataclysm) and drawn by Freddie E Williams II (Batman/TMNT). When Rita Repulsa decides to go to a universe without the Pow…

We are joined by Tom and Trev to tackle another Asylum movie, this time with the sequel to 2021's Ape vs Monster. Ape vs. Mecha Ape brings the giant ape Abraham face to face with a mechanical doppelgänger that is carrying nuclear weapons. Can an ape stop a mecha ape?! Can Tom Arnold help from the comfort of his desk? We answer these riveting questi…

We are joined by our Kaiju Masterclass partner, writer Patrick Galvan (SyFy, Our Culture, Ruan Lingyu: Her Life and Career) to discuss Ishiro Honda's banned 1955 film Half Human (aka The Beastman Snowman). Made immediately after the original Godzilla, the film tells the story of a mountain expedition to search for the abominable snowman (and a slea…

We look at not one but TWO recent giant monster films from Thailand. Although not known for giant monster cinema, last year saw two giant monster movies come from the Land of Smiles. The Lake is the story of a giant creature terrorizing the rural countryside in search of its missing young. The Beast Below is a more light hearted fare about a giant …

We are joined all the way from Thailand by a very special guest, film director Lee Thongkham! Lee takes us behind the scenes of his new independent giant monster film THE LAKE, a Thai/Chinese co-production about a giant creature rampaging the Thai countryside in search of its offspring. We get the details on Lee's inspirations for the film, the myt…

Byrd, Matt, Tom and Trev are back in the Asylum, this time reviewing their 25th anniversary film, 2025 Armageddon! Aliens invade our world by sending the Asylum's giant monsters to attack Earth. We have Mega Piranha, Mega Shark, Crocosaurus, Megaboa, Sharknado, Transmorphers, zoombies, and more causing mayhem. Does this live up to the hype? Listen …

Byrd and Matt are joined by guest hosts Tom (Final Forum - A Dragonball Podcast), Kevin (Maser Patrol), Lux (of metal bands Soulmass and Wraithstorm), Connor (Easter's Kaiju Kompendium blog) for a giant round table discussion on Tsuburaya's recent reboot, Shin Ultraman! The film was directed by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, following up their ma…

Byrd, Matt, and Kevin are joined by Lux Edwards (of metal bands Wraithstorm and Soulmass) to discuss 2022's Norwegian giant monster film, Troll. Directed by Roar Uthaug (Tomb Raider 2018) and released by Netflix, the movie follows a giant troll that is awakened from his ancient slumber by a drilling operation in the mountains. What did the gang thi…

Byrd and Kevin sit down with Eric McEver, director of the new independent film Iké Boys to talk about the making of the film and how he started making his own short films in Japan. Eric's journey is a unique one, going from being an American kaiju fan to making his own tokusatsu films in Japan with genre vets such as tokusatsu director Daisuke Sato…

Byrd, Matt, Kevin and first time guest host Lux Edwards (tokusatsu fan and vocalist for the metal bands Wraithstorm and Soulmass) have a lengthy discussion on the recent Amazon Prime mini series, Kamen Rider: Black Sun! Conceived to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the original Kamen Rider Black (1987), this big budget, adult-oriented reboot has p…

We welcome film historian and Willis O'Brien biographer Gregory Kulon to the show! We discuss O'Brien's life and career, including his lost projects and personal tragedies, and we even debunk some common myths about the man. Gregory also discusses the upcoming exhibit, "King Kong at 90: Visualization in the Art of Stop-Motion Animation," which he h…

For our (kind of) Christmas episode, Byrd, Matt and Kevin gather around the Yule log to discuss the indie fantasy film, Iké Boys! This homage to tokusatsu and anime follows two high school students who find themselves with super powers after watching a bootleg of a lost anime. They have to use their new mecha and kaiju forms to thwart a doomsday cu…

We're back again with Kevin (Maser Patrol) to talk about the recent kaiju satire film, What To Do With The Dead Kaiju. This Toei/Shochiku co-production tells the story of Japan's government and scientists trying to figure out how to dispose of a rotting kaiju carcass. But first, we talk a bit about the passing of Power Rangers actor Jason David Fra…

On another Halloween hangover episode, we are joined by Tom (Final Forum Dragon Ball Podcast) and returning guest Justin Mullis to discuss comedian turned horror maestro Jordan Peele's recent sci-fi/horror adventure, Nope! Now if you've seen the film, you will know why we're covering it on this show. If you haven't seen it, well... you should. The …

We're joined again by Tom and Kevin to talk about Kadokawa's most recent entry in their Yokai Monsters series, Great Yokai War: Guardians! With Takashi Miike (2005's Great Yokai War) back in the director chair, it features a myriad of yokai, as well as a special guest appearance from Daimajin! Along the way, we learn about brotherhood, pacifism, an…

Happy Halloween! This time, we're joined by Tom and Trev to talk about the Canadian sci-fi/horror/comedy Psycho Goreman! Directed by Steven Kostanski (of the cult film collective Astron-6), and inspired by 80s fantasy, Japanese superhero shows and 90s family films, it tells the story of Psycho Goreman (aka PG), an alien warlord who falls to Earth a…

Byrd, Kevin and Tom discuss the Gakkou No Kaidan (aka Haunted School aka School Ghost Stories aka Ghost Stories) franchise with the main point of discussion being Toho's four live action films from the 1990s. Haunted School is a multi-media franchise that started as a book of short stories written by a teacher who got ideas for children's horror st…

We're joined by Trev (Failure to Franchise/Days of Future Podcast) and Tom (Final Forum Dragonball Podcast) to discuss the 1998 aquatic monster movie, Deep Rising! The film tells the story of a group of hijackers and a small transport boat crew who make their way onto a luxury cruise ship that has been grabbed by a giant creature, whose tentacles a…

For this bonus episode we bring in Byrd's daughter Julia and Matt's son Landon to give a recap of the first ever All Monsters Attack convention, held this past from Sept 9-11th in Indianapolis, Indiana. AMA is a new tokusatsu themed convention organized by Days of the Dead and had a stacked lineup of guests from both Japan and the United States. So…

October means its another spooky season here at KT with another month full of horror movie podcasts to give you the chills. This time Byrd and Matt are joined by guest hosts Trev (Failure To Franchise and Days of Future Podcast) and Tom (Final Forum Dragonball Podcast) to talk about two gruesome Japanese shockers, Evil Dead Traps 1 and 2. Evil Dead…

We are joined by guest hosts Kevin Derendorf (Maser Patrol) and Justin Mullis to take a deep dive into the infamous North Korean film Pulgasari and its obscure American remake, Galgameth. Pulgasari has one of the strangest production backgrounds of any monster film, with its director Shin Sang-ok being kidnapped and forced to make movies in North K…

Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the short lived Fuji TV television series, Agon, the Atomic Dragon. Filmed in 1964 and originally planned to be 26 episodes, this early attempt at a kaiju television series was cut short early and only had four episodes made (which weren't aired until 1968). The show had some familiar faces behind the scenes including s…