Kaiju Vs. History

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 massively influential with multiple giant-bug films to follow it, but also with creature features like Ridley Scott and James Cameron’s Alien series. Explore the colony with Myles and Patrick this week as we prepare to inspect the insects on Kaiju Vs. History.

Twitter: @kaijuvshistory

Email: kaijuvshistory@kaijuvshistory

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 than the late and great Ray Harryhausen. Lauded for its amazing special effects blended in with live action, this is truly the first of the Kaiju era. Without this film it is possible that Godzilla, Rodan and a host of other Japanese monster movies would be very different.

This film has its ups and downs, but its hard to take your eyes off the screen when the star is presented toppling buildings, rampaging through New York City streets, and eating polices officers whole! Dive into the history of this amazing film with us, and see play spot the differences with this and 1954’s Gojira along side hosts Patrick and Myles.

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 Kong is a first step in many Kaiju films that will follow it. The monster at its core is relatable, heroic and given qualities that make it the center of attention. While not to titanic proportions of King Kong or other monsters that follow it, Mighty Joe Young still is a worthy watch for following the overall arc of Kaiju Eiga.

Starring Terry Moore, Ben Johnson and returning from the Kong films, actor Robert Armstrong. The story was created by King Kong’s director and producer Merian C. Cooper, and directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack. Writer Ruth Rose also returns to pen the screenplay. All these Kong connections are why this film feels to be a natural extension and part of the greater Kong universe.

Twitter: @kaijuvshistory

Email: kaijuvshistory@kaijuvshistory

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 of “King Kong”. We immediately pick up the story from the first film, but then the plot becomes dropped. We meander along with Cal Denham as the movie casts off in search of a plot.

We meet a new leading lady and a orphan albino giant ape and are in for a short and sweet adventure that (spoilers) also ends senselessly in death and destruction! Welcome to Giant Monster Cinema and this week’s KvH!

Twitter: @kaijuvshistory

Email: kaijuvshistory@kaijuvshistory

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 at the world that this film was released in, still suffering dearly from the stock market crash. Despite that it achieved the height of film effects excellence for nearly 20 years. Many of the tropes and elements of later Kaiju Eiga cinema would be planted here. From these seeds many of the films of the 1950s and beyond would begin to grow.

The towering image of King Kong is still spectacle of film making today. You can still imagine through this episode what it must have been like for those first audiences lucky enough to see it. Join us as we explore this films production, release, film elements and historic legacy in our review of the film in the history of Kaiju films.

On this weeks episode:

–Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa

Twitter: @kaijuvshistory

Email: kaijuvshistory@kaijuvshistory

Next week on Kaiju Vs. History join us as we take on the first cash-grab sequel in Kaiju cinema, but certainly not the last, its History vs SON OF KONG

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.

First up we explore actual history with the history of giant animals on planet Earth – thats right its the actual history of everything from biblical accounts of Giants to the discovery of dinosaur bones. Throughout human history mankind has been fascinated by dragons and krakens and other massive creatures that could swallow a man whole.

Next up we talk about a silent animated film from the mind of Little Nemo, Winsor McCay’s “The Rarebit Fiend: The Pet”. In this 1921 short celebrating its 100th anniversary this month we see perhaps the first depiction on film of a giant monster rampaging through city streets, terrorizing and eating people, all before being taken down by the armed forces.

From Jules Verne’s “The Lost World” and its fanciful depiction of sub-Saharan African dinosaurs rampaging through the city streets to a Max Fleischer ‘Superman’ animated short, we explore other introductions of what would become cornerstones of Kaiju Eiga, first being formulated and shown on the big screen. We will revisit and return to these formulized facets of Kaiju films with next week’s first official Kaiju review.

Next Week on Kaiju Vs. History: 1933’s KING KONG

Twitter: @kaijuvshistory

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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 be all about. Inside we will go over the show’s mission statement, our film selection parameters, as well as go into some introductory terminology you will hear a lot on the podcast. We will talk about the process of watching hundreds of movies and explain how you can watch along with us and tell us your thoughts.

In this weeks episode:

+Kaiju Eiga Basic Terminology
+”What exactly is a Kaiju?”
+Definitions of Kaiju
+Our Podcast Focus
+Our Review Process

Twitter: @kaijuvshistory

Email: [email protected]