10.17.2018: Horror in Kaiju + chat w/Ultraman Screenwriter Chiaki J Konaka

Jeff, Gretchen and Kyle discuss the horrors of kaiju cinema* for this Halloween season! I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR, FOLKS! The change of summer to fall, the cloudy skies before the rains… plus the month of October / Halloween Season! Thus it’s time to get spooky! We’ve gathered around the ouija board to ask a very important question of the Godz: “Are kaiju movies horror?” I guess the correct question would be more like: what counts as horror in a kaiju film? I have never really considered the kaiju genre to be more than influenced by horror but both Gretchen and Jeff are big time horror nerds, so I thought that would be a good subject for the roundtable-style chat. Before we dive into our discussion of the scariest aspects of these movies, part of this episode is a brief chat with Ultraman and horror screenwriter Chiaki J Konaka. Konaka was the guest of honor at this year’s HP Lovecraft Film Festival and we were fortunate to have a few minutes to chat with the writer. Big thanks to the film festival organizers for the interview hookup! Make sure you chime in on the Kaiju Corps Facebook Group to let us know what you thought about this horrific episode – or if we missed some of your favorite horrifying moments in kaiju cinematic history? MONSTROUS MUSIC: 1. Matango International Trailer Audio (1963) 2. Feel in My Heart (Reference Music) from War of the Gargantuas (1966) 3. Frankenstein Conquers the World US Trailer 1965) 4. Shadow In The Sky by Akira Ifukube from Rodan (1956) 5. Skulls In The Stars by Necronomidol from VOIDHYMN (2108) SUGGESTED VIEWING: Chiaki J Konaka’s Website  Maser Patrol Podcast: – Cthulhu Mythos in Japan Part 1  – Cthulhu Mythos in Japan Part 2 – Cthulhu Mythos in Japan Part 3 – Cthulhu Mythos in Japan Part 4 Kyle & Gretchen chat with HP Lovecraft Film Festival’s Guest of Honor, Chiaki J Konaka. NECRONOMIDOL Anti-Idol: Japan’s Beautifully Bonkers Pop Movement by “This Exists” Kaiju Transmissions Podcast episode on Tokusatsu Body Horror Portland Horror Trivia with Jeff and Clancy (and more!) DAIKAIJU DISCUSSION REMINDER: Later this month, I’m subjecting my co-hosts to Godzilla Final Wars, the final Godzilla film of the Millenium era. It’s been ages since I’ve sat down to watch this one and I’m kind of looking forward to dipping my toes into this unique film in the franchise. If you’d like to send in your homework (aka your thoughts questions and reviews) for the episode, please do so before October 21st and use our handy form. *Hey, we know that poster image is all cobbled together in photoshop from all manner of japanese poster elements – if you recognize what any of those are from, you deserve a kaiju cookie!