Monster Party

NO TOM JONES, SOME THINGS ARE UNUSUAL! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, take a lesson from the recently featured film, INCUBUS, and delve deeper into the fun-filled world of off-beat horror, sci-fi, and fantasy films. So join us, won't you, as we uncover... GENRE ODDITIES! So what is a GENRE ODDITY? Well although there may be some crossover with the CULT FILM category, GENRE ODDITIES push the weirdness a bit further! Whether it's an unusual theme, a troubled production history, or the complete disregard for a mainstream audience, a GENRE ODDITY can often lead you to the question, "How the hell did this movie ever get made?!" If you're intrigued by things like avant-garde animation, handicapped horror, frustrating patience experiments, shelved superhero epics, pretentious horror comedies, A-List auteurs, B-movie bombs, Star Search narrators, post-apocalyptic sitcom dogs, and more... this is the episode you've been waiting for. OH, AND FOR THIS EPISODE, WE'RE SANS GUESTS, IN AN ATT

MONSTER PARTY HAS A SONG IN ITS HEART.  NOW WE’LL NEVER GET IT BACK IN ITS JAR! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, get their toes a tappin’ for this monstrous music festival of an episode. Follow the bouncing ball as we present… SOUNDTRACKS: THE SONGS!!! Soundtracks are usually remembered for the emotion-evoking melodies that gracefully punctuate the moments of a film. There are many masters of this remarkable craft: Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, John Barry, Lalo Schifrin, Goblin, John Carpenter, Bernard Herrmann, and countless others that only James Gonis could remember. But occasionally, plopped in the middle of all this symphonic pageantry, is an actual song with lyrics that makes us wish for a Karaoke bar strictly for nerds. Get ready for a sinister sing-a-long as we chart the hits from campy sci-fi favorites like The Blob and The Green Slime, bawdy beach films, 70's and 80's horror classics, genre TV shows, classic kaiju films, the world of James B

MONSTER PARTY TAKES AN ESPERAN-TOUR INTO CINEMATIC OBSCURITY! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD explore the difficult history of a little-known genre film gem. Join us as we embark on... THE TWISTED JOURNEY OF INCUBUS!!!  In 1966, members of the creative team behind the groundbreaking science fiction series, THE OUTER LIMITS, gave us an atmospheric horror film whose legacy is so troubled, it was considered by many to be cursed. Written and directed by OUTER LIMITS creator LESLIE STEVENS, shot by ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING cinematographer CONRAD HALL, and starring a pre-STAR TREK WILLIAM SHATNER, INCUBUS also has the distinction of being the first horror film in the language of Esperanto! For those unaware, Esperanto is an artificial language created by L.L. Zamenhof in 1887. But what would possess someone to make a horror film in this relatively unknown tongue? And would this decision jump-start the film's infamous "curse?"  Get ready for a fascinating tale that must be heard to be beli

MONSTER PARTY PRESENTS ANOTHER GEEK INTERVENTION! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD return to a topic they only tackled once before, when their guest was comedian/podcaster, JIMMY PARDO. So, why revisit it now? Because our newest test subjects are pure perfection! Prepare to have at least some of your opinions challenged as we present... WHY AREN'T YOU A BIGGER NERD? VOL. 2!!! It's no secret that the hosts of MONSTER PARTY have an obsessive passion for horror, science fiction, and fantasy. It affects our attitudes, relationships, bank accounts, and most frustratingly, our shelf space. Our love of this stuff is so all-consuming, that we often find it perplexing when we meet people with only a casual interest in genre-related entertainment. Yeah, okay, they "like" it. But why don't they live it?!  Joining us to answer these questions are two insanely talented writers, producers, and podcasters, making their MONSTER PARTY debut! They are currently the hosts of the entertaining and inf

THE SMACKDOWN IS BACK! AND NOT A MINUTE TOO SOON! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, start the year with a game that is really just an excuse for genre film nerds to read more. Can your inflated sense of film trivia entitlement handle... THE MAD MOVIE SMACKDOWN A.D. 2025!!!? MONSTER PARTY fans know the drill, but if you're late to the game, here's how it works: We each take turns thumbing through a genre film reference book, randomly stop on a page, blindly point at a film entry, and discuss said film with the group. What results is the kind of white-hot excitement you've come to expect from MONSTER PARTY! Joining us for this marvelous melee of meandering movie madness is a beloved return guest! You've listened in awe at his rapid-fire encyclopedic knowledge of obscure movies on our CULT FILMS episodes, and been yearning for his return. Not only is he a well-respected writer, editor, and film journalist, he is also the host of the long-running TV show, MEDIA FUNHOUSE! Please welcom

MONSTER PARTY PRESENTS A TANNENBAUM TIME MACHINE! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD summon the ghosts of Christmas past, to relive seasonal stories that will enlarge the Grinchiest of hearts. It's an audio trip down the chimney that we're aptly calling... MONSTER PARTY HOLIDAY MEMORIES!!! This season MONSTER PARTY gives you the gift of our mixed bag of holiday recollections. Gather 'round the "ghoul log," as we reminisce about some of our best and worst presents, waiting to open said presents, surviving family gatherings, traditional stranger danger (yeah, we're talkin' about you shopping mall Santa), cherished ornaments, dangerous decorations, and so much more! So move aside past beloved Christmas presents like STAR WARS toys, G.I. JOE, BIG JIM, and the S.S.P. SMASH UP DERBY. This year all you need under the tree is... MONSTER PARTY!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR FANS AND FRIENDS! YOU ARE OUR CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!

MONSTER PARTY WANTS TO DECK YOU IN YOUR HALLS! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD invite you once again to experience a series of cage matches in our audio octagon. But this time, these fights of fancy have a seasonal sting! Can your headphone-bruised cauliflower ears stand the Christmassy carnage that is… WHO WOULD WIN? VOL. 8: THE WINTER EDITION!!! If this is your first time attending a WHO WOULD WIN? event, the rules are quite simple: We choose horror/sci-fi/fantasy characters to enter a room, stage a fictitious battle for their lives and debate who would leave the victor. It’s pretty much the type of game you used to play in the schoolyard, only this one doesn’t leave you with dodgeball-induced internal injuries. We’ve done many of these episodes in the past, and they’re always a ton of fun. But for this round, we decided that the timing necessitated a winter twist. We’re including at least one character from a holiday-themed film, TV show, book, or legend for each of our fictio

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, MONSTER PARTY ENCOURAGES YOU TO BUY OUR LOVE! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, have Christmas stockings that are just screaming to be filled! And what they want, you want! So get ready to go into even deeper debt, as you check off the items in... THE MONSTER PARTY HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2024!!! The HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE episode is one of the year's most anticipated MONSTER PARTY events, second maybe to our annual Zardoz-themed sumo wrestling tournament.  And this year, our Santa's sleighful of genre-centric treasures has never been better! We've got a gleefully geeky selection of choice toys, books, comics, ornaments, art pieces, blu-rays, movie memorabilia, and more! We'll also provide some inexpensive gift alternatives that are sure to please in these most challenging times. Joining us once again for this shopping showdown is a staple of THE MONSTER PARTY GIFT GUIDE! He's an insanely talented artist, and toy creator, who has created masterpieces for SEA DEMON VINY

MONSTER PARTY SALUTES A GLORIOUS EIGHT-DECADE CAREER! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, celebrate the works of one of the most talented and prolific character actors of our age. Take a journey with us into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's a signpost up ahead: your next stop... THE WORLD OF H.M. WYNANT!!! H.M Wynant is an actor who, although you may not be familiar with his name, you have probably seen hundreds of times. He has an IMDB bursting list of credits and has appeared in almost every radio, stage, television, and film genre. His massive resume features numerous westerns including  BONANZA, WAGON TRAIN, MAVERICK, SHOTGUN SLADE, and THE BIG VALLEY, popular dramas like PERRY MASON, 77 SUNSET STRIP, THE ROCKFORD FILES, QUINCY, DALLAS, and THE WEST WING, the spy shows I SPY, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, and GET SMART, and even the somewhat controversial WWII comedy, HOGAN'S HEROES. Yes, he almost sent Colonel Klink to the Russian

MONSTER PARTY IS HIGH ON BEN COOPER MASK FUMES! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, celebrate their favorite holiday with another tomb-burner of an event! Hang that crappy spiderweb stuff, put the giant Home Depot skeleton on the front lawn, and get ready for some... HALLOWEEN HIJINKS! Halloween is a very special time for MONSTER PARTY! It's a time when every monster kid can let their freak flag fly, not to mention allowing you to dress as a vampire and go door to door, begging for food.  For this episode, we'll explore all the facets of Halloween that make it so wonderful: the golden age of Ben Cooper/Collegeville costumes, the numerous mazes and haunted attractions, spooky DIY home decorations, the pros and cons of various candies, and what scary movies and TV fit the perfect Halloween bill.  But for an episode this important, we needed a guest who we considered Halloween incarnate. Mr. Halloween, if you will. And we found that guest! Joining us for all his All Hallows hoopla is a

FORGET YOUR FURBIES, YOUR SLAP BRACELETS, AND YOUR POGS! MONSTER PARTY WANTS YOU TO FIRE UP THE VCR AND GET READY FOR SOME CHILLS! SHAWN SHERIDAN, JAMES GONIS, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, revisit that strange, transitional, hard-to-define decade of film that produced so many fright classics! Put the lotion in the basket and steady your nerves for... '90S HORROR! The 90s were an interesting time for the horror genre, and unlike the 80s, a bit more difficult to pigeonhole. It was an era that expanded the success of many popular franchises like FRIDAY THE 13TH, PHANTASM, BASKET CASE, HELLRAISER, EVIL DEAD, and CHILD'S PLAY, experimented for better or worse with CGI, and gave us new horrors that still had a bit of that loveable eighties vibe. Yeah, we're lookin' at you FRANKENHOOKER, DEAD ALIVE (aka BRAIN DEAD), and WISHMASTER! And let's not forget the unprecedented Oscar wins for SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. By introducing elements of the thriller, "Silence" and its descendants/copycats nearly made horror mainstr

MONSTER PARTY GETS... WAY OUT! WAY OUT! SHAWN SHERIDAN, JAMES GONIS, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, pack their audio pic-a-nic baskets, for a journey through animation history! Join us for a wacky race into the exciting world of... HANNA-BARBERA! WILLIAM HANNA and JOSEPH BARBERA were the innovative team behind many of the world's favorite cartoons. Over their long career, they were responsible for such memorable characters as TOM & JERRY, THE FLINTSTONES, YOGI BEAR, THE JETSONS, SCOOBY DOO, HUCKLEBERRY HOUND, TOP CAT, SECRET SQUIRREL, HONG KONG PHOOEY, THE WACKY RACES, ATOM ANT, SNAGGLEPUSS, JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS, WAIT TILL YOUR FATHER GETS HOME, and HUNDREDS more!  HANNA-BARBERA also blazed a trail when it came to producing adventure cartoons. This was the team that brought us JONNY QUEST, SPACE GHOST, THE HERCULOIDS, THE FANTASTIC FOUR, SUPER FRIENDS, SHAZZAN, VALLEY OF THE DINOSAURS, and many other fantastical Saturday morning staples.  Not satisfied with the status quo, HANNA and BARBERA ventured

MONSTER PARTY GIVES YOU A BACKSTAGE PASS... TO TERROR! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, get you feared-up and ready for the upcoming HALLOWEEN HAUNT season, with a celebration of live, in-your-face scares! Reserve yourself a front-row orchestra seat for... HORROR THEATER! From the days of France's Théâtre du Grand-Guignol, and early productions of Dracula, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, horror-themed theater productions have sent chills up and down audiences' spines. But since those early plays. horror theater has evolved to include such trends as Antonin Artuad's immersive THEATRE OF CRUELTY, one-person performances, offbeat musicals, and the extravagant rock shows of ALICE COOPER and KISS! See, sometimes good things do happen! Joining us for this episode of footlight frights is the founder of the visionary dramatic company, ZOMBIE JOE’S UNDERGROUND THEATER, located in the heart of scenic North Hollywood. Starting in 1992, Zombie Joe’s been delightfully blowing min

MONSTER PARTY HAS A BUCKET LIST, AND IT'S GETTING BIGGER! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, have A LOT of toys. And if we're being absolutely honest, we want A LOT MORE! But sometimes, our passion for playthings goes way beyond simply wanting! That's why we bring you this episode/mission statement entitled... I REALLY NEED THAT TOY!!! I'm sure you all can remember those days as a child when a new toy came out and you pleaded with your parents, "I NEED that!" Cut to the present day where we're bombarded with a seemingly endless onslaught of great collectibles we thought we'd never see produced.  From the fantastic Ben Cooper vintage costume figures from NECA, the countless delights provided by SUPER 7, the ultra-detailed figures from MEGO, HOT TOYS, and MEZCO, and the slew of amazing customs provided by creators like DISTINCTIVE DUMMIES and BRENTZ DOLLS, there's a whole bunch of cool stuff out there that we really need. And that's only the tip of the bucket list!  Joining us for th

MONSTER PARTY SAYS, "MAKE MINE MONSTERS!" JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, go the source of iconic funnybook frights! Whether you're a "Dracula" or a "Frankenstein", you're bound to love this celebration of abominable antiheroes, that we're simply calling... MONSTERS IN COMICS!!! As monster kids, we all grew up deeply loving the terrifying but often misunderstood creatures that graced our movie and television screens. But when we couldn't access these screens, due to finances, school schedule, or parental guidance, comic books provided another portal of access to our monstrous friends. Whether it's classic monster heroes like THE INCREDIBLE HULK or SWAMP THING, Marvel horror titles like WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, TOMB OF DRACULA, MAN-THING (giant-sized or normal), or MONSTER OF FRANKENSTEIN, or the hellish creations from Todd MacFralane's SPAWN, these characters always delivered the ghoulish goods. And monster comics continue their beastly boom! Which leads us to our extraordinary guest!

ONCE AGAIN, MONSTER PARTY DEFIES CONVENTION! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, return to the SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER for the geek-centric event of the season! So slip on your ill-fitting spandex, and Turtle Wax that Stormtrooper armor. You have an audio appointment with... COMIC CON 2024!!! As we've said time and time again, THE SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL COMIC CON is the birthplace of MONSTER PARTY! It's here that we four monster kids united to do verbal battle with each other over snacks and foo-foo drinks. All these years later, we still haven't lost our urge to make the pilgrimage to San Diego and continue this long tradition. Whether we are bragging about our purchases, bitching about sold out SDCC exclusives, dissecting panel presentations, or praising inventive cosplay (James?), MONSTER PARTY has something kinda sorta important to say! But what would a COMIC CON episode be without a glorious gaggle of guests? This year, we we were graced by genre paper sculptor extraordina

MONSTER PARTY HAS A CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE WORST KIND! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, experience an other-worldly abduction of taste, logic, and talent. Prepare to take an intergalactic trip to worlds beneath your imagination, as we meet the... WORST ALIENS! Aliens in films and television come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and it's up to the creative team behind each project to fulfill a sci-fi nerd's outlandish expectations. But sometimes, these artists are not quite up to the task. That's when you get some of the lesser lifeforms in genre favorites, like STAR TREK, STAR WARS, LOST IN SPACE, SPACE:1999, and DOCTOR WHO, as well as numerous other fantastic film flops. We're talkin' space hippies, Muppet rockers, silver bandidos, butt parasites, E.T. ripoffs, L. Ron invaders, and candy-coated creeps, just to name a few! So what happens behind the scenes to give birth to these outer space atrocities? Is it a lack of a decent budget? Being locked into someone else's uninspired

IN THIS THUNDERDOME OF AUDIO, MONSTER PARTY HAS ALL YOUR "THUNDER DOS" AND "THUNDER DON'TS! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, make a spectacle of their latest topic! Get out of those cheap seats and head down to the virtual V.I.P. section for a gladiatorial gala glorifying... ARENAS!!! When it comes to genre films, an arena can often be the perfect stage for a pivotal moment of drama. Whether it's in a classical coliseum of a sword and sandal fantasy, an alien world where two civilizations battle it out for survival, or an island perfectly suitable for a teenage slaughter, the concept of "bread and circuses" just keeps fighting on.  In this episode, MONSTER PARTY will explore the various cinematic takes on arenas, in some of our favorite and not-so-favorite films and TV shows. Entering the zone of battle will be the likes of STAR WARS, STAR TREK, THE MCU, THE OUTER LIMITS, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, MAD MAX, LOGAN'S RUN, ROLLERBALL, THE HUNGER GAMES, BATTLE ROYALE, GAME OF THRONES, STEPHE

MONSTER PARTY GETS THE CHILLS! BUT THAT'S MAINLY TO DUE TO THE AIR-CONDITIONING AT THE PASADENA CONVENTION CENTER! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, present another pulse-pounding podcast, featuring more great moments from their favorite horror convention. So drop your socks, and grab some shocks, as we present... MORE MONSTERPALOOZA 2024!!! If you thought our previous MONSTERPALOOZA 2024 episode was a rip roarin' good time, you'd be right! But we had so much fun at this year's show, that we just had to hit you with another delightful dollop of convention highlights! Holding court at our MONSTER PARTY booth, we had a multitude of amazing intractions with fans/friends, celebrities, industry professionals, artists, cosplayers, dealers, SFX makeup artists, and the usual slew of maniacally marvelous monster kids! In this installment, we were joined on the mic by such beloved MONSTER PARTY friends as "The Pitbull of Comedy," BOBBY SLAYTON, our favorite sci-fi/horror documentarian, DAVI

MONSTER PARTY GIVES PASADENA ANOTHER CASE OF THE CREEPS! BUT NOT IN A CREEPY WAY. JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, once again descend on the quiet Bavarian village of Pasadena, California, to inflict their own brand of podcast mayhem on an unsuspecting convention center. It's MONSTER PARTY vs.... MONSTERPALOOZA 2024!!! It's no secret that MONSTERPALOOZA is our favorite horror convention, and we always look forward to manning a booth at the show. And just when we thought this festival of frights couldn't get any better... it did! MONSTERPALOOZA 2024 proved to be an off the charts magical experience, and it was our honor to rub elbows with fans/friends, celebrities, industry professionals, artists, cosplayers, dealers, sfx makeup artists, and the usual assortment of die-hard monster kids! This year, we were joined on the mic by such familiar folks as super-fan and should-be film critic, ADAM HULTS, foamfabber genius and MONSTER PARTY benefactor, TED HAINES, artist supreme, MARK TAV