Zombie Strains

When evil sorcerer Aderbal (John Drew Barrymore) invokes the power of a sinister three-eyed goddess to raise an invulnerable zombie army, only one man has the courage (and biceps) to stop him: centurion Gaius (Ettore Mani). This sword-and-sandal epic set in ancient Rome has it all: swords! sandals! beautiful women! bare-chested men! And, of course, zombies. Does this zombie army live up to the hype? There's only one way to find out: join the Zombie Strains crew on an odyssey into the Italian peplum genre.SHOW NOTES:Movie poster artist Reynold Brown1961 New York Times article on the art of dubbing in Italian films.With Gorley and Rust episode on Rosemary's Baby, John referenced.Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onAndy's Substack "Fortress of Regret"InstagramFacebook

This week, our bold Zombie Strains investigators chart a course for rural England, where the sinister Dr. Blood (Keiron Moore) is harvesting the still-beating hearts of his victims to empower his insane medical "research." Join John, Andy, and Producer Brad as they brave the dangers of the Cornish Tin Mines, meet scream-queen legend Hazel Court, face their most gnarly zombie yet... and unravel the mystery Doctor Blood's Coffin.Show Notes:Still of blood donor poster seen in Doctor Blood's Coffin.The Zombie Encyclopedia by Peter DengleZombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide by Glenn KayHazel Court, 82, Screaming Horror-Film Star, Dies - The New York TimesReview of Hazel Court's autobiography, Horror Queen.Blog post on the matte paintings of Hammer films.Bio for famed matte painter Lew Bowie.Theme music composed by Neil Dube.Additional music by Elarasound.www.pond5.comAdditional voice work by Russell Bentley.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook

After an experimental weapon devastates Tasmania, Ava Newman (Daisy Ridley) joins a body retrieval unit to find her missing husband. There's just one little catch--and you've probably guessed what it is, since this is a zombie movie podcast. Where does this melancholy tale of loss and regret belong in the evolutionary tree of zombie cinema? John and Andy break into the Zombie Strains lab late at night to put WE BURY THE DEAD (2026) under the microscope. (The first half of this episode is spoiler-free; we clearly state when the spoiler discussion starts.)Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onAndy's Substack "Fortress of Regret"InstagramFacebook

A mysterious planet is hurtling toward Earth. An alien spacecraft with a zombie-creating ray has landed in the Scottish moors. And those might not actually be the villains in this Atomic Age cautionary tale! John, Andy, and Producer Brad head back to 1951 to take stock of THE MAN FROM PLANET X, a zombie film that manages to rise above its shoestring budget and remind us who the real monsters are.Show Notes:Theatrical release date: April 27, 1951AFI Catalog entry1952 Academy Award WinnersLA Time obituary for Robert ClarkeNY Times obituary for Margaret FieldNY Times obituary for Harold GouldNY Time obituary for William SchallertInterviews with B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers, Tom WeaverTheme music composed by Neil Dube.Additional music by Elarasound.www.pond5.comAdditional voice work by Russell Bentley.Contact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onAndy's Substack "Fortress of Regret"InstagramFacebook

Dr. Alfred Morris (George Zucco) has a deadly new obsession: an ancient Mayan nerve gas that creates a state of "death in life." When his star pupil Ted Allison (David Bruce) becomes the unwitting guinea pig, he is transformed into a subservient ghoul who requires fresh human hearts to survive. Is this a simple Jekyll-and-Hyde knockoff, or is there a strain of zombie DNA to be found amidst all the heart-harvesting and the love rectangle? John, Andy, and Producer Brad venture back to 1943 to find out whether or not The Mad Ghoul is a vital link in the undead evolutionary chain.SHOW NOTES:Theatrical release date: November 12, 1943AFI Catalog entryEvelyn Anker's New York Time's obituaryGeorge Zucco's New York Time's obituaryTurhan Bey's The Guardian obituaryTCM review of The Mad GhoulJack Pierce's makeup for The Man Who Laughed (1929)Theme music composed by Neil Dube.Additional music by Elarasound.www.pond5.comAdditional voice work by Russell Bentley.Contact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onAndy's Substack "Fortress of Regret"InstagramFacebook

Every day, scientist Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) wakes up to the same routine: scrounge for food. Repair his shelter. Head to town... and kill every vampire he finds there. How did he wind up as The Last Man on Earth(1964)? Is there any hope left for him after the apocalypse? And is it possible that this vampire movie is the biggest evolutionary leap forward in the zombie genre so far? John, Andy, and Producer Brad grab their stakes and garlic and brace for an apocalyptic zombie film that paves the way toward Night of the Living Dead.SHOW NOTES:Theatrical release date: May 6, 1964Cemetery Dance interview with Richard MathesonNew York Times article on Robert Lippert and his troubles with the Screen Actors Guild. 9/9/1965New York Times article announcing Sears and Roebuck's Vincent Price Collection. 6/9/1962.Observer article on The Vincent Price Collection opening in Denver, CO. Talking Heads Remain in Light press kit with bibliography. April 21, 1988 Rolling Stone interview with David Byrne.Rob Zombie and Waxwork Records release The Last Man on Earth soundtrack. TCM podcast The Plot Thickens - Season 6 - CleopatraTheme music composed by Neil Dube.Additional music by Elarasound.www.pond5.comAdditional voice work by Russell Bentley.www.pond5.comAdditional music byContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onAndy's Substack "Fortress of Regret"InstagramFacebook

When three hep cats visit a sinister fortune teller at the carnival, their future takes a turn for the worse. The mysterious Madam Estrella wants Jerry to join her collection of hypnotized, murderous zombies. Will Harold and Angela save their friend before it's too late? John, Andy and Producer Brad gaze into their crystal ball to try and divine whether there's a good zombie flick to be found amidst all the crazy camerawork and psychedelic madness of this infamous B-horror schlockfest.SHOW NOTES:Theatrical Release Date: February 10, 1964Ray Dennis Steckler 20 Film Boxed SetDark Eyes of London blog posting on Ray Dennis StecklerCarolyn Brandt: Queen of CultCollider: 15 Movies that Have Very, Very, Very Very, Very, Long TitlesThe Golden Turkey Album: The Best Songs from the Worst MoviesTheme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onAndy's Substack "Fortress of Regret"InstagramFacebook

Three naive young women looking for work. One bitter old crone desperate for eternal life. And one mad scientist creating human/animal hybrids in the basement. Mix these ingredients together and you get a MONSTROSITY (1963) in more ways than one! Will Anita, Bea, and Nina (pronounced NINE-uh) escape this house of horrors? Join John, Andy, and Producer Brad as they venture into the first zombie movie to give a cat top billing on its poster.SHOW NOTES:Online obit for Erika Brunson (Peters)Sue Dwiggins Variety ObituaryWayne Keyser's short documentary on Ken Strickfaden.Kickstarter campaign for a 4K restoration of Monstrosity.The Atomic Brain musicalCinema Cats - celebrating cats in movies and television.Mystery Science Theater 3000 wiki entry for The Atomic Brain (aka Monstrosity)Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onAndy's Substack "Fortress of Regret"InstagramFacebook

What was the scariest part of living in the 1960s? We'd like to think it was all the zombies, but other little factors like massive societal transformation and the threat of atomic annihilation might be contenders too! Like all good horror monsters, zombies work best when they're exploiting the fears and anxieties of viewers. As the Zombie Strains team ventures into a new decade of zombie film, John and Andy take a special side trek to find out what real-life terrors 1960s zombie films were drawing on, reacting to, critiquing, and amplifying.Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onAndy's Substack "Fortress of Regret"InstagramFacebook

A living decapitated head, a knife-wielding Aztec mummy, and something called the Ring of Death. That's a lot of scary stuff to store in your basement all at once, as a group of gentleman explorers in 1963 Mexico discovers to their peril. How many will die in gruesome Aztec rituals before the curse is ended? Will reincarnated Aztec lovers romantically reunite amidst all these bloody hearts and murdered archaeologists? Do mummies even count as zombies? John, Andy, and Producer Brad return to Mexico to ask the important questions.SHOW NOTES:Theatrical Release Date: March 3, 1963The Golden Age of Mexican Horror Cinema by Paul A J LewisTheme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onAndy's Substack "Fortress of Regret"InstagramFacebook

A Criterion Collection film? Fantastic editing, camerawork, and direction? Are we sure Carnival of Souls is in the right podcast? After narrowly surviving a car accident, Mary uproots her life to become a church organist in Utah... but death isn't quite done with her. Her mind begins to unravel, and soon she cannot tell reality from her escalating nightmares. Join John, Andy, and Producer Brad as they scramble to declutter the Zombie Strains lab and break out the fine china for a true rarity: a great zombie film.Show Notes:Premiere date: September 26, 1962AFI Catalog entry for Carnival of Souls.Los Angeles Times 1990 appreciation of Carnival of Souls.Roger Ebert's review of Carnival of Souls. Candace Hilligoss' YouTube channel with several videos about Carnival of Souls.Interview with Candace Hilligoss about sequel efforts.Interviews with director Herk Harvey and writer John Clifford. Video highlights of 1989 cast and crew reunion. "Rembering Sidney Berger" from the University of Houston.History of Saltair from the official state of Utah website.theSaltair.comRobert Altman's first directing credit, "Modern Football."Mike Patton/Jean-Claude Vannier's music video for "A Schoolgirl's Day."Television Academy announcement of Reza Badiyi's death.Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us on"Before the Bite: Ten Things You Didn't Know About Zombies"InstagramFacebook

What happens when film's most legendary B-horror director turns his unsubtle eye to the zombie genre? You get Tales of Terror, one of many Roger Corman films loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe stories. This anthology film (written by the iconic horror and scifi writer Richard Matheson) is packed with three separate creepy stories, and one of them features a gruesome strain of zombie that doesn't easily fit into our zombie categories! Join John, Andy, and Producer Brad as they dissect their first, but probably not last, Corman zombie film.Show Notes:AFI Catalog entry for Tales of Terror.New York Times review of Tales of Terror and Burn, Witch, Burn double bill.Entertainment Weekly interview with Neal Moritz about dealing with Roger Corman to get permission for the title The Fast and the Furious.Film Snob short on American International Pictures from Vanity Fair.Library of Congress bulletin on Confucius with mention of his family tree.Debra Paget's Snake Dance from The Indian Tomb (1959).Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook

When zombies are after you, only the world's greatest hero can save you. And who is that? It's El Santo, elite luchador and Mexican cultural phenomenon! After a professor vanishes and a sinister masked man unleashes a horde of zombies on a local orphanage, the police know that only the legendary luchador Santo can save the city. John, Andy, and Producer Brad watch in awe as Santo takes on the undead both within and outside the wrestling ring--and they wrestle with a few of their preconceived notions about zombie films.Show Notes:Newspaper clipping detaling Armando Silvestre's attempt at a bullfighting career.The cars seen in Santo vs the Zombies.Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook

What's scarier than a zombie trying to kill you? A zombie teaming up with possessed dolls to kill you! In the Mexican zombie flick The Curse of the Doll People (Muñecos infernales), foolish adventurers steal a voodoo idol and face a fate is worse than death--unless the courageous Karina (Elvira Quintana) can stop a sinister voodoo master, his zombie assistant, and his horde of murderous dolls. Andy, John, and Producer Brad head to Mexico to investigate the many questions this film raises, such as whether dolls invested with the spirits of their own victims count as zombies.Show Notes:Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide by Glenn KayMarilyn Monroe visits Xavier Loyá in Mexico.Mexican Film Bulletin listing Alfredo Salazar's Frankenstein, el vampiro y compañíaTrailer for The Bat Woman (1968)MPAA article on Gaz Alazraki's Father of the BrideTheme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook

Everybody's talking about Weapons, an unsettling 2025 horror film about a community in shock after a classroom of grade-school children vanishes overnight. Always on the hunt for modern films with connections to their favorite horror genre, John and Andy take a road trip to American suburbia to investigate for themselves. Don't tell Producer Brad that they recorded this without him. Please note that this is a spoiler-heavy discussion of Weapons.

Our first color zombie films is also a throwback to the 1930s! Newlyweds John and Linda (John McKay and Linda Ormond) inherit an old plantation outside of New Orleans, only to discover that their bitter cousin Monica (Monica Davis) has angry, zombie-related plans for them. Will Monica's voodoo magic spell a gruesome end to their honeymoon bliss? John, Andy, and Producer Brad venture into the swamps to find out--and to learn why this is the first zombie movie to be set in New Orleans.Show Notes:Movie posterAFI Catalog entry for The Dead One.Barry Mahon paid death notice in the New York Times.Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide by Glenn KaySanta's Christmas Elf Named Calvin directed by Barry MahonThe Wonderful Land of Oz directed by Barry MahonTheme music composed by Neil Dube.Additional music by Elarasound.www.pond5.comAdditional voice work by Russell Bentley.Contact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook

We've been dreading their appearance ever since we started watching 1950s zombie films, and they're finally here: teenagers! That's right, 1959's Teenage Zombies is not only our first zombie film starring teenagers, but it's also a clear forerunner of the modern teenage-slasher flick. Can this crew of plucky '50s teens foil a foreign plot to turn the entire population of the U.S. into mindless, docile zombies? And more importantly, can Teenage Zombies make Plan 9 from Outer Space look like a masterpiece of cinema? Andy, John, and Producer Brad descent into a terrifying world of poodle skirts, malt shakes, and zombie gorillas in Teenage Zombies.Show Notes:Teenage Zombies Movie PosterJerry Warren's Mystery Science Theater 3000 riffed movies.Brianne Murphy obituaryAmerican Society of Cinematographer profile on Brianne Murphy.Chuck Nile's obituary.Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook

Plan 9 is often called the worst movie ever made. But could there be a zombie gem buried beneath the hilariously bad sets, abysmal acting, and tortured script? John, Andy, and Producer Brad venture into this legendary fiasco and come face to face with a sexy vampire, a gigantic Swedish wrestler, Bela Lugosi’s last performance, arrogant space aliens, and of course the infamous Plan 9 itself.Show Notes:Plan 9 From Outer Space Movie PosterMovie Posters by Tom Jung, here and here.New York Times 1993 article on Plan 9 From Outer Space. Variety obituary for actor Paul Marco.Los Angeles Times obituary for the Amazing Criswell.Hollywood Reporter obituary for Maila Nurmi. Tor Johnson Halloween mask. Plan 9 From Outer Space filming locations.Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook

The Zombie Strains crew have hit the motherlode of zombie firsts! Invisible Invaders brings together all kinds of famous and familiar zombie tropes in one film: a zombie-created apocalypse, heroes taking refuge in a science bunker, convincing zombie make-up, and a truly compelling tough moral choice.The story follows a sequence that will be familiar to any fan of modern zombie movies, as a small group of survivors hunkers down in a shelter to figure out how to stop a global zombie menace (that was instigated by invaders from space). Tensions run high, and one of our party snaps under the pressure. Join John, Andy, and Brad as they push the Zombie Strains lab equipment to its limit as they break down all the zombie firsts in this movie.Show Notes:Invisible Invaders movie posterNational Geographic article on the American "uranium gold rush."MIT Press Article on Uranium Rush, a game encouraging families to prospect for uranium. History of Detectron, the company that made the geiger counter seen in Invisible Invaders. List of movies with underground bunkers.Hear Emmy-winning writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach discuss renting caves for tv shows on the Sword and the Sorcerer episode of Multiplex Overthruster.Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook

Jonathan Drake suffers under an ancient curse! His cruel colonial forbears massacred a South American tribe, and the immortal zombie survivors will not rest until Jonathan is dead. And by dead, we mean injected with an ancient poison, decapitated, and his head shrunken in the lab of the scenery-chewing villain Dr. Emil Zurich (Henry Daniell). Will Jonathan, his daughter Allison, and Lt. Rowan stop the zombies before the curse strikes again? Join John, Andy, and Brad as they encounter two unique zombies, surprisingly gruesome special effects, and more semi-competent police work in The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake.Show Notes:Movie PosterAFI Catalog entry for The Four Skulls of Jonathan DrakeEduard Franz obituaryTheme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook