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
Sally (Vera Day) is living day to day, just trying to get by. But things take a turn for the sinister when she crosses paths with mad scientist Dr. Moran (George Coulouris). Dr. Moran has plans for the women in his life—plans that involve feeding them to a carnivorous Amazonian plant in order to steal their life essence, extract a serum from the devil tree, and use that serum to bring the dead back to life! Will he succeed? Will Sally agree to marry a jerk she just met the previous day? Does the Devil Tree's diet truly consist of women only, or is that a decision Dr. Moran is making for it? At least some of these questions get answered when Andy, John, and Producer Brad grab their Pulsometers and come face to face with 1958’s Womaneater.Show Notes:Italian style haircuts of the 1950s. Marpessa Dawn obituary from the New York TimesJames Bond forum trying to ID the Spectre agents in Thunderball, including the one played by Patrick Forbes-Robertson. Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook
Some treasures are best left undisturbed—especially when they're guarded by ancient curses. But if the treasure hunters in Zombies of Mora Tau were smart, we wouldn't get a horde of underwater zombies, a band of backstabbing scoundrels, the world's toughest grandma, and the legendary Allison Hayes (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman) as a scheming femme fatale. Don your deep sea diving suit and join John, Andy, and Producer Brad off the coast of Africa, where we discover a horror film that moves the zombie genre forward in surprising ways.US Theatrical Release Date: February 19, 1957Zombies of Mora Tau movie posterAFI Catalog entry for Zombies of Mora TauVariety obituary for screenwriter Bernard Gordon WGA post on corrected Hollywood Blacklist credits.Consumer's Guide to Dietary Supplements and Alternative Medicines by W. Marvin Davis with introduction about Allison Hayes.Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook
Who could possibly survive an expedition to “the weird jungle of cobra plants that feed on women... and rip men apart”? Boris Karloff plays a skeptical scientist who journeys into the heart of darkness alongside a brooding '50s adventurer, a shifty gangster, a plucky assistant, and a zombie. Grab your pith helmet and machete and join John, Andy, and Producer Brad as they brave the unknown terrors of Voodoo Island.Show Notes:US Theatrical Release Date: February, 1957Voodoo Island movie posterAFI Catalog entry for Voodoo IslandHistory of the theremin as told by Andrew Hickey on his podcast A History of Rock in 500 SongsQueer Cinema Archive article on Voodoo Island and the queer-coded character played by Jean Engstrom.Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook
Creature with the Atom Brain takes the science of zombie film to a whole new level. This movie is packed with exciting zombie firsts: atomic-powered zombies, rampaging zombie hordes (finally!), a city put under martial law to contain the zombie threat, and very cheap zombie make-up. Andy, John, and Producer Brad have their hands full sorting through all the zombie goodness on this sci-fi horror B movie.Show Notes:Mommie Dearest boardroom scene with S. John Launer (Captain Dave Harris in Creature with the Atom Brain).Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook
The Zombie Strains crew comes up against Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in this remake of the delightful The Ghost Breakers (1940). George Marshal directed both the original and this 1950s update. The team was eager to explore the new horrors Marshall would concoct this time around, but we were unprepared for the terror of... Jerry Lewis’s performance. Scared Stiff may feature the least impressive zombie we've seen yet, but the Zombie Strains crew found a few gems--including the possible inspiration for the title of a 1980s horror-comedy favorite.List of films remade by the original director.Theme music composed by Neil Dube.http://www.pond5.comzombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comInstagramFacebook
The Zombie Strains team is in for some serious culture shock as they burst into the 1950s. Voodoo masters? mesmerism? mad scientists? All gone! Instead we find aliens, atom bombs, and rocket ships. This is going to take some serious experimentation in the Zombie Strains lab to figure out what is going on in this crazy decade.Release date: July, 1952Movie posterList of 1952 movies1952 Academy AwardsCorrespondence between JRR Tolkien and relatives of Zombies of the Stratosphere cast member Wilson Wood.Wilson Wood's stage recreation of the famous JRR Tolkien photo. Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook
While Producer Brad is away on special assignment, John and Andy continue to break the rules by talking about zombie movies out of order. In this episode we talk about the biggest zombie events of 2025 - The Last of Us Season 2 (SPOILERS!) and 28 Years Later (NO spoilers). Plus, Andy reports on his participation in an actual voodoo ceremony
Season 2 of Zombie Strains is almost upon us. In this special episode, John and Andy dissect the terrors and anxieties of the 1950s in the Zombie Strains lab. Our goal is to predict how the next wave of zombie movies will exploit the hidden fears of this most paranoid of decades. Join us as we brace for a brand new decade of horror!
Multiplex Overthruster is a podcast dedicated to the summer movie's of the 80s. It is hosted by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (writer of Lost, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Witcher, and creator of The Middleman), Paul Alvarado-Dykstra (co-founder of Fantastic Fest, the leading genre film festival in the US), and produced by Zombie Strain's Producer Brad. Enjoy this episode on Poltergeist, the 1982 film directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg. This ingenious phantasmagoria features beautiful analog VFX wizardry by ILM, a refreshingly functional family, and one of the greatest expository monologues in genre cinema.You can follow Mulitplex Overthruster here.
We made it! We survived the first three decades of zombies--22 movies in all. What did we learn? And what's coming next? In this special season 1 wrap-up episode, John, Andy, and Producer Brad answer listener feedback, take a surprise zombie trivia quiz, reflect on the journey so far... and prepare for the horror to come as we strike out into the world of 1950s zombies.
John, Andy, and Producer Brad have time for one last trip to the Caribbean to see a movie they missed the first time around; 1938’s The Devil’s Daughter. In this loose remake of team favorite Ouanga the action moves from Haiti to Jamaica, and from voodoo to obeah. How does this film stand up to the original? Join us in the lab as we break it down.US Theatrical Release Date: December 7, 1939Movie PosterUCLA Archives article on race filmsHorror Movies of 19391940 Academy AwardsTheme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook
Let's welcome a brand new horror legend to the zombie genre: Boris Karloff, playing a wrongly-executed man brought back to life by mad science. You'll be as surprised as we were by this somber, atmospheric tale of justice from beyond the grave. Whether this is truly a zombie movie is a matter of debate (and we do debate it!), but you won't regret taking a stroll with John, Andy, Producer Brad, and The Walking Dead (no, not that Walking Dead).US Theatrical Release Date: March 14, 1936Movie PosterNew York Times Review1936 Horror Movies1937 Academy AwardsFilms with actor's names in titleNational Film RegistryTheme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook
The Zombie Strains team goes waaaay back to 1919 and the dawn of cinema to watch J'accuse, a French zombie movie. Don’t worry, it is not as bad as that sounds. Actually, it is really good! The team skipped this one initially, but now that we have circled back to watch it… Is this the zombie horde John, Andy, and Producer Brad have been looking for all this time?!French Release Date: April 25, 1919US Release Date: October 9, 1921Movie Poster1921 New York Times reviewHorror Films of 1919Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook
So much awaits us in the Valley of the Zombies: an undead mortician with very specific medical needs! A desperate car chase centered around a malfunctioning radio! And best of all, a chilling new zombie master (Ian Keith) who just might rival the great Bela Lugosi with his scenery-chewing menace. Join John, Andy, and Producer Brad as they explore a fascinating off-shoot of the zombie genre that pulls in elements of vampire horror.US Release Date: May 24, 1946US Theatrical Release Poster 1946 US Domestic Box Office1947 Academy AwardsTheme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook
Legendary comedy duo Abbott and Costello bravely (?) stumble into a monster mash in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein! This movie may not feature a zombie, but it's too important a genre influence to not investigate--and after Zombies on Broadway, it's time to see horror comedy done right. Zombie Strains hall-of-famer Bela Lugosi is joined by Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange) and the Wolfman (Lon Chaney Jr.) with an "invisible" cameo by Vincent Price. Join John, Andy, and Producer Brad for our most monstrous episode yet.US Theatrical Release Date: June 15, 1948Movie Poster1949 Academy AwardsAbbott & Costello US War Bonds TourBela Lugosi BioBoris Karloff NYT ObitNYTimes Admits Karloff ErrorKickstarter Score CampaignNational Registry Of FilmsIn Memoriam - Robert LeesLATimes article on Robert Lees MurderTheme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook