Zombie Strains

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

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 stumbles across an unexpected delight in 1953’s El Monstruo Resucitado (The Revived Monster), the first Mexican zombie film! Set in Czechoslovakia and dripping with atmosphere, this film tells the story of a resourceful journalist (Miroslava) who finds herself tangled up in the hopes and hatreds of a hideously deformed mad scientist with a chip on his shoulder, a brain-transference device in his basement, and a fresh corpse ready to be revived as a murderous zombie. The lights will be on all night in the Zombie Strains Lab as we dissect this thoughtful thriller.Show notes:"Where to begin with Mexican Macabre cinema" BFI articleNotable horror films of 1953Theme music composed by Neil Dube.www.pond5.comContact:zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.comwww.zombiestrainspodcast.comFollow us onInstagramFacebook