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Part One:  He Looked Like a Vampire. (Monster Movie S04E05)

Useful Links: Last Part | All Episodes Word Count: 5,295. Warnings: Mentions loss of virginity. A/N: Here we are, a brand new episode! I had a little too much fun writing this beginning part. So, considering the fact I’m reading “Dracula” as we speak (I might have been tempted because of this episode lmao) I tailored the storyline of this episode around so it goes along with the characters of the book. I really hope you guys enjoy because I’ve got a lot planned!

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Part Two: The Girl Who Cried Werewolf. (Monster Movie S04E05)

Useful Links: Last Part | All Episodes Word Count: 5,622. A/N: I think I’m enjoying this episode a little too much. This is one is just as long as the first part, so hopefully, it’s just as good. I hope you guys are liking the direction of everything in this episode. More out soon. Enjoy loves!

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Part Three: Damsel in Distress. (Monster Movie S04E05)

Useful Links: Last Part | All Episodes Word Count: 4,483. Warnings: Mentions of the reader and Dean being drugged. A/N: It’s that time of episode again! We’ve got another special Dean/reader moment that I sort of thought would be good for this episode. I have edited this up and down, but I’m still nervous if it doesn’t feel right. I’ll let you guys be the judge. The last part should be out soon. Enjoy!

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I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958)

ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴏʟʟᴇɴʙᴇʀɢ ᴛᴇʀʀᴏʀ ᴀ.ᴋ.ᴀ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴀᴡʟɪɴɢ ᴇʏᴇ (1958)

This seems like a good way of defining them, but the real question is what their  differing cultural characteristics actually are.  Kaiju and Western Monster Movies are not distinct homogeneous masses, both have tons of internal variety and there is bound to be overlap in some cases.  This debate definitely reminds me of the anime vs western animation one (Coincidentally, both were initially inspired by western counterparts and both names translate to that of their western counterparts-yes I know kaiju means strange beast and not monster but its usage is comparable) in that it’s ultimately two vague cultural variations on a specific medium or genre that you can only really nail down by country of origin before everything becomes highly subjective.  With that said what do you think are the specific Japanese cultural influences seen in Kaiju films that separates them from western creature features, and which of these concepts and influences do western movies like Pacific Rim borrow that allow them to be considered Kaiju films as well?

I'm genuinely curious what you mean by "japanese style" when referring to why The Beast from 20k Fathoms isn't a kaiju movie. What of this style does Pacific Rim hit then that does make it a kaiju movie?

As I’ve discussed, my personal definition of a kaiju film is a Japanese-produced giant monster movie, or a monster movie intentionally produced to emulate the aesthetic of Japanese productions. I don’t think a kaiju film is simply defined by tropes like “a monster attacks a city” or “nuclear testing awakens a monster” (a strictly-nuclear reading of the genre restricts it). The culture in which a work is produced informs it heavily, and Beast 20K and Godzilla are actually perfect examples of this - similar storylines that could not be more different in their interpretation due to differing cultural and national climates. To me, kaiju films differ from regular (Western) monster movies due to their inherently different cultural approach, and justify a sub-genre classification accordingly. I consider Pacific Rim a kaiju film because from its inception its modus operandi was to pay homage to the kaiju genre and its creators, and it does so by emulating defining aforementioned characteristics of the genre. Having said that, anyone still insisting that the “K” in “kaiju” should be capitalised needs to explore the genre further than Pacific Rim and realise that not only is it unnecessary, it’s also just plain wrong.

I do love to talk genre definition, but this whole thing got waaay out of hand and completely ridiculous, so this is probably the last I’ll say on this subject for a while.

As Kong: Skull Island draws near, my thoughts turn to the posture of the original ape.   Kong’s bipedal stance comes up a lot in fandom discussions: many consider it an important part of his design, distinguishing his design from a generic ape and adding to the mystique of his position as “neither man nor beast”.  Many were critical of his 2005 incarnation’s quadrupedal locomotion, and one of the frequent talking points of the new movie is its return to a bipedal Kong.  Thats why when I rewatched the original film a few months ago, I was surprised by just how often he get around like an ordinary Gorilla.

Sure, he stands upright frequently, and even walked on his hind feet a few times, but the majority of the time he moves on all fours.  Of course this is to be expected from Special Effects Wizard Willis O’ Brian.  Both he and his protege Ray Harryhausen liked to really take advantage of stop motion animation: creating movie monsters that couldn’t be easily replicated by a man in a suit.  What is surprising is how the idea of the bipedal Kong became so prevalent.  My guess its a conflation of his common upright posture with his method of locomotions: many of the most iconic Kong scenes and images show him on two legs, but such moments generally involve a stationary Kong rearing upright rather than walking around like a human.  I also suspect some conflation with the Bipedal suitmation Kong's seen in the Toho and De Laurentiis’ movies.  How do you guy’s think the misconception came about?  If you disagree with this post and still maintain that the original Kong is bipedal, be sure to make a detailed analytical comparison on the number of minutes Kong stays bipedal verses the number of minutes he stays on all fours, because I’m somewhat interested myself in the raw numbers.

That was never the case if we don’t restrict it to the Monsterverse.  Pacific Rim is rather far removed form those qualities.

In Memoriam: "Legendary's kaiju movies will be Grounded and Somber"

2014-2017

Where did you get the info on the Rodan and Ghidorah designs looking like those pieces of Fanart?  They don’t look anything like what the paintings imply (and the Ghidorah art looks like a grab bag of my least favorite Ghidorah fan redesign elements).

Alternative Title: Local Kaiju Blogger Follows Through on Threat to Start YouTube Channel

I wanted to have this out by Sunday; unfortunately, a senior project deadline got in the way. It’s pretty rough – I was literally talking into my phone – but I hope it entertains you.

Tweety Bird has a pretty well defined personality: a sadistic sociopath who puts on an innocent facade in order to get away with cold blooded torture.

I feel like Tweety Bird is the Mickey Mouse of Warner Brothers. An icon they’ve made unavoidable, yet nobody can really describe the character’s personality or anything particularly funny about them. How would you even explain Tweety if your goal was to sell Tweety cartoons? A bird who’s just kind of nonchalant about everything?

Monarch Episode 9

If I had a nickel for every time a piece of monster media featured a warthog-like monster at the center of the earth, I would have two nickels.

If I also had a nickel for every time a piece of monster media that qualified for the prior criteria also had a scientist character trapped at the earths core construct a bow out of local material, I would have four nickels in total.

The chances of this are low but never zero considering del Toro's interests.

Obviously I'm excited for Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein film for Netflix, but I'm also thinking ahead.

I want to see a giant Jacob Elordi fight Baragon at the foot of Mt. Fuji in the sequel.

While I haven't read the novel myself, I remember reading that the original Mr. Hyde was actually closer to the Garwolf, in that Jekyll deliberately transforms into Hyde in order to act out his immoral impulses without fear of consequences, rather than it being purely involuntary like it is in many later tellings.

Who's your favorite of the classic universal monsters and why? (based solely on their portrayals in the universal movies, sequels and crossovers included, not their original book counterparts.)

The Wolf Man, because the character was both written and performed so well that he basically redefined what werewolves are in Western culture. None of the other Universal monsters can claim that impact, and since they never recast him, he also remains the most consistently well characterized and acted monster from film to film. Dracula and Frankenstein got their characters shaved down in sequel after sequel, but Lon Chaney Jr. made sure Larry Talbot was never less than his best.

Wish I was cool as Godzilla during the sunset.