Monster Party

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

WHAT'S ALL THIS THEN? JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, take a cinematic excursion through the history of one of the world's most notorious serial killers. Follow MONSTER PARTY down the fog-laden streets of Whitechapel London as we explore the terrifying case of... JACK THE RIPPER! Jack The Ripper was the name given by the media to a maniac who carried out a series of brutal murders of women in the Whitechapel district of London, from roughly 1888 to 1891. We say roughly because although there are five so-called "canonical" victims of The Ripper, he was suspected of committing even more of these heinous crimes. As the brutality of Jack's crimes increased, more pressure was placed on the police to capture him. But despite the efforts of law enforcement, Jack The Ripper was never caught. Over the years, Jack The Ripper has captured the imagination of the public, and many theories about his identity have been brought forth. And with this fascination, commercialization was bound to fo

JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, invite a revered British horror scholar to share the mic, and talk about a beloved era of horror cinema. MONSTER PARTY presents a special "across the pond" episode that we've playfully titled... LET'S SCARE KIM NEWMAN TO DEATH: HIDDEN HORROR GEMS OF THE 70S!!! If you're a monster kid and are not aware of KIM NEWMAN, this is the moment when your life gets back on track. Mr. Newman is an award-winning journalist, film critic, and author, whose works include the immensely popular ANNO DRACULA series of novels, the essential horror cinema book, NIGHTMARE MOVIES, and the upcoming yuletide novella, A CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY!  Kim has also worked as a film critic for EMPIRE, ROTTEN TOMATOES, VENUE, VIDEO WATCHDOG, and SIGHT AND SOUND, and has provided a slew of MONSTER PARTY endorsed commentaries for many of their favorite films.  Of course, we're barely scratching the surface of Kim Newman's accomplishments, so for more information about this MONSTER PART

MONSTER PARTY GETS WORDY! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, revisit a topic that provides our listeners with a unique glimpse into their minds. Cthulhu help us! It's a psycho psyche-slicing celebration called... THE MONSTER PARTY WORD ASSOCIATION GAME VOL. 2!!! Again, this game is exactly what you think. We each take turns saying a word, and the others must respond with the first genre-related thing that pops into their minds. This game is a tried and true technique utilized by therapists throughout the ages. So what could be more fun than listening to a bunch of nerds who frivolously misuse it? This game was first introduced in a PATREON EXCLUSIVE segment, but was such a hit that we had to do it as a regular episode! Then that episode was such a giant hit that we felt we had to do another one! But this one needed something extra! Some OOMPH! And that OOMPH came in the form of a guest! Helping to navigate the dark waters of our minds is a returning guest, and friend of the show. S

MONSTER PARTY IS GOING TO THE MOVIES! AND WE MAY BE THERE FOR QUITE SOME TIME. JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, climb up their imaginary rickety ladder with an armful of imaginary red plastic letters to create the movie billings of their dreams. Sit back with your flat Dr. Pepper and box of Hot Tamales, as we present another round of monumental movie mashups that we're calling... THE MONSTER PARTY MOVIE MARQUEE VOL. 2!!! Once again, MONSTER PARTY chooses from their favorite and not so favorite sci-fi, horror, and fantasy films, to provide listeners with a night (or sometimes night AND day) of themed viewing that is sure to please even the most discerning monster kid. We're talkin' double features, triple features, film festivals, and MORE!  Joining us for this marathon of monstrous movie madness is the film fiend who was with us for THE MONSTER PARTY MOVIE MARQUEE VOL. 1. He's an amazing actor, writer, filmmaker, and comedian (The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, anyone?), who ha

IN SPACE... NO ONE CAN HEAR A GREAT PODCAST. UNLESS IT'S... MONSTER PARTY! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, engage in another round of high octane movie poster blurb competitiveness! The imaginary stakes have never been higher as we ask the question... WHOSE TAGLINE IS IT ANYWAY?!!! Throughout film history, taglines have been an integral part of film promotion. At their best and worst, they have the ability to shock, titillate, educate, and amuse. That's why MONSTER PARTY is pleased and proud to bring you this 4th installment of the, "guess the movie from the tagline" game. It's the topic that keeps on giving! Joining us for battle in the TAGLINE TERRORDOME is a longtime friend of the show, and a pop culture expert. He's an astoundingly accomplished actor, writer, producer, host, and voice artist, as well as the co-founder of BIF BANG POW! TOYS. Please welcome back the always delightful... JASON LENZI! (A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE, PLASTIC SOUL: THE ENTERTAINMENT EARTH POP CULTURE

MONSTER PARTY WANTS TO BE THE HOLY GRAIL OF YOUR PODCAST COLLECTION! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, take a deep dive into an unrelenting but often rewarding obsession. With the precision of a surgeon, MONSTER PARTY wields its nerd scalpel to examine the... ANATOMY OF A COLLECTOR!!! One thing all the members of MONSTER PARTY have in common is their love of collecting genre-related items. Whether it be toys, books, records, artwork, or other assorted treasures, acquiring these often elusive items has been an almost endless source of pleasure throughout our lives. But what makes a collector tick? Why do we collect? Is it a fun financial investment? Is it to provide us with a sense of self-worth? Is it okay to just collect what we like, or is it crucial that our collection is "better" than someone else's? And what is better? Does what we collect say something about us as people? Should our collections be on display? Or is keeping them in a safe deposit box WAY more fun? In this epi

MONSTER PARTY GOES FASHION FORWARD AND BEYOND! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, take a time-travel trip down the runway of tomorrow, to celebrate the most incredible outfits from science fiction. It's a guided tour through the garments of the galaxy, as we present... FUTURE FASHION! Whether it's fashion week on Tattoine, Triskelion, or Terra, sci-fi has always provided us with a tantalizing array of would-be wardrobes. This episode playfully takes aim at some of the most amazing, outrageous, and awful creations in genre films and TV throughout the years. With a Tim Gunn-esque eye for detail, we explore the pulp-inspired creations in THINGS TO COME, the hits and misses of STAR TREK, the 70s chic of SPACE:1999 and LOGAN'S RUN, the dressed down/samurai sizzle of STAR WARS, the cyber-punk noir gear of BLADE RUNNER, and much more! But for a podcast of this magnitude, we needed a guest with the one-two punch excitement of Dolce & Gabbana! He's a friend of the show, as well as a tal

WOKE UP THIS MORNING, GOT OURSELVES SOME MICS! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, proudly welcome a very special guest who is also our topic! Get your crew together as we celebrate the many works of the world's most beloved goomba... STEVE SCHIRRIPA!!! Arguably best known for his role as BOBBY "BACALA" BACCALIERI on the legendary HBO series, THE SOPRANOS, Steve Schirripa has an amazing story. Starting out as the entertainment director for The Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas (where he was very kind to a young, up and coming comedian named Matt Weinhold), Steve went on to carve out an extremely successful career as an actor, voice artist, host, producer, writer, and podcaster. Aside from starring in multiple seasons of THE SOPRANOS, Steve Schirripa has appeared in such varied films and TV shows as CASINO, THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER, WONDER WHEEL, JERSEY BOYS, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, UGLY BETTY, HOLLYWOOD SQUARES, NICKY DEUCE, LAW AND ORDER, GEORGE LOPEZ, K

A DOLL! A DOLL! MONSTER PARTY WANTS A DOLL! JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD, gather virtually together to get weirded out over some very creepy toys. They’re way more than just innocent playthings, they're... DEADLY DOLLS! Surprisingly, we've never actually devoted an entire episode on dolls until now, but what we came up with is sure to make you cry, "Mommy!" Aside from covering the bigger names in the doll horror genre like Chucky, Annabelle, the Zuni Fetish Doll, and Talkie Tina, we also explore the various villainous ventriloquist dolls from films like The Great Gabbo, Dead of Night, Devil Doll, Magic, and TV shows like The Twilight Zone, Batman The Animated Series, and Goosebumps. If that were not enough, MONSTER PARTY salutes the lesser-known scary doll films like Dolly Dearest, Black Devil Doll from Hell, Asylum, Pin, Deep Red, and many more! We also explore the horror that accompanied the some of the more bizarre real toy dolls that were marketed to children. And if you