Episode 37: Halloween on the Small Screen

It's that time of year again, when creepy and scary stuff abounds! Besides all the great horror movies out there this time of year, there are a ton of great TV show episodes that either focus on Halloween or have themes that fit the holiday. We talk about some of our favorites ones on this episode.

Larry discusses a few classic Star Trek episodes with spooky themes, including the eerie "Catspaw." Did you catch the Cthulhu references in the episode? Did you know it was written by Robert Bloch of Psycho fame? We look at a couple of Next Generation episodes too.

Karen reminisces about The Simpsons'  Treehouse of Horror specials, and focuses on a few favorite segments. So many of these were take offs or homages to classic sci fi and horror films or shows, especially The Twilight Zone.

Bob shares a classic Halloween episode of Route 66 -Lizard Leg and Owlet Wing (see it on YouTube here). It featured Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr, and Peter Lorre. it was the last time Karloff wore the Frankenstein Monster make-up! Our chief engineer also covers a bunch of others, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The Big Bang Theory, Laverne and Shirley, Married with Children, and more.

Do you have memories of some favorite TV show episodes that centered on Halloween? We'd love to hear them.

Chief Engineer Bob says hands off my Godzilla game!!

For our Sensor Sweep, Bob has managed to get a hold of the new Bandai Godzilla card game! Not only that, but we have a special interview with the game's designer, Ryan Miller! So be sure to check that out to learn about this cool new kaiju card game.

We want to wish you all a spooky, creepy, monster-filled Halloween!! And feel free to share pictures -past or present -of your costumes at our Facebook or Twitter sites.

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for listening!

Episode 36: They're Dead, They're All Messed Up: Zombies and Ghouls

The dead. We all have a fear of death, corpses, decay...and the strange border between life and death. What of those creatures that walk that border, the undead? In this episode, the Planet 8 crew looks at zombies and ghouls. What are they? And what is the difference between the two?

We'll do a semi-chronological journey through film starting with the Bela Lugosi classic, White Zombie, and cast our eyes first on the traditional voodoo zombie. How did this type of undead rise to popularity?

Then we'll transition into the more commonly accepted type of zombie, the one that grew popular from George Romero's films, which began with Night of the Living Dead. But were the creatures in these films zombies, or ghouls? Add your two cents to our debate!

In the decades that followed Romero's classic, scores, if not hundreds, of zombie films, have been made. We'll share some of our favorites, including zombie comedies. And of course, we can't ignore the enormously popular Walking Dead.  

So if shambling undead are your thing, give this episode a listen! We've got you covered.

For this week's Sensor Sweep, Chief Engineer Bob reviews a book called Screaming for Pleasure:  How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy, by S.A. Bradley. This tome looks at how horror films impact and influence our lives. Bradley examines numerous films and interviews well-known directors for their thoughts. It's a highly enjoyable work for anyone who has an interest in the genre, and you can find it in stores or at Amazon. Bradley also has a podcast, called Hellbent for Horror (https://hellbentforhorror.com/), so be sure to check it out.

That's all we've got time for today. Make sure your doors are locked, and should you take refuge upstairs, or go down to the basement? Hmm....

We'd love to hear your thoughts about the zombie vs. ghoul debate, or any of the films we discussed (or missed). You can leave comments here, or through our other communication channels:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for listening!

Bonus Episode 1: Our First Listener's Party!

Hey space cadets, just a quick message to fill you in on our very first listener's party! We'll be celebrating more than a year's worth of Planet 8 fun on October 20th from 1 to 4 pm at the 7 Stars Bar and Grill at 398 Bascom Avenue in San Jose, California. We'll have a DJ, exciting prizes, and you might even get to be a part of a future Planet 8 episode! There's more details in the mini-episode. We hope to see you there!