Planet 8 Podcast

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!

Hey kids! Get up, grab your cereal bowl, and join the Planet 8 crew to watch your favorite Saturday morning cartoons! We'll reminisce today about not only our favorite cartoons, but those wonderful sugary cereals as well. Bob gives us the low down on Jonny Quest, the classic Hanna Barbera 1960s action adventure cartoon series. He'll talk about the characters, episodes, voice talent, and more. If you love Jonny Quest, you won't want to miss this. Karen looks at a non-Saturday morning cartoon: Justice League and Justice League Unlimited that ran on the Cartoon Network originally. She describes the set up for the show, how it changed when they went to Justice League Unlimited,  and the crew discusses what they loved about this iconic super-hero animated series. To wrap it up, Larry covers the sometimes-forgotten Star Trek series: Star Trek The Animated Series. Running in 1973 and 1974, the 22 episodes continued the original series five year voyage. We'll discuss the voice acting -by most of the original cast -and some of the more interesting stories. Let us know some of your favorite cartoons. What kept you glued to the tube as a youngster? For our Sensor Sweep, Larry shares a book called Star Trek: The Guide to the Animated Series by Aaron Harvey and Rich Schepis. The book is full of photos of the script pages,sketches,  interviews with the writers, and just tons of information about the planning and development of the series. The Commander highly recommends it! Also - don't miss our big Planet 8 Listeners Appreciation Party! We'll be podcasting live at the 7 Stars Bar and Grill at 398 S. Bascom Ave, San Jose, California on October 20th starting at 1 pm. There will be a live DJ, prizes, food, and more! Come by and celebrate with the Planet 8 crew. We'd love to meet you and say thanks for listening! Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

We've only mentioned him before, but today we go all out with our love for that mysterious and dangerous, yet misunderstood, monster from the depths - the Creature from the Black Lagoon! If you've been listening to Planet 8 for any length of time, you've probably heard us heap praises on Creech, but now we have a whole episode devoted to the Gill-Man. Engineer Bob with Creech in Bob Burn's placeWhat is it about the Creature that makes him so appealing? Certainly he has a fantastic look. His design was ahead of his time, and so has become a classic. Your Planet 8 crew discusses that amazing suit, and some differences in the design for the water scenes versus land. There's been a lot of awareness of Millicent Patrick's role in designing the Creature lately, and we touch on that, as well as the work of Jack Kevan, Chris Mueller, and Bud Westmore. And of course, the men who wore the suit on land and underwater, Ben Chapman and Ricou Browning, must be recognized. We'll take a look at each of the films (Creature from the Black Lagoon, Revenge of the Creature , The Creature Walks Among Us), and which is our favorite -and you might be surprised! And what would a fourth Creature film have been like? It's hard to discuss the Creature without talking about his desire for human ladies -of course in the first film, it was Julie Adams, and the sequence with the Creature swimming below her has become iconic. This leads into a discussion of Shape of Water... We all have our Creature Collectibles -Bob has a whole basement devoted to the Creature. His favorite Creature item though, is his Bally pinball machine. Karen's favorite (which she's mentioned many times before) is the Sideshow premium format figure of the Creature swimming. Last but not least, Larry's favorite is his Anchor Hocking Creature glass.  Bob's Creature basementKaren's Creech bustAll this, and so much more! It's a Creature-palooza this time on Planet 8! For our Sensor Sweep, Karen shares an appropriate item: a wonderful book called The Creature Chronicles, by Tom Weaver, friend of the show David Schecter, and Steve Kronenberg. It's from McFarland Books, and you can order it from McFarland or Amazon. It has a wealth of info on the Creature, including overviews and inside info on each film, but also background on the music, other underwater monster films, and the Creature films that were never made. It would be a great addition to anyone's library. That's it for us! As the late, great Julie Adams used to say, Stay out of dark water! Hit us up in the comments section or at these other spots: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

Welcome to a special episode here on Planet 8! This is one we've been wanting to do for a long time, and with the help of our special guest, the incomparable Lord Blood-Rah, we finally explore the 1968 classic, Planet of the Apes. This is is one of our all-time favorite genre films. Planet of the Apes, or POTA as we like to refer to it, was a milestone in cinematic history. A serious, allegorical science fiction film that was only made possible through John Chambers' ground-breaking make-up techniques, POTA blew audiences away, especially with its shocking twist ending. We focus on the first film only (we plan to devote later episodes to the sequels), discussing  every aspect - the amazing make-up, including the early make-up tests; the script and the many changes it went through in the hands of Rod Serling, Michael Wilson, and others; the brilliant Jerry Goldsmith score; and the memorable scenes and dialog. The crew plus Lord Blood-Rah also take a look at each of the main characters and their complexities. Taylor, Zira, Cornelius, and of course, Dr. Zaius, all have their own agendas and the actors who portrayed them -Charlton Heston, Kim Hunter, Roddy McDowall, and Maurice Evans -did an incredible job. We might also dip into some other areas of POTA, like the TV show or the cartoon, the comics and novels, but just briefly. And we have questions! Like - who made the scarecrows in the Forbidden Zone? What happened to the Moon? What did Zaius know, and when did he know it? We're getting deep into apedom here people! Even so, POTA seems like an inexhaustible subject, and we'll be back at it soon with another episode. This time around, for the Sensor Sweep, we have two fantastic events to tell you about: On August 23, 24, and 25th, if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, head to the historic Balboa Theater for Godzillafest! 12 classic Godzilla movies will be on two screens all weekend. Plus, special guest Godzilla director Michael Dougherty will be there all three days. Lord Blood-Rah will host films on Friday and Saturday night, including two of his favorites, Frankenstein Conquers the World and War of the Gargantuas. Check out Bay Area Film Events for all the details. On August 31st, enjoy an evening at the Chouinard Winery and take in Lord Blood-Rah's final 10th anniversary show! He'll have a great double feature: The Wolfman and Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman! Before the movies, you can enjoy wine tasting. Be sure to bring a picnic basket for the movie. More information can be found at Lord Blood-Rah's site. That's all for us kids! We hope you enjoy the show. Just remember -the Forbidden Zone was once a paradise. Our breed made a desert of it! Hit us up in the comments section or at these other spots: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

Commander Larry and Chief Engineer Bob made the visit to Creatures Con again this year and we have some great interviews to share (Recon Officer Karen was stuck in the satellite with a bad case of Venusian flu).  Michael McCreery, proprietor of Mantiques in Fremont, California, shares with the boys his unique collectible, the Mecha-Creech! This modern day chimera is truly something to behold. Check the Sensor Sweep below to learn about this fantastic beast. And if you're ever in Fremont, stop at Mantiques at 37671 Niles Boulevard - you won't believe all the cool stuff there! Returning guest C. Andrew Nelson, know to us for playing Darth Vader in many video games and other Lucas projects,  tells us about his latest project, Theme Parkology! If you have an interest in Disneyland and other theme parks, you'll want to hear about this new series that will explore the origins of various parks and their attractions. You can find Andrew at http://candrewnelson.com/, and you can see his amazing video fish tank at Aquatasy. The multi-talented Strephon Taylor discusses the efforts to bring Creepy Koffee Movie Time to Amazon Prime, as well as the many documentaries he has produced over the years, including his recent one, I Believe in Halloween, and Jack Pierce, Maker of Monsters. You can find Strephon's movies at Novemberfire.com. Our last guest was the man, the myth, the legend, the great John Stanley! John is well known in the Bay Area as the second host of Creature Features, the show started by Bob Wilkins which inspired so many people. John was a film critic for the San Francisco Chronicle for over 30 years, and besides hosting Creature Features, he has authored a number of books, including the notable Creature Features film guides. John is always a pleasure to talk to and he graciously spoke with us about his many projects, past and present. You can see John's work at http://creaturesatlarge.com/ and http://stanleybooks.net/catchall.htm. Our Sensor Sweep this week is by Commander Larry and features the amazing Mecha-Creech. This vinyl figure is part Creature from the Black Lagoon, part Godzilla, and a crazed montage of skateboarding, heavy metal, and other references! Truly a wonder of the modern day. Thanks again to our friends Lord Blood-Rah and Tom Wyrsch for putting on Creatures-Con and for having us once again! We had a blast! We're already looking forward to next year! We hope you got a good taste of Creatures Con. Please share your thoughts, here, or at our other listening posts: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

Spidey's back, and your Planet 8 crew is here to share our take on this new Marvel blockbuster. As usual, our discussion will be SPOILER-FILLED, so make sure you see Spider-Man: Far From Home before you listen to this episode. This time around, Spidey's no longer your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, he's a globe-hopping hero. International locations are the key to this movie, making the web-slinger seem a little more like James Bond! Larry, Bob, and Karen will talk about Spidey's expanded responsibilities and much more, such as what they thought of seeing long-time Spider-Man villain Mysterio on the big screen. This film takes place not long after the events of Avengers: Endgame, so how is Peter dealing with the loss of Tony Stark? What's the world like, after the Snap? Did the movie deal with this effectively? We have thoughts about this... What about Peter Parker's personal life? How are Aunt May, Ned, and of course, MJ? Spidey's always had a great supporting cast, and the MCU is developing them too, in a slightly different way. How did things go in this film? Yup, we'll jabber about that too! For our Sensor Sweep, Engineer Bob shares some big news for Ultraman fans: Mill Creek Entertainment has acquired the rights to all of the Ultraman series all the way up to the current Taiga series. (The Ultraman shows have been embroiled in legal red tape for years; if you'd like to know the full story, check out this link and this one.) They also have rights to 20 films. They will be released in blu-ray format, and also on streaming platforms. In even more exciting news, Bob and his partner Keith Aiken of SciFi Japan have been asked to consult with Mill Creek on these releases! You can get more details over at SciFi Japan. So tune in, turn on, and tell us what you thought of Spider-Man: Far From Home! And thanks so much to our listeners who take time to comment here or on Twitter or Facebook. We can't name all of you, but here's a few: Edo, Al, Kevin, Debby, Michael, Sean, Jasmine, Steven, John, Dan, Jeff,  Edward, and so many more! We love hearing from you, so keep it coming. And of course, here's where you can find us:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

Ah, the 70s...it was a time of contradictions, mixing the free love of the 60s with the pessimism from Viet Nam and Watergate. A number of dystopian sci-fi films came out of the decade, and one of our favorites was Logan's Run, an MGM movie from 1976. Starring Michael York and Jenny Agutter, the movie takes place in the 23rd century, where everyone lives in domes and all their needs are provided for, and they lead lives of complete pleasure and decadence. The catch is, everyone has to die at the age of 30 to maintain the balance. To enforce this balance, there are officers known as Sandmen, who hunt down any citizens who try to live past 30 -they are known as "runners." The main character, Logan, is one of these Sandmen. He winds up becoming a runner himself, and discovers what lies outside the dome. It might seem a little cheesy today, but your Planet 8 crew loves Logan's Run! Please join us as we explore not only this classic sci fi film, but what was going on in the world at the time that influenced it - ecological disaster, overpopulation, and energy crises. In some ways, Logan's Run was one of the last science fiction films that actually dealt with real issues - before the juggernaut of Star Wars and its imitators showed up the next year, ushering in the era of sci fi shoot 'em ups. Of course, we have to discuss Box, one of Commander Larry's favorite characters in all of science fiction! "Fish! Plankton! Seagreens! Protein from the sea!" Box so inspired Larry that this podcast was almost called "Plankton from the Sea" instead of Planet 8! Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed. And we'll pay tribute to Michael York and Jenny Agutter, who seems to have earned a place in many a fan's heart from her role as Jessica. And who can forget that Farrah Fawcett also had a small role in the film? Karen actually went back and re-read the 1967 novel that the film was based on, and so we'll look at the differences between the film and the book. If you thought dying at 30 was bad, try kicking off at 21! Beyond the film, we'll also look at the peripheral material - the very short-lived TV show and the Marvel comics adaptation. And -what is the connection between Logan's Run and Thanos? Tune in and find out! For our Sensor Sweep, Karen shares her original 1976 edition of the Logan's Run novel that was issued as a tie-in with the film, complete with photos from the movie. This was something that was done a lot back in the 70s - another great example of this was the original Star Wars adaptation. Before the internet, this was one of the best ways to see high quality pictures from a film! So where are you at with your life clock? Are you going to try to renew on Carousel, or will you run? Tell us your plans here, or find us at our other locations: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

While the Universal Monsters may have been the original film fiends, across the pond in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, the little film company that could, Hammer, produced a bevy of movies that featured our familiar monsters, but in a much more graphic way. These films, featuring such sensational stars as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, brought an updated take on horror to a new generation of fans. Your Planet 8 crew is joined by guests horror host extraordinaire Lord Blood-Rah and independent film-maker Tom Wyrsch to reminisce and discuss why we enjoy Hammer films so much. The studio had a very distinct style which is immediately recognizable, and there are certain things you can expect to see in a Hammer horror film - including bright red blood, and more than a little cleavage. We talk about which films are our favorites (and surprise, we all had different picks!), the actors and actresses we enjoyed, and some of the behind the scenes production stories.  We'll also discuss the upcoming Creatures Con, the San Francisco Bay Area's classic horror convention.  Held on July 7th, it will feature the west coast premiere of the film, The House of the Gorgon by Josh Kennedy, a film that is very much an homage to Hammer films, and features Hammer film veterans Caroline Munro, Martine Beswick, and Veronica Carlson - Kennedy and Carlson will be at the show! The con will also have a monster movie quiz hosted by Lord Blood-Rah, which is certain to be a blast! They'll also have a special presentation on the film Plan 9 from Outer Space, to celebrate its 65th anniversary. All happening at the San Ramon Marriott -and the entire Planet 8 crew will be there, podcasting live! All this, for only $15 admission! What a bargain!  Go to https://www.creaturescon.com/ for more information. Don't forget to take a look at Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve Wrackin' Theatre for some fine entertainment.  As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts, so please share either here or at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

Welcome to this Daikaiju-sized edition of Planet 8! We needed a larger than normal sized episode to cover our subject, Godzilla King of the Monsters! Besides our usual three-headed review, we'll be including some bonus material from Chief Engineer Bob's away mission to the press screening and Hollywood premiere of this colossal film, including a special interview with the film's director, Michael Dougherty, at the end of the episode. This is a SPOILER-FILLED episode, so make sure you see Godzilla King of the Monsters before you jump into the podcast! This is the third film in Legendary's Monsterverse, with the 2014 Godzilla being the first, and Kong:Skull Island being the second. And this film featured more kaiju than ever before, with some heavy hitters alongside the Big G: Mothra, Rodan, and the infamous King Ghidorah, aka Monster Zero! Of course, your Planet 8 crew grew up with Godzilla and all of his assorted friends and enemies. We all went into this film with certain expectations based off of our nostalgic recollections. Did it live up to those memories? Listen to find out! The premiere gets set up at the Grauman TheaterIn place of our usual Sensor Sweep, Bob gives us a glimpse at his trip to Los Angeles and the Godzilla premiere, where he got to not only see the film, but meet and speak with many of the actors, and also interview the director, Michael Dougherty, along with his pal Keith Aiken from SciFi Japan. Godzilla busts loose!Godzilla stairs! Bob with Godzilla 2014 director Gareth EdwardsBob and actor Ken WatanabeWe hope you enjoyed this episode! If you'd like to meet the Planet 8 crew, head over to Creatures Con at the San Ramon Marriott (in San Ramon, California) on July 7th! We'd love to see you live and in-person! As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts, so please share either here or at: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

One of the great things about being a fan is all of the fun and amazing (if not expensive) collectibles that are to be found based on so many of our favorite TV shows, movies, comic characters, and more. It's astonishing the variety of items available - Star Trek Enterprise pizza cutter, anyone? Many of us have acquired a ton of posters, figures, books, and what-have-you over the years. Building a collection is a point of pride for many. Some are downright obsessive about it. In this episode, Larry, Bob, and Karen discuss the fine art of collecting, and look at a few of their favorite items in their own collections. Bob has a number of one-of-a-kind or nearly so items of the kaiju variety (like an Ibanez Ultraman guitar), while Larry explores some rare Anchor-Hocking Universal Monster glasses that he hunted down. Karen shares a favorite piece, the Sideshow Creature from the Black Lagoon premium format statue. Just why do we collect? Is it out of a sense of nostalgia? Is it the thrill of chasing down that rare item? And do you limit yourself to just one genre or show, or do you range far and wide in the types of things you enjoy? And we ask the question, if you didn't collect genre-related stuff, what else would you collect? For this episode's Sensor Sweep, Bob tells us about a special painting he had done for him by Hugo-winning artist Bob Eggleton. It depicts the landscape of Planet X from Monster Zero. And now it proudly hangs in his living room! Now it's your turn. We would love to hear about all of your collections! You know where to reach us -in the comments here, or at:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

It's been one whole year since the Planet 8 crew started on our mission to explore the worlds of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and we began our first episode with a look at a little film called Avengers: Infinity War. For our one year anniversary, we come full circle, as we share our thoughts on the conclusion to the Avengers saga, Avengers: Endgame!  Be warned, this is a SPOILER FILLED episode, so if you are one of the handful of people who still haven't seen Endgame, don't blame us if  you hear something you didn't want to know!! Like Infinity War, Endgame is a huge, sprawling epic -and clocks in at a massive, bladder-busting three hours! But no fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe should miss this film, as it is truly the end of an era. Join with Larry, Bob, and Karen as they discuss not only Endgame, but their feelings on the MCU as a whole, as we wrap our minds around the amazing feat of 22 films from Marvel Studios in 11 years! Each of the original six Avengers get their moments, and we discuss all of them (some more than others) and what we liked, and some things we might have liked to see go differently. One's thing for certain: we've had years to get to know these heroes, and like most of you, we've become very attached to them! Don't be shocked if you hear us get a little choked up...yeah, we're a bunch of softies! After you've listened to us ramble on about Endgame, be sure to tell us what you thought. What were your high points? Anything you thought was out of step? And where does the MCU go now? No Sensor Sweep this time around friends -as we were recording this episode, we found out about the passing of Peter Mayhew, better known to all of us as Chewbacca. Mr. Mayhew made such an impact on all of us first for imbuing the lovable Wookiee with such a recognizable personality, but then later, through his charming presence at conventions, and through his social media feeds. He was the epitome of a Gentle Giant - a sweet, funny, kind man. We will miss him greatly. And that's a wrap on year one! Thanks to all of you who listen to, comment on, and support Planet 8! We truly appreciate your interest in the show, and hope to keep expanding and improving as we move into year two! Please feel free to comment here, or you can reach us at our other locations: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

They're creepy! They're crawly! And oh yeah...they're gigantic!! We're talking about those irradiated, mutated, and sometimes prehistoric giant bugs that have been freaking us out on movie screens for decades. Come join the Planet 8 crew as we explore the films that feature these weird and wonderful critters. We'll focus on classics including Them!, Tarantula, and Mothra, but also touch upon a few others. Well, maybe not touch upon them - we'll poke them with a long stick. And what would you do if attacked by a 50 foot spider? Or a 20 foot ant? Have you given it any thought, friends? Maybe you should! The crew delves into the science of big bugs, discussing Professor Michael C. LaBarbera's paper, The Biology of B-Movie Monsters, and Professor Andrew Fraknoi's class on the Science of Science Fiction, to see what a real giant insect would be like, and what vulnerabilities they'd have. Finally, we face our fears and reveal what giant insect we'd be the most frightened of!  Your crew -Larry, Karen, and BobFor our Sensor Sweep, we shamelessly plug our Tee Public shop, where you can purchase nearly anything -t-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, tote bags - with one of the Planet 8 logos (we have two designs now!) on it. We originally made a small number of tees and hats for ourselves, but we had so many requests from friends and family that we decided to open it up and see if anyone else wanted to show off their Planet 8 love. We get a part of the proceeds from each purchase and will use this to fund more equipment, products, and trips to conventions, where we can interview cool people we know you want to hear! If you do get something, send us a picture! We'll post it! We really appreciate your support, in whatever form, and we love hearing from you, which brings us to the next part of our message. Besides this site, you can chat with us at: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

No fewer than three major science fiction films have sprung from the original novella "Who Goes There?" by legendary science fiction author/editor John Campbell. And all three have been titled "The Thing" - well, the first one was actually titled "The Thing from Another World," but most fans just refer to it as "the original Thing." All three have similarities - the remote, icy outpost, the dangerous alien loose among an isolated group of people, a heightened sense of paranoia and suspense. But they have their differences, particularly between the first film and the later two. Join the Planet 8 crew of Larry, Bob, and Karen as they discuss each film, what they enjoy about each one, what they think makes each one stand out, and their first experiences with each. The films are: The Thing from Another World, 1951The Thing, 1982The Thing, 2011What's the thing about The Thing? It's got a certain special something... We'll focus mostly on the 1951 and 1982 films. Both had excellent casts, ensembles that worked well together and really sold the story, despite how fantastic it might seem. We'll also look at the effects, the limitations of the '51 film (and poor James Arness in gobs of make-up), and the insane practical effects of Rob Bottin in the '82 version. The third film (2011) was actually a prequel to the '82 version. It covered a lot of ground concerning what happened at the Norwegian camp before the start of the previous film. Was it successful? The crew has differing opinions on that. Just for fun, we also speculate on how the Planet 8 team would react to an invasion by the Thing. Who would survive? And who would decide to wipe out the team to protect humanity? As an added treat, Larry and Bob interview science fiction and fantasy artist extraordinaire, Bob Eggleton. Mr. Eggleton is  illustrating a new version of Who Goes There -a novel-length version that's never been published before. It's going to be part of a book called Frozen Hell, which will also include a number of short stories by other authors continuing the story of The Thing. The book is a kickstarter project assembled by John Gregory Betancourt, who manages Campbell's literary estate. You can learn more at the kickstarter page here.  Mr. Eggleton shares news about this project, as well as his own personal thoughts on the Thing films. Bob Eggleton and friendAnd for the Sensor Sweep -completely off-topic -Engineer Bob talks about the new BluRay for Tetsujin 28 -aka Gigantor. It's a great anime series that you should definitely check out if you're not already a fan! You can find it at Amazon and other locations where videos are sold. That's all the things we have to talk about this time, friends. You can comment here, or go to our other hangouts: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

Marvel's newest superstar has hit the big screen this month - Captain Marvel! Your Planet 8 crew is here to share their thoughts about the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which takes us from the intergalactic Kree Empire all the way to 1990s Earth! Yes, you'll thrill to the sight of Blockbuster Video, giant cell phones, and a very young looking Samuel Jackson! Of course, this is a SPOILER-FILLED episode, so you may not want to listen until after you've seen the movie.  Besides discussing Captain Marvel, we'll dip into myriad other topics, such as Captain Marvel in the comics, the Agents of SHIELD TV show, Thor Ragnarok, and, of course, Avengers: Endgame (and we'll be doing an entire episode on that film, so stay tuned!). It's a wide-ranging, perhaps even a bit rambling, discussion, but that's how we do things around here! This time around, for the Sensor Sweep segment, we decided to shine a light not on a product but on the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards, which were created by David Colton and Kerry Gammill in 2002 to allow fans to vote and honor various horror-related efforts,  in film, books, and so on. This is the 17th year of voting! You can go to the link above and vote by April 20th for your favorites. We would like to humbly make a few suggestions. Best Book: You can't beat Where Monsters Walked by friends of Planet 8, Gail and Ray Orwig.Best Website: Chief Engineer Bob has another gig -for years he has been the co-producer of SciFi Japan, with Keith Aiken, the best resource for all things kaiju-related.Best Multimedia Site (podcasts, etc.): We have two (OK, really three) suggestions: Kaijucast, run by Kyle Yount, devoted to Godzilla,  and Monster Kid Radio, Derek Koch's show, about classic (and not so classic) monster films -both Kyle and Derek have been really helpful to the Planet 8 crew as we've been finding our way, and they're great guys, with fun shows! And if you feel like it, you could write in a little show called Planet 8...maybe some day we'll actually get on the ballot!Favorite Horror Host: For us, there's no choice except Lord Blood-Rah! He's just the best, and we've had him on two episodes so far (episodes 8 and 11), and he deserves to be honored.Best Convention: For our money, it's gotta be Monsterpalooza! Best Soundtrack: Engineer Bob recommends the Valley of Gwangi soundtrack from Intrada!OK friends, please let us know your thoughts. Did Captain Marvel blaze, or fizzle? You can comment here, or go to our other hangouts: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!

Long before the X-Files, or the Winchester Brothers of Supernatural, there was intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak, chasing down every vampire, ghost, and monster that you could imagine. Premiering first as one of the highest-rated TV movies of all time, The Night Stalker was our introduction to Kolchak and a serious mysterious murders and abductions, which were ultimately revealed as the work of an actual vampire. A second movie, The Night Strangler, soon followed, and then a short-lived (but memorable) series ensued. Through it all, Kolchak encountered all manner of strange and frightening creatures. While it may not have lasted long, Kolchak made a powerful impression on many of us monster kids. Much of this can be attributed to the earnest performance of actor Darren McGavin, who portrayed Carl Kolchak as less than courageous, but so driven to discover the truth that he overcomes his fear. Kolchak had more than a little luck on his side too. Join Larry, Bob, and Karen as they discuss their favorite episodes, monsters, and what they think made Kolchak so special. For this episode's Sensor Sweep, Karen shares a fascinating new book called Infogothic: An Unauthorised Graphic Guide to Hammer Horror, by Alistair Hughes. This is a heavily illustrated book that looks at the Hammer horror and science fiction film catalog. It's an amazing trip through Hammer (and it dips into the Universal milieu and a few others as well), providing all sorts of details in infographic style. You could spend hours poring over this beautiful book! It's available from Amazon and other booksellers. That's it for us. Please let us know about your favorite Kolchak memories -you can comment here, or go to our other hangouts: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Thanks for Listening!