MONSTER PARTY GETS JACKED!

JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD bring you a high-spirited Halloween special that is bound to "pump" you up! So, grab your sharpest vegetable knife and be ready to carve out some time for an episode completely dedicated to… PUMPKINS!!!

For monster kids of all ages, the orange winter squash known as the pumpkin has been a popular symbol of Halloween. But the connection doesn't end there. Pumpkins and pumpkin-related characters have found their way into movies, TV shows, nursery rhymes, folklore, and more. And various versions of the "Sleepy Hollow" story have helped cement the image of the jack-o'-lantern in the minds of squash-curious people everywhere.

Join the MONSTER PARTY gang for a "hosts only" discussion of various aspects of pumpkins in genre pop culture. Is pumpkin carving actually "fun"? Why do the duties of a Pumpkin King require so much singing? Should PETA have gone after Silver Shamrock Masks? Is IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN folk horror? What did Peter Peter's wife do to deserve such treatment? And does pumpkin spice really make things taste better?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, MONSTER PARTIERS! AND IF THE GREAT PUMPKIN EVER MANAGES TO SHOW UP… RUN!

MONSTER PARTY GIVES YOU ANOTHER TALKING TO!!!

JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD channel some of their favorite genre stars in this eloquently edifying earful of an episode. It's a word salad with multiple dressings that we're calling… QUOTE QUAGMIRE 2026!!!

For the uninitiated, these quote episodes follow a simple format: one of us reads out a quote (or quotes) from a genre film, and the rest of us have to guess which film the quote was plucked from. And luckily for all of you, this game always provides numerous opportunities for dramatic performances, celebrity impersonations, and an ample amount of head-scratching.

Joining us for this diabolical dialogue jam is a very longtime friend of the show and a movie fan with a passion that covers a variety of genres. He's an amazing comedian, actor, TV host, and filmmaker whose credits include, THE COMEDY CLUB, DRY BAR COMEDY, DR. KATZ, PROFESSIONAL THERAPIST, MAD ABOUT YOU, 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN, MORNINGS ON 2, THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JOHNNY CARSON, THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, and a multitude more Please welcome back, the man with the best hair in the business… MARK PITTA!

IT'S A QUOTE QUAGMIRE! NOW, GO GET STUCK!

GO APE AN APE!

JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD go bananas over those simian slip-ons that have transformed actors into the precocious primates we've always loved. MONSTER PARTY is giving up "furries" for "hairies" as we salute… GORILLA SUITS!!!

Most monster kids of a certain age have an indelible memory of seeing an actor in a gorilla suit featured in a ton of classic horror and comedy films. In fact, many of you may have been surprised when you saw your first real-life gorilla and thought, "That's not what chased The Three Stooges!" But despite the fact that gorilla costumes didn't always achieve 100% realism, there was always a certain charm attached to seeing these awesome animal impersonators.

In this episode, we dig deep into the multitude of films and TV shows featuring gorilla suits and the talented performers who brought them to life. Actors like Charles Gemora, who created gorilla costumes and appeared in such classic films as Island of Lost Souls and Murders in the Rue Morgue; George Barrows, who played Ro-man in Robot Monster, as well as gorillas in TV shows and films like The Addams Family, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Gorilla at Large; and Ray "Crash" Corrigan in The Ape Man, Captive Wild Woman, and the Three Stooges short Three Missing Links. And the list of gorilla-suit actors doesn't stop there.

We couldn't do a gorilla-suit episode justice without singling out the gorilla-suit actor, movie and TV prop collector, and genre film historian BOB BURNS. Bob, who left us in 2025, was the picture of affability and courteousness, and often invited select monster kids to view his astounding museum of horror and sci-fi collectibles. And Bob would even allow you to touch the 1932 King Kong armature, operate the Alien Queen prop, and sit in the original 1961 Time Machine! In addition to the many personal appearances Bob Burns made as Kogar the Gorilla, he also played the role of Tracy the Gorilla in the 1973 Filmation TV show The Ghost Busters.

Which leads us to our guest!

For this episode, we have a supremely accomplished actor, voice performer, and artist whose work can be enjoyed in the video game Resident Evil Village, HBO Max's Primal, Cartoon Network's Samurai Jack, and the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse prequel Spider-Ham: Caught in a Ham. And if that doesn't make Aaron cool enough for you, he also became a friend and regular visitor of Bob Burns during the last couple of years of his life. Making his MONSTER PARTY debut, please welcome… AARON LAPLANTE!

GORILLA SUITS YOU! ANY "FAST SHOW" FANS OUT THERE?

MONSTER PARTY TRAVELS THROUGH TIME… HOPEFULLY WITH NO PARADOXES.

JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD throw a party for some of the greatest horror favorites in film history. So put on your party horns and grab a slice of devil's food cake, because we're… CELEBRATING HORROR OLD & NEW!!!

A staple of MONSTER PARTY is the ritual of simply sitting around and having a rich (and occasionally contentious) conversation about the horror films we love. So, sit back and enjoy this giddily garrulous gab fest, where we salute modern horror films that have managed to captivate mainstream audiences, and classics that have stood the test of time. Okay, and maybe a few that didn't.

And just for fun, we also chat a bit about a few sci-fi films that, for many of us, have undergone a critical reassessment. Is the time just right for Larry Strothe to launch his re-make of STARCRASH? And who's going to fill Caroline Munro's leather… well… everything?

If that weren't enough, we managed to get a behind-the-scenes look at how some of these sinister cinema sausages were made! How did we manage this, you may ask? By having on our show two men who are not only industry professionals, but fellow podcasters as well!

First, we've got an actor and voice artist who has lent his talents to CHICAGO PD, PERSON OF INTEREST, NOW YOU SEE ME, GUIDING LIGHT, and numerous stage productions, including the role of Merrick in THE ELEPHANT MAN. Sharing the MONSTER PARTY stage is a celebrated SFX makeup artist who has worked on such genre projects as WEAPONS, ANNABELLE, THE WALKING DEAD, WISHMASTER, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, and so many more that IMDb just said, "STOP!"

Together, they are the co-hosts of the mega-popular podcast… THE HEAD, THE TAIL, THE WHOLE DAMN THING! And guess what? They're also brothers! And even weirder… they actually like each other.

Making their MONSTER PARTY debut… MIKE D McCARTY and JAMES KNIGHT!

PLUS, THIS WEEK'S MYSTERY: WHAT IS "BREAD TONGUE"?

BY THE POWER OF MOLD SKULL!!!

JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD return yet again to the topic that keeps giving birth to more topics. Get ready to cuddle up to this litter of learned levity as MONSTER PARTY presents… TOPIC FREE-FOR-ALL: SKULLABALOO!

You know the story, Monster Partiers! For years, MONSTER PARTY has been doing episodes where we place slips of paper with mini-topics written on them into a plastic Halloween candy skull, pull one out at random, discuss said topic, and repeat. All was going well until the skull suffered some water damage, causing many of the topic slips to become moldy. But hey, we took it in stride, and after the skull went through a thorough mitigation process, we gradually added fresh topics to the pile. And over time, it almost became a badge of honor to get a moldy oldie.

But alas, all mold things must come to an end. If strictly for health reasons.

This installment of TOPIC FREE-FOR-ALL features the last moldy topic placed in the skull so many years ago. It's the end of a chapter, but also the beginning of an exciting new era! This episode features lively and, dare we say, even heated discussions about the future of A.I., sci-fi franchise burnout, extraterrestrial odds, questionable Christopher Lee performances, the narrative logic of Weapons, Masters of the Universe hate watching, dream tattoos, candy symbolism, and so very much more!

Joining us once again is a stalwart MONSTER PARTY pal, and Matt Weinhold's answer to Florence Nightingale. He's an immensely talented actor, writer, and artist, not to mention the boy who brought us all the Shamrock Shake! Please welcome back the effortlessly irresistible… KEN DALY! (HANGING WITH DOCTOR Z, NERD POCKER, STAN AGAINST EVIL, THE SUPER ADVENTURE TEAM, THE KARATE KID, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, QUINCY M.E., DUCK DODGERS)

MONSTER PARTY HAS GUTS!

JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD rush all of you to our audio E.R. for a pulse-pounding procedure. Get ready for some monstrous malpractice as we present you with… ORGANS GONE BAD!!!

After Matt Weinhold's recent brush with mortality involving the unexpected removal of his appendix, the hosts of MONSTER PARTY thought it timely and appropriate to investigate troublesome parts of the human anatomy in genre films. Whether it's Tillinghast's pernicious pineal gland in FROM BEYOND, the internal oddities of FANTASTIC VOYAGE, the unauthorized organ harvesting in COMA, or the stool pigeon beating of THE TELL-TALE HEART, it's never been more important to have top-notch medical insurance!

MONSTER PARTY WISHES ALL OUR LISTENERS THE BEST OF HEALTH! AND IF ONE OF YOUR ORGANS GOES BAD… TRY TURNING YOUR RESONATOR OFF!

THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM FOR MONSTERPALOOZA!

JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD give the last day of their favorite convention all they've got! Can your meaty minds manage the monumental majesty of... MONSTERPALOOZA 2026: PART 3?!!!

MONSTER PARTY would like to express our eternal thanks to all the folks who stopped by our booth on Friday and Saturday. Luckily, Sunday proved to be just as successful. Aside from visits from friends, fans, and cosplayers, we managed to score some monstrously mesmerizing interviews with such diverse talents as comedian BOBBY SLAYTON (THE PITBULL OF COMEDY), artist/sculptor/makeup FX wizard MARK TAVARES (DON POST, KNB STUDIOS), producer/entertainer JOE MOE (2001 MANIACS: BEHIND THE SCREAMS, RED VELVET), author/actor/wrestler RONNIE ANGEL (SLASHED DREAMS: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SLASHER MOVIES PT. 1–2), actor MARK KELLY (BLOOD AND RUST, FEAR THE WALKING DEAD), podcasters MIKE D McCARTY and JAMES KNIGHT (THE HEAD, THE TAIL, THE WHOLE DAMNED THING), Emmy Award-winning, self-titled stuttering director/editor/producer ALLAN HOLZMAN (BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS, FORBIDDEN WORLD), and MORE!

And as if the monster kid gods were smiling down on us, we were also granted a brief but incredible audience with musical legend and horror rock trailblazer... ALICE COOPER! Can someone wake up Matt? He just fainted again.

Once again, we urge everyone out there to start making preparations for MONSTERPALOOZA 2027. We guarantee you'll have a memorable experience, and we can't wait to meet all you listeners in person. You are the ones who put a spring in our step and make this podcast possible. Thanks again, Monster Partiers!

DON'T JUST LOVE MONSTER PARTY... LOVE IT TO DEATH!

After a scarily successful Friday night, JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD return to the Pasadena Convention Center for another day of horror-themed hijinks! If it's Saturday, it's... MONSTERPALOOZA 2026 PART 2!!!

The second day of this epic show provided us with another diabolical dollop of vendors, artists, celebrities, panels, cosplayers, SFX makeup demonstrations, and more! And by more, we mean a dazzling array of on-the-spot interviews at the MONSTER PARTY booth!

Joining us that afternoon were a tsunami of exciting guests, including SPOOKYWORLD theme park founder DAVID BERTOLINO, writer/director/producer DANNY WOLF, sci-fi film director GARO SETIAN (SPACE WARS: QUEST FOR THE DEEPSTAR, AUTOMATION), trailer director HUNTER SETIAN, actor and film soundtrack journalist DANIEL SCHWEIGER (PHANTASM: RAVAGER, JOHN DIES AT THE END), magazine editor/journalist/film director DAVID WEINER (IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS), HORROR NERDS COMEDY PODCAST hosts SAMANTHA HALE and BONNIE MARIE WILLIAMS, 2 BLACK GUYS TALK GODZILLA PODCAST host AARON NEUWIRTH, author/comedian/Jumbo Machinder collector TOM FRANCK (JUMBO TITAN X), fantasy illustrator MIRANDA FRANCK, and legendary horror host MR. LOBO (CINEMA INSOMNIA, OSI). Whew!

Of course, what would a day of MONSTERPALOOZA be without visits from fans, friends, and family, including a visit from Larry's niece, who gave us all a schooling on PROJECT HAIL MARY. Did she make some good points? Yes. Did she change any minds? What do you think?

LISTEN NOW TO WHAT YOU MISSED THIS LAST MAY, AND START MAKING PLANS TO ATTEND MONSTERPALOOZA IN 2027. MONSTER PARTY WILL BE WAITING TO GREEEEET YOU!