Monstrology

Will and Madryn go full geek for the X-Men Franchise!
We look at the comic origins of these long running time-bending X-factors, original titled The Mutants, and talk about our favourite films in Lauren Shuler Donner’s 20th Century Fox continuum. We talk about the core story elements that make the X-men work, the best performances, and our fav quotes. We also share our top moments in the movies, the most satisfying kills, and of course, we hand out our Creatchie Awards!
Celebrate the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, and fight your way through the X-Men Franchise. Mankind has always feared what it doesn't understand, so listen, learn, and find out who wins, bub!

Will and Madryn switch things up with a study of Changelings!
We learn about the best ways to prevent changelings from stealing your children, the ideal ways to get them back, and the dark historic origins of this folkloric fantasy monster. Changelings have popped up in crib swapping card games, Canadian horror anthologies, blasphemous books, family friendly fae fare, and their tropes have been subverted for fresh takes on many films. We talk to Changeling the Changeling or Changey among friends (Sare Thorpe). They talk about the long con of changeling business, and their room of bonnets, their thick skin, and the truth behind King Charles the 1st...

Will and Madryn uncover our oldest monster ever… Dinosaurs!
We discover the origins of human interest in dinosaur fossils, the evolution of what dinosaurs really looked like, and the epic eras of dinosaur history! Then we dig into dinosaur pop culture, from theme parks, sitcoms, breakfast food, sports teams, 90s video games, and more! Finally, we’re joined by an actual dinosaur, Andy Faris Schwarzenegger Pratt (Christopher Seeney), who tells us about his origins as a nepo-baby, the real cause of the dinosaur extinction, his allegiance to the Philadelphia Flyers, the secrets of inner earth, and Slorp Coin.

Will and Madryn study the machinations of Robots! We uncover the duck that started it all, the evolution of modern computing, Rossum's Universal Robots, a variety of trailblazing (and sometimes chain-smoking) prototypes, Asimov’s Laws of Robotics, and the future of AI companionship. Plus, robots have a ton of pop culture! We talk iconic robot DJs, Killbots, Scifi classics, Apex-machines, and more. Finally, we’re joined by Esira (Shalyn Bass-McFaul) who talks us through her programming, her origin at Wikilabs, and the future of humanity. Please don’t become Hal-9000. 

Will and Madryn look up to Giants!
We study the massive historical footprints of this super-sized classic creature through its history as a primeval beast, apocalyptic world breaker, folkloric foe, and brute builder. This mythical monster has inspired a ton of pop culture, ranging from family friendly giants, 13 foot tall burger enthusiasts, cannibalistic titans, and many sizes between.
Finally, we’re joined by Mel (Brandon Knox) who tells us about his portable cloud and golden goose, the merits of chocolate consumption, giant dodgeball, and a new meaning of B word.

Will and Madryn take a look inside the mind of Tim Burton, in this special edition Creature Feature episode!
We look at his history as an animator and concept artist, the defining works of his early career, his German Expressionist influences, and the tropes that make him so “Tim Burton-esque.” Then we go through our favourite quotes, designs, and moments, before awarding our Creatchie Awards! So open your eyes as wide as you can, put on your stripes, and channel your inner goth, it’s showtime!

Will and Madryn warm up our creative brains with questions for each other, then answer YOUR questions on the podcast! Do we have a monster classification system? What’s the best Cronenberg film? Who rules the hollow earth? Are monsters hot or not!? We’ve got the answers to all your questions from the human and monster community. Thanks for listening!
 

Will and Madryn seek balance in Elementals! We look at the 16th century history of this powerful nature-based monster. We discuss the original bombastic manifestations of earth, air, fire, and water, and the “star sign” interpretation of each variant. We also study elemental binding, summoning, and hybrid elementals. We unearth a range of pop culture for these expansive entities, moving through Element City, superhero school trips, enchanted rings, melodramatic murder, and Mario’s paper kingdom. Finally, we’re joined by Polaris (Brianna Love), who gusts into the program and drops some eternal knowledge on our confused brains. She tells us about life as an elemental, that time she rematerialized near a volcano, and which starter Pokémon she picked in Pokémon silver.

Will and Madryn go hunting for Witches! We uncover this humanoid’s relatively peaceful start, the enormously popular Malleus Maleficarum book, and the deadly hysteria that took over Europe in the 1400’s. We also touch on the Salem witch trials, before breaking down the many types of more modern witches, and their appearances in pop culture! We talk about spellcasting Spellmans, emo phases, necromancy wielding love interests, iconic covens, and the technicolor origins of witchy green skin. Finally, we’re joined by Charlotte Aberden (Lindsey Middleton) who tells us about her family history with “the stick,” her re-education in magic, and her goal to make it as a bomber jacket wearing, turtle shaking, pop star!

To celebrate the magic of Easter weekend, Will invites Madryn to the Monstrology bunker for a special format episode with the Easter Bunny!
We talk about the Pagan, Christian, and commercial origins of this egg-laying mammal, and hop around some pop culture inspired by our furry friend. To fill out the party we bring back a variety of our monster guests, including Finnigan Clover, Neville the Man-Eating Tree, B. Elliot, and Igor, who now goes by “the Wacky,” to go on an eclectic egg hunt in the bunker. Then we’re joined by the guest of honour, Her the Hare, the Easter bunny! Who lets us know about his true origin, his average distance per bunny hop, and how he really got inside the bunker. Finally, Gordon Harper swings by to receive his honorary 5-timers jacket!
PS: We have a death-ray for sale, if anyone’s interested.