Monstrology

Will and Madryn unpack the wonderful work of Hayao Miyazaki in another special Creature Feature episode! Love Spirited Away? Princess Mononoke? My Neighbor Totoro!? This is the episode for you. We look at his history in animation, his core values as a story teller, and most importantly, his incredible character and creature designs with Studio Ghibli! Then we crown our “best kill” for the pacifist filmmaker, and our top 3 Creatchie awards winners. Get lost in nature with us this week, and celebrate the mind and magic of Miyazaki!

Will and Madryn search the sea for Selkies! We get under the skin of these Scottish seal folk, and uncover their OG origins, anthropological explanations, and classic coat tales! We touch base on their impact on pop culture, from forest selkies to animated Oscar nominees. Finally, we're joined by Moire (Margaret Hild) who tells us about living land AND sea lives, her bucket-nudging meet cute, underwater fairies, and more!

Will and Madryn sink our teeth back into Vampires, for our very first Deep Cuts episode! We start our deep dive into this mighty monster bloodbath with some little known vampire facts, and potential ancient origins from around the globe. Then we tap back into the endless well of vampire pop culture to touch base on campy high school heartthrobs, LA night life, a terrific trilogy, tabletop games, and our Pokémon of the week... Finally, we're joined by an old friend... (Christopher Seeney), who talks us through his recent transformation, the art of vacuuming, bite rights, podcast retractions, and ideal hybrid monster names courtesy of Chat GPT.

Will and Madryn open up the Monstrology Mailbox for the very first time!
 
We warm up with some rapid fire Q&A, and then answer questions from our human and monster listeners across the globe. "What monsters could pull off a heist?" "If you could marry one monster, which would it be, and how would you propose?" "What's your favourite slop? Slop food, no mud, food slop?" Hear the answer to these questions and more, on this special behind the scenes fan friendly episode!

Will and Madryn catch up on sleep for an investigation into the Sandman! From Scandinavian stories to nefarious moon dwellers, this shapeshifting sand-slinger makes your dreams a reality. We dig into our favourite Sandman songs, tv, movies, and video games that feature this pop culture phenomenon. Finally, we’re joined by Z (Andrew Gaunce), who tells us about sandman society, sand logistics, eyeballs, and some conflict with a previous guest...

Will and Madryn celebrate St Patrick’s Day by investigating the magical mischief of the Leprechaun! We discover the golden history, and lucky charms, of these crafty cobblers and their drunken counterparts. Then we dig into an iconic fey folk franchise, early career actors, cereal standouts, mascot madness, and more! Finally, we're joined by Finnigan Clover (Gordon Harper), who talks us through Leprechaun reproduction, curious currency, spellbound spit, and his favourite shoes.

Will and Madryn take on the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe)! We talk about the OG Avengers, Kevin Feige’s influences, and the best cast actor… But most importantly, we talk monsters! What are the best creepy crawly creatures in this massive franchise? Find out as we highlight our favs, and give out the Creatchie Awards, on another special Creature Feature edition of Monstrology!

Will and Madryn search for love in the form of Cupid! We follow his origins as a Greek god, Roman romantic, chubby cherub, and down and dirty demon. This iconic and literally Erotic (Eros!) matchmaker pops up in TV, terrifies in film, and makes a mean one-hit-wonder. Finally, we’re joined by Cupid himself (Brandon Knox), who introduces us to his love palace, details his dolphin swim routine, and talks us through the ideal Valentine's Day date!

Will and Madryn follow the paw-prints of the Hellhound! Haunting hunter, gruesome guardian, sign of impending doom? We track the mythological and modern legacy of this fearsome black dog in all its glory. Then we dig into its pop culture appearances in detective stories, quick hits of horror, famous adaptations, brooding television, and more! Finally, we're joined by Cer-Ber-Us (Richard Young), the triple-headed hound of the underworld, who talks us through the merits of sharing, allergic reactions, surface dorks, overheating, and eating souls.

Will and Madryn gaze upon the mighty cyclops! We break down the classic categories and prehistoric precursors for this one-eyed giant. Then we unpack the massive impact that cyclops have left on family films, iconic tv moments, architectural structures, video games, and… household objects? Finally, we’re joined by Cyclops the Cyclops (Jim Armstrong) and his sheep, to discover the true limits of mono-vision, competitive beer brewing, and the appropriate portion of human.