Zombie Strains

John Corey, Andy Rau, Bradley Dumont

4.9 (8)
FILM HISTORY
UPDATED WEEKLY

Zombies rule the world of horror cinema--fast zombies, slow zombies, voodoo zombies, and so many other strains. How did zombies evolve into the monsters we know and love today? Join John and Andy as they shamble through zombie film history, one movie at a time.

1D AGO

An Evening with Batman and Robin (1965)

Holy propoganda, Batman! Before the iconic Batmobile, before the Shark Repellant, before the showdown against Superman... Batman and Robin were featured in a wartime movie serial where they battled a Japanese spymaster and his zombie minions. Will the Dynamic Duo prevail? Can the Zombie Strains team make it through 3 hours of racist propoganda? John, Andy, and Producer Brad don their cowls and patrol the dark streets of Gotham City to find out. SHOW NOTES The Batman serial original theatrical release date: July 16, 1943 An Evening with Batman and Robin release date: 1965 Michael G. Wilson biography J. Carol Naish family history Theme music composed by Neil Dube. www.pond5.com Contact: zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com www.zombiestrainspodcast.com Follow us on Andy's Substack "Fortress of Regret" Instagram Facebook

1h 33m
FEB 4

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

Following hot on the heels of 28 Years Later, director Nia DaCosta's sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple picks up right where the first film ended. Spike has been saved from the infected by some colorful characters, but are they friends? John and Andy sneak out of the Zombie Strains lab to the movie theater to see new a new film that reflects on humanity, empathy, and torture horror all at the same time. Has a zombie movie ever had this much empathy for the nominal villains of the story? Listen to this spoiler filled episode to find out. SHOW NOTES: US Theatrical release date: January 16, 2026 Theme music composed by Neil Dube. Additional music by Elarasound. www.pond5.com Contact: zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com www.zombiestrainspodcast.com Follow us on Andy's Substack "Fortress of Regret" Instagram Facebook

1h 14m
JAN 28

The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)

In a quaint English village, the last remnants of humanity have gathered. But what hope does a ragtag band of survivors have against marauding alien robots and their zombie slaves? When John, Andy, and Brad explore The Earth Dies Screaming (1964), they find a low-budget movie that lays a startling amount of groundwork for future zombie apocalypses. SHOW NOTES: US Theatrical release date: October 14, 1964 Virginia Field's New York Time's obituary Elizabeth Lutyens obituary Elizabeth Lutyens on Spotify Elizabeth Lutyens on Apple Music Convair XFY-1 Pogo Theme music composed by Neil Dube. Additional music by Elarasound. www.pond5.com Additional voice work by Russell Bentley. Contact: zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com www.zombiestrainspodcast.com Follow us on Andy's Substack "Fortress of Regret" Instagram Facebook

1h 19m
JAN 21

The Horror of Party Beach (1964)

Radioactive waste meets teenage rebellion in THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH! Grab your surfboard and hit the sandy beaches of Connecticut with John, Andy, and Brad as they brave a surf-rock nightmare featuring dozens of bikinis, a slumber party massacre, and lots of hip music by the Del-Aires. SHOW NOTES Theatrical Release Date: April, 1964 Del Tenney obituary Alan V. Iselin obituary Errera, Rob. Becker Comes Alive: A Rock 'n' Roll Pioneer's Touching True Tale of Music, Murder, and Monsters The Horror of Party Beach comic book 1965 Academy Award Winners Weaver, Tom. Interviews with B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers Theme music composed by Neil Dube. www.pond5.com Contact: zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com www.zombiestrainspodcast.com Follow us on Andy's Substack "Fortress of Regret" Instagram Facebook

1h 30m
JAN 14

We Bury the Dead (2026)

After an experimental weapon devastates Tasmania, Ava Newman (Daisy Ridley) joins a body retrieval unit to find her missing husband. There's just one little catch--and you've probably guessed what it is, since this is a zombie movie podcast. Where does this melancholy tale of loss and regret belong in the evolutionary tree of zombie cinema? John and Andy break into the Zombie Strains lab late at night to put WE BURY THE DEAD (2026) under the microscope. (The first half of this episode is spoiler-free; we clearly state when the spoiler discussion starts.) Theme music composed by Neil Dube. www.pond5.com Contact: zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com www.zombiestrainspodcast.com Follow us on Andy's Substack "Fortress of Regret" Instagram Facebook

1h 5m
JAN 7

The Man from Planet X (1951)

A mysterious planet is hurtling toward Earth. An alien spacecraft with a zombie-creating ray has landed in the Scottish moors. And those might not actually be the villains in this Atomic Age cautionary tale! John, Andy, and Producer Brad head back to 1951 to take stock of THE MAN FROM PLANET X, a zombie film that manages to rise above its shoestring budget and remind us who the real monsters are. Show Notes: Theatrical release date: April 27, 1951 AFI Catalog entry 1952 Academy Award Winners LA Time obituary for Robert Clarke NY Times obituary for Margaret Field NY Times obituary for Harold Gould NY Time obituary for William Schallert Interviews with B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers, Tom Weaver Theme music composed by Neil Dube. Additional music by Elarasound. www.pond5.com Additional voice work by Russell Bentley. Contact: zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com www.zombiestrainspodcast.com Follow us on Andy's Substack "Fortress of Regret" Instagram Facebook

1h 30m
12/17/2025

The Mad Ghoul (1943)

Dr. Alfred Morris (George Zucco) has a deadly new obsession: an ancient Mayan nerve gas that creates a state of "death in life." When his star pupil Ted Allison (David Bruce) becomes the unwitting guinea pig, he is transformed into a subservient ghoul who requires fresh human hearts to survive. Is this a simple Jekyll-and-Hyde knockoff, or is there a strain of zombie DNA to be found amidst all the heart-harvesting and the love rectangle? John, Andy, and Producer Brad venture back to 1943 to find out whether or not The Mad Ghoul is a vital link in the undead evolutionary chain. SHOW NOTES: Theatrical release date: November 12, 1943 AFI Catalog entry Evelyn Anker's New York Time's obituary George Zucco's New York Time's obituary Turhan Bey's The Guardian obituary TCM review of The Mad Ghoul Jack Pierce's makeup for The Man Who Laughed (1929) Theme music composed by Neil Dube. Additional music by Elarasound. www.pond5.com Additional voice work by Russell Bentley. Contact: zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com www.zombiestrainspodcast.com Follow us on Andy's Substack "Fortress of Regret" Instagram Facebook

1h 20m
12/10/2025

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Every day, scientist Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) wakes up to the same routine: scrounge for food. Repair his shelter. Head to town... and kill every vampire he finds there. How did he wind up as The Last Man on Earth(1964)? Is there any hope left for him after the apocalypse? And is it possible that this vampire movie is the biggest evolutionary leap forward in the zombie genre so far? John, Andy, and Producer Brad grab their stakes and garlic and brace for an apocalyptic zombie film that paves the way toward Night of the Living Dead. SHOW NOTES: Theatrical release date: May 6, 1964 Cemetery Dance interview with Richard Matheson New York Times article on Robert Lippert and his troubles with the Screen Actors Guild. 9/9/1965 New York Times article announcing Sears and Roebuck's Vincent Price Collection. 6/9/1962. Observer article on The Vincent Price Collection opening in Denver, CO. Talking Heads Remain in Light press kit with bibliography. April 21, 1988 Rolling Stone interview with David Byrne. Rob Zombie and Waxwork Records release The Last Man on Earth soundtrack. TCM podcast The Plot Thickens - Season 6 - Cleopatra Theme music composed by Neil Dube. Additional music by Elarasound. www.pond5.com Additional voice work by Russell Bentley. www.pond5.com Additional music by Contact: zombiestrainspodcast@gmail.com www.zombiestrainspodcast.com Follow us on Andy's Substack "Fortress of Regret" Instagram Facebook

1h 26m

See All (57)

4.9

out of 5

8 Ratings

Nearly perfect podcast

11/08/2025

It's alright; I'm a doctor.

This podcast series has educated me about a lot of films I only knew of by title or not at all. It made me finally see Creature with the Atom Brain, for example. But the lack of consideration and analysis of Plan 9 was disappointing and puzzling. As I write this, the series is moving from the 50s to the 60s. Please, smart hosts, read (even skim) the 1954 novel I Am Legend. This novel precedes even Creature with the Atom Brain as a science-oriented story (versus supernatural), was adapted into film as The Last Man on Earth, which Romero (by his own admission) copied as Night of the Living Dead, and eliminates the voodoo-oriented concept of the “controlled” zombie (which had been continued in Atom Brain and Plan 9, and in a different way in Invisible Invaders). It also might be the first example of the concept of the zombie “plague.” It was adapted into film twice more. The heroes of the three direct adaptations are played by Vincent Price, then Charlton Heston, then Will Smith.

Creator

John Corey, Andy Rau, Bradley Dumont
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

57
Rating

Explicit
Show Website

Zombie Strains

Zombie Strains

An Evening with Batman and Robin (1965)

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)

The Horror of Party Beach (1964)

We Bury the Dead (2026)

The Man from Planet X (1951)

The Mad Ghoul (1943)

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Ratings & Reviews

Nearly perfect podcast

About

Information

Zombie Strains

Episodes

An Evening with Batman and Robin (1965)

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)

The Horror of Party Beach (1964)

We Bury the Dead (2026)

The Man from Planet X (1951)

The Mad Ghoul (1943)

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Ratings & Reviews

About

Information