MONSTER PARTY

James Gonis, Shawn Sheridan, Larry Strothe, and Matt Weinhold

Details

What happens when four Comic Con hardened sci-fi/horror fans sit around some microphones, slam down cocktails, and argue about all things monstrous? It's a podcast called Monster Party! You have been warned.

Recent Episodes

SEP 23, 2026
GORILLA SUITS!!! With AARON LAPLANTE!
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?
119 MIN
SEP 9, 2026
CELEBRATING HORROR OLD & NEW!!! With MIKE D McCARTY and JAMES KNIGHT!
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"?
130 MIN
AUG 26, 2026
TOPIC FREE-FOR-ALL: SKULLABALOO!!! With KEN DALY!
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)
103 MIN