- Garden of the Dead (1972)
In our first zombie prison movie, a group of incarcerated, formaldehyde-sniffing bad seeds make a break for it, but their plan gets nipped in the bud when the prison guards mow them down. The situation gets even thornier when undead horror quickly blooms from the shallow soil. Will everyone wind up pushing daisies? John, Andy, and Producer Brad grab their pruning shears and head into the GARDEN OF THE DEAD.
SHOW NOTES:
US Theatrical Release Date: August 23, 1972
AFI|Catalog - Garden of the Dead
The 10 Best SFX Makeup Artists Of All Time
Before Pixels, There Was Fire
S3E13 - 1h 25m - Oct 14, 2026 - Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972)
We've been wondering when the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD knockoffs would arrive. Well, they're officially here, starting with CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS! This movie hides its twenty minutes of solid Romero-style zombie action behind an hour of bizarre drama involving a team of actors, their sadistic director, and lot of black magic mumbo-jumbo. John, Andy, and Producer Brad explore a cult classic that makes them wonder if they should've listened to their parents and stayed far away.
SHOW NOTES:
US Theatrical Release: 1972
AFI|Catalog - Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things
Canuxploitation Interview: Bob Clark
BOB CLARK Explains Why CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS | RUE MORGUE ARCHIVES
Carl Fischer The Bass Grimoire | Guitar Center
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
Additional music by Elarasound.
Additional voice work by Russell Bentley.
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S3E12 - 1h 22m - Oct 7, 2026 - Baron Blood (1972)
It's probably a bad idea to try and resurrect somebody named Baron Blood, right? Especially in a medieval castle with a torture dungeon, an iron maiden, and lots of spikes that could conveniently be used for impalings. Nonetheless, that's exactly what our bold (or foolish) heroes do in this strangely compelling low-budget Italian zombie film directed by the legendary Mario Bava. Will John, Andy, and Producer Brad survive this run-in with an off-brand Dracula and his dungeon full of zombies?
SHOW NOTES:
US Theatrical Release Date: October 27, 1972
Italian Theatrical Release Date: February 25, 1972
The 30 best classic horror movies of all time
Variety The 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time
Joseph Cotten, 88, Is Dead; Actor on Stage and in Films - The New York Times
Quiet Quality: The Life and Films of Joseph Cotten - Best Movies by Farr
The Siberian Hell Sounds - Skeptoid
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S3E11 - 1h 27m - Sep 30, 2026 - Resident Evil (2026)
Scarce ammunition, locked doors, a sewer level, and of course, loads of disgusting bio-mutant zombies: everything that scared you when you first ventured into Spencer Mansion on your 90s-era Playstation is here in Zach Cregger's take on RESIDENT EVIL (2026). So does the much-lauded director of WEAPONS and BARBARIAN successfully evoke the famous horror video game series without stumbling into the usual video game-adaptation pitfalls? And amid all the goo and gunfire, does Resident Evil add anything significant to the family tree of zombie cinema?
Show Notes:
US Theatrical Release Date: September, 2026
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S3E10 - 1h 6m - Sep 26, 2026 - Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972)
Just because they can't see you doesn't mean they can't catch you and tear you apart! John, Andy, and Producer Brad journey across the Atlantic to Spain in the waning days of the Franco regime, where they confront a Euro-horror cult classic that combines lurid exploitation with sharp social commentary. Expect spooky castles, zombie Templars, and a psychedelic confrontation with the undead in a mannequin factory!
Show Notes:
US Theatrical Release Date: February, 1973
Legend of the Zombie Crusaders
Amando de Ossorio.O último templario.Parte 1
Amando de Ossorio.O último templario.Parte 2
Yeah, You Know Giallo — But There’s Another European Horror Movement You're Missing Out On
HORROR EUROPA — Mark Gatiss Explores Europe’s Darkest Cinema (2012)
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S3E9 - 1h 40m - Sep 16, 2026 - Blood of Ghastly Horror (1971)
Director Al Adamson's 1965 heist film, PSYCHO A-GO-GO flopped. So in 1969, he hired John Carradine to play a mad scientist, shot new scenes, and retitled it THE FIEND WITH THE ELECTRONIC BRAIN. That, too, flopped. Adamson hired Tommy Kirk in 1971 and shot more new scenes and released it with another new title, BLOOD OF GHASTLY HORROR. Will John, Andy, and Producer Brad be able to keep all this mayhem straight? And will they find an actual zombie movie at the bottom of this genre jumble?
Show Notes:
US Release Date: 1971
Dendle, Peter. THE ZOMBIE MOVIE ENCYCLOPEDIA
Kay, Glenn. ZOMBIE MOVIES: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
HORROR DIRECTOR SLAIN, ENTOMBED BENEATH HIS TUB – Deseret News
The Murder Of Director Al Adamson – Original Cinemaniac
The Old Oregon Trail (1928) A Silent Film Review
BOOKS OF THE TIMES: Superman at 50!
Shades of Gray: The Life and Death of the Oft-overlooked Master - The Comics Journal
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S3E8 - 1h 37m - Sep 9, 2026 - Colony (2026)
One giant high-rise in downtown Seoul. Hundreds of people going about their everyday lives inside. Add one mad scientist with a vision for a fungus zombie hivemind apocalypse, and you have the recipe for a wild zombie action film! Director Yeon Sang-ho has already given us two modern zombie classics ("Train to Busan" and "Peninsula") but he's not done with us yet. John and Andy take a quick detour to modern-day South Korea to catch the latest from one of zombie cinema's rising stars.
Show Notes:
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S3E7 - 1h 17m - Sep 3, 2026 - I Drink Your Blood / I Eat Your Skin (1971)
Get ready for the grindhouse! In this zombie double feature, the Zombie Strains team faces down two very different sides of zombie cinema. First up is the ultraviolent schlockfest I DRINK YOUR BLOOD, followed by the curiously retro I EAT YOUR SKIN. One of these is our first glimpse of 70s grindhouse, and the other might be the last dying groan of the traditional voodoo zombie. Which path will John, Andy, and Producer Brad choose?
Show Notes:
AFI|Catalog - I Drink Your Blood
Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury Papers, 1930-2003
Rabies in the United States: Protecting Public Health | Rabies | CDC
Katherine Dunham dancer Vanoye Aikens passes - New York Amsterdam News
A Woman Ahead of Her Time: Katherine Dunham and Afro-Caribbean Dance
Katherine Dunham | Queen Mother Of Black Dance (Biography)
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S3E6 - 1h 27m - Aug 26, 2026 - What's So Scary About the 1970s?
Crime waves... Watergate... disco... 70s zombies don't rise from the dead in a vacuum! The 70s was the decade that horror broke into the mainstream. So what lurking fears of the 1970s were exploited and amplified by zombie cinema? John and Andy take a little break from the regular lineup of zombie movies to talk through what exactly was so scary about the groovy 70s.
Show Notes:
Us Theatrical Release Date:
The Cinema of Solitude by Charles Ramírez Berg
Shock Value by Jason Zinoman
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S3E5 - 57m - Aug 19, 2026 - The Omega Man (1971)
The end of the world was just the beginning of Robert Neville's problems. Sure, he's set up in a swanky post-apocalyptic penthouse suite, but he's cursed to spend his days and nights battling a Luddite cult of zombie hippies! John, Andy, and Producer Brad brave their first big-budget Hollywood zombie epic of the 1970s. Will this action blockbuster, another adaptation of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, contribute as much to zombie cinema as its 1964 predecessor did?
Show Notes:
Us Theatrical Release Date: August 1, 1971
Kinney National Company | Logo Timeline Wiki | Fandom
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S3E4 - 1h 34m - Aug 13, 2026 - Snake People (1971)
What happens when zombie horror gets put on a collision course with... the early 20th century temperance movement? Add a toucan, a snake dancer, acid trips, and Boris Karloff (and did we mention all the snakes?), and you have SNAKE PEOPLE. John, Andy, and Producer Brad return to the voodoo roots of zombie cinema in a film that combines decades-old horror cliches with the salacious sentiments of 1970s exploitation films.
Show Notes:
US Theatrical Release: March, 1971
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S3E3 - 1h 10m - Aug 5, 2026 - The World of the Dead (1970)
Teleporting zombies. A tortured antihero. A sinister satanic cult. Only one man can save the day! The world's greatest luchador Santo returns to Zombie Strains for one last match against the undead. This time, the horror begins in colonial New Spain, travels to 1971 Mexico, and culminates in a trip to hell itself. John, Andy, and Brad don their masks and capes for one last wrestling match against zombies, witches, and demons.
Show Notes:
Mexican Release Date: October 1, 1970
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
Additional music by Elarasound.
Additional voice work by Russell Bentley.
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S3E2 - 1h 9m - Jul 29, 2026 - Santo and Blue Demon vs The Monsters (1970)
Santo's back, and so are his wrestling zombie enemies! He might be facing a full rogue's gallery of classic Hollywood monsters, but he's not alone in the fight. He's joined by the mysterious luchador Blue Demon... at least until Blue Demon is cloned and turned against Santo. There's just so much to deal with in our first 1970s zombie film that we called in some backup to help us wrestle with it: Javier Grillo-Marxuach (writer for Lost, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Witcher, and more). Grab yourself a ringside seat and find out who's still standing at the end of SANTO AND BLUE DEMON VS. THE MONSTERS.
Show Notes:
Mexican Release: May, 1970
History/Review of Santo and Blue Demon vs the Monsters
S3E1 - 1h 34m - Jul 22, 2026 - The Avengers - "Return of the Cybernauts" (1967)
Don your most posh bowler hat, squeeze into your brightly-colored jumpsuit, and grab your umbrella sword. We're on a mission to Swinging London! John and Andy once again commandeer the Zombie Strains lab to visit the '60s spy-fi hit THE AVENGERS. See what happens when secret agents John Steed and Emma Peel face off against a two-pronged zombie threat... and find out what 1960s network TV was doing with the concept of the zombie.
Show Notes:
The Fashion Guide to "The Avengers" season 5: John Steed, and Emma Peel
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S2E48 - 1h 0m - Jul 8, 2026 - Thriller - "Pigeons from Hell" (1961)
Pigeons aren't the scariest bird... UNLESS they team up with vengeful zombies in the post-Civil War South. Then they become a force to be reckoned with! John and Andy take a swampy detour on the trail of PIGEONS FROM HELL, a 1961 episode of the TV show "Thriller" based on a short story by pulp maestro Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan and other pulp heroes). Will they survive the night camped out in this creepy, pigeon-infested plantation?
S2E47 - 53m - Jun 30, 2026 - Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)
Bunny isn't the only thing missing in BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (1965)! There's also no trace of zombies. Or is there? In the interlude between Zombie Strains seasons, John and Andy take a curious detour into a psychological thriller about a possibly delusional mother's quest to find her possibly non-existent missing child. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, and you just might pick up the trail of a very unique kind of "zombie."
Show Notes:
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S2E46 - 59m - Jun 10, 2026 - Season 2 Wrap-Up
Against all odds, we've survived to the end of the 1960s! What have we learned about zombies along the way? What were the unexpected delights and the unprecedented horrors of the last twenty years of zombie cinema? John, Andy, and Brad wrap up season 2 of Zombie Strains--and brace themselves for the coming disco era--by reflecting on the remarkable ways that zombies evolved through the 1950s and 60s.
Show Notes:
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S2E45 - 1h 28m - Jun 3, 2026 - Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Seven terrorized survivors. One isolated farmhouse. And one endless horde of the living dead. It's time to confront the patient zero of modern zombie film, Night of the Living Dead (1968)! In addition to guns, torches, and survival supplies, John, Andy, and Brad are bringing all the knowledge of zombie cinema they've gained from watching four decades of zombie movies. What did this masterpiece invent? What did it draw from previous films? And will all that accumulated zombie trivia help John, Andy, and Brad survive the night?
Show Notes:
US Theatrical Release Date: October 4, 1968
Did George Romero Ever Think Pittsburgh was Scary?
The Empire Film Podcast with George Romero
Mister Rogers Gets a Tonsillectomy - Directed by George Romero
Perspective: An Appreciation of Duane Jones | University of Pittsburgh
Marilyn Eastman Dies: ‘Night of the Living Dead’ Actress & Producer Was 87
Birth of the Living Dead (2013 documentary)
The Top Ten Best Low Budget Horror Movies of All Time
Interview Magazine, 1969 Night of the Living Dead Review
Cahiers du cinema, 1970 Night of the Living Dead Review
Variety, October 15, 1968. Night of the Living Dead: Film Review
New York Times, December 5, 1968. Night of the Living Dead Review
Roger Ebert's January, 5, 1969, reaction to Night of the Living Dead
Fred Rogers: The Last Interview and Other Conversations. Melville House
Williams, Tony. George A. Romero Interviews. University Press of Mississippi
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S2E44 - 2h 18m - May 20, 2026 - Dr. Satan vs. Black Magic (1968)
How do you take down a vampire mastermind who's out to conquer the world? You send in hell's most dangerous secret agent! Aided by his zombie henchwomen, the enigmatic antihero Dr. Satan must match wits with the bloodsucking Yei Lin in a wild series of heists, assassinations, and intrigues. Who will be the last one standing? John, Andy, and Brad venture into the deadly world of the Mexican vampire/zombie/devil/spy movie Dr. Satán y la magia negra (1968) (AKA Dr. Satan vs. Black Magic) to find out.
Show Notes:
US Theatrical Release Date: 1968
Ciuk, Perla. DICCIONARIO DIRECTORES CINE MEXICANO (2000)
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
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S2E43 - 57m - May 6, 2026 - The Astro-Zombies (1968)
Show favorite John Carradine is back as Dr. DeMarco in 1968’s THE ASTRO-ZOMBIES. DeMarco has figured out how to create enhanced humans (don't call them zombies!) for the space program, but now everyone wants his secret. The CIA must find DeMarco before the sinister Satana (Zura Satana) and her gang of thugs steal the secret of the Astro-Zombies for their own sinister purposes. Who will reach him first? Why has one of Astro-zombies gone on a mad killing spree? Will Dr. DeMarco ever stop speaking in techno-babble? Join the Zombie Strains team in pursuit of The Astro-Zombies to find out what makes them kill!
Show Notes:
US Theatrical Release Date: May, 1968
Theme music composed by Neil Dube.
Additional music by Elarasound.
Additional voice work by Russell Bentley.
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1h 22m - Apr 29, 2026
