“When the red moon sets and the sun rises in the West, two monsters will appear to save the people.” But first, you have to listen to the song. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – and as they try to keep the aliens, monsters, and good guys straight, while learning a few wrestling moves on the side, in the kaiju romp from Toho known as Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974).
Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 134 – Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
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Ape-like aliens build a robotic Godzilla to destroy Japan, and the true Godzilla may not be powerful enough to destroy it.
IMDb
- Director: Jun Fukuda
- Writers: Jun Fukuda, Hiroyasu Yamaura (as Hiroyasu Yamamura)
- Story by: Masami Fukushima, Shin’ichi Sekizawa
- Selected Cast:
- Masaaki Daimon as Keisuke Shimizu
- Kazuya Aoyama as Masahiko Shimizu
- Akihiko Hirata as Professor Hideto Miyajima
- Hiroshi Koizumi as Professor Wagura
- Reiko Tajima as Saeko Kanagusuku
- Hiromi Matsushita as Ikuko Miyajima
- Goro Mutsumi as Kuronuma, Black Hole Alien Leader
- Shin Kishida as Nanbara, Interpol Agent
- Takayasu Torii as Tamura, Interpol Agent
- Bellbella Lin as Nami Kunigami, the Azumi Royal Family Princess (as Barbara Lynn)
- Masao Imafuku as Tengan Kunigami, the Azumi Royal Family High Priest
- Daigo Kusano as Yanagawa, Alien Agent #1
- Kenji Sahara as Ship Captain
- Isao Zushi as Godzilla
- Ise Mori as Mechagodzilla
- Kinichi Kusumi as Anguirus / King Shîsâ (as Momoru Kusumi)
It’s Chad’s pick this episode and he first learned of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla from a trailer he saw while watching Sanford and Son and he immediately knew he had to see it, even if he had to walk uphill both ways the three miles to the theater. He is a big fan of The Six Million Dollar Man and thought Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla was the best thing he’d ever seen. Even now, he had a blast watching the movie despite its cheese factor. Bill, a huge kaiju fan, has always liked Mechagodzilla and its Swiss Army knife arsenal of weaponry. As always, Jeff is playing catch up with the rest of the 70s Grue-Crew when it comes to kaiju, but he loved the explosions! They “blowed” up stuff real good! Doc is also a lover of kaiju and monster films and was gaga over the four monsters in this one – the title characters, Anguirus, and King Shisa – and the wrestling moves the monsters utilize.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla gets a big thumbs up from the 70s Grue-Crew! (Don’t they all?) The film is currently available for streaming on HBOmax and The Criterion Channel, and on Blu-ray disc in the Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975 Box Set from Criterion.
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be Damien: Omen II (1978), chosen by Doc! Be sure to join us for that one.
We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.
Jeff has written for Horrornews.net and SQ Horror Magazine. He currently writes for Gruesome Magazine and is a co-host of the Decades of Horror podcasts - The Classic Era, 1970s, and 1980s - and the Gruesome Magazine Podcast.
