Horror Patch’s HALLOWEEN MONSTER MASH – Day 1!

As our favorite month of the year, October begins, we are kicking off the inaugural first day of Horror Patch’s HALLOWEEN MONSTER MASH! In this new feature, we will showcase the best monster movies ever made during each day of the month, leading up to Halloween.

In no particular order, let’s begin:

Day 1

GODZILLA aka Gojira (1954)

Godzilla (ゴジラ, Gojira)[c] is a 1954 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Studios, it is the first film in the Godzilla franchise and the Shōwa era. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as Godzilla. In the film, Japan’s authorities deal with the sudden appearance of a giant monster, whose attacks trigger fears of nuclear holocaust during post-war Japan. – Wikipedia

The film is widely recognized as the greatest monster movie ever made. Godzilla goes beyond a man-in-a-suit monster movie. Godzilla symbolizes the nuclear attacks that Japan suffered to end WWII. The monster himself and his rampages is a metaphor for the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In 1956, the film was Americanized when it was brought to the US. there was additional footage added with Raymond Burr and the name was changed to Godzilla, King of the Monsters. The original Japanese version is the superior viewing experience.

I have always been a huge fan of Godzilla and Toho’s numerous other kaiju films. Big G helped cement my love of monsters and horror and for that I will be eternally grateful. What better film to kick off our Halloween Monster Mash than with the grandaddy of them all – Godzilla!