01.14.2026 EYES!!! With MARC HERSHON!

ALL EYES ARE ON MONSTER PARTY!

JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD put on their protective goggles for an episode of true vision. Join us for this pulse-pounding podcast praising petrifying and provocative peepers that we’re proudly promoting as … EYES!!!

A few months back, we had a blast doing an episode called MONSTER TEETH, where we examined every example of chilling chompers that genre films could provide. In fact, this podcast was so much fun, we decided to tackle James Gonis’ worst nightmare. Since the eyes are one of the most vulnerable parts of the body (sorry, testicles. We’ll get to you some day.), they are the perfect soft target in a horror movie. And what would the reputation of sci-fi and fantasy films be without the occasional bug-eyed monster or rampaging cyclops?

Get ready for an ophthalmic onslaught of awesome orbs, including the slow but inevitable agony featured in Lucio Fulci’s Zombie, the creepy inventiveness of THE CRAWLING EYE, the cybernetic spider from JOHNNY QUEST, and the incandescent absurdity of kid-friendly kaiju, and MUCH, MUCH MORE!

Joining us for this cornea-crushing conversation is a loyal friend and supporter of MONSTER PARTY. He is an absurdly talented writer, actor, improviser, voice artist, journalist, podcaster, and has helped provide names for the world’s best-loved products. You will also know him as the screenwriter for the genre classics, SANTA JR. and MONSTER MAKERS. Please welcome back the man whose eyes we keep getting lost in… MARC HERSHON!

IN YOUR EYE, JAMES GONIS!

Guest(s)

Marc Hershon:

Follow Marc: Marc Hershon (@hershco) • Instagram profile

Key Topics Discussed

• Childhood Nightmares and Animation: The group explores the "simple and elegant" yet terrifying designs found in classic animation that left a lasting impact on them as young viewers.

• The Physicality of Special Effects: A deep dive into the evolution of practical makeup, specifically focusing on the discomfort and visual impact of early contact lens technology used to create monstrous or possessed looks.

• International Horror Collaborations: The hosts discuss the unique charm and history of joint film productions between Spanish, Italian, and Japanese studios during the 1960s and 70s.

• Legendary Horror Friendships: The episode highlights the real-life bonds between iconic genre actors and how their mutual support helped them through personal tragedies and professional challenges.

• Collectible Curiosities and "Failures": A humorous look at vintage monster merchandise, ranging from glow-in-the-dark novelties to legendary manufacturing oversights in 1970s action figure lines.

Timestamps

• 00:00:17 – Introduction to the "James's Worst Nightmare" edition - EYES!!!

• 00:03:04 – Meet the guest, "eye expert" and former roommate Mark Hershon.

• 00:05:47 – Childhood nightmares: The Robot Spy from Jonny Quest.

• 00:09:18 – Horror Express and the Cushing/Lee "bromance".

• 00:13:25 – The painful history of practical horror contact lenses.

• 00:23:43 – The Crawling Eye and 1950s Lovecraftian sci-fi.

• 00:34:11 – The "Patron Saint" of eye horror: Lucio Fulci’s Zombie.

• 00:48:20 – Folklore roots: The Japanese Tenome and Pan's Labyrinth.

• 01:03:11 – Classic trauma: X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes.

• 01:17:16 – Toy Time: Larry’s rant on "blind" Battlestar Galactica figures.

• 01:21:36 – Ray Harryhausen’s Cyclops in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.

• 01:33:01 – Argento’s Deep Red and the chilling puppet.

• 01:50:01 – Plugs for Marc’s new podcast Television with Marc Hershon.

• 01:58:12 – The "Eye Pun" segment

Resources/Links Mentioned

Films

• Horror Express (1972): A sci-fi horror film set on the Trans-Siberian Express where a prehistoric entity sucks memories out through victims' eyes, leaving them white and bleeding.

• The Man Who Fell to Earth: Mentioned for David Bowie’s iconic "alien" eyes featuring a split pupil.

• Not of This Earth (1957): A Roger Corman film where Paul Birch plays an alien who finds his thick, opaque contact lenses incredibly painful.

• Blade Runner: Opens with a giant eyeball dissolve and revolves around identifying Replicants via the Voight-Kampff eye test.

• Westworld (1973): Noted for its use of eye-reflection effects to distinguish robots from humans.

• The Crawling Eye (1958): Also known as The Trollenberg Terror, featuring giant telepathic eyes with tentacles that decapitate mountain climbers.

• It Conquered the World: Referenced for the "Beulah" turnip monster created by Paul Blaisdell.

• The Day the World Ended: Mentioned for its three-eyed mutant creature.

• Godzilla: Discussed in regards to the physical weight of the suits and the lack of latex rubber in early Japanese productions.

• A Clockwork Orange: Famous for the "Ludovico Technique" scene where Malcolm McDowell’s eyes are pried open by metal clamps.

• Working Girl: Humorously cited as a film Matt would need his eyes pried open to watch.

• Opera: A Dario Argento film where needles are taped under a woman's eyes so she is forced to watch a murder.

• Omen 2: A scene is recalled where ravens pluck out a victim's eyes.

• Un Chien Andalou: The 1929 surrealist short famous for the visceral, edited shot of a razor blade slicing a (calf's) eye.

• A Trip to the Moon: Georges Méliès' classic featuring a rocket landing directly in the eye of the Man in the Moon.

• Zombie (1979): Regarded by the hosts as the "patron saint" of eye horror for its grueling, slow-motion wood splinter scene.

• The Beyond: Another Fulci masterpiece filled with eye violence, including acid melting a face and a dangling eyeball.

• Dawn of the Dead: Mentioned as a baseline for comparing different styles of zombie gore.

• Evil Dead 2: Features a comedic "gag" where a flying eyeball lands directly in a character’s mouth.

• The Evil Dead (1981): Highlighted for the creepy, glazed white "possession" eyes that appeared very painful for the actors.

• Army of Darkness: Mentioned for its Ray Harryhausen influence and the eye-poking "Mini-Ash" sequence.

• Kamen Rider ZO: A Japanese mini-movie featuring a monster with eyeballs in its hands, predating Pan's Labyrinth.

• Anguish (1987): A surreal Spanish film about a man who collects eyes for his domineering mother.

• The Suicide Squad: Features the giant kaiju "Starro the Conqueror," a massive starfish with one central eye.

• Lifeforce: Mentioned for its misleading poster featuring a massive eyeball in space.

• The Green Slime (1968): Features one-eyed, tentacled aliens with a giant red split-pupil eye in the center of their faces.

• The Gate: Notable for a scene where an eye grows in the palm of a young Stephen Dorff’s hand.

• X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes: Starring Ray Milland as a doctor whose X-ray vision eventually drives him to pluck out his own eyes.

• Event Horizon (1997): Features Sam Neill’s character gouging his own eyes out because "where we're going, we won't need eyes to see".

• Eyes of Laura Mars (1978): A thriller where Faye Dunaway plays a photographer who "sees" through the eyes of a killer.

• The Eye: A Chinese film (remade in 2008 with Jessica Alba) about a blind woman who gains cornea transplants from a psychic.

• Battle Angel Alita: Mentioned for the main character's CGI-enhanced, oversized eyes.

• Suspiria: Features a terrifying kill preceded by a pair of eyes staring through a window in the rain.

• The Amityville Horror: Includes a brief shot of the red, glowing eyes of "Jodie the Pig".

• Dracula (1931): Noted for the lighting technique that pinpointed Béla Lugosi’s eyes.

• The Mummy (1932): Referenced for the iconic close-up of Boris Karloff’s eyes used on the film’s poster.

• Village of the Damned: Famous for the children with glowing, unblinking eyes.

• The 7th Voyage of Sinbad: Features Ray Harryhausen’s iconic breathing, blinking Cyclops.

• The Golden Voyage of Sinbad: Mentioned for the one-eyed centaur design.

• Total Recall (1990): Features the scientifically "ridiculous" scene where eyes bulge out on the surface of Mars.

• Basket Case: Focuses on the creature Belial, a parasitic twin with massive bulging eyes.

• Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Praised for the design of the high-tech alien eyes.

• Deep Red (1975): An Argento classic where the killer’s eyes are seen reflected in mirrors and knives.

• Dead and Buried (1981): Features a gruesome, underrated scene of a syringe being inserted into an eye.

• Minority Report: Tom Cruise must get an eye transplant to bypass biometric security.

• Friday the 13th Part III: Notable for a 3D effect where a character’s eye pops out toward the camera.

• Mansion of the Doomed: A film about a doctor removing people's eyes to restore his daughter's sight.

• Hostel: Features a sequence where a dangling eyeball is cut off with scissors.

• Eyeball: An Italian Giallo film about a killer who picks off tourists and removes their eyes.

• Horrors of the Black Museum: Famous for the "spiked binoculars" that puncture the eyes of an unsuspecting woman.

• Frankenstein (1931): Discussed for Jack Pierce’s makeup which used heavy eyelids to give Boris Karloff a piercing look.

• The Exorcist (1973): Praised for Dick Smith’s realistic and terrifying "possessed" eye makeup on Regan.

• The Terminator / T2: Features the iconic glowing red robotic eyes visible through damaged flesh.

• Rosemary’s Baby: Builds horror through the anticipation of the baby’s Satanic eyes.

• The Stepford Wives: Features a chilling reveal where Catherine Ross's eyes are shown to be completely black.

• Silence of the Lambs: Mentioned for Anthony Hopkins’ unblinking performance and a blood clot in Jodie Foster's eye.

• Star Wars: The Death Star trash compactor scene features a one-eyed creature (Dianoga).

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939): Cited for Charles Laughton’s realistic and tragic Quasimodo eye makeup.

• The Lord of the Rings: Features the iconic, fiery "Eye of Sauron".

• They Live: Aliens with bulging, "ghoul" eyes are revealed through special sunglasses.

• The Hills Have Eyes: Noted humorously because the hills do not, in fact, have eyes.

• The Beast with a Million Eyes: A classic example of a poster lying about the film's content.

• The Atomic Submarine: Features an encounter with a massive, underwater cyclops alien.

• Monster from the Ocean Floor: Features a similar underwater eyeball creature.

• Killers from Space: Features aliens famously created using ping-pong balls for eyes.

• Escape from New York: Mentioned in relation to James cosplaying as Snake Plissken, who wears an eye patch.

• Private Eyes (1980): Starring Don Knotts and Tim Conway.

• The Eye Creatures: A Larry Buchanan film featuring creatures covered in eyes.

Television

• Jonny Quest: Specifically Episode 8, "The Robot Spy," which features a terrifying black orb that transforms into a red eye with spider legs.

• Space Ghost: Noted for featuring a drone with a large eye and tentacles that infiltrated the controls of a ship.

• Star Trek: The episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (the alternate pilot) is discussed because actors Gary Lockwood and Sally Kellerman had to wear thick, silver-painted contact lenses that were incredibly painful.

• Ash vs. Evil Dead: Mentioned during a discussion about actress Dana DeLorenzo, who told the hosts she loved being covered in blood and goo for her role on the show.

• Ultraman Gaia: Features a kaiju (giant monster) called Gan-Q, which is essentially a massive walking eyeball.

• Johnny Sacco and His Flying Robot (also known as Giant Robo): Cited as having a great giant eye monster.

• Gegege no Kitarō: Features the character Medama-oyaji, who is a tiny eyeball with a small, naked body.

• Night Gallery: Mentioned for two specific segments: "The Girl with the Hungry Eyes (S3,E2)" and the pilot episode titled "Eyes," which was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Joan Crawford.

• The Outer Limits: The episode "The Mutant" is highlighted for featuring Warren Oates as a man with grapefruit-sized, unblinking eyes.

• The UFO Incident: A TV movie noted for its low-budget but effective "grey" aliens that had magnified, creepy eyes visible through masks.

• The Twilight Zone: Two episodes are discussed: "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" (noted for the unblinking third eye) and "The Fear" (noted for an astronaut figure with a giant eyeball).

• Battlestar Galactica (1978): Larry rants about the 1970s action figures based on this show because they lacked painted pupils, making characters like Adama and Starbuck look "blind".

Books, Comics, etc.

• Apt Pupil: A Stephen King story James enjoys despite his fear of eye gore.

• I Hate People: A book co-authored by the guest, Mark Hershon.

• Famous Monsters: The classic horror magazine mentioned as a childhood research tool and for its iconic covers.

• I Am the Doorway: A 1971 Stephen King short story about an astronaut with eyes growing out of his hands.

• Night Shift: Stephen King’s first short story collection, mentioned for its cover art (also includes “I Am the Doorway”).

• Remina: A Junji Ito story featuring a planet with a giant eye.

• Ghost Rider: A comic book series discussed for its visuals and the villain "The Orb".

• Tokyo Scope: A book by Patrick Macias featuring a specific interview about the monster Hedorah.

• The Great Gatsby: A book Shawn jokingly suggests having read to him while his house is being renovated.

• Succotash: Marc’s podcast that ran for 12 years.

• The Chill Pack Hollywood Hour: A podcast by Dean Haglund and Phil Larness.

• Television with Marc Hershon: Marc’s current podcast project.

• Fly on the Wall: A podcast with Dana Carvey and David Spade featuring Mark’s celebrity puppets.

• Ka-Bala: A 1970s glow-in-the-dark board game with a rolling eyeball.