Editorials
Meet the Monsters: Getting to Know Ghidorah Before He Rears His Ugly Heads in ‘King of the Monsters’
Want to know more about Godzilla‘s foes and compatriots in the monster world? Take this opportunity, in the precious days before the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, to look over this profile of King Ghidorah, Godzilla’s arch-nemesis.
Name: King Ghidorah
Etymology: “Ghidorah” is derived from the Japanese word hidora, meaning hydra. He is called “King” because, well, he’s the king. But only until Godzilla takes him out.
Species: Golden hydra
Description: Three-headed, armless, winged bipedal dragon.
Abilities: King Ghidorah can fly, cause gale-force winds with its wings, and breathe “gravity beams” from its mouths. He can also survive in space.
First Appearance: Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Actors Who Played Him: Shoichi Hirose, Susumu Utsumi, Kanta Ina, Hurricane Ryu, Tsutomu Kitagawa, Akira Ohashi, Jason Liles, Alan Maxson, Richard Dorton.
Rundown: King Ghidorah has traditionally been the central recurring super-villain monster of the Godzilla franchise. While Godzilla himself can alternately be a destroyer or a protector of mankind, King Ghidorah is always (with one exception) hellbent on global annihilation. In his first film, Ghidorah is credited for destroying the people of the planet Venus, and has now set his six eyes on Earth.
Ghidorah is typically depicted as being much more powerful than Godzilla, and Godzilla is often seen teaming up with other monsters in order to kill him. In the 1964 film, Ghidorah is taken out by Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan. In Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), Ghidorah is taken out by just Godzilla and Rodan. In Destroy All Monsters (1968), it takes an army of Toho monsters (Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, but also Kumonga, Anguirus, Gorosaurus, and Godzilla’s son Minilla) to take down Ghidorah. There is only one monster that has typically always been at Ghidorah’s side, and that’s Gigan, a metallic, hook-handed bird creature.
Origin: In the first Godzilla continuity, called the Showa Era, Ghidorah is an impossibly ancient space-dwelling creature in the Lovecraftian vein that falls under the thrall of a series of malevolent aliens who seek to use him to conquer earth.
In the second continuity, the Heisei era, Ghidorah was the result of a nuclear blast, just like Godzilla. In Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), the film’s human protagonists travel back in time to the 1940s to discover, on a remote island, the still-living dinosaur that would eventually be exposed to radiation to create Godzilla. The time-traveling aliens accidentally leave a trio of cute little alien critters called dorats in the 1940s. The dorats would also be exposed to radiation, and would eventually merge together, forming King Ghidorah.
In the third continuity, the Millennium era, Ghidorah was born when the soul of a murdered Mothra merged with a lesser Ghidorah creature, forming the golden dragon we all know and love. This was depicted in Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) also known as simply GMK. GMK is the only instance wherein King Ghidorah is seen as a protector, rather than a destructor, of mankind. It’s also one of a handful of films in the Godzilla franchise that acts like a direct sequel to the 1954 original, ignoring most of the continuities to come before it.
In the fourth Godzilla continuity, an anime trilogy set 20,000 years in the future, King Ghidorah has evolved into a form of energy, passing through wormholes and granted with the new ability to essentially turn into a shadow. Godzilla, meanwhile, has continued to grow on an abandoned Earth, standing larger than all previous Godzillas by a long shot (the Godzilla in the 2014 film stood over 100 meters. The anime Godzilla is about 300 meters tall).
Commentary: King Ghidorah, over the course of the films, is seen as being under the control of wrathful villains who are keen on world destruction, giving him the mantle of other peoples’ hate. If Godzilla can be seen as a metaphor for the nuclear bomb (the most common critical interpretation of the creature), King Ghidorah might represent resentment, hate, and bitter feelings of vengeance after a destructive act. With King Ghidorah being more powerful than Godzilla, we can see that hatred, spite, and revenge are much more destructive forces than any bomb.
Ghidorah returns to the screen in King of the Monsters, opening this weekend.
No conversation about cartoons based on live-action movies is ever complete without mentioning The Real Ghostbusters.
This animated continuation is, warts and all, a notable example of turning a hit movie into a hit series. And although the new target demographic skewed a little younger, even kids-at-heart could partake in the further adventures of Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore and Egon Spengler.
For a good part of its run, the show required fans to wait at least a week for more Ghostbustin’. That’s torture for a kiddo. Luckily, though, the entire series, or at least most of it, is now available for streaming.
So, as you revisit The Real Ghostbusters on Tubi—for now it’s just the first five seasons there—use this guide to help prioritize some must-see episodes.
The Boogieman Cometh
“The Boogieman Cometh” (Season 1)
Season One’s “The Boogieman Cometh” is a classic episode featuring one of the show’s more iconic villains. It’s hard to forget the unique character design used for the Boogieman (whose creepy voice was provided by Ray and Slimer’s actor, Frank Welker). In this story, Egon is reunited with that bump-in-the-night entity who haunted his own childhood, all while trying to keep him away from his latest targets: the brother and sister claiming to have the Boogieman in their closet. Although the Ghostbusters do save the day here, the Boogieman eventually returns (“The Bogeyman Is Back“). That same episode also features the love-’em-or-hate-’em Junior Ghostbusters.
Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream
“Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” (Season 1)
You could say the namesake of “Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” had good intentions for putting mankind to sleep for the next few centuries—he wanted to end war and keep everyone dreaming. Sounds nice until you remember that whole free will business. But when it seems like the Ghostbusters have lost to their latest foe, the last one standing, Winston, gains a sudden ally. Janine’s dream of becoming a Ghostbuster is manifested, and she helps put this rogue spirit to bed.
When Halloween Was Forever
“When Halloween Was Forever” (Season 1)
Before the show’s execs capitalized on Slimer’s popularity by making him the focus of later episodes, early stories like “When Halloween Was Forever” better utilized that gooey ghost. Here, the spirit of Halloween itself, Samhain, hopes to make the holiday a permanent thing by stopping time. And who does the embodiment of All Hallows’ Eve use in his nefarious plot? Slimer, of course. Thankfully, the lil’ green bud knows where he really belongs, and Samhain is banished (at least until Season 3’s “Halloween II 1/2“).
Night Game
“Night Game” (Season 2)
Because Season Two was rather long, in comparison to other seasons, it accumulated quite a few solid episodes. One of the most beloved, though, is that ultimate good-versus-evil story, “Night Game“. Winston gets to shine here as he participates in a battle that was 500 years in the making. Except this time, the fighting is done on the baseball field. The other-dimensional settings in The Real Ghostbusters are always great, but the one here is particularly memorable.
Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin
“Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” (Season 2)
Not all ghosts and whatnot were bad in The Real Ghostbusters. As “Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” showed, some were actually benevolent. Sadly, it took a lot of convincing, and one very heroic act, for Peter and the others to see past this goblin’s grotesque appearance. The heroes find more than one shapeshifter at a sideshow carnival in the Poconos; a sinister Class-4er called the Metamorph does a swell job of menacing the Ghostbusters before they finally realize Drool’s not their culprit. The good guys indeed win here, but that victory is a bittersweet one.
The Collect Call of Cathulhu
“The Collect Call of Cathulhu” (Season 2)
While “The Collect Call of Cathulhu” does misspell “Cthulhu” in the title (probably to avoid legal issues), it is clearly the Old One in this Lovecraft-inspired episode. The story kicks off with the Necronomicon being stolen by the deity’s modern-day cult, who then raise their ancient god at Coney Island. From there, the Ghostbusters’ typical methods don’t work on the big guy, so they seek advice from an old issue of Weird Tales (or “Wierd Tales”, as it’s spelled on screen). That build-up to the finale comes with a decent amount of dread before the Ghostbusters, as well as a scholar named Alice, face off with one of the show’s most powerful entities.
Knock, Knock
“Knock, Knock” (Season 2)
A number of Real Ghostbusters episodes could be reworked into big-screen features, but perhaps “Knock, Knock” is the most hopeful. It helps that this story feels in step with the first two movies. Here, some ignorant construction workers accidentally uncover and open an ancient door in the subway. What’s behind said door is none other than those unspeakable evils that only the Ghostbusters can quell. A good deal of the imagery here is prime for adaptation.
The Grundel
“The Grundel” (Season 3)
One of the darker episodes, which was written by the prominent J. Michael Straczynski, is “The Grundel“. Here, a boy is being influenced by the titular entity, a type of ghost who ultimately turns his targets into new Grundels. The episode does have something of an after-school special quality to it, but that doesn’t take away from the eerier moments. For more Grundel lore, be sure to check out the episode “Grundelesque” from the sequel series, Extreme Ghostbusters.
Standing Room Only
“Standing Room Only” (Season 4)
It’s no secret that The Real Ghostbusters experienced multiple changes after the second season. Out of all of them, though, retooling the show so that Slimer would get more of the spotlight is maybe the most egregious. Thankfully, Season Four (the first to be called Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters) didn’t completely obey that new directive; episodes like “Standing Room Only” felt more like the old days. The focus here was on the well-being of the city and its people, rather than on the series’ green mascot (or the Junior Ghostbusters). In the episode, Peter’s new ghost attractor isn’t to blame for the ensuing chaos; the ghost-eating Mee-Krah is what’s really imperiling everyone. And the Ghostbusters must dish out everything they have to avoid a doomsday situation.
The Halloween Door
“The Halloween Door” (Season 5)
While many fans will skip the later seasons in their rewatches, episodes like “The Halloween Door” are still worth checking out. This colorful helping of Halloween pandemonium premiered on primetime, so the animation is better than usual. And save for a random musical moment, it’s an enjoyable event. Here, a group of anti-Halloweeners tries to cancel the holiday, but they only end up making things worse by unleashing a baddie named Boogaloo.
The first five seasons of The Real Ghostbusters are available on Tubi, starting on July 15.
You must be logged in to post a comment.