UC Santa Cruz Teaching & Learning Center

About UC Santa Cruz Teaching & Learning Center

MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to instruct on the nature of good and evil, right and wrong. But what happens when monsters get out of control, when the monstrous imagination starts to bleed over into the real world? What are the effects of monsters on real people's real lives? This podcast examines the histories and mysteries of some of our favorite monsters to unlock their secrets and expose their influence on our lives. Join podcast host Mike Halekakis (Boom! Knowledge) and monster expert Dr. Michael Chemers (The Monster in Theatre History: This Thing of Darkness) for a lively and hilarious discussion about the things that scare us the most.

Publisher

Mike Halekakis and Michael Chemers

Category

comedy · history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Jul 2022

Latest episode

9 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

26 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Oct 2026

   The Monsters of the Lord of the Rings, Part 2

   Doc and Mike continue their discussion about the monsters of the Lord of the Rings, with more on the orcs, giant spiders and the way women are depicted in Tolkien's world.

2. 

   2 Oct 2026

   The Show Where They Talk About Monsters: Episode 4.3 - Monsters of the Lord of the Rings Part 1

   Meat's back on the menu, boys! In today's episode, Doc and Mike discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and the monster that fills the rank and file of Mordor's armies, the orc! Tune in to hear them talk about the racialist origins of the orc, the orc accent, and the reason why Doc always likes to play orcs in his favorite video games and table top role playing games.

3. 

   24 Aug 2026

   The Show Where They Talk About Monsters: Episode 4.2 - Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein

   Welcome back! In this episode, Doc and Mike revisit the stories and themes surrounding Frankenstein's monster! They discuss: the dawn of the age of artificial intelligence; Guillermo del Toro's recent film adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel; and del Toro's self-professed commitment to being faithful to the spirit of the monster. While the film takes liberties with the details of the legend, does the reimagined tale still resonate with audiences today? Listen in to find out!

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

19 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 37 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

46

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

71

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.