Monster Theater: X the Unknown (1956)

October 29, 2025December 11, 2025 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Leslie Norman. Written by Jimmy Sangster. Starring Dean Jagger, Edward Chapman, Leo McKern, Michael Ripper, Anthony Newley.

I’d love to offer a Halloween-themed review of an Ultra episode like last year. But the calendar didn’t align this time, and I had to use up the review of Ultraman Tiga’s Halloween episode in March. So to celebrate horror season this year, I’m returning to Hammer Films and the second of their influential Quatermass Films. The one that isn’t actually a Quatermass film but is trying to pass itself off as one — and doing a decent job of it. X the Unknown doesn’t have the intensity, pacing, or paranoia of the three true Quatermass films, but it’s still above average Atomic Age horror with intelligence, several strong performances, and a few genuinely chilling sequences.

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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 8: On the Night of Halloween

March 15, 2025December 11, 2025 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Yasushi Okada. Written by Masakazu Migita. Airdate Oct. 26, 1996.

The perfect Ultra episode for Halloween is Ultra Q’s “Baron Spider.” I timed that review for the holiday last year. This actual Halloween-themed episode — one of the few in the Ultra series — is arriving in time for, uhm, the Ides of March. As much as I’d also like to land this review on Halloween for some synergy, it’s not a huge loss. As holiday flings go, this one’s minor. It’s mostly interesting for showing how Japan celebrated Halloween before the explosion of mass cosplay parties in the 2010s.

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Ultra Q Ep. 9: Baron Spider

October 30, 2024April 29, 2025 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo. Airdate Feb. 27, 1966.

It’s Halloween, Ultra Ghouls! I timed this review for a night in the lonesome October, of my most Ultra Q year.

There’s only a handful of Halloween Ultra episodes. That’s no stunner; the holiday isn’t celebrated in Japan the same way it is in North America. It’s only been in the last 15 years that Halloween has taken off in the country with large-scale parties celebrating the national love of cosplay. “More excuses to cosplay? Great, we’ll take it!” But back in the Showa and Heisei eras, a Halloween Ultra episode wouldn’t have much draw. Ultraman Tiga has a lighthearted seasonal romp, “On the Night of Halloween,” but there’s not much else in the series where you’ll find grinning Jack O’Lanterns, costumed trick-or-treaters, and cackling witches in wide-brimmed hats riding broomsticks.

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October Is Here! About the Posting Schedule

October 1, 2024September 2, 2025 ~ Ryan Harvey

Welcome to the most wonderful month of the year. The month of imagination.

October is one of my busiest months, where I try to cram in as much seasonal viewing and reading as possible. Fortunately, I’ve got The Ultra Project onto a regular schedule, with two posts going up each week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I may have a few bonus posts pop up, but this is what you can expect for at least the next month. I already have all the regular October posts written and scheduled, with a special episode review falling on October 30th. I didn’t even have to go out of episode order to get this review to land on Devil’s Night. The timing just worked out, thanks to the Star of Ultra or something.

Thank you to all who have visited the site during its first month of existence. I’m hoping to draw more readers through October and keep the site moving until I fully break free of the Google sandbox. If you like my posts, please share them on social media. (That was my requisite bit of begging. Had to do it once.)