KAIJU GAIDEN, a Documentary on Independent Kaiju Films, Needs Your Help on Kickstarter!!!!

Legendary Beast Wolfman vs Godzilla

Godzilla vs Seadora

Gamera 4: Truth

Intrigued yet?

No?

How about these…

Zeran (aka Rodan 2)

Atragon 2

Matango 2

Wolfman vs Baragon

Resurrection of Daimajin (Daimajin 4)

How about now?

… I thought so. :)

Believe it or not, these aren’t fan fics or pipe dreams… THEY ARE REAL, FEATURE LEANGTH KAIJU FILMS!!!!

And folks, these are just the tip of the iceburg…

Ever since the 1970’s, kaiju fans in Japan have been taking it upon themselves to contribute to and continue the legacy of our favorite genre by making their own films! Most of these films have languished in obscurity for decades, while some of these independent films have enjoyed moderate exposure, such as Shinpei Hayashiya’s legendary Gamera 4, his two original films Deep Sea Monster Reigo vs Battleship Yamato and Deep Sea Monster Raiga, as well as a few others such as Negadon: The Monster From Mars, Gehara, the Long Haired Monster, and G (The latter two by the same director, Kiyotaka Taguchi). But many others have all but disappeared, becoming reduced to mere rumors if they are remembered at all.

Until now!

Introducing Kaiju Gaiden, and independent documentary dedicated to finding and showcasing these films and their creators. David Hall and Mark Jaramillo (who has dedicated more than 13 years of his life to finding lost independent kaiju films) have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the post production on their film. The guys are in Japan right now, spending a week interviewing the filmmakers and capturing footage for their film. But… and you knew this was coming… they can’t put it all together and get it released without YOUR help!

For anyone lucky enough to attend G-FEST the last two years, you’ve probably witnessed the work and dedication of Mark, David, and the men and women who make these films! At G-FEST XX, Mark brought filmmaker Shizuo Nakajima, who showed some footage from his incredible, multi decade project Wolfman vs Godzilla, and at this year’s convention, Mark brought Hayashiya-san to talk about (and show footage of) his films! I was at both events, and let me tell you… it was mind blowingly amazing! I was even lucky enough to receive a copy of Hayshiya’s Deep Sea Monster Raiga DIRECTLY FROM HIM!!!! He had only 20 subtitled DVDs made, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have one!

But back to the documentary… these guys have assembled a killer crew to put this thing together, including Jesse Averna, a 4 time Emmy winning editor, Chris Oglio, composer and one of the masterminds behind the recent Ifukube 100 concert, and one of G-fandom’s best friends… Robert Scott Field, aka M11 from Godzilla vs King Ghidorah!

If just seeing incredibly rare footage of lost monster films isn’t enough to convince you to donate, then let’s talk rewards! Depending on what tier you donate at, expect to receive DVDs/Blu-rays, exclusive lobby card sets and posters (the Matt Frank version of which is shown above, and the other is by Jeff Zornow!), exclusive content/updates, your name in the credits, and even exclusive, limited edition chibi figures and a full bust of the Legendary Beast Wolfman! Seriously, this is awesome stuff!

If any of you out there can donate ANY amount, please do so! I definitely am, and get this… even if you only donate $25, you get a DVD copy when the film is released! These guys definitely deserve your help and support!

Check out their Kickstarter page here, for a full list of goals, rewards, and a video explaining the project:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/251839127/kaiju-gaiden

Also, if you have the time, check out the latest episode of the Kaijucast, where Kyle interviews both David and Mark extensively about the project:

http://kaijucast.com/

So, what do you all think? Is this something that excites you beyond all reason?! Do you plan on donating? Comment away!