How Did This Get Made?

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars LIVE! w/ Nick Kroll

October 31, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The structure of *John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars* is noted for its confusing narrative complexity, featuring flashbacks within flashbacks within flashbacks. 
  • The discussion highlighted several bizarre elements of the film's world-building, including the necessity of oxygen goggles that only cover the eyes and the slow speed of Martian transportation. 
  • Director John Carpenter intentionally created a matriarchal society in *John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars* primarily to facilitate a desired kissing scene between the lead actresses, Natasha Henstridge and Pam Grier. 
  • Natasha Henstridge's alleged improvisation of the tribunal scenes in *John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars* necessitated reshoots of the flashback sequences to match her performance. 
  • The audience Second Opinions section revealed mixed feelings, with one listener praising the film's pro-colonization message and another noting the action sequences resembled a theme park stunt show. 
  • The hosts ultimately gave *John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars* a 'four-no recommend,' though they suggested listening to the *Blank Check* episode on the film as a better alternative. 

Segments

Initial Movie Setup and Reception
Copied to clipboard!
(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars received poor critical and audience scores upon its 2001 release.
  • Summary: The episode opens by noting the film’s 23% Rotten Tomatoes score and 25% audience score. The plot involves a Martian police unit retrieving a dangerous criminal from a remote mining post that has become a ‘charnel house.’ The hosts immediately point out the film’s structural flaw of having flashbacks within flashbacks.
June’s Geostorm Connection
Copied to clipboard!
(00:06:36)
  • Key Takeaway: June Diane Raphael is currently involved in a project related to the movie Geostorm, which has become a recurring inside joke within the podcast community.
  • Summary: Paul brings up June’s involvement in a project related to Geostorm, referencing the community’s past shouts of the title at her. June confirms her participation, leading to a humorous exchange about the show’s community references. The hosts suggest covering Geostorm next if June were not involved.
Nick Kroll Joins Discussion
Copied to clipboard!
(00:09:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Nick Kroll, an HDTGM all-star, has watched John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars twice, noting its inclusion on the Criterion channel is surprising.
  • Summary: Nick Kroll is welcomed as a guest, having watched the film twice to try and understand it. He notes the film’s presence on the Criterion channel, which surprises the hosts. A surprising piece of trivia is shared: director Luca Guadagnino included John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars on his list of the 10 best movies of the 21st century.
Mars Transportation Inconsistencies
Copied to clipboard!
(00:13:07)
  • Key Takeaway: The film features inconsistent future technology, specifically slow-moving trains and the use of a hot air balloon on Mars.
  • Summary: The hosts criticize the transportation logic, noting that the train moves incredibly slowly, comparable to a bird scooter. June questions the physics, noting that if gravity allowed a hot air balloon to function, it contradicts the slow ground transport. The discussion then pivots to the inconsistent need for breathing apparatuses.
Oxygen Goggles and Shower Loneliness
Copied to clipboard!
(00:14:48)
  • Key Takeaway: The film’s ‘oxygen goggles’ (called ‘breathers’) are illogical as they only cover the eyes, prompting speculation about breathing through the eyeballs.
  • Summary: The characters use ‘breathers’ that only cover the eyes, which the film explains away by saying they will get used to the headaches after a month. This leads to a tangent where June discusses her personal struggle with ‘shower loneliness’ and how she decorated her shower with a lamp and crystals to combat it.
Cast Appearance and Statham’s Hair
Copied to clipboard!
(00:20:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Natasha Henstridge’s character maintains a pristine appearance despite the chaos, and Jason Statham is seen with a significant amount of hair, predating his famous bald look.
  • Summary: The panel questions how Natasha Henstridge’s character remains so clean and well-dressed after fighting. The conversation shifts to Jason Statham’s hair, noting this film predates his iconic bald look and was the site of his first on-screen kiss. The hosts reference the ‘First Kiss and Last Bald’ website concept.
Martian Lore and Orca Ghosts
Copied to clipboard!
(00:31:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Natasha Henstridge’s drug-induced flashback reveals that the Martian ghosts may have originated from orcas or fish-like creatures from Mars’ watery past.
  • Summary: The panel examines the ‘ghost cam’ footage, which shows the ghosts’ perspective, leading to the revelation of aquatic-looking figures, possibly orcas or fish people, in the Martians’ history. Nick Kroll suggests that Mars was once water-filled, and the orcas were shot to Earth when the planet dried up, a theory he credits to the Blank Check podcast.
Pam Grier’s Beheading and Costumes
Copied to clipboard!
(00:37:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Pam Grier’s character’s on-screen beheading via a circular saw blade was achieved practically, requiring her to endure significant pain during the prosthetic molding process.
  • Summary: The hosts discuss Pam Grier’s character being killed off-screen, followed by her head being placed on a pike. It is revealed that Grier had to endure a painful life cast process next to a prosthetic of Harry Knowles to create the final effect. The discussion also touches on the bizarre costumes of the possessed miners, including one wearing hands as a bra.
Flashback Structure and Character Motivation
Copied to clipboard!
(00:47:42)
  • Key Takeaway: The film’s narrative relies on four layers of nested flashbacks, all stemming from the present-day tribunal scene featuring the main character, Melanie Ballard.
  • Summary: The panel maps out the four levels of flashbacks, noting that the only consistent present-day scene is the tribunal. The hosts question Melanie Ballard’s motivation for bringing in Ice Cube’s character despite believing he was wrongly accused. The nuclear explosion on Mars is noted as a major event ignored by the tribunal.
Behind-the-Scenes Casting Facts
Copied to clipboard!
(00:51:52)
  • Key Takeaway: John Carpenter made the society matriarchal specifically to justify a kissing scene between Henstridge and Grier, and Courtney Love was replaced by Natasha Henstridge last minute after her boyfriend ran over her foot.
  • Summary: A fan reveals Carpenter’s stated reason for the matriarchy was to set up a kiss between Henstridge and Grier. Furthermore, Courtney Love was originally cast but had to drop out when her boyfriend ran over her foot with a Volvo, leading to Henstridge being cast a week before shooting began.
Flashback Directing Dispute
Copied to clipboard!
(01:00:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Natasha Henstridge allegedly downplayed her performance in the tribunal flashback scenes, forcing reshoots of the main flashbacks to match her improvised testimony.
  • Summary: John Carpenter reportedly claimed Natasha Henstridge downplayed flashback framing sequences, to which she replied he should have directed her better. The hosts deduced this meant she improvised the tribunal scenes, requiring the initial flashback footage to be reshot to align with her improvised performance. This explains the complexity of matching the narrative layers in John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars.
Audience Second Opinions
Copied to clipboard!
(01:01:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Audience reviews for John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars ranged from praising Jason Statham’s hair and kiss scene to criticizing the excessive rock music.
  • Summary: One reviewer, possibly Jason Statham himself, praised the film and defended Statham’s hair and first kiss scene, earning a five-star rating. Another five-star review noted that the rock music became overwhelming after the first 45 minutes. A unique review detailed a DVD player jamming, which resolved itself only after ordering a replacement copy of the movie.
Live Show Performance Reactions
Copied to clipboard!
(01:03:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts expressed awe at the audience members’ willingness and ability to perform the original song written for the live show.
  • Summary: The speakers found it unbelievable how well the audience members performed the song written for the live show. They noted the courage required for audience members to sing a song they wrote, even if based on a familiar melody. This segment highlighted the unique energy of the live How Did This Get Made? event.
Audience Review Analysis
Copied to clipboard!
(01:04:08)
  • Key Takeaway: The film holds an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on IMDb, with 69% of reviews being five stars.
  • Summary: The film’s IMDb rating is high, with very few one-star reviews (only 3%). One reviewer suggested a sequel featuring Ice Cube and Ice-T to form an ‘Ice Duo’ capable of destroying the Ghost Martians. Another review interpreted the plot as a demonstration of the difficulties of colonization.
Final Recommendation and Viewing Experience
Copied to clipboard!
(01:10:28)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts ultimately did not recommend John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars, citing its obtuse plot and tough viewing experience, despite appreciating the final action sequence.
  • Summary: June Diane Raphael admitted to suffering through the movie, taking breaks over several showers, while Paul Scheer found it tough to watch despite Cube’s performance. The action sequences were criticized for looking like a theme park stunt show, resembling ‘Halloween Horror Nights, but the maze is Mad Max.’ The final consensus was a four-no recommend.
Cast and Crew Plugs
Copied to clipboard!
(01:16:02)
  • Key Takeaway: Nick Kroll is touring with his jazz band featuring Jeff Goldblum, while Jason Mantzoukas is promoting Percy Jackson season two and his Hulu movie.
  • Summary: Nick Kroll plugged the Blank Check episode covering this film and announced upcoming live dates with his jazz band, which includes Jeff Goldblum. June Diane Raphael promoted Plan C literature available in the lobby regarding safe at-home contraceptives. Jason Mantzoukas promoted Taskmaster season 19 and his roles in A Man on the Inside and Percy Jackson season two.
Live Show Logistics and Next Episode
Copied to clipboard!
(01:18:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Upcoming live shows for How Did This Get Made? include stops in New York and Philadelphia, with Jason and Paul also performing their Dinosaur improv show.
  • Summary: The show promoted upcoming live dates in New York and Philadelphia on November 7th and 8th. Listeners can submit corrections via voicemail (619-PAULASK) or Discord for the next Last Looks segment. Next week’s episode will feature comic book expert Ed Brubaker discussing the film.