International Version - Japanese Monster Movies

Japanese Monster Movies

With the popularity of the first few Godzilla films in the United States, Toho Studios of Japan began the practice of having the movies dubbed in Asia for overseas export. These versions are often called "international versions" by fans. Most US distributors would commission their own English dubs, and as such, many of these international version went unused in the US. By the time Japanese monster movies were losing popularity in the 1970s, US companies would release Toho's international versions with edits, only removing harsh language and moments of violence. With the exception of Godzilla 2000, every Godzilla film released in the United States after 1985 has been an international version commissioned by Toho.

Since the late 1990s, most of the original US versions have become replaced on home video by Toho's international versions. Kaiju films that have been released on DVD as international versions include Atragon, Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster, Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Space Amoeba, and Godzilla vs. Hedorah. All of these films were originally released in the United States with dubbed versions created by Titra Studios (later Titan Productions).