Welcome back to Rotten Ink. Have you ever sat and wondered what other Horror Hosts have graced the airwaves of California besides Vampira? Well I am here to tell you that state has had a great amount of hosts who all brought their own style and flare to late night moving hosting, and one of the best and earliest to follow in her footsteps was Jeepers, who was the host of Jeepers Creepers Theatre that haunted the airwaves in the 1960’s. Jeepers also had a slew of hosts that not only followed him in becoming the host of Jeepers Creepers Theatre but also inspired others for generations to come in becoming a horror host themselves. It’s with great honor this Halloween season that I bring to you Horror Host Icon Jeepers! So sit back and get ready to not only get scared but also have a few laughs.

Jeepers is a strange ghoul who has a pale face, wears a top hat and cape and would wander around his dark set and host spooky movies all the while having a good silly sinister sense of humor and would have a very memorable laugh that would fill the air. He claimed that he worked in Hollywood and on horror films and was connected, well that was before he was a Ghoul! Jeepers would also always play up on how famous he was and how people loved his work in film and on the show. He was the original host for Jeepers Creepers Theatre and was the most well loved one as viewers just could not get enough of him! Jeepers would also became a hit on radio when he would team up with musician Frank Zappa in 1963 to release a 45 that had two strange and fun songs called “Dear Jeepers” and “Letter From Jeepers,” and they would be popular on the radio stations around his market in Los Angeles. While his time as the host of Jeepers Creepers Theatre was short lived, his impact and connection with the fans was very strong, and this made him a true icon of the art of Horror Hosting and is one that is still remembered to this day for those who grew up watching him. Jeepers was played by Bob Guy, who was a local actor and personality who sadly passed away on September 10, 1984 at the age of 64.

Jeepers Creepers Theatre started in 1962 and aired on KCOP-TV, Channel 13 out of Los Angeles and was a super popular show that aired at 10pm and showed the Shock Packages of classic Universal Monster films. The show was a hit from the start, and viewers loved seeing the classic monster movies on TV. It became a popular topic at schools for kids who stayed up late to watch the antics of Jeepers as well as the horrors of the film. The show would lose its original Host Jeepers in 1963 and others would take over the show including Ghoulita who started and ended in 1963, Jeepers’ Keeper from 1963-1965 and The Creeper the final host who lasted from 1965-1966. So Jeepers Creepers Theatre would last for a total of around four years and remained a very popular show on TV up to its final episode. Even once off the air the show’s legacy remained as even to this day for people who grew up watching it and the new fans who discovered it thanks to the internet chat about its legacy and impact on the pop culture in the state of California and beyond. Sadly, much like all the other hosts from the 60’s and even 70’s many of the shows were shot live or the master tapes tapped over to save money as the tapes were way to expensive, and this make most of the shows lost to time.

On September 10, 2022 at HorrorHound Weekend, the legendary Jeepers made his way into the Horror Host Hall Of Fame! This classic host was inducted by Halloween Jack and was a Legacy Host to be inducted in that year. It was very cool to see Jeepers get the respect he deserves, and it was also cool to hear people laugh and chuckle at the clip shown of him doing what he did best. Halloween Jack did a great job of inducting him in. Jeepers going in has been long overdue and I was glad to see him get this honor. Jeepers was joined in the Class Of 2022 by names like Scarewolf, Sinister Minister, Spooky Spectre and the cast of Midnight Movies to name a few.

As you can see, Jeepers is a true legend of Horror Hosting and one of the biggest hosts from California and his legacy still lives strong to this day and his impact can still be felt in the state. We are now at the point of this Horror Host Icon update that we take a look at the episodes I have, and lucky for the world some footage of Jeepers has survived and way back when a fan made a reproduction of the show and that is what we will be taking a look at here, just seeing this footage is amazing and is a great way to showcase his talents. There are no star ratings for these Horror Host shows. I will be writing about what the host does in the episode and the film’s plot will be taken from our friends at IMDB. So with that, let’s see what Jeepers is up to and bask in this classic hosts glory.

Jeepers Creepers Theatre: Mummy’s Curse

Host: Jeepers has gotten himself some tanna leaves in order to get himself a Mummy, and he places them into some sort of liquid and says the magic words. After a few moments Jeepers thinks the leaves have failed and takes us to the movie as a Mummy is creeping up behind him. We next join Jeepers who is unaware of The Mummy behind him and he is very down thinking he failed, but when he turns around he sees The Mummy who is coming every closer and Jeepers lets out a very nervous laugh before we are back to the film. We next join Jeepers as he his being choked by The Mummy who lets him go for a moment in order to go to a commercial break, once back from the commercials Jeepers shows The Mummy his weird family members that consist of a boars head, a white rat and a rubber snake before the monster starts choking him again as we go back to the movie. Jeepers next is making The Mummy some tanna leaf tea and then reads the Mummy’s fortune in the tanna leaves before being choked again after making a joke about a museum…and then back to the movie. Next Jeepers wants to call Hollywood to get The Mummy in some movies, and Jeepers strikes out time after time as the Film Producers shoot down the idea of making a movie with The Mummy…but soon The Mummy finds out Jeepers was faking the calls as the phone bill was not paid and the phone was not plugged in and as he goes back to choking we go to the movie. Next Jeepers reads a fan letter that he got from a fan about loving the show before going into the final part of the nights film. In the end Jeepers puts The Mummy into a coffin for some sleep and then tells the viewers you can not get a Mummy using tanna leaves, but The Mummy shows back up with a noose and attacks Jeepers as the end credits roll.

Movie: An irrigation project in the rural bayous of Louisiana unearths living mummy Kharis, who was buried in quicksand twenty-five years earlier.

Note From Matt: This is a fan reproduction and takes the only known footage of the show to make this episode for the fans.

Horror Hosts like Jeepers are very important to local culture and help inspire creative minds in the field of Horror Media, and it’s a shame that so many markets at this time do not have a local made Horror Host on the airwaves and that is why it’s important to support your local Public Access stations as they allow a outlet for many local hosted programs. And of course so do websites and streaming stations like YouTube, The Monster Channel, The Vortexx and Shudder all who deliver Horror Hosts to the masses. While Jeepers’ time on TV was short, his impact on Horror Hosting is long lasting. But I think that it is time to wrap up this Horror Host Icon update as we have more scary updates to come as we countdown to Halloween 2025 and our next update will be a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” that will be about The Conjuring 3 and the DC Comic mini series based around it. So until next tim,e read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as we explore the world of The Conjuring 3.