Horror Host Icon: Jeepers

Posted on October 2, 2025 by bloodlinematt

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.

Horror Host Icon: Mod Ghoul

Posted on January 23, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another Horror Host Icon update. For this one we will be taking a look at a short lived internet Horror Host who made his mark on the genre and was friends to many hosts at the time. This host would use his webcam and would sometimes host his shows live! This host is The Mod Ghoul, and his show was Weird Web Theater that would last for a very short time but is one that his viewers and fans will always remember. And that is the thing I need to once more stress, to me there is no too big or too small Horror Host as they all meant something to their fans and they all made a mark on Hosting no matter how big or small that mark is. This update will be a fast and fun one so I hope you enjoy it. Get ready for Horror Host Icon: Mod Ghoul!

The Mod Ghoul was the host of Weird Web Theater and was a British undead ghoul who had a white face and black circles around his eyes and would wear a black hat as well as leather jacket and was a little sassy when it came to his hosting style. He would sometimes host the shows solo and would also team with other Hosts or even his own kids that were called The Ghoul Kids. The Mod Ghoul during his time being an internet horror host would make a small amount of public appearances with his big one being at HorrorHound Weekend in 2012 where he met his fans as well as many fellow horror hosts. But as soon as this Ghoul showed up, he disappeared leaving a small mark on the world of horror hosting. The Mod Ghoul was played by Gregg Childress who was a musician and was in the band “Vertigo In Children” and as well was a U.S. Army Veteran. He was a father of two and was very proud at the time of being The Mod Ghoul. Gregg would pass away on July 6, 2015 at the age of 49.

Weird Web Theater started airing on YouTube and Facebook starting in 2011 and would be hosted by The Mod Ghoul along with The Ghoul Kids as well as Ohio horror host A. Ghastlee Ghoul and during its run, other popular hosts would fill in on episodes. Most episodes were shot on Mod’s web camera which added a murky creepy feel to some of the episodes, and they all would only have opening and closing segments. The Mod Ghoul also had another show called “Fright Club” that would start the same year. The show quickly gained a solid following and would go on to have shows air on The Monster Channel as well as on Public Access stations that ran the Horror Host Underground block of programing. But as quickly as the show started, it ended as by 2012 new episodes were coming out less frequently and by the end of the year Weird Web Theater vanished, with even its YouTube channel disappearing. And just like that, the show’s run was over. While Weird Web Theater was a very short lived show, it did have its viewers and fans that made sure to tune in for every new episode that was posted.

Weird Web Theater was a show that I would watch a few episodes of as I always enjoy seeing A. Ghastlee Ghoul hosting films, as he is one of Ohio’s classic and funny hosts. The Mod Ghoul was an interesting host who, while I was not a super fan of, I still can respect for what he did for his fans with his show and he did try to make online hosting his own. It was smart to bring in other hosts to help bring more attention to it. I also think that Mod would sometimes take to much time in-between episodes as well as I feel he walked away from the show way too soon, but I do understand his reasons as it was depression, and that is something that can drain your creativity out of you. But with that, let’s move onto the review part of this Horror Host Icon update, and I would like to remind you that I will be covering episodes that I own on DVD and that I will be taking the films plot from our friends at IMDB and I will be writing about the antics of Mod on each episode. So if you are ready Mates, lets’ pull up a seat and grab a drink and spend some time on the web with the one and only Mod Ghoul.

Weird Web Theater: 13 Ghosts
Starring – Charles Herbert & Jo Morrow Not Rated 1960

Host: It’s the one-year anniversary of Weird Web Theater, and Mod Ghoul is relaxing in his living room along with the Ghoul Kids and they all talk about their love for the night’s movie. They also do some silly bits, impersonations, talk about the actors in the film, the 3-D effects with this being in 2-D before they usher us into the movie. Once the movie is over, we once more join Mod Ghoul and the Ghoul Kids in the living room and they start talking about actor Telly Savalas, who was not in the night’s movie, as well as chat about the TV Show Adam 12. In the end the Ghoul Kids wander around the room, as Mod Ghoul thanks us for tuning in and supporting the show.

Movie: Reclusive Dr. Zorba has died and left his eerie mansion to his penniless nephew Cyrus Zorba and his family. Along with the house, the Zorba family has also inherited the occultist’s collection of 13 ghosts, who can only be seen through Zorba’s special goggles. The family members, their lives at risk upon the discovery that Dr. Zorba’s fortune lies hidden somewhere in the house, receive aid from unexpected quarters as the threat to their lives is revealed.

Note From Matt: This episode is missing most of the end credits for the show.

Weird Web Theater: Spider Baby
Starring – Lon Chaney Jr. & Sid Haig Not Rated 1967

Host: The Mod Ghoul welcomes the viewers to the show after a hiatus and thanks the viewers and talks a little about the night’s film and the actors. He as well acts all zany and weird for the camera. He also delivers a few jokes as the camera is close on his face the whole time. In the end we join Mod Ghoul again, and he makes some jokes about spiders as well as the film and says someone should make a sequel to the film before ending the episode with the promise of more episodes to come.

Movie: In a dilapidated rural mansion, the last generation of the degenerate, inbred Merrye family lives with the inherited curse of a disease that causes them to mentally regress from the age of 10 or so on as they physically develop. The family chauffeur looks out for them and covers up their indiscretions. Trouble comes when greedy distant relatives and their lawyer arrive to dispossess the family of its home.

The Mod Ghoul and his Weird Web Theater started in the 2010’s during a big boom of the next generation of hosts trying to make their name and mark on the history, and Mod was one of the many that entered the scene for a short time and would fade away without giving their viewers a proper ending. I know that over the years many fellow horror hosts had their differences with him on a personal level, but he still was part of the horror host dysfunctional family and is a part of hosting history. And with that, this update has come to an end, and before we part ways, let me tell you that the next update will be about The Lockhorns, that married couple from the Sunday Funnies! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a movie or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next update as who doesn’t like the drama between a married couple every Sunday morning…am I right?

Horror Host Icon: Dr. Shock (PA)

Posted on October 31, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Happy Halloween and welcome back to Rotten Ink. When thinking about horror hosts, a state that I feel at times does not get the recognition for having some amazing ones is Pennsylvania, and for me, one of the tops from that state is Dr. Shock who is the topic for his “Horror Host Icon” update. Like so many, this one is long over due as I have been wanting to cover him for awhile and went on a hunt to track down episodes to make this update possible, but while I could not find any, I did find a tribute show that is just perfect to showcase his style as well as is a heartwarming tribute to him done by the station that aired his show as well as his friends and fans. So if you are ready, grab a big bowl of popcorn and turn down the lights as it’s time to have a blood chilled and our funny bone tickled thanks to Dr. Shock and his Mad Theater!

Dr. Shock was the host of Mad Theater (along with all of its name changes) and was a fun natured ghoul who took his style from Horror Host Zacherley and even slightly looked like him. He entertained viewers on Channel 17 with his goofy jokes and magical tricks. Dr. Shock had grey skin, wore a black suit, and while friendly, he did have a slight mean streak as he would love to hit crew members with a plastic hammer when they would get on his nerves. He would also take time to give bad medical advice to those who would wander on his set and really loved hosting the films that he presented. The fact that he had that jolly ghoul appeal made his viewers bond with him quickly as he was that late night horror film watching friend who brought laughs to the horrors on the screen. Dr. Shock is truly one of those iconic horror hosts who did it right as he really did make viewers feel like he was their friend and entertained his viewers for almost a full decade, and for that he truly was one of Pennsylvania’s best horror hosts of all time. When Dr. Shock make public appearances, fans would flock to meet him as he would be one of the area’s most loved stars. All the way to his sudden passing, his show was must-watch TV and his passing is still felt to this day. I should also note that Dr. Shock’s sidekick was Bubbles, his young daughter that viewers watched grow up on the show, and she became a big part of the show’s history.

The original show that was hosted by Dr. Shock was “Creatures Features” in 1970, and after a very short time, the show had a name change to “Scream-In.” Oddly Channel 17 decided to fire Dr. Shock after only 13 episodes, and after getting several very angry letters and calls, they brought him back to air and the fans were happy! But when he was brought back, his original sidekick Igor was not. So Dr. Shock brought on Bubbles, a young girl who over the years grew up in front of viewers’ eyes. The show would go from showing a single film to a double film in late 1970. Scream-In would become “Mad Theater/Horror Theater” in 1972 and would be on air until 1979, before the untimely death of Dr. Shock. The viewers of Dr. Shocks shows enjoyed his cheesy comedy, magic as well as all the zany characters he would play like Wild-Man Of Pango Pango, Samurai Swordsman, Henny Himself, Food Man, Freaky Fairy and Great Grandma Shock to name a few. The show really meant something to Philadelphia fans and was well loved by all his fans and viewers who made his shows must views for the week. Despite the name changes and even the channel firing the host for a brief time, Mad Theater would be a staple or Channel 17 for over 9 years. Sadly while footage can be found on YouTube as well as trade lists, no known full episodes have been found, due to home media recorders being very rare in the 1970’s.

Joseph Zawislak was born September 14, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and from a very early age he had the creative and entertainment bug as he learned the accordion as a youngster as well as did impersonations of famous people to make family and friends laugh. When old enough he joined the Navy and was in from 1955-1957. It was after this that his love for magic was born and after becoming a master magician, he would perform going under the names Dr. Alky and The Fabulous Mister Joseph and his assistant Sylvia DeNardo would later become his wife by 1958. During this time Joseph would also own a steak shop, run a pinball arcade and even become an insurance salesman. He would also have five kids with his wife and would dress up as Horror Host Zacherley at family get togethers to make people have a good laugh. But his life changed in 1970 when at a barbershop he overheard a head of WPHL-TV Channel 17 talking about them not being able to find a host for their upcoming Horror Movie show, and Joseph went up to the man and did went into his Zacherley act and was hired on the spot! Joseph would become a local celebrity from the moment his first show aired and would remain one his whole career. But sadly his time on this Earth was cut short as at the age of 42 on September, 28 1979 he would pass away from a heart attack. While gone, his horror host legacy and memory lives on with his family, friends and fans.

On March 22, 2014 at HorrorHound Weekend, Dr. Shock was inducted into the Horror Host Hall Of Fame as one of the hosts of the Class Of 2014 and was inducted by Nibbles The Clown and Punkin of Freakhouse Flicks who did a fantastic job paying him respect and honor. The fans who attended as well as fellow Horror Hosts clapped as he took his place among the best the art of Horror Hosting has to offer. Also names in the 2014 Class were Crypt Keeper, The Ghoul, Grampa Munster, Mad Daddy and Penny Dreadful to name a few. And with Dr. Shock making it in, I am sure this was something that his family, friends and fans are really proud of and happy to see that his legacy still lives on.

Dr. Shock is a true icon and legend in the world of Horror Hosting and while he asked and got permission to use elements and even the style that Zacherley used, I feel that Dr. Shock took them and added so much more to the character and made them his own. One of the coolest aspects of Dr. Shock was his use of magic during his segments as at the time it was really something special that set him apart from all other hosts going in and around the Pennsylvania area at the time. Plus I feel that his jolly nature and the silly elements of his show are what really made him must watch for viewers who liked their horror host dashed with humor. I respect Dr. Shock so much that I almost was going to make a 17hr round trip drive just to visit his grave and pay my respect to him! I also spent lots of time searching the Grey Market as well as horror host tape trade lists trying to find any episodes of Dr. Shock and came up empty handed. When you talk to those who grew up in Philadelphia and the surrounding area that were able to view Dr. Shock, they all say how he was a big part of their lives and childhood, showing just how much he meant to the culture of that city and the state of Pennsylvania in general. For me Dr. Shock is a great horror host who is a Hall Of Fame member and shows just how great the horror hosts of Pennsylvania can be.

So as you can see, Dr. Shock is one of those hosts that will always be remembered in his home state of Pennsylvania and beyond and with being inducted into The Horror Host Hall Of Fame, his legacy truly will never be forgotten. Now sadly, like many older hosts at this point, his shows are lost to time and for this update we will be taking a look at a tribute show that aired after his passing that was filled with many amazing clips from the show. And like before, I will be taking the show’s write up from our friends at IMDB and I will be writing about the host’s antics the best I can. So if you are ready, let’s take a spooky laugh filled trip with the one and only Dr. Shock.

A Tribute To Dr. Shock
Starring – Rick Fox & Joe Zawislak Not Rated 1980

Host: This shows many clips of Dr. Shock bits as well as him talking to celebrities like John Carradine and Lassie The Dog! They also show photos and behind the scenes moments of Dr. Shock. A very well done tribute to Dr. Shock and his life and legacy as a Horror Host.

Movie: A tribute to Joe Zawislak and his horror host character “Dr. Shock”. As “Dr. Shock”, Zawislak hosted “Creature Features” (changing its name to “Scream-In in April 1970), then “Mad Theater” and “Horror Theater” (a double feature pair of shows) from 1972 until 1979 on WPHL-TV, Channel 17 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Dr. Shock is a true Icon in horror hosting and is one of Pennsylvania’s top hosts as to this day his fans talk about the joys of watching his show. He really is a truly awesome host, and I hope someday that I will be able to track down a few full episodes so I can experience this host like his fans did back during his original run on television. I hope that this update brought back some great memories for those of you reading this that grew up watching Dr. Shock. And to all you readers, I hope this added to your Halloween holiday and made it a little spookier as well as humorous. For our next update, we will be leaving behind the world of horror hosting and will be heading to the woods of Sherwood Forest in order to go on an adventure with Robin Hood and his Merry Men. So until next time read a horror comic or three, watch a horror movie of two and as always, support your local horror host. Also keep in mind Robin Hood starts our countdown to Thanksgiving 2024!

Horror Host Icon: Zombo

Posted on August 4, 2024 by bloodlinematt

For many Monster Kids something that was near and dear to them was getting home in time to catch their local Horror Host on TV, and better yet when that Host seemed like their friend who made them laugh to ease the scares of the film of the night. And for me watching the likes of The Creeper of Moraine Playhouse Theater or Dr. Creep of New Shock Theater (and so many more) while a thunderstorm raged outside are some of my favorite memories of watching TV when I was a kid. And for little Eddie Munster, that strange kid who lives in that rundown house on Mockingbird Lane, his favorite Horror Host was Zombo who hosted the show House Of Zombo! For this Horror Host Icon update, we will be taking a look at Zombo and have a quick look at this Horror Host that was part of the sitcom The Munsters from the 1960’s and who helped inspire a generation of Horror Hosts in just one TV appearance! So sit back and be ready to be chilled to the bone as we enter the House Of Zombo!

Zombo is the host of House Of Zombo that aired in the late afternoon, and he was a host who was filled with wise cracks, had a sinister look and hosted from his creepy home. Zombo is a pale faced warlock with massive hands and thick fingernails. He has dark circles around his eyes, a long nose with a wart, long white hair and teeth almost like a vampire. He also has a very iconic sounding laugh as well dresses like a vampire sometimes and other times like a demented wizard. His catch phrase is “You Kill Me”, and this phrase has been quoted by his fans for decades now and is also always on his autographs. Zombo connected with his viewers and made them not only laugh but also makes them feel like they are his friends. A truly talented and funny Horror Host who is Eddie Munster’s favorite Host and even his role model. Actor Louis Nye was Zombo and was a well loved comedic actor who had a very long career in film and TV and who is known for roles on such TV Shows as The Beverly Hillbillies, Needles An Pins, The Love Boat, Curb Your Enthusiasm and did voice work for cartoons like Inspector Gadget, Foofur and The Real Ghostbusters. Sadly Louis Nye would pass away at the age of 92 due to lung cancer in 2005. And in 2022, an uncredited actor played Zombo for the made for streaming film The Munsters that was directed by Rob Zombie.

Growing up, I was always a fan of The Munsters and can remember watching classic episodes on reruns on TBS as well as watching Grampa Munster host Super Scary Saturday who had Grampa hosting Horror and Sci-Fi films, as both where must see TV for me. And I mean let’s be honest, most Monster Kids had a crush of Lily Munster! So as you can see, this show and its characters have always been a big part of my life growing up and one of my favorite episodes of all time is “Zombo” as I have always been a fan of Horror Hosts and could understand why Eddie had a fondness for Zombo as growing up for me Commander USA was one of my favorite people on the planet and his show was something I had to watch. And I think what is really cool for Zombo is that he only made one appearance and only had a few moments on screen, but he made such a big impact and has truly inspired many to pursue becoming a Horror Host and that truly make him an Icon in my book. And let us not forget also that the character has inspired artwork as well as other Horror media showing just how impactful he was, and for some I am sure he also acted as a gateway to introduce some folks to Horror Hosting much like Count Floyd and Alister Cookie have as well. Say what you will about Zombo, but to me he really has made a big impact to the art of Horror Hosting.

So now we are at the point of this Horror Host Icon update that we take a look at the episodes I own and with Zombo we will be taking a look at the episode of The Munsters he appeared in. I will be taking the episode’s plot from our friends at IMDB, and I will be then writing about the antics of Zombo from the episode. And like always, I will not be rating or grading the show as these updates are not to review as much as they are to respect the history of the hosts and their episodes. So with that, the doors of the House of Zombo are open and that’s our invite to come in and see what he is all about.

The House Of Zombo!
Starring – Fred Gwynne & Yvonne De Carlo Not Rated 1966

Host: We open with an old abandoned house, the place that Zombo lives who welcomes us to the show and makes a few pun filled jokes, and then tells the viewers that today they will be picking the winner of the “I Like Zombo Because” contest! He then howls and reads another chapter from the book “Mark Of The Werewolf” and then a little later talks about Crumble Creature Crackers and how you smash them to eat them and then drown the pieces in milk! After that he announces the winner of the contest that is a young lad by the name of Eddie Munster. We then join Zombo later behind the scenes and he is out of costume as he meets Eddie and his mother Lily, and they watch as he gets made up in his makeup and costume, and sadly Eddie is very disappointed by this as he thought Zombo was real. Later on the House Of Zombo show, he sits with Eddie and introduces him to the viewers, but Eddie snaps and grabs and removes Zombo’s wig and fake nose showing the viewers at home that Zombo is just an actor and not a real ghoul and as Zombo tries to hid his real appearance Eddie runs wild on the set and the show ends due to technical difficulties. Back behind the scenes, the producers say that the Zombo show is done for good due to this, and Zombo thanks Eddie for his help as he wanted out of the show for months and tells Eddie to grow up to be like his Dad and not Zombo.

Movie: Eddie is under the spell of Zombo, the host of a television horror show, who he considers to be a hero. Herman feels neglected by Eddie who hasn’t got time for his dad anymore and is jealous of Zombo. When Eddie has won a contest and gets to go to the studio and meet Zombo in person, Herman tries to become just like Zombo so Eddie will consider his dad a hero again.

Zombo is a “Host” that really did leave his mark on the world of Horror Hosting as I have spoken to many hosts who have said he was a big influence on them and help inspire their characters and desire to became a host, so to me that is very impactful and I truly see him as a fully fledged Horror Host as his show inside The Munsters sitcom world has become one of the most iconic episodes in the series’ history. And with the 2022 Rob Zombie film reintroducing Zombo to modern viewers, let’s hope he inspires a new generation of Horror Hosts like the original’s appearance did all those decades back. And again I want to stress in the world of Horror Hosting there are all types of Hosts, and Zambo is one that in one appearance on a sitcom has become a truly iconic Horror Hosts. So with that our next update will take us out of the world of Horror Hosting and will take us to the baseball diamond, as we will find ourselves at the Rotten Ink Stadium to take a look at the rest of the Cincinnati Reds Mascots! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Hosts! And I hope you are ready to chat about Schottzie # 1 and 2!

Horror Host Icon: The Night Watchman (WGN)

Posted on June 23, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! I am wondering how many of your readers out there remember Movie Underground, a hosted movie show that featured The Night Watchman bringing viewers some of the best films he could find in the film vaults he was hired to protect? This short-lived Host and his show are the topic for this Horror Host Icon update as I feel that all hosts should be remembered! Plus this show was on a big station out of Chicago, Illinois and had a pretty loyal and large following as Illinois is also another state that has a rich history of late night Horror Hosts. But we are not here to talk about the others as we are here to celebrate the career of The Night Watchman and go on his rounds as he protects the film vault and shares a movie with us.

The Night Watchman is the host of Movie Underground and is the night guard at the Fortress Of Television and is also very much into movies and wants to delver the best he can offer to the viewers. He is a super goofy and is a fun loving, jokey kind of guy who looks like actor and comedian Drew Carey in a guard outfit. He also seems to love to chat about the night’s film given facts as well as joking about parts of the film and sometimes playing off what characters say. His jokes are silly and have a “Dad” quality to them and that is part of his charm that built up his connection with the viewers as he seems like he is watching the film along with you, and most of the time he has his trusty popcorn ready for a snack while he watches. He is good friends with his co-worker and co-host The Nightie Watchman and loves joking with her about the night’s film. While he is not the zaniest nor flashiest of Hosts he is a good one who entertained his viewers with his antics and jokes show after show. Marc Chase was the actor who played The Night Watchman who had a background in Radio and worked for Tribune Media.

WGN Movie Underground was a weekly show that would air on WGN America on Friday Nights at 8pm and would have host The Night Watchman and his co-host Nightie Watchman hosting a single movie and they would fill the time with facts, trivia and jokes. The set was an area outside the vault that had a big comfy chairs, table with a bucket of popcorn, a lava lamp and movie posters hanging on the walls behind them. The show had a good fan following and the hosts were well liked by viewers who also would participate in the Swap Shop segments of the show that would have viewers try and trade for an item that the hosts had up for grabs most of the time props from the show. Movie Underground would start in 2008 and sadly by 2010 it was off the air as WGN decided to renew it for another season. Most of the shows segments was written by Michael Walter and they were produced and directed by Paul Crossey. While the show was short lived it was well loved by its viewers and still has a cult following on tape trade lists to this day.

The Nightie Watchman is the beautiful co-host of Movie Underground and she as well wears her guard outfit and loves to chat about the movie that they host, and by all accounts she as well is the more knowledgeable about the movies and is the better at hosting between the two when it comes to that. Her name is Henrietta or Henrie but she goes by Nightie Watchman and she was one of the most popular parts of the show, not just cause her stunning good looks but because of her personality and fun nature. The shows official website use to even have a Nightie Watchman photo gallery for fans to bask in her beauty. Nightie Watchman was played by model April Rose Maydock who was also an actress as well as a MAXIM Magazine lady. She is a great co-host who at times really did outshine the shows main.

WGN was a station that I can remember watching when I was a kid as it was a station we could pick up from time to time and they would always be airing weird movies and shows in reruns. I am not sure when this happened but at some point our Ohio cable provider dropped WGN from the lineup so in 2008 when Movie Underground was airing I had no clue about it as I would have watched the show and would have really enjoyed it as it has a great vibe and a host who was silly and goofy and added his own touch on the art of hosting, plus lets be honest Nightie Watchman was very eye catching with her beauty. Plus I must say that it’s great when a host and a co-host have great chemistry on the screen and I feel that these two have that magic. I wish that more major broadcast stations would do this type of show and that is why we fans of Horror Hosting should be grateful for METV for airing Svengoolie!

The Night Watchman and Nightie Watchman are a great team when it comes to being Movie Hosts who could also be called Horror Hosts as they have hosted their fair share of Horror, Comedies and Sci-Fi films over their run. And I would like to thank Horror Host Dr. Pureblood for getting me episodes of this show and making this update possible as well as B-Videos 101, I also want to thank our friends at IMDB for the movies write ups. So if you are ready it looks like The Night Watchman is about to start his patrol and that’s our cue to tag along for the zany ride. Oh and before we start our movie watching and protecting patrol I want to also remind you that I do not rate or grade the episodes and I do write about the zany antics of the host. So lets get patrolling.

Movie Underground: Alien
Starring – Sigourney Weaver & John Hurt R 1979

Host: Night Watchman and Nightie are sitting on the station couch and give a few fun facts about the night’s film and Watchman even lets water pour from his mouth as Nightie continues on looking a little disturbed, and then the usher us into the first part of the movie. When then rejoin them as they talk about how profitable the film was for 20^th Century Fox at the box office before once more taking us back into the film. Still chilling on the couch they cut a quick joke about the fate of one of the characters before we head back to the movie. We next see them as Nightie tells us not to try this at home as we see a scene from the movie of the acid blood eating through the floor and Night Watchman acts as if he has a face hugger on his face. We then are treated to the SwapShop segment that has them putting up a double drink holder hat up for trade and tell the viewers to send it what they are willing to trade for it, they then go back to the movie. We next see them and Nightie is asking him to draw a picture of a creature that attaches itself to a person and the Night Watchman is drawing and when he turns the board around it’s a picture of actress and singer Miley Cyrus, then back to the movie. Next time we see them Night Watchman is messing up the classic Phrase used to promote the film Alien as Nightie alerts the viewers how to send the show an email by given out the address and then its back to the movie. In the end Night Watchman hits a glowing read button that will not allow the alien to escape as Nightie questions him about sequels and then they say they will see us next week as smoke and the siren goes off.

Movie: In the distant future, the crew of the commercial spaceship Nostromo are on their way home when they pick up a distress call from a distant moon. The crew are under obligation to investigate and the spaceship descends on the moon afterwards. After a rough landing, three crewmembers leave the spaceship to explore the area on the moon. At the same time as they discover a hive colony of some unknown creature, the ship’s computer deciphers the message to be a warning, not a distress call. When one of the eggs is disturbed, the crew realizes that they are not alone on the spaceship and they must deal with the consequences.

Movie Underground: Bill & Ted
Starring – Keanu Reeves & Alex Winter PG 1989

Host: Night Watchman and Nightie Watchman welcome the viewers to the show and they talk briefly about the nights movie as Night Watchman makes a fool of himself acting like he is talking in the lingo of Bill and Ted before he go to the movie. We next join them as they talk about musician and actor Clarence Clemons and they fake play instruments before we go back to the film. Night Watchman has ice on is eye as the idea of the phone booth saying reach out and touch someone backfired as Nightie punched him in the eye for touching her. Next time we join them they are goofing on how a Twinkie is what tricked Genghis Khan into the phone booth, they then make a joke about playing doctor with each other before back to the movie. Next they are holding a contest to win a red bra if you email the first name of The Night Watchman and get it correct, then back to the movie. The they make a joke about the size of a man’s corndog and head back to the film. In the end Night Watchman says Nightie should be respected for her beauty and her punches, and she then uses a wireless phone to zap them out of the vault ending their segments of the show.

Movie: Two seemingly dumb teens set off on a quest to prepare the ultimate historical presentation with the help of a time machine.

Movie Underground: Brothers Grimm
Starring – Matt Damon & Heath Ledger PG-13 2005

Host: The shows opens with The Night Watchman holding the film can for Brothers Grimm and pokes fun of it as he explains all the stuff it has in store for us before ushering us into the film. We next join him as he makes a poop joke and then we see some commercials, and once back he is cramming cold pizza into his mouth and then back to the movie. Once more when we join Night Watchman he pokes fun at the film and it’s lack of Oscar wins, and then claims he is going to show people how to do the Popcorn trick during the next break. The Popcorn trick is Night Watchman shoving the remaining popcorn into his mouth and then back to the movie. Once back Night Watchman makes a fart joke about beans and then makes a joke about a werewolf before its back to the movie time. And after a few more really bad jokes The Night Watchman reads a fan letter and then ends the show.

Movie: Will and Jake Grimm are traveling con-artists who encounter a genuine fairy-tale curse which requires true courage instead of their usual bogus exorcisms.

Movie Underground: Gremlins
Starring – Zach Galligan & Phoebe Cates PG 1984

Host: Night Watchman and Nightie are very happy to bring you the nights film as they are even using Gremlin toys to showcase this, and they want the parents at home to pop some popcorn for the kids and to sit back and have a great family movie night with this film, Nightie also keeps saying “Screaming” as she moves her Stripe bobble-head around, before they usher in the movie. We join them back on the couch and they talk about a fun fact that Phoebe Cates and Judge Reinhold also starred in “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” before this film, and then its back to the move. Next The Night Watchman soaks the camera with a water gun to see if the viewers will multiple like the Gremlins do, as Nightie uses an umbrella to block the water before they go back to the movie. Next is a trivia question on who voiced the character Gizmo in the film. Night Watchman next alerts that they need to call housekeeping do to the men’s bathroom being so bad. The end the show saying sorry for scaring the kid viewers with this film and Nightie gives the camera a kiss as the show ends.

Movie: A young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

Movie Underground: King Kong
Starring – Jeff Bridges & Jessica Lange PG 1976

Host: Night Watchman and Nightie start the episode off by playing charades and Nightie has to guess the nights film, and after some silly back and fourth its clear the film is the 1976 remake version of King Kong. We next join them as they chat about how the critics hated Jessica Lange and her performance in the film, and then Nightie is in a towel and Night Watchman asks if he can use it to get the popcorn butter off his fingers, the answer is no and to the movie we go. Next they are both hiding behind the couch and make fun of a photo camera one of the cast is using as it uses film still. Then they make fun of some of the flubs of the film like the trees not being knocked down in scenes before its back to the film. We next briefly join them as Night Watchman is tied up and gaged as Nightie shakes her head. They then answer a fan question about the nights film and after the answer Night Watchman of course delivers a cheesy joke. Next the make fun of the mechanical Kong that was used in the film as a bad idea. In the end Night Watchman falls from the ceiling as he was monkeying around and Nightie says she will watch over him and that they will see everyone next week.

Movie: When a research ship is sent to explore an island thought to be rich in oil, paleontologist Jack Prescott sneaks aboard, having heard strange rumors about the island. En route, the crew rescues Dwan, the sole survivor of a shipwreck. When they arrive, they find native people living in fear of a monster called Kong. The natives kidnap Dwan and sacrifice her to what turns out to be an enormous ape. Dwan is eventually rescued, and the ape captured for a gala exhibit.

Movie Underground: The Mummy
Starring – Brendan Fraser & Rachel Weisz PG-13 1999

Host: The Night Watchman is playing with toilet paper and asks Nightie what it reminder her of and she says a crappy movie? And he alerts her that the film tonight is The Mummy and then flings the TP as she runs away. We next join them as Night Watchman has wrapped himself in the toilet paper so that he looks like a Mummy as Nightie ushers us back to the movie. Next still wrapped up Night Watchmen tells a terrible Mummy dad joke and Nightie gets us back into the movie, but when we see him next he once more makes a bad joke this time about the toe of a camel. Next segment they both use puns in order to get us back to the movie, and Nightie does mention the original 1932 film. Next up Night Watchman has a camera and is taking pictures of Nightie and the plug her photo gallery on the WGN website. Nightie next tells us about the special effects of the movie and how George Lucas’s company is who handled it. They end the show by talking about how successful The Mummy was for Universal and how it spawned sequels, roller coaster and even spin –offs.

Movie: At an archaeological dig in the ancient city of Hamunaptra, an American serving in the French Foreign Legion accidentally awakens a mummy who begins to wreak havoc as he searches for the reincarnation of his long-lost love.

Movie Underground: Three Amigos
Starring – Steve Martin & Chevy Chase PG 1986

Host: The pair are relaxing and having popcorn when they chat a little about the nights film and Night Watchman confuses the film with “Three Men and A Baby” before Nightie corrects him and takes us to the first part of the movie. We next join them as they are wearing sombreros and are dancing around and send us back to the film. Next Night Watchman is taking a nap and Nightie takes us back to the film and Night wakes up and is mad as he feels she took his lines! Next Night Watchman does a big promo of watching College Football on WGN and talks about teams and games that are coming up, and before he get back to the movie Night Watchman is asking if they have anymore chip dip. The next few breaks they bring us in and out of the film and commercial breaks. Night Watchman makes a joke about the character Dusty Bottoms and Nightie just shakes her head, and they end the show with Night Watchman having a stomachache and running to the restroom and Nightie says she will see us next week.

Movie: Three out of work silent movie actors are accidentally drawn to a Mexican village that is being harassed by a gang of outlaws. The three, ‘Ned’, ‘Lucky Day’ and ‘Dusty Bottoms’ play ‘Lone Ranger’ types in their movies, but must play their parts for real now.

WGN Movie Underground and it’s hosts Night Watchman and Nightie are really solid and made their mark on Horror Hosting and is a show that I feel still could be on TV today and WGN should bring them back as these types of movie hosting shows are lacking on broadcast TV. And I truly do thank that Night Watchman and Nightie made a great duo and did a fantastic job of not only entertaining the viewers but also educating them on the films. But our time with The Night Watchman has came to an end as his shift is over, but before we end this Icon update I would like to tell you that our next update will be the July 4^th update and will feature a comic book American Hero as it will be about the youngest elected President in America Prez! So until next time read a comic or three, watch a movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for a firework in the sky good time.

Horror Host Icon: Angus

Posted on November 9, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Horror Hosts come in many forms. Some are Horror Hosts that live in the world of other TV Shows. For example Count Floyd and his Monster Horror Chiller Theater show started on SCTV, Zombo and his House Of Zombo show was part of the sitcom The Munsters, and Alister Cookie and his Monsterpiece Theater was part of Sesame Street. Today’s host was on a Public Access show from New Jersey called Meadowlands Showcase Presents, and the host is Angus! That is the thing I really want to stress, when it comes to the world of Horror Hosting is there is no too small or too big host as they all have their own fans and have made their own impact to the genre. I think many of you readers will not know of Angus, but I also think some of you will know about him and his short time on TV. So if you are ready, let’s take a short trip to New Jersey and take a spooky walk with Angus and his Horror Show as this is going to be a fun Horror Host Icon update.

Angus was a smooth talking ghoul who at first wore no make up and later would rock grey face paint while hosting short films on his show The Horror Show as well as The Meadowlands Showcase Presents. While Angus was smooth he also had a dark side as hosting spooky movies was in his blood and he would use his dark powers to scare off as well as brain fry those normal people that stand in his way. He was more of a darker host, and while he had some chuckles, he was more straight forward bringing the viewers the frights. Angus wears all black clothing and had long hair and would give spooky looks to the viewers at home. Angus also had a laugh that was oddly creepy and also had a dash of stage acting sound to it. Angus was played by David Weber, a local actor from New Jersey who also stared in the 1989 Horror Film “The Basement” as Mr. Adelman. David sadly passed away in the late 90’s and from what his friends say, he was a very nice person and was a joy to be around. While Angus only made two appearances, he truly made his mark on the world of Horror Hosting and has his own fan base.

The Meadowlands Showcase started in 1988 and was a Public Access show that was aired in New Jersey and was the creation of Michael Raso and John Pual Fedele. Angus, along with a female co-host Emily, first appeared on the episode “Creepy Tales” that aired in October 1988 and later in October 1989 Angus would return and take over the show calling it The Horror Show on the episode “The Halloween Takeover”. While Angus only appeared twice on the show in 1988 and 1989, the main show would run from 1988 to 1994 and was a well loved local show as the skits, music videos an shorts brought lots of joy to viewers. Each episode was around 30 minutes long. And while I wish Angus would have appeared on more episodes as well as maybe the creators would have turned Angus into a fully fledged Horror Host show, I would say Angus and his The Horror Show made their mark on the history of Horror Hosting no matter how big or small that mark is.

Angus is one of those hosts whose name has been spoken about by many diehard Horror Host fans for awhile as his name is on Egor’s Chamber Of TV Horror Hosts website and many people started to think that Angus and The Horror Show was a lost public access show that they had to see as many did not realize he was just a character for a non-Horror Host show and only appeared twice on TV. In fact I know that New Jersey host Halloween Jack and myself have spoken about him a few times over the years as we wanted to track him down as Jack wanted to meet a fellow Jersey host. Both of us were very bummed when we found out he passed away as it would have been great to see Angus make a comeback and even maybe host a show alongside Halloween Jack! For this update I have one of the episodes that Angus appeared on and will be taking the show’s write up from our pals at IMDB, and I will write about the antics of Angus in said episode. So if you are ready, let’s sit back and see what The Horror Show and Angus has in store for us.

Horror Show: Halloween Takeover
Starring – John Paul Fedele & Marc S. Lucey Not Rated 1989

Host: Angus starts the episode walking down the road and running into Tex, a man who has been fired from the TV Station, and as they pair head in Angus talks to the man in charge and uses his mental powers to knock him out. Angus then heads to the studio and uses his powers against a host for a workout show and runs him off. Tex then gets to master control and Angus starts his show The Horror Show that has him showing short films and a music video while hanging out with The Grim Reaper. Angus even has the Grim Reaper remove the head of one of the filmmakers who he was annoyed with. In the end the head of the station wakes up and loved The Horror Show and wants to work with Angus as he shoves Tex out of the door as he is still fired.

Movie: David Weber as “Angus”, takes over a local television station using his demonic powers, so that he may have his own show – “The Horror Show”. He is assisted on his show by Marc S. Lucey as “The Grim Reaper”. During this 30 minute show, “Angus” presents the short films “Evil Vision” “Pete Jacelone’s – The Day The Shopping Carts Came to Life”, and the music video “Garbage Man” performed by “The Cramps”. “Angus” convinces Peter Jacelone to join his group. Reluctantly he agrees. “The Grim Reaper” leads Peter away, and loops off his head.

Angus had a charm to him that made him standout and he had that classic late 80’s Horror Host feel and he could have truly been a legend in hosting if he would have lasted longer and spun off into doing his own show. I hope you enjoyed this Horror Host Icon update about Angus, and I hope that this sparked your interest into looking up his appearances on Meadowland Showcase that can be found on YouTube. And for those who do not think that Angus, Count Floyd, Alister Cookie, Zombo and others like them are not Horror Hosts, I understand your standpoint but I and many others do see them as Hosts as they did their parts to bring attention to the art of Horror Hosting. But now it’s time for us to leave the world of Horror Hosting and head into the world of Pro Wrestling again to showcase the fan favorite wrestler Hillbilly Jim! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! And remember readers, it is very important to archive your local Horror Host shows as well as local Indie Wrestling ones!

Horror Host Icon: Sir Cecil Creape

Posted on October 21, 2023 by bloodlinematt

“You Callled”…Nashville, Tennessee in the early 1970’s had a late Saturday night Horror Host show called Creature Features that would start at 10:30pm on WSM-TV Channel 4. The show would scare and entertaining its viewers, and the host of this show was the amazing Sir Cecil Creape, who, along with his trusty gas lamp, would entertain viewers with his antics. This legendary host was a major icon in Tennessee and would go on to inspire a ton of creative minds including Dr. Gangrene who is also a great host and an icon of Hosting. For those who live in Tennessee and for those Horror Host followers they know just how awesome Sir Ceciel Creape! So if you are ready, grab a cold drink, light the Jack O Lantern, open up all the widows to let a chill in and be prepared to spend a little time this Halloween with Horror Host Icon Sir Cecil Creape!

Sir Cecil Creape is a hunchbacked, balding man who wears strange 60’s style cloths with a cape, had messed up bucking teeth, a massive scar on his forehead and worked in the catacombs beneath the WSM studio that he would do his experiments in. He later would move to the basement of the Grand Ole Opry House. In this basement lab he would conduct experiments, share creepy yet humoroous stories and of course host the night’s movie. Sir Cecil Creape had a calming aspect to his voice when he spoke, almost giving you that false feeling of nothing scary is about to happen before you witnessed the horrors of that night’s film. He also very much had that gift to bond with the viewers as he spoke directly to them and made them feel part of what he had going on. What made him so special was that bond with his viewers as they would flock to him when he would make public appearances around the city. And I would be so bold as to say that he next to Sivad was the state of Tennessee’s two most popular and iconic hosts in that golden age of local TV. Sir Cecil Creape was played by Russ McCown who would play the role off and on for many years and would sadly pass away on January 3,1994 at the age of 65. While gone, Sir Cecil Creape will never be forgotten as his legacy in the world of Horror Hosting with truly never fade.

In September 1971 on WSM-TV Channel 4 out of Nashville, Tennessee a spooky movie show called “Creature Feature” with host Sir Cecil Creape was unleashed on viewers and their lives were forever changed and a must-see show was born. You see kids and adults were drawn into the strange host as well as the films of the evening. No matter how frightening or cheesy the film was, all they knew was that they had to watch and among friends, what happened in the movie was talked about, and most importantly what Sir Cecil Creape was up to. Sadly Creature Feature would end in 1973, but during his time on air Sir Cecil Creape would have his own fan club via WSM and even would make public appearances at local events and a Boy Scouts Patch was created by The Boy Scouts of America Tennessee Council for a very short time. But as I stated, the show’s end came in late 1973 thanks to WSM moving the show’s time slot from 10:30pm Saturday Nights to Saturday days and this was very unwise. But like all good Horror Hosts Sir Cecil Creape could not be kept down and on March 13, 1983 he would return to TV this time on TNN (The Nashville Network) with a show called The Phantom Of The Opry and would switch his location to the catacombs of the Opry House. The quality of his movies dropped, but his antics did not miss a step! And it was great that now a nationwide audience could see him do what he did best and that’s entertain and bring viewers the Horror Movies. The end of The Phantom Of The Opry came in December 1985 when TNN canceled it. While his Horror Hosting days were over, he still would make appearances from time to time in the start of the 90’s on the show “TNN’s Nashville Now” to the delight of all his fans. While both shows Creature Feature and The Phantom Of The Opry only lasted 2 years respectively, they both made a major mark on the genre as well as on Creape’s viewers and fans. And I want you readers to think about that, Sir Cecil Creape had only a total of 4 years as a Horror Host and in that short time he became a true icon in the state of Tennessee as well as in the history books of Horror Hosting. One thing that also makes Sir Cecil Creape so special is that he has a Connection to Dr. Lucifur who was one of the states original Horror Host who hosted Shock Theatre from 1958-1967! As many do not know this outside the state of Tennessee but Dr. Lucifur is the voice you hear that opens the classic episodes of Sir Cecil and throughout the shows run our host would also get packages from Lucifur as well as reference him during skits, showing that these two iconic hosts were indeed connected. And look for a Horror Host Icon update about Dr. Lucifur at some point here on Rotten Ink.

Sir Cecil Creape was so popular that during his time as a Horror Host he would also find himself being a patch for the Boy Scouts Of America in the Nashville area! It was for his Ghoul Patrol and this just showed how important this Horror Host was to his city as besides being honored gracing magazine covers he got a patch issued out to Scouts…what other Horror Host can say they got that Honor? I mean I would have love to see the Dayton, Ohio area Boy Scouts issue a Dr. Creep or Baron Von Porkchop patch…but sadly, I just don’t think that would ever happen. The patch is very much a collector’s item now and fans of the show would love to be able to get one for themselves, but they fetch high prices on Ebay and Etsy and are very rare to come by. I do want to say that his fellow Tennessee host Dr. Gangrene does have one of the patches that he wears very proudly on his lab coat during his show.

Sir Cecil Creape was inducted into the 2015 Class of the Horror Host Hall Of Fame and was inducted by Dr. Gangrene the legendary Tennessee host in his own right, and this only made sense as he was kept the spirit of Sir Cecil alive for decades. The fans in attendance really were happy when Sir Cecil got this honor as many felt it was long overdue. He took his place along with fellow classmates that included Superhost, Baron Von Wolfstein, Rhonda Shear, Gilbert Gottfried and Misty Brew to name a few. And in my opinion Sir Cecil should have been inducted way before this class as he was a true icon in Hosting and inspired many to follow in his footsteps.

As you readers know, I have been a mega fan of Horror Hosts for almost my whole life as I grew up watching the likes of Dr. Creep, Commander USA, Grampa Munster and The Creeper to name a few and over the decades I have discovered, learned about and watched so many hosts and one that I quickly became a fan of was Sir Cecil Creape as he was such a master of hosting as he had that magic touch of making us the viewers feel like we where along for the ride the whole episode, plus is humor was part cheesy but I always also picked up just a hint of playful sinister to pull you into the safe side of Horror, but also scare you just a little. He is also one of those Horror Hosts who made a big impact in the culture of his city as all the youth at the time of his first run use to stay up late to watch his show so that they could talk about it with friends the next time at school as watching Sir Cecil Creape and the movie he presented was the cool thing to do, and because of his show many of his viewers went on to do some great creative things in the world of Horror, Sci-Fi and Entertainment in general. Plus it was like the Nashville area also just opened their arms to Sir Cecil as he was booked for public appearances all over the city and he would always draw a big crowd showing just how much of a local celebrity he was. I also need to say that it’s crazy that Sir Cecil Creape has not gotten the Comic Book treatment as someone out their in the Nashville area needs to make this happen! As I know that here in Ohio one artist named Scott Scarborough who works for Blood Scream Comics would love to make a comic based around him. If you have never seen Sir Cecil Creape, do yourself a favor and find some of his shows on Horror Host Trade Lists, on the Grey Market or find clips of YouTube and give them a watch as you will see just how great he is.

So we are now at the part of this Horror Host Icon update where we take a look at the episodes I own in my collection and sadly I do not own as many as I would like as his stuff is hard to come by as many of the older shows are lost to time and his second run on TNN was when the station first started so many markets did not have it. I want to thank all those who had Horror Host Trade lists that sent these episodes to me over the decades and would like to remind you readers that I will be taking the films plots from our friends at IMDB and I will be writing about the hosts antics from the episodes. So with that, let’s head to the catacombs and see what Sir Cecil Creape has in store for us.

POTO: Mr. Wong Detective
Starring – Boris Karloff & Evelyn Brent Not Rated 1938

Host: Sir Cecil starts the episode off looking at the Underground Classified Ads as he needs to find some work as rent is due and he has no money to pay it. When he does not find one there, he looks through the normal paper and has the idea of selling some of the spooky stuff he has around his dungeon home. He tries then to have a phone interview for a Body Shop and of course gets hung up one when he thinks the job is for human bodies and not automobiles. He then thinks about working for the Blood Bank or even selling some of his blood collection to them but can not part with any of it. After returning from a break he informs us they did not hire him at the Blood Bank after they saw him in person. He then fails to get a job for a preserves company as well as working for a Newspaper Morgue as he thought it was for writers not the papers themselves. In the end he does not find a job and heads home to get some sleep.

Movie: When a chemical manufacturer is killed after asking detective James Wong to help him, Wong investigates this and two subsequent murders. He uncovers an international spy ring hoping to steal the formula for a poison gas being developed by the first victim’s company.

POTO: Terror By Night
Starring – Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce Not Rated 1946

Host: Sir Cecil has a bunch of mail delivered, and he goes through and opens it with stuff like the insurance on his teeth, a message from his twin brother and even more weird junk mail. When he opens up a box, he finds that inside is a banjo and he is confused to why it was sent to him and what it is for. He later gets a phone call from Bud who works for the Opry and who is coming down to deliver a package of candy bat wings that was delivered above and not below, he also gets another message that a coffin with a body (Aunt Vampira) inside has been delivered as well above. Sir Cecil leaves the banjo outside is dungeon and in the end he gets one last call from Bud who has a jar of creeping unknown upstairs for him!

Movie: When the fabled Star of Rhodesia diamond is stolen on a London to Edinburgh train and the son of its owner is murdered, Sherlock Holmes must discover which of his suspicious fellow passengers is responsible.

POTO: White Zombie
Starring – Bela Lugosi & Madge Bellamy Not Rated 1932

Host: Sir Cecil is reading a magazine and finds out that he is fat and decides to order a muscle-building machine from one of the magazines ads. And as he takes us to the start of the movie he starts doing figure exercises. Later his order of exercise machine comes in and he can not even lift 10 pounds without major strain, he is so embarrassed that he rigs up a pulley system to make it look as if he can lift it over his head after a movie break. He then chooses to try and get exercises by listening to a radio show, but the show mostly has commercial breaks so he never gets to work out as while Sir Cecil goes to get his jump rope the show is interrupted by a dance class show!

Movie: A young man turns to a witch doctor to lure the woman he loves away from her fiancé, but instead turns her into a zombie slave.

Note From Matt: Sadly the last segment of this episode is missing

Sir Cecil Creape is a Horror Host whose legacy will live on forever as he was something very special and was a big part of the culture in Nashville, Tennessee during both of his runs on television. And with Dr. Gangrene around who is a mega fan of Sir Cecil I am sure he will never let his memory fade. I wish that more episodes of his show would be around as they are great watches and his style of hosting just draws you in as a viewer. I for one am a big fan of Sir Cecil Creape and it was a very big honor for me to be able to do this Horror Host Icon update about him. But for our next update we will be meeting back here at this very blog for the big Halloween update and this year it’s going to be a fun one as we will be talking about the 1979 killer bat film Nightwing and the Photo Novel Comic based on it! So until next time, read a Horror Comic of three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you on Halloween as the bats are coming!

Horror Host Icon: Sammy Terry

Posted on October 31, 2022 by bloodlinematt

The state of Indiana was blessed with a true icon in the world of Horror Hosting that spawned a legacy that is still felt to this day, and almost every Host that has followed in this icon’s footsteps credit him for inspiring them to become one. And for those of you who have not pieced this together yet, I am talking about Sammy Terry of Nightmare Theatre who is one of my all time favorite Horror Hosts! I can only imagine growing up in Indiana, rushing to the TV set at 11:00pm and turning to Channel 4 to watch Sammy deliver the chills of his segments as well as the frights of the night’s movie. It must have been something very magical and spooky for those lucky viewers who got to experience it. And let’s be honest, Sammy Terry is the perfect topic for this Halloween update and is a very long overdue Horror Host Icon update. So if you are ready, let’s take a spooky ride with the one and only Sammy Terry. And keep in mind this update is about Bob Carter, the original Sammy Terry; in a future update Mark Carter’s Sammy Terry will get covered, as he as well is fantastic and is keeping his Dad’s character alive for fans.

Sammy Terry is a ghoul who sleeps in a coffin and hosts films from his dungeon. He has green and greyish skin, wears a hooded cloak, a skull necklace as well as yellow gloves and has a creepy spooky voice and an iconic laugh that sent shivers down the spine of viewers for decades. Sammy Terry was way different from many other Horror Hosts as he would not be a jokey, silly kind of host. He would treat the night’s films with respect (well most the time) and would also mostly gleefully tell you about the horrors, thrills and chills that awaited you. Sammy Terry also evolved over the years and went from a cigarette smoking creepier flamboyant ghoul to the ghoul we all know and love. Sammy Terry was well loved by his fans, and he would be a massive attraction at his public appearances as both young and old fans would come to see him. In the state of Indiana he was one of the most recognized and iconic TV personalities of all time and remains the state’s top and most respected Horror Host who has inspired many creative minds over the decades. Sammy Terry is a ghoul with charm and a sinister touch that truly is one of the best in the business. Sammy Terry is a Ghoul whose legacy will always live on in the Horror Host community.

Bob Carter was born on December 4^th, 1929 in Decatur, Illinois to Russell and Phyllis Carter, and all through his life he was true to the state of Indiana as he was a graduate of Millikin University where he studied Radio Communications and got a major in the field. Bob would get his master’s degree in New York from Syracuse University and would return to Indiana when he started working as a radio DJ in Fort Wayne and even filled in once for Dick Clark as the host of American Bandstand in 1959. Bob would then move to Indianapolis in 1961 and started working for WTTV Channel 4 as a jack of all trades as he would produce, direct and would host a talk show called “Coffee With Carter” that would be a three hours long. In 1962, he would become the host of Shock Theater (later changed to Nightmare Theater) and would become the one and only Sammy Terry! Bob would play the character for decades and would become one of Indiana’s most iconic TV personalities and would also become one of the biggest Horror Host Icons of all time. Bob would marry Phyllis Ann Eaton Carter and they would have four kids together. Besides being a celebrity, Bob was also well loved by the community and received honors for all his achievements in helping others. Bob was also very much into music and was the owner of “Family Music Center” and would use this love to also help start music programs for schools. Bob would be “Sammy Terry” up until around 2010 when his son Mark took over. Sadly Bob Carter passed away on June 30, 2013 at the age of 83 and the world lost not only a great person but also one of the best Horror Hosts of all time.

The show started in 1962 as Shock Theatre and was only hosted by the voice of Sammy Terry over a graphic. this chilled the blood of viewers who wanted to know who the ghoul was behind that creepy voice and would write letters to the station asking to see this ghoul! And with that Channel 4 decided to give the viewers what they wanted, the ghoul Sammy Terry was introduced to them, and a true icon of Horror Hosting was born. The show would have a name change to Nightmare Theater during the early days of its run and would have Sammy mostly hosting a double feature of Horror and Sci-Fi films and would be a staple for viewers from the early 60’s all the way to the early 80’s and was one of the area’s most watched local shows. In the late 80’s, the show would air very sporadically as specials, and this change annoyed viewers who wanted their Sammy Terry fix every week. And like every classic Horror Host show, the original version of Nightmare Theater would end…but a new era would begin around 2010/2011 when Sammy Terry (II) would comeback with Halloween Specials and an online version of the show. The original run of Nightmare Theater is still looked back on very fondly by fans and the show still remains popular on Horror Host Trade Lists and on sites like YouTube.

On Nightmare Theater Sammy Terry has had a great share of co-hosts with the first being Ghoulsby, an undead zombie who does not talk but helps around Sammy’s dungeon and gets into all types of trouble. He shuffles around and is well loved by fans and is still on the show from time to time to this day! But while Ghoulsby is super popular, on a whole other level is George, the spider who is Sammy’s best friend who comes down from the ceiling and to talk to Sammy, and while fans could not understand what George was saying with his high squeak voice, Sammy did and would respond and even alert the viewers to what he was saying. In the history of Nightmare Theater, both George and Ghoulsby have made the show even more special and these are just two of many that have showed up on the show with many guests also making appearances and adding to the show’s legacy. And I would say this: if co-hosts ever get a branch in the Horror Host Hall Of Fame, both George and Ghoulsby would 100% be inducted, and I want to thank them both for being awesome cast members on Nightmare Theater. And I have to also just say this name, and fans of the show will know it: Cowboy Bob.

Sammy Terry is one of my all time favorite Horror Hosts as I find him to be a true master of the art who brought a friendly sinister touch to the art of hosting and had a way of capturing your attention with every word he spoke. While he sometimes poked fun at the films being shown, he did it more cleverly than most. For me, his laugh is pure iconic and is one of the most imitated laugh among my friends who enjoy Horror Hosting only rivaled by the likes of Dr. Creep and Sir Grave Ghastly. And when I started collecting and trying to archive Horror Host shows, one that was early on my list to try and get as many of them as I could was Sammy Terry. The thing about Sammy Terry is that he is just something very special in the world of Horror Hosting. He has gone beyond Indiana in having a loyal fan base, and he has inspired so many creative minds not only in the world of Horror Hosting but also just in the Horror genre all together. I also feel that Sammy Terry captures the magic of the Halloween season and is a great example of what a classic Horror Host is and what the modern host should aim to be as iconic as. I know many of my friends grew up watching Sammy, and they all will tell you the same thing that he is one of the best to ever grace TV screens. If you have not seen classic Sammy Terry, make sure to look him up on YouTube or track down some of his episodes on trade lists and see just how awesome he was.

On March 26, 2011 the first class was inducted into The Horror Host Hall Of Fame at Horrorhound Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana and among such iconic names as Vampira, Zacherley, Morgus The Magnificent, Ghoulardi and Dr. Creep, the one and only Sammy Terry took his place among the immortals. Captain Crypt and Fenriz Fatal of the Horror Dungeon inducted Sammy Terry into the Hall of Fame, and they did a great job as his son Mark who plays the character Sammy Terry now accepted the plaque. The crowd in attendance loved seeing their hometown host get this honor and their claps and cheers proved that Sammy Terry is 100% an icon in the world of Horror Hosting and entertainment. It was amazing being there for this introduction and because of this, I got to meet Sammy Terry (Mark) for the first time, and I have to say he is a class act and such a nice and great guy. Sammy Terry is at the top of the names in my book who should have been inducted into the first class of The Hall Of Fame.

Like all true icons of Horror Hosting, Sammy Terry has had his fair share of very cool merchandise over the years with many of it being created in the last 10 years or so. Sammy’s ghoulish face has graced products like Trick or Treat Halloween bags, t-shirts, magazines, newspaper articles, trading cards, buttons, cocktail sauce, hats, posters, comic books, statues, action figures, hoodies, home media and so much more! Sammy Terry is a Horror Host who has always done the right thing when it comes to his fans and still delivers some amazing items for them to collect. I for one have a hat, home media, comics, shirts, posters, buttons, trading cards and even a statue…as you can tell I am a big fan of his. So if you are a fan like myself and want to collect some Sammy merchandise, there is lots of amazing stuff released for you to get.

The Dungeon was a very cool vintage toy store in Indiana that was located in the Washington Square Mall that also was a place that you could buy Sammy Terry merchandise and had its own little Sammy Terry museum! And the really cool thing about the shop is that behind the walls hides the current set for Sammy Terry (Mark Carter)! Upon learning about this store, I knew I had to visit it so along with Juliet and my friend Scott Scarborough on July 28, 2019 we made the trip to visit The Dungeon! When entering the mall we noticed that it was suffering the fate of so many indoor malls as at the start was so many empty shops or ones filled with churches or flea market booth type stores, but as we found the aisle were The Dungeon was we knew this was clearly the coolest part of the mall as beside them was a movie store and the other side housed a comic book shop. Once inside the shop, I made a beeline to the back of the store, as I had to see the Sammy Terry museum and merchandise and right off the bat I noticed a very cool statue of Sammy next to a replica of the coffin, and the owner of the shop was so nice he allowed Scott and I to get our picture with the statue, We looed around at all the props, art and plaques in the room. I got some great Sammy Terry items including DVD’s, Button, Trading Cards and even bought a Ghoulsby long sleeve t-shirt! And then something very cool happened as the owner allowed Scott and I to see the set and see the original coffin as well as so many more amazing pieces of Horror Host history! Being able to see and touch the coffin was very magical and hard to explain just how amazing it really was. Once back out I checked out all the action figures and the Mad and Cracked Magazines he had in stock and ended up also buying a couple of issues of Cracked Magazine as well as a killer monkey figure from the movie Congo. This was a great time and was one of the coolest Indie Toy Stores I have ever seen inside a mall, and it also gets major props for having the Sammy Terry museum as well as all the cool merchandise. Also it was a great time seeing the set and all the history that was there. Check out some of the pictures below to see the store from that day. Since our visit the Dungeon has move from the indoor mall to a new location in an indoor shopping center. I have yet to visit their new location, but hope to soon!

One thing that I felt I had to do as a massive fan of Sammy Terry was visit his final resting place and pay my respects to his legacy. So on December 29, 2019 Juliet and I decided to make the over 2hr drive to Greenwood, Indiana to Forest Lawn Memory Gardens to do so, and crazy enough the day we picked had rain storms and high wind making it feel like that day was the right day to visit. When we first got to the cemetery we noticed that all the doors to the mausoleums were locked and after driving to every building in the cemetery it looked like we might not have gotten to pay our respects as we were not able to get in! But after calling the main office of the cemetery they were nice enough to give me the pass code, and Juliet and I made our way into the mausoleum and we were the only two people in the massive tomb. After looking around trying to find him, we finally did and as we approached his marker a very loud boom echoed out and made us both jump as the wind outside knocked over a metal rack that held flowers. I feel this was Sammy giving us a good scare! Juliet and I stood around and talked about Sammy’s legacy and even shared what our favorite moments of his show was before we left I made sure to thank him for all his years of being not only a great person but also all the years of entertainment he left us all to enjoy. As we were leaving Horror Host Slash Cooper and his bride Foxi Roxi of Graveyard Tales were pulling in to also pay their respects. On the car ride home, my mind was filled with all the great moments from Nightmare Theatre and all of Sammy’s classic lines ran on a loop. So I want to say a big THANK YOU to Bob Carter aka Sammy Terry for being one of the world’s best Horror Hosts and for influencing a whole new generation of Hosts. Rest In Peace Sammy Terry, you truly are missed.

Nightmare Theater and Sammy Terry are still very popular that to this day are looked back upon with very fond memories and are ingrained to the history of Indiana. And you have to give his son Mark so much credit as he is doing an amazing job of keeping Sammy Terry and his father’s legacy alive. It’s now at the point in this review that we take a look at the DVD copies of classic Sammy Terry shows that I own, and I would like to thank so many people for making this update possible from Stumpy Disks, B-Videos 101, Toby Long and so many other friends and tape traders. I would also like to remind you all that I will not be giving these episodes star ratings and will take the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and I myself will write about the host skits. So with that, let’s head into the Dungeon and see what Sammy Terry and his friends have in store for us.

Nightmare Theater: Batman Returns
Starring – Michael Keaton & Michelle Pfeiffer PG-13 1992

Host: Sammy Terry starts off coming out of his coffin and greeting the viewers with his classic laugh and then talks about the villains of the movie and how they have bad plots in mind to bring down Gotham and only Batman can stop them. We next see Sammy as he pulls a string and blood comes from the ceiling of the Dungeon and into his cup as he is making his take on a Christmas cocktail. He then talks about how Catwoman fell out of her bosses window and that that drop was larger then falling out of his. We next join him as Sammy talks about Penguin and makes a joke about sushi. And next Sammy talks about lovers, tombstones and the nights movie and even says Batman Returns is Blood Chilling. Sammy and George then talk about the Sammy Terry Fan Club and what you get with membership as well as how to sign up. Next Sammy Terry talks about the umbrellas that Penguin uses and then makes a joke about George having to use one. We then hear Sammy talk about the sewers of Gotham City and the minions of Penguins that include clowns and real life penguins.

Movie: While Batman deals with a deformed man calling himself the Penguin wreaking havoc across Gotham with the help of a cruel businessman, a female employee of the latter becomes the Catwoman with her own vendetta.

Note From Matt: This episode is sadly cuts off not only the end of the film but also Sammy Terry’s closing as well as I would guess one more of his segments.

Nightmare Theater: Black Sunday
Starring – Barbara Steele & John Richardson Not Rated 1960

Host: Sammy Terry comes out of his coffin filling the air with his iconic laugh and alerts the viewers that tonight’s his night to howl as he says this wolves outside start howling. He then says that even Vampires and Witches like to celebrate the holidays and mostly at night as they can do their deeds, and says that the viewers need to lock the doors and windows as its Black Sunday. Sammy and George take us into commercials a few times before we next join Sammy who tells us that Black Sunday’s start off with things bad and throughout it things get worse and then he and George talk about bratwurst as well as bad neighbors and how to write to Sammy. Next Sammy is sitting in his rocking chair with a spooky cocktail and talks about vampires before sending us back to some commercials and then the movie. At the end Sammy asks you if you would rather be a with options of being vampire or witch, he sets up next weeks movies and gets back into his coffin and as it closes he once more lets out his iconic laugh.

Movie: A vengeful witch and her fiendish servant return from the grave and begin a bloody campaign to possess the body of the witch’s beautiful look-alike descendant, with only the girl’s brother and a handsome doctor standing in her way.

Nightmare Theater: Brides Of Dracula
Starring – Peter Cushing & David Peel Unrated 1960

Host: Sammy comes from his coffin and welcomes us to the show and says we are going to have a bloody good time with glee, he then talks about the nights film like he is telling you a creepy story about Dracula and dorms of beautiful women, and then ushers us into the film. We next see Sammy and even George as they usher us in and out of the film for commercial breaks. Sammy Terry and George then talk about love, Dracula, blood, spring and how to send away for a Sammy Terry order from for shirts and posters. Sammy then talks about being at a Parade and he hopes to see the viewers there. Later Sammy Terry makes a blood cocktail and talks some more about Dracula and his way of getting blood, and he even ends up sharing some of his drink with George. We then join Sammy as he tells us this is the time of the year that vampires love as this is when people’s blood is warmer and more people are out of their homes more often and the shadows are lasting longer and this is also the start of the baseball season. Sammy Terry ends the show by telling us to join him next week for a Gamera film and then goes back into his coffin as he wishes us “Unpleasant Nightmares”.

Movie: A young teacher on her way to a position in Transylvania helps a young man escape the shackles his mother has put on him. In so doing she innocently unleashes the horrors of the undead once again on the populace, including those at her school for ladies. Luckily for some, Dr Van Helsing is already on his way.

Nightmare Theater: Corridors Of Blood
Starring – Boris Karloff & Christopher Lee Not Rated 1958

Host: We start with Sammy coming around the corner and talking about Proms as well as what films will be shown next week, he even hints a trip to the zoo to look at the animals. He then chats about the next film that will be airing tonight and talks of the horrors of hospitals. We next see Sammy Terry and he is hanging up with George and they are talking about a race track being opened in Indiana for the season and that Sammy has a race track special coming soon and George can not be apart of the pit crew because he is going to the track in order to watch the fans as he finds them funny. Sammy then makes word connection on the word blood and its sinister and he laughs before we see commercials. In the end Sammy talks about the ending of the film and then reminds the viewers about next weeks double feature before heading back into his coffin to end the show.

Movie: In an effort to relieve the suffering of surgery patients, Dr. Thomas Bolton painstakingly develops an opium-based anesthetic, to which he gradually becomes addicted. In order to provide a continual supply of chemicals to continue his experiments and support his addiction, he falls in with a den of murderers who use his signature to sell cadavers to the local hospital.

Note From Matt: This is clearly the second film of the night as the opening credits and such are missing and we jump into the show already in progress.

Nightmare Theater: Crimson Cult
Starring – Boris Karloff & Christopher Lee Rated R 1968

Host: Sammy Terry comes out of his coffin and starts talking about witches curses when a strange looking witch enters and shuts his coffin for him, as Sammy keeps on talking about the effects of a curse. He also talks about the fate of witches being burned at the stake and then ushers us into the Crimson Cult and during the start and end of his segment a blonde woman ghost appears. We are also treated to Sammy Terry telling and showing us what Horror Movies are now on VHS and able to rent at Indy Video. Sammy and George usher us in and out of the movie and commercials a few times before Sammy and George start talking about Halloween that is only seven days away! Sammy then gives a list of all of the public appearances he will be making during this time and its a lot, and he ends it with saying he will have posters and shirts for sale as the ghostly blonde woman once more shows up and we got to commercials. We next join Sammy who talks about October and the masses that witches have on this day, and really gets a kick out of talking about the sacrifices and the ring of fire. In the end Sammy Terry and the strange looking witch alert us that the next show will be on Halloween and he will host the movie Halloween! The Witch then opens Sammy’s coffin and once in closes it for him.

Movie: When his brother disappears, Robert Manning pays a visit to the remote country house he was last heard from. While his host is outwardly welcoming, and his niece more demonstrably so, Manning detects a feeling of menace in the air with the legend of Lavinia Morley, Black Witch of Greymarsh, hanging over everything.

Nightmare Theater: Curse Of Frankenstein
Starring – Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee Not Rated 1957

Host: Sammy exits his coffin and talks about the horrors of being sick and wasting away, he then talks about the fear of being the victim of someone else’s mistake and monster before he lets out his laugh and takes us to the night’s film. Sammy and George then quickly take us in and out of movie and commercial until Sammy then tells viewers how to get shirts and posters and give the P.O Box address to get his catalog. Next time we join Sammy and George they talk about Dr. Frankenstein and how George as an idea to use body parts to make Sammy look better and they two go back and fourth and at one point Sammy turns into a blonde bikini woman. We next see Sammy back to normal sitting with tombstones and talking about Dr. Frankenstein as well as other who find themselves on death row and the feelings they must have knowing death is coming. He then ends the episode talking about what is next week on the show and then ushers the viewer into the second film of the night “Baron Blood”.

Movie: While awaiting execution for murder, Baron Victor Frankenstein tells the story of a creature he built and brought to life – only for it to behave not as he intended.

Note From Matt: This was the second film of the night with “Baron Blood” being the next movie that I sadly do not have.

Nightmare Theater: Curse Of The Black Widow
Starring – Patty Duke & Donna Mills Unrated 1977

Host: We get several segments that is Sammy and George quickly taken us in and out of the movie as well as commercials. Next we join Sammy and George as they are arguing about George’s snoring and George is tired already again because he made new cobwebs around the dungeon, while Sammy says that he was at a station baseball game. Sammy then talks about being at a High School Prom next week as it falls on Friday The 13^th, and then George gives the address out again so viewers can get shirts and posters. Next Sammy makes a blood cocktail and tells a spooky story in the cemetery patio under the blue moonlight. Sammy ends the show talking briefly about the nights movie and then talks about next weeks fright feature before getting into his coffin and ending the show.

Movie: A private detective named Mark Higbie is on the trail of a murderer whose mutilated and predominantly male victims are found encased in silken cocoons. He eventually tracks the killer’s path to Los Angeles, where he discovers her true identity: a woman who was bitten by black widow spiders as a child. However, that’s only the beginning of the story.

Note From Matt: The opening segment and credits are missing from this episode.

Nightmare Theater: Deathmaster
Starring – Robert Quarry & Bill Ewing PG 1972

Host: Sammy Terry comes out of his coffin and makes a cocktail and builds up the nights film as well as talks about blood and vampires before taking us to the film. We next visit Sammy who is reading what they will be having for Christmas Dinner to George and Ghoulsby and its all types of weird and foul dishes, they then start talking about guests they will be inviting including The Wolf Man, Phantom Of The Opera, The Blue Beast, a Witch, The Mad Doctor and Yogi Bear and the rule is they all have to wear a Sammy Terry t-shirt and they then tell viewers how they can order one as well as a poster, they then remember they have to invite Skull to dinner as well but George thinks he will eat to much cause he ain’t got no body! We next join Sammy who is sitting in his rocking chair and reads the viewers a creepy Christmas tale that is about him and his friends. Sammy ends the show talking about the foulness of dying vampires as well as that of man made smog with pollution and say that is fitting for next weeks film “Godzilla vs. Smog Monster” and ends the show with is iconic laugh.

Movie: Quarry is a mysterious, articulate stranger who draws a cult like following of local hippies. Rather than showing them peace and love, he has more sinister plans for them, as he is a vampire.

Nightmare Theater: Devil’s Own
Starring – Joan Fontaine & Kay Walsh Not Rated 1966

Host: Sammy opens up talking about The Mummy hugging people…to death before he goes into next weeks film’s announcement. He then talks about the second film that is showing tonight and talks about black magic and tells viewers to get ready to be scared by The Devil’s Own! We next join Sammy as he talks about curses and voodoo and does so like a twisted nursery rhyme and of course each have spooky outcomes, and he then talks about how he once used a voodoo doll on a teacher when he was a kid and how he paid for it with a paddling. Next time we catch up with Sammy he talks about his love for baseball and how you can get hurt playing and then talks about how he loves being in the stands with the lovely ladies. Sammy ends the episode reminding us about next week’s movies and then gets back into his coffin and wishes us Unpleasant Nightmares before giving his iconic laugh and the lid shuts.

Movie: An English school missionary assigned in an African village has a run in with the local witch doctor and suffers a nervous breakdown. After recovering back in England she takes a job teaching in a small country town hoping to make a new start for herself. All goes well at first, until she starts to hear some disturbing stories about the town. She soon discovers the town is home to a coven of witches and they plan to sacrifice a local girl in one of their rituals.

Note From Matt: This was the second film of the night so no opening credits for the show and this picks up at the end of the first film The Mummy.

Nightmare Theater: Die, Monster, Die!
Starring – Boris Karloff & Nick Adams Not Rated 1965

Host: Sammy comes from his coffin and talks about the chills of the fall season and wants the viewers to get warm as they are in for a night of fright! He then talks about the monsters of the world werewolves, vampires, quicksand and politicians. He then takes us into the nights film and say be ready to scream! We next join Sammy Terry who is outside and the leaves are falling on his head as he talks about the joys of the fall season and they talks about Halloween being his birthday and then tells viewers about all his public appearances he will be doing in the month of October. Next Sammy brings out his scary book and has a cocktail and tries to read us a spooky story but has to stop as George is not feeling good and is upset about the MLB strike. Sammy ends the show by telling us about next weeks film and they heads into his coffin for the night.

Movie: A young man visits his fiancée’s estate to discover that her wheelchair-bound scientist father has discovered a meteorite that emits mutating radiation rays that have turned the plants in his greenhouse to giants. When his own wife falls victim to this mysterious power, the old man takes it upon himself to destroy the glowing object with disastrous results.

Nightmare Theater: Fear No Evil
Starring – Stefan Arngrim & Elizabeth Hoffman R 1981

Host: Sammy starts off by asking us if we would like to be driven insane or even travel back to the time of the Spanish Inquisition, as he says they both sound like fun. He then talks about time travel, other dimensions, voodoo and witchcraft and then takes us into the film. Next Sammy is talking the black arts and the benefits of it and that magic mirrors help in magic and looks at the painting of himself that turns into a woman who talks about her beauty. The woman in the mirror then starts playing mind games with Sammy as she appears and disappears before him. Next he and George are in front of the painted picture and talks about what you see in the mirror and as he does so monsters appear in the picture including Phantom Of The Opera, a Dragon, Satan and even Ghoulsby as he says we all have dark images! The Woman appears again and this time George falls for her as Sammy tells George he as a one-track mind.

Movie: 18-year-old high school student Andrew looks human in every way but in reality he is the Incarnation of Satan himself. Two archangels name Mikhail and Gabrielle (who are in human form) are sent from heaven to stop him before his evil takes over the world.

Note From Matt: Sadly this episode just ends without finishing the movie and that means also no last segment from Sammy

Nightmare Theater: Dracula vs. Frankenstein
Starring – Zandor Vorkov & Lon Chaney Jr. PG 1971

Host: Sammy Comes out of his coffin with his iconic laugh and welcomes us to the show as well as to the month of September, he then goes into talking about Frankenstein’s monster as well as Dracula and how when the two meet that it will be deadly combat! We next join Sammy as he and George talk about next Friday being the 13^th and how it’s the night of the witches as well as Mr. Video’s tape sale at the locations and Sammy will be at the stores for these sales. And he then talks about a few more places he will be appearing and warns that monsters will be loose in the audience, plus he says he will have posters and shirts for sale at all these places. Next George and Sammy talk about lost loves and then George talks about a bikini model that makes men’s blood run hot and how women dislike her cause of her beauty. In the end Sammy talks about Dracula and then reminds viewers that next week is Friday The 13^th and then speaks about the Evil Eye and says to tune in next week before heading into his coffin.

Movie: Judith Fontaine is looking for her sister Joanie, who has disappeared into the hippie community of Venice, California. It turns out Joanie has become the victim of Groton, an axe-wielding homicidal maniac working for Dr. Durray, who is really the last of the Frankensteins and is now running a house of horrors by the beach and is performing experiments on Gorton’s victims. One night Count Dracula visits the doctor, showing him the original Frankenstein creation that was buried in a nearby graveyard. The doctor revives it and uses it to take revenge on his professional rivals.

Nightmare Theater: Dracula’s Dog
Starring – Michael Pataki & Jan Shutan R 1977

Host: Sammy comes from his coffin with his iconic laugh and welcomes the viewers to his home that was built with terror. Sammy then talks about all things that could be considered bad days and things that could cause it, and then talks about the curse of Dracula and his pet dog! We next join Sammy who is sitting in his rocking chair and is talking about back to school time and how he and is classmates use to torment the teachers, and then says that the kids need to get Sammy Terry shirts and posters for school. He then pulls the noose and it fills his Frankenstein mug with a tasty cocktail and the sings a spooky school song. We next join Sammy Terry as he and George notice that Ghoulsby is jerking around like something is wrong with him, and George then says that Sammy is also jerking around and that an old witch is making them look like a couple of jerks. George also starts jerking around and Ghoulsby finally puts a stop to it by sticking out his tongue at the witch. Sammy ends the show by saying that Dracula’s Curse has gone to the dogs before talking about next weeks film, get gets into his coffin and wishes us all unpleasant nightmares.

Movie: Communist soldiers accidentally unleash the part-vampire servant of Dracula, as well as his vampire dog, during excavations in Romania. Together, they set out for America to find the last living direct descendant of the great Count. Meanwhile, said descendant, unaware of his true heritage, goes on vacation with his family and their dogs, not knowing they are in great danger. Fortunately, a vampire hunter is also on the case and is tracking down the servant and his dog, as well as the descendant, in order to destroy the former and protect the latter.

Nightmare Theater: Frankenstein The Monster From Hell
Starring – Peter Cushing & David Prowse R 1974

Host: Sammy Comes from his coffin and talks about emotions and how they can erupt in many ways with some being very sinister, and that leads him to the nights movies as sometimes these people end up in a asylum. We next join Sammy who is looking at his posters and shirts that he has hanging on the dungeon wall, and he tells viewers how they can order their very own. Just then George and Ghoulsby arrive and are worked up over wanting soup as they both want different kinds to serve at the Super Bowl that is happing that weekend. Sammy next is relaxing and makes himself a cocktail and once more is talking about emotions as well as disorders that people get and explains the actions those who have these disorders have and then says that everyone in Congress is insane. In the end Sammy asks if you would like to stay in the Asylum of Dr. Frankenstein and his Monster From Hell, he then talks about next weeks film before entering his coffin with his classic laugh and once more wishes us Pleasant Nightmares.

Movie: The last of the Hammer Frankenstein films, this one deals with Baron Victor Frankenstein hiding out in an insane asylum so that he may continue his experiments in reanimating the dead along with fellow inmate Dr. Simon Helder, who has been institutionalized for conducting such experiments.

Nightmare Theater: Freaks
Starring – Harry Earles & Olga Baclanova Not Rated 1932

Host: Sammy comes from his coffin and welcomes us to the show and talks about the creepiness of night and how your mind can play tricks on you or even that a madman could sneak up on you and get you, or maybe it’s a UFO in the sky coming after you or does your drinking water have a virus in it…he then takes us to the film. We next join Sammy Terry as he sits among the tombstones and is eating a meal of a salad and behind him Ghoulsby is digging up a grave to get bones of the dead in order to make a soup later tonight from it. Later Sammy is still among the tombstones and he is talking about how quiet cemeteries are and how frightful they can be, and how even spirits can rise from the grave to get you and two ghosts come from the grave and they dance and have fun before returning to their graves. Sammy ends the show by asking of the viewers will be able to sleep for the night, and then talks about next weeks movie before wishing us Pleasant Nightmares before going back into his coffin.

Movie: A circus trapeze artist, Cleopatra, takes an interest in Hans, a midget who works in the circus sideshow. Her interest however is in the money Hans will be inheriting and she is actually carrying on an affair with another circus performer, Hercules. Hans’s fiancée does her best to convince him that he is being used but to no avail. At their wedding party, a drunken Cleopatra tells the sideshow freaks just what she thinks of them. Together, the freaks decide to make her one of their own.

Nightmare Theater: Fright Night 2
Starring – Roddy McDowall & Julie Carmen R 1988

Host: Sammy Terry comes from his coffin and talks about things that go together including the words Fright and Night and as well talks about things that bring fright including politicians as well as all the classic monsters. Sammy then says that vampires are one of his favorite monsters and then takes us to the nights film. Next Sammy is standing by the window as lightning strikes and he laughs and says bye to a bat that is leaving. Sammy then talks about the curse of the vampire and how it effects it’s victims and then George chimes in and tells Sammy to be quite as he is on the coffin with a small amount of rocks and says that the rocks are there for a rock concert. Next Sammy is out on the storm and talks about the vampire party from the film and makes a bat joke before back to the film. Sammy then talks about the risks for vampires when attacking as well as in general and does so over one of his cocktails, and then brags about his dead rose garden before back to the movie. Sammy talks about Halloween night and the yellow glowing eyes in the night, and does so with gruesome glee. In the end Sammy and George end the show by talking about vampires and George has a cure for boredom and that’s to watch the next movie for next week and its “Night Of The Living Dead”!

Movie: Charley Brewster comes to terms with the freakishly improbable incident that scarred his adolescence. Still struggling to convince himself after countless sessions of therapy that the undead creatures of the night were only figments of his imagination, Charley carefully stays away from his former vampire-slaying companion, Peter Vincent. However, when the cryptic and mysteriously alluring actress, Regine Dandrige, and her motley crew of oddballs arrive in town, suddenly, Charley’s past creeps up on him to haunt him. Is history repeating itself?

Nightmare Theater: Ghost Of Frankenstein
Starring – Bela Lugosi & Lon Chaney Jr. Not Rated 1942

Host: This is Sammy Terry’s Birthday special and it opens with actor Vincent Price coming out of a coffin and wishing him a Happy Birthday, they dancing girls come out to entertain as the opening credits roll, and then our host TV Cool Guy greets Sammy Terry and Horace The Hunchback to the dungeon and he alerts Sammy that this is a Birthday Party for him and from here Sammy is treated to guests like R.K Skull, Dick The Bruiser, Tom Collins, Cowboy Bob and many more Indiana based celebrities. Plus Jeeves The Butler makes his return and even a crazed Superman appears. And they bring out Sammy a Birthday cake and ghouls sing him Happy Birthday. The final guest via a video is The Cool Ghoul the classic Ohio based Horror Host! In the end, Sammy Terry gets into his coffin and he is loaded into a hearse and is set for a weekend out at spooky places around town.

Movie: Ygor resurrects Frankenstein’s monster and brings him to the original doctor’s son, Ludwig, for help. Ludwig, obsessed with the idea of restoring the monster to full power, is unaware that his various associates all have different ideas about whose brain is to be transplanted into the monster’s skull.

Note From Matt: This episode is a fan reproduction and does not include any commercials, but to be honest it was really cool to see all the footage of this episode.

Nightmare Theater: Godzilla 1985
Starring – Raymond Burr & Ken Tanaka PG 1985

Host: It’s Halloween and Sammy is very happy as it’s also his birthday and he is visited by the Ghosts Of Halloween Past who sing Happy Birthday to him as does Ghoulsby and a werewolf chef named Larry Battson who has brought live lizards for dinner! Sammy then talks a little about the bombs in Godzilla and as George and Ghoulsby bring Sammy Terry his gifts that are posters and shirts of himself and then Sammy tells the viewers how they can get their very own via mail order or at his appearances. Next Larry shows Sammy what is on the menu for dinner and it’s such things as snake and spiders, Sammy’s guests are playing tickle tag and this causes him to head to his patio graveyard for some peace but his guests follow and when a pretty blonde woman tickles him he decides he will play. In the end Sammy hopes the viewers had a good Halloween and then tells next weeks film before entering his coffin.

Movie: Thirty years after the original monster’s rampage, a new Godzilla emerges and attacks Japan.

Nightmare Theater: Godzilla vs. Smog Monster
Starring – Keiko Mari & Haruo Nakajima PG 1971

Host: Sammy welcomes us to the show and talks about how he loves to bring fright, and that tonight right before a loving couple will make out he will free the vampire Count Yorga to cause mayhem and fear. He then says but before that he will unleash a lighter horror and says that man has created his own monsters with cars, TVs and rock n roll music among other things. He then ushers us into the first film of the night. We next join Sammy as he talks about loving a good cold winter as its gloomy, and how things like grass dies in this season. And then tells viewers that they are part responsible for pollution and that it will bring death, George then appears and reminds everyone that they can get a Sammy Terry poster and shirt to make the winder even worse. After the film Sammy gets a phone call and just keeps letting the phone ring as he tries to think of who might be calling him. After it keeps ringing and he keeps guessing voices from the graveyard behind him scream for him to just answer the phone as they are sick of hearing it ring. When he finally answers it the operator is on the other end and tells him that the phone company is disconnecting his services

Movie: An ever evolving alien life-form from the Dark Gaseous Nebula arrives to consume rampant pollution. Spewing mists of sulfuric acid and corrosive sludge, neither humanity or Godzilla may be able to defeat this toxic menace.

Note From Matt: This episode is missing some of the bumpers as well as commercials as the person who taped it off TV edited them all out when recording it. To be honest I am not sure that this isn’t a fan reproduction.

Nightmare Theater: Horror Of Party Beach
Starring – John Lyon & Alice Lyon Not Rated 1964

Host: Sammy starts by telling us about the horrors that you might find in the ocean as well as at resort hotels and that you can find terror even at the beach while you are there to have fun, and monsters await in the waters. We next join Sammy as he enjoys a cocktail and talks to us about pollution and all the bad stuff that is happening to our Earth that is causing sickness and death, and how we dump toxic waste into our oceans. Next we see Sammy as he is sitting on his coffin and is giving football teams his idea of a new diet that would help them win more games, and that’s to eat toxic seaweed salad that will turn them into monsters and makes a joke about jocks always chasing the ladies anyway just like monsters do. At the end of the movie Sammy Terry tells us about next weeks movie before getting into his coffin and wishing us unpleasant nightmares.

Movie: Sea creatures created from radioactive sludge terrorize a beach community.

Nightmare Theater: How To Make A Monster
Starring – Robert H. Harris & Heather Ames Not Rated 1958

Host: Sammy Terry starts talking about classic monsters and how to be prepared to face them and that’s by making your own monsters that Sammy is going to teach you how with the nights movie. We next join Sammy, who is sitting by his coffin when George informs him that he wants to make a monster just like instant coffee, and they decided to use black magic in order to make one…but George drops a black magic marker and Sammy uses magic to make George into a big mean spider. But after talking Sammy brings George back and even the monster spider stays, but George is sad as he wishes the other spider was a female. Sammy then tells use that the world is filled with monsters like bankers, police officers, waitresses, politicians, cooks and bosses as he says they are the real monsters, and says your wife or girlfriend is the true monster! In the end Sammy says he hopes we learned how to make a monster, and then says his show will be delayed due to a football game but they will have fun watching a spooky dinosaur film. Sammy then enters his coffin for the night and wishes us unpleasant nightmares.

Movie: When a master monster make-up artist is sacked by the new bosses of American International studios, he uses his creations to exact revenge.

Nightmare Theater: King Kong
Starring – Fay Wray & Bruce Cabot Not Rated 1933

Host: It’s Halloween and its Sammy Terry’s birthday and we open the show with Ghoulsby sitting on Sammy’s coffin playing with a whip, Sammy comes from his coffin and thanks the viewers for watching as this episode is live! George appears and tells Sammy that they have a surprise birthday gift for him and it’s a new used coffin and Sammy loves it. He then sees the in studio live audience and insults them with love telling them they are truly horrific. He then tells them about the nights film that is King Kong.

Movie: Carl Denham needs to finish his movie and has the perfect location: Skull Island. But he still needs to find a leading lady. This ‘soon-to-be-unfortunate’ soul is Ann Darrow. No one knows what they will encounter on this island and why it is so mysterious, but once they reach it, they will soon find out. Living on this hidden island is a giant gorilla and this beast now has Ann in its grasps. Carl and Ann’s new love, Jack Driscoll, must travel through the jungle looking for Kong and Ann, whilst avoiding all sorts of creatures and beasts.

Note From Matt: This was a live episode and sadly the original taper cut out all of Sammy’s bumpers besides his opening. We get small clips throughout but nothing whole. It’s also missing the end segment. While it only has the opening still a very cool and fun watch.

Nightmare Theater: King Kong Escape
Starring – Rhodes Reason & Mie Hama G 1967

Host: Sammy comes out of his coffin and starts talking about the fall weather and the amazing things that come with it like burning leaves as well as blisters on your hands from racking those said leaves. We next join Sammy who is with George and they talk about all the public appearances that Sammy has made this far, and Sammy even summons Ghoulsby as he tells more places he will be all through the fall, and plus his posters and shirts being for sale. Next Sammy is enjoying a cocktail and sits in his rocking chair as George tells him that things will be going crazy tomorrow and that’s because of baseball as the World Series is starting. In the end Sammy tells you about next week’s film before getting into his coffin and ending the show.

Movie: Inspired by the Rankin/Bass cartoon, the evil Dr. Who captures King Kong to dig for Element X when his mechanical doppelganger, Mechani-Kong, is unable to do the task. Kong escapes and soon confronts his mechanical double.

Nightmare Theater: King Kong vs. Godzilla
Starring – Rhodes Reason & Mie Hama Not Rated 1962

Host: Sammy exits his coffin and hopes we are all feeling terrible, he then starts talking about the cold winds of March and the sounds it makes at night! He then talks about the epic fight that we will see between King Kong and Godzilla but says next is the most scary thing…commercials! We next see Sammy who talks about epic boxing matches and how they do not compare to Kong and Zilla’s brawl, George then shows up to remind everyone that you can get Sammy Terry shirts and posters. George then tells folks to run away from fights, so you can have more time making out with your partner! We next join Sammy who is bouncing a basketball and talks about the NCAA games coming up as it’s that time of the year and he talks about records that can be broken this season. He then says that sports will change but some things will not, before he sends us to commercials. Next Sammy and George take a moment to try and sell you a wall crawling toy spider! We later join Sammy who is once more talking about the winds of March and the howls it makes and really talks about how spooky it sounds.

Movie: Eric Carter, a reporter for the United Nations, reports on a submarine which collides with an iceberg and frees Godzilla. The news of this soon leads to Mr. Tako, the chairman of a pharmaceutical company, to seek a monster of his own to generate publicity. He sends out an expedition to Farou Island where they discover the god of the island in the form of King Kong. The giant ape is capture and returned to Japan, upon which it escapes and heads off on a collision course straight towards Godzilla. The two rivals soon clash in a giant climatic battle.

Note From Matt: This is the first movie of the night with the second being The Terror, and with that this episode does not have the last segment.

Nightmare Theater: The Mummy
Starring – Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee Unrated 1959

Host: Sammy exits his coffin with his trademark laugh and welcomes us to the show and starts talking about fright can make you feel so good and then talks about voodoo and how it strikes fear and fright. But then starts talking about The Mummy and the rituals of there curses and then takes us to the first part of the nights film. We next join Sammy who is caring a box of strawberries and talks how much he likes them and digging them up is easier than digging up a Mummy, then George asks Sammy if he has ever seen a Mummy and they chat about it with George and him then talking about how to get a Sammy Terry shirt and poster to freshen up a tomb. Sammy next is hanging around and wants the viewers to help focus on seeing a image of Sammy Terry’s mother so that she will appear, instead it’s a beautiful woman’s image that appears and then George introduces Sammy and the viewers to his Mommy a very large spider! Sammy is hanging around the cemetery and tells a spooky Mummy tale to frighten the viewers. After the movie he talks about being hugged to death before talking about next week’s film and then the second film of the night.

Movie: In the 1890s a team of British archaeologists discover the untouched tomb of Princess Ananka but accidentally bring the mummified body of her High Priest back to life. Three years later back in England a follower of the same Egyptian religion unleashes the mummy to exact grisly revenge on the despoilers of the sacred past.

Note From Matt: This is the first film of the night with the second being Devil’s Own.

Nightmare Theater: Navy vs. Night Monsters
Starring – Mamie Van Doren & Billy Gray Not Rated 1966

Host: Sammy comes out of his coffin with his signature laugh and says we are just in time for a fright, he then starts talking about the night and how scary it can be and what evils await us in the darkness. Sammy then says he knows all about the things that go bump in the night and talks about them and then takes us into the nights movie. Next we join Sammy and George talking about May flowers blooming, but then start talking about some local sporting events as well as how to get Sammy Terry shirts and posters, and then tells them he will be a guest at the Indiana Indians baseball game. We later join Sammy in the graveyard as he is having a meal and Ghoulsby is behind him is digging up grave for some bones, and he talks about his salad before he go back to the movie. At the end of the episode Sammy tells us about next weeks movie before getting into his coffin and wishing us unpleasant nightmares.

Movie: Operation Deep Freeze, a scientific expedition to Antarctica discovers unusual tree specimens. When specimens are shipped out for further study, the trees are accidentally introduced to a south seas Navy base, soon revealing themselves to be killer, acid-secreting monsters that live by night.

Nightmare Theater: Phantasm
Starring – Angus Scrimm & Reggie Bannister R 1979

Host: Sammy exits his coffin with his legendary laugh and welcomes us to the show and talks about the mind and how it can go wrong and cause fear and figments of your imagination and how if can drive you mad, he then takes us to the movie. Sammy is talking to George and can not choose what color of his shirt to wear for the Pan American Games that is the following day his choice is blue or black, Ghoulsby shows up and models the shirts for Sammy who ends up reminding the viewers that they can get a shirt as well as posters from him. Sammy can not choose the color so decides to wear them both! Next Sammy is in the cemetery and talks about things that can rise from the cemeteries as well as ghosts and that no one has 100% proved that they are not real and that they could only be in your mind. Sammy ends the show talking about caskets going into the ground, and if that is truly what they will do at the graveyard with the bodies…he then tells us about next weeks movie before getting into his coffin and ending the show.

Movie: Mike, a young teenage boy who has just lost his parents, afraid to lose his brother follow him to a funeral, where Mike witnesses the Tall Man lifting a coffin on his own. Mike decides to investigate, and discovers that the Tall Man, protected by his flying spheres, is shrinking dead bodies down to half their normal size and reanimating them as slaves. It is then up to Mike, his brother, and Reggie the ice cream man to stop the Tall man.

Nightmare Theater: Re-Animator
Starring – Jeffrey Combs & Barbara Crampton R 1985

Host: Sammy as always comes out of his coffin with his laughter filling the air and chats about the unknowns of the world and how scientists still to this day learn about all types of things from earthquakes to the human bodies, and then promises how to show how to bring something back to life and even George says he will later as well. We next see Sammy who is hanging out in the dungeon with Ghoulsby and George who are hanging up Sammy Terry posters on the walls and then they talk about shirts and how the viewers can get their own…they even make a young lady appear out of thin air wearing one. The young lady ends up going over to George and given him a hug. We later join Sammy who is with Ghoulsby and George and on the coffin is some skull and bones and Sammy uses black magic to bring flesh back to the bones to revel that the bones belonged to a The Wolf Man and this scares George and Ghoulsby as Sammy is delighted! At the end of the show Sammy talks a little about the films sending and then talks about next week’s film before getting into his coffin, as Ghoulsby walks around smacking a rubber chicken.

Movie: After an odd new medical student arrives on campus, a dedicated local and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue.

Nightmare Theater: Silent Running
Starring – Bruce Dern & Cliff Potts G 1972

Host: We start off with two radio guys by the coffin of Sammy Terry with one crying, but Sammy rises up and talks about how he is teaming with them for the 11 o’clock movie before going to the movie. Next time we join them Sammy is talking about Bruce Dern and one of the radio guys makes a cheesy joke about knowing them. Next up the two guys chat about buying cemetery plots as Sammy laughs that they are telling the truth. They end the show with the Dj’s thanking Sammy for having them as guests, Sammy snaps his fingers and they are gone and he tells the viewers he will see them next week.

Movie: In a future Earth barren of all flora and fauna, the planet’s ecosystems exist only in large pods attached to spacecraft. When word comes in that the pods are to be jettisoned into space and destroyed, most of the crew of the Valley Forge rejoice at the prospect of going home. Not so for botanist Freeman Lowell, who loves the forest and its creatures. He kills his colleagues taking the ship deep into space. Alone on the craft with his only companions being three small robots, Lowell revels in joys of nature. When colleagues appear to “rescue” him, he realizes he has only one option available to him.

Nightmare Theater: StarCrash
Starring – Caroline Munro & Marjoe Gortner PG 1978

Host: We first join Sammy in the cemetery and he is sitting with George and they are chatting about the stars and planets in the sky and how some of the planets are named after classic Gods and Goddesses, George then talks about a woman that he found beautiful that visited the dungeon and then it starts the talk of the shirts and posters that fan can buy. Next Sammy, George and Ghoulsby are in the dungeon and Sammy is confused as his friends are marching around with Ghoulsby waving a checker flag…he soon finds out that they are doing it for Flag Day and he tells them that this holiday is for the American Flag and Ghoulsby grabs one and with Magic they place it on the old witches castle.

Movie: An outlaw smuggler and her alien companion are recruited by the Emperor of the Galaxy to rescue his son and destroy a secret weapon by the evil Count Zarth Arn.

Note From Matt: Sadly the opening credits and segment are missing from this episode as are the end ones. But it contains the two middle ones as well as the commercials and bumpers.

Nightmare Theater: Swamp Thing
Starring – Dick Durock & Louis Jourdan PG 1982

Host: All we get is a get seconds of Sammy’s bumpers taking us in and out of the nights film, sadly this one is very edited.

Movie: Dr. Alec Holland, hidden away in the depths of a murky swamp, is trying to create a new species – a combination of animal and plant capable of adapting and thriving in the harshest conditions. Unfortunately he becomes subject of his own creation and is transformed . . . Arcane, desperate for the formula attempts to capture the Swamp Thing. An explosive chase ensues that ultimately ends with a confrontation between Holland and a changed Arcane.

Note From Matt: This episode is a mess as the opening and closing segments are gone and who ever taped it off TV edited out the commercials and the breaks and what you get is just a few small clip moments. I hate when people cut out the commercials and host segments!

Nightmare Theater: Terror In The Crypt
Starring – Christopher Lee & Ursula Davis Not Rated 1964

Host: Sammy comes out of his coffin with his laugh and welcomes us to the nights film and starts talking about torture and all the different kinds, but is quickly cut off. We next see Sammy who is talking to George and Ghoulsby who tell him what they want for Christmas this year and they are making their list, they were joined by a talking Skull for a moment…but then they all say that what makes great gifts are Sammy Terry shirts and posters! We then join Sammy who before getting into his coffin tells us what he has in store for us next week.

Movie: Count Karnstein sends for a doctor to help his sick daughter Laura. Her nurse believes she is possessed by the spirit of a dead ancestor, Carmilla. A young woman becomes intrigued by the mysterious deaths surrounding Laura after a carriage accident outside the castle forces her to stay. They become close friends until Laura becomes convinced the spirit of Carmilla is forcing her to kill.

Note From Matt: It looks like some of the host segments were cut short by the original recorder, but most of them are there.

Nightmare Theater: Terror Of Mechagodzilla
Starring – Tomoko Ai & Akihiko Hirata G 1975

Host: Sammy as always comes from his coffin and lets out his iconic laugh and welcomes us to his show and introduces himself. Sammy then talks about his coffin and how comfortable about when George comes down for a visit as they talk about basketball as George says that he plans that turns out to be we wants to go to Florida for spring break…as he wants to see the ladies in bikinis! Sammy then starts talking about the true horrors that await in the ocean for people that include sharks and monsters. We next join Sammy as he watches as George and Ghoulsby packing for spring break and this of course includes Sammy Terry posters and shirts along with towels and bandages. A little later Sammy is in the cemetery and talks about technology as well as space and the horrors that could await for us, as who knows what aliens have as weapons. This one is a little dark as Sammy tells us all that we will all end up in a cemetery someday!

Movie: Attempts to salvage Mechagodzilla are thwarted, causing an INTERPOL investigation that uncovers the work of a shunned biologist and his daughter, who’s life becomes entwined with the resurrected machine.

Note From Matt: Sadly this episode is missing the end segment.

Nightmare Theater: Theatre Of Blood
Starring – Vincent Price & Diana Rigg R 1973

Host: This episode is not really a Sammy Terry episode and only starts with a clip of the ending of his show, so in other words this one is not what it seems on many trade lists.

Movie: A Shakespearean actor takes poetic revenge on the critics who denied him recognition.

Note From Matt: This one is a total scam when grey marker dealers as well as tape traders try and pass it off as an episode of Sammy Terry…I for one was burnt with this one as it has nothing to do with the classic Horror Host show.

Nightmare Theater: The Thing
Starring – Kenneth Tobey & James Arness Not Rated 1951

Host: Sammy once out of his coffin delivers his laugh and welcomes us to the show and tells us that we are unlucky tonight as horrible things are happing as winter is here and making dark and cold. He then talks about the horrors of the nights film The Thing that comes from another world and has super human strength that can kill you with its bare hands! Later Sammy talks about the strange things that can be found on Earth and how much land that is still unknown, George then shows up to listen about the spookiness of the arctic ice and waters. George then starts talking about Christmas and Santa Claus and what makes great gifts are Sammy Terry posters and shirts. Sammy returns this time a head that is his Head Cook and him are talking about ideas that have for Thanksgiving dinner and the main item will be turkey of course as it’s a joke to say George is a turkey! When Sammy returns he talks about a lost seaman that was found frozen in ice and this makes him wonder if more will be found and why they were that far into frozen waters for him to get lost. At the end of the show Sammy makes you think that if the jell-o in your refrigerator is real or is it a thing, he then speaks about life in space before he then tells us what is in store for us next week.

Movie: Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a bloodthirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.

Nightmare Theater: Tower Of London
Starring – Vincent Price & Joan Camden Not Rated 1963

Host: Sammy comes out of his coffin and starts talking about all the ways to torture someone including being tickled! And talks about how some are just so bad they will drive you insane including water torture and being buried up to your neck. And this ties into the night’s film as it is said to have the worst torture! Sammy and George are talking about the nights film and George starts talking about Pizza when one is thrown at Sammy who barely catches it and the two start chatting about the Sammy Terry shirts as the pizza sauce will blend in with the color if the blood red ones, they also talk about the posters as well as a public appearance. Sammy Terry next is hanging out in his cemetery and talks about the leaning tower in Italy and how terrible it would be if it was used as a place of torture. Sammy closes the show by getting into his coffin and talking about real tower of London and they talk about the next film they will be showing next weak.

Movie: The twisted Richard III is haunted by the ghosts of those he has murdered in his attempt to become the King of England.

Nightmare Theater: Track Of The Vampire
Starring – William Campbell & Marissa Mathes Not Rated 1966

Host: Sammy is sitting on the coffin and wraps up the last film and says he hopes that we are truly scared as the next movie is something that could happen to you even in the cold nights of winter and how monsters and killers like to stalk their prey late at night, and that vampires are truly dangerous as they can appear normal and get you this night. Sammy is looking out his window and then starts talking about collage basketball in Indiana and how that fever is spreading to everyone and how the sport has grown over the years. The next time we see Sammy he is still talking about winter and show and how animals leave tracks in the snow, and wonder have you ever seen tracks that you can not trace nor identify of a man and realize that he could be stalking prey and if you ever seen human prints that disappear those are of a vampire! Sammy ends the show by talking about the vampire of the film and how it’s a shame he could not get his prey, he then talks about the next week’s film before entering his coffin and ending the show.

Movie: A crazed artist who believes himself to be the reincarnation of a murderous vampire kills young women, then boils their bodies in a vat.

Nightmare Theater: Valley Of Gwangi
Starring –Gila Golan & James Franciscus G 1969

Host: Sammy Terry comes out of his coffin and introduces himself and it’s very late at night as he talks about mangled bodies, wars and big bombs that would strike fear into hearts of the people. He then chats about the start of time and dinosaurs before ushering us into the film. Sammy looks out his window and sees fireworks as George says that he is the one that set them off as he is running a test for the fourth of July and talks about the food he will be fixing for that holiday and its all gross spider food, they both then talk about the posters and shirts of Sammy Terry that you can buy. Later the fireworks are still going off and Sammy and George watch them and this time they do now know who is setting them off as the fireworks are now going off in the dungeon and it was the old witch that is doing that to them. Later Sammy uses a black magic spell to force the fireworks out of the castle and the battle goes on until he finally is able to make them go back outside, and George says that he spied on the witch and she plans up her attack as she wants to stop the night’s show! Sammy fights back by creating a thunderstorm with lots of rain that stops the fireworks.

Movie: Cowboy James Franciscus seeks fame and fortune by capturing an Allosaurus living in the Forbidden Valley and putting it in a Mexican circus. His victim, called the Gwangi, turns out to have an aversion to being shown in public.

Note From Matt: This is the first film of the night and is missing the opening credits but not segment and sadly there is no end segment either.

Nightmare Theater: Vampire Lovers
Starring –Ingrid Pitt & Peter Cushing R 1970

Host: Once out of his coffin Sammy welcomes the viewers as a monster man comes out of the shadows and crawls into his coffin, Sammy is confused but keeps going as he talks about the weather, lovers and vampires all the while the blonde ghost woman can be seen during his talk. When Sammy comes back he talks about his love of the fall and the month of October and talks about some of his pubic appearances coming up throughout the month. Later in the show George and Ghoulsby want to leave the dungeon as Ghoulsby wants to find a woman to kiss and hug and George as well wants to do the same, Sammy warns them that love can also be very dangerous as they all lust over the blonde ghost woman.

Movie: Seductive vampire Carmilla Karnstein and her family target the beautiful and the rich in a remote area of late eighteenth-century Germany.

Note From Matt: This is missing the end segment, and that stinks as this was a fun episode.

Sammy Terry is really one of my favorite Horror Hosts of all time and his style of hosting is a lost art as he is both creepy and also funny when he needs to be, and I love that his son has stepped into the role and is keeping the legend and character alive for the next generation of viewers. I also want to say that for those wondering, I also do have the official released DVD’s of Sammy Terry, but for this update wanted to focus on the original broadcast ones I have. For me the Halloween season is a time that I look back at the Horror Host of my past that helped make me into the monster kid I am today. Well as you can see, this update is coming to an end as is our Halloween 2022, but before we part and head out into the dark for that one last trick or treat I would like to tell you our next update will be about that 1960’s kid show Diver Dan! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next time for a deep-sea adventure complete with a sexy mermaid!

Horror Host Icon: Alistair Cookie

Posted on August 14, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! This update is going to be a fun one as it’s a “Horror Host Icon” update all about Alistair Cookie, the host of Monsterpiece Theater…now I need you all to relax and just have fun with this one as I am sure some of you are saying out loud “Alistair Cookie is not a Horror Host he is an educational kids show character.” You are not wrong in your thoughts, but hear me out: some of the segments he hosted had kid friendly horror themes, he himself is a monster and again just sit back and have fun with this one. While he might not be a full fledged Horror Host, he is a Host of a parody themed movie show and much like Count Floyd was a gateway for young kids to discover the wonderful world of Horror Hosts. So grab some cookies and milk, and let’s talk tales with Alistair Cookie of Monsterpiece Theater who is coming to you from Sesame Street.

Alistair Cookie is a blue monster that wears a smoking jacket, with early episodes even having a pipe that he would eat at the end of the show (this was done away with not to make smoking look cool to kids) and sits in a massive wingback chair in a study with a fireplace surrounded by books and photos of his friends from the past. He is a cool and calm host and loves cookies and milk as he showcases a short segment that is based on a book, fable or film and is done to teach the viewers a lesson of education as well are done in a silly nature to deliver a chuckle. And Alistair loves himself some cookies and will devour them and at time even gleefully talk about the cookies. Alistair not only during an episode would interact with the viewers at home but also those Muppets that appear in his sketches, and even at times Alistair himself will be in one of the spoof segments! Alistair Cookie started being the host for Monsterpiece Theater in 1978 that was a part of the classic educational series “Sesame Street” and was a take off of the PBS show Masterpiece Theatre and its host Alistair Cooke. Monsterpiece Theater lasted for around 36 episodes (within the main show) and came to an end in 1999 as part of the Sesame Street segment lineup. During its run, Monsterpiece Theater would spoof books, shows and movies like NYPD Blue, Chariots Of Fire, Dances With Wolves, Dr. No, Gone With The Wind, Hamlet, West Side Story and The 39 Steps to name a few. While Alistair Cookie and Monsterpiece Theater might not be on the air anymore with new episodes, kids of the time like myself loved the show and enjoyed every time it was apart of Sesame Street. And I should say that Monsterpiece Theater aired on PBS during its run, and for those of you who grew up in the late 70’s through the 90’s you know just how cool Alistair Cookie was and just how zany and crazy he was to eat cookies and share a tale with us all. I want to also say that the shows opening theme is great and has a regal sound with later seasons even having Alistair eating and talking about a cookie he is eating.

Cookie Monster is the Muppet behind Alistair Cookie and he is one of the biggest stars in the history of Sesame Street on TV. Cookie Monster is a Muppet who was created by Jim Henson and played by Frank Oz from 1969 to 2004 and David Rudman helped from 2001-2004 before taking over the role that he is still doing to this day. But Cookie Monster first appeared in TV Commercials for General Foods as he would steal and eat snack food along with fellow monsters and he was called Wheel-Stealer, but oddly enough his commercials never would be aired and the future Cookie Monster would not get his big break until 1967 when he would be used in a IBM training film and a few years later he would be called Arnold The Munching Monster and would be used in commercials for Munchos a potato chip from Frito-Lay. But then Cookie Monster took a role on Sesame Street starting in 1969 and his career was set and would lead to him being a featured cast member and one of the most loved Muppets of all time. He would go on to star in movies as well as shows like Saturday Night Live, Martha Stewart, All Things Considered and The Colbert Report and so many more. Cookie Monster who is called that cause he loves to eat cookies also later would tell kids that cookies are good but they should also eat veggies, but keep in mind he has not lost his love for cookies and is still appearing on the show to this day! And growing up indeed Cookie Monster was one of my favorite characters from Sesame Street and I had books, a patch and toys that featured him and one year my Birthday Cake had Cookie Monster on it. When you think of Icons of the Muppet world Cookie Monster has to be at the top of your list. And come on you know reading this Horror Host Icon update the song “C Is For Cookie” that he sang is going through your head. And on a side note Alistair Cookie was suggested to the Horror Host Hall Of Fame Board to be on a ballot and sadly did not get the vote to make it on in around 2021.

Like all good “Horror Hosts” Alistair Cookie has had a really cool doll made of him that was sold by PBS and come complete with his chair as well as smoking jacket. And this is one doll that I wish I would have known about as I would have 100% bought it. Now you can only find it via third party sellers on sites like Ebay and they are going for high prices. But fans of Alistair Cookie I wanted to make you aware that this doll was made and is out there for you to collect.

Monsterpiece Theater was a staple on Sesame Street for a few decades and Alistair Cookie was a Host that kids always enjoyed seeing on their TV Sets. And we are now at the part of this review were we will take a look at show and what I have here is a Best Of DVD set that I was able to get thanks to my brother and because there is so many of them I will be picking my favorite 8 episodes. And keep in mind the “movies” he showed was all part of the host segment and at times Alistair himself would be the star of the short he was hosting! So with that grab a cookie or two and pour yourself a very tall glass of milk as we are going to talk Monsterpieces with the one and only Alistair Cookie.

Best Of Monsterpiece Theater Vol. 1
Starring – Mel Gibson & Grover Not Rated 1978-1999

Host: “Upstairs, Downstairs” Alistair is sitting in his wing backed chair with a pipe and welcomes viewers and the short has Grover going up and down stairs and getting winded doing so. Once back to Alistair he thanks us for watching and then eats the smoking pipe! “Gone With The Wind” Alistair starts the episode by welcoming us to the show and saying he is very happy to bring us his favorite film today…but then says that he has never seen it but heard it was good. The short has a mansion being hit by a windstorm and inside Kermit and a female Muppet watch as things are being blown around and are both confused to what to do to stop it, and while doing match they both end up being blown away by the wind. And when we join Alistair his library is also now being hit with wind and he ushers us out by thanking us for watching. “1 Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” Alistair with book in hand is sitting in his library and welcomes us to the show and builds up the show as being a showcase of the number 1’s historic flight over the cuckoo’s nest. The segment goes wrong at first as number 3 flies over a chicken coop, and four falls from the sky into a pig pin than finally number 1 fly over the nest. In the end Alistair is relieved that they finally showed the right segment and bids us farewell and relaxes back into his chair. “Twin Beaks” has Alistair himself going toe the strange town of Twin Beaks that is populated by birds and he is trying to figure out why the town is called that and even talks to the bird with a log to try and get the answer, and does notice that all the birds do have two beaks. Once back in the library Alistair takes a pie and eats it down and ushers us once more out of the show. “Lethal Weapon 3” once more Alistair welcomes us to the show and says tonight’s feature is packed with danger and the mega movie hit Lethal Weapon 3. We then join Mel Gibson and Danny Glover standing by a Danger sign and they are looking around when all of a sudden a giant # 3 falls from the sky. And in the end as Alistair ends the show a giant # 4 falls from the sky and lands on his chair. “Hamlet” the show starts with Alistair in his chair and the moon is out and he says tonight’s episode is very classy and is very proud to bring the viewers Hamlet! The segment then has a castle and Mel Gibson as Hamlet who is reading a book when Elmo enters the scene and watches as Hamlet goes through emotions reading the book and when asked how he can get a book Hamlet tells Elmo to go to the library. In the end Alistair eats a Danish pastry as well as the plate it was on. “Dances With Wolves” Alistair once more is happy to bring the viewers a blockbuster film that is filled with action and buffalos and ushers us into the short that is set at a ball that has farm animals dancing and a young female big has no one to dance with, so enter the wolf. And just because they are different they still have a great time dancing together. Alistair ends the episode shoving cookies into his mouth. “Dr. No” Alistair is once more in his chair and tells the viewers that the night’s episode stars the master spy James Bond! The segment takes place in a eye doctors office and James Bond needs Dr. No’s help in order to read. In the end Alistair eating cookies tells the viewers that next episode will be another James Bond adventure.

That was such a fun Horror Host Icon update that I know has many of you readers split on if he is a “Horror Host” or not, and believe me I have heard that same debate over even the likes of Count Floyd, The Crypt Keeper, Miko Macabre and the cast of Dinner & A Movie as many do not look at them as full fledge Horror Hosts. And I myself say that all mentioned are indeed Horror Hosts and while they are not your traditional style hosts they all have their own styles, fans and creative ways to be a Host. And in the case of Alistair Cookie I think he is a gateway Host for kids that will help them to discover other movie hosts, as lets be honest many of the parody segments are based on cult films and TV shows from Twin Peaks all the way to Hitchcock’s 39 Steps and even a Lethal Weapon 3 in between. Also to be honest I loved all the episodes on this disc and just picked some of the more fun and silly ones. So to wrap it up I want to thank Alistair Cookie for all his years on Monsterpiece Theater that has lead to so many great memories for me as well as thousands of others who grew up with his antics on select episodes of Sesame Street. For the next update we will be leaving Sesame Street as well as the world of Horror Hosting and will be heading to Jellystone Park to visit one of my all time favorite cartoon characters Yogi Bear! So until next time eat a cookie or three, enjoy a glass of milk or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next time as we go on the hunt for some picnic baskets.

Horror Host Icon: Baron Daemon

Posted on May 12, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink for a “Horror Host Icon” update that has been high on my list to do for many years now as I find this Frightful Host to not only be an Icon but also a true legend of New York! The host I am talking about is Baron Daemon who entertained the Syracuse area not only hosting films but also cartoons and even two popular songs…but I am getting way ahead of myself! And before we get into this update have you guys ever thought about how many amazing Horror Hosts have been based out of the state of New York? I mean Gilbert Gottfried hosted Up All Night and later Rhonda Shear, Zacherley hosted Shock Theater, Adam Keefe hosted Fright Night Theatre, Dr. E. Nick Witty hosted Monster Movie Matinee and even The Six-Fingered Hand lead viewers through Chiller Theatre and this is just a small list of all the amazing hosts from the state. So with that thought and memories in your head it’s with great honor that I bring to you Horror Host Icon: Baron Daemon!

Baron Daemon is a bushy eyebrowed vampire who wore a cape, a bowtie, white shirt and black pants and would host spooky movies at night and cartoons during the day! He was very silly and yet at times had a touch of sinister to him when hosting the films late in the evening and he was well loved by both adults and kids as he drew them into his antics as well as allowed them into his weird world that also consisted of his two best friends Boris and Very Harry (more on them later). He was the most popular local celebrity opening grocery stores and even making appearances at a local asylum and fans flocked to meet him as he looked at all his fans as his “Bloody Buddies” and they looked at him as their favorite TV Horror Host. When Baron talked he sounded like Bela Lugosi’s version of Dracula mixed with a cartoonish overtone and his laugh was iconic. Baron would also appear at sock hops and would “drink” the blood of young ladies and kids would speak about him at school and wear shirts with his image on it and would mimic his speech and phrases. And still to this day the people of Rochester, New York and beyond have great memories of Baron Daemon and his legacy lives on even after all these years of him being off TV.

Baron Daemon was so big that at one point during the peak of his popularity Channel 9 came up with having him team up with a rock band The Vampire (really Sam And The Twisters) and recorded two songs “Ghost Guitars” and the big hit “Transylvania Twist” in order to send to radio stations and to promote his shows as they felt it would bring in more viewers! And they sent the record out to radio stations within 50 miles of the viewing area and it worked as Transylvania Twist became a mega hit and the vinyl single was the top selling local record for many years and became a requested song by listeners and even to this day around Halloween the song in New York is played by radio stations who get requests to hear it. Baron Daemon wished that the Channel had sent the record out further as he felt that the song could have been a bigger hit than it was and became a regular song on rotation at stations all over America. The vinyl record at this time is a major collectors item and sells for hundreds of dollars on second hand sale sites. But for those who want to hear both songs you can find them on YouTube so give them a listen and enjoy!

Mike Price is the man behind the Baron Daemon character and is a well loved TV Personality form the New York area as he would be a staple on the News for Channel 9 before and even after his Horror Host persona was off the air. He would become a reporter and had his own segment on the evening news called “Good News” that would feature people from around the area that are doing great things, and he would also talk to kids who were doing really good in school. Mike Price would work for the station for over 46 years and would retire in 2008. And after retiring the station would name the studio after him as well as hang a plaque for all future News Anchors to see. And for those who do not know Mike Price worked for Channel 9 before it first went on air and was hands down the stations first mega star and made them must see TV because of his work as both a News Reporter and as a Horror Host. And that is pretty true for most big Horror Hosts they go beyond being just a celebrity of local TV and the men or women behind the character becomes loved by their community. And even as of 2020 Mike Price is being interviewed in the New York area about his time on TV and his career as Baron Daemon showing that even after many years of retirement Mike means something very big to the people who grew up watching him and beyond.

Baron Daemon originally started as the host of a late night horror movie show called “The Hollywood Special” starting in 1962 on WNYS-TV Channel 9 out of Syracuse, New York and he would host all types of classic Horror and Sci-Fi films. The show was an instant hit and old and young viewers could not get enough of Baron Daemon as he just captured their attentions and became must see TV for all of Syracuse. But parents ended up a little angry as kids wanted to stay up past their bedtimes to watch his antics as well as the spooky movie that did not start until 11:35pm, so to please parents Baron Daemon also became a daily kid show host “Baron And His Buddies” and on this he would host cartoons and Flash Gordon film serials. His shows were the most watched in that area of New York and his viewers were both young and old. Baron Daemon would also guest on other shows on Channel 9 mostly the dancing shows and would bring his brand of vampire humor with him and added enjoyable silly laughs for those watching. For years Baron Daemon’s shows were highly rated and was some of the most popular local made shows at the time, and after his song “Transylvania Twist” was released it seemed like he and his shows were untouchable. That was until 1967 when the Channel 9 station suffered a big fire and sadly the set, props and all costumes for Baron Daemon burned up and the stations new powers to be who already were not a fan of his shows decided that with all things of the show gone this would mark the end of Baron Daemon! So with a puff of smoke do to a fire The Hollywood Special and Baron And His Buddies was over and fans would not get to see Baron Daemon on a weekly basis and this was terrible news for his fans. But over the years Baron Daemon would return doing live appearances and even host some events allowing fans to still see him and enjoy his brand of humor. It’s sad that his shows had to end due to bad management who did not think replacing the lost items to bring the shows back was worth their time, very silly decision as I think Baron Daemon could have lasted on air all the way through the 90’s and I think he would have been just as popular through every decade and still to this day Channel 9 should have Baron Daemon return to TV with Halloween specials! But that is just my wishes that sadly never happened and will never happen do to the age of Baron Daemon as of this update.

I have said this before and I have to say it again all good Horror Hosts had their fair share of amazing sidekicks that helped make his shows something very special for viewers and Baron Daemon was no different! First up is Boris The World’s Shortest Monster who looked like Frankenstein’s famous creation that would grunt his way around the set and was a very close friend of Baron Daemon. Boris was well liked by fans and he would even make public appearances alongside Baron. But while Boris was well loved the most popular of the sidekicks was Very Harry a mute caveman type guy who wore a hat and a trench coat and seemed to always just be hanging around with Baron and Boris. He was always just kind of in different to everything and was a favorite of kids as well as adults. Boris was played by Bill Eadie and Very Harry was played by Dennis Calkins and really these two are some amazing sidekicks and I would almost be so bold to say are the best Horror Host sidekicks in all of New York’s history! I should also note that while Very Harry would make appearances on the kid show “Baron And His Buddies”, Boris was not as lucky and would not be on the kid show as often.

Baron Daemon was on the ballot for the 2021 Class to make it into the Horror Host Hall Of Fame and sadly he ended up not making it that year, even though I 100% think he should have and in fact been in way sooner than that. And my goal is to try and get Baron Daemon into a future class of the Hall Of Fame as his contributions to the Art Of Horror Hosting is amazing as he had a six year run hosting both a movie and kids show as well as made many public appearances and had a hit music single! He was an early pioneer in New York Hosting and has many of fans still to this day. So when Baron Daemon gets in I will update this Horror Host Icon update and share with you who inducted him and what class he ended up being in!

Baron Daemon is a horror host that I can remember seeing pictures of and reading about in the early days of the internet as one thing that I loved to do in my teenage years was learn about new hosts from all over the world. I think the thing about Baron Daemon is that while the world of Horror Hosting has tons of Vampires his big eyebrows set him apart from all the others and made him stand out from the pact just like I feel Sivad (read his Icon update here) did as well with his unique look of the classic folklore monster. And Baron Daemon’s overly silly nature and the way he delivered his lines made him come off as a fun loving goofball ghoul and made him feel like a friend who drew you into his world and shared his love for Horror Movies and Cartoons with you, not to even mention his phrases and mannerisms would bring a smile to your face as well as make you say out loud “Blood Buddies” while acting like him…come on many of you original watchers of his show and Horror Host Mega Fans know that you just did your best impersonation of him while reading this sentence. Another reason why Baron Daemon has always been on my Hosting radar and was always on the list of must cover for Horror Host Icon updates is not only because he was a fantastic host with amazing sidekicks, but because he is also apart of the big legacy of Horror Hosts that have came out of the state of New York the land that Chiller Theater built and he could be one of the best as well from that State! And I really do hope at some point that more footage of his show is found in the vaults of Channel 9 and that the fans get to see Baron in his prime doing what he did best and that was to entertain the viewing masses.

So as you can see Baron Daemon is a true iconic legend in the world of Horror Hosting and is one of New York’s best Hosts of all time! And we are now at the point of this update that we will talk about the episodes I have of Baron Daemon and sadly like I said earlier in this update as of this update no known episodes and footage minus bloopers of the show are around, so I had to do a TV Special that Channel 9 did in 2006 for Halloween based on him. So with that lets travel down memory lane and take a look at Baron Daemon and his Blood Buddies as they treat us to their Halloween Fright Fest.

Hollywood Special: Halloween Fright Fest
Starring – Dr. E. Nick Witty & Very Harry Not Rated 2006

Host/Movie: This is a news broadcast special that aired on TV in 2006 that celebrated the life and career of Baron Daemon who made viewers both scared and tickled with laughter for five years on TV as well as tons of public & media appearances. They tell the shows history as well as the characters and even talk about and to Mike Price about his career. They also chat with other show cast members, fans and even new and vintage skits show of Baron Daemon.

It’s such a shame that so many iconic Horror Hosts like Baron Daemon’s show are lost to time due to many factors like recorded live, thrown away or reused tapes and of course no Beta or VCR’s for fans to tape their favorite hosts. And even more shameful is that Channel 9 over the years after his show ended never brought back Baron and his pals Very Harry plus Boris back to TV airwaves for horror movie hosted specials every Halloween and New Years…but what do you expect from clueless on air stations who think late night viewers want to watch infomercials on none stick pans and sharp kitchen knives…no wait they put those on cause they could careless about local programing and being creative and took the quick buck of just selling out that air time to soulless products. But enough of that let me put my soap box away and just say that Baron Daemon is an amazing Host that you should read up on and watch the blooper clips and listen to his two hit songs. But for my next update we will be leaving the world of Horror Hosting behind and will be taking a look at werewolf comic Lycanthropy Leo! So until next time read a comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as Rotten Ink’s ten year celebration continues!