Horror Host Icon: Angus

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

“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

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

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.

Night Of The Living Monster Bash 2022 Vacation in 2-D

It’s that time of the year again, that time when Juliet and I pack up and load our bags into the trusty Mazda CX5 and head to Cranberry Township for another Monster Bash Convention Vacation! This year I was very much looking forward to it as the crazy Virus Crisis of 2020 to present day has ruined so much for everyone and seemed to just blanket the world with fear, anger and depression and I needed a most relaxing time away from it all and needed to get to the classic monsters that bring me joy and of course Evan City Cemetery to recharge my creative batteries! Plus I needed my Wing King Fix and not to even mention the best part of these vacations spending a few days with my lady who works a stressful job, and it’s nice for her to get a little bit of relaxing time as well. And like always we will be taking a look at a comic series based on a George Romero film series and this is one series that I have saved for an anniversary year of the blog as it was a comic series that got me back into collecting modern Horror comics when they were released back in 2004. I am talking about the Dead Dog Comics miniseries Night Of The Living Dead: Barbara’s Zombie Chronicles! So let’s climb into the Mazda and hit the highway as we have a date with some zombies and some classic monsters.

We woke up early on June 24^th and went to Dorothy Lane Market and got ourselves some drinks for the trip as we have a little over four hours on the road and along with our bags and some road snacks, our journey to the bash begin. We got a late start so making it to Monster Bash the first night was not possible. I was a little bummed but it was ok. As we drove along Juliet and I talked about comics, wrestling, Horror Hosts, Horror movies, baseball, podcasts and everything in-between as nothing beats a good conversation while on a road trip. I also accidentally exploded a small bag of Animal Crackers all over the car, but I was able to at least save a few. We stopped in for lunch at Ruby Tuesdays and I had a good meal of Blackened Salmon with rice and a baked potato as Juliet had a bacon cheeseburger, a tasty meal and a great way to truly kick off this vacation. We then checked into our room at the Hilton, and we ran to New Dimension Comics were I found a ton of cool indie comics in the $1.00 bins. That night we relaxed in the hotel and watched some of the Pittsburgh Pirates game as well as WWE Friday Night Smackdown and had Eat N’ Park for dinner. And I was really looking forward to getting to Monster Bash the next day to grab some spooky goodies and spend time with The Monsters and the fans of them.

On the morning of June 25 we woke up early and got ready and I also quickly read Action Comics # 572 a comic I got for $1.00 from New Dimension Comics. And right before 10am we made our way to Monster Bash I was wondering what monster statues awaited us as well as if a fancy monster themed car would be pulled up front, these past few years they have not had a car that I have seen and I miss them as they add to the event. And when walking into Monster Bash that this year took place at a different event I did not see the Monster statues but did notice that they had multiple rooms filled with guests and venders. Right off the bat the Horror Hosts in attendance you could see with those being Son Of Ghoul, Mr. Lobo and Drac & Countess Cartia! Sadly I did not get to chat with many of them as they had people at their table, and Juliet and I were on a schedule that day…but later I did get to quickly chat with Drac. Many cool stuff to look at from the vendors including movies, posters, toys, posters, comics, art and magazines. Also got to chat with my filmmaker friend David “The Rock” Nelson and we chatted classic TV, events from his youth and of course his films! It was a fast day at the Bash for us but a very fun one.

We ended up having lunch at Max & Erma’s and we chatted about all types of stuff over a good meal. After a while we headed to Mars where Juliet had a coffee from the Mars Brew House and we enjoyed the small town feel for a few moments. This is such a cool town that embraces their name and plays up on the planet Mars as well as UFO’s and aliens as many of the small businesses even have alien figures in their windows. We will visit the Mars Brew House one last time before we head home as this is a must stop place for us every year.

And for those wondering what was the haul for our first day at Monster Bash is: I got two wood plaques, one featuring Indiana Horror Host Sammy Terry and the other being Godzilla and they were $25.00 each! And then I got two films of David Nelson’s with those being “Pumpkinman” and “Werewolf & The Witch” and they were $20.00 each! A great batch of stuff for such a short time at the event and tomorrow we will spend a little more time and I will find those monster statues!

That night after hanging around the hotel room we decided to get Wing King for dinner and we also decided to have a movie night and picked Pumpkinman for the spooky feature! As the weather was hot outside and what a cool way to end the day then to eat some wings, munch on some fires, drink some Coke and watch a shot on video fright flick. I ordered 12 Garlic Wing and a order of cheese fries and as always the wings from Wing King were amazing and this is my favorite wing place I have every tried as they have the best Garlic Wings ever and the event was a fun watch on a very hot day and a great way to end Monster Bash Day 2. We also watched episodes of The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers that night, as you cannot beat classic Fox cartoons.

June 26 started our third day of Monster Bash 2022 and it was a cool cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms kind of day, but for me that is the perfect weather to spend time with the classic monsters! And Juliet and I knew we had to find those statues and we also thought that on Saturday we missed a vender room, and it’s always fun to make that one last sweep through the convention to grab the stuff you might have missed before. And I felt really silly when the monster statues was right in front of us, and man they had some great ones from The Wolf Man, Phantom Of The Opera, The Fly, Gillman and many more and as always they looked great and added to the experience. Sadly there no horror themed car that we saw. We walked around and ended up seeing some cool stuff and the two shirts we wanted the venders did not have in our sizes so no She-Ra shirt for Juliet and no Chilly Billy Cardille for me. We walked around for a while and then headed to Starbucks for coffees, then checked out the small cemetery in Mars before eating lunch at Moes! We then headed to the hotel to cool down as the temperature was down but the humidity was high. A fun final day at Monster Bash that sadly I left empty handed as I did not find anything that screamed to me take me home besides a very cool The Craving Poster that I just don’t have room for.

The night of Monster Bash Day 3 we decided to order AEW & New Japan Pro Wrestling “Forbidden Door” event and watched it on our laptop. I wanted to see the Thunder Rosa vs. Toni Storm match, the icon Sting in action and as well see El Desperado in action! While Juliet was looking forward to Chris Jericho’s match as she is a big fan of Y2J! We ended up having Eat N’ Park and had the Mile High Meatloaf with Mini Potato Pancakes and a slice of Strawberry Pie for dessert. And what was nice a thunderstorm ragged outside as we watch a history-making event that was really good and showcased the talents of both companies. Once the event was over we hit the sack and tried to figure out our plan for the next day.

On June 27 we woke up and had breakfast from Einstein Brothers as a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich with an orange juice to drink was a great way to kick off the day! After we ate we headed out to Evan City Cemetery the filming location for Night Of The Living Dead and walked around awhile and then Juliet headed to Target to pick some things up for the trip back home, and then we had lunch at Burgatory where I had a Oreo Peanut Butter Pie Milkshake and had a Triple B Burger that was made of Bison meat and had beer cheese an bacon on it, and I have to say it was a very tasty meal. We then hung around for awhile and ended up eating Wing Kings again for dinner as I had to have those Garlic Wings again and we ended the night watching WWE Monday Night Raw.

On June 28 Juliet and I woke up and had breakfast at Starbucks and then headed out to Pottersville Bible Church Cemetery to try and find a grave for someone on the website “Find A Grave”, and we walked the whole cemetery and was unable to find the grave as we think it might be unmarked. We then headed to Moraine State Park a very cool massive park near Pottersville that had lots of trails, wildlife, and lakes. It was a great day to walk around the lake and see snakes and fish. This was a very cool place and if you are visiting that area make sure to give this place a visit. After that we headed to the Snowman and I was craving a Yeti Shake and when we got there I was very happy to see that they brought the horses back as they always make a visit to the Snowman even more awesome. After that we set out to enjoy the rest of our vacation that included movie-watching, site seeing and relaxing!

On July 4^th Juliet and I decided to get some snacks make a breakfast casserole and have ourselves a Horror Movie Marathon to bring a end to our vacation and this time around we had lots of films to catch up on and we both were looking forward to spending a quite evening with the monsters an killers of the films so we selected 12 films to watch. We kicked off the day with “Revenge Of The Devil Bat” a sequel to the 1940 Bela Lugosi film The Devil Bat that is about the grandson of the original mad scientist wanting revenge on those who he feels wronged his family. “Dark Night Of The Scarecrow 2” was the next film on our list and was about a mom and her son having to locate to a new town and find themselves in the sites of Bubba The Scarecrow who has returned to right wrongs. The third fright film was “Female Mercenaries On Zombie Island” about a female mad scientist who is turning all the men of the island into flesh eating zombies and killing any females that stand in her way. “Zombie Army” was up next and was about army soldiers who are being turned into zombies by a crazed mental patient when they are forced to train at a run down mental asylum. The Horror Comedy “Gingerweed” man was next and had the Gingerweed man having to save his female human love interest and a small living pot bud named Buddy from an evil corporation. The sixth film was a Kaiju one called “God Raiga vs. King Ohga” and had the two monsters clashing as well as fighting the defense force in Japan. Next we kept up with the giant theme as we watched “Attack Of The 50ft Cam Girl” about a famous camgirl who eats experimental food and grows to 50ft only to have to face her rival who does the same to get famous. The Demonic Toys spin off film “ Baby Oopsie” was next and had the doll coming back to life thanks to Satan and tricking a lonely YouTube show host into restoring it back to life to collect souls. The first slasher film of the night was the indie film “Beware The Woods” that has a group of friends staying in a cabin being hunted down and killed by a mean old woman. The deformed killer in the woods film “Freak” was up next and had a group of friends being killed by a deformed cannibal killer. The slashing continued with “Children Of Camp Blood” that brought the clown masked killer back and this time he was going after the relatives of past victims who go to the camp for help in order to get over the trauma of their lives. And the final film of the night was the remake of “Slumber Party Massacre” that has a group of girls being stalked by a driller killer who has killed in the past, but this time these girls are ready…or are they? And those were the spooky, silly and creepy films that made up this marathon.

This was a great Horror Movie marathon as it’s always a great time watching spooky films with my gal and enjoying some tasty food and snacks! The Golden Turkey of the Marathon was one that Juliet and I both agreed on as it was Female Mercenaries On Zombie Island as it was a little over long, had plot holes the size of the grand canyon and was just kind of silly…but I myself have to say I am a Tina Krause fan so it was awesome seeing her as the lead of the film and I liked the masked zombie named Luke who wore a flannel shirt. And here is my Top 3 films of the marathon, coming in at # 3 was Beware The Woods as I really enjoyed this indie slasher film and feel that it had a cool and creepy killer and was paced really well and had some good kills. # 2 for me was Slumber Party Massacre as this was a pretty fun remake that had some fun and creepy moments and also has a nice twist and cool kills. Juliet’s top films was # 3 Freak, # 2 Baby Oopsie and # 1 Slumber Party Massacre as she really got a kick out of this remake! And I have to say I miss having these Horror Movie Marathon’s and am going to try and have more in 2023!

The Golden Massacre Award for this marathon goes to The Devil Bat with around 8 confirmed kills in his return to the world of cinema! And while none of them are super bloody it does goes for the throat and tries to deal death with its fangs and makes it slow as it chews on neck flesh. The best kill of the film has The Devil Bat attacking his own creator (played by John Link) as it attacks his neck the two fall off a cliff. So here is to you Devil Bat for making the body count a little higher for this marathon.

Dead Dog Comics was an indie publisher that I became a fan of the first time I read one of their comics and the first one I read was “Night Of The Living Dead: Barbara’s Zombie Chronicles # 1” in 2004 that I bought from the Horror Convention Cinema Wasteland where I got to meet many of the creators and owners of the company who all spent time talking to me about Horror Comics as well as comics based on films that they had in the works. Every year after that I would set up the table for Independent B Movie or Night Crew Video and would make my way over to the Dead Dog Comics table and grab whatever new issues they had out and would chat with them about upcoming releases, and once the long day of selling movies to the shoppers was over and then grabbing some dinner with friends I would read the comics I bought from them the first night at the hotel. I can remember how amped I was when they told me they would be doing comics based on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Howling, Day Of The Dead and ones based on classic monsters like Frankenstein’s Monster and Dracula. But like all good things Dead Dog Comics came to an end as they closed shop in 2006 before they even wrapped up mini series and stories going on in their issues, and something seemed very odd leading up to the closer as The Howling comic series before released was turned into “Curse Of The Blood Cult” and many of their planned comics like a series based on Texas Chainsaw Massacre went to another comic company (Avatar) and the Creature From The Black Lagoon inspired Classic Monster comic being published by Image Comics and many of the artist separated and started working for other indie publishers and creators. Dead Dog Comics was much like Topps Comics and Fangoria Comics for me as they brought my love for comics back to life as they delivered comics based on things I was interested in and didn’t just flood the market with generic superhero comics with head scratching storylines, they brought readers well thought out Horror Titles that delivered the bloody terror. Over the years I have chatted with some of the minds behind Dead Dog Comics and always try and spark a rebirth of the company, but sadly I think that the company truly is over as many of them have their own things going now. But while Dead Dog Comics was short lived for those Horror Comic readers like myself who read their issues they made a mark on the industry and are very much missed by readers worldwide.

Before we start too far into the review part of this Monster Bash update and take a look at the series Night Of The Living Dead: Barbara’s Zombie Chronicles, I want to once more talk and reflect about just how important and iconic George A. Romero was to the world of Horror Cinema! While walking the Evans City Cemetery its like hallowed ground as you can feel so much more creative and you really realize just how important Night Of The Living Dead and George Romero is to the Horror Genre. Growing up a Monster Kid I have so many great memories of seeing the films of Romero from the network broadcast of Night Of The Living Dead that aired in October when I was a kid, to seeing Day Of The Dead on the USA Network for the first time and being total taken into it’s world and heck even getting free preview tickets from a friend of mine to see Land Of The Dead in the theater two days before its release to the masses. And no matter what it was I also was so excited when a new film was being released that had his name attached to it. The name George Romero has always meant something to me and has always brought the feeling of Horror Cinema to me, like it makes me go back to the days of my youth when Horror was a big topic on the playground and even to the days of picking up a old VHS Camera and filming no budget horror movies like “Werewolf Of Ohio”…in other words George Romero and his work has been one of the factors in my life that has made me creative and want to entertain fellow Horror lovers with creative projects from SOV Horror Movies, Horror Comic Books, Horror Blog Updates, Horror Short Stories and of course Horror Host Shows! So once more thank you George Romero for all you have done to not only inspire me but thousands of others who have went on to be creative forces in the Horror Genre. This update is for you Mr. Romero may you Rest In Peace.

So now that we have chatted about Monster Bash as well as the legend George A. Romero and the comic company that released the series that we are reviewing in a few moments I want you all to sit back and thank a few moments about your favorite Romero film…go on I will wait. And with that lets head to the Dead Dog Comics series “Night Of The Living Dead: Barbara’s Zombie Chronicles” and I would like to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, it’s entertainment value and it’s art and story. So with that lets head back to the graveyard and see the Romero undead rise once more on the pages of these comics.

NOTLD: Barbara’s Zombie Chronicles # 0  ***
Released in 2004   Cover Price NA   Dead Dog Comics   # 0 of 3

Barbara Cole survived the zombie attack on the farmhouse and is now apart of a group’s salvage team that goes out heavily armed and brings back food and supplies when needed. While at a grocery store looking for canned food they are attacked by a horde of zombies and blast the undead the pieces. But Nicotero and Alex two members of the team do not get along because Nicotero is sloppy at what he does, and because of this he gets the group attacked by another zombie horde! And as they fight them all off, Alex and Nicotero have a major clash that ends up them threatening each other and storming off, but unlucky for Nicotero he is bitten by a zombie and as his fellow group walks away Barbara puts a bullet in his brain.

This Promo Comic is a little taste of what Night Of The Living Dead: Barbara’s Zombie Chronicles was going to be about and follows Barbara who now is apart of a group that stick together and while some members are at odds they look out for each other. And that’s the cool thing Barbara went from being a comatose style victim to a gun shooting, coldblooded zombie ass-kicking machine! And this mini comic also lets us into her mind set of not remembering so much the past, when the world have no zombies and the main topics was who won The World Series. As a reader this baits you into wondering how Barbara survived the zombie attack in 1968 and how she has ended up with this group. Alex seems to somewhat in this issue be the lead of this supply run group and also seems to have respect for Barbara and her gun skills, while Nicotero seems like he is cocky and does what he wants when he wants and the safety of others as well as his own takes a backseat in his mind. The zombies are more rotted in appearance and seem to be way more hungry for human flesh, and that makes them super dangerous to our survivors. Over all this short look at the mini series was a great way to get readers hooked and is a must read for fans of this series as well as the film that sparked it. The cover is great and eye catching and the interior art done by Mark Kidwell is great. This was a great way to kick off my relook at this amazing Horror Comic Mini Series. Oh and for those wondering this is an ashcan-sized comic.

NOTLD: Barbara’s Zombie Chronicles # 1  ***
Released in 2004   Cover Price $4.95   Dead Dog Comics    # 1 of 3

Barbara is having a terrible nightmare as she relives that night in the farmhouse that had zombies surround her and the strangers inside, and just as she is pulled outside by the undead she wakes up and finds herself in a safe place with her new “family” a rag tag bunch of people who are apart of the living who are fighting back against the zombies that have started to take over the world. The group is Alexander Quinn an older man who was once a printer, Laura Martin an angry woman, Rufus Porter who was an inspiring writer, Sara a young girl who likes to draw and Derek Moran a punk young man who is cocky. Barbara and her crew head to S-Mart in their school bus to try and look for supplies to bring back to the survivors compound they are living at, but while looking for goods they also find a man named Peter Cooke who claims he is from D.C and was apart of a research group that all passed when their helicopter ran out of gas, they take Peter with them and along the way he talks about how he and others in his field gathered pieces of a satellite that fell from space in 1968 and that they tried to create a gas that was suppose to turn the zombies against each other, it didn’t work and just made them more aggressive and slaughter the humans around more brutally! As Barbara and her crew return to the compound they find that it’s under attack and looks like there might be no survivors.

What a great read and a great way to kick off this series as the plot follows Barbra a woman who survived the events of Night Of The Living Dead and is now living in a compound with other survivors and while she has PTSD from the zombie attack she survived, she powers up and leads groups into the city in order to get supplies for all she can. Barbra started out as a scared woman whose shock leads her to almost be a shell of a person (as seen in the film) but by the time she is pulled out and is among the zombies something clicks inside her head and she becomes a fighter and a survivor as she fights back against the zombies and lives through the attack. Now while she does have terrible memories and nightmares, she is able to lead her friends into the over ran cities in order to gather supplies that would help her fellow man. Her group Alexander, Laura, Rufus and Derek are loyal to Barbara’s words and will stand by her side even when the odds are not looking good, it’s clear that Alexander is the one who watches out for Barbara the most and she respects the hell out of him for doing so. Peter Cooke is a small man who claims to be a researcher for the government who tried to crack the code of why the dead have returned and if space debris had anything to do with it, I don’t trust him as I don’t think he is telling the whole truth. The zombies are many and they want to eat the living and its clear that they are now out numbering the living, plus I would guess the ones who were infected with the gas that Peter and his people sprayed on them will become more and more dangerous. I like the Idea that Barbra was able to escape and live and now has went on to become a tough woman who can take care of herself and is a born leader. The issue has some blood and kills but nothing over the top and has a more modern horror feel to the over all story, but that’s a good thing as it’s not just a retelling of the film. The cover is pure late 90’s through early 2000’s indie horror comic stuff and is very well done and eye catching. The interior art by Mark Kidwell is really great and I for one am a fan of his style as I think his zombies look fantastic! A solid horror comic that had me hooked on this series as well as this company sense 2004 and in 2021 is still holding up! Lets get to issue # 2 and how the story goes forward and see if it holds up like this first issue did for me.

NOTLD: Barbara’s Zombie Chronicles # 2  ***
Released in 2004   Cover Price $4.95   Dead Dog Comics   # 2 of 3

Barbara and Alexander are arguing at their camp outside of the compound as Alexander gave the order for them to flee the area and not help, save nor search for survivors as it was being attacked by zombies…while Barbara wants to go in guns blazing and save anyone and everyone that is still alive as they are family and friends. The night ends with Barbara blaming Peter Cooke for making the zombies smarter and states that now matter what at Dawn she is going in to save people with or without her crew! The Next morning they go in and see nothing but death all around, all their friends and the people they helped feed and protect are now dead…all besides Sara who has been bitten, but not eaten as she hide on a statue and this saved her life. The group decide to head to D.C in order to see of any medicine that Peter Cooke and the government created will help cure Sara from the bite, Derek is not happy about this as he thinks that the young girl will turn and cause more issues for the group…but he is out voted and they start their quest. The highways are blocked with abandon cars so they must leave the bus behind and set out on foot, when Peter suggest they head to the water ways and take a boat as it would be more safe…they all agree. Derek finds the boat as Laura goes around to the boathouses to find supplies…but she pays with her life when a zombie stabs her with a harpoon and Barbra is forced to shoot her friend before she changes. Once out in the water Peter keeps hinting that the D.C lab has a surprise and to their horror they spot a massive boat that is filled with tons of zombies on board as well as in the water all around one even clogs the motor of Barbra’s boat and this leads to her being grabbed by a zombie and Rufus dies saving her when the zombies rip him apart in the water. The group is now way smaller when they arrive at the D.C lab as Peter leads Barbra, Alexander, Sara and Derek that is hidden in Arlington National Cemetery and once inside they lab they see a massive U.F.O. and Peter says that it could be what has caused the dead to rise.

This second spooky issue ends with a big question of did aliens cause this undead plague on us living on the planet Earth? This issue has Barbara and her friends heading to the compound and finding that all but one person is dead and the only survivor has been bitten and is getting more and more sick. They make a plan to get to the lab that Peter worked in and along the way loose two members and find that zombies are also in the water…so there is no safe place away from them. Barbra is a woman on a mission and is the one who fights with Alexander in order to go back to the compound and tries to rescue anyone that was left alive. And she is the one who is leading the way and taking issues into her own hands that includes even having to shoot one of her dying friends in the head, but after watching a friend get ripped in half she sadly breaks back down and turns into the shell of a person. Derek and Alexander are the only two group members left who are doing what they can as well to protect not only themselves but others, I do think that Derek could have been right about this being a big risk all to try and save an infected young girl who could turn at any time. Peter Cooke while I still do not trust him, does seem to lead them to a safe place with the lab and does also show them they U.F.O that could be what is causing all this, but he also seems to have a sinister grin on his face while doing so…I just don’t trust him. The zombies are everywhere and are coming in all shape and sizes and are super deadly as they are getting smarter and are using weapons as well as are going to the kill more violently. This issue has lots of blood and even some guts and has a true feeling of dread with only a dash of hope and the characters you are going for the ride with are dropping off like flies and this helps add to the over all horror feel. The cover is great and the interior art by Mark Kidwell is great and is they style I love for indie Horror Comics. With only one more issue left it’s a shame that this was only a mini series as this series I will go on record saying is the best comic series based on Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead film! So with that in mind let’s get to the third and final issue in the Dead Dog Comic and Mark Kidwell spooky horror comic series.

NOTLD: Barbara’s Zombie Chronicles # 3  ***
Released in 2004   Cover Price $4.95   Dead Dog Comics   # 3 of 3

Barbra once more wakes from a terrible nightmare that has all her friends now zombies eating themselves, and when she wakes up she is back to normal and out of her breakdown and finds herself in the lab. The group remain quite and find the room with the medication and Peter injects Sara with a “cure” that might be able to help her live and not turn, he also throws in that is if they caught the infection in time. Alexander and Derek do not trust Peter and notice that he looks at Barbra very weird and force him to give them a tour of the next room so they can try and see who and what he is about and once inside the other room they see the body of an alien Peter calls Horsemen # 4 as well as body parts of other aliens from a crash. Peter opens up the door to were Horsemen # 4 is and tells Alexander and Derek that the virus started in the blood and later was airborne and could only spread to the dead, as they look at the body of Horsemen # 4 Peter quickly locks them into the lab room with the creature that wakes up and is hungry and violent! Peter goes back to Barbra and its clear Sara is dying and then Peter shows his true colors as he informs Barbra at gun point that he is the one who set up the fall of this lab that killed all his co-workers and he did it all cause he loves a woman who didn’t love him back, he then tells Barbra to get naked as she will be his Eve! As Barbra strips down Horsemen # 4 busts in as he has gotten out of the lab and he has the body parts of Derek and Alexander and Barbra gets a gun and kills Horsemen # 4 with two shots to his head as Sara turns into a zombie and bites and kills Peter our hero Barbra is all alone in the lab. She finds a door that has a bullet train and climbs aboard and uses it, the stop brings her to the White House were she finds that cult leader Charles Manson had made a new home and has a new family.

The long asked question for Horror Movie fans of why the zombie outbreak happened in Night Of The Living Dead is answered here by Mark Kidwell and Dead Dog Comics as they alert us readers that this virus was caused by infected Aliens who crashed here on Earth all over the world and they were like the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse, keep in mind that is their story for their created NOTLD universe. This issue has Barbra loosing everything besides her life as she sees her final two closest friends die at the hands of an infected alien, the young girl she risked it all for ends up still turning into a zombie, the safe place of the lab turns into a nightmare as the government man she trusted turned out to be a psycho pervert and in the end once away from the horrors of the lab she finds herself in the company of nut job criminal and killer Charles Manson and his new version of The Manson Family! But the thing about Barbra throughout this mini series is no matter how many times she is rattled and on the verge of being broken, you just cannot keep her down nor count her out. Barbra in this series is a fantastic strong and flawed hero that you find yourself cheering for. Alexander, Derek and Sara who all stick together sadly all die together inside the lab that is more like a tomb, as Peter Cooke is a crazy man who wants to find a mate and will kill in order to do so and is in fact the doctor of death for all of Barbra’s friends that make it back to the lab. Dr. Cooke really is a terrible person who does not value human life and is partly to blame for unleashing the gas that helped make the zombies a little smarter. Disease caring Horsemen # 4 is a alien who helped spread the virus and I would guess is undead himself and was sent here from an alien planet to either wipe us out or to get ride of the infected from their planet, or I guess they could as well just be aliens and this is just a side effect from their world to ours. The zombies are few and far in this issue and while not overly around their creepy presence is felt throughout. Charles Manson being around during this time is very well thought out as his Manson Family cult was started in 1967 and he was not jailed until 1969 for the murders he sent his members out to do, imagine if the zombie outbreak did happen at this time cult leaders like Manson would have somehow gotten followers with their doomsday talk. The issue is filled with blood, kills, partial nudity, creatures and all types of other stuff that makes for a good Horror Comic. Mark Kidwell not only did the amazing artwork for this mini series he also was the writer and he does a pretty good job of making this all feel like its apart of the movie universe that was created by the iconic George A. Romero, but yet also feel very much like his own with Manson and Aliens and even taking Barbra and making her the zombie butt kicking machine. The cover for this issue is great just like all the others in the series and is very eye catching. I have been a major fan of Night Of The Living Dead: Barbra’s Zombie Chronicles sense it was released in 2004 and after reading it again it really holds up and remains one of the better indie Horror Comics from that time. Check out the artwork bellow and see the style of Kidwell in this issue.

I really miss the creative teamwork that made Dead Dog Comics so special and I can say that Night Of The Living Dead: Barbara’s Zombie Chronicles was just a great series that helped spark my love for comics again back in 2004 and showed that Horror Comics will never die for readers and will always be what keeps me loving and reading comics. And while Dead Dog Comics is long gone companies like Eibon Press, Blood Moon Comics, HorrorHound Comics and Blood Scream Comics are keeping the tradition of delivering original and licensed spooky Horror Comics to reader’s hands. And I also have to throw in that I really do love attending the Monsterbash Convention and truly enjoy spending time in the Cranberry Township area of Pennsylvania! And with that I am going to six back and relax a little and before I wrap this one up I should let you know that the next update will take us to the streets that will be laced with poison as we take a look at Captain America and his war on drugs…or should I say those few issues were he himself becomes a drug addict! So until next time read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as you know for Rotten Ink’s 10 Year Anniversary that we had to at least spend one update with Cap.

Horror Host Icon: Baron Daemon

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!

Horror Host Icon: Ghoulardi

Everything changed in Cleveland, Ohio when Shock Theater began airing on WJW-TV Channel 8 on January 13, 1963 and viewers got their first look at Horror Host Ghoulardi! In the fine state of Ohio I would say that Cleveland probably has the richest history when it comes to Horror Hosts with Dayton being the only other city that comes close to matching that legacy.  The man who started it all for Cleveland is Ghoulardi who is considered by many to be the king of hosts in the Buckeye state. When selecting hosts to cover for the 10 Year Anniversary of the Horror Host Hall Of Fame, I knew Ghoulardi had to be on the list as his impact is still felt to this day in the city’s culture and entertainment. I also feel that this Horror Host Icon update is way overdue as many of you readers and friends have asked for it, so it’s with great honor that I bring to you Horror Host Icon: Ghoulardi. So sit back, turn blue and for gosh sakes, stay out of Parma!

Shock Theater with host Ghoulardi started in 1963 and from the first airing took the viewers by storm as it seemed like the whole city tuned in, and as Horror Host rumors go, when he was on, crime would drop in the city as even the criminals were watching! Shock Theater would last until 1966 and would spawn two other shows hosted by Ghoulardi with one being a kid’s show and the other, another movie show. While Shock Theater only lasted a short three years, Ghoulardi’s popularity knew no bounds and Clevelanders could just not get enough. Ghoulardi himself was a beatnik who had a fright wig on, a fake black goatee and would wear a blue button up shirt covered in buttons. He was a sharp tongued beatnik who could fire off jokes and insults with the best of any stand up comedian and took joy in making fun of many of the nights movies as well as fellow local celebrities. His hosting style at the time was very original as he totally played it from a “too cool for school” standpoint and would even add his own sound bites and soundtracks into the film, at some points even adding himself into the night’s movie for a good laugh. Ghoulardi was also known for having his own catchphrases that Cleveland youngsters would say to each other like “Turn Blue”, “Stay Sick” and “KNIF.” He also was known for using fireworks on models and toys, which made him a target from some parents and schools. He really was a Horror Host that made his viewers feel like he was their strange friend who would spend his time watching Horror Movies with them and like they were part of something very special when they watched Shock Theater, almost like they belonged to a new culture.

Ernie Anderson was the man behind the fake beard of Ghoulardi. He was born on November 12, 1923 in Boston, Massachusetts and was raised in Lynn with his parents Emily and Ernest Anderson. During World War II Ernie joined the Navy and did not see combat or so it’s believed. After the war, he attended Suffolk University for only two years and then took a job as a DJ on a radio station in Vermont, and this would lead to radio gigs in New York, Rhode Island and finally Cleveland at station WHK. But while he enjoyed his time on radio, with a format change his time at WHK came to an end in late 1958 and with this, he started his career in TV. His first major hit was a movie show called “Ernie’s Place” that had him also doing skits with comedian Tim Conway. But like all good things the show came to an end, and in 1963 Ernie was offered the horror show “Shock Theater” that would air Friday nights. This was a mega hit and really did kick start his career in showbiz as besides Shock Theater he would also host “Masterpiece Theater” on Saturdays and weekly kids show “Laurel, Ghoulardi and Hardy” showing that Ghoulardi was Cleveland’s most beloved Host. And like before, all good things come to an end as Ernie would leave Cleveland and end Shock Theater in 1966 to move to Los Angeles. While in LA he would get acting and voice work on such shows as “Rango”, “Hollywood Palace”, “The Carol Burnett Show” and his most iconic non-Horror Host role was when he became the main voice for bumpers used in ABC programming. He would also go on to do voice work for “America’s Funniest Home Videos” as well as commercials for RCA and Ford Motor Company. Ernie would also lend his golden voice to cartoons “Jayce And The Wheeled Warriors”, “The Adventures Of Super Mario Bros. 3” and “The Powerpuff Girls”. During this Ernie was married a total of three times and had ten children, one being famous director Paul Thomas Anderson known for his films like “Boogie Nights”, “Magnolia” and “There Will Be Blood” to name a few. Ernie Anderson was a smoker and sadly on February 6, 1997 he passed away after a battle with lung cancer. While Ernie is gone, his impact in the world of entertainment is still felt to this day and what he did for Ohio Horror Hosting will never be outdone.

Being born in Ohio, the name Ghoulardi is one you know as his popularity was talked about here in Dayton and even Waynesville. I can remember Ghoulardi being talked about in many of the old Monster Magazines my brother and I had, and then later of course Drew Carrey on his sitcom “The Drew Carey Show” use to wear a t-shirt that had his picture on it, showing that Ghoulardi was indeed a major part of Cleveland culture and is a Horror Host that helps define the city’s entertainment. I first saw Ghoulardi via a VHS tape that had clips of Horror Hosts from all over and can remember enjoying the little I saw as it was clear his style had made so many others in his area mimic his humor, sayings and even look! I have been a part of the Horror Host trade lists, fan sites, groups and boards for many, many years, and one host that is always on people’s want list is Ghoulardi. But like so many hosts from his time, most of his shows were not saved and no home recording machines like Beta or VHS were in homes yet, leaving the world with only some clips and hope that something more will be found for his legion of fans. While I enjoy Ghoulardi, I am not a major fan like so many other Host fans and friends I have, but even if he is not one of my all time favorites, you have to respect what he has done for Horror Hosting in Ohio as well as the world.

Ghoulardi is such an iconic Horror Host that he has had lots of amazing merchandise items made with his image on it! His bearded beatnik image has graced cups, posters, shirts, magazines, books, toys, magnets, art and even comic books by artist Derf of “My Friend Dahmer” fame as well as Bob Ferguson who made a comic in 1998. So as you can see, if you are a fan of Ghoulardi there is so much out in the world for you to collect and enjoy. I would say Ghoulardi only may be matched by Vampira as a Horror Host who lasted a very short time on TV and yet sparked so many fans and so much merchandise that allows their legacy to live on. In my collection I do own both comic books as well as a magnet.

When thinking about Ghoulardi one thing that always comes to my mind is all the Horror Hosts that followed him that were inspired by his look, humor and style of hosting. The first name on the list has to be The Ghoul who was the chosen successor as Ghoulardi passed the mantel to him! Spawned from there, we have Son Of Ghoul, Dr. Shock, and even Janet Decay’s show was called The Daughter Of Ghoul for a short time before she started hosting “The Mummy And The Monkey” with Grimm Gorri. While many of them did or do the classic Ghoulardi bits, they themselves have also made that style their own. I don’t want to spend too much time on The Ghoulardi Family Tree as I am sure each of the above mentioned will get the Horror Host Icon treatment as some point. But just know that Ghoulardi has inspired many of Cleveland’s Horror Hosts who have shared some of his classic bits with their viewers for generations.

On October 12, 2019 a journey to Cleveland was made by Juliet, myself and our friend Scott Scarborough as we attend Ghoulardifest, and this was a first time to attend for all of us! The event was held at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds and Event Center that was also the site of the haunted house attraction “7 Floors Of Hell.”  We arrived a little after 4pm; it was a pretty cool location with a very small town feel. It was $15.00 to enter the convention, which was being held in two buildings. The first room was filled with all types of vendors selling movies, comics, magazines, toys, model kits, books, vinyl records, food and cards with companies like Monster Bash and Cinema Wasteland on hand. In that room as well were guests like Alison Arngrim from TV show Little House On The Prairie who played Nellie Oleson as well as Victoria Price author and daughter of Vincent Price. Plus in the first room was tons of Ghoulardi merchandise at the official table for the Horror Host Icon that had items like buttons, mugs and so many shirts! The second room was really cool as they had a stage set up and a band called the Geeze Cats were playing and also had vendors like Scary Monster Magazine selling goods. But this room’s main attraction for me was the Horror Hosts from the area! The first host as you walked in, was Lamia of Horror Hotel, who was a very nice person as was her crew. Then true Ohio Horror Host royalty Big Chuck, Lil’ John and Hoolihan were meeting with many of their fans. While I saw Chuck and John, I did not spot Hoolihan. Next we spotted Janet Decay and Grimm Gorri from the show “Mummy And The Monkey”, these two are true class acts and are some of my favorite people to chat with at any convention. Drac and his lovely wife Carita were next to them, and I wanted to chat with them but they also had a line of fans, so sadly I did not…one day, Drac, we shall talk in person. Next up was Dale Kay from Dale Kay’s Spookshow, he was not at his table and crazy enough I did not see him at all the whole time we were there. Also on hand was The Midnight Movie cast as well as Don O’Malley from Don’s Breakfast Serial and lastly Son Of Ghoul was on hand! It was very cool to see that many of Cleveland’s talented Horror Hosts in one room and to see fans around them talking and supporting their hometown ghouls. The show closed at 6pm and we spent the whole two hours we had soaking up all the cool people and stuff around us. I ended up getting a few DVD’s from Lamia and Janet & Grimm, as well as picked up a cool mini Phantom Of The Opera figure, a Ghoulardi comic book and some bags of homemade cheese popcorn! Over all this was a very cool event for fans who love Horror Hosts as well as classic monster stuff and I am glad I got to do and see what Ghoulardifest was all about! And on that note it was very cool to see Cleveland come out and support their local hosts like this and they showed them all so much respect. This was an event I am glad I attended and it’s one that I think if you love the rich history of Cleveland Horror Hosts you should at least attend once. Below are some pictures from that day that include me with Hostess Lamia

So as you can see, Ghoulardi is the definition of Horror Host Icon as well as Horror Host Hall Of Famer as his popularity and impact have held strong for decades! Now we are at the point of our update where we will take a look at the episodes of Shock Theater I own, and sadly as I said before, most of Ghoulardi’s episodes are gone for the ages and only some video clips have survived and the one episode I have is in fact a fan reproduction of some of the surviving clips. I want to also remind you all that I will not be giving this episode a star rating and I will be taking the film’s write up from our pals at IMDB and the host segments portion will be written by me. So if you are ready to Turn Blue, let’s take a look at Ghoulardi.

Shock Theater: The Atomic Man
Starring – Gene Nelson & Faith Domergue     Not Rated       1955

Host: We start with Ghoulardi smoking cigarette and showing footage of a baseball game he was apart of. It’s the highlights with Ghoulardi giving commentary as a version of Take Me Out To The Ball Game plays. He then fans himself with a Stay Sick Fan and we go to the movie. We next join Ghoulardi who has blown up a hat and puts on glasses and makes an off color joke and then back to the movie. Next Ghoulardi sets off a boom-boom next to a monster head and then once more smokes a cigarette and shows his book “The Life Of Ghoulardi” and reads from it. Ghoulardi next is playing skull bongos and then reads a fan letter about a club that hates him, he of course roasts them in his own smooth way and then answers more letters. Ghoulardi ends the show showing off a “Ghoulardi Box” that shocks one of the station workers and then laughs as the episode ends.

Movie: An atomic scientist is found floating in a river with a bullet in his back and a radioactive halo around his body. The radioactivity has put him seven-and-a-half seconds ahead of us in time. He teams up with a reporter to stop his evil double from destroying his experiments in artificial tungsten.

Note From Matt: This episode is a fan reproduction as no known broadcast versions of the show exists. And while a fun watch at times, the reproduction gets a little sloppy with static and picture role.

While Ghoulardi is gone, I feel his legacy will never die in the state of Ohio and beyond as his iconic voice, sayings and image will forever have its place in American pop culture. And while Ghoulardi has been off the air for over 55 years as of this updates posting, Cleveland is still in good hands for all the hosts who have been inspired by him and those hosts of years ago he inspired. And with that we will be leaving the magical land of Cleveland and Ghoulardi behind and will be heading to Parma…no wait, I mean back to the world of Mighty Max as we spend Christmas Eve with him and his crew! So as always, read a comic or three, watch a movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you on Christmas Eve friends and readers!

Horror Host Icon: USA Up All Night

Growing up my favorite TV Station hands down was the USA Network as they had all the must-watch shows.  They aired Commander USA’s Groovie Movies, my all time favorite Horror Host, and they also had USA Saturday Nightmares, USA Kung-Fu Theater, Duckman, Werewolf, The Hitchhiker, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Silk Stalkings, WWF Monday Night Raw and USA Up All Night, with that latter being a must watch for not only the cheesy or sleazy movie but for Rhonda Shear who was and still is one of the most beautiful Horror Hostess to grace a TV screen! Rhonda was one of my major celebrity crushes, and I can even remember kids at school talking about her. Plus no one can say Up All Night like she can! Up All Night also introduced me to the comedy antics of Gilbert Gottfried, who became one of my favorite comedians and later would become the host of one of my favorite podcasts called “Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast” that’s about classic Hollywood. Plus I cannot forget Caroline Schlitt, who was the original co-host with Gilbert on the show.  She had her own style of hosting and is underrated and too often overlooked by fans when they speak of this classic show. USA Up All Night was a true staple of my childhood, and my brother and I would watch Friday and Saturday nights for the longest time. This show also introduced me to many horror movies as well as martial arts and sex comedies that I am still a fan of to this day. So it’s with great honor and glee that I bring to you readers Horror Host Icon: Gilbert Gottfried, Caroline Schlitt & Rhonda Shear! So if you’re ready, let’s hit the streets of New York and talk about one of the most iconic late night Horror Host shows in the whole USA.

USA Up All Night started airing on USA Network on January 7, 1989 and was a way for the station to air really bad B-movies, horror and sexploitation films to late night TV watchers in double features. The show aired on Friday nights at 11pm with host comedian Gilbert Gottfried and was set in New York. Midway through the first season, a Friday night version of the show was added and comedian Caroline Schlitt would host from Los Angeles, showing three films. In late 1990, hostess Schlitt left Up All Night, and she was quickly replaced with comedian and B-Movie actress Rhonda Shear who would take over the Friday night show as well as be the host for LA. The pair of Shear and Gottfried would even cross over from time to time for special episodes like New Year’s Eve, and the show would remain very popular for the USA Network and was must see late night TV for that generation’s monster kids. In 1994, the animated original show Duckman was also added into the show’s lineup of features, changing the pacing of the start of the show slightly. At one point the California show and host Rhonda Shear was moved to New York and both Friday and Saturday night shows moved timeslots from 11pm to 12am and back and fourth again. Sadly USA Up All Night was cancelled in 1998 after 10 seasons and over 900 episodes when new management to USA Network Barry Diller took over and canceled many programs as he wanted to make the station more upscale and felt like shows like this did not fit his boring and stale vision for the network. The cancelation of Up All Night marked the true end of the USA Network for me as Commander USA’s Groovie Movies ended in 1989 and USA Saturday Nightmares was no more in 1994….and now the station is a shell of what it was with most of the day devoted to terrible reruns of Law And Order. It’s crazy to me that USA Network did not do a 30^th Anniversary Up All Night Reunion show in 2019 and bring back all three classic hosts to host three films…a missed opportunity for sure…but I guess they could not spare the time as they really needed to play those crappy rerun episodes of Modern Family.

Growing up, Saturday nights were a great time to be a horror movie fan as USA Network was your hookup for a good night of frights.  You could start your night with USA Saturday Nightmares and watch a spooky movie as well as some thriller themed TV Shows and to end the night, you would join Gilbert Gottfried as he would keep you Up All Night with a dose of sleazy cinema. My brother and I would watch the show on both Friday and Saturday nights and I can remember us both being torn sometimes when TNT started MonsterVision with host Joe Bob Briggs on Friday nights at 11pm starting in 1996 as it was the same time Rhonda Shear was on! Now that really was a battle as both hosts are some of my all time favorites and both showed the films I enjoyed! I can also remember, as I stated before, kids at school talking about Up All Night and all the boys talking about Rhonda and how beautiful she was and many of us doing really bad impersonations of Gilbert Gottfried saying Up All Night to each other. It’s crazy that major broadcast TV has dropped the ball on bringing the kids of today a good classic Horror Host, and we all must really thank MeTV for having Svengoolie on to be that gateway for many young kids into the world of horror, sci-fi and thriller films. That’s also why I think Public Access and online stations like Eerie Late Night and The Vortexx are very important in keeping local and national Horror Hosts alive for viewers. It’s crazy as Rhonda Shear, Gilbert Gottfried and Caroline Schlitt will never know just how much they helped shape my creative life and my love for the art of Horror Hosting alongside names like Commander USA, Grampa Munster, Joe Bob Briggs, Dr. Creep, A. Ghastlee Ghoul, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Elvira Mistress Of The Dark and The Creeper.  They meant something to me and seemed like crazy friends who went along for the ride as we watched a movie or two. While I doubt they will ever read this update, I still need to say thank you to them for keeping me Up All Night and introducing me to so many sleazy, cheesy and just plan weird movies!

Gilbert Gottfried is a comedian and was the first host hired for USA Up All Night when it was a Saturday night show. Gilbert Gottfried was born on February 28, 1955 in Brooklyn, New York and comedy was in his blood as he started his stand up career at the age of 15.  This helped the people dub him “The Comedian’s Comedian,” and in 1980 this helped him become a cast member on the 6^th season of Saturday Night Live and sadly the writers used him very rarely during his 12-episode stint. In 1983 he would become a character actor for the show “Thicke Of The Night” that only lasted one season and was over in 1984…but this helped him land a role in the film “The House Of God” as a paramedic and more roles in TV and movies would follow over the years with some of his most popular TV Shows being the cartoon “Aladdin”, “Duckman”, “Wings”, “Night Court” and “USA Up All Night” to name a few. His film roles include “Problem Child 1-3”, “Highway To Hell”, “Double Dragon” and his most popular “Aladdin” where he voiced Iago The Parrot! He also would be the voice of the Aflac duck mascot for commercials for the insurance company, but was let go when he made some bad taste jokes about the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan in 2011. He would also go on to do more stand up comedy, lend his voice to video games and cartoons, host his own podcast and even in 2019 starred as Fred Fuchs in an episode of The Angry Video Game Nerd. Gilbert is married to his wife Dara Kravitz who he met in the late 90’s and wed in 2007; the couple have two children. His comedy style is that of his own and he is well respected by his peers as they see that he is a trendsetter with his comedy. His hosting style for USA Up All Night is more of a crude humor mixed with some sarcasm making him very entertaining to watch. While I could go on and on about how great Gilbert is as a comedian and a Horror Host, I think that you should check out the 2017 documentary “Gilbert” that is about his life and career. One thing is for sure, Gilbert is a true Icon of Horror Hosting for this blogger.

Update: Sadly Gilbert Gottfried would pass away on April 12, 2022 at the age of 67 after battling a long illness. This is sad and heartbreaking news.

Comedian Caroline Schlitt was the California host and was a stand up comedian and actress who was the second host of USA Up All Night as she handled Friday night hosting duties. Caroline would remain on the show from 1989-1990 and was very entertaining and funny. Caroline Schlitt was hired for Up All Night after she had a run on another USA Network show called Camp Midnite that was a talk show/variety show that only lasted 26 episodes. Caroline Schlitt’s hosting style was more of basic comedy with a dash of mature themes that were not in your face. After her run on Up All Night, Caroline went on to be on such TV shows as “The Last Laugh”, “The Father Dowling Mysteries” and in 1991 “Matlock”, “On The Television” and later in the 90’s “Diagnosis Murder” that was Caroline’s last major acting role. She was born on September 4, 1963 and while she only lasted about a year as the host for Friday nights Up All Nights, she very much was entertaining and helped lock the series as must-see TV.

Model and B-Movie goddess Rhonda Shear would become the third host to join the show, and she quickly became the most popular host. Not only did viewers find her sexy, they also found her to be very funny and was fantastic at hosting as she had a very steamy and silly way of hosting. Rhonda was born on November 12, 1954 in New Orleans, Louisiana and had a normal childhood and graduated from Loyola University with a bachelor in arts and communications in 1977 and even won many beauty pageants as Miss Louisiana and later would moved to Hollywood to make it as a star. In 1979 she became a contestant on the TV show The Gong Show and even took work in some B-Movies like “J.D.’s Revenge” in 1976, “Galaxina” from 1980, the 1987 film “Spaceballs” and “Return To Frogtown” from 1993 to name a few. She also had lots of work on TV with roles on shows like “Happy Days”, “Dallas”, “CHiPs”, “Married With Children”, “Full House”, “Silk Stalkings”, “Duckman” and of course “USA Up All Night”! She also recorded a comedy CD called “Your Bedtime Buddy” that was released in 1996, and she even posed for Playboy Magazine twice. Rhonda in 2001 started Shear Enterprises and started her own intimates line of clothing for women of all sizes that is still going strong to this day with her most popular item being the Ahh Bra. Over the years she has also done many charity events as well as appearances at conventions as she is always happy to meet her fans. But there is so much more to Rhonda Shear than I have written here, and if you want to learn more about her make sure to read her autobiography called “Up All Night: From Hollywood Bombshell To Lingerie Mogul, Life Lessons From An Accidental Feminist” that was released in 2017.

The fourth unofficial and yet still very important “Host” for this series was the show’s logo that later in the series would bring us in and out of the movie for commercials. The logo would be joined by the show’s theme and jingles and was a great way for viewers to still remain Up All Night with the third movie of the evening. The Logo as we shall call this fourth host of the show was mostly used in the twilight years of the show and was used to replace both Gilbert and Rhonda when the official show came to an end. The Logo’s official end came in 2002 when USA Network dumped all things Up All Night form their late night lineup when they removed the logo and brand from all shown late night movies shown on the weekend.

On March 21, 2015 at Horrorhound Weekend the class of 2015 was inducted into the Horror Host Hall Of Fame and many great names got the honor like Sir Cecil Creape, Superhost, Joel Robinson (MST3K), Baron Von Wolfstein and also both Rhonda Shear and Gilbert Gottfried! The great guys at Atomic Age Cinema got to induct Gilbert, and Sigmund Zoid got the honor of putting Rhonda in. Sadly that year Gilbert did not come to Horrorhound, and while Rhonda was slated, she was unable to attend at the last minute due to a prior engagement, and this was sad news as I very much was looking forward to meeting her. It’s amazing when you look at all the names that have been inducted into the Horror Host Hall Of Fame as many of them were hosts that made my childhood awesome! On a side note I have heard that its possible that Caroline Schlitt might be on a future ballot for the Horror Host Hall Of Fame.

Did you readers know that in 1996 Rhonda Shear released her first and only stand up comedy CD called “Your Bedtime Buddy,” a nickname she gave herself on Up All Night! The CD is one track and has her whole routine on it that even includes a little chat about USA Up All Night. Her comedy has lots to do with shopping, and sex and she has the crowd laughing and leaves them entertained. I got the CD a few years back and listened to it many times in my car driving to and from work and found myself amused by her style of stand up comedy. Also inside the CD booklet fans of Rhonda are treated to some topless photos of her. Check out this CD if you are a fan of Rhonda Shear and like risqué silly stand up humor from the 90’s.

So let’s get to the part of this Horror Host Icon update where I share what episodes I have of the hosts as this is going to be a fun one! As always, I will not be giving these episodes a star rating and the film’s write up will be taken from our friends at IMDB, with me writing about the Host segments. I would like to thank Bryan Brassfield, Stumpy Discs, Dr. Pureblood, Trade Lists, the late great Andy Copp and Ebay for helping me get these episodes over the years. So if you are ready for some late night movie watching with Gilbert, Rhonda, Caroline and the Up All Night Logo….it’s time to stay UP….All Night. Oh and I will review these shows by Host with Gilbert being first, then Caroline, Rhonda and the Up All Night Logo, with the movies for each host appearing in alphabetical order.

USA Up All Night: Barbarian Queen
Starring – Lana Clarkson & Katt Shea     Rated R     1985

Host: Gilbert Gottfried ushers us in and out of the film over the show’s logo and title cards. No actual host segments.

Movie: Set during the days of the Roman Empire. A simple village is raided by Roman troops, and most of the people are whisked off to be slaves or killed. Three women survive and set off to liberate their people. When they arrive at the Roman city, they team up with the local underground to seek vengeance and liberation of the slaves.

Note From Matt: This episode is missing the opening segment.

USA Up All Night: Class Of Nuke’em High
Starring – Janelle Brady & Gil Brenton     Rated R    1986

Host: Gilbert opens the show on a balcony in The Limelight Club in New York and talks to us about the night’s first film, the Troma classic Class Of Nuke’em High, and all the while we are getting flashes of sideshow performers. He then takes us to the first part of the film. We join Gilbert who tells us before commercial that they have to show the film cause it was printed in TV Guide and it would be breaking the law if they didn’t. When we come back Gilbert makes jokes about the film and the acting and ushers us back in. We next see Gilbert who tells us coming up that the main actress will be wearing a blue bikini and dares us to change the channel. Next Gilbert reads a fan letter where the person tells him he is better than Rhonda, and then says things she does not like about his show…he is confused by this letter. Gilbert after a commercial break talks in an echo as he describes one of the gruesome things about to happen in the movie and shares that he has had that experience before taking us back to the film. The next few breaks has Gilbert still at Limelight making fun of the night’s film. Finally Gilbert ushers us to the end of the night’s first film.

Movie: When Warren and Chrissy notice some strange things happening around their high school, they begin to suspect that something is going on at the nuclear plant next door. Though the plant officials deny that there are any problems, Crissy gives birth to a bloodthirsty mutant who immediately begins eating everyone in the school. Will Warren and Chrissy be able to stop their killer kid?

Note From Matt: This is the first movie of the night with the second one being Class Of Nuke’em High Part 2. This also is missing Gilbert’s bumper after the film ends.

USA Up All Night: Dinosaur Valley Girls
Starring – William Marshall & Karen Black     Unrated     1996

Host: Gilbert is in his Bachelor Go-Go Pad along with two very lovely ladies who are go-go dancing and introduces this second film of the night to the viewers and take shots at how cheesy the film is as well as picks on actress Karen Black, who is in the film. As we keep coming back to Gilbert, the women keep dancing and Gilbert makes jokes about the ladies in the film. Gilbert is enjoying the ladies dancing as well as mocking the night’s film and once more goes for teasing Karen Black. In the end Gilbert thanks us for watching as the ladies just keep on dancing.

Movie: Haunted by recurring dreams of Hea-Thor a gorgeous cavegirl,and a menacing Allosaurus, action-movie star Tony Markham soon finds himself transported, by means of a magic Icon, back through time to Dinosaur Valley. Now trapped in a world of dangerous dinosaurs, grunting cavemen and a tribe of exotic, love-starved cavegirls, Tony must put his modern-days skills to extreme tests in order to survive prehistoric perils, win the cavegirl of his dreams and (maybe) return to his own time?

Note From Matt: This is the second film of the night with the other being “Jurassic Women” see its review in the “J” section of the films hosted by Gilbert.

USA Up All Night: Everything You Always..
Starring – Woody Allen & Gene Wilder     Rated R     1972

Host: Gilbert is playing pool at a club with Doctor Ruth, the famed sex therapist.  Gilbert asks questions at the start, but she just wants to play the game. Next the two make a bet on playing the game, and Gilbert says that she is a cheater and a fraud. The two shoot pool and chat about the film, sex, pool and crack jokes. Gilbert at one point goes off about his “friend” who is a weirdo…and it’s clear the friend is himself. After a few segments Doctor Ruth is away, and Gilbert at the pool table talks about the film and the segments. At the end of the movie Gilbert is taking a nap on the pool table as someone keeps knocking balls into the pocket. As the credits roll Gilbert yawns and gets more relaxed.

Movie: Seven segments related to one another only in that they all purport to be based on sections of the book by David Reuben. The segments range from “Do Aphrodisiacs Work?” in which a court jester gives an aphrodisiac to the Queen and is, in the end, beheaded to “What Happens During Ejaculation?” in which we watch “control central” during a successful seduction.

Note From Matt: This is the second film of the night, with the first being “Play It Again Sam” see that review a little down this list of Gilbert hosted films.

USA Up All Night: Evil Dead
Starring – Bruce Campbell & Ellen Sandweiss       Rated R       1981

Host: Gilbert is on the streets of New York giving out $5.00 to people who answer his questions. Gilbert closes the show giving out more $5.00 prizes and keeps yelling at people on the streets giving out prizes of money, t-shirts and posters. And next Gilbert does a voice over the show’s logo and theme and ushers in Evil Dead. The rest of the show has Gilberts voice ushering us back to the movie.

Movie: Five college students take time off to spend a peaceful vacation in a remote cabin. A book and audiotape is discovered, and its evil is found to be powerful once the incantations are read out loud. The friends find themselves helpless to stop the evil as it takes them one by one, with only one survivor left with the evil dead and desperately tries to fight to live until morning.

Note From Matt: This episode starts with the last part of the movie before it called “New York’s Finest” and this episode is missing the end credits of Evil Dead as well as Gilbert’s closing segment.

USA Up All Night: Flesh Eating Mothers
Starring – Robert Lee Oliver & Donatella Hecht       Rated R       1988

Host: This episode has the classic 90’s USA Up All Night logo and has Gilbert Gottfried talking over top it ushering us in and out of the film.

Movie: For some strange reason, never explained, a few of the local PTA-going mom’s suddenly turn on their offspring. For much of the film they walk around town, looking mutated and making unfunny wisecracks.

USA Up All Night: Fright Night Part II
Starring – William Ragsdale & Roddy McDowall     Rated R     1988

Host: We first join Gilbert as he has a roomful of paranormal investigators in his home who are looking for ghosts and spirits. We next join Gilbert while he is with the ghost hunters trying to talk to ghosts and the only message they are getting is that his apartment is saying “clean me” as it’s a mess! Next the host of the Paranormal show “Wild Speculation” welcomes us back and alerts us that there is a foul smell in the area and its shown that it’s a rotted mouse in a trap! We next see Gilbert at his apartment with Larry Lomax and his crew and Gilbert is getting mad at them and wants them to leave as they are harassing his flies that live on his windows. Gilbert ushers us next into the last part of Fright Night Part 2 as a paranormal cast member uses a heat lamp on him. Gilbert then closes the show in his shower by screaming help me as if he is stuck in another dimension!

Movie: Reluctantly, three troubled years after the blood-soaked events in Fright Night (1985), the now twenty-year-old survivor, 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?

Note From Matt: This episode is missing the opening segment, and the tape starts to mess up by the middle of the tape and this is not the first time I got a tape off Ebay from a seller that has been messed up! So in other words when ordering a cool VHS Tape with a Horror Host show off it from Ebay make sure to beware as many terrible sellers with bad quality control and lying descriptions walk among the good sellers.

USA Up All Night: Hot Chili
Starring – Charles Schillaci & Flo Lawrence     Rated R     1985

Host: Gilbert is on top of a building in New York and is taking advantage of his new assistant who must do and get whatever he wants that includes a dominatrix, bagpipe player, a priest, keys to the USA Network office, transvestites, street musicians and even Rhonda Shear shows up! In the end Gilbert introduces the next film and this episode comes to an end.

Movie: A group of American teenage boys goes south of the border to work for the summer at a Mexican resort. There they encounter many wacky guests and have zany adventures involving a German dominatrix, a music teacher that gets hot when giving lessons, a buxom cook, and an uptight socialite that eventually thaws. More often than not they end up in bed with someone, but one of the teens is holding out for True Love.

Note From Matt: This episode is missing the opening segment and credits

USA Up All Night: Hot Times At Montclair High
Starring – Kim Valentine & Troy Donahue     Rated R     1989

Host: Gilbert starts off telling us about the night’s movie and compares it to a modern retelling of the Br’er Rabbit story and then tells us the actors who star in the film. We next join Gilbert as he gives a little preview of the boring next part of the movie as he says “More Talk And No Action”. Gilbert then takes a moment to read a viewers letter and then orders his assistant who is on the street to bring up a contortionist to the top of the building were Gilbert is. Next time we see Gilbert he once more makes fun of the film and what’s coming up in it! Gilbert ushers us into the last part of the movie and it’s clear he thinks this film is a real stinker. In the end Gilbert is yelling at his assistant again and ends the show making orders and watching as the young man is hit by a bus.

Movie: At Montclair High School, three different students bond with one another through a variety of comic, dramatic and episodic circumstances. Sean is a popular football jock who struggles to keep his grades up to stay on the school’s team. Sean’s girlfriend, Jenny, struggles with her outgoing friend Susan who hooks her up with a local rock band life of drugs and debauchery. Ziggy is a terminal nerd whom tries to find the right woman to be with despite his lack of social skills. Jason is a tough punk and resident bad boy who struggles to get by and takes out his aggression on others to get away from his abusive home life. Despite having nothing in common, Sean, Ziggy, and Jason’s lives take a turn during a stay in detention which leads to them trying to help one other in their own life problems and learn that all of them have a lot more in common with one another than they knew.

Note From Matt: This episode is the second film of the night as Gilbert alerts us that Hot Chili was the first film of the evening. Hot Splash was the third movie of the night.

USA Up All Night: Jurassic Women
Starring – Jan-Michael Vincent & Grace Del Rey     Not Rated     1996

Host: Gilbert is hanging out with some pretty go-go dancers and introduces the film and even takes a shot at the film’s star Jan-Michael Vincent, you see he says he is in his Go-Go Bachelor Pad for the night. And when we see him and the ladies again he once more takes a shot at Jan-Michael before we get back to the movie. Throughout this film Gilbert enjoys the lovely ladies dancing as well as takes shots at the film and many are still being directed at Jan-Michael Vincent.

Movie: A meteor shower causes a spaceship crash on a remote planet populated by beautiful and dangerous women as well as cavemen. All procreation has been forbidden as there is a war between man and woman. But when a woman and an astronaut falls in love, the spaceships jealous captain joins the cavemen and a fight ensues.

Note From Matt: This is the first film of the night with the other being “Dinosaur Valley Girls” see its review in the “D” section of the films hosted by Gilbert.

USA Up All Night: Murder 101
Starring – Pierce Brosnan & Dey Young    Rated PG-13    1991

Host: A young girl sits down at a microscope and on her slide is the floating head of Gilbert Gottfried who talks about the night’s movies and ushers us into Murder 101! We next get a quick look at Gilbert as he is standing in between a machine that is reading people and he once more brings us back to the movie.

Movie: Charles Lattimore, an author of a book about a famous murder trial, meets up with his ex-wife Laura, at her college, where he is due to give a series of lectures, on how to write a successful novel. When one of his students, asks to meet him later that night, to discuss the course, and is found murdered. Lattimore has no alibi, and he begins to suspect, that the subject of his book, has arranged the killing, to get back at him, for the evidence, Lattimore gave during the trial.

Note From Matt: This episode has many of the segments but they are cut up and edited by the original recorder, and others sadly have been cut fully. Sadly also the end segment is missing.

USA Up All Night: Play It Again Sam
Starring – Woody Allen & Diane Keaton     Rated PG     1972

Host: Gilbert is at a New York billiard club and is loaded and calling customers wrong names as he thinks some of them look like famous people. We join him next and he is doing test trick shots with pool balls lined up as he waits for his celebrity friends. We next join Gilbert who is getting tips from a pro pool player, and he is confused and she tries her best to help him. And finally he is playing pool with “Tony Roberts” who starred in the film. Gilbert also tries to do his best Humphrey Bogart while leaning on a pool table. Gilbert and his pool friend keep playing and it made clear that Gilbert is not good. He ends with just starting at the table filled with the pool balls and knows it’s impossible.

Movie: A mild mannered film critic is dumped by his wife and his ego is crushed. His hero persona is the tough guy played by Humphrey Bogart in many of his movies and the apparition of Bogart begins showing up to give him advice. With the encouragement of his two married friends, he actually tries dating again, with less than satisfactory results, until he relaxes.

Note From Matt: This is the first film or the night with the second one being “Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex* But Were Afraid To Ask”.

USA Up All Night: Return Of The Killer Tomatoes
Starring – George Clooney & John Astin   Rated PG     1988

Host: Gilbert is spray painting on a city wall and claims he is the best street artist. And then tells us about the nights movies and riffs on the Return Of the Killer Tomatoes. When we next join Gilbert he is still doing street art and riffs a little more on the film and how bad it is and how the makers only cared about profit. And Gilbert from here on is standing near walls with graffiti and painting on walls and just makes fun of the film, as it’s clear he is not a fan. He also takes shots at the then Friday night Up All Night host Caroline Schlitt in a playful sexual way! Gilbert has more fun painting and cracking jokes at the film expense.

Movie: Mad scientist Professor Gangreen is cooking up the second coming of the Great Tomato Uprising, in which music converted tomatoes into human form to war against mankind. Pizza delivery man Chad Finletter must save the world and beautiful tomato-girl Tara.

Note From Matt: Sadly the last part of the films credits as well as Gilbert’s final segment are missing for this one.

USA Up All Night: Sweet Sugar
Starring – Phyllis Davis & Ellaraino     Rated R     1972

Host: Gilbert Gottfried is having a celebrity auction in New York to sell off some of his junk that he has gotten as gifts over the years, and the bidders are all tourist who are tied up and being forced to be there! And he is very angry about how bad some of the gifts he gets are and wants the world to come together to stop bad gift giving! He starts selling off the junk at high crazy prices to people who are not even bidding, and of course also rifts on the movie while doing so. He even takes shots once more at Caroline Schlitt as he tries to sell her phone number and no one bids…even when he offers to pay them to take it. Gilbert is pushing hard to sell his junk and in the end builds up the next movie “Peggy Sue Gets Married”.

Movie: Prostitute Sugar is set up by a corrupt politician. She is convinced of the futility of appealing her case in the courts and signs on to a chain gang run by the notorious Dr. John who performs cruel medical experiments on the people who work for him.

Note From Matt: This episodes issue is that the audio is slightly off making every one seemed dubbed.

USA Up All Night: Toxic Avenger 1-3
Starring – Bruce Campbell & Ellen Sandweiss       Rated R       1981

Host: The show opens at Gilbert’s new New York night club that is called “Club Loveman” that is a tacky looking disco and just looks very cheap. Gilbert has a cheesy mustache and tells us that tonight’s films are the first and second film in the Toxic Avenger film series. We next join Gilbert who is behind a DJ table with a lovely woman who he is trying to teach how to be a DJ for his club, he then makes fun of the acting in the film. Every time we see Gilbert his club is empty minus some employees and all of them seem to be bored and really bad at their jobs minus the Janitor, he also has a few sports bar dudes standing around. Gilbert ends up reading a fan letter that praises movies like Howling III and then Gilbert gets mad as his female DJ who is really bad and yells at her as more men show up to the club and no females. The males request show tunes to be played and will dance with each other but not the pretty female DJ and Gilbert is getting sad that his club is not attracting women. Gilbert then finds out a mess up in the clubs phone book listing has made people think that it is a Gay Club, and he just rolls with it. As the second movie starts Gilbert is hit on by one of the guys who has crude request, and Gilbert sends him away and takes us back to the movie. Each time we join Gilbert he is at his club that is filled with more men and he takes a few moments to make fun of the film. Gilbert and his female DJ have the club cleared out and they are planning more events as they have made lots of money. The third film has the shows logo and shots of New York with just Gilbert’s voice bringing us in and out of the movie from time to time.

Movie: Toxic Avenger: Tromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin falls into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose. Toxic Avenger Part 2: The Toxic Avenger is tricked into traveling to Tokyo to search for his estranged father, leaving Tromaville open to complete domination by an evil corporation. Toxic Avenger Part 3: Toxie finds he has nothing to do as a superhero, as he has ridden his city of evil. He decides to go to work for a major corporation, which he discovers may be the evilest of all his adversaries.

USA Up All Night: The Vals
Starring – Jill Carroll & Chuck Connors     Rated R       1983

Host: Gilbert is hanging out in a New York clothing shop Appendix: A and is making fun of some of the styles and while in the shop he also takes a moment to read viewer letters as well as try on some of the shops fetish collars plus looks at some of the other naughty things the store stocks. Its clear Gilbert is having a blast in this store! At one point Gilbert decides to wear a female thong on his face and play fake doctor! Gilbert also puts on a blonde wig and acts like he is a valley girl! In the end he wraps up the show and so ends another episode of USA Up All Night.

Movie: Sam, Trish, Beth, and Annie are four Valley Girls bored with shopping and frat parties. They come across kind Mr. Stanton, who is running a home for orphaned boys. Mr. Stanton and his charges are in danger of being evicted from their home if they don’t come up with the rent money that is due, and one of the boys has taken to selling drugs for a couple of sleazy dealers. When Trish’s prized “TUBUL R” Mercedes convertible is lost in a bet in which their Beverly Hills rivals have cheated, mayhem ensues as the Vals, with the help of their frat boy boyfriends, save Mr. Stanton and his boys from being evicted, give the drug dealers their just desserts, and exact revenge on the Beverly Hills brats in a rematch.

Note From Matt: The opening segment is missing as The Vals was the second feature of the night.

USA Up All Night: Vampire On Bikini Beach
Starring – Jennifer Badham & Nancy Rogers     Not Rated       1988

Host: When we first join Gilbert he is in his apartment and it seems to have been robbed and he had a good showed planned that is now ruined. He spends time cracking jokes about being robbed and being annoyed by it as well as the night’s film.

Movie: Two teenagers find a book called “The Book of the Dead,” and soon they discover that a vampire cult, which needs the book to raise the dead so they can take over the world, is after them.

Note From Matt: This was the second film of the night so it’s missing the opening credits, film and sadly as well most of the closing segment.

USA Up All Night: Vixens Of Bandelero
Starring – Lisa Butaud & Nicole Dernenberger     Not Rated   1993

Host: Gilbert’s spends all his segments reading crazy fan letters that are of course over the top in nature, and he has snarky and funny responses to all of them!

Movie: Three sisters search for treasure to save their ranch.

Note From Matt: Sadly this episode is missing the opening credits and segment.

USA Up All Night: Waitress
Starring – Jim Harris & Carol Drake     Rated R    1981

Host: Gilbert Gottfried is in a triangle and is trying to find his inner peace…well and cause he meet a pair a cute new age girls and he wants to impress them! The first movie of the night is the Troma cheesy sexy classic film Waitress! Gilbert is trying his best to find his road to enter enlightenment and as well is making fun of the night’s movie. He also takes a moment to read a letter from a fan that he says is from Mother Theresa, and then a he also spends some times with crystals and tries to eat it. And while in his triangle he also is eating some cheap fast food cheeseburgers and pokes fun more at the film and even pokes fun at USA for cutting the film down for content. Gilbert while practicing breathing techniques ushers us into the end of the film. Gilbert also eats a dishrag to clean out his body…and it’s both nice and painful.

Movie: Three lovely waitresses contend with a drunken, slovenly chef and mutinous patrons.

USA Up All Night: Northern Kicks Southern Fist
Starring – John Liu & Alexander Rei Lo      Not Rated       1981

Host: Caroline Schlitt is celebrating a birthday with her crew at a table with a cake and decorations all around. She then tells us to enjoy the next movie of the night that is the martial arts film Northern Kicks Southern Fist. The rest of her segments are Caroline talking over images of her party table. In the end as the intro replays Caroline ends the show and tells the viewers to go to bed!

Movie: Rivals in public, allies in private: The now-legendary “Northern Kick” Shao Yi-Fei has been framed for the murder of “Southern Fist” Shen Yin-Wai’s younger brother. Once again joining forces, they uncover the mastermind behind the setup to prove Shao’s innocence.

USA Up All Night: Raiders Of The Living Dead
Starring – Scott Schwartz & Zita Johann     Rated PG-13      1986

Host: In this episode we get the voice of Caroline Schlitt over the logo, shots of the streets of LA and classic show jingle! And this is throughout the episode.

Movie: A newspaper reporter hears of strange goings-on on a remote island. He travels there and finds that a mad scientist lives there and he is creating zombies.

Note From Matt: This was the third film of the night!

USA Up All Night: School For Sex
Starring – Derek Aylward & Rose Alda     Not Rated     1969

Host: Caroline Schlitt and her mother are getting ready for a dinner party while watching the night’s films. And they wait for their guests to show up as Caroline chats about the film as well as some of the snacks they will be serving. During the show Caroline’s blind date David Hirsch who was the host of USA’s American Bandstand shows up for the dinner along with friends. The party is going well and the guests seem to even be happy about the night’s film and David is clearly trying to get Caroline drunk and worse Caroline’s mom keeps embarrassing her. But over all the dinner party is going well and David is clearly trying to get something out of Caroline as he keeps pouring her more and more wine. Caroline Schlitt ushers us to the next film after School Fro Sex ends that is Vampire Of Bikini Beach, we next join the dinner party who asks about the next film and her mom puts David on the spot asking if he can really step in the shoes of Dick Clark!….and because this is only the one episode we do now know how Caroline’s date ends with David.

Movie: British Sexploitation/Sex Comedy. Lord Wingate, aquitted after appearing in court for fraud, starts up a ‘finishing school’ to teach girls how to extract money from rich men, in return for a percentage of their gains. He enlists the help of the Duchess of Burwood (Alcoholic Aristocrat played by Rose Alba) as a teacher and Hector (Cockney Geezer played by Nosher Powell) as fitness instructor. A probation officer friend supplies the first batch of pupils fresh from Holloway prison via a clapped out old mini bus. Suspicious neighbours and police together with newspaper reports naming the prison girls now hobnobbing in high society results in a raid and new court appearance for Lord Wingate. The Judge sentences him but plots to start up his own ‘school for sex’.

Note From Matt: This episode is missing the opening show credits and host segment.

Up All Night: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Starring – Bee Gees & Peter Frampton     PG     1978

Host: Caroline Schlitt talks over the show’s logo as well as shots of the city and really cool is they show clips of her! She also tells the viewers that she went and seen this film in the theater when released and also during breaks gives facts and says funny things about the film.

Movie: A small-town band hits it big, but they must battle a nefarious plot in the music industry.

Note From Matt: This was the third film of the evening so it’s just Caroline’s voice over the shows logo.

USA Up All Night: Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes
Starring – David Miller & George Wilson    Rated PG     1978

Host: Rhonda Shear in her red dress is going to a Monster Truck Madness showdown, and after changing she heads out to watch the trucks. Rhonda next gets a monster truck to run over a box of tomatoes and even chats with some of the fans in the crowd. All the while Rhonda is hosting she is having to scream over the massive trucks engines and sounds. She also talks to the only female truck driver at the time and they take jabs at the night’s film. She then goes around and talks to more of the drivers of the Monster Trucks as well as the dirt bikers. In the end Rhonda ushers us to the second film and shows a toy Monster Truck that she has run over mini tomatoes.

Movie: A group of scientists band together to save the world from mutated killer tomatoes.

Note From Matt: This episode is a Fan Reproduction, and while these are cool to see they just do not feel like watching the show from broadcast.

USA Up All Night: Beach Balls
Starring – Phillip Paley & Heidi Helmer     Rated R     1988

Host: Rhonda Shear is at a very loud bar and introduces the nights second film Beach Balls, as a waitress clearly is checking her out in the background. We next join Rhonda who makes a joke about Tom and Roseanne Arnold at the beach and then Rhonda has a hidden camera in her cleavage to see if guys are looking or being gentlemen, and the first guy passes but still comes off creepy. The second guy passes but talks about taking her to Hawaii with some creepy sex puns. Rhonda is still at the bar and talks to her friend Michael who shows a pool trick that he is doing just for Rhonda and fails in his attempt to impress her. Rhonda admits that she has been cheating at pool all night and introduces the viewers to the man who was doing all the trick shots she has been taking credit for. Rhonda ends the show in the bar with a sexy pose and sends them to the third and final films of the night as the shows credits role and a Van Halen song plays.

Movie: Charlie Harrison dreams of being a rock star and, with the help of friends and a gang of local toughs, he arranges a concert in his house for a big time record producer, or at least that is what Charlie thought he was arranging.

USA Up All Night: Big Top Pee-Wee
Starring – Paul Reubens & Valeria Golino     Rated PG     1988

Host: Rhonda starts the show in her apartment saying she misses the comedy of Eddie Murphy and then plays a small about of his song “Party All The Time” and then talks about the next movie and then makes fun of Pee-Wee in movie theaters. We then get a bunch of bumpers of Rhonda dancing around for our segments with the USA Up All Night logo! We next join Rhonda who is still relaxing in her room and takes us to the last part of the film. In the end Rhonda ends the episode and wishes us all a good night.

Movie: Pee-wee Herman is now a small-town farmer with a fiancée, but when a traveling circus comes to town, he finds himself falling for the trapeze artist.

Note From Matt: This is sadly a fan reproduction and is missing the opening credits, the first movie, all the commercials and over all is just an average reproduction.

USA Up All Night: Cannibal Women
Starring – Shannon Tweed & Bill Maher     Rated PG-13     1989

Host: Rhonda Shear is in New Orleans and brings us to the second film of the night the cheesy cult classic Cannibal Women In The Avocado Jungle Of Death! Rhonda then goes to the voodoo museum and sees some strange and dark stuff. She also chats with Chicken Man, a voodoo priest about curses and the fact its Rhonda Shear Day in New Orleans! Rhonda then goes back to a club to listen to some blues music. In the end Rhonda thanks all the people of New Orleans and ends this episode of Up All Night…well at least the second movie.

Movie: The government hires a feminist at the local university to track down the Piranha Women living in the uncharted Avocado Jungle (westernmost outpost is San Bernardino) to convince them to move to a reservation condo in Malibu. She hires a guide at the edge of the jungle, a male chauvinist pig, and they have many arguments about men and women as they work their way in, and eventually confront the Piranha Women.

Note From Matt: This episode is the second movie shown for the night with the first being Reform School Girls that is also covered here on this epic Horror Host Icon Update.

USA Up All Night: Cemetery High
Starring – Debi Thibeault & Karen Nielsen   Rated R     1988

Host: Rhonda tries to give your tips on what wear to The Super Bowl and is hanging out with cheerleaders. And she is in fact at the Rose Bowl and is having a tailgate party thanks to beer company Coors. All the while Rhonda rips on the cheesy film she is hosting as the cheerleaders seem to be having a blast as they all bound over comedy, sports, men and a bad movie.

Movie: A group of High School girls with guns go on a killing spree. They are intent on ridding the world of scummy men.

Note From Matt: This sadly is a fan reproduction and is even missing the films opening credits and segment…disappointed for sure.

USA Up All Night: Cheerleaders Wild Weekend
Starring – Kristine DeBell & Jason Williams      Rated R       1979

Host: Rhonda Shear goes to LA hot spot Tatou and goes into the clothing boutique in the middle of the club and tries on some amazing clothes and speaks to the owner. While trying stuff on Rhonda is knocked out by Beverly Center who takes over hosting duties and shares tips on how to cheat stores to get cloths cheaper and gets caught changing prices. Beverly ends up going to the club proper as well and enjoys the singers on stage. And later joins them all on stage for a song were she is out of tune, and later takes the stage for a solo. And as well goes to the art gallery in Tatou and chats with some people and just hangs out.

Movie: A bus-load of cheerleaders is hijacked and held for a $2 million ransom. After several comic and arousing interactions, eventually the girls are forced by their captors to participate in a topless “beauty pageant” in which they must pose before their captor-“judges” in nothing but their underwear.

Note From Matt: The end host segment from Rhonda is missing which also means that the opening for the second film is also missing in action.

USA Up All Night: Class Of Nuke’em High
Starring – Janelle Brady & Gil Brenton     Rated R     1986

Host: Rhonda in this episode Rhonda is shopping for Valentines Day and wearing sexy outfits and dancing around. Rhonda next talks to a worker at the show Playmates about what was the best gift she has ever gotten on Valentines Day. Rhonda keeps pushing Valentines Day and how if you are with someone you should do something special for them on the day. Rhonda and Miller Beer pick’s the moment of the movie and gives a hint by coughing through her segment. Rhonda nexts looks at jewelry and tries to get viewers so send videos of themselves reenacting scenes from movies shown on Up All Night. Rhonda next reads some mail from fans one that has a fan wanting her to walk on his back and then talks to another business owner for a flower shop, and ends the show taking a tour of the flower shop.

Movie: When Warren and Chrissy notice some strange things happening around their high school, they begin to suspect that something is going on at the nuclear plant next door. Though the plant officials deny that there are any problems, Crissy gives birth to a bloodthirsty mutant who immediately begins eating everyone in the school. Will Warren and Chrissy be able to stop their killer kid?

Note From Matt: This episode is a fan reproduction and sadly at times the disc acts up and freezes. Not to even mention the segments are placed in wrong. And as always Rhonda looks super stunning in her outfit!

USA Up All Night: Dialing For Dingbats
Starring – John Caponera & Johnny Mask     Rated R     1989

Host: Rhonda hosts this film in voice only over the shows logo and shots of LA and the shows classic theme.

Movie: A lonely man finds love through a party line.

Note From Matt: This is the third film of the night and was during the Holiday season in 1992.

USA Up All Night: Dream A Little Evil
Starring – Tom Alexander & Michelle Gaudreau     Not Rated   1990

Host: We join Rhonda, as she is relaxing on a bed looking as lovely as ever and talks about a trivia challenge where the winner could win a very cool Up All Night ball cap. She then takes us to the first part of the film. Rhonda when we join her again pushes the contest some more and give the first question and from there Rhonda gives out the questions and pushes for the contest hard. Later in the show Rhonda is joined by Playboy Playmates and they chat about them being the first mother and daughters team up to be in the pages of the magazine and later the son also shows up and they all chat about modeling and Playboy, she also takes a few shots at the nights film and its cheesy acting.

Movie: An unsuccessful electronics technician builds a machine in the shared home of he and his brother he later shows his friend who creates wishes from from their subconscious into reality. Little do they know that they’ve summoned darkness to wreak havoc within the home by a demonic lustful witch of twisted imagination the technician must find a way to destroy.

Note From Matt: Sadly the end of the movie as well as Rhonda’s end segment for the episode is missing, as the end of the movie and such was tapped over for an episode of Bonanza.

USA Up All Night: The Fly II
Starring – Eric Stoltz & Daphne Zuniga     Rated R     1989

Host: Rhonda is dressed as a sexy vampire and is attempting to bite her first victim, and it’s not going well as she takes us to the first part of the film. We next join Rhonda as she has bitten her victim, but one of her fangs falls out and she needs a wet nap and breath spray and sends us back to the movie. Rhonda then bites her victim more and more, and tells him to get over it and goes back to the night’s film, and from their her and the victim share cheesy jokes and puns.

Movie: Seth Brundle was a renowned scientist whose warped experiments with teleportation transformed him into a man/fly hybrid called BrundleFly. A few months after the BrundleFly insect met its demise by his lover’s, Veronica, shotgun, she dies while giving birth to their son, Martin. Seth’s corrupt employer, Bartok, adopts Martin, only so Martin can solve the new problems that the still-functioning TelePods present and to use him as a science project because of the dormant insect genes. Martin is now fully grown, even though he is five, and the fly genes begin to awaken and make him just like dear, dead dad. With the help of his girlfriend, Beth, they go to wherever they can find a possible cure before Bartok finds them and brings them back, but not before Martin finishes his transformation into MartinFly, the deadliest of the BrundleFly species.

Note From Matt: This episode sadly has a bad hiss and pops to the audio throughout and is missing the last part of the film as well as Rhonda’s segments…sucks as I would have loved to see more of Rhonda as the vampire!

USA Up All Night: Friday The 13^th Part 7
Starring – Kane Hodder & Lar Park-Lincoln     Rated R     1988

Host: Rhonda Shear is at LA clothing store Dressing For Pleasure and shopping with her snooty friend Robear her artsy sleek friend who is her fashion coordinator and they seem to be having fun looking at the fetish cloths and are enjoying the styles. At one point he puts on a horned masks as charges Rhonda and as he tell him to stop he is confused as he says he thought this was her favorite. Rhonda soon finds out that they are there not for her fashion but for his fetishes! Rhonda also interviews the owner of the shop who plugs a fashion show she has coming up and Rhonda even takes a stroll through the erotic movies the store has in stock. In the end Rhonda asks Robear if she should buy the whip or the handcuffs!

Movie: After Jason Vorhees was chained to the Bottom of Camp Crystal Lake by Tommy Jarvis. A Young Telekinetic Girl known as Tina Shepherd accidentally killed her Father with her Powers at Crystal Lake. Years Later, Tina and Her Mother return to Camp Crystal Lake, Where Tina’s Doctor trys to manipulate her powers for his own evil plans. Tina then trys to ressurect Her Father but Accidentally Awakens Jason Instead. It’s now up to Tina to use her Powers to Stop Jason and Her Evil Doctor.

Note From Matt: This episode is missing the opening segment. Side note Friday The 13^th Part 8 is the second part of this episode.

USA Up All Night: Friday The 13^th Part 8
Starring – Kane Hodder & Jensen Daggett      Rated R     1989

Host: Rhonda and Robear are still at Dressing For Pleasure and are still trying on weird fetish items and Rhonda is getting more and more annoyed when he keeps clearly shopping for himself and his weird fetishes. With most of Rhonda’s segments being over items and pictures at the store for the remainder of the episode. At one point Rhonda and Robear are once more in the adult film room making fun of some of the titles. In the end Rhonda and Robear leave the store.

Movie: A whole high senior class is finally graduating. For that, they get into a luxury cruise called ”Lazarus”. At the beginning they are all having fun, including our main heroine ”Rennie” who has a serious problem with the water because of past traumatic events ” Almost got drowned when she was little”. When we get to see all the young teenagers our friend Jason who got on board the ship starts with his killing rampage until we get to see only the main characters of the movie.. After that, they decide to look for the killer and kill him… Unfortunately, Jason got them first… After only a few of them escaped and got off the ship reached N.Y where they now have a bigger problem. Jason managed to get there too! He’s cashing the survivors so he can kill them. Now the young teenager couple must escape or die in the dark waters of New York.

USA Up All Night: Fright Night
Starring – Chris Sarandon & Roddy McDowall     Rated R     1985

Host: In this second part (see Shocker for first) Rhonda is meeting the women that could be her Mother In-Law when she makes he choice between two men with the winner being her husband. First she meets Artie’s who is very mean and has no manners. We next join Rhonda on the dance floor and meets Tex’s mom who is pure country and even brings a banjo player for people to dance along to. We next see Rhonda dancing again and she has not made up her mind on who to marry yet and she is feeling pleasure from the mother in laws. Rhonda snaps and trashes both mothers as they she dislikes the way they view her. In the end Rhonda has to make the choice of husband and she asks her own Mom for advice and they decide to choose no one! Rhonda ends the show loving being single and enjoys all the gifts that was for her wedding.

Movie: For young Charley Brewster, nothing could be better than an old horror movie late at night. Two men move in next door, and for Charley with his horror movie experience, there can be no doubt that their strange behavior is explained by the fact that they are a vampire and his undead day guardian. The only one who can help him hunt them down is a washed-up actor, Peter Vincent, who hosts Charley’s favorite TV show, Fright Night. Vincent doesn’t really believe that vampires exist, but does it for the money.

Note From Matt: This is the second movie of the night with Shocker being the first I want to say see below for that one.

USA Up All Night: The Girl I Want
Starring – Linnea Quigley & Burt Ward     Not Rated       1990

Host: Rhonda has a pair of shoes that are not broke in and she calls Mr. Bruce who for $5.95 will break in any pair of shoes for you! And after running the shoes around he is able to break them in for her. She next decides to read a letter from a viewer about her missing father who is rumored to be a cook, and as always Rhonda has a comedic answer for them. Rhonda also just chills in her studio room and gives jokes about the night’s movie as well as just seems to be enjoying the night at “home”.

Movie: A brainy girl turns bimbo and a football star turns brainy in order to attract each other’s attention, only to discover that they liked each other the way they were in the first place.

Note From Matt: This episode is missing the opening credits as well as Rhonda’s first segment as well as the opening credits. This episode as well has no closing segment.

USA Up All Night: The Howling III
Starring – Barry Otto & Imogen Annesley      Rated PG-13     1987

Host: In this episode USA Network salutes Rhonda Shear as this is her final episode of being the Host of Up All Night and they show some quick clips of her with celebrities on the show over the years like Alan Thicke. They once more show a classic Rhonda Shear moment that has people acting like Sonny and Cher singing a song to each other that is taking shots at their relationship. Next is Rhonda in a Gilligan’s Island skit dressed as Ginger singing like Betty Boop! Next is Rhonda as Genie from I Dream Of Genie and turns her master into meatloaf! Then we have Rhonda doing a skit based on the Honeymooners as she threatens to smash Ralph over the head with a pan while he sleeps. Next they show a few quick clips and as a song about Rhonda plays they show a tombstone that’s simple says R.I.P. and then its white noise on the marker as the credits role.

Movie: A strange race of human-like marsupials appear suddenly in Australia, and a sociologist who studies these creatures falls in love with a female one. Is this a dangerous combination?

USA Up All Night: Jocks
Starring – Christopher Lee & Richard Roundtree     Rated R    1986

Host: Rhonda is getting ready as she is going to take us to the California landmark Roosevelt Hotel! And before she goes to the movie she also says at the next break they will pick a movie mogul that will be going on a date with her. Rhonda is now at the Hollywood Hotel and teases after the next commercial they will meet the winner of the date contest but he shows up early and really quick she introduces them to Daryl who looks like a deer in the headlights! Daryl when we come back tells Rhonda that he made a film pitch to Paramount Pictures that starred Gilbert Gottfried and this upsets her. Next she and Daryl are by poolside and she is given him tips on being important in Hollywood. The next time we join Rhonda she gives a history lesson on the Hotel as well as Hollywood nightlife. Rhonda is now with Kelly Green getting ready to have dinner at the hotel as Kelly is a historian of the hotel and she once more shares history of it, and from there Rhonda just has a blast at the hotel showing off all the glamour’s sights to see if you stay there. In the end Rhonda is locked out of her room and is stuck on the hotels roof until a security guard shows up and picks her up and takes her back inside.

Movie: The coach of a college tennis team is given an ultimatum: put together a winning team, or else.

Note From Matt: This is the first film of the night and the second would have been The Van. This one also does not have the end segment as the tape ends at the films end credits. Also Ebay Seller Lied and this was not a broadcast version and was a fan reproduction, man so many fan reproductions.

USA Up All Night: Lifeforce
Starring – Steve Railsback & Peter Firth     Rated R      1985

Host: Rhonda Shear starts this film standing in front of an American flag background and makes an TV show E.R. joke before taking us to the film. We then just have random Up All Night Bumpers played throughout the movie. The next time we join Rhonda she alerts us that the next part of the movie is the final part of the film. In the end Rhonda ends the show in front of her flag background and hopes we will join her again for the next weeks show.

Movie: The space shuttle Churchill is assigned to observe Halley’s Comet under the command of Colonel Tom Carlsen. They see a strange form attached to the comet and Carlsen goes with a team to investigate. They find three humanoid life forms in caskets and they bring them to the Churchill. However, Earth loses contact with the shuttle and the Space Research Center sends another spacecraft to search the Churchill. They find the crew dead and the shuttle burnt and one rescue pod missing. They bring the humanoids to Earth and soon Dr. Hans Fallada and his team discover that the Space Girl is a sort of vampire and drains the life force from people, transforming them into zombies. When the authorities find that Colonel Tom Carlsen has survived, they summon him to explain what happened in the Churchill. Carlsen tells an incredible story about the three aliens and he teams up with Colonel Colin Caine trying to save mankind from the evil vampires from space.

Note From Matt: This is the second movie of the night with the first being Night Shift and sadly this episode is a Fan Reproduction. And I should not just like the Night Shift Fan repro this one is not well done.

USA Up All Night: Lovers’ Lovers
Starring – Jennifer Barker & Jennifer Ciesar   Rated R    1994

Host: Rhonda is outside a hotel door at Caesars Palace with a man whose wife of six hours has locked him out and says the marriage was a sham, and worse, it’s Valentines Day and Rhonda seems bored. And now must sit around and hear the man speak about the love of his dog and all around her are weird people. You see Rhonda has had a fight with her boyfriend and that’s why she is in the lobby watching the nights movie with the others who have been kicked out of their rooms by their mates and she is kind of upset by it. Rhonda’s next plan is to try and patch up the two guys in the lobby’s dates so they will stop hanging out with her, and she has her work cut out for her as they are real goofy. But Rhonda succeeds in getting them all back together and now must try and do the same for herself and her boyfriend. And of course she patches things up with her boyfriend who shows up to the Hotel with flowers and all the couples stay up and watch the end of the film.

Movie: A man at a party discovers a woman on the floor eating from the fridge. After a brief sexual encounter the man thinks he will never see her again. That is until he finds her eating from the fridge at his house, which he shares with his girlfriend. Soon an affair develops. Meanwhile the audience learns that the girlfriend is having an affair with the fridge girl’s boyfriend. The plot follows the couples as they narrowly miss discovering what’s going on.

Note From Matt: This episode sadly is missing the opening skit and is the second film of the evening, and worse the end segment is also missing.

USA Up All Night: Lunch Box
Starring – Ava Cadell & Warren Farina     Rated R     1992

Host: Rhonda Shear starts off in her apartment and says she is going to take the viewers to Hollywood Hits a female boxing review, and while she gets ready she sends viewers to the movie! We next join Rhonda who is at the bar watching the girls box as the grease men watching the fight seems annoyed by her. They show some clips from matches and talk to promoter Hal Stone who just yells and screams and Rhonda says his loud mouth is kind of like Gilbert’s! Rhonda is still hanging around watching the fights and even talks to some of the fighting girls as well as some of the fans in the crowd. Rhonda then talks to the ref and asks him if he thinks she could be a fighter, and then spends more time around ringside and then makes up a story about boxing the champ who gave up when Rhonda told her about all the fights she has had with USA Network censors. And to end the episode Rhonda with one punch knocks out all the ladies and she ends up back at her apartment in a tight pink body suit and introduces the next movie.

Movie: High school graduates CC and Waldo get a job in a warehouse for the summer. On the first day on the job, CC’s lunchbox gets mixed up with a lunchbox full of cocaine. Hijinx and stupidity follow as the drug dealers try to get the lunchbox back.

Note From Matt: This episode sadly is another fan reproduction, while it’s great to see Rhonda in all her beautiful glory…it’s just not the same feeling with the unedited film.

USA Up All Night: Mankillers
Starring – Gail Fisher & Edy Williams     Rated R     1987

Host: Rhonda Shear is climbing a rope in her apartment and introduces the nights movies, but she might be stuck on the rope upside down! We next join Rhonda who is still stuck on the rope, but her trainer comes and saves her…he was part of Circus Of The Stars. She then shows some video of behind the scenes and interviews of the circus, for many of the segments. She then shows a clip of her doing the rope trick at the circus and even gives a sneak peek at her outfit, and then more chatting with celebrities from the circus. And of course in-between all this she also talks a little about the film Mankillers and they cheesy action of it. She even gets a visit in her apartment from a horn honking clown who Rhonda says reminds her of Gilbert! Rhonda ends the first film by relaxing in bed in a sexy leopard outfit with long black boots, and before the next movie gets a visit from a peanut seller straight from a circus.

Movie: A female CIA agent is assigned to train and lead an all-female squad to Colombia to stop a renegade agent who has hired himself out to a drug cartel.

Note From Matt: This episode sadly is another fan reproduction and it has the uncut versions of the movie making it not feel like an old school watch on the USA Network, but as always it’s nice seeing Rhonda Shear in all her beautiful glory.

USA Up All Night: Night Of The Comet
Starring – Robert Beltran & Kelli Maroney       Rated PG-13      1984

Host: Rhonda opens the show making some jokes about news headlines in 1993, and then sends us to the movie. Rhonda in her apartment set talks to the shows hairdressing who claims something is loose in Rhonda’s foot and starts “working” on it, and working on it through out the episode. All the while Rhonda is both enjoying and being creeped out by it, and is still telling jokes the whole time about the night’s first film and he rubs and makes her feet feel good.

Movie: It’s the first comet to buzz our planet Earth in 65 million years, and everyone seems to be celebrating its imminent arrival. Everyone except Regina Belmont, and her younger sister Samantha, two Valley Girls who care more about fashion trends than celestial phenomena. But upon daybreak, when the girls discover that they are the only residents of Los Angeles whom the comet hasn’t vaporized or turned into a zombie, they would do what all Valley Girls do – they go shopping. However, with the help of a friendly truck driver, the girls save Earth and escape from flesh-eating zombies and blood-seeking scientists in hot pursuit.

Note From Matt: This is the first movie of the night and is followed by Private Benjamin.

USA Up All Night: Night Shift
Starring – Michael Keaton & Henry Winkler     Rated R     1982

Host: Rhonda is standing in front of an American flag background and welcomes us to Up All Night and then introduces us to the night’s films as well as an episode of Duckman! We then go to the night’s first film. We then go to a short black and white film of Rhonda driving around town. And the rest of the segments as well has Rhonda in black and white short films and fake trailers. Rhonda ends with showing a clip for the next episode of ER and then takes is to the start of the second film Lifeforce by Tobe Hooper.

Movie: A nebbish of a morgue attendant gets shunted back to the night shift where he is shackled with an obnoxious neophyte partner who dreams of the “one great idea” for success. His life takes a bizarre turn when a prostitute neighbor complains about the loss of her pimp. His partner, upon hearing the situation, suggests that they fill that opening themselves using the morgue at night as their brothel. Against his better judgement, he gets talked into the idea, only to find that it’s more than his boss that has objections to this bit of entrepreneurship.

Note From Matt: This sadly is a fan reproduction of the episode and is missing the Duckman episode as well as commercials and second movie. The movie is a crisp widescreen version and makes it so that it does not feel like watching it during broadcast…disappointing indeed!

Up All Night: Nightmare Sisters/Rollerblade Warriors
Starring – Brinke Stevens & Kathleen Kinmont       Unrated/Rated R       1988/1989

Host: Rhonda is in a patriotic mood cause out troops are coming home from war while hanging out at her apartment set, she ushers us to the first film of the night. We next join Rhonda as she is looking through her closet to find something to wear as she wants to have a night out on the town, and when she changes her dresses she gets a phone call from Bev who is upset about the nights movies and just keeps Rhonda on the phone for awhile and once off the phone Rhonda has to change dresses again! Once dressed she looks for something to do in L.A. for the night and even checks the ads. Rhonda then gets a visit from her sister who judges her for they way she lives and dresses. With her sister gone Rhonda takes a moment to read a few fan letters. She then takes us to the second film of the night and is going crazy as she wants to go out for the evening and gets a visit from Noodles who has broken in to steal some of her dolls and panties, and she spends tome trying to help Noodles who is clearly an odd person and then kicks him out. Next an old cowboy shows up to hang out with Rhonda and talks about sheep before he leaves, and she is loosing her mind. Rhonda shares a home video that a fan sent in that had her acting like Rhonda and then she once again changes dresses, and the gets a visit from a NFL Football Player who played for the Kansas City Chiefs. Rhonda changes into a nightgown and decides that she is just going to stay in for the night and her phone rings again and it’s from her grandfather! And in the end she gets ready for bed as Bev calls the USA Network.

Movie: Nightmare Sisters: Melody, Marci, and Mickey are three geeky college girls who can’t get a date. One night, they invite some geeky college guys over and have a seance that results in the girls becoming possessed and turning into sex starved vamps. Will the geek hero guys be able to stop the horrible (?) possession? Rollerblade Warriors: In the future, a warrior nun on roller skates must rescue a seer, who is to be sacrificed by a band of mutants.

Note From Matt: This episode sadly is another fan reproduction and it has the uncut versions of the movie making it not feel like an old school watch on the USA Network, but as always it’s nice seeing Rhonda Shear in all he beautiful glory.

USA Up All Night: Porkys II
Starring – Dan Monahan & Wyatt Knight     Rated R     1983

Host: Rhonda is at her studio apartment and is surrounded by her artwork that she is giving away to lucky viewers! Rhonda then shows off each art piece and tells a little about them. Rhonda also shares a fact about oil that turns into a joke about Jerry Lee Lewis’s hair! She continues the rest of this episode to give away her art to lucky random selected winners.

Movie: When the students of Angel Beach High decide to stage “An Evening With Shakespeare,” their efforts are threatened by Miss Balbricker, who views the works of Shakespeare as obscene. She enlists the help of Reverend Bubba Flavel, a religious fanatic who brings along his flock of followers to pressure the school into shutting down the production. When they succeed with the help of corrupt city officials seeking re-election, the gang don’t get mad… they get even!

Note From Matt: This is missing the second film as well as the end segment.

USA Up All Night: Princess Warrior
Starring – Sharon Lee Jones & Dana Fredsti     Rated R     1989

Host: Rhonda is going Mayan Club, a very cool nightclub in California and she is taking us along with her. Before the club she interviews a Mayan dancer who are getting her in the mood for the club. Once at the club Rhonda she has a blast dancing and having a good time with club goers and showcasing some of the people at the club. Rhonda returns to the studio and decides she wants to learn a little about history…comedy history that is. She also talks a little about the film and in the end she gets a phone call from her sister and then talks about the next movie “Vals”.

Movie: Sisters from the planet Vulkaria teleport themselves to Earth to investigate and report back in order to prove to their mother, the planet’s ruler, that they are worth of becoming Queen.

Note From Matt: Sadly this episode is a fan reproduction so has the uncut film as well as no commercials.

USA Up All Night: Private Benjamin
Starring – Goldie Hawn & Eileen Brennan     Rated R      1980

Host: Rhonda at the start of the episode calls actor Albert Brooks and tries to get him to show up on the show and talk about acting, and he acts all weird on the phone and does not show up as Rhonda takes us to the movie. Rhonda just hangs around her apartment set and cracks some jokes, looks sexy and talks up the film. At one point Rhonda is sitting around with a baby chimpanzee that she claims is the producer’s new born baby! Rhonda ends the show relaxing thanking us for staying Up All Night!

Movie: When her husband dies on their wedding night, Judy decides to join the United States Army. She realizes that she has never been independent in her entire life. What looks like a bad decision at first, turns out not so bad at all. That is, until her superior officer makes sexual advances on her. She has been transferred to NATO headquarters in Europe and (re)meets the Frenchman Henri Tremont. Judy and Henri decide to marry, but will they?

Note From Matt: This is the second movie of the night with the first being “Night Of The Comet”.

USA Up All Night: Reform School Girls
Starring – Wendy O. Williams & Linda Carol      Rated R      1986

Host: Rhonda is walking around the streets of New Orleans talking to locals and enjoying the sights of the nightlife including jazz clubs like Jelly Rolls to try and score free drinks, as she has no money. She gets homecoming welcome and even dances on stage for a crowd as the people love her. Next she talks to Pete Fountain a famous Jazz Musician in his own bar.

Movie: Jenny is sent to a women’s reform school. It is run by evil warden Sutter and her henchwoman Edna. Jenny will stop at nothing to escape but she also has to deal with Charlie the bully.

Note From Matt: Sadly the start of this episode has some major tracking issues that causes the sound to be super speed up.

USA Up All Night: Return To Horror High
Starring – Maureen McCormick & George Clooney       Rated R       1987

Host: Start this episode with Rhonda Shear on the streets at night taking a break from an auction and she quickly ushers us to the night’s second film. The rest of the bumpers through out the episode are Rhonda’s voice over the shows logo.

Movie: A few years ago, a mysterious serial-killer caused panic on Crippen High School. The killer was never caught. A movie company, Cosmic Pictures, has decided to make a feature movie about these events – on location, at the now abandoned school. Since members of cast and crew disappear without a trace, it seems as if history is repeating itself.

Note From Matt: Sadly the end credits for the film and the last segment from Rhonda are missing.

USA Up All Night: Screwball Academy
Starring – Collen Camp & Kenneth Welsh     Rated R     1986

Host: Rhonda Shear is at the Rose Bowl and is in a trailer gearing up to have a tailgate party and also host two movies with the first being Screwball Academy! While Rhonda waits for her friends, she gives pointers on snacks you should have for football parties as well as shares her grilling skills and Coors Light shows up and brings some beer to her party and she has the truck driver join the party! And you find out that the driver is really Brick Bronsky, actor of Troma Movies like Class Of Nuke’Em High Part II & Part III to name a few. Later she is joined by Raiders Cheerleaders! While Brick hangs out, the ladies all gossip about football players and more.

Movie: Foxy filmmaker Liberty Jean and her movie company arrive at Wagatno Beach to film a torrid movie called “Say Cheese”, going against the wishes of the puritanical Church of the Divine Light, leading all hell to break loose. The church’s phony leader Bishop Wally plans to lead a holy war of the highly religious against the trashy film. That’s when a bumbling gang of thugs are hired to sabotage the production whenever they can. How will the film crew get out of this one?

Note From Matt: This is a fan reproduction episode and goes alongside Cemetery High as this is the first movie of the night.

USA Up All Night: Shocker
Starring – Mitch Pileggi & Peter Berg       Rated R      1989

Host: Rhonda is in the Bronx and has decided to finally get married and she has her pick of grooms with one being Tex who wants her to quite hosting and shopping and have a ton of kids with him! Rhonda is more exited for the wedding gifts and is not sure who she should marry and her two main options is Tex and Artie and neither are a good fit for her as they are both annoying people! And in the end she meets Artie’s mom who is mean and Rhonda ushers us to the second film of the night “Fright Night”.

Movie: A murderous TV repairman, Horace Pinker is killing people in a small town left, right and center. He eventually finds the home of Lt. Parker, who is investigating his crimes, and savagely murders Parker’s wife, son and daughter. His other son, Jonathan has a strange connection to Pinker through his dreams, and he directs his father to Pinker’s business, where a small group of officers enter. Pinker escapes in a horrific spree, killing four officers and then targeting Jonathan’s girlfriend, Alison. Another dream leads Jonathan and his dad to a residence where they catch Pinker in in the act of kidnapping. Pinker is arrested after a fight with Jonathan and sentenced to die in the electric chair. When executed, Pinker – who supposedly had given his soul to the devil in exchange for the power to come back as an energy source – takes over people’s bodies and continues committing murders, until Jonathan devises a plan to bring Pinker into the real world, and then cut off his power source.

Note From Matt: This episode is missing its opening segment as well as show credits.

USA Up All Night: Slammer Girls
Starring – Devon Jenkin & Samantha Fox     Rated R     1987

Host: Rhonda Shear welcomes us to Up All Night and is at Tatou, a famous Beverly Hills Night Club where she will help a drag troop get ready for a show. Rhonda next meets Gypsy the head Drag Queen and the pair goes back and fourth and they both help prepare each other to swap genders. She then talks to more of the Drag Queens about how she can become more man like for her performance at the club. Rhonda dressed as a man shows us Mojo Nixon weird short “Shut Up And Drive”. And hangs around the club as her friends perform. And after the first film she still dressed as a man introduces the nights next film Beach Girls.

Movie: A young girl is framed for a crime she didn’t commit and sent to the state penitentiary, which is run by a crooked warden and a corrupt staff. A reporter manages to get herself sent to the prison so she can expose the brutal conditions and prove the girl’s innocence.

USA Up All Night: Tender Loving Care
Starring – Rhonda Shear & Pamela Manning     Rated R     1994

Host: A parade is being thrown in New Orleans for Rhonda Shear and little does she know the event is in celebration of her leaving town as they find her to be annoying! Jeb Morris is doing the bulletins on her whereabouts at the parade as the late night hostess is on her way from LA to New York…and the Big Easy don’t want her in town a moment longer. They call the bulletins Up All News and they not only talk about what Rhonda is doing in the parade but also facts about her and why they find her annoying. During the parade the crowd also are throwing bead necklaces at Rhonda as she does her best to host and play it off.

Movie: Generous young women will do (almost) anything to save a public service from destruction by greedy town developers.

Note From Matt: Sadly this movie is missing the opening segment also this episode acts as when they moved Rhonda’s show from California to New York.

USA Up All Night: Toxic Avenger
Starring – Mitch Cohen & Pat Ryan     Rated R     1984

Host: We join Rhonda in her room as she tells us viewers that Toxic Avenger will be stopping by and she is also getting ready to visit The Shark Club. We next see Rhonda who says she feels bad for Melvin from the film and ushers us into a commercial break. Rhonda arrives at Shark Club in a sexy dress and talks to people at the club as well as dances and flirts. Rhonda is looking amazing as always and the guys at the club are clearly drooling over her. Rhonda cages dances as well as has a quick bite to eat at the club as well. Rhonda leaves the Shark Club and heads back home, and she as a visit from Toxic Avenger who ends up cleaning her apartment! Rhonda ends with dancing with a blow up shark.

Movie: Tromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin falls into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose.

Note From Matt: This is the first film of the night and is missing the opening credits as well as a small part of the opening segment. The second film is Toxic Avenger Part II and see its review below.

USA Up All Night: Toxic Avenger II
Starring – Ron Fazio & Phoebe Legere     Rated R     1989

Host: Rhonda starts the show dancing with a blow up shark and takes a budget and story writing shot at the second movie of the night Toxic Avenger II, she then kisses the shark and takes us to the movie. Rhonda next is wearing a shark nose and her room seems to be over flowing with blow up sharks. We then see very quick shots of Rhonda screaming at toy sharks as most of her segments had been cut by the person who originally taped this.

Movie: The Toxic Avenger is tricked into traveling to Tokyo to search for his estranged father, leaving Tromaville open to complete domination by an evil corporation.

Note From Matt: This second film of the night has some of the commercials cut out and it also seems like they might have cut out some of Rhonda’s segments. And then sadly after a little under an hour the recording stops making the episode not complete.

USA Up All Night: Vice Academy 4
Starring – Julia Parton & Elizabeth Kaitan     Rated R     1995

Host: Rhonda’s cameraman is passing a stone and has to film the episode from the floor so its Rhonda’s feet in heels opening the show. Next we join Rhonda’s bare feet that get cramps when she tries to call for help on the phone, and then she puts on bigger black heels and her injured cameraman likes that. Rhonda also says that she is working on breaking in her heels as her cameraman tries to pass the stone and he can be heard in pain. Rhonda also uses her feet on a banana that becomes a mess, picks her toes, talks about web toes, has her feet glued together, mocks her cameraman, waves at the viewers with them, has the cameraman tickle them and in the end Rhonda ends the show and the camera man passes the stone.

Movie: “To Protect and Serve” takes on a whole new meaning when the Vice Academy girls are on the case. Candy and her new partner Samantha are back in an all new wild adventure! The wicked nymphomaniac, Malathion, has broken out of prison again and is on the rampage. The vice girls must bust her before she can seduce the Commissioner and destroy his wedding plans. Malathion, with the help of her new boy-toy, wreaks havoc and sexual hi-jinks as only she knows how. Will Candy and Samantha be triumphant, or will Malathion succeed with her dastardly plot?

Note From Matt: Sadly this episode is another fan reproduction that has all the cussing and nudity intact. And that also means no commercials or USA Network bumpers are shown.

USA Up All Night: Virgin High
Starring – Burt Ward & Linnea Quigley     Rated R     1991

Host: Rhonda Shear is hanging out with her girlfriends from a miniature golf course in LA that also has arcades and more! And Rhonda and her friends first start playing miniature golf as Rhonda seems to be loving the nights film. During the golf game of her friends get her foot stuck in the hole as Rhonda decides that her injured friend get a point as the others disagree. As the episode goes on it’s clear the women do not know how to play as they are all cheating to try and win. All the while Rhonda gives tips and such on playing miniature golf and the ladies all seem to be having fun. At one point the ladies are using their golf clubs as baseball bats!

Movie: A girl gets in trouble with her parents for allegedly fooling around with her boyfriend, and they send her to a catholic girls’ high school. There she finds that one of the students is “in charge,” and makes demands on the other girls because she has unofficial connections with the faculty.

Note From Matt: This episode has some issues toward the end of the film as some issues from the master source that would freeze up and skip seconds of the film and some skits. And also has no closing segment.

Up All Night: Wild Malibu Weekend
Starring – Barbara Moore & Kathy Pasmore     Rated R     1995

Host: Rhonda is sitting alone waiting for her guests that have not shown up and is disappointed that Rodney Dangerfield has not even showed up. And as well they show some of Rhonda’s best of moments over the years as she continues to wait. In the end no one shows up and Rhonda seems fine with it as she wishes the viewers a good night.

Movie: National beauties compete in a TV game show.

USA Up All Night: Killer Clowns
Starring – Grant Cramer & Suzanne Snyder     Rated PG-13     1988

Host: This episode only features the 2000’s version of the Up All Night Logo and is used only sometimes in-between commercial breaks with a very generic jingle that holds none of the charm of the original.

Movie: When a small town is invaded by aliens from outer space who are capturing and killing the townspeople, no one takes them seriously. Why? The aliens all look like circus clowns, use weapons that look clown like, and all have painted on smiles. Only a few of the young people in the town realize the danger and of course no one believes them. Armed with an ice cream truck they try and rescue their friends.

Note From Matt: This episode is one of the very late in the series when both Rhonda and Gilbert had been let go and the “Up All Night” logo was generically used for their films that aired during weekend nights.

USA Up All Night: NOTLD
Starring – Duane Jones & Judith O’Dea     Not Rated     1968

Host: The segments are the shows logo as well as the shows iconic theme.

Movie: A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a bloodthirsty, flesh-eating breed of monsters who are ravaging the East Coast of the United States.

Note From Matt: The sound on this episode is really rough by the end and crackles and hums. And I am not 100% sure but I think this was the third movie of the night after Rhonda hosted Shocker and Fright Night.

Up All Night: Nightmare On Elm St. 5
Starring – Robert Englund & Lisa Wilcox     Rated R     1989

Host: The segments are the shows logo as well as the shows iconic theme.

Movie: Alice, having survived the previous installment of the Nightmare series, finds the deadly dreams of Freddy Krueger starting once again. This time, the taunting murderer is striking through the sleeping mind of Alice’s unborn child. His intention is to be “born again” into the real world. The only one who can stop Freddy is his dead mother, but can Alice free her spirit in time to save her own son?

I truly miss USA Up All Night being on Friday and Saturday nights as the humor of Gilbert and Rhonda helped make bad weeks better! Plus I just miss seeing Rhonda on my TV Screen every week, but I must say she does a fun Facebook Live show so I am able to get my Rhonda fix and she still is a great Host! When I was a kid USA, TNT and TBS were the kings of cable Horror Hosts and now I would say Shudder has taken all their places in modern times as they have given Joe Bob Briggs and even Elvira The Mistress Of The Dark new shows. But truly I want to really say THANK YOU to Rhonda Shear, Gilbert Gottfried and Caroline Schlitt for keeping me Up All Night and introduced me to many cheesy, sleazy and creepy films over the years they graced out TV Series. For the next update I will be walking away from the world of Horror Hosting and into the world of Jack Kirby as we will be looking at his characters The Satan’s Six that was released and developed by Topps Comics back in the 90’s. So as you can see, it will be a perfect Thanksgiving Day update! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for Turkey Day and a Hellish good time.

Horror Host Icon: Baron Von Porkchop

Dayton, Ohio really does have its fair share of Horror Host history, with many of them being household names and each meaning something to their viewers. Names like Dr. Creep, The Creeper and A. Ghastlee Ghoul have graced the TV Screens of many late night viewers and each have inspired and entertained generations of Monster Kids and each of them helped shape my creative mind in their own ways. And in 2010 the Dayton market was pretty dry when it came to Horror Hosts as Iris & Retina of Mondo Smash A’Go-Go had slowed down and reruns of New Shock Theater and The Ghastlee Movie Show were hard to find on the access stations DATV and MVCC, and then that void was filled when Baron Von Porkchop and his Terrifying Tales of the Macabre hit DATV like a frightening freight train! And still to this day Baron Von Porkchop is the cities current King of late night viewing and a fan favorite to many. This Horror Host Icon update will be one that will not only talk about Baron Von Porkchop and his Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre, but will also give a little behind the scenes and facts that many do not know. So it’s with great honor and pride that I bring to you readers Horror Host Icon: Baron Von Porkchop. So let’s travel to Porkchop Manor and see what BVP has in store for us.

Baron Von Porkchop is a ghoul who originally died in the 1800’s after a wagon accident that also left his wife The Baroness dead! The couple was buried in two different locations when their enemy Count Van Lambchop paid for their burials as a fake act of kindness to impress the townspeople of New Burlington. Decades passed and in 2010 Baron and Baroness Von Porkchop where dug up and come back to life and while Ghouls they continue their lives at their now moved Manor as their old town of New Burlington was flooded and the town moved to a hidden location in Ohio. And while their pork meat empire slaughter houses are now closed they did generate money while they were dead and their bank account is well stocked with cash and making it very easy for them to continue on and have all types of adventures around the state of Ohio. Baron Von Porkchop dresses in a nice black coat, with a top hat, blue vest, glasses with a magnifier and has very pale grayish skin. While he is a ghoul he is not a flesh eater and has a very fun loving nature with a hint of an ego. He really enjoys hosting the movies and bringing his viewers his show as his “Piggies” as he calls them are like his close friends. Baron is very much in love with The Baroness as he would do anything to make her happy, and his best friend is the family butler Bean. Baron Von Porkchop besides his show has done lots of cool things in and around Dayton as he has hosted a Halloween Theme Dinner party at Lily’s Bistro, he has been a guest and attended conventions like HorrorHound Weekend, I.C.E. and Cinema Wasteland to name a few. He has hosted movies at theaters Englewood Cinema and Danbarry Huber Heights. He has hosted verity show “Dirty Little Secrets” at Wiley’s Comedy Club. At Gilly’s Jazz club an event called “Baron’s Ball” was held that had many great music acts play for Baron and his guests, not to mention he even hosted the freakshow event called “Captain Johnny’s Whiz Bang” at Gilly’s. He has attended Halloween Parties for fans and even has done charity events. Plus he has appeared in comic books namely “Shocking Macabre Theater” by Sparkle Comics. As you can see Baron does lots of great things for fans to enjoy, and he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Stephen Alexander II is the man who plays Baron Von Porkchop and is not only my cousin but also was a founding member of the “Gem City Gentlemen Of The Gilded Beard” a beard club that did events for charity, he also is a writer for comic book company Sparkle Comics and is a pretty creative guy who also makes custom Funko Pop! Figures, creates enamel pins and repairs old smoking pipes.

Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre began in 2010 and started airing on DATV, MVCC and The Monster Channel with host Baron Von Porkchop and took viewers by storm as the area of Dayton, Ohio was in need of an active Horror Host as many of the hosts had taken time away or retired. Out the gate Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre gained a great following with loyal viewers who enjoyed Baron Von Porkchop and the crazy world around him. The show is still going strong as of 2021 and has had a number of regular episodes as well as many specials, showing that BVP is here to stay! The show is one that takes Baron all around the city of Dayton as well as conventions and events and even has guests and story arches…it’s like a Horror Host sitcom wrapped around cheesy films. Baron on the show not only hosts classic public domain films but also hosts many independent films of all types of budgets. Baron has even hosted wrestling matches from Rockstar Pro Wrestling for a special. Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre is a staple of Dayton airwaves and still has many more episodes and specials to come.

But did you know that Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre was original going to be new episodes of Shock Theater and was slated to be the return of Dr. Creep as Dayton’s Horror Host? For years Dr. Creep and I talked about bringing his show back as while his health was on a decline he had the itch to get back to hosting movies and entertaining viewers. So to prepare for his return I wrote out several episode ideas and decided to film a Horror Host show that would be just seen by my friends in order to truly get ready for Dr. Creep’s return. So while chatting with my cousin Stephen we decided that he would act as the host and the name Baron Von Porkchop was created by me due to his sideburns. We came up with an idea of Baron going fishing to capture a Creature From The Black Lagoon type fish monster in order to serve him to dinner guests, Baron was more of a snarling sinister type Host with a toned down voice, in other words he was more played on fear and not laughs. We choose the movie Night Fright to host and once filmed I made generic opening credits for the show we were calling “Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre” and once edited I burnt it onto a DVD and gave copies to a few fiends including Rick Martin and Andy Copp both who brought back Dr. Creep with New Shock Theater back in the late 90’s, and the response we got from the episode and Baron Von Porkchop was overwhelming with everyone saying that we should do more episodes and turn him into an ongoing Horror Host! Andy Copp told me he thought I had something special with Baron and even said that he could get it aired on public access station DATV, and with those kind words among many others Stephen and I decided that we would indeed keep Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre as it’s own series and when Dr. Creep’s health would get better I would do both shows! Sadly Dr. Creep’s health only got worse and on January 14, 2011 the world lost this amazing man and host, and this was very sad for not only Dayton but for all who enjoyed Dr. Creep’s antics.

As the show grew I knew that I had to cast my friend and then co-worker Stephanie Stidham in the show so she became Baroness Von Porkchop, and the show just kept growing from there. While working on Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre BVP has had the pleasure of working with many of the Horror Hosts from Dayton’s past like A. Ghastlee Ghoul, Dr. Freak and Iris & Retina and this to me shows the bond that our area hosts have together. Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre has become a true Friday night tradition for many viewers as we have gotten fan snail mail and emails from viewers as even our home station of DATV has gotten mail about how much the shows means to our viewers and one amazing thing was a local retirement home have movie nights watching Baron! Heck even during the 2020 pandemic we even filmed a few Specials to help our viewers out and give them some laughs during the hard time. I truly love creating the show Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre alongside my cousin Stephen and we have more ideas and spooky, silly adventures planned for Baron coming up over the next few years.

As like all good Horror Hosted shows Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre has it’s fair share of amazing cohosts and sidekicks that live in and around the Porkchop Manor. The lovely Baroness Von Porkchop is the voice of reason when it comes to the decisions made in and around the Manor, she is elegant and stunning and was a former Miss Slaughterhouse Pageant winner and is one of New Burlington’s most beautiful women, The Baroness is played by Stephanie Stidham. Bean is the longtime hunchback butler for the Porkchop’s and is the one who for over a century took care of Porkchop Manor and is responsible for finding them and bringing them back to life, he is a silly goofy man who helps BVP get into all types of wacky adventures and always encourages his off the wall and lazy ways. Bean is played by Bruce Lerma who is the nephew of Horror Hosts Iris and Retina from Mondo Smash A’ Go-Go! Jenkins The Pigman was the first pigman experiment that BVP and Bean created and they decided not to kill him for his meat and keep him as a member of the manor, Jenkins is very strong and also has a darkside and will do whatever he can to protect Baron and Baroness. Jenkins The Pigman was played originally by Gary Wolf and later on by myself among others. The manors cook is JD The Meatman a loyal and skilled meat cutter who has worked for Baron in his old slaughterhouse and now works in his kitchen, JD is played by artist Eric Shonborn. Viola Poison was at one time the maid for Porkchop Manor and was skilled in not only cleaning but also using Poison, she also had a massive crush on the Baron and this is what lead to her leaving the Manor, Viola was played by Emily Marshall. And these are the main sidekick characters that make up Porkchop Manor!

The Baron also has some friends in and around town that includes his neighbors Sleazy Tom a laid back ladies man who while sleazy does have a good heart who was played by Max Ervin (who sadly passed away in 2013) and on the other side is Mr. G the lizard headed mascot form the closed down Renaissance Music Media store who is enjoying retirement and is still played by Geoff Burkman. The Son Of Hercules a strong man of myth and legend and is one of Barons best friends and is played by Mike Ritchie. Melvin is a monster-faced goofball who is the helper of Stephen Von Frankenstein and enjoys hanging out with Baron and is his Halloween buddy, Melvin is played by the legendary local actor Josh Weinberg! And this is just a drop in the hat of the townies that live in New Burlington as names like Oliver The Werewolf, Mr. Pepperton, Susie The DJ, Beerwolf, Wolf Hunter Duke, BK King, Reporter Ted The Fox, Mr. O and so many others make up the townies.

Also Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre has had some review hosts that make up one of the shows segments with the original being Reverend Zealot who brought back The Cult Corner that he use to do on New Shock Theater that was hosted by Dr. Creep! Filmmaker Andrew Copp played Reverend Zealot for the second season and sadly he passed away in 2013 making another loss for the show. Brett does video game reviews on his Bad Or Rad segment that started in the third season and he is blogger Brett Prescott. Both Zealot and Brett help make episodes of Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre more special for viewers and both are vital to making the show even more fun.

But while BVP has his fair share of friends he also has those in New Burlington who dislike him and the fact he hosts movies for viewers of Public Access, and these sticks in the mud want to end Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre…or even take it over! His main nemesis is Count Van Lambchop the poultry King played by Thomas Smith who is extremely competitive and is upset that he did not become the host of Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre as he and his wife the lovely Countess Van Lambchop played by Jaimie Mazzone were resurrected before the Von Porkchops. They also have a very loyal butler named Cornbread who dislikes Baron, but he truly cannot stand Bean! The three of them do whatever they can to annoy and be thorns in the side of Baron as they think they should be the center of attention. The next major hater of BVP is Baron Von Porkchop Jr. played by musician Todd The Fox is a crazy fraud he has the people of New Burlington believing that he is truly his son, he is manipulative as well as short tempered and dangerous! And this is just a drop in the hat of the villains of the show as names like Chicken Man, Fulci Zombie, Headless Horseman, The Sadness, Crazed Fan and David J. Getz also cause issues. Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre is like no other Horror Host show from the area as it truly does have a massive world and tons of characters that make it up.

When Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre started up as a full show I spent so much time building the world of New Burlington and knew that I wanted it to be filled with all types of townies from normal people, monsters, retired mascots and even movie characters from indie made films…and one other character that was planned was Baby Von Porkchop who was going to be The Baron and Baroness’s daughter that was going to be played by my friend KD Cyr, the character would have been stuck in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey and would have sent video messages to her parents about her adventures from the haunted woods. You see KD lived near the barrens and was a creative soul that I meet on social media and we hit it off as both of us loved Horror and cheesy movies, and when creating the character I had her 100% in mind and she as well helped create the attitude and storyline for Baby. I was so excited to have her on board for the show and at one point an episode was planned that would have had Baron, Baroness and Bean heading into the Pine Barrens to find her only to have a run in with the Jersey Devil of course! KD would do some trial run footage with a friend and make-up designs, but would never share as she always said that footage was bad as she was nervous in it, and I would encourage her and of course put no stress on her. We put off the characters debut so that she could find what worked for her with playing Baby, and all was going well. But sadly in 2015 the world lost a truly amazing person as KD passed away from a car accident when a reckless driver crashed into the back of her car. Truly heartbreaking news when I found out and even if she never made an appearance on the show she is still to all of us a part of our cast family, and I felt it was only right when writing about the show that she gets the respect she deserves. My deepest sympathy goes to her family and friends as she was an amazing and creative soul.

One thing that I love seeing is fan art done by our viewers as well as just fans of Horror Hosting and over the years we have gotten some pretty amazing pieces of art sent to us! Crazy even some of the artists have who sent us some of the art ended up being on the show! As a creator of Baron Von Porkchop and Sparkle Comics when anyone takes the time to make art for us it’s very appreciated and we love seeing them! Below is some art from many of the talented artists who have drawn BVP over the years. And I want to also send out a massive thank you to everyone who has ever sent us fan art or done art featuring Baron Von Porkchop or any of the cast of Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre. Artwork below features ones done by Brett Prescott, Eric Shonborn, MonkeyGoatBoy and Bradley Beard.

Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre has had many regular episodes as well as specials over the years and each of them I enjoyed making, being apart of and even watching, but one has always stood out as the most important episode to me and that was Episode 8 as it was the tribute to the late Dr. Creep who passed away before the episode was filmed. The original idea for the episode was it was suppose to be Baron Von Porkchop hosting a dinner party that the guest of honor was to be Dr. Creep who would have taken over the episode sharing stories of his years of being a Horror Host and they would have hosted a Bela Lugosi film. But sadly Dr. Creep who was in poor health passed away on January 14, 2011 at the age of 69, and this was a sad day for all of Ohio and those of use who grew up watching Dr. Creep and knew the man behind the grease paint. And the episode that was suppose to be his comeback to TV ended up being turned into a celebration of his life and memory. The episode was turned into The Baron and Baroness throwing a dinner party to honor Dr. Creep’s memory and had many of his friends on talk about his life and tell fun stories. Many names showed up like A. Ghastlee Ghoul, Dr. Freak, Jeff McClellan, Rick Martin, Geraldo The Hunchback, Reverend Zealot, Mr. G and even characters like Melvin, Duke The Wolf Hunter and Son Of Hercules showed up to pay respects. After the guests shared their stories we showed classic clips of Dr. Creep from Shock Theater. It was very magical hearing each of these guys sharing their stories of traveling, hanging out and working with Dr. Creep. Many also told stories of meeting him for the first time or shared stories he had told them…it was very magical and was something that I hope he would have been proud of. Below is a picture from that film shoot with all the people involved in one shot. Well I need to also say thanks to Juliet Fromholt, Emily Marshall, Maurice Smith, Josh Weinberg and Eric Shonborn all who helped makes the special possible but are not in the picture.

For me one of the greatest honors of doing and creating this show was when on September 11, 2021 when Baron Von Porkchop was inducted into the Horror Host Hall Of Fame as part of the 2020 class in Ohio! BVP took his place with the other Icons from Dayton that was placed in the Hall Of Fame like Dr. Creep, A. Ghastlee Ghoul and The Creeper! This introduction was well attended and BVP was inducted by “The Mummy and The Monkey” an amazing Horror Host duo from Cleveland, Ohio. It was really cool seeing Baron on stage getting the honor of being inducted in, as the years of hard work paid off and it was awesome to see the fans clap for him to get this honor. While the Hall Of Fame was very odd as it was a smaller event due to the on going pandemic and some audio issues plagued the start of the ceremony it was something very special for BVP and myself.

Baron Von Porkchop and his Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre as you can see is a show that has became a main stay in Dayton, Ohio and has expanded to the world thanks to the online stations like The Monster Channel and even the online viewing streams of DATV and MVCC. And really one of the biggest honors making this show is getting feedback from the fans as well as being inducted into the Horror Host Hall Of Fame thanks to fan votes as well as votes from his peers. And we are now at the point of this review to talk about the episodes and I decided to not cover all of the episodes of Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre as I will cover Baron Von Porkchop again in the future so I decided to cover seasons one and two as well as the specials that went along with those two seasons. The movies plots will be taken from our pals at IMDB with some being written by myself as well as all the hosts segments. So if you are ready lets spend sometime at Porkchop Manor and have some fun with BVP and his friends that make up New Burlington.

TTOTM: House On Haunted Hill
Starring – Vincent Price & Carol Ohmart         Not Rated       1959

Host: Earl The Gravedigger leads Baroness Von Porkchop and Bean to a dug up gravesite and when the coffin opens its Baron Von Porkchop! Once back at the manor that is located in New Burlington they get cleaning as the place is dusty and Baron even meets his neighbor Sleazy Tom for the first time that wants him to watch his 1900 # dating ad. In the end Baron informs the Piggies at home that we will be returning next week with a new spooky film to share with them.

Movie: Eccentric millionaire Fredrick Loren and his 4th wife, Annabelle, have invited 5 people to the house on Haunted Hill for a “haunted House” party. Whoever will stay in the house for one night will earn ten thousand dollars each. As the night progresses, all the guests are trapped inside the house with ghosts, murderers, and other terrors.

TTOTM: Driller Killer
Starring – Abel Ferrara & Carolyn Marz     Not Rated     1979

Host: Baron Von Porkchop and his friend and butler Bean are working in the manors garage on making a pig man in order to raise and then slaughter and sell his meat as Pig Man Sausage! Throughout the episode Baron and Bean work on the Pigman trying to give him life and add organs as well as use electricity to try and start his heart. In the end when all looks as if it has failed the Pigman rockets up to life and runs from the garage…Baron and Bean end the issue by shooting the Pigman dead so that he would not run amuck in New Burlington.

Movie: Reno is an artist struggling to survive in NYC. He draws inspiration from scenes of daily street life and occasional random violence. Under pressure to finish his oft-delayed grand masterpiece, his psychotic alter-ego takes over and he begins killing random vagrants to boost his creativity, not quite realizing that it is happening in reality. When an art dealer grimly rejects Reno’s finished masterpiece, Reno’s mental condition quickly deteriorates.

TTOTM: Frankenstein ‘80
Starring – Gordon Mitchell & Xiro Papas     Not Rated     1972

Host: While walking through the woods Baron Von Porkchop runs into a weird looking creature man named Melvin who informs him that Stephen Von Frankenstein needs his help! As Baron follows Melvin to Castle Frankenstein he is told by Stephen that his Monster is now free and wondering the woods! So Baron along with Melvin go looking for The Monster only to find him in a very bad mood!

Movie: A mad scientist creates a monster called “Mosaico,” who breaks out of the laboratory to hunt down and kill beautiful women.

TTOTM: Ulysses Against The Son Of Hercules
Starring – Mike Lane & Georges Marchal     Not Rated     1962

Host: Baron, Baroness and Bean get a call from The Son Of Hercules that he needs their help in order to get back a golden apple that is in the hands of an old witch that is inside a haunted collage! So brave Baron and Bean take the quest and leave Baroness behind, while on the quest the encounter a zombie and ghosts before coming face to face with the witch…the coward out and run away before getting the apple. On their way back to face The Son Of Hercules they are coming up with a story in why they failed in the quest only to be greeted by the Baroness who had went the quest along and retrieved the apple!

Movie: Ulysses offends the gods by blinding the Cyclops, so they send Hercules to capture him and bring him to them.

TTOTM: Five Minutes To Live
Starring – Johnny Cash & Ron Howard     Not Rated     1961

Host: Baron and Baroness head to grocery store Big Bear in Lebanon, Ohio in order to sell them his freshly made Pigman sausage as when he was alive that chain was very much into stocking his quality pork products. But to their horror Big Bear is out of business and hanging around was one of the stores old managers who tells them they should sell their meat by going door to door…and Baron and Baroness do just that and turn it into a computation on who can sell more! The split up and meet all types of strange people trying to sell them this meat…in the end The Baroness comes out the winner!

Movie: Fred narrates the film in flashback, detailing a suburban bank robbery that goes awry. In his simple plan, he hires a hard-up hood, Johnny Cabot to take the wife of the bank’s vice president hostage. Cabot will hold her until he gets a call alerting him that Fred has been successful in getting ransom money. Cabot waits, and watches the Wilson house as the husband leaves for the bank and their young son heads off to school. Posing as a door-to-door guitar instructor, he forces his way into the house and takes Nancy Wilson hostage. At the bank, Fred talks his way into Ken Wilson’s office, and presents his personal check for $70,000, intending that Wilson will withdraw the funds to cover the check as a ransom for his wife. He has Wilson call home to prove that Nancy is being held by the unstable Cabot, and gives Wilson 5 minutes to make his.

TTOTM: Fury Of The Wolfman
Starring – Paul Naschy & Perla Cristal     Rated PG     1972

Host: Baron Von Porkchop gets the invite of a lifetime as he is able to sit down and have a one of one interview with world famous werewolf hunter Duke! Duke The Wolf Hunter was seen in the second shot on video film “The Wolf Hunter II” and shares is secrets of hunting down werewolf scum. Also along for this amazing interview is Bean who is star struck by the hunter, as well as a heck of a lot of blood sucking Cicadas who are trying to ruin Baron’s show!

Movie: Waldimar Daninsky, a lone survivor of a Tibetian expedition, returns home to find his wife has been unfaithful to him. Carrying the curse of the pentagram (or pentagon, as stated by the monk who nursed him back to health), the fury of the wolfman is unleashed! After disposing of his cheating spouse, he finds himself captive in a castle by a female mad scientist conducting mind control experiments. In a vein attempt at escape, he discovers the freaks left over from past experiments dwelling in the dungeons.

TTOTM: Night Fright
Starring – John Agar & Dorothy Davis     Not Rated     1967

Host: Baron Von Porkchop is going fishing to try and snag a fish creature using Beans brain as bait! He is trying his hardest to capture this creature as he wants to serve his meat to his dinner guests that are gathering the next episode to honor the late great Dr. Creep! In the end Baron is able to snag the creature!

Movie: A government space experiment into the effects of cosmic rays on animal life goes horribly wrong, creating a mutant monster that terrorizes a rural community.

TTOTM: Dr. Creep Tribute
Starring – Dr. Creep & Dow Thomas     Not Rated     1970-1990

Host: Baron and Baroness Von Porkchop are throwing a dinner part to honor Dr. Creep the Dayton, Ohio iconic Horror Host. They have JD The Meatman cook up the Creature Meat and have snacks and treats for the guests as Bean escorts them to the dinner table. Guests include Rick Martin, A. Ghastlee Ghoul, Jeff McClellan American, Dr. Freak, Geraldo The Hunchback, Duke The Wolf Hunter, Son Of Hercules, Melvin, Mr. G and Reverend Zealot and they all share amazing and fun Dr. Creep stories and myths.

Movie: Clips of Dr. Creep over the ages from his shows Shock Theatre, Saturday Night Dead and New Shock Theater. As well as some of his public appearances over the years at events.

TTOTM: Independent Short Films
Starring – Dave Wean & Kipp Poe     Not Rated     1990’s-2000’s

Host: The Baroness wants Baron and Bean to clean up the garage as its getting out of hand with boxes that is filled with old media, toys and forgotten relics…but cleaning is no fun so they decide to dig out some independently made horror short films and share them with the Piggies at home! They also find out that Mr. G has moved in next-door and he as well shares a short film! And when all said and done Baron and Bean do nothing and the Baroness is not very happy!

Movie: Indie short films shown on this episode are “The Cask Amontillado”, “Dreadful”, “Callback”, “Songs In The Key Of Satan” and “Outpost 31”.

TTOTM: Phantom From 10,000 Leagues
Starring – Dave Wean & Kipp Poe     Not Rated     1955

Host: Baron Von Porkchop is very distracted from hosting the nights film as he has gotten himself a video game console and is playing the game Space Invaders as he thinks that by playing the game he is saving the Earth. He is so focused that he is ignoring the issues of the manor as well as his wife The Baroness and friends Sleazy Tom, Bean and Jenkins The Pigman!

Movie: An unusual radioactive rock on the sea bottom mutates the ocean life into a horrible monster. When charred, radioactive bodies begin to drift ashore a scientist and government agent investigate the phenomenon, and it’s connection to a local marine biology professor.

TTOTM: Quiet Nights Of Blood And Pain
Starring – Amanda DeLotelle & Loren Goins     Not Rated     2009

Host: Baron Von Porkchop has cult indie filmmaker Andy Copp over to the manor to chat about his legacy of making films, television shows as well as his work with Dr. Creep. And of course Bean is around to make sure their guest is uncomfortable or is that comfortable?

Movie: The movie deals with two soldiers home from the Iraq war suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but in vastly different ways. One see’s her life falling apart in night-terrors, flashbacks, insomnia, and a total lack of government support. The other still believes he is fighting the war now that he is back on American soil. Still convinced he is supposed to torture and kill any and everyone who can be viewed as Anti-American. Soon they will be at a crossroads and blood will be flooding the American streets.

TTOTM: White Pongo
Starring – Richard Fraser & Maris Wrixon     Not Rated     1945

Host: Baron Von Porkchop and Bean are on the hunt for a creature that broke into the manor and stole one of the Baronesses little figures! The two head to the woods and soon find that they are looking for a Were-Gorilla, and they try to get the item back as well as avoid its rage.

Movie: Suspecting that a safari guide is a wanted killer, undercover policeman Geoffrey Bishop joins a safari led by the suspect for a scientist that hopes to find and prove that a fabled white gorilla is a missing link.

TTOTM: I Eat Your Skin
Starring – William Joyce & Heather Hewitt     Rated PG     1971

Host: Baron and Baroness Von Porkchop get a visitor who claims he is their long lost son, but the thing is they never had a son! Baron Von Porkchop Jr. starts to be a menace around the manor as well as starts to interfere in the personal life and business life of Baron that causes him lots of issues. But it’s soon seen that BVP Jr. is not stable and Baron must find a way to get ride of him once and for all.

Movie: A cancer researcher on a remote Caribbean island discovers that by treating the natives with snake venom he can turn them into bug-eyed zombies. Uninterested in this information, the unfortunate man is forced by his evil employer to create an army of the creatures in order to conquer the world.

TTOTM: Atomic Age Vampire
Starring – Susanne Loret & Alberto Lupo     Not Rated     1960

Host: Baron Von Porkchop is forced to find a job as Baroness is sick of him just hanging around the manor so he gets hired to be a DJ at New Burlington’s radio station. And of course Baron has no clue what he is doing and causes all kinds of havoc on the air as well as broadcasting dead air!! And as fast as he is hired he hides so they can not fire him.

Movie: A stripper is horribly disfigured in a car accident. A brilliant scientist develops a treatment that restores her beauty and falls in love with her. To preserve her appearance the doctor must give her additional treatments using glands taken from murdered women. His unexplained ability to turn into a hideous monster helps with this problem but does nothing to win her love. The doctor’s woes multiply as the police and the girl’s boyfriend begin to close in on him.

TTOTM: Wolf Hunter 1 & 2
Starring – Matt Hoffman & Jason Gilmore     Not Rated     2001/2006

Host: Baron Von Porkchop heads to the werewolf infested Malice’s Bridge in order to get an interview with the famous Wolf Hunter, but he soon finds out that the hero is not showing up but instead he is being stalked by many werewolves from Independent B Movie films like Scars, Red-Eye, Man-Beast and Oliver. But lucky for BVP his luck foils many of their attempts to make him dinner.

Movie: The Wolf Hunter: Malice king of all werewolves is rampaging in Ohio and a business owners daughter has been kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend who is now a werewolf and the states only hope is The Wolf Hunter. Wolf Hunter 2: Malice is still on the loose and now his biggest rival Ravenger has entered Ohio and a werewolf turf war is about to go down, and The Wolf Hunter who is trying to kill off the werewolves and keep order has his own issues when Duke another Wolf Hunter is called in. Can the two work together and stop this werewolf invasion?

TTOTM: Vampire
Starring – John Beal & Coleen Grey     Not Rated     1957

Host: Baron and Baroness Von Porkchop get sad news that their butler and friend Bean has to leave the manor as he has found a wife and plans on starting his own family. And now Baron and Baroness must hold interviews in order to find his replacement and all types of people show up in order to get the job and some of them are perfect fits while others are weirdoes. In the end BVP shoots them all down before hiring maid Viola Poison strictly on her good looks. Lots of cool cameos in this episode including Geraldo The Hunchback from New Shock Theater.

Movie: A kind, small-town doctor mistakenly ingests pills made from vampire bat blood and they turn him into a dangerous fanged creature.

TTOTM: Legend Of Bigfoot
Starring – Ivan Marx & Peggy Marx     Rated PG     1975

Host: Baron Von Porkchop gets fellow Dayton, Ohio Horror Hosts Iris & Retina to help him hunt down a Bigfoot as he needs the creatures meat in order to make his famous BigFoot Chili to enter into the New Burlington Chili Cook-Off! The Horror Hosts wonder around the woods and hear the yells of the creature as well as find the evidence that they need to know they are on the right track. And in the end Baron is able to take down one of the creatures.

Movie: A documentary about the legendary creature, Bigfoot, with emphasis on him being the missing link.

TTOTM: Undertaker And His Pals
Starring – Warrene Ott & James Westmoreland     Rated R     1966

Host: Baron Von Porkchop has brought his whole crew (Baroness Von Porkchop, Jenkins The Pigman, JD The Meatman and Viola Poison) to the New Burlington Chili Cook-Off as he has entered his famous Bigfoot Chili, but the compotation is heavy as rival Count Van Lambchop and his wife The Countess has also entered their chili in the contest. Viola and Jenkins try to help rig the voting by messing with others chili as Baron and the Count continue their life long feud. With a panel of guest judges that include musicians and comic book artists it’s a chili showdown for who takes first place. This episode also has a cameo from Bean!

Movie: An undertaker and his two friends, who are restaurant owners, drum up business by going out on the town and killing people; the restaurant owners use parts of the bodies for their menu, and the undertaker gets paid by the families to bury the remainder. Their racket goes awry when 2 detectives suspect that something isn’t quite kosher.

Now that we have taken a look at the first two seasons (season three and on will be for another future update) lets take a look at the special episodes that when along with these first two seasons.

Son Of Hercules Power Hours: Samson
Starring – Brad Harris & Mara Berni     Not Rated       1961

Host: The Son Of Hercules hosts his own show that was a failed TV Polit that he was trying to get TBS to air in the 1980’s. This special has Son Of Hercules giving work out tips, arm wrestling an alien as well as showing his love for heavy metal music. A silly fun time with the Mighty Son of Hercules!

Movie: While traveling through the kingdom of Sulom, Samson is arrested and finds that the queen no longer reigns and that a power-mad warlord and his army of mercenaries now controls the kingdom. Samson teams up with some of his one-time adversaries to battle the usurper and restore the rightful queen to power.

BVP Halloween Special 1: The Sadness
Starring – Jason Young & Garrison Kane     Not Rated       2006

Host: Baron Von Porkchop celebrates Halloween by going to the site of The Sadness Collage Murders, and once there he starts coming across bodies and thinks that the students are adding the spooky holiday festivities, but the Baron soon realizes that The Sadness has returned to the scene of the crime and that Baron might just be his next victim.

Movie: A young collage student witnesses the murder of her next door neighbor and makes the mistake of talking about it on her friends radio show, and now the killer knows as The Sadness has shown up to the collage and wants to silence her and her friends forever as he never leaves a witness behind.

BVP Charity Special: Abraham Lincoln
Starring – Walter Huston & Ian Keith   Not Rated       1930

Host: Baron Von Porkchop and Count Van Lambchop are having an argument about the location of Lambchop’s new poultry farm when the zombie of Abbe Lincoln and his subjects come back from the grave and are hungry for brains and both Barons and Counts look good to them, so now the two foes must survive together in order to escape the zombie version of America’s 16^th President. Done for the Gem City Gentlemen Of The Gilded Beard charity event.

Movie: Brief vignettes about Lincoln’s early life include his birth, early jobs, (unsubstantiated) affair with Ann Rutledge, courtship of Mary Todd, and the Lincoln-Douglas debates; his presidency and the Civil War are followed in somewhat more detail, though without actual battle scenes; film concludes with the assassination.

BVP Halloween Special 2: Werewolf Of Ohio
Starring – Josh Weinberg & Matt Hoffman     Not Rated       2001

Host: Baron Von Porkchop and his friend Melvin are going trick or treating and Baron is not following the safety rules and is making all kinds of mistakes, but they soon meet an old man who tells them the story of The Headless Horseman, and little does Baron know that The Headless Horseman is now in New Burlington and has his site on making this Halloween very fighting for our Horror Host.

Movie: Josh is a young man who’s family has been killed by a werewolf and has spent his life trying to track and kill the beast, now with a trusty Cameraman and the world famous Wolf Hunter he tracks down this killer beast for one final showdown.

BVP HorrorHound 2012 Special: Corpse Vanishes
Starring – Bela Lugosi & Luana Walters     Not Rated       1942

Host: Baron Von Porkchop is a guest at the HorrorHound 2012 convention and has decided to leave Viola Posion and Susie The DJ in charge of his table as he goes on a quest to find and win the heart of Horror Hostess Marlena Midnite of Midnite Mausileum. And while on his quest he stops along the way to talk to his fellow Horror Hosts as well as celeberties in attendance including Gunner Hansen and Doug Bradley. And when Baron finds her will he win her over or chicken out.

Movie: Dr. Lorenz, a mad scientist, wants to keep his elderly wife young. He does this by kidnapping young females and extracting fluid from them. He then injects this fluid into his wife.

BVP Arcade Special: Beast of Yucca Flats
Starring – Tor Johnson & Conrad Brooks     Not Rated       1961

Host: Baron Von Porkchop heads to the store Game Swap as they have just gotten in a new Pac Man Arcade Machine for play and he is annoyed that he has to wait in line as all he wants to do is play a game of Pac Man and even has brought his tip book as well as Jenkins The Pigman along for the experience. But will Baron be able to play a game before the store closes as the line is long and his anger is rising.

Movie: A defecting Soviet scientist is hit by a nuclear explosion near Yucca Flats and roams around as a beast.

BVP Halloween Special 3: Indie Short Films
Starring – Stephen Alexander & Zach Prater     Not Rated       1990’s-2000’s

Host: Baron Von Porkchop and Melvin are dared to stay the night in the haunted graveyard of Dr. Freak by JD The Meatman and with snack food in hand and shaky nerves the two hang out and tell each other ghost stories that are really short films from Indie Horror Film directors. But when Horror Host Dr. Freak shows up will be mad about his trespassing guests or will he join in on the spooky tales of terror this Halloween night.

Movie: Indie Films show are “El Toro 2”, “Hellraiser: Warehouse”, “Mummy vs. The Stalker”, “The Return Of Freddy”, “Bark At The Moon: Malice”, “Bark At The Moon: Scars”, “Nightmare” and “High Hopes”.

BVP Black Friday Special 1: Farmer Joe
Starring – Mike Ritchie & Henrique Couto     Not Rated       2001

Host: Baron Von Porkchop has made a half man and half chicken creature that was suppose to be for Thanksgiving but had pitty on the creature and let him live, but now the Chicken creature is a menace and is always on his cell phone and is just rude to everyone he comes across! Baron goes to get advice from the BK and learns that he must kill his creation with an ax, but can he do it?

Movie: Danny is a young kid who is being bullied and on a dare goes to a haunted farm and summons the spirit of the crazed Farmer Joe who is out for revenge on the man who sold him bad seeds and ruined his harvest many years ago, but he also has Danny and his bullies on his radar of death, can Danny’s Dad save his sons life and soul, or is all hope lost now that Farmer Joe has returned.

BVP Halloween Special 4: White Zombie
Starring – Bela Lugosi & Madge Bellamy     Not Rated       1932

Host: Baron Von Porkchop and Melvin this Halloween decided to rent a small cabin in the country to get away from all of the craziness that they have been through the past three years, but unlucky for them the Fulci Zombie an ax swinging undead serial killer is around and wants to make them both dead! But will Baron and Melvin figure out a way to stop this murdering rampage or will they just be more victims on his ever-growing list.

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.

BVP Black Friday Special 2: Razor
Starring – Jason Gilmore & Josh Weinberg     Not Rated       2002

Host: Chicken Man is back and is running all around New Burlington causing issues for all the locals and making them all very angry, and they want to know who is the man behind this menace and many point the finger at Count Van Lambchop and Baron now must stop his creation before the town discovers the truth that this cell phone texting annoying chicken is his doing.

Movie: A young man is plagued with memories of a past he seems to have lived and a father who was pure evil, now Mike must unravel a mystery that all leads to a blood drinking killer that has been around for centuries and try and figure out how his life and past are tied to this psycho.

Baron Von Porkchop is a Horror Host that has brought Dayton, Ohio and beyond viewers laughs, scares and cheesy movies for over 10 years now and the cast of characters that make up New Burlington have all did their part to make this show special. And from the bottom of my heart I want to think every cast member and every fan that has made Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre must see TV and apart of your life, as well as make the dreams of this blogger come true as I have always wanted to create my own show and I cannot think of a better person to create this show with then my cousin Stephen. And like I have said this will not be the only Horror Host Icon update about Baron Von Porkchop so you fans, friends and readers will have more to look forward to in the future. But now lets talk about our next update that will be our Halloween update and will take us away from the world of Horror Hosts and into the world of SOV Horror as we look at a 1990’s gem called “Hatchet”! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch an indie film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for some VHS Horror Fun.

Horror Host Icon: TNT Monstervision – The Moon & Narrator

Back in the 90’s, network TV had cancelled many of the amazing Horror Host shows that graced their airwaves as the TBS show Super Scary Saturday with host Grampa Munster was history in 1989 with that same year USA ended Commander USA’s Groovie Movies and even the original run of Movie Macabre with Hostess Elvira Mistress Of The Dark came to an end by the late 80’s. But in 1991 TNT stepped into the Horror Host game and delivered Monstervision to weekend viewers that became a mainstay for the station all the way to the year 2000! Most of you readers know Monstervision with its Host Joe Bob Briggs, but did you know that the show had more hosts then just him? That’s right before Joe Bob there was The Moon, Penn & Teller and Logo with Narrator’s Voice! And for this Horror Host Icon update we will be taking a quick and yet fun look at The Moon and The Narrator as I feel they are very important to the legacy of Monstervison as well. And I have been itching to talk about Monstervision and my Joe Bob Briggs update is in the works but still years away from being posted, so it’s with great pleasure that I bring to you Horror Host Icon: TNT Monstervision – The Moon & Narrator! So let’s get our MOOOONSTERVISION on.

TNT Monstervision started on June 29, 1991 and was a way to bring viewers marathons of classic Horror and Science Fiction films plus TV Shows as special epic feeling events. The marathons would run all night and would keep fans glued to the TV Screens fighting off sleep to watch all the cheesy goodness. And our guide for Monstervision for the first year or so was a smirking Moon who was in the sky who would accompany a Narrators Voice over, and this pairing clearly got joy in bringing you classic films for your late night viewing. The Moon in the sky seemed to always be looking at the viewer and with a half grin and a sinister glee in his eye it was as if he was warning you about the classic films that awaited you that evening’s marathon. While The Moon was silent his expressions really did say everything you needed to know as you entered the world of TNT’s Monstervision! While his run as the Host of Monstervision was very short The Moon made his impact not only with the fans but also in the world of Horror Hosting. And one other very important fact I would like to point out is when The Moon was the host all the films were classics from the 40’s-70’s and stayed clear of the rated R fright flicks the show would go on to be known for.

Sometime later before and even after comedy duo Penn & Teller took over for a very short time an amazing Voice Narrator was the soul host of the show and would talk over the shows opening as well as logo and title cards. The Narrator would make the show sound so epic as he would stress the shows title and deliver one of the best voiceovers for a Horror Host show in the 90’s. This Voice also helped co-host the show with The Moon and brought the excitement as his tone would boom! But to be honest there was two different voice actors that did the Narration for the show over the years and each brought their own touch or should I say golden pipes to the show. The Narrator would last as the host all the way up until 1996 when the show became a weekly program and had a permit host with a true icon of Horror Hosting the one and only Joe Bob Briggs who had his own announcer…so yeah I guess the show had a total of three…or at least I think three….so many classic voice work on this show!

Growing up I was much like James Rolfe (Angry Video Game Nerd) as I would grab the TV Guide and scroll through to find what monster movies were playing that week and when Monstervision was on it was like an all night marathon of cheesy and fun classic genre films! My Mom and Brother most of the time would remember for me what was coming on and I would rush to turn on the TV to watch the films. Monstervision through out it’s entire run was a very important part of my childhood as alongside USA Up All Night, Moraine Playhouse Theater and USA Saturday Nightmares during this time was must see TV for me and filled the void left behind of Commander USA, Dr. Creep and Grampa Munster being off the air. Crazy to think that Monstervision was the show that introduced me to many amazing classic Sci-Fi and Horror films with the one standing out the most to me being the 1956 film The Werewolf that aired on a Monstervision Marathon on Christmas night in 1993, I even taped it back then and became obsessed with that film for years after….sadly that VHS tape is long gone and I wish I had that airing for this update. While writing this update it was great to remember back to the early years of Monstervision when it was a true event when it came on and the films lasted all night and delivered chills, thrills and adventures to all those who watched. It’s a shame that TNT has followed the path of USA Network and have became a shell of what they use to be, but who knows now that they brought back wrestling to the station with AEW Dynamite so who knows maybe Monstervision’s return is in the cards as well with a new host or even back to the none hosted format, one thing is for sure if this happens I will be tuning in.

The Monstervision Narrators are as important to the shows history as Joe Bob Briggs and while the Moon might not be as remembered he still was apart of the shows legacy and made his mark on viewers. Now it’s time to take a look at the episodes of MonsterVision I have that feature The Moon or just The Narrator and I would like to thank Ebay and my friend Scott Scarborough for making this update possible. I want to remind everyone that I will not be giving these updates a star rating and I will take the films write up from our friends at IMDB and the Host write up is done by me. So lets get ready and take a look at MooooonnnnsssttteeerrVisssion!

TNT Monstervision: Spaced Out Adventures
Starring – Zsa Zsa Gabor & Peter Graves     Not Rated        1958/1966/1952

Host: This episode is the combo of The Moon and the Narrator who bring us in and out of the movies. While The Moon looks smug and sinister the Narrator brings his A-Game of making the nights film and theme seem like the most important thing on TV that night.

Movies: Queen Of Outer Space: American astronauts are drawn by a mysterious force to the planet Venus, which they find to be inhabited only by beautiful women and their despotic queen. The Wild, Wild Planet: A deranged scientist is using his employer’s top-secret bio-laboratory to engage in clandestine eugenics experiments. When he starts kidnapping leading citizens for use in his twisted tests, it’s up to rogue cop Mike Halstead to come to the rescue of all and sundry, including his lady friend Connie, who is also being held captive by the madman. Red Planet Mars: An American scientist is able to contact and communicate with Mars with shattering political, economic, and spiritual repercussions.

TNT Monstervision: Outer Limits Vol. 2
Starring – Leonard Nimoy & Martin Sheen         Not Rated       1963/1964

Host: This second TNT Monstervision salute to the Outer Limits Marathon has just the normal TNT Narrator taking us in and out for breaks. We also get a sneak peak at The Moon as they welcome us to Monstervision and that more episodes are to come.

Movie: Soldier: A soldier from the far future is accidentally teleported back to 1964. The psychiatrist assigned to examine the soldier realizes that he has been bred purely as a killing machine, but he believe he can reawaken the warrior’s humanity. Meanwhile, a second soldier arrives, dedicated to hunting and killing his enemy. I, Robot: A cynical lawyer is hired by a young woman to prove that her uncle was not killed by his invention – a sophisticated robot. Nightmare: A stranded team of soldiers are captured and experimented on by demonic looking aliens. Demon With A Glass Hand: Days ago, Trent awoke with no memory of his past. Since then, sinister men have pursued him constantly. He manages to stay one step ahead of them by following the advice of his hand. Made of glass and apparently capable of speech, Trent’s hand can answer many of his questions. But it cannot tell him who he is or why his enemies seek him until he finds all of its fingers. The only trouble is that they’re in the hands of his enemies. The Bellero Shield: Richard Bellero, a dedicated scientist, is working on experiments involving sending laser beams into outer space. His father, Richard Bellero Sr., believes the scientist isn’t strong enough to take over the Bellero business empire. In the meantime, Richard’s wife Judith has more than enough ambition for the two of them. Richard, through a freak accident, reels in a being from another dimension with his laser experiment. The being has a small device that can project a shield that no force can penetrate. The alien at first wants to learn all about earth that he can and Richard cooperates. Judith, however, sees the alien and the shield-projecting device, as a means to power. While Richard is away, Judith first tricks the alien to deactivating his shield device then shoots the alien to prevent him from departing Earth. She removes the hand held device while failing to notice it was connected to a vein in the alien — whose bodily fluid is the key to operating the device. This is the … Cry Of Silence: A couple find themselves lost and in the middle of a deserted valley. Then, they come under attack by a series of rocks, tumbleweeds and animals. What could be causing this assault?

Note From Matt: This was originally aired on November 30, 1991 on a Saturday night as part of their TNT Salutes The Outer Limits II event that featured a total of nine episodes. This tape only has 5 1/2 of the episodes. The episode Cry Of Silence is only partly there. Its missing the episodes “A Feasibility Study”, “Don’t Open Till Doomsday” and “The Chameleon”.

TNT Monstervision: Outer Limits Vol. 5
Starring –Don Gordon & Peter Breck         Not Rated       1963/1964

Host: This classic Monstervision marathon has just the Narrators Voice set over TV Screens that show clips of the show The Outer Limits.

Movie: Moonstone: A lunar exploration team from Earth encounters alien life, and must make a difficult decision. The Human Factor: At an isolated military installation in Greenland, Major Brothers has allowed one of his men to die after falling in a crevasse. Suffering from hallucinations, he goes to Dr. Hamilton. Hamilton has invented a device that allows him to read the thoughts of another person. Hamilton and Brothers connect via the device, but then a power surge causes the unthinkable: the minds of the two men switch bodies. The deranged Major Brothers is bent on destroying the whole base. Unfortunately, his mind is in the psychiatrist’s body, and the other base workers know nothing of the mind switch. The Duplicate Man: When a dangerous alien creature called a Megasoid escapes, the scientist who smuggled him to Earth creates an illegal clone of himself to hunt it down. But his plan is complicated when his neglected wife begins to fall in love with his duplicate. The Forms Of Things Unknown: Two female friends poison a sadistic blackmailer, then while fleeing happen upon an isolated house containing a time machine. Kasha, his lover, and Leonora, the daughter of the blackmail target, fight to bury him before the idealistic inventor Tone Hobart is able to re-animate the murdered man, by tilting him back into the past. The Invisibles: Aliens plan to take over the U.S. by recruiting disaffected loners who are themselves “invisible” to normal society. The alien crab-like creatures attach themselves to human hosts and control them. The recruits are assigned low-level jobs of highly appointed government officials so they can get the alien in close proximity to them. A U.S intelligence agent infiltrates the alien organization, but it may be too late. O.B.I.T.: While operating the Outer Band Individuated Teletracer, or O.B.I.T. machine, in a military base, Captain Harris is strangled. U.S. Senator Orville arrives at the base to investigate his murder and learns that there are several bases with the O.B.I.T. machine, which is capable to monitor in a video display the privacy of any person anywhere. Along his investigation, Senator Orville asks for information about the OBIT, such as who is the manufacturer, price, who bought, but no user has any information about the mysterious machine. The Guests: A drifter enters a lonely house, unaware that it is actually an alien creature in disguise. Soon he realizes that he is a prisoner, along with several other half-mad inhabitants, but he is determined to escape.

Note From Matt: This was originally aired on February 27, 1993 on a Saturday night as part of their TNT Salutes The Outer Limits V event that featured a total of nine episodes. This tape only has 6 1/2 of the episodes and at the start the commercials have been removed and later in the tape some commercials are shown and the recorders editing becomes very sloppy as parts of episodes are even cut off. The episode The Guest is only the first 17 minutes of the episode.

TNT Monstervision: House Of Wax (1953)
Starring – Vincent Price & Carolyn Jones      Rated PG     1953

Host: Film Director Tim Burton opens the show talking about his love for House Of Wax as well as a little about the films production and history.

Movie: Professor Henry Jarrod is a true artist whose wax sculptures are lifelike. He specializes in historical tableau’s such a Marie Antoinette or Joan of Arc. His business partner, Matthew Burke, needs some of his investment returned to him and pushes Jarrod to have more lurid exposes like a chamber of horrors. When Jarrod refuses, Burke set the place alight destroying all of his beautiful work in the hope of claiming the insurance. Jarrod is believed to have died in the fire but he unexpectedly reappears some 18 months later when he opens a new exhibit. This time, his displays focus on the macabre but he has yet to reproduce his most cherished work, Marie Antoinette. When he meets his new assistant’s beautiful friend, Sue Allen, he knows he’s found the perfect model – only unbeknown to anyone, he has a very particular way of making his wax creations.

Note From Matt: This was apart of a MonsterVision event that was called “Our Favorite Movies” that had director Tim Burton not only hosting House Of Wax bust also the films Mysterious Island, The Time Machine and 7 Faces Of Dr. Lao. This originally aired on July 28, 1994 on a Thursday night and my friend Scott only recorded this movie.

TNT Monstervision: Fiend Fiesta Pt. 2
Starring – William Hooper & Ray Corrigan       Not Rated     1957/1958

Host: The Narrator ushers us in and out of the film over clips of films with his spooky voice echoing out. This also the classic colorized film bumpers that helped push Monstervision into super popularity. Plus we get cool Monstervision bumpers and ads.

Movie: 20 Million Miles To Earth: The first spaceship to visit Venus crash lands in the sea, freeing a small native Venusian creature called the Ymir. Eventually growing to enormous size, it threatens the city of Rome. IT! The Terror From Beyond Space: In 1973, the first manned expedition to Mars is marooned; by the time a rescue mission arrives, there is only one survivor: the leader, Col. Edward Carruthers, who appears to have murdered the others! According to Carruthers, an unknown life form killed his comrades during a sandstorm. But the skeptical rescuers little suspect that “it” has stowed away for the voyage back to Earth.

Note From Matt: These are two of the films that showed on August 27, 1994 as part of the “Famous Last Words/Fiend Fiesta” themed marathon and was the last two films of the night! The first three minutes or so of 20 Million Miles To Earth is missing

TNT Monstervision in all its forums and all its hosts over the years has always been something very special to those of us who grew up watching it and is truly missed by late night TV watchers. I for one would like to see it return to air with a new host (as Joe Bob Briggs is hosting the Last Drive In on Shudder and is delivering one of the best Horror Host programs going) or even just bring back The Moon and Narrator as the world truly needs this and I feel that if Ted Turner was still in charge of TNT the show would have never went away fully as by 2001 most of what made stations like TNT and TBS special was washed away by AOL and Time Warner and as I have stated before they are both just a shell of what they use to be and only delivering a small amount of programing that is worth watching with most programs being aired are just bad reruns of crime shows. For me The Moon and Narrator for TNT Monstervision are true Icons in the world of Horror Hosting and helped make my childhood amazing! Sadly I don’t think Monstervision will ever come back on TNT, but what will be coming back in my next blog update as I will be doing another in my From Horror Movie To Horror Comic updates to help ring in the Halloween season as I will be talking about Wolf Cop and the comic mini series based around it! So until next time read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you soon for a ride along with a werewolf who has a badge that likes beer and doughnuts.