Horror 2019 Countdown: Day of the Dead (1985)

Day of the Dead (1985) dir. George Romero, Dead Films, Inc./Laurel Entertainment Inc./Laurel-Day Inc.

And now, as the winter draws closer and the year is nearing the end, we take one last look at the Horror Countdown for this year 2019. How has the world fared since 1978's Dawn of the Dead?

Horror 2019 Countdown: The Fly (1986)

The Fly (1986) dir. David Cronenberg, Brooksfilms/SLM Production Group

Keeping with the 80's theme of remaking older horror films, how would the master of body horror handle the story of a guy turning into an insect?

Horror 2019 Countdown: Invaders from Mars (1986)

Invaders from Mars (1986) dir. Tobe Hooper, Cannon Pictures

While other directors found their stars rising, Hooper seemed to be at best staying place. He was still working Cannon Pictures at this point. So why not tackle another B-movie classic?

Horror 2019 Countdown: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) dir. Wes Craven, New Line Cinema/Media Home Entertainment/Smart Egg Pictures

We've tackled almost all the films in this series, so why not take a look at the first one? By now Craven had been known for a few hits and a lot of TV flicks. How could he capture the public's attention this time?

Horror 2019 Countdown: Starman (1984)

Starman (1984) dir. John Carpenter,  Columbia Pictures/Industrial Light & Magic/Delphi II Productions

By now John Carpenter was more or less mainstream and working with the big studios. He had done horror but how would he handle science fiction? And not a comedic take like Dark Star, either.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Matinee (1993)

Matinee (1993) dir. Joe Dante, Universal Pictures/Renfield Productions/Falcon Productions

We've seen Joe Dante pay tribute to the classic monsters and movies of his youth, but here might have been his first serious misstep. Does that mean it's a bad film?

Horror 2019 Countdown: The Saga of the Viking Women...(1957)

The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyages to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent (1957) dir. Roger Corman, Malibu Productions

This is both the longest title we've ever had and also the last Corman film from 1957. More sword and sandal, but a sea serpent counts as a monster, right? Even though the film is as padded as the title.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Zotz! (1962)

Zotz! (1962) dir. William Castle, William Castle Productions/Columbia Pictures

Moving back into the family friendly comedy this time, as well as cutting back on the gimmicks, Castle's Zotz! didn't have the most lasting impact on popular culture and isn't even considered Castle's biggest or best film.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Rebecca (1940)

Rebecca (1940) dir. Alfred Hitchcock, Selznick International Pictures

Moving into the director portion for our playlist, we begin things again with Alfred Hitchcock's American debut.

Horror 2019 Countdown: The Return of the Vampire (1943)

The Return of the Vampire (1943) dir. Lew Landers, Columbia Pictures

So we end our look back at vampires. Not a Dracula film, but we do have Bela Lugosi. Lugosi only played Dracula a few times and other vampires even fewer, yet somehow he became THE vampire in pop culture.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Dracula (1968)

"Dracula." Mystery and Imagination. ITV, 18 Nov. 1968


Moving into our final Dracula story, we have one of the more obscure takes.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Mark of the Vampire (1935)

Mark of the Vampire (1935) dir. Tod Browning, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Considering the success of 1931's Dracula, you would think there would have been more attempts to cash in on the film. There was also an earlier vampire film, 1927's London After Midnight (also directed by Browning but largely lost, so I skipped it in these reviews). What do these two have in common?

Horror 2019 Countdown: Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966)

Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966) dir. William Beaudine, Circle Productions

Moving back into Dracula proper, this time we have John Carradine returning to the role one last time and at the hands of William "One-Shot" Beaudine. What could go wrong?

Horror 2019 Countdown: The Vampire Bat (1933)

The Vampire Bat (1933) dir. Frank R. Strayer, Larry Darmour Productions

The act of scooping other pictures isn't new now and wasn't back in the old days either. If studio A has a flick due out about an asteroid, you can bet studio B will get one out a week before. So, when A-list studio Warner Bros. has a film in the can featuring Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray, you can bet solid B-list studio Majestic would scoop them first with a film using the same leads.

Horror Host 2019 Retorspective: Misty Brew

Real name: Catherine Brewton
Years active: 1988-1989


So we end our look at horror hosts, not just in Alabama but also for this year. The Misty Brew featured here wasn't the first one under that but rather the third.

Hosting Shock Theater on WDBB Channel 17 out of Bessemer, Misty certainly seemed similar to the other Misty Brews and clearly owed a bit towards Elvira and Vampira.

Sadly all the footage I found was for the first one.

Somewhat of a let down but sometimes that's all you have to work with.

Horror 2019 Countdown: The Return of Dracula (1958)

The Return of Dracula (1958) dir. Paul Landres, Gramercy Pictures

1958 was a big year for horror, as when we first started this feature we saw Christopher Lee first play the Count and kick off Hammer as the new player in horror. Over in America, this was released to drive-ins.

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Sterling Brewer

Real name: Sterling Brewer
Years active: 1958-1960


Moving east towards Alabama, we take a look at the first host of the Yellowhammer State. Sterling Brewer hosted the Unknown on Birmingham's WAPI Channel 13. Brewer appeared under his own name but the costume was a short of black ghost get up with a flickering candle by him.

Brewer would later gain more fame on local radio and even covered pro wrestling for a time, but he did leave his mark on viewers.

Brewer passed away in 2016.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Vampyr (1932)

Vampyr (1932) dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer, Carl Theodor Dreyer-Filmproduktion/Tobis-Filmkunst

Still taking a look at vampires, but now we'll take a look at other vampires besides the good Count. Vampyr funny enough almost became the first sound vampire film, losing out only to the first Dracula. The film itself is almost silent though, given that it was a Franco-German production and released in three languages.

Horror Hosts 2019 Retrospective: Victor Ives and Jimmy Hollister

Real names: Victor Ives and Jimmy Hollister
Years active: 1973-1974, 1987


We're nearing the end, both on horror hosts and the hosts of Oregon. Victor Ives and Jimmy Hollister hosted Sinister Cinema on Portland's KATU Channel 2. The show only lasted a year, with a reunion special in '87.

Ives played a vampire while Hollister dressed and acted like an Igor.

I've been unable to find any footage of the duo, but Mr. Hollister passed away in 2005.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Drakula istanbul'da (1953)

Drakula istanbul'da (1953) dir. Mehmet Muhtar, And Films

We've gone past the Universal, Hammer, and the bloody slashers. In the past I've taken the time to look at either famous horror actors or characters. This year I'll be taking a look at both Count Dracula and vampires in general.

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Tarantula Ghoul

Real name: Suzanne Waldron
Years active: 1957 to 1959

Moving into the Beaver State, we'll take a look at the hosts of Oregon, and who better than the first in the state?

By the late 50's, Vampira was a sensation that was sweeping the nation, or at least the West Coast. In Portland, on KPTV Channel 12, fans would tune in on Wednesday night to see House of Horror and the slinky host with the most.

Much like her fellows, she even released a few 45s but sadly she was fired by the station for "violating their moral contracts"

She passed away in 1982.

Horror 2019 Coutndown: Howling: New Moon Rising (1995)

Howling: New Moon Rising (1995) dir. Clive Turner, Allied Entertainment

I take it back, this might be the dumbest film I've reviewed this month. After the halfway decent turn in part 6, why not keep the streak alive and go back to being terrible?

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Professor Kinema

Real name: Jim Knusch
Years active: 1994 to present


Here's the last host of the Empire State, Professor Kinema is a fellow after my own black heart. Hosting Professor Kinema out of Wainscot, Long Island, the good professor's show takes a more scholarly take rather than jokes.

The good professor also collects information on other horror hosts and actually consulted on what might be the first tome about the profession. 68 Vampires, Mad Scientists, and Other Denizens of the Late-Night Airwaves Examined and Interviewed by Elena Watson. Worth a read if you've the time.

Horror Countdown 2019: Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)

Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013) dir. John Luessenhop, Millennium Films/Mainline Pictures

We've seen reboots and sequels, so much like the Halloween series before it, the new Texas Chainsaw folks decided to go in a different direction, ignoring most of the preceding flicks.

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Off Beat Cinema

Real names: Constance Caldwell, Jeffery Robots, and others
Years active: 1993 to present


One of the few hosting show out of New York to still be on the air, Off Beat Cinema first broadcast out of WKBW before switching to WBBZ out of Buffalo. It's currently syndicated across the country on Retro TV.

Three beatniks would host and make comments on the films showing. There was a rotating cast, but the three main leads were:

Maxwell Truth ("Airborne" Eddy Dobosiewicz) until 2015
Oscar Wild (Matthew Bauer) until 1995
Bird (Anthony Billoni) current
Zelda (Caldwell) current
Theodore (Roberts) current

their website

Horror 2019 Countdown: Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998)

Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998) dir. Steve Miner, Dimension Films/Nightfall Productions/Trancas International

After the confusion of part 6, it was decided to get back to basics and this is really the start of jumbled mess of the Halloween timelines.

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Vlad, Creighton and the Invisible Man

Real names: Kevin Novotny, Kevin Rice, and ???
Years active: 2001 until ???


Most sources I've seen say the show Ghoul a Go-Go is still active but their website has gone the way of GeoCities. Airing out of the Hamptons (LTV Channel 70 seems to be their first station, out of East Hampton), the show is less a focus on horror films and more a parody of the 60's afternoon dance parties. They did host some dubbed Mexican horror/wrestling videos for Something Weird Video back in 2003, so they count as hosts.

From what I've seen, they come across less parody and more a tribute to the kind of nutty hosts you'd see on the afternoon and the music is pretty cool.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) dir. Wes Craven, New Line Cinema

Given we saw Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) being blown up by his daughter, how exactly would New Line bring him back? And could he be scary again? After seeing him off a stoner with the Power Glove, audiences might not be so accepting...

Horror Host 2019 Retrospetive: Gregory the Graveyard Walker

Real name: ???
Years active: 1970-1977


Hosting Frightening Flickers on WHEC Channel 10 out of Rochester, the unseen Gregory was the ghost host with the most, as he was never seen and so far I've seen no info on who provided the voice.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Fear in the Night (1972)

Fear in the Night (1972) dir. Jimmy Sangster, Hammer Films

We're at the end, both of our Hammer lookback and one of the last films Hammer released before the doors closed (at least for the first time).

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Dr. E. Nick Witty

Real name: Alan Milair
Years active: 1964 to 1985


A longer lasting host, the good doctor was the host of Monster Movie Matinee in Syracuse on WSYR Channel 3.

Unlike many hosts, Dr. Witty didn't appear on camera directly. No, all the viewers at home spotted was a white sleeve, long fingernails and some fancy rings. The sidekick Epal (Bill Everett) got more screen time.


He passed away in 2004.

Horror 2019 Countdown: The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959)

The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959) dir. Terrence Fisher, Hammer Film Productions

Moving into the science fiction portion of Hammer, we see an early work with Fisher again taking the helm alongside Christopher Lee.

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: The Creep

Real name: Lou Steele
Years active: 1969-1973



The host of a real triple feature on WNEW-TV Channel 5, Steel hosted Creature Feature (first show), Son of Creature Feature (second), and Revenge of Creature Feature (third). He was also the voice who coined the phrase "It's ten o'clock, do you know where your children are?"


Despite the name, all Steele needed was an oversized sunglass and some harsh lighting.

He passed away in 2001.

Horror 2019 Countdown: The Gorgon (1964)

The Gorgon (1964) dir. Terrence Fisher, Hammer Film Productions

Moving into the Gothic portion of Hammer's work, the Gorgon had the Big Three of Fisher, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing, yet it is often regulated to the c-bin of Hammer's offerings.

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Barry and Pat

Real names: Barry Kibrick and Pat Mulligan
Years active: 1987


Hosting Snicker Theater on WNBC Channel 4 out of New York City, Barry and Pat at a glance are anything you might see on a college TV station or UHF channel. Low rent set, just two guys goofing on a movies (a proto Wayne's World, if you will) and almost no budget.

I suppose the biggest surprise here is the channel. Nearly every host I've looked at hosted/worked for the station and stations were regional. But here? WNBC, the flagship for the entire National Broadcasting Company? Setting the bar rather high and from what I've read of it looked like something you'd catch in the boonies.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell (1974)

Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974) dir. Terrence Fisher, Hammer Film Productions

So we come to the end of Hammer's Frankenstein series, and who better to handle it than the man who directed the first one, Terrence Fisher?

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Baron Daemon

Real name: Mike Price
Years active: 1962 to 1967


Hailing from Syracuse, the good Baron hosted the Baron and His Buddies on WNYS-TV Channel 9. The most notable I thing I could find about him would be the show was a weekday event, as most hosts tended to be on late night or the weekend.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) dir. Alan Gibson, Hammer Film Productions

Moving into our Hammer lookback, the end was near for the Dracula series. Scars ended with Dracula being struck by lighting and falling off his castle. How would they get Lee and the Count back for this one?

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Adam Keefe

Real name: Adam Keefe
Years active: 1963-1969

Moving into the Empire State for this go round, we see Adam Keefe, a vampire who hosted Fright Night Theatre out of Buffalo on WKBW-TV Channel 7.

He seemed to be a vampire, often playing off a Frankenstein Monster dummy. Like many hosts, he showcased the Universal films, but also showed lesser known flicks including Mexican Luchador films too.

Mr. Keefe passed away in 1994.

Horror 2019 Countdown: The Mummy (1999)

The Mummy (1999) dir. Stephan Sommers, Alphaville Films

Moving closer to the end of the Twentieth Century, this tale of undead Egyptians isn't technically a Universal film, although they did distribute it.

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Professor Gideon

Real name: Jim Petersmith
Years active: 1979

The most recent host in Iowa and also the shortest on the air. The good professor hosted Shock Theatre on KGAN Channel 2 in Cedar Rapids.

No idea what the man looked like, but his end came in a properly shocking way. He apparently put a prop cat in a microwave and the local audience was not amused.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Abbot and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949)

Abbot and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949), dir. Charles Barton, Universal-International Pictures

And we're ending our look back at the Universal series with this entry. By now Universal had regulated the main monsters strictly to the comedy bin. Bud and Lou had a hit when they met Frankenstein, so a horror sequel was quickly turned out.

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Malcolm the Butler

Real name: Ed Weiss
Years active: Late 1950's to mid-1970's

Malcolm the Butler, along with the Duke of Desmodas (Jim Varnum), hosted Gravesend Manor (and later Son of Gravesend Manor) on WOI-TV Channel 5 in Ames/Des Moines.

It looks like a pretty typical setup, although points for Malcolm being a regular butler instead of a vampire or ghoul.

Horror 2019 Countdown: House of Dracula (1945)

House of Dracula (1945) dir. Erle C. Kenton, Universal Pictures

This would be considered the last Universal Horror film, or at least the last serious one to feature the classic monsters.

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: Dr. Morbius

Real name: Bruce Gant
Years active: 1986-1988

One of the later hosts from Iowa, Dr. Morbius hosted Saturday Nightmare on KCRG Channel 9 in Cedar Rapids. A stand up comedian, teacher, and police officer, Gant donned the cape of the good doctor, even releasing a rap album. From what little I've seen, Morbius seemed almost like Count Floyd from SCTV, what with the accent and random howls.


Gant passed away in 2013.

Horror 2019 Countdown: Horror Island (1941)

Horror Island (1941) dir. George Waggner, Universal Pictures

Moving into the Universal Pictures portion of our series, we see George Waggner's first foray into horror.

Horror Host 2019 Retrospective: The Mad Man

Real name: ?
Years active: 1950's

Moving back into the hosts of horror and like previously we'll take on multiple states. This time out we'll be taking a look at the Midwestern Hawkeye State, Iowa. 

This time we'll take a look at one of the first hosts in Iowa, the Mad Man. Sadly he is also one of the lost hosts, as besides the name all I have is a vague 'he was in Des Moines' but no idea of the station or even the name of the show. 

Horror 2019 Countdown: The Son of Dr. Jekyll (1951)

The Son of Dr. Jekyll (1951) dir. Seymour Friedman, Columbia Pictures

Welcome back boils and ghouls, your friendly host with the most is back from the dead to deliver yucks and mucks aplenty this year, so without any further adieu...