The Dark Half (1993), dir. George A. Romero, Dark Half Productions
Crash (1996), dir. David Croenenberg, the Movie Network/Telefilm Canada
I'm Dangerous Tonight (1990), dir. Tobe Hooper, BBK Productions/Coastline Partners/MCA Television Entertainment
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Deadly Friend (1986), dir. Wes Craven, Warner Bros./Pan Arts/Layton
They Live (1988), dir. John Carpenter, Alive Films/Larry Franco Productions
The Hole (2009), dir. Joe Dante, Bold Films/BenderSpink/The Hole
A Bucket of Blood (1959), dir. Roger Corman, Alta Vista Productions
Strait-Jacket (1964), dir. William Castle, William Castle Productions
Shadow of a Doubt (1943), dir. Alfred Hitchcock, Skirball Productions
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The Incredible Petrified World (1957), dir. Jerry Warren, GBM Productions
And so we end our lookback at John Carradine with a Jerry Warren film. Not sure if that's appropriate or not.
Real name: Don Kennedy
Years active: 1957-1958
Almost let this one slip through my fingers. Don Kennedy was a local figure in Georgia, working in radio and television. He hosted the Shock Show on WSB-TV Channel 2 in Atlanta.
He might be better known for his work with Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, but he was hosting Popeye cartoons first.
The Unearthly (1957), dir. Boris Petroff, AB-PT Pictures
Real name: Joanne Good
Years active: 1958
The next to last host for the year, and we have a real witch. Shock Show aired WSB-TV Channel 2 out of Atlanta for only one year. The story behind her was rather neat. She was a witch that crashed into the studio and decided to host a show. Despite the reviews the show was cancelled that December.
Joanne Good was nominated to the Horror Host Hall of Fame in 2022.
The Face of Marble (1946), dir. William Beaudine, Hollywood Picture Corporation
Real name: Jim Carlisle
Years active: 1968 to 1969
Nearing the end for this year's horror hosts. This time we look a truly unique host in Georgia. V-Man, blasting off to host Blast Off on WRBL-TV Channel 3 in Columbus.
V-Man was odd when compared to the other hosts we've seen this year. First, his show ran Monday through Friday afternoons. Quite a few hosts had weekly shows, but the traditional hosts were a once-a-week thing. He was also a kind of superhero/astronaut rather than a typical vampire/ghoul, etc.
He also had a neat gimmick in that he presented the films he showed as being real/documentaries, even the old serials.
Jim Carlisle passed away in 1988.
"Peace to the Universe!"
Return of the Ape Man (1944), dir. Philip Rosen, Banner Productions
Real name: Mike Stephans
Years active: 1970 to 1975
Hosting Horrible Movies on WJCL-TV Channel 22 in Savannah, this oddball popped up for a brief time usually decked in chains and doing song parodies.
That seems to be the only thing I could find on him.
Voodoo Man (1944), dir. William Beaudine, Banner Productions
Real name: Jim Bernhardt, credited as Jerry Bernstein
Years active: 1985 to 1988
A Jewish vampire? Seriously, it's in the show's credits. Airing in Albany on WTSG-TV Channel 31, the Count Murry Show had parodies and contests aplenty.
I suppose the most notable thing was how the show ended. A few hosts would react to their show ending, but Count Murry actually had a whole bit where he was kicked out of the station and forced to walk the street looking for work.
Bit of a sad ending now that I think about it.
Revenge of the Zombies (1943), dir. Steve Sekely, Monogram Pictures
By this point, John Carradine had a dream. He put most of his money into a theater company devoted to Shakespeare. Thus, he would need money and lots of it. Despite appearing in the Grapes of Wraith and Stagecoach, Carradine took an offer from Monogram to be in their remake of King of the Zombies.
Real name: Ed Meloan
Years active: 1968 to 1974
Not a whole lot of info on Count Justin Sane. He hosted a version of Shock Theatre on WRDW-TV Channel 12 in Augusta.
He seemed to be a sort of cryptkeeper/evil monk type. Most reviews mention his spooky laugh.
And ordinally that would be it, except for 2007 when he was sentenced to 78 years for some pretty nasty stuff. Not stuff I like to have the blog, but I did want to write about every host. Sometimes you get a real monster in the bunch.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939), dir. Sideny Lanfield, Twentieth Century Fox
Real name: George Ellis
Years active: 1962-1975
Had some time left, so why not look at another state? The rest of the month we'll be looking at the horror hosts of Georgia. Bestoink Dooley was one of the bigger ones, hosting the Big Movie Shocker on WAGA-TV Channel 5 out of Atlanta. Ellis also did double duty with an afternoon kid's show too.
I suppose the only way to describe him was theatrical. Mr. Ellis loved cinema, even running his own theater and acting in several local films.
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), dir. Charles E. Sellier, Jr., Slayride Productions Inc.
We joke a lot about slasher films, but when this got released? People were ANGRY. Micky Rooney too, although he mellowed out enough to do part 5, but how did the whole saga start?
Real name: Ted Raub
Years active: 1974 to 1997
And now we end our look back at Pennsylvania's horror host. The last one we're looking at is Uncle Ted, host first at Uncle Ted's Ghoul School, airing from 1974 to 1982 on WNEP-TV Channel 16 in Wilkes-Barre. After a short break, he came back to host Uncle Ted's Monstermania, airing on WVIA-TV Channel 44.
He also hosted an afternoon kid's show. After reading up on the guy, kind of a shame I never got to watch him live. From what few clips I was able to find he seemed like a rather neat fellow.
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990), dir. Jeff Burr, Nicolas Entertainment
Real names: Harry Metz and Fred Adams
Years active: 90's
Not a widely known host, as Fright Night Friday only aired on CUTV-Channel 29, which was the official TV station for California University (that is to say California, PA).
Haven't seen too much of him but the idea reminds of the Freak Brothers, a local access show that used to air in my area.
Cedric was more the straight man with the Spooky Spectre was the wisecracking ghost with the most.
Halloween II (2009), dir. Rob Zombie, Dimension Films/Spectacle Entertainment Group/Trancas International Films
I wasn't too impressed with Mr. Zombie's previous one, would this one be better?
Real name: Bob Drews
Years active: 1958-1962
Hosting Shock Theatre on WTAE-TV Channel 4 out of Pittsburgh, Sir Rodger was a widow's peak sporting fellow who thrilled the airwaves before Chilly Billy. Haven't found that much on the guy, but he did have the Shock Package, so he at least he hosted the old Universal films.
She (1965), dir. Robert Day, Hammer Film Productions/Seven Arts Productions
So we end our look at Hammer Films, and with their first film to be built around a woman.
Real name: ?
Years active: 1976-1977
And we're back to WGPH-TV Channel 53. 1976 saw Pittsburgh welcoming a new host, the mysterious Scorpio.
Really mysterious too, as I can't find his real name. Hosting Thing Theater for about a year, the warlock/vampire fellow was pulled from the river inside his coffin. Teleporting to the station, he took over the station to show oddball flicks beside the usual public domain features.
The Stranglers of Bombay (1959), dir. Terrence Fisher, Hammer Film Productions
Not exactly a horror film, but Hammer and Fisher? Why not?
Real name: Mark Menold
Years active: 2005 to now?
Ok, this one may or may not be an active host. It's Alive officially airs WBGN-TV in Pittsburgh. The show's website has mostly dead links and the copyright date ends at 2015. His twitter hasn't been updated since 2017 and his YouTube account was last updated in 2019.
Seems like a nice show, good cast and good music.
The Ugly Duckling (1959), dir. Lance Comfort, Hammer Film Productions
I took a look at the second Jekyll/Hyde film made by Hammer, so why not look at the first?
Real name: Brune Lentz
Years active: 90's
Now, some would argue Mr. Schlock shouldn't count, as the Schlock Shop wasn't an actual hosted film so much as a 30 minute recap show. A sort of proto-YouTube, if you will. Airing on PC-TV Channel 20 in Pittsburgh, Mr. Schlock would gain greater fame as the owner of the Incredibly Strange Video Store in Dormont in the late 90's.
Sadly the shop closed in 2008.
The Snorkel (1958), dir. Guy Green, Hammer Films
Real name: Roy Bishop
Years active: Late 1950's to early 1960s
The show was consistent if the city wasn't. Leroy first hosted Tales from the Tomb out of York, PA on WSBA Channel 43 before moving to WHP-TV Channel 21 in Harrisburg to finish the show out.
I'm afraid time seems to have swallowed the whole show up, although what little info I could suggested that Leroy was more a comedic figure than a scary one.
The Phantom of the Opera (1988), dirs. Al Guest and Jean Mathieson, Emerald City Productions/DL Taffner
Another Phanton review, and an odd one at that. Emerald City Productions was an Irish company, with the intent to break into the animated features market. They released seven films, each of them based on a classic bit of lit. Most of them made their debut in the US on HBO.
The Paris Opera House is truly a magnificent site. At least young singer Christine (Collette Proctor) thinks so; her beau Raoul (Daniel Reardon) is far more interested in her.
He isn't the only one. Deep below the building is the lair of the Phantom (Aiden Grennell), who is rather fixated on the young singer. With the mysterious Daroga (Jim Reid) skulking about, can Christine survive?
They tried; purely looking at the plot this is probably the most faithful adaptation of Leroux's novel. Looking at the animation, however, is hard. Characters barely move but the effort is there, so there's that.
Real name: Jim Cooke
Years active: 1980-1990
A combo deal, sort of; the first host is Jim Cooke. Jim was a regular local DJ who snarked at the films while hosting the Late Great Horror Show on WJET-TV Channel 24 in Eerie. No vampires or lab coats, but Jim being a cool dude.
The show would be cancelled in 1982, as the station opted to go with the newly syndicated Elvira. 1984 saw the return of Jim, this time hosting the Just Right for Late Night Horror Show.
The differences are rather striking. The first show had a dungeon set and was shot live, but the second had to be filmed inside the WJET-TV station lunchroom.
The character of Sir Robert Ghoul-ly is a slightly different matter. Can't find anything about the man, but when Jim couldn't make it, some painted ghoul would pop up and take over the hosting duties.
The Mummy (2017), dir. Alex Kurtzman, Perfect World Pictures/Conspiracy Factory Productions/Sean Daniel Company/Secret Hideout/Chris Morgan Productions
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Ah, the Dark Universe. What was supposed to usher in a new era of horror ended with such a thud I feel we owe Brendan Fraser a collective apology. Forgot who said that joke first, but I felt it summed things up pretty well.
Real name: George Eisenhaur
Years active: 1958 to unknown
Going back to the 1950's, we see 13th Hour as seen as KDKA-TV Channel 2. Igor seemed to be a standard vampire, although much like his undead brethren that would plague WPGH some years later, his departure was a bit unusual.
It seems that Igor had a confrontation with a stagehand and several, shall we say, unusual words were spoken at some volume before any realized the camera were live.
Not the best way to end a show, I'm sure.
Dracula Untold (2014), dir. Gary Shore, Legendary Pictures/Michael de Luca Productions
Still a better superhero film than Morbius.
Real names: Ricky and Karen Dick
Years active: 2006 to 2009
Now this is a host from the Keystone State that I actually watched. Castle Blood Midnight Monster Hop started on Uniontown PA's HSTV Channel 9 in 2006 before moving to West Virgina. 2008 saw them debut in Maryland, and 2009 saw them making their national debut on the Retro Television Network.
Based out of the now sadly closed Castle Blood, Gravely MacCabre and his clan hosted the finest in public domain features. I had the chance to watch the show during its run RTN. It was fine, but I supposed my biggest issue with the show was the cast. They weren't bad but I'm hard pressed to recall another show that had nine reoccurring characters. The jokes were fine and the movies were a good kind of cheese. If its rerunning in your area, check it out.
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), dir. Jack Arnold, Universal Pictures
Real name: Paul Kawecki
Years active: 1969-1971
And so the strange saga of WPGH-Channel 53 finally ends. In the beginning they had a sarcastic vampire, then a terrible vampire, and now...TARANTULA!
And what a character. They never said what he was, exactly, but he kicked off his tenure on Scream-In by staking Count Von Thirstenburg's coffin.
From there, he forewent to the usual snark and puns and came across as one cool swinger. He also had actual plots in his episode, with the breaks between the movie usually focusing on a story. Not a huge deal now, but pretty innovative for the late 60's/early 70's.
Sadly this level of awesome couldn't be sustained and the show was finally taken off sometime in 1971.
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953), dir. Charles Lamont, Universal-International
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The 50s wouldn't be very kind to the Universal Monsters. We've seen Abbott and Costello meeting the rest of the Universal monsters, but 1948 was a while ago. After teaming them up with a few more characters, the boys went into outright science fiction.
Real name: ???
Years active: 1969ish
Count Von Thirstenburg, man. For a man of which little is known yet his impact may be one of the biggest of any host's career.
First, we go back to the early days at 1969 at WPGH Channel 53 in Pittsburgh. Coagulus was a snarky vampire who got fired. The show, now dubbed Scream-In, needed a host.
Thus they bring in Count Von Thirstenburg! Another vampire!
Of course, like many hosts he also had another gig. Hosting Open House; in which people see pictures of homes. Not real estate listings or historical homes, nope. Just endless shots of houses. Brilliant, insane, or inane? You make the call.
He hosted the show for a bit before finally getting replaced, but that host shall be a feature later.
So, what was his impact?
How about Count Floyd?
Maybe. Joe Flaherty was born and raised in Pittsburgh, so he could have watched the show. Maybe, possibly; of course, it has been suggested Count Floyd was inspired by other Pittsburgh hosts, so that is equally possible, but the few reviews I've seen of the Count suggested that Floyd might be a straight homage with him complaining about his job throughout the movies.
The Cat Creeps (1946), dir. Erle C. Kento, Universal Pictures Company
Now we have the film that shared a bill with She-Wolf of London and the last official horror film of the 1940's.
Real name: ???
Years active: At least until 1969
Coagulus, cool name but that's about all I can find. He hosted the Supernatural Movie on WPGH-TV Channel 53 out of Pittsburgh.
From what I was able to cobble together, he was a vampire who often cracked jokes about the films. He lasted a while, at least until he one day asked for a pay raise. He was replaced but get to that tale of woe tomorrow.
She-Wolf of London (1946), dir. Jean Yarbrough, Universal Pictures, Inc.
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Chilly Billy
Real name: Bill Cardille
Years active: 1963 to 1991, with a onetime special in 1998.
Kicking things off this year with the hosts of Pennsylvania. Hosting Chiller Theater on WIIC-TV Channel 11, Chilly Billy might be best known to those outside the Keystone State as the news anchor in Night of the Living Dead.
Unlike many other hosts, despite the name there was no character. He wasn't a vampire or a ghoul. Nope, just a smart-alec hanging out with an assortment of oddballs.
He passed away in 2016.
The Doctor's Horrible Experiment (1959), dir. Jean Renior, R.T.F./S.O.F.I.R.A.D.
In Paris, Joly (Teddy Billis) is having some trouble. He's a lawyer, and his client/best friend Dr. Cordelier (Jean-Louis Opale) has written his will. The issue is that the doctor, who nearly everyone in France agrees is a wonderful man overflowing with the milk of human kindness, has left all his money and estate to man named Opale (Opale again), who is a foul pervert and utter sadist. Dr. Cordelier's notes paint Opale as a former patient. If so, the doctor must have not had much luck.
Joly is sure there is more to it than that, but can he handle the shocking truth?
Good film. Odd they thought changing the names would disguise the story, but the actors do a wonderful job all the same.
