Real name: Jay Robert Jennings
Years active: 1989-1990
Moving into the 1980's, we have a short lived host, albeit longer lived than most. Dr. Acula ("Not Dracula...Dr. Acula!") hosted the titular show on Los Angeles's Public Access Channel 3 in 1989. The program was mostly 22 minutes of an edited black and white movie. Sadly the show was done in, not by moral guardians or ratings, but rather the station's bankruptcy. A year later the good doctor returned to host a Halloween special on the channel, but it was too late. The lack of funding drove a stake into the show's heart.
Dr. Acula did manage to start up a website and sold copies of his show directly to the public, but as it was hosted by Geocitites, I'm not entirely sure I should link to it.
Friday, October 2, 2015
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Horror Host 2015 Retrospective: Arach and Nid
Real name: Wayne Thomas
Years active: 1973 (KHJ-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
Kicking off the 2015 season, we'll be focusing on the Golden State's hosts big and small, and fewer are smaller than Arach and his friend Nid.
Wayne Thomas, formerly the announcer for Fright Night, was given a shot at being in front of the camera. Dressed as a giant spider, he joked along with his off camera friend Nid, a fly. Sadly he joked too much, as two episodes in he made some off the cuff remarks about the station owners, who promptly cancelled the program the next day.
No episodes or stills survived, so this spider man will sadly roam the hallways of the lost hosts section of our site.
Years active: 1973 (KHJ-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
Kicking off the 2015 season, we'll be focusing on the Golden State's hosts big and small, and fewer are smaller than Arach and his friend Nid.
Wayne Thomas, formerly the announcer for Fright Night, was given a shot at being in front of the camera. Dressed as a giant spider, he joked along with his off camera friend Nid, a fly. Sadly he joked too much, as two episodes in he made some off the cuff remarks about the station owners, who promptly cancelled the program the next day.
No episodes or stills survived, so this spider man will sadly roam the hallways of the lost hosts section of our site.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Beware the Batman: Nexus
"Nexus" Beware the Batman, Cartoon Network, 24 August 2014
So, we open 6 months after the blackout. Alfred is gone, Batman's back to being a jerk, and mayor Marion Grange (CCH Pounder) is having problems aplenty dealing with the city's various problems, DA Harvey Dent being one of them. More on that in a bit, but she's so distracted she fails to notice the package on her desk...which turns out to be a bomb. I'd say shocking, but in Gotham when isn't a strange bundle an explosive?
So, we open 6 months after the blackout. Alfred is gone, Batman's back to being a jerk, and mayor Marion Grange (CCH Pounder) is having problems aplenty dealing with the city's various problems, DA Harvey Dent being one of them. More on that in a bit, but she's so distracted she fails to notice the package on her desk...which turns out to be a bomb. I'd say shocking, but in Gotham when isn't a strange bundle an explosive?
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Beware the Batman: Reckoning
"Reckoning" Beware the Batman, Cartoon Network, 17 August 2014
Ra's al Ghul is making the pitch to all the rogues who've appeared so far. Pretty standard "help me and I'll reward you beyond your wildest etc., etc." Of course, why should he go to them? They all lost, rely on equipment, or are too crazy. Ra's commands an entire league of highly trained killers. Why not send them out? They did pretty well so far. Or is this an Inverse Ninja law?
Ra's, playing to the old mastermind checklist to the hilt, makes an offer to Katana. His take is original and in character, so kudos to that. Basically he wants her to kill Alfred. If she does, he'll free her father's soul from the Soultaker. He then demands that she avenge her father...so wouldn't mean she'd have to kill him?
And the problem of using rogues just becomes apparent, i.e. they spend too much fighting themselves rather than the bat. Unless that was Ra's intent but I might be giving the show too much credit.
Aside: Nice character moment between Gordon and Barbara. Also, nice fight scene between them and ninjas.
Clever moment#2: Batman gives himself up to Magpie, which in turn causes all the other rogues to attack her.
Tobias Whale, however, shows up and offers a partnership. His reasoning makes a fair amount of sense. He considers Gotham his, so Ra's offering to give him a piece doesn't sit too well with him.
Another flashback. It seems Katana's father sacrificed himself to save Alfred. She finally figures this out and refuses to kill Alfred. I'd say giving her the Soultaker was dumb, but she loses it easily enough so I guess it doesn't matter.
Whale and Batman show up, with Batman in cuffs. He frees himself and hands something (Taser? Grappling gun?) to Whale, who then promptly turns on him. Bats expected this though and makes the weapon blow up in Whale's hand. Cute
While this is going on, Barbara and her dad sneak inside the base and hack the cortex, but the big thing is Bats finally decoded the words needed to work the sword. Instead of using it on Ra's though, he unleashes all the souls trapped inside and lets them handle Ra's.
All's well that ends well, as Ra's is dragged off to...hell? The bottom of the base? And Alfred leaves.
Next time, be here for the debut of Harvey Dent
Ra's al Ghul is making the pitch to all the rogues who've appeared so far. Pretty standard "help me and I'll reward you beyond your wildest etc., etc." Of course, why should he go to them? They all lost, rely on equipment, or are too crazy. Ra's commands an entire league of highly trained killers. Why not send them out? They did pretty well so far. Or is this an Inverse Ninja law?
Ra's, playing to the old mastermind checklist to the hilt, makes an offer to Katana. His take is original and in character, so kudos to that. Basically he wants her to kill Alfred. If she does, he'll free her father's soul from the Soultaker. He then demands that she avenge her father...so wouldn't mean she'd have to kill him?
And the problem of using rogues just becomes apparent, i.e. they spend too much fighting themselves rather than the bat. Unless that was Ra's intent but I might be giving the show too much credit.
Aside: Nice character moment between Gordon and Barbara. Also, nice fight scene between them and ninjas.
Clever moment#2: Batman gives himself up to Magpie, which in turn causes all the other rogues to attack her.
Tobias Whale, however, shows up and offers a partnership. His reasoning makes a fair amount of sense. He considers Gotham his, so Ra's offering to give him a piece doesn't sit too well with him.
Another flashback. It seems Katana's father sacrificed himself to save Alfred. She finally figures this out and refuses to kill Alfred. I'd say giving her the Soultaker was dumb, but she loses it easily enough so I guess it doesn't matter.
Whale and Batman show up, with Batman in cuffs. He frees himself and hands something (Taser? Grappling gun?) to Whale, who then promptly turns on him. Bats expected this though and makes the weapon blow up in Whale's hand. Cute
While this is going on, Barbara and her dad sneak inside the base and hack the cortex, but the big thing is Bats finally decoded the words needed to work the sword. Instead of using it on Ra's though, he unleashes all the souls trapped inside and lets them handle Ra's.
All's well that ends well, as Ra's is dragged off to...hell? The bottom of the base? And Alfred leaves.
Next time, be here for the debut of Harvey Dent
Friday, August 28, 2015
The Curse (1987)
The Curse (1987), dir. David Keith, Trans World Entertainment
We've come to the end of the Summer of Love (craft) and we're ending it on a remake of an earlier film. "The Colour from Space" was already made as Die, Monster Die! but just because a film was made doesn't mean it can't be made again.
We've come to the end of the Summer of Love (craft) and we're ending it on a remake of an earlier film. "The Colour from Space" was already made as Die, Monster Die! but just because a film was made doesn't mean it can't be made again.
Friday, August 21, 2015
From Beyond (1986)
From Beyond (1986), dir. Stuart Gordon, Empire International Pictures
With the Re-Animator raking in money and praise, even Band could see the profit to be made. Rushing into production, they picked the science fiction/horror yarn of the same name.
The result wasn't the same.
With the Re-Animator raking in money and praise, even Band could see the profit to be made. Rushing into production, they picked the science fiction/horror yarn of the same name.
The result wasn't the same.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
HB to HP
On this day one hundred and twenty five years ago, Howard Phillip Lovecraft came into the world. This is a tribute and more rambling thoughts on the man's work.
I'd like to say I first discovered the man's mythos in a dank New England library by the sea, where a wall eyed man thrust a bound and locked copy of the Necronomicon into my hands before muttering prayers to the Old Ones.
The truth is I didn't actually read anything of his until I was well into my twenties. I had seen the name, but mostly on video box titles in the local shops. Delving deeper into horror, it was hard to avoid references or praise to the man's work as everyone from King to Gaiman have made mentions of him.
The first two stories I properly read were something though, and they served a fine introduction to cosmic horror. "Rats in the Walls" and "the Call of Cthulhu" were both gripping yarns, although the rest of his work didn't light up my mind like Howard's did. Lovecraft's academic New England protagonists wore thin after a while, not to mention the racism.
Still; and one of this odd "I like the idea more than the work itself" things that bubbles up every now and then, I did grow to enjoy the Cthulhu Mythos. So crack open a tin of beans, scoop some vanilla ice cream afterwards, and enjoy a good book.
I'd like to say I first discovered the man's mythos in a dank New England library by the sea, where a wall eyed man thrust a bound and locked copy of the Necronomicon into my hands before muttering prayers to the Old Ones.
The truth is I didn't actually read anything of his until I was well into my twenties. I had seen the name, but mostly on video box titles in the local shops. Delving deeper into horror, it was hard to avoid references or praise to the man's work as everyone from King to Gaiman have made mentions of him.
The first two stories I properly read were something though, and they served a fine introduction to cosmic horror. "Rats in the Walls" and "the Call of Cthulhu" were both gripping yarns, although the rest of his work didn't light up my mind like Howard's did. Lovecraft's academic New England protagonists wore thin after a while, not to mention the racism.
Still; and one of this odd "I like the idea more than the work itself" things that bubbles up every now and then, I did grow to enjoy the Cthulhu Mythos. So crack open a tin of beans, scoop some vanilla ice cream afterwards, and enjoy a good book.
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