As Halloween quickly approaches most children are getting excited for the big night when they can dress up as their favorite monster or Disney character and for a few hours just have fun as they go from door to door trick-or-treating. This year, with Halloween being on a Saturday, anticipation is high as most kids will be able to stay out a little later, increasing their yearly haul of treats by quite a bit.

Halloween is meant to be a night of fun, not only for the children dressed up trick-or-treating but also for the adults. Whether you are taking your kids out house-to-house or are staying home handing out candy, this night should be enjoyed by children of all ages. With the fun also comes safety.

Horror host Dr. Gangrene, the Physician of Fright, has put together some PSAs for Halloween night and we would like to share them with you! Have fun but be safe!!!

It was a brisk day this past Saturday when I headed out to the Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley, Illinois to see their local horror hostesses, Midnite Mausoleum! For over the past year the unforgettable Marlena Midnite and her effervescent co-host, Robyn Graves, have been entertaining monster fans in the Quad Cities (Northwest Illinois and Southeaster Iowa) via WQAD TV. I hadn’t seen them since back in their Public Access days and wanted to give a quick Terror Dave “Hello” before zooming back to my neck of the woods for another event which I’ll be covering in my next post.

This part of my home state is lot more rural than the bustling Chicago area I live in, and it really nice getting to see the fall leaves before arriving at the zoo. Soon after entering the park I saw the familiar Midnite Mausoleum logo hanging on a tent stand; one of many featured in this annual “Boo at the Zoo” event.  I also saw the ladies who, despite the chilly weather, were busy passing out Halloween candy to a crowd of happy children stopping by for a visit.

I noticed them pass out a Heath Bar and complimented them for handing out the good stuff instead of crappy Tootsie Rolls like most do these days. Marlena smiled while pointing to an orange jack o’lantern sitting behind her. “Oh we’ve got those too but, since they’re my favorite, I try and keep them hidden,” she laughed.

We were interrupted by a little girl who handed them a picture she’d drawn of the the duo getting chased by a zombie. “We love showing stuff like this on the show, ” said producer Blake Powell. He also spoke of how proud he was of the mammoth-sized Box Set they’d put together and that we featured in a recent post. You can order yours HERE!

I asked Robyn if being on local TV had garnered her a lot recognition on the street. “Yeah, I think the purple hair is the biggest give away,” she quipped. I left them to their young fans and took a brief stroll through the zoo before beginning my 3 hour journey to Elgin. The day had kicked off with Midnite Mausoleum and would end with Svengoolie and a Nightmare on Chicago Street!

Dave Fuentes~

For me, one of the biggest draws for this year’s Days of the Dead Chicago was the appearance of Cassandra Peterson a.k.a. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark! I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her a few times before (the first of which I discussed HERE) and later enjoyed her brief reboot of Elvira’s Movie Macabre on our local Chicago station WCIU; the same channel as Svengoolie before he’d go national via MeTV a few months later. That was an exciting time since they were the two hosts I’d grown up with. From age eight to fourteen, I idolized Rich Koz’s Son of Svengoolie (now simply “Svengoolie” with the blessing of his predecessor) before our local WFLD 32 station got swallowed up by the corporate FOX. It was also around that time when I discovered Elvira after renting some of her “Thriller Video” hosted films from my local mom & pop video store. I also remember making frequent road trips in my ’20s to all neighboring Illinois and Indiana Suncoast Video stores in an effort to collect all of her Midnight Madness VHS tapes. That’s one thing we collectors have lost in our modern Internet world; that good old fashioned thrill of the hunt!

Elvira and Svengoolie did eventually cross paths and share a stage together at the 2008 Flashback Weekend here in the Windy City. To my great shame, I was not in town when this historic event took place and have been obsessed with getting a another chance. Unfortunately, Svengoolie was not attending this event though it wouldn’t stop him from reaching out never the less. But where to find an obsessive Svengoolie fan (also slated to meet Elvira) who could help him carry this out?

Photo courtesy of Jim Roche

Svengoolie summoned me to the Weigel Broadcasting station (home of the aforementioned WCIU and MeTV) the Wednesday before the event took place to pick up some items for Elvira. He also invited me to stay that evening to observe tapings as if being the currier between him and the Mistress of the Dark wasn’t reward enough! It was the third time I’ve had this privilege (the last time with the other Dave and covered in two posts beginning HERE) and I love it because it’s always laugh out loud funny plus gives me time to chat with him more than when I’m at one of his appearances.

Sven handed me an official studio bag filled with some Svengoolie swag as well as a message written on one of his promo cards. With his permission, I’m going to share it with you here. It reads…

“My Darling Elvira!…How am I doing? Just a note to thank you for your kind words – you are a constant inspiration and beloved by all (if they know what’s good for them!) Hope to see you again sometime – Much love and respect! Svengoolie (Rich Koz)” 

Despite commercial TV horror hosts being solitary creatures, and we Daves hearing stories from a couple former ones claiming she was abrasive,  so far as Svengoolie is concerned she’s been nothing but positive. I’ve brought him up to her just about every time I’ve seen her and she’s always been very enthusiastic while stating how much she enjoyed sharing the stage with him at Flashback. She also readily gave her well wishes after his heart attack and we’d reached out to her for our celebrity “Get Well Svengoolie” post. Later she’d also state that she “loved (her) some Svengoolie” when asked about him on the Stephanie Miller Radio Show.

Yet despite all of this, I was still nervous on how things were going to play out. What if she took the gift as some sort of empty celebrity gesture and not the token of genuine admiration that it was? How would I tell Svengoolie she had a lackluster reaction without hurting his feelings? Or, more likely, what if she didn’t believe I was acting on his behalf and thought I was just some name dropping fanboy trying to gain special attention?

Indianapolis Horrorhound Weekend 2010

One thing I had going for me was old fashioned Capitalism.

Prior to this weekend, I tracked down two rubber chickens (which ended up being a LOT harder than you’d expect living in Svengoolie’s backyard and even Horrorbles in Berwyn didn’t have any!) with the goal of having Elvira sign them. One was for Svengoolie (which he gave me the money for despite the whole thing being my crazy idea) and the other for myself (that I could have Sven add his signature to later on). I also purchased an autograph for the person who finagled my rubber chickens as that was part of the deal.

On this night, Cassandra Peterson would not be in her signature costume which was fine with me since I’d purchased a Saturday (in costume) photo op ticket for $50 a few months before. Autographs were $30 each and did NOT include a photo; though she’d take a shot with guests for her own Facebook page if they dressed up as her.

One advantage of waiting in line was that it gave me an opportunity to observe her interacting with the other fans that were ahead of me. She was very pleasant with everyone (I’ve never seen her not be) though there are two things I did see that you may want to avoid should you find herself in her presence…

#1 if you bring her any official Elvira merchandise and she asks you where you bought it from, please say the Official Elvira Website and not, “One of the vendors here.” She didn’t get mad when the fan in front of me said this to her but I could tell she wasn’t exactly thrilled about it either.

#2 if she signs a poster or piece of artwork, you get ONE signature only. This one guy made a really cool poster featuring her and a bunch of ‘50s aliens and monsters and, after she signed the top of the poster as instructed, he then asked if she’d sign her drawing’s leg. She politely refused and, though I missed the explanation she gave him, I’m guessing it boils down to violating the “$30 per signature” sign that was sitting on her table.

I do know people in the horror realm (and probably a few of you out there reading this) who find her marketing distasteful but, personally, I’ve never been bothered by it. For nearly four decades she’s worked for her brand and not without a fair share of professional disappointments and financial set-backs (some of which she’d delve into during her Days of Dead panel which I’ll be covering in my next post).

At last it was my turn…

I said hello and that I’d brought her a gift from Svengoolie. She immediately lit up and said, “Oh that’s great! I loved working with him! Gosh…how long ago was that?”

She took the bag and emptied its contents. This was good because I half expected (with respect for time) that she’d just say “Thanks!” and then toss it behind her in a pile of fan-made art work . “Oh this is great!” she said, while looking over the contents and then reading the message. “Aw, tell him I said hello and that I really appreciate this!” I then brought out the rubber chickens for her to sign and she laughed. “You know I think this is the first time in my career anyone has ever asked me to sign one of these things?”

“Well,” I replied. “Here in Chicago it’s sort of common practice.” She told me it was too bad she wasn’t in costume to get a photo with it for him. I mentioned I had a ticket for Saturdays photo op and she said, “Oh, good! Be sure to bring this rubber chicken with you!”

While she was signing I also brought up a TV show pilot she filmed for CBS in the ‘90s that I recently discovered on YouTube. “Yeah that was so sad. At first they loved it and it looked like everything was a go and then, last minute, it got pulled. A few months later they came up with Sabrina the Teenage Witch that was basically the same show with a talking cat and all.” (Note: she would provide even more details about this during her Q&A panel later that night).

I said goodbye and as I was leaving she yelled, “Don’t forget to bring the chicken tomorrow!”

My friend Bunny, who’d been standing in the distance, approached me and said, “Well that looked like it went well.”

The next day I showed up for the photo op but decided to ditch the rubber chicken in favor of my Svengoolie doll…a one of a kind collectible created by the late Terry Cruikshank. I felt it would make a better Sven visual rather than the rubber chicken which might have people scratching their heads and wondering if I had trouble telling my hosts apart.

One of a kind Svengoolie doll has made its rounds…

The next day I was waiting in line for the photo op when I saw her walk off the elevator in costume. I have to say, her character remains ageless and I’d do just about anything to see her back on her signature couch and doing what she does best. When I approached her in the photo room I said to her, “I brought my Sven doll instead of the chicken” and she took it from me and said, “Oh let me hold the doll in the picture! It’s so cute!”

In my life I’ve had some pretty amazing experiences and surreal moments, but acting as an emissary between Elvira: Mistress of the Dark and national commercial TV horror host, Svengoolie, ranks pretty high up there!

Still, I look forward to the day when my ambassadorial services are no longer required and the two horror legends share a stage together once more.

Coming up…The Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) Q&A!

Dave Fuentes

After the great autograph signing experience I had with Cassandra Peterson, a.k.a. Elvira Mistress of the Dark, I was anxious to attend her special Days of the Dead Q&A panel later that same night. We walked through the hotel, past an indoor swimming pool, and outside to an enclosed tent set up for panels and events. This wasn’t the most ideal situation considering the snowstorm and frigid temps made the tent pretty cold despite additional space heaters. I felt particularly bad for a couple of attendees dressed as Frank n’ Furter and the half naked “Rocky” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  It wasn’t long after we took our seats that Cassandra made her way on stage. Below is taken from a audio recording that night…

Moderator: Tell us about getting some early career advice from Elvis Presley

Cassandra: I met Elvis when I was in Vegas which turned out to be a lucky break not to mention the fact that I was a gigantic Elvis fan. It was really pretty innocent; I was seventeen, the youngest gal working in Vegas at the time, and he’s not stupid, right? Anyway, he told me that I should get the hell out of Vegas which was good advice because, had I not taken it, I’d probably now be the oldest gal working there. He said (Imitates voice of Elvis) “Don’t stay here in Vegas, Baby. Go out and do other things.” We sang together on the piano; he played while I sang along. He said, “You’ve got a good singing voice,” and the next day I started taking lessons and eventually ended up singing in a show that got me involved with another show that took me to Europe.

Moderator: Tell us about your work with “The Groundlings” (an improvisational, sketch comedy troop in Los Angeles)

Cassandra: In my long, long, long road back to LA I really didn’t know what I wanted to do other than I knew that I wanted to be the center of attention and be in show business. First I was a dancer and then I was a singer and then I decided that I’d become an actor before seeing The Groundlings. There were only a few people in it at the time but I loved it so much that I became obsessed with it and eventually got into it. That was when they let anybody in and I was in the show with Paul Reubens…Pee-wee Herman, and the late Phil Hartman among others. Lorraine Newman had just left to do this “great new show called Saturday Night Live”and I remember  we were all like, “God, I hope that works out for her!” (audience laughs) And when I was leaving Jon Lovitz was coming in..so a lot of people came out of this group and just about every great comedian you’ve heard of started there. Now it’s really hard to get into…oh my gosh, I think you have to take classes, on average, three to eight years before you are then voted in or not. Kathy Griffin never got voted in by the way…just sayin.’ (laughter)

Moderator: Tell us about becoming Elvira: Mistress of the Dark

Cassandra: Well, that turned out to be a lucky break though, at the time, I didn’t think it was that lucky. I was out looking for work in TV shows and commercials and then someone called me…I was on my honeymoon…and a girlfriend of mine called saying this station was looking for a horror host and you should check it out and I was like, “Well I’m not coming off my honeymoon for that.” Then, a couple of weeks later, she said they were still looking for someone. The director saw me in the Groundlings; liked some valley girl character I’d been doing and asked me to audition. They’d put an ad in the paper so everybody and their mother was auditioning which was kinda weird but finally I got it. They told me they loved the valley girl character and asked me to come up with a spooky look to go with it.  So my best friend at the time, artist Robert Redding, and I got together and collaborated. He came up with this hairdo that was based on his favorite singer, Ronnie Spector of the Ronnettes and I was thinking, “Her hair can not be that high.” But, if you Google her, her freakin’ hair is twice as high! It was ridiculous! The make-up was like Kabuki and the dress designed to be sexy. I remember walking on stage and thinking, “This is never gonna last, it’s ridiculous!” And now here I am thirty-five years later. So I was paid like $300 a week before taxes which was a nightmare, but I ended up owning my character so that more than paid me back for all the money I wasn’t paid then.

Moderator. It seems like horror hosts aren’t as prevalent as they once were. Do you know why that is?

Cassandra: Oh, I know why that is and I’m not even prevalent as a horror host anymore. You can’t get the damn movies! All the movies have been bought up by big companies like Universal and if you want a movie for your show you just can’t afford them..I can’t afford them, nobody can. Last time I did a show was for Hulu (13 Nights of Halloween) and those were independents. My last Movie Macabre show was all Public Domain and PD films are hard to sell. You can have them but, unfortunately, people nowadays don’t like to watch Black & White. It’s a big bummer, but you can’t sell movies that are Black & White. Night of the Living Dead you can get away with but that’s about it. I wanted to do this show called “Elvira Hosts #2” (audience laughs and Cassandra admits she loved the name) which would have just had me presenting the sequels of bad films. But you can’t get the damn movies! One bad sequel will cost you more than what you could ever make on it as a host.

Moderator: How much creative control did you have with your 1988 movie “Elvira: Mistress of the Dark?”

Cassandra: I had total creative control. NBC financed it and it was the only venture in movies they ever did.  I was a writer and a producer on it and it took two to three years for that to be produced with me going out trying to sell it. So I was so happy when that film finally got made and then it became a very sad, sad story. It was like my baby; it took years of my life to make happen and I thought that it came out so great. The company that was distributing it, New World Pictures, was going to put the movie out in 3200 theaters which would have been a normal release. Then, the day before the movie was supposed to be released, New World went bankrupt and the movie was released on only 300 screens. If you were STAR WARS, you would not be a blockbuster on 300 screens, there’s no way in hell. Anyway, that was the end of that and I’m so glad it later ended up becoming a cult classic because otherwise it made no money and everyone looked at it and said it was a failure. They didn’t take into account it only playing on 300 screens and, even then, it was the number one movie in New York, San Francisco, and LA where most of those theaters were. And it was up against Gorillas in the Mist which you guys don’t remember because you weren’t even born yet. (laughter)

Moderator: What are your thoughts on the current state of horror? 

Cassandra: Hmmm…the current state of horror! Well, I just love the old classics and am pretty old school. Every once in a while a good movie comes along. Here’s my problem with a lot of horror movies – they have so many special effects that they leave nothing to your imagination. I think the scariest films were the ones that left a lot to your imagination. I tend to like the low budget films that don’t have all that. They’re scary because you have it all up in your head. One movie that I was in recently was All About Evil and, if you’ve ever seen it, it’s a super fun and funny horror/comedy movie made by close friend, Peaches Christ. I play a totally straight-laced suburban mom, if you can believe that.

Elvira with Peaches Christ

Audience Question #1: Did you have any input on the Elvira pinball machine?

Cassandra: I had a lot of input on them which was really awesome. They showed me their basic art and I would tweek it…say “do this” “do that.” My first pinball machine was called “Party Monsters.” I put names of all kinds of people all over it. If you check out the back glass (illustration) I put the names of my old boyfriend, my other old boyfriend, my husband, my mom and dad…all these people’s names on the tombstones, hot-dogs, etc. And then the new one I also had input on and put my cat, Hector, on there. I also put those jumpy monsters, you know the ones that pop up and down? Anyway, I love pinball and happen to be a pinball freak so, for me, getting one named after my character was like winning an Academy Award.

Audience Question #2: How did the Elvira television show (from the ’90s) proposal come about? Why didn’t the pilot make it on air since it was so hilarious?

Cassandra:  Thank you…that was another bummer and freak thing that happened. I pitched and pitched and pitched that idea and finally got a deal with CBS which we were thrilled about so we filmed a cheap pilot. They loved it and for a while I was the darling of the 20th Century FOX lot which was where we filmed it. So the President of CBS got sick the day that they were choosing all the new shows and this guy, who was the head of Sports from New York, came into town to pick the season line-ups in his place. He took one look at the pilot and said, “We can’t have those boobs on TV” and that was the end of that. Then, just a short few months later, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” debuted which was like the same show only younger. (Laughs) I’m just Miss Sour Grapes over here, right?

Final Audience Question: What were your experiences filming (Elvira’s Haunted Hills) in Transylvania?

Cassandra:  Yeah, it was fantastic. We chose Romania for many reasons but one was because my brother-in-law was a film director who won an Academy Award for a short film and was from Transylvania. So my poor in-laws had a daughter who was Elvira, a son in-law from Transylvania, oh…and a son named Damien (laughter). Anyway, he new all the channels to go through in Romania and was a huge star over there. It was gorgeous there too. I don’t know if you saw it but there was a scene where townspeople were coming after me with pitchforks and everyone thought I used all these great costumes and had fantastic production value but that was actually real people and how they looked..like going back three centuries, traveling by oxen and everything. I tried to capture the old feel of the Hammer films. I was thrilled with it but I liked Mistress of the Dark best because it had a twelve million dollar budget and this one was one million but, anyway if you ever get a chance to go to Transylvania its a great place!

Thus ended the Elvira Q&A which, most of us agreed, went by way too fast! Before leaving I returned to the dealer’s room and picked myself up a Scarebear. What’s that? You say you’ve never heard of a Scarebear? Then tune in for my next Days of the Dead Chicago post and I’ll tell you all about them…

Coming Up…Jay Langley and those Bloody Awesome Scarebears!

Dave Fuentes~

It was just over three years ago when the Rondo Award winning Penny Dreadful (Danielle Gelehrter) released her eighth season of Shilling Shockers. Long before she’d share a name with a hit Showtime series, this New England horror hostess was presenting scary movies while treating fans to some rather hex-cellent sketch comedy. Penny Dreadful XIII is also one Salem witch that doesn’t shy away from a challenge either. This was never more apparent than during the aforementioned Season Eight when she shattered conventional wisdom by featuring all silent films; not something today’s viewers generally clamor for. Nevertheless, with an unholy mix of sweat, spells, and skill she’d pull it off with the help of her director, Rebecca Paiva, who worked tirelessly updating the scratchy Public Domain offerings with new “title cards” along with a vibrant storyline that had the host and her feral sidekick, Garou (played by real life husband, Magoo Gelehrter) hilariously venturing into different time periods.

Back to Monster High: Penny & Garou relive their teen years in Season 8!

But despite her character’s ability to tread into the future, no one could have predicted the real-life heartbreak that would follow. In late 2012, Magoo was diagnosed with cancer and, despite a courageous battle, would succumb to the disease less than two years later. It was a shattering blow to both Danielle as well as her alter ego and left a legion of shocked fans in mourning while silently pondering the fate of Penny Dreadful’s Shilling Shockers. It was a valid if not morbid question.

If the old adage about the great loves of this world existing between those who “share the love of many things” is true then there could be few better examples than Magoo and Danielle. Their mutual love of classic horror and vintage physical comedy (Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, etc) would inspire them to expand their fandom into the realm of horror hosting. Garou’s comedic skills, though brilliant, never upstaged the host and made him an essential part of the success of Shilling Shockers. He even inspired us Daves to do an Ode to Horror Host Sidekicks  blog and interview with him during our earlier days.

However, abruptly ending the show was not an option as, prior to this tragedy ,a successful kick-starter campaign had been waged to raise money for a ninth season. This meant that Penny Dreadful had no choice but to continue whether Danielle was emotionally ready or not.

I’m happy to report that the new and final season of Shilling Shockers was completed and now available for fans to enjoy. Since much of it had been filmed prior to Magoo’s death, it also provides fans the bittersweet opportunity to enjoy Garou’s antics once more. I’ve personally watched the entire season and am not ashamed to say that I shed a few tears along the way. Perhaps it was a chance for us fans to say ‘goodbye’ the way he would have wanted it; with lots of laughter in place of sorrow.

Artistically, the season is masterfully done and illustrative of the tremendous growth this show experienced since its inception. I honestly can’t say enough great things about it and urge all my fellow monster fans to grab their own copies to see for themselves. Seriously, you won’t be disappointed!

I asked Danielle if she would permit me to do an interview with her and if she’d allow me to ask questions regarding Magoo. I felt it was important for us fans and supporters to see how she’s been coping while also allowing her a chance to share her feelings. We Daves are honored that she agreed and  would like to thank her for her candor.

Dave: It’s difficult to know what to say to someone who suffered a loss as you have. Magoo (Garou) was your husband both on and off camera and many of us want to know how you’ve been coping since.

Danielle: Some days, I’m fine. Some days, I’m not. I grieve and am learning to live with the sorrow of his loss, which is natural. Magoo and I had a very deep bond and a true, powerful love for one another. While I know that I’ll be with him again someday, I miss him more than words can express. I’m grateful to have family and friends nearby and am fortunate that I have so many wonderful people in my life. That has helped a lot. Also, our little dog Krispy is a blessing to have around. Anyway, I’m hanging in there and taking things day by day while still having some laughs along the way, so don’t worry about me. I’ve also buried myself in a ton of work in an effort to stay focused. Once things wrap up with these extra jobs I’ve taken on, which are mainly sedentary writing-based projects, I intend to refocus my energies on getting into shape and diving full-force back into my passions of comedy and theatre. Lately, I’m feeling a VERY strong need to focus on comedy and theatre again, so that’s the plan.

Dave:  Garou makes his last appearances in these episodes. How did his disappearance affect the original schematic of this season’s storyline(s)?

Danielle: He asked if we could tape all of his scenes first because he thought he’d feel too sick to do it later. He was already quite ill at that point, but was well enough to do the attic-based stuff so we shot just about all of his scenes for the season over the course of two or three taping sessions. The first thing we taped for Season 9 was actually the final episode of the series, and I am very glad that Garou is prominently featured in that last show. There was just one Garou segment in season 9 that we weren’t able to record with Magoo. The scene was a pivotal one in that particular episode because it involved Garou stealing a brain from the New England Historical Brain Repository, so we needed to get the bit in order to complete the season. We asked our friend Jesse Tokarz if he could be Garou’s stunt double for the scene. He didn’t have any lines and Rebecca shot him from behind so you couldn’t see his face. Jesse did a fantastic job of channeling Garou’s physicality, and I know for sure that Magoo would have given him two thumbs up. I’m very grateful to Jesse for doing it.

Dave: How did you find the motivation to continue with Shilling Shockers after losing someone who had been such a strong part of the show?

Danielle:During a conversation we had the week before he passed from this realm, he commented on how he hoped kids would enjoy his final episodes as Garou. It was heartbreaking to have this conversation with him, but I knew then and there that we needed to finish it.

We couldn’t get back to doing the show until several months had passed after he left us. None of us had the heart to continue the show for some time, but we knew that we HAD to go back to it. We had to finish it. Magoo wanted us to finish it. We also held an Indiegogo campaign the year before and people were expecting us to deliver on our promise of new episodes. There was no way we were going to let those people down.

We eventually shot a new episode in Fall of 2014 and then, ta-da, I had to have a laminectomy to remove a benign, but very painful, nerve sheath tumor from my spine. That put me out of commission for a few more months. When we finally went back to the show again, I thought it was going to be arduous and emotionally painful, but I have to say, it was actually really fun going back to it. It reinvigorated my spirit in a way. In particular, shooting the “Creature from the Haunted Sea” episode was so much fun. Rebecca came up with this great idea for a “tropical drinks/beach” episode and we wound up taping it on Magoo’s birthday. It was just this very silly episode that Magoo would have adored. My husband and I shared this love of Vaudeville and goofball gags, and this is the type of show he definitely would have loved. I’m convinced he was with us that day, on his birthday, laughing at the silliness taking place. It is my favorite episode of the season. We had so much fun.

Dave: How integral was the support of your other cast members in continuing on with this season?

Danielle: It’s funny hearing them described as “cast members” because, really, they are family. Eric, Ivan, and Rebecca all loved Magoo too, so everyone was devastated by what happened, but we were all there for each other and came together when the time was right to finish up the season. When we shot that outdoor episode five months after Magoo passed away, Ivan showed up in the Von Bulow garb. He wasn’t scheduled to be in the episode, but it was wonderful that he came to be there with us, and so we wound up putting him in at the end of the episode and we adlibbed a scene together.

I’d go to Rebecca and Eric’s place to hang out or go over footage on some nights and we’d talk, cry, and laugh together as we reminisced about past adventures. Ivan would come down (he lives about an hour away) and we’d grab dinner and talk about ideas for the show or come up with wacky scenarios that we knew Magoo would get a kick out of. Many of our other good friends and family members came out to play extra roles in the various episodes; too many to name but all who loved and cared about Magoo. We all encouraged each other and helped each other cope with our loss. I’m immensely grateful to have such wonderful friends in my life.

Rebecca put in a lot of long months editing the Season 9 shows in order to get them out to the TV stations for Halloween. She thought it was going to be difficult going over all of the footage with Garou, but found that seeing him on those tapes made her feel like he was there hanging out with her while she worked.

Dave: In past seasons of Shilling Shockers, you’ve had ongoing storylines running throughout the season. Is this also the case for Season 9 or is each show a standalone.

Danielle: The first portion of Season 9 features an ongoing storyline that takes place over four episodes. The final three episodes of the season are standalone shows and not part of any storyline.

Starting in season 7, we wanted to live up to the name of the show and evoke the essence of the shilling shockers and penny dreadful of the 19^th century, which featured serialized stories.

The standalone shows are so much fun too. I like playing with both styles. We actually experimented with one of the standalones and did something pretty different this time. It’s like that episode is a whole different show entirely. The last episode, however, is very much a throwback to season 1 of Shilling Shockers with some nods to our earliest stuff.

Dave: Without giving anything away, I noticed some really neat creative touches in your recounting of Penny Dreadful’s background story. What inspired you to delve deeper into your character?

Danielle: I guess I just wanted to do an “origin story.” I wrote a show bible early on and a lot of that material was in there. I wasn’t sure if we’d ever get to it, but I hoped to tell that story. Maybe it’s because I’ve always been a fan of comics where the origin story is a staple. Awhile back, we did an episode about how Penny became a horror hostess, but we never saw how she became a witch. There’s some pretty dark stuff to be found there. Maybe what we did was too tragic or tonally inappropriate for a show of this nature, but I stand by it. It’s fun to experiment with the format and try new things, while celebrating the traditional elements of the format as well.

Dave: Recently the other Terror Dave met up with you at The Rhode Island Comic Con. Are there any other future public appearances planned at this time?

Danielle: It was great seeing him again! I had a blast at the con. As for future appearances, we’ll be at Super Megafest on April 8th, 9th, and 10th in Marlborough, Massachusetts. We scaled back on guest appearances at cons and will only do a couple a year from now on, and these will be local ones in the New England area. Garou was a big part of the convention experience, and I just don’t have the heart or the desire to go traveling all over for these anymore. However, I do VERY much miss the many friends I’ve spent time with at all the cons, and I hope that they will make it up this way for some of the conventions here. I’m not saying I’ll never travel long-distance to do a convention again. We might do that again someday, but for now I’m content keeping it local and limited to maybe one or two a year.

Dave: With this being the final season of Shilling Shockers, many are speculating if this is the end of Penny Dreadful as well. Is this true?

Danielle: What is it they say about a “bad Penny?” *wink wink*

The ongoing Shilling Shockers series is over. People have asked me if I’m going to continue hosting Shilling Shockers solo. I’ve hosted plenty of the episodes solo in the past. That wouldn’t really be anything new. However, Garou was the heart of the series. He was an integral part of the Shilling Shockers as a whole even if he wasn’t in every single episode. We were a team. I just don’t feel right continuing Shilling Shockers without him.

Now, just because the show is ending, that doesn’t mean Penny Dreadful is ending too. Penny Dreadful is certainly NOT disappearing. As we finished the new season, I realized that I was having a great time doing it. Penny isn’t ready to let me go yet, and I’m not ready to hang up her cape just yet either.

We’ll surely do some Halloween TV specials, and I have an idea for a live charity event that I’d like to get off the ground. I also very much want to record a novelty monster music CD.

So let’s set the record straight: Shilling Shockers is done. Penny Dreadful is not. See you in the Halloween Special!

The Terror Daves would like to thank Penny Dreadful for her candor. Season 9 and all previous seasons of Shilling Shockers are available at her official site!

~Dave Fuentes

Terror from Beyond the Daves is pleased to welcome guest writer, William Taylor, sharing memories of his childhood horror host.

He debuted on the New Orleans airwaves in the late 1940s on WWL radio before transitioning to WWL-TV on January 3, 1959 as a scientist “of the higher order” whose weekly experiments (wrapped around the horror movie presentation) in his laboratory would potentially revolutionize the world as we knew it…maybe.  His name is Momus Alexander Morgus and he worked out of the Old City Ice House in the Crescent City and is assisted by Chopsley who always wore a hood because the good doctor once tried to do dental surgery on him but Chopsley inhaled too much laughing gas & his face collapsed, but there’s still hope one day it can be properly reconstructed. He was further assisted by his talking skull computer E.R.I.C. (Eon Research Infinity Computer).

Morgus with Chopsley!

I first knew about Morgus through my father in the early 1980s when WWL-TV did a 25^th anniversary special featuring the legendary personality and my interests were further gathered when I found Morgus also did the weather each weekday afternoon throughout the 1960s which was also wrapped around an experiment of the day (later on my college degree was in atmospheric science-meteorology). However, I still had not seen a full Morgus episode until I got the news in the fall of 1986 that the great doctor was returning to the airwaves with new episodes starting in January 1987 to be aired over WGNO-TV (taped at WDSU-TV). “Happy Days are here again” kept playing in my mind that I would finally get to see those great experiments that so many had the pleasure of watching for so long.

The first episode I remember watching was about the B.U.B.A. machine (Bionic Ultra Body Analyzer) where you simply stood straight & a hula-hoop shaped ring would pass around your body, determine what was wrong & then would disperse a liquid medicine. It seemed to be going well until the “DNA” (Doctors & Nurses Association) showed up with a picket line to protest this machine would put them out of business, in the end two of the protesters wound up tampering with the machine & caused it to malfunction, ruining a great invention with Morgus having to pick up the pieces.

Morgus had a great connection with his fan base from the beginning because he knew his audience well.  When the show started the popularity largely took off because of an old concept called “Ballyhoo” where fans were more than willing to play along with each show’s plot.  So much so that a few months into 1959 during one of his live telecasts (the show wasn’t pre-taped until sometime late in 1960) he asked fans to come outside the TV station where he was going to throw off the roof a dummy that resembled (I believe) the abominable snowman and the people literally packed the streets to the point where traffic couldn’t pass, a legend was further solidified.

Fans also connected well with Morgus because of big goals and those sometimes not-so-good results because those aspects are all too common to grown-ups and kids alike who would like to be their own success story one day.  Even more importantly, Morgus made science fun, so many of us wish we could have had a school teacher like him show us everything from how the Bernoulli principle demonstrates wind increasing in strength when it blows between two buildings to Boyle’s law where Temperature goes up air pressure usually goes down.

He made weather forecasting informative & enjoyable at the same time, he wouldn’t allow his landlady Mrs. Fettish to push him around when he was late for the rent, and most importantly he let the audience at home feel good about themselves because through science he proved that we are all human, capable of great things and the occasional boo-boo along the way.

Morgus was once described as being a modern parallel to classic literature’s Don Quixote & his assistant Chopsley as Sancho Panza. However, Morgus was truly an original all his own.  His scientific endeavors may not make the International Science Hall of Fame but he’ll forever be placed in the hearts of those that could only wish they could qualify as a member of the Higher Order.

And who says science has to be boring?

William Taylor~

THIS Saturday Night on MeTV National Horror Host, Svengoolie, will debut a brand new song sure to become an instant classic! I’ve had the privilege of hearing this song for myself (I don’t think I was supposed to, but I’m sure glad I did) and absolutely loved it! Yeah, I know, you’re probably sitting at home waving off my endorsement of a song about Svengoolie like it’s the NRA approving the GOP, but I swear even non-Svenatics will love it! Performed by ’50s rocker, Freddie “Boom Boom” Cannon (“Palisade’s Park”), the song will also be available for purchase. Want more details? Check out this official press release and tune in Saturday night!

Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, who holds the record as the recording artist with the most performances on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand (110), will debut his new tune on National TV Labor Day Weekend.

 The tune, “the Svengoolie Stomp,” was inspired by one of Freddy’s favorite TV shows, seen Saturday nights on ME-TV.  A long time fan of scary movies, when Freddy isn’t touring on weekends he watches Svengoolie host old horror and sci fi films.  Svengoolie has been played by Rich Koz since 1979. Koz, a former radio air talent before he became a well known and award winning TV personality,  started playing the movie host character in Chicago, where the show is still produced, however now Svengoolie’s show has expanded and is seen in all 50 states.

Cannon, well known for his early rock hits including “Palisades Park” and “Tallahassee Lassie,” said he came up with his latest creation when a friend suggested he write a song about monsters.  Having watched many late night horror movie shows over the years, Freddy felt Koz’s Svengoolie was the best he had seen.  “Rich does an incredible job.  I love his humor and he’s always well researched with the tidbits he shares about his films.”

Having never met Koz,  Freddy wrote and recorded the “Svengoolie Stomp,” based solely on his passion for the show and the character. Cannon sent it without advance notice to the ME-TV studios. Koz said “You can’t imagine what a thrill it is for me to have a great talent whose music I’ve enjoyed for so long to actually create a song about me.”

“Freddy has perfectly combined the good time rock & roll he’s famous for with the spirit of what we do on my show-and, believe me, our show has had its share of spirits,” said Koz.

In preparation for the national debut of the “Svengoolie Stomp,” Cannon flew to Chicago from L.A. to film the music video on the set of the TV show. In addition to Cannon and Koz in the video, viewers will recognize cameos from a number of celebrities from the world of music and TV.

Svengoolie will introduce the new tune during his showing of Lon Chaney in “Frozen Ghost” this Saturday, Sept. 3rd, 10pm, (9pm, central) on ME-TV.

“The Svengoolie Stomp” will be available for downloading Sept 4 on iTunes.  Plus, a collector’s edition vinyl copy of the tune can be ordered at http://www.wondercaprecords. com.

For more information, contact Svengoolie Producer Jim Roche at: JRoche@MeTVNetwork.com.

And we Daves would like to thank Mr. Roche for sharing all the photos used in this post! See you this Saturday!

It was a beautiful sunny day this past Sunday and not unlike the last time Svengoolie visited J.J. Blinkers in Antioch, Illinois. In fact, it was just over five years ago when the national TV horror host descended upon the trick shop like an atomic rubber chicken; blasting all turnout expectations in an unforgettable visit the locals still talk about to this day. Mere minutes from the Wisconsin border, Antioch would be inundated with fans while providing them with fun embellishments such as complimentary gift bags and Svengoolie-style treats. By the time it was all over, the village wouldn’t know what hit them and Rich Koz would prove himself to be one broadcasting legend whose popularity only seemed to grow stronger with age. The question surrounding his latest appearance wasn’t if he’d bring in the crowds but how the store was prepared to handle them all?

Goolie Goodies featured at Sven’s 2011 appearance!

A clever use of Capitalism would be one way.  Joanne Linker, owner of J.J. Blinkers and whom we interviewed a couple of years ago during our It Came from the Trick Shop series, offered a special “Svengoolie Fast Pass” you could purchase the day before at a local craft fair. The passes sold for $5.00 each and would grant it’s holder a spot in a separate line that had priority admittance. Unfortunately for me, I don’t live anywhere near Antioch and had no choice but to leave earlier on Sunday to take my chances with everyone else.

My friends and fellow Svengooliacs (a term coined by Mark Hamill to describe us super fans), Don and Bunny, had already arrived and had been texting me updates right up until I got there. If you’ve seen Sven’s “Boa Brace” parody commercial , then you’ve seen those two performing in it. The spoof garnered high praise from viewers and became an instant classic with fans. Thankfully, my friends haven’t allowed their Svengoolie Stardom to go to their heads and offered me a spot in line. One of these days I’m going to have to buy myself a stuffed boa constrictor from Brookfield Zoo and have them sign it for me in honor of their successful television debut!

We were just catching up on things when I heard someone calling my name. It was a lady named Theresa whom I’d met a couple of years back during a ghost tour at Chicago’s other zoo, Lincoln Park. As fate should have it, she was carrying extra passes and graciously offered them to us. What a doll!

Standing in line for any fan event provides opportunities to meet other like-minded folks and we enjoyed talking to a guy named Ray who was wearing a Godzilla T-Shirt and proudly sharing photos of himself meeting Svengoolie at a previous event while dressed as Skeletor. It was pretty obvious by his enthusiasm that Ray fit Mr. Hamill’s definition of a Svengooliac, too.

I decided to survey the line (now halfway down the street) while searching for any “interesting” fans. One that immediately stood out was a woman decked to the nines in full Chicago Bear’s regalia. Not only was she one of the most colorful people in attendance but a fairly brave one at that considering we were so close to the Wisconsin border and just as likely to run into a fanatical Green Bay Packer’s fan as well. I’m no fan of football but I do know that the rivalry between those two teams is palpable. I didn’t catch the woman’s name but she made a point of telling me that she was giving up watching the Bear’s opening game in favor of seeing Svengoolie. I’m thinking that in her world that was quite a sacrifice.

The oddest costume I encountered was a man dressed in a green robe with a bird mask. At first I thought maybe he was trying to be a rubber chicken in honor of Sven but he looked a lot more like a crow than poultry. Even more confusing was his holding what appeared to be an antique, iron “ice grabber” that was clamping a blonde wig (???).

Joanne and crew were pretty flashy themselves with the former dressed as The Cat in the Hat complete with helpers Thing 1 and Thing 2. Before Sven arrived she was running around pell-mell making sure everything was in place for his arrival. The poor woman reminded me of my mom on Thanksgiving morning.

Joanne (right) and her “#1” Kim!

As the time drew near, we all stared vigilantly at an empty, reserved parking space in front of the store. We were hoping we’d catch him pulling up and exiting the car and Ray promised to drop to his knees and yell, “We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!” after he did. Convinced he wasn’t kidding, I had my video camera out and on standby. Unfortunately we really weren’t worthy as Svengoolie had already arrived and was parked behind the store. Regardless of the missed opportunity, none of us were complaining once that line started moving.

When we reached the entrance, the shop’s manager, Kim (a.k.a. Thing 1), took our passes while giving everyone a free raffle ticket to win J.J. Blinkers merchandise. The winning numbers were revealed the next day on Facebook with the lucky ticket holders instructed to return to the store and claim their prizes. Considering J.J. Blinkers is ninety minutes away from me, I can honestly say I’ve never been more relieved to lose a raffle!

After we finally made it inside, we ogled the store’s merchandise, especially the ones geared towards us Sven fans. These included rubber chicken holiday ornaments and Theresa bought herself an entire box. I will say they were pretty cool and a worthy addition to my Svengoolie shrine.

We knew we were close to Svengoolie when we saw his producer/right hand man, Jim Roche. We complimented him on the show and talked about the success of The Svengoolie Stomp which debuted the previous weekend. The song’s been getting lots of play at my house and the other Dave liked it so much he included it in his latest Music to Die For entry.

Discussing the song made me wish Sven’s Director, Chris Faulkner, had been there too. Not only did he do a stellar job on The Svengoolie Stomp’s accompanying video but also consistently delivers the best film prints and high quality host segments possible. In my opinion, Sven’s scenes have an almost ‘50s Technicolor look to them that gives off a sense of warmth to the viewer. It perfectly complements Svengoolie’s performance while providing nice, fuzzy feelings for us stressed-out working stiffs. Dare I say it, the Svengoolie show is like rubber chicken soup for the soul!

Due to the immense number of fans, I kept my visit brief even though I hadn’t seen him in six months and missed being around him. Amongst the crowd were plenty of returning locals including a family who’d brought their 5 year old son to see him while sharing an infant photo of the same child taken during Sven’s last visit. There were also families representing THREE generations of Rich Koz Svengoolie fans who all came together to see him.

As we were leaving, we were handed some J.J. Blinkers swag along with a special “I Saw Svengoolie at J.J. Blinkers” coupon for 31% off our next purchase (BTW the odd number signifies how many years they’ve been in business).

Don, Bunny, and I had lunch at the local Vegas Café which featured paintings of movie stars and the ‘60s Batman. When we finished eating, we saw that the line to see Svengoolie was even longer with more people arriving. I later learned that despite staying an extra hour to accommodate everyone, the line still had to be cut.

Line to see Svengoolie, 90 minutes into the signing!

So what exactly makes Svengoolie’s visits to J.J. Blinkers so significant? Perhaps it’s the novelty of having a commercial TV horror host visiting a privately owned, local business. Or maybe the near perfect “Americana” of Antioch’s Main Street providing the ideal venue for celebrating the epic career of Rich Koz whose multigenerational appeal has made him more than just a celebrity but a tradition here in the Midwest. Whatever the reason, one can’t escape the irony of a trick shop proving to the world that Svengoolie fandom is no joke.

Dave Fuentes~

I left work early last Thursday to attend the Roe Conn Halloween show in Frankfurt, Illinois. For those unaware, Conn is a well known, Chicago-based talk-radio personality who’s hosted national shows for over two decades. Although I’ve been familiar with his voice since back in his “Roe & Gary” days, I saw him for the first time at last year’s Halloween show  which was at the same venue, CD & Me. Of course my attendance was based on the return of their special guest, Svengoolie, whom I hadn’t seen in almost a FULL week since Elgin’s Nightmare on Chicago Street. Talk about a dry spell! If only I could figure out a way to declare all my Sven-chasing gas mileage at tax time.

I almost wasn’t sure I was going to make it at all this year. The tickets are free but you have to register online ahead of time. Last year they sent my confirmation a day or two beforehand but this year…nada. After inquiring I discovered I was on the list but that something happened to their database and it was all messed up. Just as I arrived Roe was telling his listening audience the same thing while assuring them that nobody will be turned away. The Roe Conn show is a four hour program but Svengoolie shows up during the last hour to participate in the “News or Ruse” game (more on that later).

Also like last year’s show, the hosts dressed up for Halloween and (going from the above photo, left to right) Kevin Powell was golfer Arnold Palmer, Anna Davlantes as Melania Trump, Roe Conn was swimmer Ryan Lochte, Violetta Podrumedic a traffic light, and Judy Pielach as “Judge Judy.” They also brought along two technicians; one dressed as a Ninja Turtle and the other as the late rocker, Prince. Whenever Roe posed for pictures, he’d make a point of staying in character by having a dazed look on his face to emulate Lochte’s reputation of not being the brightest of bulbs.

This time around, the show’s musical entertainment were ’60s rockers, The Ides of March, with lead singer Jim Peterik. Even if you aren’t familiar with his name, you definitely know his music. Aside from writing and performing the hit song, “Vehicle,”with this band, he also founded Survivor and co-wrote the 1983 Rocky III anthem, “Eye of the Tiger.” Other hits co-written by Peterik were performed by Cheap Trick, 38 Special, Lynyrd Skynyrd, REO Speedwagon, and Sammy Hagar. It turns out he was born in Berwyn, Illinois and Peterik later admitted that every time he tells people that, they always bring up Svengoolie.

Roe brought on a couple of local guests including the Mayor of Frankfurt before featuring Sidney Friedman, a local “Mentalist.” Friedman is credited for predicating last year’s Oscars with 100% accuracy while also bedazzling the WGN hosts by guessing what numbers they had secretly written or what playing cards they randomly picked from a deck. He’d just been a guest on the TV show Windy City Live after mailing them a letter proclaiming that the Chicago Cubs would lose their first game in the World Series before winning the second…both of which came to pass after the letter reached the station. The audience at CD & Me were all cheering when he further went on to predict that the Cubs would win their next three games before becoming Champions in Chicago this Sunday (yesterday). Since then the Cubs lost two games and the World Series is still going…so much for the Mentalist!

Svengoolie showed up and everyone approached the stage to take pictures of him while the WGN crew wanted selfies. He totally lit up the whole event!

Just like last year, Svengoolie’s role was to oversee a costume contest (winner in the photo above) and participate in a game called “News or Ruse.”  This involved hearing a bizarre headline and having to decide whether it was made up or an actual one. You can watch it in the clips below…

Of course Svengoolie did not come alone and his assistant, Jim Roche, was there too. It was Jim’s birthday but he had little time for celebration while looking out for America’s number one horror host during the home stretch of Halloween. Jim and I talked briefly after the show and I waved goodbye to Svengoolie before zooming out the door. After the show he’d be catching up with the WGN crew and I wanted to get out of the lot before everyone else left.

Svengoolie had a busy weekend ahead but this was the last I’d see him for the 2016 Halloween Season. I had a Masquerade Ball to attend on Friday and a Halloween Party on Saturday.  It was indeed a fun and busy season but I’m looking forward to relaxing.

Now, to figure out what movie to watch…

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Dave Fuentes~

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. One of the most iconic horror hosts in the history of horror hosts. So much so in fact that she became a household name even in homes that didn’t have access to her syndicated show Movie Macabre in the 80’s or even had any interest in the b-movies that she showed week after week.

Cassandra Peterson, who plays the queen of Halloween, has been very successful over the years. Her career, in addition to being the horror hostess with the mostess, has also been in two cult movies featuring her character, had countless television appearances, has had a comic book series based on her, has countless action figures and model kits made in her image and even has a musical career. In addition to hosting a handful of albums and cd’s featuring Halloween-themed novelty songs she has also recorded many fun songs herself!

She has been busy for the last 35 years and there seems to be no sign of the character going away, which is great news for her fans. Her quick wit and winning personality has endeared her to fans worldwide and her new book is destined to be the ultimate Elvira collectible.

I originally became aware of the Mistress of the Dark thanks to magazine articles but didn’t have access to her show here in Rhode Island, or so I thought. Back in the day before cable television we had a thing called television antennas that would draw in either the VHF or UHF stations. On certain nights, if the weather was just right, I found that I could draw in UHF stations from both Massachusetts and Connecticut. It was one late Saturday night when I actually found Movie Macabre, quite by accident, and I was hooked. I was only able to draw the station in one more time after that but it is a memory that has stayed with me all of these years later.

 When the announcement came earlier this year that Tweeterhead Publishing would be releasing an ultimate photo collection in coffee table book form of Elvira, I knew this was something that I was going to want in my collection. The book is available in two forms; one signed and one unsigned. The signed edition is almost twice the price but in my opinion, it’s the definitive copy to own.

The oversized book measures 10″ x 13″ and features 240 pages of beautiful full color and black and white photos of Elvira. Also included are blurbs from the Mistress of the Dark making this a very fun book to go through over and over again. There are over 350 images, many of which have never been published before. Even if someone is not a fan of Elvira (is that even possible?), you will still enjoy looking through this book!

Let me just say that I love this book and cannot recommend it enough. You may be hesitant to purchase it because of the price, especially since it is not available for less money on Amazon, but it is truly worth it. My only real complaint was what they charge for shipping. Despite the size and the weight of the book, it certainly could be shipped Media Mail for a lot less than what you are charged. I will say though that once I saw this magnificent book the shipping charges no longer mattered.

You can order your own copy of this fantastic photo collection direct from Tweeterhead Publishing by going HERE! You will not be disappointed and this is a book that you will enjoy for years to come! It’ll will make the perfect Christmas gift for that Elvira fan in your life, even if it’s you!

~David Albaugh

Last October, national MeTV horror host, Svengoolie, unveiled a fan-made work of art during his mail segment that really got my attention! While I’m constantly amazed at the creative items talented viewers are always sending him, this one brought along a wave of nostalgia regarding another one of my childhood loves, Wacky Packages! Best of all, it was just created by a random fan but one of the artists responsible for creating the real ones, Sam Gambino.

I’d written about my love of Wacky Packages both in the early days of this site as well as in Monster Memories 2012 (and you purchase that issue and part Monster Memories by going HERE). Since the late ‘60s, these trading card/stickers inspired laughs courtesy of their madcap parodies of popular consumer products of the day. Since I’d never been a fan of sports they’d prove hilarious alternatives to baseball cards and I couldn’t get enough of them. Wacky Packs weren’t just funny but often featured monsters or a horror theme which made them even more appealing. I’m proud to say that this tradition lives on!

In 2004, an all-new series of Wacky Packages made its way to the shelves and has proven successful. This is no short thanks to the return of their original artist, Jay Lynch, as well as some fresh new talents such as Stephon Taylor, Fred Wheaton, Brent Engstrom, Joe McWilliams, and the creator of “Sweet Sven Rubber Chicken Broth,” himself, Sam Gambino.

Gambino, having grown up with television horror hosts including “Son of Svengoolie” (who’s also the current Svengoolie having since dropped the “Son of” moniker), was no stranger to the ghoulish nor the goofy. Using the host in one of his works was inevitable. “Wacky Packages and Svengoolie were both rites of passage for me as a kid growing up outside of Detroit in the ’70’s and early ’80’s,” said Gambino. “He went along perfectly with Count Chocula, Frankenberry, and old Munster reruns. For that reason, I HAD to honor Svengoolie with my own version of a Wacky Package design.  How could I live with myself if I hadn’t???”

A full interview with Gambino will be featured in the upcoming Monster Memories 2017 coming soon! Not only does he delve further into his love of horror hosts but also shares insights on the creative process of Wacky Packages cards. Be sure to monitor the Scary Monsters Magazine Facebook Page and Scary Monsters Website so you don’t miss out! Remember, you can also purchase past issues of Monster Memories, Scary Monsters, and other creepy merchandise by visiting HERE!

Dave Fuentes

As soon as I arrived for Day Two of the Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), I made a mad dash to the autograph section while dodging hundreds of attendees. National MeTV horror host, Svengoolie, was signing at Table #25 and, per his producer/assistant Jim Roche, I was to meet the crew just prior to his 11 am appearance. Seconds after reaching the spot, I got swept up by the host’s television crew who’d been right behind me. For the last five years, I’ve been one of the luckiest Svengoolie fans around. Despite his growing popularity and adding a bevy of celebrity admirers to his fan base each year, he and his talented team have always been very gracious to us Daves and allowing close access to many of his key appearances. I get to play Jimmy Olsen to his Superman while offering some assistance whenever needed. C2E2 is one of those “all hands on deck” type of events where this often comes into play. Svengoolie always commands a huge line of fans but, at this convention, it would continuously grow the entire weekend if given the chance. While his Director, Chris Faulkner, and assistant director, Kevin Reisberg, are out gathering footage for the show, Jim has the arduous task of maintaining the crowd without being distracted. So it’s the perfect trade-off, I offer an extra set of hands and, in turn, get front row coverage of the host. It probably also helps that I’m built like a bar bouncer and can offer an air of “protection” should things get rowdy though, thankfully, that’s never happened at any of the Svengoolie appearances I’ve ever attended (and, for the record, this one was #76⁾.

Hanging backstage with Sven & Company

We all settled in at a table before Sven and Jim were back up on their feet to say hello to one of those celebrity fans I mentioned. It was actor, Wil Wheaton (whom I remember best as the lead in Stand by Me), who was all smiles getting a chance to finally meet the commercial horror host.

Chatting with Wil Wheaton

This led to a rather amusing moment as they were so deep in conversation none of them noticed an older man in a cart passing right by them. It was good old Stan Lee, himself, making another one of his famous cameos only this time in the Svengoolie-verse! Kevin and I just sat there watching with our mouths open and I later kicked myself for not getting a shot of it. A fine Jimmy Olsen I turned out to be!

As 11 am drew near, Jim went outside to fire up the crowd while Svengoolie awaited his cue.

Jim Roche working the crowd

Svengoolie waits for the right moment to make his entrance…

The crowd cheered when Svengoolie entered the scene. He quickly took his seat while I staged myself in my usual C2E2 spot; in front of his signing booth and out of Jim’s way (or at least as much as I could). While surveying the long line, I immediately noticed a familiar face, none other than the great Nicholas Mastramico!

Terror Dave with the Terror-ific Nicholas Mastramico!

Nicholas with Jim Roche

In fact, one of the highlights of this weekend was getting to finally meet Nicholas and his beautiful wife Kimberly. Aside from being one of the most genuinely nice guys you could ever meet, Nicholas is a brilliant & multi-talented Svengoolie fan who’s written “The Grey Ghost: The Shadow that Walks” (which the other Dave reviewed HERE), works for NASA, and has even designed his own LEGO sets. I wanted to whisper in his son’s ear, “Do you have any idea how cool your old man, is!?”

Having driven all the way up from Alabama, Nicholas brought along a few things for Sven to sign including another one of his LEGO masterpieces – a perfect bust of Kerwyn! I could tell Sven loved it and it made its national TV debut during this past show.

The look of a happy Svengoolie!

He also had Sven sign the Scary Monsters Magazine #87 Svengoolie Tribute issue as well as the recent Svengoolie celebrity team up with Dick Tracy! Sven had been approached by strip writer, Mike Curtis, asking if he’d mind being a character in a story arc involving a crime committed at a cosplay convention. His role in the story would be hosting a costume contest; a perfect fit as I’ve seen him do that lots of times during those aforementioned 76 appearances. Naturally, the host readily agreed.

“Being a lifelong Dick Tracy fan, I was more than happy to allow it, ” said Sven. “Joining the ranks of my fellow horror host Dr. Gangrene and my WWE Hall of Fame pal Jerry “the King” Lawler. We’ve gotten a great reaction to my appearance and it was a real honor for me.”

Nicholas printed out the strips and had Svengoolie sign one of the pages. In that regard, he was one step ahead of me as I’m still in the process of trying to figure out how best to frame the whole story/series for my own Sven-shrine.

Svengoolie signing his Dick Tracy appearance!

Shortly after Sven started greeting his admirers, wrestler C.M. Punk arrived at the booth next door. I was just about to snap a photo of Svengoolie with one of his fans when Punk interrupted to say “hello.” Already mad at myself for missing Stan Lee’s flyby I quickly took shot after shot of the encounter. There was just one problem…it wasn’t my camera! I didn’t realize until right afterward that I was still holding the fan-whom-Sven-was-meeting-with’s phone. Fortunately, the true owner, Bryan Smith, was kind enough to send me copies after he got home. Thanks Bryan!

Photos courtesy of Bryan Smith

Later on, I was able to get my own photos of Svengoolie with the wrestling superstar, who even took a selfie with him!

The line to see Sven never seemed to shrink and fans kept showing up even after it was cut. If Jim got distracted for more than a second he’d look up and see six more people had jumped in. Svengoolie’s popularity at this event shows no signs of waning even after all these years. Some were familiar faces like fellow Sven fan, Pete Blatchford, whom I hadn’t seen since Svengoolie’s appearance at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.

Others were in costume which made sense since, as mentioned, C2E2 is the Mecca of cosplay!

When the scheduled signing was over we returned backstage (in other words, behind the curtain) and he signed a few items for me as well as a stone rhino to be auctioned at Lincoln Park Zoo AAZK’s “Bowling for Rhinos” event this August. In addition to his signature, the rhino was given a special Svengoolie makeover!

The crew was gearing up to go out into the hall and gather footage of the host for an upcoming “Svengoolie on the Road” segment. Since the two people I drove in with were texting me nonstop about how tired they were I had no choice but to leave before that happened. I thanked them and rejoined my fellow mortals.

I plowed through as best I could while getting shots of as many costumes that passed me by. Some were really amazing…as you’ll see for yourself in my next, and final, 2017 C2E2 post!

Coming Up…the Cosplay of 2017’s C2E2!

~Dave Fuentes

I purchased my ticket for the MST3K “Watch out for Snakes!” tour about ten minutes after they’d gone on sale. At the time, my trip to New England was winding down and I remember feeling grateful to have something new to look forward to. In addition to the general admission tickets, fans could also choose between two types of VIP passes. After reviewing the details, I opted for the cheaper one…and the operative word here, folks, is cheaper not cheap. When the big day finally arrived, my friend Nikki and I battled Windy City construction before settling in at a parking garage near Chicago’s Vic Theater. Although the garage itself looked as if it were being held together by spit and gum, it was a pretty neat part of the city that I’d never been to before.

We decided to take advantage of our early arrival by taking in some of the local color. This included an old-fashioned book store where I snagged a hardcover edition of a dinosaur book I’d been looking for as well as a stop at Dark Matter Coffee. I’d never heard of the place but when Nikki described it as “a stronger version of coffee” I knew it was definitely worth a visit. Her description proved accurate as that afternoon boost lasted several hours though it didn’t take hold quite soon enough…

As we were walking back to the theater, Nikki kept kicking my leg and tugging at my arm while muttering things I couldn’t understand. This went on for about a quarter of a block until she finally stopped, turned to look at me and yelled, “WE WERE JUST WALKING BEHIND JONAH RAY!!!”

Then it was my turn to start kicking myself.

Everyone in line was very friendly and many had driven long distances to be there. We were all sharing stories when the tour manager came out to thank us while letting us know what was in store. I thought this was a pretty nice touch.

Fifteen minutes later the doors opened and we were handed our souvenir bags as we walked in. I thought the bags would be totes but they ended up like those eco-friendly ones you get at the grocery store.

Our VIP ticket granted us seating in the first eleven rows (the more expensive holders were guaranteed the first five) along with a special MST3K lanyard and limited edition poster.

The only other bonuses the higher VIP folks got was a wood cut Tom Servo like the ones they’ve been using in their latest season along with having their limited edition posters signed. All of us were able to get first dibs on new MST3K T-Shirts or tumblers but the crew was just pulling that stuff out of boxes when we arrived.

For me, however, the main draw of the VIP ticket was meeting and getting a photo taken with Joel Hodgson and Jonah Ray. This was to be done with our own cameras and had to be either a cell phone or “point-and-shoot.” We all received emails prior to the event letting us know that if our camera had a removable lens, it would not be permitted inside. This meant my beloved Canon EOS would have to sit this Terror Dave adventure out (so don’t complain that these shots look grainy).

Seating was first come first serve but, interestingly enough, most of us VIP folks didn’t take advantage of the preferential rows. Those seats were all at ground level which meant you had to arch your neck up to see the stage. Most of us opted for the next section of chairs which put the stage at eye level and required a lot less strain. By the time the show actually began, the regular admission ticket holders took most of the VIP seats…and with all our blessings!

After we settled in (a.k.a. purchased alcoholic beverages), Joel Hodgson stepped on stage and everyone cheered. He thanked us for our support and told us how humbled he was by the success of the MST3K Kickstarter campaign which made the revival show possible. He also took a couple of audience questions; the first whether or not Netflix will be giving them another season. Joel was actually pretty vague on this topic though, I dare say, I detected an air of optimism. Without giving a clear answer (leading me to believe the details are still being hashed out) he mentioned that as of this date the MST3K revival season is the ONLY Netflix series that has a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The next question was which movie shown in the new season has been the most popular with the fans. Joel said that currently Cry Wilderness is the big winner there.

A few moments later, Jonah Ray showed up and waved. The applause he received was no less than Joel’s so clearly he’s been accepted by the die-hard fans who weren’t keen on the old regime’s replacement.

That whole photo experience was very pleasant and the line moved quickly. The person designated to take the picture took several shots to insure that at least one turned out. I will say that the fan in front of me was a tough act to follow since he brought along gifts for the hosts. He gave Jonah and Joel some rather expensive hardcover DC omnibus books which, being a Marvel omnibus collector, was pretty generous. These gifts were likely inspired by the announcement of MST3K headed for comic books. The premise is that Jonah and the robots get transported into old, classic comic book stories which, of course, they’ll be riffing the whole time. I think it’s a brilliant idea and can’t wait to see how it turns out!

When it was my turn, Jonah was the first to shake my hand. I was really surprised how tall this guy is! I said to him, “MST3K…my how I love what you’ve done with the place!” He laughed and thanked me. He said he appreciated the support because he had such a tough act to follow. Speaking of that “tough act,” Joel was next and gave me a warm handshake. I mentioned how I was there when he met Svengoolie a couple of years back at C2E2. He said he remembered that day well and that it had been a true honor meeting “the great Svengoolie.”

Also joining us in the picture was Rebecca Hanson who does the voice of Gypsy and played the villainous Synthia during this tour and Tim Ryder who plays one of the Boneheads on TV and Tom Servo here. Now, personally, I would have been happier just getting a shot with Jonah and Joel but what was I supposed to say? “Excuse me, but would you two mind getting the hell out of my picture!?!”

The power of cropping

We returned to our seats and indulged in more cocktails before the general admission folks arrived. Some of them were dressed as MST3K characters and I stopped one to take a picture. The guy looked strangely familiar until finally it dawned me…it was Chad Byers a.k.a. public assess horror host, Undead Johnny. It’s been a long time since we ditched the Horror Host Report but he recognized me too before asking if I knew if it was okay for them to sit in the front row. “Sure!” I said, “Go for it!”

Joel came back out and did another greeting before taking a few more audience questions.

Tonight’s movie was EEGAH and one person asked if there had been another film he wished he could have shown us instead. Joel said he would have liked to have shown The Green Slime since it was the one they riffed during their pilot episode back in 1988. “Unfortunately,” he said, “Japan doesn’t like movie riffing because they find it disrespectful.”

Once the show started, it was just like being in an actual episode. The theme music kicked off and everyone started clapping and singing along. A big screen above acted like their spaceship monitor and Kinga Forrester (Felicia Day) and Max (Patton Oswalt) appeared to share their new “inventions” just like on TV.

When the movie itself began, Jonah and the robots ran frantically off stage to become the familiar silhouettes we all know and love.

As for as the movie’s riffing, I thought it was off the charts funny! I seriously can’t remember the last time I’d laughed that hard and I particularly loved their musical jabs at the lead male character, Tom (Arch Hall Jr), and his laughable songs. During one of the “commercial breaks,” Jonah donned a blonde wig and started serenading Synthia, who was wearing a black one to look the film’s female lead, Roxie (Marilyn Manning). She then went out to flirt with the audience while belting out some of the most hilarious high notes I’ve ever heard.

The “Watch out for Snakes” thing played out on occasion too. If anyone mentioned snakes in the movie than Felicia Day would appear on the monitor and do his funny montage. They also shot out snake-like tubes at people during breaks. Incidentally, this show did have a fifteen-minute intermission.

If you’re an MST3K fan and have an opportunity to see this show, I highly recommend that you do. A general admission ticket is just fine, unless you’re hell-bent on getting a photo with Jonah and Joel (like I was). The VIP swag wasn’t all that spectacular to warrant the steeper price and, at the end of the day, everyone could sit where they wanted to anyway (at least in Chicago). Though the dynamics were just like the TV show, there was a high-octane energy level here that can’t be replicated at home.

I can only hope there will be another MST3K Tour planned after this one. And “in the not-too-distant future.”

 Dave Fuentes~

 

Photo courtesy of Jim Roche

Last Saturday I was sitting at my work desk while gazing at the tempest outside. Since it was the weekend, I had the whole office to myself and decided to turn off the main lights in favor of a small one hanging over my computer. With the dark clouds and rain pounding on my window, it seemed to make the otherwise chaotic place cozier; something you could never accomplish during normal business hours. With Halloween only a couple weeks away, we Chicagoans can be sure of two things; the weather will be erratic and our local/national TV horror host, Svengoolie, will be amidst a busy schedule of appearances. In fact, it almost seemed like this year’s list of events rivaled that of his ultra-busy 2012. I’d covered almost all of those and remember being thoroughly exhausted by the time it was over. This year, however, my “Svengoolie-stalking” activities were clearly lacking as my schedule never seemed to be in sync with his. On this rainy day, however, he was slated to make two appearances with one starting just when my shift ended. I decided it was high time I broke out of my Svenertia. and braved the elements to see him at Fantasy Costumes – the largest costume shop in the windy city!

For lack of a better word, visibility sucked but finding the place was a breeze thanks to my WAZE app. If you use an iPhone, I highly recommend it over Google Maps and, no, I’m not getting paid to say this. By the time I arrived they were already 45 minutes into the appearance and a line stretched across the front of the store (which, as Donald Trump would say, was “Yuge!”). Of course I’ve seen Svengoolie draw long lines before but was particularly impressed with this one considering it was outside in a downpour and with no awnings offering protection. I, myself, debated whether or not I should high tail it home and skip this appearance altogether but instead tucked my SLR camera under my sweatshirt and headed over.

This Photo courtesy of Jim Roche

The line seemed to move every ten minutes or so which seemed like forever when you’re getting drenched. Worse, every few feet there’d be a depression in the roof that caused the water to collect before falling in a steady stream. It was like someone was standing over you with a bottomless pitcher while steadily pouring its contents down your back. I can’t remember the last time I was that wet and miserable and was just about to surrender when I heard an exchange between a father and his young son behind me. The dad kept teasing him saying, “I dunno, it’s raining pretty hard out here…maybe we should just go back home…” and the boy would adamantly respond, “No! I want to see Svengoolie!!!”

Had my soggy socks and windblown hair caused me to forget my Chicago heritage and the importance of paying tribute to our now ‘National’ horror host during the Halloween season? I immediately stopped feeling sorry for myself and started focusing on something else…like a nice, dry desert! The visualizations must of worked because the line seemed to move quicker and it wasn’t long before I was inside.

Once there, I wrung out the hood of my sweatshirt and started staring at my surroundings. We entered into the store at “wig” section and, let me tell you, they had aisles of them! I can’t imagine anyone looking for fake hair being disappointed at this place!

They also lived up to their name in terms of size. They had several rooms chock full of costumes, masks, and props.

The line weaved through the wigs (see what I did there?) and as I got closer, I could see the host interacting with fans while his assistant, Jim Roche, cracked jokes about needing to find himself a “real job.” There was a guy dressed as Svengoolie whom I stopped on the way out to pose…

Apparently he wasn’t alone…

Photo courtesy of Jim Roche

After Jim spotted me, he gave me a big hug (and, since he was so nice in sharing some of his photos for this blog despite his busy schedule, I’ll be giving him another one tomorrow at the Nightmare on Chicago Street) and he told me Sven’s got a whole bunch of new movies in line for 2018!

Right before it was my turn, a very talented young fan had him sign a painting he did. I’m always impressed with how my more talented fellow fans express their devotion.

Photo courtesy of Jim Roche

I made a point of telling Sven that the crappy weather did nothing to diminish his turnout. “The line was really long!” I said. “I should know; I just swam in it!” We talked about upcoming appearances and then it was time for others to get a chance to meet him. For me, this was Svengoolie appearance #79 and, after looking at face of that eager, young fan who was behind me, I knew it was time for me to dive back into that storm.

Needless to say, I was soaking wet when I walked in my front door and, after a hot shower, was just in time to watch Svengoolie on TV. Not only has the host defied horror host history by surviving on commercial TV for over five years but recently grabbed a primetime slot at 7pm Central during MeTV’s Super Sci-Fi Saturday lineup. This past summer a Svengoolie doll was released and quickly sold out (I’m told more are on the way). As I wrapped myself up in a blanket and watched the show’s intro I felt a sense of satisfaction having done this appearance. If there’s one celebrity worth risking pneumonia for, it’s Svengoolie.

Dave Fuentes~   

Flying in with his red-nosed, rubber chicken, Sventa Claus dropped in on Fantasy Costumes last weekend to greet fans. I’d seen him there last October in his less festive, Svengoolie, persona and it was notable for attracting a large turnout despite inclement weather. In contrast, this December day was sunny and in the 60’s proving once again that, so far as the weather goes, Chicago’s always riding the Bi-Polar Express. This would mark the horror host’s final 2017 appearance and third as Sventa. Unable to attend the previous two, I made it a point to rearrange my schedule for this one. And so, with a camera strap around my neck and a poster tube under each arm, I made my way to Fantasy Costumes a.k.a. my 82^nd Svengoolie appearance!

Hey!…I took this picture!

The poster tubes contained precious cargo courtesy of the great Nicholas Cara. Nick’s the author of “The Grey Ghost” books which we discussed early last year. The anticipated latest installment, “The Jeweled Kiss Mysteries,” was just released in time for the holidays and Svengoolie fans may want to take note: includes artwork by the national horror host, himself! Visit this site for ordering info!

Nicholas Cara…one author that can afford to stand behind his work!

In addition to proving himself an accomplished author, LEGO designer, and all around great guy, Nicholas would become my real-life “Saint Nick” by creating something we brainstormed about several months back. Last April, Svengoolie made a comic strip appearance in the legendary Dick Tracy serial; figuring into a case involving hi-jinks at a cosplay event. I was always a fan of  Tracy and his creator, Chester Gould, is a graduate of Illinois’ Northwestern University. Interesting sidebar: Dick Tracy’s hometown is “Homewood” and there are only two towns named Homewood in the United States; one a south suburb of Chicago (and, coincidentally, my home town) and another in Alabama. It’s believed that Homewood, Illinois is the true home of Dick Tracy and that Chicago was the unnamed, Midwestern city he was sworn to protect. Considering our gangland history, it certainly makes sense.

Though our mob days are long gone, Dick Tracy is still going strong with Svengoolie fan, Mike Curtis, now at the reigns. When Curtis asked Sven if he’d like to be a part of the strip, the host was delighted and this led to one of the surreal team-ups becoming reality.

Christmas or not, I’m always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to Deck my Walls with Svengoolie and really wanted a poster of all his Dick Tracy appearances for framing. Not only did Nicholas make that a reality, he even featured a super imposed Dick Tracy and Sven to provide a suitable place to sign at. What a genius!

Sadly, Nick lives far from my Home Sweet Homewood (that’s seriously our slogan) leaving the signing portion of this mission to yours truly. Nick was so awesome, he sent over three copies; one as a gift for Sven and two for him to sign for he and I. Today was the day I’d hold up my end of the assignment.

I arrived early and checked out all the great masks and costumes. Living in the south suburbs, this place is a pain in the butt to get to but well worth it. In fact, I stopped over here in between the two Sven appearances to pick up some costume accessories for Days of the Dead. The company who made those items was Zagone Studios who’s not only friends with the owner of Fantasy Costumes but will be featured in an upcoming blog and Scary Monsters Magazine Interview conducted by the other Dave, David Albaugh.

Despite being an hour early, a line had already formed and I quickly found my place in it. It was weird being stared at by a bunch of mannequins but sure beat the near drowning from last time.

To pass the time, I made conversation with a couple people standing next to me. One was a retired Chicago policeman who now performs in Independent zombie films and the other a woman wearing a Freddy Kruger scarf. Nobody likes a know-it-all so usually when I hear people saying things that are inaccurate, I resist the urge to correct them. This time, however, I had no choice. The first was when the retired cop mentioned him moving furniture some years back for Svengoolie’s dad…Jerry G. Bishop. This is actually a common mistake since our current, and most prolific, Svengoolie was once identified as “Son of Svengoolie” and the original Sven, Jerry G. Bishop, his mentor. He was his dad alright…but in show business ONLY. Scarf-girl, on the other hand, was really off the mark. “I hope today goes better for him than last time,” she sighed. “It was raining so hard that day I heard nobody showed up.” With flashbacks of me wringing out my clothes that night from waiting outside so long in the pouring rain, I had no choice but to speak up.

“Really???” I said. “That’s interesting because I showed up an hour into it and got soaked waiting in a line that stretched around the building.”

She just gave me a blank stare. Like I said, nobody likes a know-it-all.

When it was my turn Sventa seemed to love the posters and signed them for us. Nick specified how he wanted that done in a letter he wrote which I gave to Sventa as a template. Mission accomplished! It’s now in the mail and hopefully finds its way to it’s creator soon.

As I was leaving I spotted my friends, Don and Bunny. After they communed with Sventa, we all got back in line so we could take a group photo with him.

Holidays are all about tradition and Svengoolie is one of this city’s greatest. Though his popularity now extends far beyond Chicago, his roots are still firmly planted here and I’m constantly reminded of how fortunate we are to have him. After a year featuring sold-out Svengoolie dolls, pins created by Alex Ross, podcasting with Gilbert Gotfried, and appearances in both comic strips and in person, his popularity shows no sign of waning.

How does the man keep his energy while consistently reaching new heights year after year? It’s a mystery even Dick Tracy couldn’t solve.

~Dave Fuentes  

It’s time for another KILLER review from Terror from beyond the Daves! As many of you know, I’m a “Jason – not a “Dave,” but get deputized everytime an Indie horror film comes his way. Today’s film – Killing Poe, however, doesn’t feel much like an Independent film at all. With a reported $2.5 million dollar budget, I think it safely broke the ceiling of most of the ones I’ve seen but let’s review…

I admit a title like Killing Poe had me envisioning a dark story filled with blood & guts. Instead, I was treated to a dark comedy that takes a macabre turn near the end. The story centers around five unfortunate college students who end up in an Edgar Allen Poe class taught by Dr. Reginald Reinhold Lynch (Rick Plastina). We soon learn their instructor (a term I use loosely) is far more interested in tormenting his class than teaching them. His constant harassment eventually turns his otherwise peace-loving pupils into would-be killers!

The NEW “Breakfast Club”

The first two acts play like a Hollywood stoner film; sort of like Cheech and Chong meets Animal House though falling short on both counts. The third act, however, lives up to the film’s title a bit more – though not by much.

I admit,  I’m not a fan of “stoner” films and though I saw the Cheech and Chong movies back in the day and enjoyed them, that’s where it ended. The cast does well with the material given and there are a few stand-outs such as Sunkrish Bala as Ashbir, Osric Chau as Bud, and Julianna Guill as Brittney. I thought Rick Plastina’s performance fell a bit short as Professor Lynch and many of his character’s histrionics felt forced. The film also features a TV broadcast with real-life public access horror host, Dr. Destruction (Dale Wambolt) whom I, as a New Englander, was unfamiliar with (we’re in Penny Dreadful territory over here). His appearance seemed more like filler, though I’m sure his fans will enjoy seeing it nonetheless.

Dr. Destruction

As mentioned, this does not feel like an Indie film and features top-notch sets and locations with good production value. There are some legitimate laughs, though a bit too many stoner gags for this viewer. In my opinion, the story was good enough that they didn’t need to resort to these obvious punchlines as often as they did. The third act is definitely the most satisfying; tying the story together nicely. Admittingly, this could be the horror fan in me talking.

The Scene of the Crime

More a tension/comedy than horror/comedy but I give it 4 out of 5 chuckles and a couple exasperating buckets of tension for good measure.

My verdict? Killing Poe gets an Indie score of  6 out of 10…a good watch, once it finally gets going.

~Jason Schoolcraft

I’m pleased to welcome my friend, Nicholas Cara, to Terror Daves. Nick is a devout Svengoolie fan and the accomplished author who penned the highly entertaining Grey Ghost books. Today, however, he just wants to get something off his chest…

I have a confession horror fans, I’m a wimp. There is no way around it, when it comes to the world of horror I’m a chicken, a wuss, a scaredy-cat, a namby-pamby lily-livered yellow bellied wimp. But you know what? That’s okay.

Will you ever see me in a theater watching a new horror flick? Nope. Renting a tape (kids, ask your parents) of the newest or even a dated 1980’s slasher flick? No chance. I mean most show’s on television today tiptoe the line once saved for the strongest R rated Jason or Freddy movies and I’m happy to usually be in control of the remote control safely on my couch which for us wimps is a great feeling.

I was born in 1980’s so let’s get that out of the way here. My generation grew up with the likes of Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers and Chucky. And those VHS’s (again, kids ask your parents) usually came out during every birthday party, sleepover and get together as if they were a rite of passage to the boys of my generation that I would have to survive with one eye shut hoping my friends would not notice. And in retrospect, compared to the horror films of today such as the Saw franchise, some of those horror flicks of the 80’s (which I did eventually see) seem tame. Am I only one that thinks Freddy Krueger might make a face watching some of the films that have come out in the last few years? If I am that’s okay, you might not be horror wimp like me.

So a few weeks ago I asked myself why am I such a horror wimp? I mean, I do understand, no psychiatric degree needed, that internally there has to be struggle in there since while I cannot find myself even stomaching the idea of seeing the latest film considered scary at my local Cineplex I tune into MeTV every Saturday night faithfully to watch the Svengoolie television show. To anyone that doesn’t know, the Svengoolie Show is what imdb.com calls “…an anthology of horror movies, named for its host, who introduces each movie, provides background info on the movie, and performs skits and jokes during intermissions.” So why in the world does this horror wimp never miss an episode of what is called “…an anthology of horror shows”? I’ve racked my brain over and over again on this and finally believe I come up with the reason.

Besides the hilarious talents of Rich Koz walking me along the film every Saturday night, I’m usually joined by another friend. One that has joined me along every story read to me in a book to every reel I’ve ever seen on the silver and small screen. My imagination. The films usually shown on Svengoolie are a brand of cinema that traces back to a time that allowed the audience to scare itself. Through the art of music, lighting and dare I say clever stories the audience could see a suave and aristocratic man who says “Good Evening,” with an accent as the most dangerous monster ever spoken of. But did you ever see Bella actually bite someone? No, but leaving that movie I bet more than one lovely lady allowed their imagination to cause them to touch their own neck, just checking for a mark. Today we get to see through the art of visual effects the gruesome monster’s fanged teeth entering the skin to the microscopic level and that, I believe, is where I’m a wimp. Without anything left to imagine, to come up with on my own, modern horror films leave me empty and unengaged and I guess… well scared. I need the hand reaching out from the shadows and the scream in the distance, not the killer jumping out and five minutes of him bloodily hacking away at victim number four, whose name escapes me, with a large blade.

This horror wimp needs the engagement of imagining the scene himself. Today it just seems like everything is spelled out for you. Bring me there with the score, keep the lighting dark, whisper the wind a little and give me a reason to want myself to be scared and enjoy it. Some of the masters in this were able to engage their audience through just sounds and effects. Have you ever heard the Mercury Theater’s radio presentation of Dracula, or War of the Worlds? Allow yourself to listen to those and let yourself be transported into the story, I promise you’ll jump at every scene without witnessing a single drop of blood. Now not all older horror films are gems, dare I say there are fewer true classics than I would like, for every ‘Them!’ there are two to three ‘It Happened at Lakewood Manor’ but that is what makes the true classic horror films special. And lately newer directors have attempted my craven movie magic. I was almost excited at the attempt of 2016’s ‘Don’t Breathe’ until that one fell off the tracks in my opinion. And I’m actually looking forward to this year’s ‘A Quiet Place’ and what kind of fright shear silence and a snapping stick in the woods can trick my senses into. But maybe that’s just me, maybe I might be the only one out there who lets, and dare I say, needs their imagination to run faster than the zombies on the Walking Dead to enjoy horror. But that’s okay, like I said earlier, I’m a horror wimp.

Nicholas Cara~

Learn more about Nicholas on his official site! Be sure to “Like” his Facebook page and don’t forget to grab your copy of his latest book!

The crowd hushed as WGN Radio personality, Nick Digiglio, took the platform. For as long as I’ve been attending  Flashback Weekend it’s been his job to introduce Chicago’s local-gone-national TV horror host, Svengoolie, to the audience before the annual costume contest begins. It’s a fitting role for Digiglio as they’re genuine pals and Sven’s been a guest on his program numerous times. Whether delving into the illustrious career of his alter ego, Rich Koz, or dishing on their favorite horror films, it’s always a treat for us listeners. On this occasion, however, it was a one-man show as Sven replaced him on stage. The crowd broke into applause and for good reason. For us seasoned attendees, we knew we were in for an hour of imaginative costumes coupled with Svengoolie’s quick wit and banter.

Nick Digiglio introduces Svengoolie

His first order of business was breaking down the rules. The contestants were to walk onstage, giving the audience a good look at their costumes. Svengoolie would ask them their names and who (or what) they were dressed as, peppering the exchange with his humorous commentary. That’s assuming, of course, he could them to talk at all since every year brings its fair share of Friday the 13th Jasons and Halloween Michael Myers who usually stay true to their characters by remaining silent. Once all the contestants had taken their turns, they’d line up so the audience could cast their votes via applause. The one garnering the loudest reaction (good or bad) would be declared the winner. 

First up, the youth division…

Now I’ve seen Svengoolie host a LOT of costume contests in my day and could tell that he was genuinely impressed with this bunch. They all looked great and did a stellar job being confident onstage. The winner was the cherubic son of artist, Mitch O’Connell, who was dressed as the Ray Milland/Rosey Greer composite from The Thing with Two Heads (1972). Clearly having an artist for a father has its advantages as this undoubtedly was one of the most creative kid costumes ever.

Ironically, my familiarity with the movie was from when Svengoolie hosted it via Chicago’s WCIU in October of 2009 – a couple years before going national via its sister station, MeTV. The film features Milland as a racist surgeon who gets his dead transplanted on the body of Rosey Greer – an African American man who maintains his own noggin in the process.

If there was one thing I walked away with from this contest, it’s that little girls are no longer squeamish when it comes to horror. These little ladies often out-gored the boys and with great results! 

When their portion of the festivities ended, Svengoolie commented on how impressed he was with all of these kids and, believe me, he meant it.

Not that this should imply that the adults weren’t pretty clever themselves…

Nintendo “Jason”

“John Dies at the End”

Nosferatu

Zombie Gilligan (with what’s left of the Skipper!)

Disney theme park Ghoul

My personal favorite was a really elaborate version of John Carpenter’s THE THING (1982). Portraying the creature in full transformation, this guy went all out.  I was prepared to cheer my head off for this contestant when the time came but, unfortunately, I’d never get the chance. The poor guy became so overheated he bowed out before the end. If you read my last entry, you’ll know it was hot as hell that day and I totally understood where he was coming from. Still, it was very unfortunate since I believe he had a strong shot at winning.

THE THING prefers Antarctica over the oppressive Chicago heat!

The theatrical remake of Stephen King’s IT was not only a financial smash but one that made a big impact on horror fans. Although less than a year since its release, every event I’ve attended since has multiple cosplayers of its version of Pennywise (deftly portrayed by Bill Skarsgard). This event was no exception with both a male and female entry – the latter even brought along Georgie Denbrough as her date. Talk about a dysfunctional relationship!

As usual, there was a fair share of slashers. I gotta give creative props to the guy who played the ill-received Nintendo version of  Jason. As mentioned, most of the Michael Myers and Jasons remained silent when Svengoolie stuck a microphone in front of them with the exception of one Myers who not only talked but ended it by yelling “mother-f**cker” to the audience. I guess he must have been the Rob Zombie version. 

There was an Elvira impersonator in the mix too which harkened back to when the real one stood next to Svengoolie on this very stage, exactly ten years ago.

A “Flashback,” Flashback!

When the finalists were called to the stage for judging, the top prize ended up going to Nosferatu.

After it was over, I rejoined the Svengoolie crew and headed off through a door leading to the convention hall. After performing all his scheduled duties, it was time for the host to obtain celebrity interviews for upcoming “Svengoolie on the Road” segments. But which of Flashback’s headliners would be willing to participate? The most unpredictable part of Svengoolie’s Flashback Weekend appearance was about to begin…

Coming up Svengoolie vs The Evil Dead!  

Dave~

Every time I’d hit a stoplight en route to this year’s Houby parade in Cicero (sponsored by Berrrrr-wyn), I glanced up at the sky expecting a downpour. Fortunately, my iphone’s weather app was as wrong Sunday as it is just about every other day of the week and this didn’t happen. With the help of my friends, Don and Bunny, I found a parking spot about half a mile from the event before my daughter, Jade, and I sought them out on foot. This was the 50th year Berwyn celebrated its Czechoslovakian heritage by holding a festival dedicated to mushrooms…or at least that’s how it all began. In an interesting twist, the Slovak tradition has since been embraced by the community’s predominant Latino population, thus making Chicago’s parade (and, yes folks, there are others) rather unique even by Houby standards. Now I do love mushrooms, especially when sauteed and sitting next to a sirloin steak, but confess they weren’t the reason for my being here. Rather, I was celebrating a more personal tradition…stalking national horror host, Svengoolie during his busy Halloween season!

After a few blocks, we met up with Bunny who proceeded to scare me by saying things like, “Have you seen Svengoolie, yet? Is he still going to be here? He didn’t post anything about the parade on Facebook this morning…I wonder if he’s still coming.” Fortunately, we spotted the host moments later; shaking hands, doing an interview, and taking photos with city officials.

Eventually, we were spotted by his producer, Jim Roche, whose reaction was priceless.

The Expressive Jim Roche

We’d have stood there and observed Sven all morning if given a chance but a couple of cops started staring us down as if we were fanatical fans trying to latch on to a celebrity. Well, okay, maybe that’s exactly what we were but it’s beside the point. We reluctantly left and trudged further down the street in search of a good spot to take pictures.

We didn’t go far and stood near the front of the parade before it began, facing a couple of proud Veterans holding the American and POW/MIA flags. Unfortunately, the parade was delayed for some reason and I felt pretty bad for these guys thinking how sore their arms were going to be by the time they got home.

“Honey, put some Ibuprofen on the counter for me…”

To keep the younger crowd occupied, a guy even came around with a blue and yellow macaw they could pet.

I’ll say this; for a parade dedicated to mushrooms, I sure didn’t see many. I was expecting floats shaped like fungi or, at the very least, people dressed as giant mushrooms and dancing around like that scene in Disney’s original Fantasia. In fact, if I’d just stumbled on this parade, I’d have no idea what they were even celebrating. Not that it lacked visuals as there was plenty of eye candy. Like a float featuring Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, and Wonder Woman – who wisely decided to start hanging out with the MCU boys.

I’ll also give this parade props for tossing out more than your average Tootsie Rolls. These folks were throwing balls, shirts, cups, frisbees, and even recyclable bags to carry them all home with after it was over.

And you get a frisbee, and you get a frisbee, and YOU get a frisbee!

Hey! How did these Czechoslovakians get in here?

The free swag must have gotten to us as we started spending a lot of energy jumping around and diving for them with little thought for what we’d do with all that crap when we got home. By the time it was over, we walked away with a beach ball, two smaller rubber balls, a shirt, and a frisbee. The good news is that they have “Houby Parade” printed on them so that frisbee will be joining me at his next appearance. I’m thinking a signed frisbee might really help my Svengoolie shrine “pop.”   

After a while, Bunny started scaring me again by wondering aloud why we hadn’t seen Svengoolie pass by and if perhaps we’d missed him. Soon our anxieties were relieved when we saw a white float with the horror host inside.

Even though the parade was far from finished, it was over for me the minute Svengoolie passed by. “Welp…that’s enough of that,” I said before heading back to the car. Don and Bunny gave a quick goodbye before chasing after the float. When it comes to Sven-stalking these seasoned pros have a lot to teach me. We’re planning to meet up again this Saturday at Fantasy Costumes for Sven’s next appearance. In the meantime, I need to get my hands on the new issue of MAD Magazine that dropped today. Did you hear a certain horror host is featured in it?   

Dave~

In many ways, attending the latest Horrorhound Weekend/MASK-FEST in Indianapolis was like a visit to an alternative Universe. For one thing, the huge gathering of horror buffs was taking place at an all-new venue; one that promised better parking and a larger layout to accommodate vendors and fans. For another, I was attending with a friend from Rhode Island who’d never done a Horrorhound Weekend before. Jason Schoolcraft joined me last year in Indy for Days of the Dead and assists me every so often with his “Killer Reviews.” We had a great time at “Days” and Jason loved having an opportunity to meet independent filmmakers which he hoped to continue to do at Horrorhound. For me, it was all about the masks.

After a quick visit to a superhero museum in Elkhart, we stopped at a gas station for snacks (the last affordable food we’d see till Sunday), arriving at the hotel that evening. Although neither of us had ever been to the JW Marriott Indianapolis, we couldn’t have missed it if we tried. It stood like a skyscraper, overlooking a good portion of the city including two stadiums and a zoo. Parking was abundant as promised but certainly not free. If you parked in the hotel’s lot it was $40.00 a day (with a slight discount for guests) or $50, valet. By the time we showed up, we were told all the $40 spots were taken and valet was our only option. Thankfully, we were also informed of a large government parking garage across the street that was $20 a day which we took advantage of. It ended up costing $50 total from Friday evening to Sunday morning. It still sucked but, at that point, I wasn’t complaining. I will say the hotel was beautiful and the staff courteous. Our spacious room boasted windows that took up the entire walls; offering us a breathtaking view of the city. Of course, we were here for horror, not a Honeymoon and I’m guessing a lot of conventioneers on a budget would have happily forgone elegance for a bargain. Between the parking, hotel, and convention fees one could easily go broke before walking in the door.

View from our room

Deft planning was key and one gal who clearly was up on her game was Kelly Hamilton. She’s been assisting the mighty Eric Austin with MASK-Fest for a couple years now and we were instructed to visit her room for passes. As soon as walked in we could smell the tasty aroma of homemade sloppy Joes cooking in a crockpot amid a pile of store-bought food/snacks nearby. This was a wise move that I wished I’d done as well. This hotel’s breakfast buffet alone was $20 a person – though I might add, an amazing spread. Hefty fees aside, I can’t say I was as unsatisfied with this new locale as some of my friends were. Anything beat having to walk a mile up, down, and across busy streets like I did last year!

We went straight from Kelly’s to the main hall; following our fellow horror hounds to get there. Unlike previous events which had the Horrorhound vendors and MASK-Fest people divided into two separate rooms, this space was big enough for both. We started on the Horrorhound side before weaving our way to the masks. I told myself I’d wait to buy anything until after I’d made a full rotation but that resolution lasted me about 5 minutes.  

First, there was a table of DVD’s from my favorite independent filmmakers, Small Town Monsters. These folks create the best cryptozoology documentaries and have covered quite a few good ones including The Mothman of Point Pleasant, The Flatwoods Monster, and Boggy Creek Monster: The Truth Behind the Legend. At this event, they were also selling their new feature, On the Trail of…Champ (which I bought) and offering a sneak peak of their latest work, The Bray Road Beast, that Saturday in the screening room (more on that story later). In the meantime, Champ was coming with me.

I was just putting my new DVD into my field bag when I saw a familiar face hanging in a booth nearby. The artist is a regular at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) and I’ve always loved his work; monster wall hangings from various franchises. This time, amid the Universal monsters, was one I’d never seen before….Svengoolie. I knew I had to have it and immediately started visualizing where I’d hang it in my new apartment. Unfortunately, this created a personal conflict.

You see, I really wanted that wall hanging but knew it wasn’t licensed. Since Sven’s gone national, there’s been a lot more unofficial stuff out there which I know is a sore spot for him and his team doing all the hard work (and horror hosting on commercial TV is a lot harder than you think). Sven’s been a good friend to me and the last thing I wanted to do was betray him by supporting this kind of thing. At the same time, that wall hanging needed to be on my wall and, if I’m being honest, I could probably fill a 12 x 12 storage unit with all the unlicensed horror items I’ve been routinely buying (as you’ll see even more evidence of as that as this blog goes on) over the years. Despite the old adage, “it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission,” I decided to go directly to the man himself and do just that. I snapped a photo of the vendor’s display and then shot Sven a message asking for his blessing in buying it.  Thankfully, he responded with his usual sense of humor, “Sure! Let Universal sue them!” I later heard this was the first piece the guy sold and all his Svens sold out (mine being the last one). Now I just have to hope Universal doesn’t go after him until I’ve had a shot at a Creature from the Black Lagoon one he did, too.

The next items I bought were from a talented young mask-maker named Noah Rivers. This is one of those things I saw at last year’s Indy Horrorhound and didn’t buy; spending the rest of the year wishing I had. They were these really cool handmade magnets of the masks from Halloween III: Season of the Witch and I quickly bought them. Noah wasn’t at his booth and the transaction was handled by his proud father. I did make a point to go back and tell him how much I loved his work. As for the magnets, they will be featured on my refrigerator all year round with some magnets I purchased at previous conventions.

Spicing up my refrigerator with a bit of horror

One thing for sure…they weren’t exaggerating about having more vendors than ever. We tried staying within 20 feet of each other but by the time I got to the third row, I lost him till the end of the evening.

At the end of the night, we were beat and watched some mindless TV before crashing out. We needed all the rest we could get for Saturday. A day of masks, celebrity panels, and some old horror host friends.

Dave~