I can’t explain it, but recently I’ve become obsessed with the horror host. It’s an old concept, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t familiar with it. Basically, it’s a person, usually in character, who introduces a horror movie, tells you facts about it, makes jokes about it, and keeps those old movies moving. It was an idea that started in the 50s when tons of local channels all over the country got the rights to show old horror movies. The first of these people to make a name for themselves was Vampira.
Today she is probably best known for being in Ed Wood’s so terrible it’s good Plan 9 From Outer Space. But she kicked down the door for more to follow. It seemed like every big city had a horror host. Then, in the late 50s, there came Zacharely, who was a creepy looking ghoul of a fellow, but one of the best known hosts of his day (still cited as one of the greats today.)
Then we get to some of the hosts that I admire the most. First of which is Svengoolie. Svengoolie has been doing his character for forty (40!) years. He started off as a local Chicago host, and went nation wide after MeTV picked him up in 2011. Now he’s broadcast the country over from his dungeon! I fell in love with Svengoolie several years ago, and he was a big reason that I became the Count. His knowledge of the films, along with his comedic bits and his face superimposed over the movie, make old films that sometimes drag, more enjoyable to watch. In addition, he has introduced new audiences to all kinds of films they wouldn’t have seen before (a mission that this very blog shares). He’s got a whole slew of jokes associated with his show that any Svengoolie fan would know in a heartbeat (Berrrwyn?!) and of course there’s the rubber chickens. Those are classic.
I’d be totally remiss as a Central Ohioan if I didn’t mention the Voice of the Night, Fritz the Nite Owl, either. Fritz hosted late night movies for about 20 years on local TV in Columbus. He is a local legend in this part of the world. Armed with his knowledge and his amazing sunglasses, he hosted movie nights seven nights a week. Can you imagine doing anything seven days a week for 20 years? I also believe he hosted a double feature on Fridays. He hosted a lot of horror movies in his time, so I’m putting him in this article. Plus I am a big fan of his. I got to see one of his shows at a local theater in college and it was a magical event. Here’s looking at you Fritz.
Then of course there’s the Mistress of the Dark, Elvira. She is probably one of the most well known horror hosts that ever took to the screen. With her sharp wit and iconic sense of fashion, she was and is a sensation. I haven’t read too much about her, but I literally have her biography on my table, so that’s about to change. She also made a movie called Elvira Mistress of the Dark in the late 80s which I watched a couple years ago and really enjoyed. One day I’ll review it on the blog. Maybe for Halloween! Cassandra Peterson (her real name) is a living legend!
One host that I’m getting into at the time of this writing is Joe Bob Briggs, who has his series The Last Drive In on Shudder (which is an extremely underrated streaming service, by the way. Only six bucks a month!) He has a lot of knowledge and goes pretty in depth on his analysis of the movies. He has more room to examine the movies because he is on a streaming platform, I think. He also has access to different kinds of movies than say, Svengoolie. So it’s something new to look at. He used to host a show called Monster Vision back in the day, too. So it’s good to see him back.
Those are just some of the highlights that I’m obsessed with right now. There were a whole host of er, hosts, from previous decades. And many of them were local to other big cities, so I don’t know much about them.
Unfortunately, the popularity of the horror host has waned quite a bit. There are still some devoted to this concept, such as myself, who views themselves as a hybrid host/writer. But in the information age, so much knowledge is just at our finger tips. Why do we need someone to host a movie for us to tell us something about that movie. That’s what wikipedia and IMDB are for! But personally, I think there is something more valuable gained when a host is involved. It’s a connection to something bigger, something that other people can be connected to as well. It forms a community. And I know I’m not going to look up information about 60 year old movies by myself. Hosts make me care about the movie. They ease the tension with humor, they come daily or weekly and guide us through the darkness. I don’t know, maybe I’m just an idealist with a soft spot. Like I said, I can’t explain the obsession.
So if you have a local horror host in your city, support them, it’s a labor of love. Or, if you still have cable, watch Svengoolie on Saturday Nights. Or if you don’t, download Shudder. You’ll get access to a lot of good horror movies. Either way, the tradition is still alive for now, and even if it’s just a handful of hosts and supporters, it’s still a scary good time!
It Came from the Screen 