Horror Host Spooktacular; a Q&A session with some of the genre's top Horror Hosts

Horror hosts are a timeless part of the horror genre. From "Vampira" to "Zacherle" to "Elvira" to everyone who has followed in the legendary footsteps of the 3 icons mentioned above;  whether they are television, internet or radio hosts, these boils and ghouls have brought so much to the horror genre. They've provided us with information-galore about some of our most beloved horror films (and even those that maybe are not so beloved); they've made us laugh, reminded us of why we love horror movies so much and they've always given their all to help to promote horror movies, from the good,  the bad,  the ugly and even those films whose respective  filmmakers would perhaps prefer  we forget about. 

Recently I did an interview with Rob, John and Pigamortis, the guys from Philly's own Late Night At The Horror Hotel. (click HERE to read that interview) With that interview under my belt, I set my sights on a mass interview with over a dozen horror hosts; a "Horror Hosts Spooktacular" (I know, not the most original title, but the greatest holiday of the year, Halloween, is almost upon us, and I was inspired by the joy, I mean misery, that only that wonderful holiday can provide to any horror fan, when I came up with the title.)

I'm so proud  to bring together, for horror fans everywhere,  some of the greatest current horror hosts, hosts of television, internet webcasts and radio, and get them to answer a few questions for the Philadelphia Horror Examiner.

Those hosts, who were gracious enough to sit down and answer my questions are as follows:

• Joe Bob Briggs  ---  World renowned film critic, writer, actor and comic performer, who has hosted such shows as "Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater" and "MonsterVision"

• Ms. Monster  ---  The San Francisco based horror hostess who was featured on the FOX Reality channel show "The Search for the Next Elvira". And for this little interview, Ms. Monster has brought along with her, one of half of the melons, Tat Melon (Tat's partner, Tit Melon,  was busy, with well, we don't really want to know WHAT Tit was busy doing, so let's just leave it at; he was unable to participate in the Q&A)

• Count Gore De Vol  ---- Television host turned internet pioneer (the Count is the first horror host to make the move from TV to the internet) who first began his hosting career working for WDCA in Washington, DC in 1973! He is Washington's most successful horror host. 

• Matt Beckoff  ----  Matt is the host of "The Beckoff Show" on blogtalkradio and author of the amazing and informative book, "Confessions of a Scream Queen".

• Ormsby  --- Ormsby was born in Vasaria, Transylvania and is the host of Ormsby's Cinema Insane. He can currently be found in Mastic, Long Island, New York where he does his horror hosting as well as plotting to take over total control of Mastic! Godzilla ain't got sh*t on Ormsby!

• Chris Conduit  --- Chris is the host of "The Conduit Cast" and author of "Zombies Ate My Homework".

• Bone Jangler  --- Along with Nocturna and the ladies of the Coven, Bone Jangler hosts classic Horror/Sci-Fi/Cult movies on 40 stations in 21 states.

• Count Sam Gregula  --- Host of "Count Gregula's Crypt". The Count, along with his Countess, reside in the Transylvanian section of Illinois, living in the disguise of thirtysomething mortals Greg and Linda. They are currently making their Evil Plans (along vith their Children of the Night - Igor, Figor, Shegor, Megor and Charlie) to bring their special brand of Vampirey Fun to TV viewers in the Midwest as Horror Hosts!

• Doctor Ivan Cryptosis  --- Host of Wisconsin's Kooky Spooky Theatre. The Doctor is the self-proclaimed "Billy Mays of Horror Hosts".

• Helena, Hussy of Horror  ---  The former Illinois native, who was once possessed by a demon, who has dabbled in genetics and even ventured into an ill-fated stint as a dominatrix, now resides in Washington, DC (A far scarier place than Haddonfield, Ill., Texas, Elm Street or Camp Crystal Lake...and far more infested with blood suckers than Vampire night at the Red Cross!) where she intends to remain until the day when she marries Bruce Campbell!

• A. Ghastlee Ghoul  ---  Host of "The Ghastlee Movie Show", A. Ghastlee Ghoul has taken his cable-access horror hosting duties to the world wide web. "It's Video-Vaudeville for a jaded Generation."

• Eerie Lee Shivers  ---  Eeeie Lee Shivers is based in Portland, Oregon and is the host of  the "Uncle Eerie's Shiver Show"

• Roxsy Tyler  ---  The lovely host of "Roxsy Tyler's Carnival of Horrors" in the Philadelphia and Bucks County area. (NOTE : As someone from Bucks County, PA, I can attest to the fact that this area is chock full of terrifying people so I'm sure Roxsy can draw plenty of inspiration for her show from our neighbors! Haha- Scott Ruth)

*** Be sure to check out links and other information about all of these wonderful horror hosts, located at the bottom of the page, just after the interview! ***

Before we get underway, I'd like to take a moment to thank each of my guests for taking time from your schedules to participate in this little Q & A session. 

Question # 1 -- When did your love for all things horror begin?

• Joe Bob Briggs --- "Oddly enough, it was a flick called "Wolfen" that people don't watch
  much anymore. Despite starring A-list upper-class Brit Albert Finney, it
  scared the proverbial doo-doo out of me and, among other distinctions,
  was the first film to effectively make use of the Steadicam. Ravening
  supernatural wolves rampaging through the South Bronx. YES!"

• Ms. Monster --- "I think I was born a queen of scream really. I always loved being scared, sitting in the dark and waiting for something evil to appear. As a wee one I discovered witches & learned of deathly viruses from the inscriptions on old stones as I played in the historic graveyards of our small seaside town north of Boston. My very first horror movie was probably around 5 years of age, doused in cold medicine pretending I was asleep on my mother's lap as she stayed up late to watch Twilight Zone and "Wait until Dark" (ill never forget the squeaky sneakers!). "

• Tat Melon --- "As a very little melon, I loved the experience of stayin' up way past my bedtime to catch some of the old classics. Specifically, I remember watching Elvira hosting "Monster Club" with massive amounts of fondness. When I finally got ahold of the movie as an adult fruit, I realized it was a HUGE influence on everything we're doing now."

• Count Gore De Vol --- "That's a pretty big assumption. I don't love all things horror. theirs literally hundreds of horror movies that I dislike with a passion. what I do like are scary movies and stories and to scare me takes a lot of creativity and talent. My love for scary began at a very young age with scary movie trailers for movies my parents wouldn't let me see."

• Matt Beckoff --- "My love for horror movies started early on in life. I am what some would call a "Monster Kid." I grew up on the Universal horror films. I loved them, and still do."

• Ormsby --- "Early. My mother when I was little in the 1970s always tuned the tv to Chiller (channel 11 would show host-less horror movies each week here in the New York area), Kolchak the Night Stalker, and Dark Shadows. So growing up I had a steady diet of horror every day. Most Kinder gardeners knew Big Bird, I knew Bela Lugosi."

• Chris Conduit --- "My love of all things horror began around 10 out of pure curiosity. My mom was a huge horror fan. I can remember peaking at her watching Friday the 13th Part 2, on HBO, and being mesmerized. My first theatrical experience with horror was Cronenberg's The Fly (age 12) with my mom: I was hooked!!!"

• Bone Jangler --- "Well, I'm an ancient, immortal, evil being. So, it just kind of comes with the territory."

• Count Sam Gregula --- "It all started vhen I vas a very young "bat boy" in Transylvania! Ha! Seriously... going Trick or Treating on Halloween night, vatching The Munsters and viewing my local horror host Son of Svengoolie present scary movies vhile I vas a little vamp really started me off to love all things horror!"

• Doctor Ivan Cryptosis --- "50 years ago."

• Helena, Hussy of Horror --- "My love for horror was instilled in my by my uncle. He put me through high school in Haddonfield, IL and introduced me to Norman Bates, Ed Gein, and Argento. A love affair ensued."

• A. Ghastlee Ghoul --- "Hard to pin it down exactly, but I remember when I was very young keeping my Halloween costumes and putting them on throughout the year. Later on I started getting into my Mom's makeup kit and doing monster guises on myself, and "victim" makeups on my little sister. I spent a lot of time in front of the TV drawing, and drawing a lot of monsters. Once I taped several pieces of paper together and made "life sized" Wolfman, Godzilla and Frankenstein's Monster cut-outs to hang on my bedroom wall. Hard to be scared of the monsters when they are your friends, or you are one!
  Around that same time I used to pretend I was hosting my own kid's show, like Soupy Sales or Captain Kangaroo. Then I discovered TV horror hosts! Dr. Creep (Barry Hobart) from Dayton, Ohio and The Cool Ghoul (Dick von Hoene from Cinci were my first exposure to horror hosts, and from then on I pretended to be one of those cool guys. Later, in my teen years, I would discover Baron von Wolfstein (Timothy Francis Herron, BGG) from Indianapolis through the new miracle of cable TV. (Some dreams can come true, and I've been lucky enough to have been a TV horror host for over twenty years now.)
  I was always the kid who would hide in the shadows to jump out and scare the hell out of Mom or little sis. In sixth grade that translated into some friends and I building our own home haunt for Beggar's Night, and by High School I was working in Jaycee's houses and helping design scenes. In the early 80's I graduated to running a local Jaycee's house, making a lot of the costumes and props myself rather than buying the ones that every other house would have."

• Eerie Lee Shivers --- "My love for horror started as far back as I can remember. Seriously - some of my earliest (and fondest) memories are of the famous Universal Monsters. Watching the "The Wolfman" on TV and wanting desperately to be him. Or celebrating Halloween the way most people celebrate celebrate Christmas. I remember watching getting my Phantom Of The Opera" action figure and playing with it until the paint wore away. I watched "Ghost Busters" 5 times in the theaters.

  So - always."

• Roxsy Tyler --- "My love for horror movies began when I was a little girl (which would mean late 80s early 90s). It was the slasher era at the time; Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Michael Meyers, Child's Play, and Puppetmaster. I indulged in all of them-- Michael Meyers in particular creeped me out but Freddy Krueger became one of my all-time favorite horror icons. Unlike Michael Meyers and Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger struck my fancy because he wasn't just a slasher-- he was a slasher with personality, an actual character. Even today horror films can lack actual characters. Slicing and dicing can be great but having character in the mix is a wonderful bonus! Eventually, when I became older are started rooting around in my Mother's movie collections, horror movies of the yesteryear and became a great fan of horror films ranging between the late 1920s well into the 1970s (but I still love old Freddy K!)."

Question # 2 -- What is "horror" to you? How would you describe the horror genre to someone who has never seen a horror movie?

• Joe Bob Briggs --- "Three things. One, your mother would hate it. Two, anybody can die
  at any moment. Three, if it's good, you start to believe it was actually
  FILMED BY A MANIAC."

• Ms. Monster --- "Horror brings a cathartic release, along with a JOLT of truth. The tension, the build up, the gore, the release.
  It is a rollercoaster ride to Hell and back!"

• Tat Melon --- "Horror to me is a release. Getting scared while watching a great old flick (or a new one, I don't judge) is one of the greatest relaxation techniques ever. The greatest ability Horror movies have is to bring us to the brink of terror then let us slowly come back to earth while laughing with our friends and scarfing Popcorn."

• Count Gore De Vol --- "I think I pretty much described what is horror to me in question #1. The story must have suspense that builds into one or more adrenaline rush climaxes. Sounds a bit like good sex."

• Matt Beckoff --- ""Horror" to me is an internal instinct. I like when a good horror movie can bring that out in a person."

• Ormsby --- "Horror is about death. We all die (well most of us), and we need to come to terms with our fear of that final unknown. Horror movies create a safe place to allow us explore those fears. To feel our hearts pumping and and shiver at that chill sneaking up our spines is cathartic. Vampires, zombies and werewolves are projections of the terror we all need to deal with but don't want to."

• Chris Conduit --- "Horror film to me is a visual expression of the most horrific part of "man's" psyche. No matter what sub-genre of horror you examine, the thematic root is a reflection of the darkest parts of our being. To someone who's never seen a horror film: A film that's primary purpose is to do one of three things: scare you, disgust you, or make you fearful of the potential evil that lives in our world."

• Bone Jangler --- "To me, horror is anything that makes a person feel threatened, of frightened. Not being able to make a house payment can be just as horrifying as a masked, and armed, prowler hunting down sorority sisters at a slumber party.
  The horror genre is a form of entertainment designed to invoke a calculated response, a pyhsical, and/or psychological, response. The response is fear. To some fans, this entertainment is a form of therapy, taking their mind off of their own very personal horrors, as they focus on the fears of someone else."

• Count Sam Gregula --- "Horror is a genre that involves mystery, sometimes murder and plenty of mayhem! Then throw in a few scares and some blood for good measure! "

• Doctor Ivan Cryptosis --- "If you watch a film and it causes you to doubt your humanity and wonder what horrible things are going on around you feeling it could happen to you. That's Horror."

• Helena, Hussy of Horror --- " To me, Horror is that which makes the viewer step outside their comfort zone. There are so many sub-genres of the Horror genre: blood and gore, slasher, dark comedy, psychological thriller... Horror doesn't have to be bloody. Sometimes it's really funny. Sometimes it just gets inside your head and twists your perceptions. I think the link is that a horror movie is somehow subversive and it takes you out of society's normal comfort zone. It's like a rollercoaster that scares the daylights out of you and makes you laugh at the same time- when the ride's over you can breath a sigh of relief that you're still alive and the monster wasn't real."

• A. Ghastlee Ghoul --- " Stephen King once broke it down into three categories: terror, horror, and the gross out.
  Terror is the unseen, the psychological, the unknown thing scratching on the other side of the door. Terror is the mind running wild with possibilities, and is the most sublime form of fear.
  Horror is opening the door and actually seeing the monster. Scary, yes, but at least you know what you are scared of. The mind stops creating the biggest, baddest things it can come up with and says, "Okay, let's find a way to deal with that."
  The gross out is fairly self-explanatory. Blood, guts, slime and snot.
  While terror is my favorite of he three, combining them properly and arranging them effectively is a real art. The traditional set-up would be: Something is scratching around the basement door. Door is opened to reveal a giant, red-eyed spider with dripping fangs. Giant spider attacks and gruesomeness ensues. A more Hitchcockian spin on that would be: Audience sees giant spider hiding in the basement, sucking the life out of a cocooned victim. Cut to our protagonist, the "hero" of the story, hearing the scratching at the basement door. Even though the audience already knows what is on the other side, they are on the edge of their seats yelling: "DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR!" Catharsis through putting yourself in the protagonist's skin for a time, and then when the story is over you can say: "Thank god that didn't happen to me! I guess my problems are nothing compared to that!"
  There is another aspect of the horror genre too, beyond the films, books etc., and that's the fans. For a bunch of people who revel in the dark and scary they are generally some of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. Maybe they work out their "issues" through fantasy and can truly appreciate life? Lol! Probably way over-thinking that, but for whatever reason horror fans seem to have really big hearts."

• Eerie Lee Shivers --- "To me, Horror is essentially anything that displays a tendency towards the Macabre. It's about fear and death and the thing that go bump in the night (or any combination thereof). Horror can be scary, obviously. But it can also be romantic, funny, upbeat, animated, etc.

  Horror is Frankenstein. Horror is Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Horror is The Groovy Ghoulies and the Monster Squad. Horror is what makes your raises your gooseflesh at hides under your bed. Horror is be crazed witless, and enjoyed every minute of it. Horror is in the heart."

• Roxsy Tyler --- " In Horror anything goes! I think horror is the only genre where you can get away with absolutely anything from sex to violence to comedy to action. A horror movie can have it all and do it all in under 120 minutes. But on the most part, horror is the fruition of things that scare us coming alive before our very eyes. It is a portrayal of things we could only imagine and at the same time of things and situations we never imagined were even possible."

Question # 3 -- This one is a two-part question; What is the best horror film ever made? And the worst?

• Joe Bob Briggs --- " The best horror flick ever made is Tobe Hooper's original "Texas
  Chain Saw Massacre." Accept no substitutes.
  The worst horror flick ever made is "A Chorus Line." Michael Douglas
  sits in the back row chewing rats and demanding that Broadway chorus
  boys SPILL THEIR GUTS. I couldn't sleep for a month."

• Ms. Monster --- "Suspiria and Zombie (aka zombie 2) are old favorites of mine. I love Argento's build up, wow does he know foreplay and Fulci just had such a brilliant vision for Zombies (and eyeballs!). Mmmmmm.
  Worst is American Haunting because it is NOT in any way shape or form a horror movie and I felt ripped off by it being presented as one. One of my favorites that many consider a worst is April Fools, I think it is brilliant. But then again here at Hel on Ice we are into B!"

• Tat Melon --- "The Alpha and Omega of classic horror to me has Got to be Plan 9, Which incidently may also be the worst, but Man, I still love it to death. Ed Wood movies are like that old friend that isn't that funny, but after a while his jokes become your jokes. I've never been one for slasher movies, so Driller Killer was painful in more ways than one to watch and host."

• Count Gore De Vol --- "I can't honestly answer this question the way it's presented. I can say that the scariest movie I've seen was the original Alien and the worst films besides "Beast of Yucca Flats" would be the hundreds of first time zombie movies by would be film makers that keep flooding the market. "Hey dude, I just go this cool cell phone that shoots video. Lets get some fake blood and make a zombie movie with all our friends!" (Type casting)"

• Matt Beckoff --- "My favorite horror film is "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." I don't know what I would say the worst would be. I like cheesy horror films too. It's hard to pick a "worst". One of my favorites could easily be on someone's "worst" lists."

• Ormsby --- "What I think is the best changes depending on my mood, I could actually rattle off 20 right now. All time best (maybe because I just watched it again): Night of the Living Dead (1968). Not only does our primal fear of death come up from the grave, it wants to eat us. I know one nine year old that hid under the living room table during that entire film.
  Worst: Driller Killer (1979). I will not elaborate. As a matter of fact the less said about it the better. I said drop it!"

• Chris Conduit --- "Best: I have to be honest here, I'd like to say Nosferatu (I truly love this film). But, at the risk of choosing something more current and not deemed a classic, I'm going with Inside... A film that deals so accurately and disturbingly with man's inhumanity toward man. A film that shows how obsession and revenge can build to insanity. And a film that tells a story from beginning to end and gives the viewer the most honest conclusion possible, with no apologies.

  Worst: Diary of the Dead... A film that cemented my belief that Romero's time had passed. Land of the Dead was very poorly done in my opinion. However, I still held hope for Diary. When I watched this film it really showed that Romero was trying way too hard to be current (Internet, iPhones, shaky-cam, etc) but was just incredibly out of touch. I hate this film so completely because, to me, it signifies Romero's professional death."

• Bone Jangler --- "The best horror film ever made? That's a very relative thing, based on people's respective opinions, and experiences. John Carpenter's "Halloween" (1978), to me, is a damn near perfect horror film. As for the worst, it has been said many times that Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space" is the worst movie ever made. Apparently, the people who say this have yet to watch "Gigli.""

• Count Sam Gregula --- "Best movie: John Carpenter's Halloween (1978)
  Worst movie: Rob Zombie's Halloween II (2009) "

• Doctor Ivan Cryptosis --- "Best? The Old Dark House from Universal. Worst? It hasn't been made yet."

• Helena, Hussy of Horror --- "Hmm... I'll go with "The Birds" for the best horror film ever, cause I can watch it again and again... and again. The worst horror movie of all time? I never met a horror movie I didn't like. The worse it is, the more fun to watch and drink to."

• A Ghastlee Ghoul --- "Wow, that's a tough one. My personal favorite is the original 1963 version of The Haunting, a down-the-line terror film. No gross out and the no monster, per se, because the monster is Hill House itself. Some more recent films such as The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity have tried to use that model to varying degrees of effectiveness, but in my opinion none have ever come close to touching the high bar set by Robert Wise with The Haunting.
  The worst horror film is an even harder part of the question, because I tend to judge a film on whether or not I was entertained. A lot of people have called Ed Wood's Plan Nine From Outer Space the worst, but I find that movie fun, therefore entertaining. The very worst films I've ever seen were so bad that they are completely forgettable, so I can't really even site one. But I will say that I've never been a big fan of most slasher films or "torture porn." Gore for gore's sake and vicarious cruelty are cheap substitutes for craftsmanship."

• Eerie Lee Shivers --- "There is just NO WAY to answer that! But, a short list of some of the best would be:

  *John Carpenter's The Thing
  *Bride Of Frankenstein
  *Creepshow

  And the worst:

  *Horror House On Highway 5
  *Bloody Murder
  * House of The Dead"

• Roxsy Tyler --- "That's a very tough question to answer. I want to say Night of the Living Dead, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Shining, The Exorcist... and in my opinion all of these would be right answers. All were influential to the horror genre. Instead I'll answer with what first popped into my mind. My top pick for best horror film would be Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The films I listed above are all classic and beloved but they were no where near my time (not the TCM was either but let me finish) but because they were all from a completely different era they didn't scare me. I found them interesting and entertaining but they couldn't scare me because by the time I started watching scary movies horror had already escalted into so much more. Texas Chainsaw Massacre scared me when I saw it. It was one of the only films that had me on the edge of my seat and had that mindset of "anything goes". It was so many things I never saw before in a horror movie. It was also influential in its own right. I can not tell you how many different movies ripped off an idea from Texas Chansaw Massacre. I've seen so many at this point and some pull it off well while others are just poor recycled reproductions.

  This is a trick question, isn't it? Worst horror film... that's the thing, in horror something can be so bad it's good. But hey, I can match my answers, the remake to Texas Chainsaw Massacre starring Jessica Beil is the most God awful thing I've ever seen in my life. That's number one on my list of pitiful horror remakes that I would urge you not to watch. Some remakes aren't bad but that one was just so boring. I think that's one of worst horror films of all time. That and a movie called Dolly Dearest. I'm a huge fan of Killer Doll films even when the films were horrible. It's another boring horror flick. Horror movies shouldn't be boring!"

Wow!  A more colorful, fun and lovable bunch of folks you're not likely to find anywhere apart from the local asylum! Haha I'd like to thank each and every one of these talented horror hosts for devoting a little of their time to answering my questions. 

If you are a horror fan, be sure to support your local horror host, be it a TV host, an internet webcast host, or a radio host, as these folks put their heart and souls (and a little blood as well a few scattered body parts of hobos) into their shows, in an attempt to bring horror and sci-fi to the world, and in doing so, they are also paying their respect to the wonderful world of horror movies! If you're area doesn't have it's very own horror host,and even if it does, be sure to click the links below and check out what each of my guests, for this interview, are up to. 

Links:

* Joe Bob Briggs - The official home of Job Bob Briggs: Drive-In Movie Critic --- Click the following link to see Joe Bob introduce HG Lewis' classic Wizard of Gore

* Ms. Monster -  Ms. Monster.com  --- Click the following link to see Ms. Monster on 100YMM.com

* Count Gore De Vol - Count Gore De Vol presents Creature Feature --- Click the following link to see Count Gore De Vol at work

* Matt Beckoff - The Beckoff Show and Confessions of a Scream Queen  --- Click the following link to see Larry Storch Live, directed by Matt Beckoff!

* Ormsby - Ormsby's Cinema Insane --- Click the following link to see a very special message from Ormsby!

* Chris Conduit - The Conduit Cast  and Chris Conduit --- Click the following link to listen to an episode of The Conduit Cast dealing with the very serious subject of ass to mouth. 

* Bone Jangler - The Bone Jangler  --- Click the following link to see Bone Jangler as the very special guest of Count Gore De Vol.

* Count  Sam Gregula - Count Gregula's Crypt --- Click the following link to see the intro for Count Gregula's Crypt

* Doctor Ivan Cryptosis -  Kooky Spooky Theatre --- Click the following link to see a Doctor Ivan Cryptosis promo

* Helena, Hussy of Horror -  Hussy of Horror  --- Click the following link to see Helena with Count Gore De Vol

* A. Ghastlee Ghoul -  The Ghastlee Movie Show --- Click the following link to see a trailer for The Ghastlee Movie Show

* Eerie Lee Shivers - Uncle Eerie's Shiver Show (shivershow.com - coming soon) and Uncle Eerie's Midnight Shiver Show also, you can contact Eerie at uncle.eerie@gmail.com --- Click the following link to see a commercial for Uncle Eerie's Shiver Show

* Roxsy Tyler - Roxsy Tyler's Carnival of Horrors --- Click the following link to see a promo for Roxsy Tyler's Carnival of Horrors

For more info on Horror Hosts, please visit the website linked below:

E-Gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts

Below is a slideshow featuring photos of all of the hosts who took part in this article.