Photo courtesy of Steve Sherman

On June 13th, 1986 Keven Scarpino a.k.a. The Son of Ghoul hit the Ohio airwaves and the world of horror hosting hasn’t been the same since. Having been a fan of the legendary Ghoulardi and christened “The Son of Ghoul” by his successor ( The Ghoul) three years earlier – perhaps it was simply a case of destiny.

After working behind the scenes (and occasionally on camera) with The Cool Ghoul (George Cavender) he would later take over the reigns as host of “Thriller Theater” before it would simply become “The Son of Ghoul Show.”

I first met The Son of Ghoul at the 2010 Horrorhound Weekend in Indianapolis. I was introduced to him via The Bone Jangler, whom I had only met for the first time moments before. After Svengoolie, Son of Ghoul was the first commercial television host I had the privilege to meet and it was a surreal experience to say the least. I was extremely grateful to The Bone Jangler for breaking the ice in that situation.

I would see him again at the 2011 Horrorhound Weekend along with the other Dave – David Albaugh. This time he knew who we were from TERROR FROM BEYOND THE DAVES and called out to us as we entered the host room. Of course this still didn’t prevent me from acting awkward as a blurted out “Son of Ghoul! You’re one of the most powerful hosts here!” as if I was seven years old and he was a professional wrestler. He laughed it off and we enjoyed a few laughs.

The next day,  his inducting his idol, Ghoulardi, to The Horror Host Hall of Fame would prove one of  the high points of the event.

Horrorhound 2011

Many people proudly count themselves as fans of The Son of Ghoul. TERROR FROM BEYOND THE DAVES would like to thank SOG fan and close personal friend, The Bone Jangler, for sharing his amazing interview with Son of Ghoul (to be posted THIS Sunday right HERE) as well as some great pictures! We’d also like to thank Michael Monahan (Doktor Ghoufinger) for sharing some of his personal photos as well. An article on Son of Ghoul written by Mr. Monahan will be featured in the upcoming 20th Anniversary issue of SCARY MONSTERS MAGAZINE.

We’re sure that many more articles written from varying perspectives will see print and we Daves look  forward to reading them all. A horror hosts’ career is a colorful one…. and one that spans 25 years will have, no doubt, touched many lives. And The Son of Ghoul shows no signs of stopping. This weekend at MONSTER BASH he’ll be putting on a LIVE Anniversary show along with past clips. It is sure to be a memorable event for those fortunate to be in attendance!

Son of Ghoul with Fidge! Photo courtesy of The Bone Jangler!

COUNT GORE DE VOL: What can you say about the Son of Ghoul that hasn’t already been said…..or is appropriate for even an adult audience? Not much, so I won’t even bother to attempt it. What I will say is that doing anything for a quarter century is tough and doing it as well as he has is truly something ot celebrate..

I know there are naked naysayers who might excuse his success because he really loves what he does. To that I say poppycock. Even if you really love hosting bad horror movies, keeping it up for 25 years is tough and I’m not talking about viagra either.

So a big “Congratulations” to Son of Ghoul for a momentous milestone!

PENNY DREADFUL (Shilling Shockers): Oh Son of Ghoul, that rapscallion! I love that guy. I first met the legendary Son of Ghoul at Monster Bash. One of the first things he did was approach me with a video camera. He made some mildly unsavory remark and pointed his camera at my cleavage. Normally, I’d turn a guy into a chinchilla for doing something like that, but not Son of Ghoul. See, that scamp has charm coming out the wazoo! His quick wit disarmed me and I busted up laughing on camera. SOG had managed to bring a smile to my melancholy visage. We have often chatted at subsequent cons and, without fail, he always makes me laugh. The man has amazing spontaneity and a gift for comic timing. I had the pleasure of sharing a table with Son of Ghoul and Doktor Goulfinger at HorrorHound 2010. What a blast! Son of Ghoul had me in stitches the entire weekend. One of my favortie things about that weekend was hearing him talk about his beloved Three Stooges. SOG is a huge fan and expert on the Stooges so it was great hearing him speak with such passion and knowledge about them. Truly, Son of Ghoul is a remarkable figure in the world of Horror Hosting. Here’s to another 25 years of his televised antics!

MR. LOBO (Cinema Insomnia): The caped and cranky Son Of Ghoul–is like a toxic mold–he grows on you and he just wont go away! One of our nations longest running costumed horror movie hosts, following in the grand Cleveland television tradition of bearded hipster ghoul types going back to Ghoulardi in the 1960’s. Wise cracks, obnoxious sound effects, and rock and roll season SOGs repartee and his rabid following earned him addition station duties on a popular live local game show! Mr. Lobo has had the privilege to work with Son of Ghoul at a live show in California called Horror Host Palooza–where he made a mockery out of horror host politics by reading a personal letter on stage–written by another ghoulish host who was urging SOG not to “associate” himself with “certain people” in the biz–causing the muckraker standing next to him to turn bright red and fluster in front of a confused crowd. Onstage he was brash and cutting but personally Mr. Lobo found him very low-key, kind, and complimentary. This is why, Group, we must ALL hail the creepy and kingly Son of Ghoul on his 25th Anniversary!

SON OF FROGGY (The Chiller Drive-in): I wouldn’t exist without Son Of Ghoul. I was born out of a desire to make a friend laugh. In 2006, Son of Ghoul was having his 20th anniversary celebration at Cinema Wasteland (my favorite Convention in Ohio).  I thought it would make him laugh if I dressed like Son of Froggy. I owned the Froggy costume I used on The Ghoul show except for the Mask, but I had purchase one from Dave Ivey a few years earlier for Creepy Clyde’s Halloween party. I put a beard and mustache on it, put on a cape and Son of Froggy was born. I never intended to go any farther than that day and was happy it had made so many people laugh (especially Son of Ghoul). Five years later I’m still going strong. Happy Anniversary Daddy!!

Photo courtesy of Michael Murphy a.k.a. Son of Froggy!

SCARY STEVE: I met Keven at MonsterBash 2003, just a few months after Fidge had past away……….we talked awhile and he was so cool to my son (my son talked about him for weeks)….As I stood there I watched the show had playing, it was a best of……………….I had not laughed like that in years, man I had tears in my eyes…………………….So I was hooked!,…………………I even had a SOG tattooed on my right leg…DOH!

The first show I bought from him was”Plan-9 from outer space”, now I think I have almost all of them!…He’s the reason I have took this ride into the world of the Horror Host! I feel lucky to call him my friend!

Man,25 years on the air!!! Wow!! …..Congrats Keven!………you are KING!

JUNGLE BOB (Son of Ghoul Sidekick):  The first time I saw Son of Ghoul was on television…..He was pouring a bottle of Turn Blue Ghoul Brew down the toilet & I thought to myself….”Now thats funny”!!!! If you ever tasted it, you would understand what I mean !…..After that I was scheaduled to appear live on stage at the Memphis Drive In and when I walked up on stage I was standing next to the man himself…The Son of Ghoul…..From the first time we met to today we have been great friends both on the air and off…And there has never been a dull moment(unless we were on an appearance that nobody showed up at)….He’s not always “fond” of some of the animals I bring on the show but he has a respect for them & for what I do & for that I wish him another 25 successful years, both on & off the air!!!!!! Love, Jung. .

Tune in THIS Sunday for The Bone Jangler’s incredible interview with Keven Scarpino: The Son of Ghoul! For those of us who will be unable to attend the LIVE anniversary show this Sunday, it’ll be the next best thing!

Dave Fuentes~