Marvin
Dave F: Over a decade before the Svengoolies would become synonymous with Chicago horror hosting, the Windy City’s very first host was a “near-sighted madman” named Marvin! Former Ventriloquist, Terry Bennett, was working for Chicago channel, WBKB, in 1957 when the station received the infamous “Shock Theatre Package” of films. It was Terry, himself, who created the character of “Marvin” and urged television management to allow him to present these films to a Chicago audience.
The next two celebrities I would like to cover are Tim Burton regular Lisa Marie and the one and only Sid Haig. I have always been a fan of both stars, but for different reasons, had never met them. For Lisa Marie she had not been at any previous conventions that I attended. I always found Lisa Marie to be beautiful and found her portrayal of Vampira in the movie ED WOOD to be wonderful. I also enjoyed her alien performance in MARS ATTACKS! and found it to be fun and quirky and I was very much looking forward to meeting her! For Sid Haig, I was actually too nervous to meet him in the past! For some reason, I always associated Sid with his character Captain Spaulding and for some reason, thought he was like that in real life! I know it’s a silly way to think, but I found him genuinely creepy in THE DEVIL’S REJECTS and HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES and for the life of me couldn’t believe that he was actually a nice guy! Boy was I in for a surprise with both stars!
Back in 1984, the rural town of Kenosha, Wisconsin became the unlikely venue for a unique type of art show. Local resident, Dale Wamboldt, was determined to create a venue where artists such as himself (who delve in the more ominous side of creativity) could showcase their work for a public audience. A fan of Oscar Wilde’s classic novel, “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” Dale was fascinated by the concept of using art to express his own darker side. Years later, he would adopt his own alter ego as a horror host, Dr. Destruction, while continuing the annual tradition of the “The Dorian Gray Art Show.”
One of the highlights of any convention is of course meeting the actors and actresses that starred in so many of our favorite films. Though my priority for HorrorHound was the horror hosts, there were a handful of celebrities that I also wanted to meet. Two of them starred in one of my favorite cult films of the 1980’s, KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE.
It’s hard to believe that it has been over 20 years since this cult classic was released. I still vividly remember seeing it for the first time on VHS with some friends. We were of course drinking beer at the time and we just had the best time. I remember wondering to myself if the reason I enjoyed this film so much was because of the beer, or because it was a genuinely good film. Thankfully, at the time, my uncle owned the only video store in Jamestown so I was able to see what ever movies I wanted, when ever I wanted. I re-watched this movie without the aid of alcohol and to my pleasant surprise, it was just as good the second time!
Terror from Beyond the Dave 