Tribute to Dick Von Hoene…Cincinnati’s Cool Ghoul!

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Dave F: Ohio is one of the most prolific states when it comes to churning out horror hosts. Therefore, it was not surprising that  several inductees to The Horror Host Hall of Fame would hail from there. One of these was Dick Von Hoene a.k.a. The Cool Ghoul!

Classic commercial horror hosts were also professional broadcasters and Von Hoene was no exception. In the early 1960’s, he worked on Cincinnati radio and was featured on a show called “Bob Smith’s Monster Mash.” It was there that The Cool Ghoul character was born, though it would not be until the latter part of the decade (after he moved from radio to television) that the character would be given its official “look.”

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Horror Host Tribute to Chicago’s Shock Theatre MARVIN!

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img398-copy2Marvin

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.

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Dr. Destruction’s Dorian Gray Art Show: Horror Hosts and Horror Creations!

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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.”

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Who, Me? Part 1: A Little “Superstition” Leads To Elvira And Svengoolie, Inspiring A Late-Blooming Monster Kid! by Jamie Lee Cortese

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The Daves would like to welcome our latest guest blogger, Jamie Lee Cortese. We met Jamie recently at HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis and were immediately impressed with her, especially with her horror host knowledge! We think she has a huge future ahead of her and we are honored to have her writing on our site!

Let me start off by admitting that I have not been a real “Monster Kid” for very long.  In fact, the first full-blown horror movie I ever saw all the way through was Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd:  The Demon Barber of Fleet Street when it was in theaters.  However, as I began my “monster” journey, I quickly realized that from the very beginning, all signs pointed to my eventual transformation into one.  For one thing, I’ve always been drawn to offbeat, “weird” things:  I am a huge fan of Tim Burton (hence my seeing Sweeney Todd), and a consistent highlight of any October is my family’s annual visit to Fright Fest at Six Flags.

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The Horror Hosts of Horrorhound Weekend 2011!

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img_4823Karlos Borloff, Dr. Destruction, & The Bone Jangler!

 DAVE F: If you attended the 2011 Indianapolis Horrorhound Weekend, with the intention of finding the many horror hosts in attendance, you should have had no trouble in doing so. Occupying their own room this year, most were together in a single spot (with the exception of Sammy Terry & Joe Bob Briggs).

We had passed this section on our way to the celebrity rooms and noted a few familiar faces. As we entered, we immediately saw Roxsy Tyler, Midnite Mausoleum, and Dr. Calamari. Dr Calamari (easy to recognize as the guy with the tentacles coming out of his face) is part of a troop of performers called DARK CARNIVAL.

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