Horror Host Tome, “American Scary,” Gets Even Scarier!

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This month marked the fifteenth anniversary of this site, and although it was never exclusively dedicated to horror hosts, there’s no question that it’s been a prevailing theme. This was due to both its creators meeting on a Svengoolie YAHOO forum (remember those?) with a mutual desire to learn about other classic television hosts. Further motivation came courtesy of a 2010 Vampira tribute at Horrorhound Weekend and the 2006 documentary, American Scary, by Michael Monahan and Sandy Clark. The latter featured commentary on the history of horror hosting, along with interviews from both fans and hosts, including the great Maila Nurmi, Vampira, herself.

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Nightmare Weekend – Yet Another Chicago Horror Con

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…and yes, another Blog! It appears the “retirement” I mentioned in January didn’t quite stick the landing.  I probably should have said that if I had something to talk about, I’d pop in, but the fact is, I had lots to talk about regarding Flashback Weekend in 2024, but just didn’t feel like it.  I guess after fifteen years, I’ve become something of a “mood blogger.” And today I’m in the mood to discuss Nightmare Weekend Chicago.

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Svengoolie’s Celebrity C2E2 Saturday

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Svengoolie’s Saturday morning at C2E2 matched Friday, though things didn’t go as smoothly with the autographs. A convention crew member erred in capping the line, inadvertently creating two separate ones. Once discovered, it was impossible to distinguish late arrivals from the new ones, leaving us no choice but to alternate between the two. Fortunately, this only angered a couple of people, which I consider a minor miracle. 

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The Art of a Svengoolie Public Appearance

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I  arrived at Chicago’s McCormick Place around ten o’clock Friday morning. Once again, my job was to assist the national MeTV horror host, Svengoolie, as he tackled the pop culture extravaganza C2E2 (Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo). This year’s entourage included Executive Producer Jim Roche, Director Chris Faulkner, Cameraman Patrick Payne, and MeTV crew members Briana Janczy and Bill Rieck handling social media. In addition to meeting and interacting with his fans, Svengoolie’s objective was to gather interviews and footage for upcoming shows. The event organizers do not assist with these latter objectives, making all his C2E2 appearances unpredictable. To help strategize, Jim compiled a list of interview hopefuls, and then it was a matter of whether they’d be willing to talk on camera and if their schedules clashed with ours. Tracking them down was another matter, but more on that later.

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Still Alive in ’25

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First, I hope everyone is having a happy New Year. Second, I’d like everyone to know that I’m still alive and well and had a great 2024—my adult kids and I are all healthy, employed, and had plenty of fun experiences. I dropped off the blog this past summer because I didn’t feel like writing. Here are the highlights from the last six months. Continue reading →

Clive Barker and his “Nightbreed” visit Chicago’s Days of the Dead.

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It’s been a while since I’ve attended a Days of the Dead horror con but after hearing Clive Barker was headlining their March 2024 Chicago show, I knew it was time to return. The legendary Horror/Fantasy author has been plagued with poor health and recently announced that he will no longer be attending conventions (I believe an upcoming appearance in New Jersey will be his last) with plans to focus on writing. I love Barker’s books, particularly his more fantasy-based stories such as Weaveworld and Imajica and look forward to adding more favorites to that list. Barker also wrote and directed one of my favorite weird, horror movies – Nightbreed (1990). Several other cast members from Nightbreed were also in attendance: Craig Sheffer, Doug Bradley, Simon Bamford, and Nicholas Vince. It was an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up.

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