Thankful Beyond the Daves!

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This is the season of thankfulness and the Daves can’t think of any Thanksgiving where we’ve been more grateful. A year ago at this time we were a couple of die hard Svengoolie fans (which we still are) who had no idea what other amazing personalities existed outside Chicago City Limits. Now we use names like Zomboo, Dr. Destruction, The Bone Jangler, and Wolfman Mac in everyday conversation and have amassed huge samplings of the work of many hosts from across the country. We also now have an actual venue for which to share our appreciation of them, as well as the world of horror fandom in general. We’ve really enjoyed doing this and can’t imagine life without it. There are so many people we wish to thank (not the least of which you the reader) but, rather than write a generic “thanks,” we’d really like to break down our appreciation to those folks who really helped make this one of our best years ever!

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Ode to the Horror Host Sidekick: Interview with Penny Dreadful’s Garou!

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Ever since Vampira cooed to her pet spider, “Rolo,” and the great Zacherly whispered “my dear” to an invisible paramour just outside the camera’s reach, sidekicks have been a common feature of horror hosted shows.

These companions are often as colorful and diverse as their host creators. Some are the skeletal variety such as Svengoolie’s Tombstone or Wolfman Mac’s conniving Boney Bob. Others are even more bizarre and imaginative such as Doktor Goulfinger’s Count Zygote (the world’s first horror host fan), Ms Monster’s..”ahem”.. melons “Tit & Tat,” or even a coy houseplant whom Mr. Lobo affectionately refers to as “Miss Mittens.”

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The Terror Daves Meet for the FIRST time…Rock n’ Shock 2010!

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A little over a month ago, I was having an email exchange with my co-blogger and friend, David Albaugh. He was disappointed that his plans for this October’s annual “Rock & Shock” horror convention in Massachusetts had fallen apart.  Attending a fan convention alone is never as much fun as sharing the experience with a fellow enthusiast, especially if you’re looking for a reliable photographer to capture those rare moments of you interacting with your favorite celebs. I genuinely felt bad for him because I knew that, while fan conventions are abundant here in my centralized Midwest location of Chicago, this was much less the case in his native Rhode Island.

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Horror Host Spotlight on Count Gore de Vol!

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If you mention “horror host” to someone randomly on the street more than likely the response will be Elvira. If you mention “horror host” to a fan chances are you will get a whole list of classic characters, including Vampira, Zacherley, Svengoolie, Morgus The Magnificent, The Ghoul, Sir Graves Ghastley, Dr. Paul Bearer, Ghoulardi and many, many others. Even names like Bob Wilkins and John Stanley may be mentioned. Though many of these hosts have come and gone, one is still going strong in the Washington, DC area. His name is Count Gore DeVol.

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Svengoolie and Elvira: Together again?

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Back in July of 2008, the Crown Plaza Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois saw the meeting of two legendary horror hosts. Chicago icon, Svengoolie, was joined on stage by national sensation – Elvira the Mistress of the Dark. This was part of the annual Flashback Weekend Convention, an event that Svengoolie had attended faithfully for years, often acting as MC of their popular costume contest. I was unable to attend this convention and, upon discovering that the two hosts had not only met but actually performed together, became literally sick for missing it.

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