DR. SHOCKER'S VAULT OF HORROR

NO INDEED . . . BELIEVE IT OR DON'T BUT I'M NOT ACTUALLY DEAD . . . . JUST UNDEAD. 

We undead tend to move a little slow therefore the activity on this blog has been a little sparse so far this year.  Will I be able to rectify that?  I don't know as yet but this is my first shot across the bow:  the new(ish) DVD from LOST's Daniel Roebuck (you've got a little Arznt on ya) and JOHN DIES AT THE END's Chuck Williams. 

Already nominated for a Rondo Award (see the "Vote in this year's Rondo Awards" link down there on the right hand column to vote now), DR. SHOCKER'S VAULT OF HORROR is something of a follow-up to their 10th anniversary DVD "HALLOWEEN:  THE HAPPY HAUNTING OF AMERICA" double disc extravaganza.  This new DVD is more of the same; a trick-or-treat bag stuffed full of treats which focus mainly on horror collecting.  Roebuck once again hosts as Dr. Shocker; his loving tribute to the late great TV horror host Dr. Shock (Joe Zawislak) whom he watched (as did I) on Philadelphia's Channel 17 ("The Great Entertainer" and purveyor of today's "Antenna TV" network).  Chuck Williams returns as the dim-witted Igor. 

While I didn't have the DVD in time for last year's Halloween festivities, I surely plan to re-watch it when October rolls around because, like so many other great Halloweenie-themed DVDs of recent years (HALLOWEEN:  THE HAPPY HAUNTING OF AMERICA, THE WITCH'S DUNGEON, THE COMPLETE BOB WILKINS CREATURE FEATURES, GROTESQUERIES and the re-released THE ZACHERLEY ARCHIVES and HORRIBLE HORROR:  THE SPECIAL EDITION).  In fact, there's a gloriously growing pile of Halloween-themed DVDs which celebrate the season and I couldn't be more pleased about it.  It was such a DVD (Something Weird's MONSTERS CRASH THE PAJAMA PARTY) which, in fact, decided me on buying my first DVD player back in 2000!  But back to Dr. Shocker . . .

Roebuck and Williams (as the Doc and Igor) provide a short comedy introduction on a horror set which fans of the original Dr. Shock will instantly recognize as very similar to his 1970s MAD THEATER and HORROR THEATER set.  As seen in the picture above, there is the painted-stonework wall behind with a framed painting of Dr. Shocker while in front of the pair of ghouls is a long counter -- all this instantly calls back my youthful viewing of Dr. Shock.  Then we go into the meat of the DVD:  a 45 minute-or-so documentary called MONSTERMANIACS celebrating the "Monster Kid" generation who grew up watching classic (and not so classic) monster movies on TV when the "Shock Theater" package was released to TV horror hosts like Zacherley and Vampira. 

This love of horror grew into an adult mania for collecting all those vintage horror collectibles which they couldn't afford when they were kids.  A rather heartfelt autobiographical piece by Roebuck himself introduces a host of other like-minded horror collectors as well as such luminaries as director Guillermo del Toro and Rob Zombie. 

This documentary is narrated by fellow LOSTie Jorge Garcia and, as I said, focuses strongly on the iconic magazine FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND as well as the much-loved and rather shady CAPTAIN COMPANY ads which always featured in the back pages of the mag hawking scads of horror merchandise. 

We get to see in the DVD not only the ads but also the actual collectibles such as the classic BIG FRANKIE,

the beautiful Aurora monster model kits,

the 8" bendable monster figures,

the rather affordable Topstone monster masks

and the outrageously unaffordable (to a kid back then) but mesmerizingly-fantastic Don Post monster masks. 

And much, much more.  After all, Roebuck himself curated his very own Forrest J. Ackerman-like monster collectible museum so he knows of what he raves. 

While the MONSTERMANIACS documentary only goes on for about three-quarters of an hour, there is a wealth of special features which bring the total viewing time to over two hours.  I actually wish many of the special features had been edited into the body of the documentary because they relate directly to the topics covered.  

Particularly I speak of short features on the Imagineering Inc. make-up kits which featured the well-remembered "Scar Stuf" and "Vampire Blood" (which was recalled when it was thought it made a group of children ill when it turns out they actually all had the flu!). 

Imagineering Inc. also made everything from those plastic vampire teeth to an early semi-make-up/semi-appliance kit called "THE FACE" which featured plastic appliances (much like what would become commonplace in movie-making a decade later) which you could apply to your face and then blend in with make-up to transform yourself into a werewolf or a skullface.

There is a live on stage presentation at a horror convention focusing about the Captain Company products hosted by Daniel Roebuck with a panel including Donald F. Glut (author of my beloved 70's horror comic book THE OCCULT FILES OF DR. SPEKTOR) as well as Don Post Jr.  There is also a live on stage comedy production which itself has been nominated for a Rondo Award:  FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN - THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE"! 

Introduced by Bela Lugosi Jr. and Ron Chaney, the comedy skit features a parody of presidential debates with candidate the Frankenstein's Monster going against the Wolf Man (Roebuck in full makeup) and it's genuinely funny for once!  Next we have Roebuck and Williams hitting the road for "A PARANORMAL TOUR OF HAUNTED HOLLYWOOD" and then a tour of the Arizona Gillman's impressive horror collection centering around, of course, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON.  A funny gag reel as well as a 3-D photo gallery of Roebuck's horror museum

(3-D glasses are included in the DVD case as well as a membership card to the Dr. Shocker fan club and an autographed (by you) photo.  Rounding out the festivities is a superb short film perfect for Halloween viewing:  Sky Soleil's "HOW MY DAD KILLED DRACULA" starring (naturally) Daniel Roebuck in a truly wonderful short film which would make a perfect Halloween double-feature with FLIP. 

As you might have guessed, DR. SHOCKER'S VAULT OF HORROR is a whole lot of fun for anyone who loves horror and Halloween.  The dvd itself took five years to make relying on donations from horror fans themselves and the love and care really shows in this terrific celebration of the monsters we all love.  You really should check it out.

A NIGHTMARE COME TRUE!

A HAPPY COINCIDENCE OF THIS COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN WAS MY DISCOVERY OF THE NEW 2-DVD SPECIAL EDITION OF THE GREATEST PARTY VIDEO EVER:  HORRIBLE HORROR STARRING ZACHERLEY! 

I randomly stumbled across it without having any knowledge that this 1986 gem had FINALLY been released on DVD.  One of my greatest Halloween wishes and the Great Pumpkin must've granted it!  I'm not going to go into any depth as to what this fantastic video is all about; I've written about it before and you can read my review by clicking on this link.  However, I will say that there is no better entertainment on the planet than having Zacherley the Cool Ghoul personally escort you through a bunch of horror movie trailers and clips.  And here's the best part:  the new DVD special edition has been vastly expanded to over TWO AND A HALF HOURS of added material including some new Zacherley footage.  And there's also the second disc which features Zacherley's early 60's appearance on "WHAT'S MY LINE?", an episode of the 50's horror TV programme LIGHTS OUT entitled "CURTAIN CALL" starring Otto (DRACULA'S DAUGHTER) Kruger, and the entire film "FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER" as an added bonus.  I cannot urge you strongly enough to pick up this DVD for the perfect Halloween viewing.  You'll love it!  It's more fun than a barrel of giant amoebas!

SHOCK THEATER DAWNS ON TELLY

EVERYONE READING THIS ALREADY KNOWS ABOUT SHOCK THEATER, I'M SURE. 

In October 1957, Universal licensed 52 of their horror and mystery films to television for the very first time through Screen Gems.  While John Zacherle as Roland on Philadelphia's WCAU-TV would become a nationwide phenomenon, cities across the nation also had local horror hosts to present the Shock Theater package.  Here are just a few of the newspaper/TV Guide ads which came out at the time as well as a two-page spread announcing the new Shock Theater TV package in the TV Guide magazine.

 

BATTY INDUCTEE NUMBER 5

MY FIFTH INDUCTEE IS APPROPRIATELY THE COOL GHOUL.  In 1958, Philadelphia record label Cameo-Parkway was having a great deal of success with acts ranging from Chubby Checker to Bobby Rydell.  Also at the time, the "Shock Theater" package of classic Universal horror films was being released to TV stations for the first time and WCAU-TV's John Zacherle was getting national fame as groundbreaking TV horror host Roland (later name-changed to Zacherley the Cool Ghoul).  Always savvy Cameo-Parkway decided to take some of their biggest hit records, remove the vocals, write new spooky lyrics and put out a Zacherley album.  Little did they know that the single would go to #7 on the Billboard Pop Charts.  That's why my fifth inductee into the Batty Halloween Hall of Fame is...

DINNER WITH DRAC PT. 1 by ZACHERLEY

As a teenager, my mother had watched Zacherley on SHOCK THEATER and she had told me stories about it.  Then when I was still in single digits, I magically came across the Zacherley "MONSTER MASH" LP and it's become a favourite of mine.  "Dinner With Drac" is a song that most people have heard of -- even if sometimes they mistakenly attribute it to Bobby "Boris" Pickett!  John Zacherle is still going strong, bless him; still making appearances at the Chiller Theater horror convention every year.  No one deserves to be in the Hall of Fame more. 

VOTE FOR ZACHERLEY!

THE STORY IS A FAMILIAR ONE BUT I NEVER TIRE OF TELLING IT. 

When I was very, very little my mother would regale me with tales of when she was a teenager living at the huge Victorian house on Westfield Avenue in Pennsauken, NJ.  She had her room up on the fourth floor which had been an attic; the house was so tall you could see the river separating New Jersey from Philadelphia from her window.  My great grandfather the architect had built the house (as well as the log cabins at Medford Lakes, the glorious and now sadly no more Walt Whitman Theatre on Pennsauken and the venerable Custard Stand still standing on Main Street in Maple Shade, NJ).  I used to love that old house.  Anyway, she would tell me how she turned on the television late at night and there was a ghoulish gent dressed like a mortician playing horror movies.  That guy was Roland and he was played by John Zacherle.  Before too much time, he would leave Philadelphia and move to New York where he would become famous as Zacherley the Cool Ghoul:  the king of TV horror hosts.  I soon discovered, buried in my father's record collection, Zach's "MONSTER MASH" album and it became a treasured object worthy of veneration.  

photo by Lisa*

Many, many years later circa 2004 I finally met the great man at the Chiller Theatre Convention in East Rutherford, NJ.  My dear wife took the above photo as I waited to get an autograph.  I don't show up in the photo because, being a vampire, I do not show up on photographs.  It's hard to believe it's been almost a decade since then.  The Cool Ghoul was gnoshing on a hot dog; he would shortly burp at me and laugh that famous bellowing laugh at being such a naughty ghoul.  Meeting one of my lifelong idols was something I never dreamed would happen; it's the equivalent of meeting Boris Karloff or Vincent Price in my book. 

He autographed a photo and his ZACHERLEY ARCHIVES DVD (if you click on the "Zacherley" label below this post, it should take you to a photo of it) as well as giving me the facsmile of his "VOTE FOR ZACHERLEY" card pictured above.  A Halloween season could not go by without me making mention of the great man and saying exactly how much he's meant to me my entire life.  In fact, Halloween just isn't Halloween unless Zacherley presides over it.  A dear, dear man.    

AN INTERVIEW WITH ZACHERLE

• CERPTS: I would like to thank you Mr. Zacherle for granting me this interview.
• ZACHERLE: Speak up, boy. I can't hear you.
• CERPTS: Well, sir, if you'd turn off that cement mixer, maybe . . .
• ZACHERLE: Oh, forgive me, but I'm having quite a large gathering here tonight and I must finish the monster mash hash!
• CERPTS: You're making dinner in a cement mixer?
• ZACHERLE: Oh, yes, my guests have ravenous appetites. H'mmm, delicious -- possibly just a touch more of Black Widow Spiders.
• CERPTS: According to my records, Mr. Zacherle, you were born 150 years ago in . . .
• ZACHERLE: No, it was 200 years ago -- and I wasn't born -- let's say, I was belched forth from the graveyard.
• CERPTS: All right, you were belched forth 200 years ago in Transylvania. In school you excelled in all the "Black Arts" . . .
• ZACHERLE: Yes, I made my Phi Beta Draca in my 3rd year at "Ghoulage". Would you hand me that jar of gravestone chippings. H'mm, and hand me that hand, it looks delicious.
• CERPTS: Sir, that's my hand! Can we please get on with the interview?
• ZACHERLE: After I received my "monsters degree", I made my way into the mortal world.
• CERPTS: Is that when show biz beckoned you?
• ZACHERLE: Yes, I had my own TV shows and also made many network appearances.
• CERPTS: And soon you became America's number one "spook" spokesman. Now, about this new "Monster Mash" smash record album of yours . . . how did that come about?
• ZACHERLE: Well, the "twist" may be new to mortals, but it's old to ghouls. My fiendish friends have been doing a pretty wild twist since time began. Great Goblins, I'm running short of blood. Count Dracula will burst a blood vessel. I hope it isn't mine.
• CERPTS: Gee, what a natural or should I say supernatural, to have Zacherle , himself, record the weird versions of the big hits made famous by the real live teenage artists of our day. Well, Mr. Zacherle, thank you very much for this interview.
• ZACHERLE: Going so soon, I was planning on you for dinner.
• CERPTS: No thanks, I've eaten already.
• ZACHERLE: But my friends haven't eaten yet.
• CERPTS: Please sir, put me down. No, no -- don't throw me into that cement mix . . .
• ZACHERLE: That's show biz!

AND NOW . . . THE MONSTER MASH by the master of monsters -- ZACHERLE in monaural and SCAREO over at our sister audio blog BATHED IN THE LIGHT FROM ANDROMEDA. Don't go alone!!!

(Interview originally appeared on the back cover liner notes of the 1962 LP written by Don Rosenblit)

THE ULTIMATE PARTY TAPE "HORRIBLE HORROR" WAS RELEASED BY GOODTIMES VIDEO IN 1986 STARRING THE COOL GHOUL ZACHERLEY HIMSELF. Now, I don't know what kind of party has this tape playing in the background but THAT'S a party I wanna attend! Unfortunately for all of us, the nearly 2 hour tape is not available on DVD and, more to the point, it wasn't even released in high quality SP (the fastest VHS speed) but was in the slower, lower quality LP or even (gasp) EP speed! But the gloriousness of pure gold glisters no matter how muddy. This was a tape I simply adored from the first moment I clapped eyes on it -- I believe, in a big bin of video tapes at K-Mart! Clutching it to my worm-infested bosom, I flew home on pterodactyl wings and popped it in the VCR.

Naturally, the reasons for the tape to exist are two-fold: firstly to provide a forum in which to sell a passle of trailers and public domain horror movie clips. But even better was the chance to see the great Zacherley -- granddaddy of all TV horror hosts -- once again in harness and in ghoulish action for more than a few minutes. This is a rare opportunity to see Zach do his classic stuff -- and in COLOUR yet -- something which hadn't been seen since his late 50's-early 60's heyday first on Philadelphia local TV (as Roland) and then (as Zacherley) after his move to New York City television. Zacherley is in top form on HORRIBLE HORROR as he revives and elaborates on his classic schtick: electrocuting wind-up monster toys, jousting with a stuffed vampire bat (uh, it's a girl...), dissecting his patented green jello amoeba or probing a cauliflower brain. Zach even revives his original concept of sneaking himself into the movies we're watching. . . as well as providing a nice cameo appearance by his wife "My Dear" in the box. Zacherley even provides a priceless television appearance from the 1950's in which, apparently on Pat Boone's TV programme, the Cool Ghoul serenades him outside a window in the rain. This is the kind of archival footage of Zacherley we didn't get to see until the release of THE ZACHERLEY ARCHIVES on VHS and, later, DVD.

SIDEBAR: When I met the great man himself several years ago, Zacherley kindly autographed my DVD of THE ZACHERLEY ARCHIVES in his own inimitable way: "From Zacherley and all the creeps in Transylvania". Take a gander below.

So, what is all this getting at??? Is HORRIBLE HORROR the best video in the entire world. Well, of course it is. How could something that combines the greatest horror host ever with piles of horror and science fiction clips be anything BUT?!?!?

And what about those aforementioned clips? Well, as I said, they are culled from scads of movie trailers and public domain monster movies. However, the conceit of the HORRIBLE HORROR video is that Zacherley, after about 500 years or so, has been evicted from his Transylvanian castle so he has to gather together all his treasures and move out. Many of these treasures, of course, are film reels which the Cool Ghoul thankfully plays for us (with the help of his unseen, groaning assistant Ygor). Ygor and Zacherley has thankfully compiled the clips into loose categories such as "Creatures I Have Known And Loved", "Dracula's Home Movies" and "Special Effects...or Is It Special DEFECTS?!".

Just listen to this list of horror and science fiction fun on display in HORRIBLE HORROR: so-called Dr. Radford Bain of the Information Service warning us of the terrible threat of THE KILLER SHREWS -- even though those on display look about as dangerous as hamsters, THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE complete with facial bandaging which looks more like a urinal, Mexican monster BRAINIAC sucking the brains out of a pudgy-fingered ingenue, a slightly-booze-soaked Lon Chaney Jr. attempting menace as THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN, Jonathan Haze feeding a severed hand to his bloodthirsty plant in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, intergalactic invader Ro-Man (with the gorilla suit and wacky diver's helmet) carrying off a damsel who seems more inclined to giggle than to scream, a young Peter Graves trying to take an alien with ping-ping ball eyes seriously in KILLERS FROM SPACE, Bela Lugosi pretending he's a wall painting and sneezing on one of the Dead End Kids -- of course, Bela made his sneeze sound distinctively like "Oh Shit!", Mantan Moreland stealing the entire movie KING OF THE ZOMBIES away from the rest of the cast by being "loquacious", evil overlord Vultura twisting the nipple-knob of a leftover PHANTOM EMPIRE robot in CAPTAIN VIDEO, MASTER OF THE STRATOSPHERE, Ray "Crash" Corrigan (with a fin on his head) strapped to the front of a vehicle of death (driven, in fact, by a young bit player named Lon Chaney Jr.!) in THE UNDERSEA KINGDOM, and Edward D. Wood Jr. making himself happy with "a pair of lace undies" in GLEN OR GLENDA.

HORRIBLE HORROR also contains some more rarities which I've not seen practically anywhere else. Besides the aforementioned Zacherley TV appearance on The Pat Boone Show there is also Barry Atwater (the vampire in the original telefilm THE NIGHT STALKER) in full Dracula gear leading us in the taking of "The Oath" to the Count Dracula Society: "I do hereby swear, aver and depose that I will hereinafter assist all the efforts of the Count Dracula Society . . . so long as they remain consistent with the loyalties of a good American . . . and in sign whereof I will receive all priviledges thereto, so help me Christopher Lee!" This rarity alone, which I've never seen ANYWHERE else, is worth the (small) price of admission. Also present are the classic bloopers on the set of ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, Rod Serling's "raspberry blooper" from THE TWILIGHT ZONE, Bela Lugosi's early 30's "Intimate Interview" as well as his classic assault on Betty Boop (Betty...you have booped your last boop!"), a rare 1950's Bela Lugosi TV appearance on YOU ASKED FOR IT! performing his "weird vampire bat illusion", as well as scenes from early TV programmes like CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT, FLASH GORDON and the Universal/Hammer Films co-production TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN. From the sound of things, you might think the King of Horror Boris Karloff doesn't appear in this video; well, he certainly does (ranging from the classic chess "confrontation" against Bela with the skull on the mantlepiece between them to DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME. However, probably owing to Karloff's slightly better fortune in the movie business, he doesn't appear as much as Lugosi or even Chaney Jr. This despite the relative wealth of Karloff poverty row material from THE APE to the Mr. Wong pictures to FRANKENSTEIN 1970 to VOODOO ISLAND to THE DEVIL COMMANDS or any of the Columbia "mad doctor" movies. Ah well, that's show-biz!

HORRIBLE HORROR is so good (if you're a true horror and science fiction fan) that it leaves you wanting A LOT more! The producers could have made the video twice as long and we STILL would be asking for more. I've always dreamed of being given the chance of editing in EVEN MORE old clips. After all, there is SO MUCH still missing -- where are THE SLIME PEOPLE, for instance, or any of the Santo movies, THE PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES, CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA, DEMENTIA 13, PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, MR. WONG DETECTIVE or any of 100 I could mention which are not included herein. Someone should have commissioned a sequel -- HORRIBLE HORROR 2 -- long before now. With Zacherley himself still making the trek to every Chiller Theater convention in his early 90's, there is still a chance, of course, but methinks the powers that be have missed the boat. But at least we have the wonderful wackiness of HORRIBLE HORROR (as well as THE ZACHERLEY ARCHIVES dvd) to revisit again and again. And again!