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Howdy, Gang! Welcome to the online home of Horror Hosts and Creature Features Magazine!

Are you obsessed with macabre monsters, machete maidens, and morbid madmen? This is the place for you!  It’s a Horror Geek Lifestyle and we know many people are living it. We are a strange breed, but one of the most tightly knit communities in fandom! ‘Stay Tuned‘ for magazine updates, original art, and articles!

Snark Shallows: Complaining
About the Complainers

By Soo Bawlz

I was originally going to write a review of the
Tim Burton film DARK SHADOWS for Horror Hosts and Creature Features. I saw the film with some associates on opening day with only a brief glimpse of one of the trailers in my brain pan. Honestly, There are three things that I routinely find boring, extremely pretentious, and trite: Dark Shadows, Tim Burton Movies, and Vampires…or maybe it’s the fans of these three things that I find mostly boring, pretentious and trite. That being said, we walked in with little to no expectations. We walked out thoroughly entertained. A new movie in the theater, featuring classic horror monsters, gorgeous visuals, some laugh out loud humor, and fine actors. That is what going to the movies is all about for me.

It made me like Tim Burton again. It had the qualities I loved in Beetlejuice, Ed Wood, and Batman. Remember the 1989 BATMAN?–When everyone was so angry that Michael Keaton was no Adam West and that Tim Burton was ruining their childhood. Sound familiar? Did Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder deal with a lot of Monster fans saying “I’m not going to see “Young Frankenstein” because it’s a comedy and has no respect for the original films.” Continue reading

Letters to the Head-Eater



Hey HHCF Magazine,

There are a lot of Horror Hosts out there. I want to know what the Criteria for being a Horror Host is, anyway? It’s getting harder and harder to tell...

- Johnny Fakename

Greetings Mr. Fakename ( if that IS your real name ),

It’s easy to be confused or frustrated as we’re dealing with something that didn’t need to be specifically defined before. Local TV vs. Regional vs. Syndicated vs. National vs. Cable vs. Access vs. Satellite vs. Home Video vs. Internet vs. Anthologies vs. Spook Shows vs. Movies vs. Radio vs. Comic Books. Like many activities it’s a hobby and a profession. A guy who plays Tennis in his backyard is playing the same game as John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, or Venus Williams but he’s not automatically entitled to respect among fans and historians. Writers Write, Singers Sing, Hosts Host…hosting alone does not make you notable but it does make you a host.

                                                Your HHCF Publisher,
                                                Mr. Lobo


Fans have voiced their opinions on what it takes to be a Horror Host!

 


“You as a host need to be as good or better than the movie”
-Rob McCarthy (Comedy Writer)

“I think the secret to hosting, to ALL hosting of any subject matter, is that the host makes a connection with the viewer. You are not just watching a re-run or old crappy movie, we are watching it WITH you and we’re having fun together.”
-Matthew Pak Continue reading

Come See Us at the Haunters Convention This Weekend!

This Thursday, Mr. Lobo and Dixie Dellamorto will be going back East for another tour of duty. Our first stop is the NATIONAL HAUNTER’S CONVENTION in Oaks, Pennsylvania on May 4th, 5th, and 6th, That is THIS WEEKEND!!!! There you will see attractive attractions, amazing props, haulin’ hearses, amazing masks and make ups and even horror hosts like myself and the shows founder Gravesly Macabre from Midnight Monster Hop! Mr. Lobo will have a table and will also be performing on the Main Stage. If you’re not there, you better be dead…and even death is a poor excuse!

Missing Saturday Afternoons with Dr. E. Nick Witty

WELCOME DEAR GUEST TO THE DEN OF E. NICK WITTY

ALAN MILAIR 1931 – 2012

By Jerome A. Dolan
Art By Mr. Lobo

"Mr. Milair does his tademark laugh for the crew of Monster Mansion Memories..."

Baby Boomers and Monster Kids of Syracuse are mourning the passing of veteran TV personality Alan Milair who died peacefully on April 22, 2012. He was 81. Born in Charleston, WV, He moved to Syracuse to further his career. Mr. Milair had a 30 year career with WSYR in their Radio and television departments. He was a newsman, weatherman, and host of talk shows. On the radio he hosted MUSIC JUST FOR YOU. He also presented many classical music programs. He retired as AM/FM Program Manager for WSYR Radio. He will be remembered fondly as a local broadcasting legend. Continue reading

The Radio Roots of Horror Hosting: From Old Nancy to Vampira!

RADIO ROOTS Part 1:  The Shadow Knows and a Tradition Grows!

By Lord Blood-Rah

     Down the cobwebbed Halls of Horror Host History many well known names echo; VAMPIRA, ZACHERLEY, GHOULARDI, and a haunted hoard of others.  But, in a far gloomy corner, just beyond sight, echo names of those not as well known in our era, but whose influence is still felt. They are the forerunners of our tradition of terror, the primordial presenters of fearful fare.  They are the Horror Hosts of Radio! 

"Old Time Radio Days"

      Before home computers, or even television, RADIO was THE home entertainment medium.  Radio brought it’s millions of listener’s news, commentary, music, and, most importantly to fear fiends like us, stories of suspense and horror. Unlike TV shows and films these tales relied only on voices, sounds and the listener’s imagination to chill the blood. 

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Horror Hosts in Putrid Print

SPOTLIGHT ON THE CRYPT-KEEPER                                                         By Ryan B.

“Hey, you! Young’un! Do you know who The Crypt-Keeper is?”
“You mean that guy from the old TV show?”
“…Sit down.”

Long ago, in a wondrous time known as the 1950’s, when the world had a certain glow about it (thanks largely to atomic energy), people swooned while Perry Como crooned, tuned in every week to watch the wacky hijacks that June Cleaver’s Beaver got into, and nine out of ten doctors recommended smoking. Amidst this climate, a well established comic book company called EC decided to reinvent itself. The EC in EC Comics started out standing for “Educational Comics” and printed bible stories, animal fables, and stories from history. That was under its founder, Max Gaines. After his death, his son Bill took over the company and changed the name to “Entertaining Comicswhich, no doubt, saved on having to buy new company stationary. After testing the waters with new things like teen and romance comic books, Bill realized that what he had really liked to read himself as a child was horror, crime, and science fiction stories. His editor, Al Feldstein, felt the same way and  soon EC was in the suspense business. Stories of murderers, monsters, and men from Mars became the new trend in comic books and EC led the way with its three top sellers, The Vault of Horror, The Haunt of Fear, and The Crypt of Terror, later retitled Tales from the Crypt.

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Fearless Fashion with Kevin Novinski

I care about how I look. There’s just no other way for me to say it. Before I leave my house everyday I carefully judge my options of clothing that are laid out before me. Life’s too short not to be fabulous 365 days a year and why the hell are there only 365? This pisses me off. But, I wasn’t always so fascistic about how I dressed myself day in and day out. Why now? Here I was all of a sudden a fashion junkie with not a care in the world how people judged me, especially in suburbia. It is quite entertaining seeing the looks on the neighbors’ faces, the parents quickly shuttling their children away as if you were a common pedophile, when you come out of your apartment dressed in black tuxedo pants, a shiny silver skinny tie, and someone’s caution to the wind buttery yellow polyester reject prom jacket that’s too tight for your body. Keep in mind that someone actually wore all of these articles at one time.

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CREATURESCON COMETH!

Creature Features Fans…  Assemble!                                                 By Lord Blood-Rah

The San Francisco Bay Area in 1971: Vietnam War protests and bell-bottomed trousers were in the streets, and on television a bespectacled gentleman in a yellow rocking chair, cigar in hand, declared the movie not worth staying up late for. And so was born CREATURE FEATURES!

That man was Bob Wilkins, a horror host sans make-up, sans costume, and brimming with cool, dry wit. He would remain in that chair presenting classic Horror and Sci-Fi films, as well as a fair dose of dreck that he made great sport of, every Saturday night for eight years. Fans watched not only for the movies and Bob’s humor, but to get the latest information on upcoming films and genre happenings. The show quickly became a rallying point for Bay Area fandom.

Continue reading