Did Someone Call?

Last night I got together with Cameron McCasland and Chuck Angell and filmed a cameo for the upcoming short film Retrieval Service, directed by Cameron and based on my own short story of the same name. In this scene I will be paying homage to Nashville's best known TV horror host, Sir Cecil Creape, (Russ McCown). Chuck did a spot-on job replicating Sir Cecil's makeup, and I had a blast playing my own idol and inspiration, if even for such a brief appearance. fun stuff, I thought I'd share it with you folks here - look for the film to start making the rounds sometime in the next few months, and be collected into an anthology hosted by Dr. Gangrene in 2017.

Goodbye Bookman/Bookwoman

The long-standing Nashville bookstore BOOKMAN/BOOKWOMAN is closing at the end of the year. I HATE to see another Nashville landmark fade away. I'm still reeling from the loss of the downtown GREAT ESCAPE, my favorite hangout growing up. Now Bookman, which has been in business for 20 years in its Hillsboro Village location, is closing.

I stopped by there yesterday and picked up a stack of used books - all at 50% off. I spoke with owner Larry Woods, who told me that the property owners are raising his rent 400%. FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT! You know what that means? It means they want to force him out, which is exactly what has happened. Larry said they considered moving into one half of the store, which currently occupies two buildings, but they ran the numbers and it just doesn't work. No kidding.


BUT, on the flip side of this story, in an article that ran in the TENNESEAN Newspaper yesterday, the owners of the building, Davis Cutlery, claim they did NOT raise the rent, and offered to let them stay there at the current rent. So who is telling the truth here? Something is not being reported in this story, it seems.


I do know one thing for sure though. The face of Nashville is changing rapidly, and I don't like it one bit. Everywhere you look there are shops closing, buildings being torn down, and apartments going up at an alarming rate. People are flooding into Nashville as it has become an "it" city, and the flavor that made it so great is rapidly evaporating. As a lifelong Nashvillian, born and raised here, I hate to see where it's headed.

Zacherley Paperbacks from 1960

I picked up a pair of paperback books recently that I wanted to share with you ghouls, as I knew you folks would appreciate them. They are two anthologies published in 1960 that were edited by none other than Zacherley himself!

The first of the pair was ZACHERLEY'S MIDNIGHT SNACKS. My copy of this one is in pretty bad condition. The pages are brittle and the entire thing is crumbling around the edges. But it is intact, and I'm glad to finally own it. The stories in the book feature brief introductions by Zacherley, and include some familiar and impressive names:


Sorry, Right Number - Richard Matheson
Share Alike - Jerome Bixby and Joe E. Dean
Talent - Theodore Sturgeon
Listen, Children, Listen - Wallace West
The Whispering Gallery - William F. Temple
The Piping Death - Robert Moore Williams
The Ghost - A.E. Van Vogt
Carillon of Skulls - Philip James
Pile of Trouble - Henry Kuttner







Zacherley's Vulture Stew was the second volume of these books, and my copy of this one is in near mint condition! I bought these online, and they came from two different dealers, neither of which listed the condition. But I took a chance and it paid off for this book. Once again there are brief introductions to each story by Zacherley, and the list of authors is once again equally impressive:


He Didn't Like Cats - L. Ron Hubbard
Dr. Jacobus Melifore's Last Patient - Mindret Lord
The Devil is Not Mocked - Manly Wade Williams
Bones - Donald A. Wollheim
Out of the Jar - Charles Tanner
The Witch - A.E. Van Vogt
They Bite - Anthony Boucher
The Shed - E. Everett Evans
There Shall Be No Darkness - James Blish


This one all has a brief introduction to who Zacherley is, which is aimed at folks unfamiliar with the Cool Ghoul:




ZACHERLEY


Unlike most ghouls, ghosts and monsters, Zacherley is a self-made tradition. He is alleged to have been conceived in the mountains of Transylvania, reared with werewolves and schooled at the Transylvanian Technical College of Poltergeistery.


A creative figure of the world of shrieks and shrouds, he talks on equal terms with the known hoots and haunts of antiquity. But his urbane laughter and dexterous daring-do, whether in the haunted vaults or vaunted halls of legend, always put him a step ahead of routine monsters.


To grasp fully the ephemeral mystery of Zacherley, study this book and then watch his ghost-to-ghost tv program in New York on WOR TV, and in Los Angeles on KHJ TV (both channel 9).


For those who know, Zacherley represents the triumph of artful laughter and keen satire over ancient films peopled with the cinema's most contrived spooks and nightmares. Whether it is Dracula, Frankenstein or the Hound of the Baskervilles, Zacherley's celluloid magic always triumphs.






What a cool intro. I wonder who actually wrote that? To be fair, I believe Zacherley's involvement with this project was probably limited to the brief intros before each story. The curating and collection of said stories, as well as the above introduction, were no doubt done by someone with a publishing background. But I'm glad that this was done, as these are fun collections full of equally fun stories.


The stories were all previously published in a variety of pulp magazines including UNKNOWN WORLDS, THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, STIRRING SCIENCE STORIES, THRILLING WONDER STORIES, BEYOND, FANTASTIC UNIVERSE, THRILLING WONDER, and AVON SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY READER.


The artwork on both books is by long time fantasy and science fiction artist Richard M. Powers. I love the fun and whimsical flair to this art. You can see a complete listing of his work, with examples of each, here. According to Wikipedia, during the 1950s and 1960s, he served as an unofficial art director for Ballantine Books, which meant he would have been art director for these two books, too. he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2008.


Published by Ballantine books with an original cover price of 35 cents, these books are a lot of fun, and still available online (with just a little searching) and well worth the effort.

Farewell Zacherley

Legends. Icons. People throw around words like those far too often nowadays. It is rare that a person rises to the very top of their chosen profession and becomes the undisputed best at what they do.


But John Zacherle, aka Zacherley, aka Roland (emphasis on the RO), was just that. He was the very epitome of a TV horror host, the definition of the word. The gold standard all other hosts aimed for.

 

Zacherley pioneered techniques that are used to this very day by horror hosts everywhere, including the “cut-in”, where he would insert himself into the movie as if he were part of the action. This back in the 1950s, mind you, decades before green screen technology. His madcap experiments and zany skits were the stuff of legend, and imitated by hosts to this very day.

He had a long career that touched many areas, including hosting American Bandstand and Zacherley’s Disco Teen, being a radio deejay, recording a number of monster novelty records with songs that cracked the top 10 on the Billboard charts, appeared on the cover of Famous Monsters Magazine, edited two paperback anthologies of horror stories, hosted the Horrible Horrors VHS compilation, was a regular staple of the Chiller Theater Expo conventions and so much more. Check out his website to learn more at http://zacherley.com

But above and beyond all of that he was a great guy. I got the chance to meet Zach at the Wonderfest convention in Louisville, KY in 2007. I will always be indebted to Dave Conover and the WF convention for that opportunity. That weekend I was part of a panel on horror hosting alongside Zacherley, and a photo of the two of us taken there by Eileen Colton even appeared in USA Today.




I later did a painting of Zacherley that I ended up mailing to him. I never said anything about it publically, as I just wanted this to be a gift for him. He loved it, and I later spotted it in another horror host’s (Karlos Borloff) video that was shot in John’s home. That’s my painting hanging right beside him in this shot. It is a pic of him doing his famous amoeba experiment – and I ironically didn’t even take a picture or scan it before mailing it. This frame grab is all I have of it, although you can see it in Borloff’s video quite clearly.

John was always kind and supportive and a true professional. He will be missed, but definitely not forgotten. Here’s to you, Zacherley, thank you for the inspiration and for being such a class act. May your Jacob’s ladder always burn bright.

Guest Appearance on Bloody Pit of Rod Podcast - Dr. Black

It was my pleasure to get together with my old friend Rod Barnett recently and make a guest appearance on his podcast to discuss the 1976 Blaxploitation horror film, DR. BLACK/MR. HYDE.

Rod has been diligently plugging away at both his podcast (The Bloody Pit) and his blog (Bloody Pit of Rod) for years. This was my first appearance on his show, and we had a blast catching up over beers and talking about this film, which we both really dug.


It's a pretty solid little film, much maligned and underrated. Stars Bernie Casey and Rosalind Cash. You can check out the episode HERE, via direct listen there or there are links to download it directly or through itunes there too.

Give it a listen, and then you can watch the entire movie below, via YouTube.

The Walking Dead Violence continued...

I had several people on facebook message me about my post on THE WALKING DEAD earlier this week. Most were in agreement with me that it was a terrific episode, full of tension and drama and heartbreak. A few sided with the show's detractors that it went too far, that there was no reason to show that level of gratuitous violence.


I had time to reflect on it a bit more over the past couple of days, and have come to the conclusion that this is really much ado about nothing, or at least nothing new. You see, the Walking Dead has been doing this for years, the public had just conveniently forgotten it. Remember Noah, the character who had his face literally ripped apart by a hoard of zombies while Glenn watched on a mere inches away behind a pane of glass?




How about in Season 5 when the bad guys had our heroes lined up, once again on their knees, hands bound and mouths gagged, bent over a trough so they could BASH THEIR HEADS WITH A BASEBALL BAT, slit their throat and drain their blood to use their meat for a community of cannibals?






Or the violent deaths of any of a number of characters over the years, not to mention the many, many disgusting things done to walkers over the years. No love for them?


So why not the outcry over any of these things? Why the current batch of complaining like the violence in this year's opener is something new?

If the very same things that Negan did in the most recent episode were done to a walker, or a less prominent character, you wouldn't hear this outcry. It is because it was a main character, a beloved character, and that really is a testament to the writers of the show, that they can make people care that much about the characters.


The premiere drew 17 MILLION viewers, which tells me the WD cast and crew is doing something right, so don't expect it to change anytime soon. And it shouldn't. It's a HORROR show, directed (at least that episode was) by makeup special effects genius Greg Nicotero. Of COURSE it's going to be special effects laden! And dark - I would expect no less. This is a horror program kiddos, not THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. Tune in to the CW if you want lighter fare, but don't be surprised or feign shock at what should be pretty damn apparent. This ain't gonna be pretty. It hasn't been for some time now. So stop with the false outrage already, the complaints and whining. If you don't like it, stop watching. The ratings will just continue right along swimmingly, and your fair sensibilities won't be upset.


But I bet you still tune in, despite your weak protests to the contrary. Because, as I mentioned before, the writers have presented characters you care about, and the majority of you will be tuned right back in Sunday night to see how far it goes this time.

12 Hours of Terror 2016 Recap

The 12 Hours of Terror marathon at the Belcourt theater was this past Saturday night (October 22nd, 2016) and was a frightful good time for all in attendance! The lineup this year was a fun and eclectic mix of films, and there were plenty of shenanigans from the Belcourt staff to keep the mood lightened and crowd entertained, too.






The festivities kicked off with a short set from THE BOO DUDES, a horror rock band made up of a Vampire guitarist, mummy bassist, headless horseman drummer, vampire keyboard player and alien guitarist. They were great and entertaining and had the crowd chanting "Booooo" lovingly between songs to cheer them along.

The first film of the night was the Joe Dante classic, THE HOWLING. I'd never seen this one on the big screen, and the print was a blood-red tinged 35 mm print. Great start to the evening.

Next up the Boo Dudes played a super short set, followed by the second film of the night, the insane MYSTICS OF BALI.

During the movie, in the section where the woman's possessed head and organs separate from her body and fly in search of victims (yes you have to see it to believe it if you've never experienced Mystics in Bali) the Belcourt staff ran up and down the aisles dangling a head and organ prop over the crowd to their delight! William Castle would have been proud.


The next film was the 1980s film SOLE SURVIVOR. I'd never seen this one before, and it was probably my favorite film of the night. Final destination definitely lifted a thing or two from this one.

HENRY, PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER was next, in a beautiful 4k transfer.





I had the honor of introducing this one, and brought up three contestants from the crowd to do a quick sketch portrait of Henry before the movie, with prizes to the winner.

The Belcourt staff had once again transformed the lobby into a haunted house during the movie, and did a great job!

The next film was a first for the 12 Hour marathons - a 3D movie! THE 1960s film THE MASK was next, and the print was gorgeous!





I handed out a stack of paperback books to the audience before this one, a tradition started by the late Jim Ridley, and one I very much intend to keep alive.

THE PIT was next up, another film I'd not seen before. This 80s gem is really fun!





The evening was rounded out with FROM BEYOND, the splatertastic Lovecraftian Stuart Gordon classic.





As we all emerged into the daylight at 10 the following morning the survivors gathered for a group photo. The 12 Hours of Terror has become a Nashville tradition, and one that is not to be missed by horror movie aficionados. I want to thank everyone who came out to the event - the show was sold out - and I'd also like to thank The Belcourt for inviting me to participate as well. I'm already looking forward to next year's show! It's just a shame we have to wait 365 days for it to get here!!


BTW, I swiped these pics everywhere I could, so thank you to all who shot these photos. If you wish to be credited please let me know, and again, thank you for coming out to the event!

THE WALKING DEAD S7 Premiere - Let the Complaining Start

Last night THE WALKING DEAD season 7 premiered to what will surely be record viewing numbers. Season 6 left us with a cliff-hanger that promised the brutal death of a Walking Dead cast member - an event that was taken straight from the pages of the comic it is based on. This death came at the hands of the show's latest villain, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, a character that is once again taken from the comic). Many Walking Dead fans complained about the season 6 finale, and the fact they had to wait the entire summer to find out who gets killed. Many even boasted that they would never watch another episode (although I bet almost every one of them was glued to their sets when it aired at 8pm central last night).

This season's episode picked up right where last year's left off and although the event deviated somewhat from the comic (I won't go into details here because this blog, and my own personal philosophy, is 100% spoiler-free) it still delivered and was a fantastic piece of TV drama. I have to admit I have not read the comic, and actually think that probably works in my favor as I approach each episode fresh, able to enjoy it without comparing and contrasting it to the source material.

Once again, however, the complainers have come out of the woodwork, and I have to say this has gotten completely out of hand. Social media was immediately inundated with people spouting off about how upset they were at the episode, how they would never watch another episode, how the show was ruined, etc., etc. Enough already.

Even my own home town of Nashville's beloved alt-newspaper THE NASHVILLE SCENE joined in, as they unveiled a fluff piece online this afternoon by a writer named Amanda Haggard entitled "Dear THE WALKING DEAD, I'm Over You." In this article she gripes about how much she disliked the premiere and ends with the line: "TWD, I’m over you."

WHO CARES? It's complaining, and nothing more. The opinion of one person who, by her own admission, the show probably isn't for. No kidding! So stop watching already, end of story. I have to ask, why in the hell did The Scene bother to run this piece? Seriously, not a good look, Scene.

The truth of the matter is that last night's episode was full of drama, tension, fantastic special effects and delivered an event that will have repercussions for the characters the remainder of the show's run. But then, that's just my opinion.

Was it for everyone? Of course not. Nothing is. There are plenty of shows that I don't bother to watch because I know they aren't the sort of show I like. But then, I don't waste my time complaining about them, either. Unlike some members of the press, I have better things to write about.

Belcourt Theater 12 Hours of Terror RETURNS

This Saturday October 22, 2016, at the historic (and newly renovated) Belcourt theater in Nashville, TN, the 6th annual Halloween event continues with another 12 hour marathon. The website describes it as a marathon of monsters, murderers, mad scientists, myths, mayhem, masked unknowns and mysteries that span the decades and most known exhibition formats.


The fun starts at 10pm - get there early to catch a performance by Nashville spooky rockers The Boo Dudes. This is a must-see event for horror fans in the Middle TN area. The Belcourt staff always does an amazing job, and I will be introducing one of the movies myself during the night, HENRY, PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER.


You can read a recap of last year's event here. It is always a total blast and endurance test of celluloid chills.


General Admission: $20/$15 for Belcourt members. Tickets are going fast, so grab yours early

Here's a shot of the crowd lined up around the corner last year waiting for the doors to open!




So what movies are they showing? Well, you'll have to show up to see! But here's what information the Belcourt has released so far:

THE HOWLING

Joe Dante's 1981 lyncanthropic masterpiece.

HENRY PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER

4K 30th-anniversary restoration of John McNaughton's unsettling horror-crime film.

THE PIT, 1981

"A perverted young boy whose teddy bear tells him to throw people in a pit full of monsters."

And here's what local paper THE NASHVILLE SCENE said about the rest of the night:

We can't reveal any of the four remaining titles, but The Belcourt has these little hints for us:

1. "A very rare international supernatural thriller that you'll totally lose your head over"

2. "An under-appreciated gem of '80s paranoia"

3. "A film in anaglyph 3-D"

4. "An eye-popping finale"

Seasonal Scene faves Boo Dudes will rise from the grave to play a set, and there will be a special guest appearance from local legend Dr.  Gangrene. There's more — costume contest, giveaways, gimmicks — but by this point, I'm thinking you're already sold. Admission is $20, and $15 for Belcourt members. Get your hands on tickets at The Belcourt's site.

AGAIN, this is one you don't want to miss. Sat, Oct 22nd 10pm! See you there!

R.I.P. Ted V. Mikels

I was truly saddened to learn today that director Ted V. Mikels passed away. I had the pleasure of interviewing Ted in 2003 when he was in production for his film MARK OF THE ASTRO ZOMBIES, a follow up to his classic THE ASTRO ZOMBIES in 1968. He was so giving of his time and mailed me photos and memorabilia to use for the article. He later sent me a trailer reel that he cut together himself for me to use on my TV show, Chiller Cinema, and we stayed in touch over the years. A class act, all the way. I was really glad that he was able to keep working late in his career. Ted was a true maverick who made movies and lived his life his own way, outside the system. Here's to you, Ted. I will be firing up my CORPSE GRINDER tonight in your honor.

Dr. Black/Mr. Hyde - Don't Give Him No Sass...

The fear of the year is here!

I was recently invited by my buddy Rod Barnett to appear as a guest on his podcast THE BLOODY PIT. He didn’t have any specific topic in mind, and asked me if I had any particular film that I was interested in discussing.

Last summer I was a guest at the LONE WOLF FULL MOON TATTOO SHOW, and while there I ran across a tattoo vendor selling VHS tapes. I immediately scooped up a handful of them, and among the ones I grabbed was a big box clamshell of DR. BLACK/MR. HYDE. I had never seen this one before, so my son Luke and I watched it a couple of days later and loved it! I suggested this movie to Rod, who had never seen it before either, and he enthusiastically agreed.

Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde is a 1976 blaxploitation horror film loosely inspired by the novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is directed by William Crain, the man who also directed perhaps the best known blacksploitation movie of all time, BLACULA.

It stars Bernie Casey as Dr. Henry Pride, a man who, along with his research partner Dr. Worth (Rosalind Cash) is working on a cure for cirrhosis of the liver. Impatient to test on human subjects, Pride injects himself with the serum. However, it turns out his formula has certain side effects, as one can guess from the title of the movie. In this case it turns Pride into an angry white-skinned monster that sets out on a killing rampage, leaving a trail of dead pimps and hookers in the community.

It’s easy to dismiss a film like Dr. Black/Mr. Hyde as cheap exploitation trash, but this movie actually has a lot going for it. There are some serious themes woven throughout the ridiculous sci-fi plot, in particular addressing issues of race and class struggles, as well as medical ethicalities. It is a fun movie, and one I recommend. Watch for the podcast coming soon (I'll provide links here) where Rod and I delve deep into this film and uncover a lot of details about this movie and interesting tie-ins to other Hollywood films and actors.

In the meantime, here’s the trailer for Dr. Black/Mr. Hyde, one of the greatest trailers ever!

And you can watch the entire film on YouTube HERE

Dr. Gangrene in Rue Morgue Halloween issue (on noosestands now)!

I picked up the new Rue Morgue Magazine last night, the Halloween issue, and they have a great plug for my YouTube Channel in there, specifically mentioning my ongoing Vincent Price series! Thanks Rue Morgue, you rock!


And you can check out myYouTube here:

http://www.youtube.com/drgangrene

Horror Hootenanny 13 a little over a week away!

Ok Fright Fans, the gory details have been nailed down and it's my pleasure to announce that this year we are bringing Canadian horror rock legends FORBIDDEN DIMENSION back to the US for DR. GANGRENE'S HORROR HOOTENANNY 13!! Saturday, October 1st at The End!

Joining them in the musical mayhem will be Nashville's own THE CREEPING CRUDS, and garage/surf rockers MUMMULA.





The action all takes place SATURDAY OCTOBER 1st at THE END in Nashville. So make plans now to kick off the Halloween season in style with Nashville's host with the most, Dr. Gangrene, The Creeping Cruds, Mummula, and Forbidden Dimension, and stay tuned for more updates and bloody details!!

So get those costumes ready fiends, Dr. Gangrene's Horror Hootenanny #13 is just a little over a week away! There will be prizes for the best costumes, and the overall winner gets a prize package that includes a $100 gift certificate to Lone Wolf Tattoo, trophy from Evil Pumpkins, a gift card from performance studio and more. One lucky winner will receive a mask from Uncanny Valley Productions. It all happens October 1st at THE END!!