“I Bid You Welcome” Hosting Our World
You’ll notice that I tend to put a lot of me and my life in the articles I’ve written. Why? Well, frankly, because anybody can tell you the news. Any literate person can read something on one site and post it on another. You don’t need charisma or charm or even a personal touch to see that “Gremlins Vs Ghoulies” and “Hellraiser: Exodus” will be coming out by 2020 and repost it. Note: These aren’t real, but you get the point. Throughout the years we’ve had wonderful hosts who can present to you with flair. They didn’t stand there and merely announce a film, they had a presence. Some hosted classic movies while some were more a part of the program leading us into the show’s individual tales. There have been many macabre hosts throughout time, but here are just a select few:
Joe Bob Briggs used to host MonsterVision on TNT in the 90s. He’d not only announce and comment on the film but he would also give the Drive-In Totals featuring stats such as the number of dismemberments and dead bodies. Briggs is a film critic, writer, and actor (real name: John Bloom).
You can see a sample of Joe Bob at work here:
In the 80s and 90s The Crypt Keeper hosted Tales from the Crypt, based on the EC Comics series. The only non-human presenter on the list, the Crypt Keeper was voiced by John Kassir and performed by puppeteer Van Snowden. Gruesome in appearance with a devilishly hilarious tone. This year, director M. Night Shyamalan will be bringing the series back.
Who can forget the show’s intro?
In the 80s Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (Cassandra Peterson) hosted Elvira's Movie Macabre. A series that was brought back briefly in 2010.
Elvira introduces Attack of the Killer Tomatoes with beauty and snarky wit:
The always wonderful Vincent Price hosted Masterpiece Mystery on PBS for 207 episodes from 1981 to 1989!
You can see Mr. Price work his magic here:
Freddy Kruger, the nightmare man himself, hosted a show like the aforementioned Tales from the Crypt entitled Freddy’s Nightmares for two seasons (88-90). Also known as A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series, Robert England would begin and end each tale as only he can.
The Freddy’s Nightmares intro:
These days we can still see Svengoolie host with glorious camp. A locally produced Chicago show, he can be seen Saturday nights on MeTV.
You can see the Shlock Master go to work here introducing Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman:
Who was your favorite host? Who would you like to see become a host? Let us know at 52weeksofhorror@gmail.com
