Todd’s Movie Blog

Although this film has been out for about three years, i don’t think it’s well known by most people due to it’s limited release, which is a shame as it highlights a favorite part of many people’s childhood.  American Scary chronicles and examines the American phenomena of the local TV Horror Host, those colorful and sometimes goofy people who would come on every week to introduce horror films and crack jokes, usually at the movie’s expense.  Using Elena Watson’s book, TV Horror Movie Hosts as a guide, filmmaker’s John Hudgens, Sandy Clark and Michael Monahan fashion a loving tribute and insightful look at a beloved but often overlooked aspect of pop culture.  Combining interviews of the hosts with clips from their shows, along with known celebrity fans like Tim Conway, Tom Savini and Neil Gaiman, American Scary introduces the audience to the likes of Zacherly, Vampira, Chilly Billy, Ghoulardi, Svengoolie, The Ghoul and Big Chuck & Lil’ John as well as such nationally broadcast cable characters like Sir Cecil Creepe, Commander USA, Joe Bob Briggs and Joel Hodgson, not mention the biggest horror host of all time, Elvira.  Though not told in chronilogical order, it highlights many of the above mentioned as well as others in a poignant look at a form of entertainment that is disappearing from from TV as local stations are continually swallowed up by conglomerates like Clear Channel, yet is also hopeful as some like Dr. Gangrene appears on public access while others are like Count Gore De Vol, who moved his show intact to the internet.   If there is any complaint it is that a 90 minute movie is not enough time to really do justice to an art form that has been in existence for almost sixty years.  If they could have gotten the backing of some PBS contributors they could have had an awesome multi-part film like Ken Burns’ Jazz or Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues, for despite the many people highlighted, there were hundreds more not even mentioned (why is Superhost continually overlooked?). It does prove something that all we Ohioians have known for years, we are the mecca of horror movie hosting with more horror movie hosts in more cities than any three states combined. The extras on  the DVD include the wedding in full costume of two horror hosts from Defiance, let’s see New York or Los Angeles top that.