B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping some of my favorite horror hosts into the ol’ VCR. 

Friends, the role of a horror host is a time-honored tradition. You not only have to be knowledgeable about the movies you’re hosting, but to have the charm and likeability to keep your audience coming back. 

Way back in 1954, Vampira entered the chat and revolutionized the horror host. Although her show only ran for a year and was only broadcast in LA, Vampira’s impact on the horror host format is undeniable. 

After Vampira came hosts like Ghoulardi, who you may know from such hits as being Paul Thomas Anderson’s dad (which I found out on his episode of WTF with Marc Maron). 

The 1970s brought about some legends like Count Gore de Vol, Sir Cecil Creape (who follows me on Instagram, and I don’t feel worthy), and (drumroll please), Svengoolie. 

Then came the 1980s. Oh, the 80s. During this magical, magical time, we were introduced to Joe Bob Briggs, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and surprisingly, the first iteration of the MST3K gang (also, shoutout to Dr. Blood, IYKYK). 

In the 1990s, Count Gore de Vol, Joe Bob Briggs, Svengoolie, and the MST3K peeps continued on. 

Video source: 2lapyap1 

I grew up on MonsterVision and still own several MST3K seasons I stole from my sister (whoops). I discovered Svengoolie in college. I obviously LOVE Elvira and Vampira. But, once these shows ended, they left a big hole in my heart. Sure, Elvira would pop up to host some things here and there, but it wasn’t the same. 

Cut to 2017 when Netflix revived MST3K. Cut to 2018 when Shudder gave Joe Bob Briggs his own 24-hour movie marathon…that crashed the entire server due to the insane viewership. We realized how much we missed our horror hosts, and, thank God, Shudder did too. Unfortunately, Netflix did a Netflix special and canceled MST3K, BUT you should totally support them, as they’ve started distributing it themselves.

Shudder gave Joe Bob Briggs his own series, The Last Drive-In, with Diana Prince, aka Darcy the Mail Girl. Shudder gave Elvira her own marathon to celebrate her 40th anniversary. Svengoolie surged in popularity. 

Horror hosts are back, baby. 

Video source: Shudder

However, I also want to touch on something super, duper fast. And yeah, I’m getting on my soapbox. 

Recently, Svengoolie held a contest for the Spawn of Svengoolie to expand the Svengoolie Cinematic Universe and add characters to the lineup. One of the winners, Gwengoolie (@pinnuppalmer on Insta), debuted back in October. 

I personally think she’s WONDERFUL. She’s high camp and hilarious, so naturally, people on the internet are mad because they want to be her. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Svengoolie ® (@realsvengoolie)

Instagram: realsvengoolie

Y’all, just because something changes doesn’t mean all is lost. I’m a nostalgic girlie, with a ton of anxiety to boot, and I get that change is really, really hard. HOWEVER, I think Gwengoolie is super rad. 

And, you already know what I’m gonna say, but I don’t think the trolls would be up in arms if it was a male character. For those who remember, there were people who even went to Shudder and gave The Last Drive-In BAD REVIEWS because of how Diana Prince looks. 

I fucking kid you not. 

Why do people get so mad about women in the horror space? I’ve spoken about this before, but horror was created as a genre for the misunderstood. For those who felt like they didn’t fit in. For all of us to come together and share in the glory of Romero and Carpenter. Why on EARTH can some of y’all not handle women in this space??

All of these women are extremely knowledgeable about horror and movies. Many of them are wonderful writers, whether it be screenwriters, authors, or journalists. Get a grip. 

ANYWAY. 

This may be really obvious to those who know me, but horror hosts have had a big influence on my humor, quest for pop culture knowledge, and even my writing style. 

I feel like those of us who love movies, especially horror movies, can trace our origin story back to many of these horror hosts, and I’ll always have a soft spot for them. 

Thank you for influencing a kid who stayed up way past her bedtime (even though KP totally knew) and sat way too close to the TV. 🖤