DR. GANGRENE'S MAD BLOG

New Horror Host Book - Masters of Terrormonies

2026-05-02T09:12:00.005-05:00

This week I released a project I've been researching and writing for over 20 years - Masters of Terrormonies: The History of Television Horror Movie Hosts in Nashville, TN.

Masters of Terrormonies is the definitive guide to the legendary horror movie hosts who terrified and delighted late-night viewers on the airwaves in Nashville, Tennessee from 1957-present.

From the dapper Dr. Lucifur (Ken Bramming) and the hunchbacked Sir Cecil Creape (Russ McCown) – Nashville’s most iconic and best-remembered host – to the modern mad scientist Dr. Gangrene (Larry Underwood), this book dives deep into the histories of these macabre masters and the broadcast eras that brought them to life in Music City.

Inside these pages, you’ll discover detailed biographies about the real-life people behind the makeup, exclusive behind-the-scenes stories, rare interviews, vintage newspaper clippings, and never-before-seen photographs and memorabilia.

Written by Larry W. Underwood, cover by Mark Maddox, interior illustrations by Jeff Wilson, foreword by Dr. Jeff Thompson.

Available on Amazon.com

Dr. Gangrene's Creature Feature

2025-07-28T08:27:00.003-05:00

Back in the mid-2000s I hosted a program on the WB Channel 58 in Nashville called Creature Feature. It debuted in 2005, and ran off and on through 2010. During the run of the show the station changed named from the WB to the CW. It was an exciting time for me, as it provided a much wider audience and the station provided a terrific package of films for me to host.

Below is a partial list of films hosted by Dr. Gangrene while on the air on WNAB, Nashville's CW58. These were listed on my Wikipedia page, but I decided to move them here to clean up the page a bit, and link to them. First airing only listed (not reruns):

Film	Date
Bruiser	October 22, 2005
Dreamscape	October 29, 2005
Sometimes They Come Back... for More	November 5, 2005
Piranha	November 12, 2005
Specimen	November 19, 2005
Total Recall(1990 film)	November 26, 2005
DNA	December 3, 2005
The Devil Bat	December 10, 2005
Beyond Tomorrow	December 24, 2005
Nosferatu	December 31, 2005
The Descendant	January 7, 2006
Aerobicide	January 29, 2006
The Giant Gila Monster	February 5, 2006
The Ex	February 12, 2006
Phoenix The Warrior	February 19, 2006
Little Shop of Horrors	March 11, 2006
Space Mutiny	March 18, 2006
The Screaming Skull	March 25, 2006
The Brain That Wouldn't Die	April 8, 2006
Future Force	April 15, 2006
Future Zone	April 22, 2006
Total Recall¹	April 29, 2006
Piranha	May 6, 2006
The Wraith	May 13, 2006
The House That Dripped Blood	May 26, 2007
Night of the Living Dead	October 13, 2007
The Last Man On Earth	December 29, 2007
Five Deadly Venoms	February 2, 2008
The Little Shop of Horrors	September 13, 2008
The Phantom Planet	September 27, 2008
White Zombie	October 11, 2008
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2002 Version d. by Mark Redfield)	November 1, 2008
Night Tide	October 17, 2009
They Crawl	October 30, 2009
The Hollow	October 30, 2009
A Christmas Carol (1949 TV version)	December 25, 2009
Deep Shock	July 10, 2010
The Cave	July 17, 2010
Black Cadillac	July 24, 2010
Absolon	July 31, 2010
Dark Waters (1993)	August 7, 2010
Glass Trap	August 14, 2010
Dark Descent	August 21, 2010
The Untold	September 4, 2010
The Sadist	September 18, 2010
Eegah	September 25, 2010
The Dreadful Hallowgreen Special	October 31, 2010

Following this run we changed the name of the show to Dr. Gangrene Presents. The format changed to a half-hour, with the Doc now hosting public domain TV shows like One Step Beyond, Suspense, and Boris Karloff's The Veil.

Below is an episode of Creature Feature hosting The Brain that Wouldn't Die.

Dr. Gangrene in the Hall of Fame!

2025-05-06T18:06:00.003-05:00

Greetings Fright Fans - I am excited to share some big news with you all - Dr. Gangrene was inducted into the Rondo Award Hall of Fame this year!

The fact that last year marked my 25th anniversary as a host made it doubly meaningful. It was also my 20th year of hosting movies live at Wonderfest last year, as well as the 20th anniversary of our Horror Hootenanny show held every October (although we missed a couple of years during Covid). AND last year was the year that we got the Sir Cecil Creape historical marker installed in Nashville, something I'm truly proud of.

This is a true honor, and I'd like to thank David Colton, everyone at the Rondo Awards, and everyone who voted for me this year. The Rondos are THE biggest award in our industry, and to be inducted into the hall alongside such greats as Zacherley, Vampira, Morgus, Chilly Billy, etc. is a true honor (I love that David used the photo of me and Zacherley on the website for the announcement). Congratulations to all the other winners as well as everyone who was nominated. Being recognized by your peers is the best part of the Rondo Awards. It makes it all worthwhile. #rondoawards

The Frozen Dead

2025-01-30T22:44:00.006-06:00

A couple of days ago my friend Tim Lucas (film critic, writer, former editor of Video Watchdog magazine) posted a photo on Facebook from The Frozen Dead (1966). I’ve been aware of this movie for some time now and always meant to watch it but somehow never got around to it. Which is surprising because subject matter-wise it’s right up my alley. So, I thought I’d do myself a favor and finally seek this one out.

The Frozen Dead stars Dana Andrews as a Nazi mad scientist named Dr. Norberg, speaking with a German inflection no less! I’ve always liked Dana Andrews, so that was a plus for me right off the bat. The plot is suitably ridiculous for this type of film: Norberg is attempting to revive a squadron of Nazi soldiers that have been frozen since WWII, and in the process, has been carrying out wild experiments, which include a wall of severed arms kept “alive.”

He maintains a hidden room full of botched experiments—soldiers that were faultily resurrected as brain-dead zombies. The doctor’s niece unexpectedly arrives for a visit with a friend named Elsa (Kathleen Breck). Their stay doesn't go as well as expected, however, as one of the resurrected soldiers murders Elsa on their first night at the mansion.

(Gotta love that the frozen soldiers are held by clamps on their HEADS, like frozen chunks of beef.)

Not one to let an opportunity go to waste, Norberg uses this as an excuse to perform an experiment he'd always wanted to try. He keeps Elsa’s severed head alive in a box, with a plastic dome mounted over the top of her skull where the brain is now exposed. Her skin is also inexplicably blue.

While I appreciate the mad science shenanigans in this one, it’s unfortunately nowhere near as interesting as it could have been. The setup is great, but the film falls short in the execution; large portions of this one are just plain boring. The film also lifts heavily from the much better film The Brain that Wouldn’t Die (1962). Just as in that film, this one has a female head kept alive through science, a failed experiment locked away (the monster in Brain, the zombie soldiers in this one), and the head develops telepathic powers in each. Elsa begs for them to "Bury me," and in Brain we hear the woman (Jan, played by Virginia Leith) beg, "Let me die." By the way, The Brain that Wouldn't Die in turn borrowed material from the German film The Head (1959), which brings us back full circle with the Germanic influence.

The Frozen Dead was directed by Herbert J. Leder, who also directed It! starring Roddy McDowall. In fact, this film played on a double bill with It!. Leder had also previously written the screenplay for Fiend Without a Face.

Despite the pacing issues, The Frozen Dead is still worth a watch with plenty of outlandish elements, including zombies, frozen Nazi soldiers, gruesome experiments, a dungeon laboratory, severed body parts, and a head kept alive. Plus, it's got some memorable visuals. If you're a sucker for mad science films like me, then check it out!

Cameron Mitchell, Horror Host

2025-01-26T16:18:00.007-06:00

Last week, I discussed actor Cameron Mitchell's appearance in the film Nightmare in Wax. A few days later, I posted about my Halloween countdown of films from the Shock! package of Universal movies and the horror hosts who showed those films in their initial run on television in the 1950s and 1960s. Did you know that Cameron Mitchell also took a turn as a horror host?

Well, sort of. More accurately, he played a horror-host-STYLE character in Terror on Tape (1985). This was a shot-on-video production that featured Mitchell playing the proprietor of a video store that specializes in horror movies. A trio of customers come into the shop (including scream queen Michelle Bauer), each looking for the scariest and goriest films in existence. Mitchell shows them clips from various horror movies on a television set resting on the counter. The film keeps cutting back and forth between the video store and the movie clips, with Cameron enthusiastically introducing each segment with a cheesy flair that would make the best horror host proud.

This program was made by Comet Video and Continental Video, and the movie clips were all from films distributed by Continental.

The movies featured were:

Nightmare

The Eerie Midnight Horror Show

Frozen Scream

Cathy’s Curse

Return of the Alien’s Deadly Spawn

Ruby

Night Creature

Suicide Cult

Scalps

Slayer

2000 Maniacs

Blood Feast

Color Me Blood Red

To the Devil a Daughter

Kidnapping of the President

Vampire Hookers

Alien Prey

City of the Walking Dead

Bloodtide

Madhouse Mansion

The best I can tell, Comet Video shot this for Continental. Either it was a collaboration between the two, or perhaps Comet was a subsidiary of Continental. Either way, it was a clever idea from Continental. Put together a fun little video using clips from their catalog - Instant advertising for their own movies. Ingenious!

Terror on Tape was released straight to video and became a favorite of kids of a certain age who stumbled across it at their local video store. Nowadays, these tapes go for big money - a quick search on eBay showed listings between 150 - 400 dollars. However, I think 150 is the standard price you can expect to pay on VHS in 2025 depending on the quality of the tape. Someone has it for sale there on DVD as well, but it’s pretty cheap (and is probably just a rip from tape). It’s those original VHS tapes that are coveted by collectors.

This tape is a nostalgic snapshot of a bygone era,
an age of big-box VHS and mom-and-pop video stores.

This tape is a nostalgic snapshot of a bygone era, an age of big-box VHS and mom-and-pop video stores. The clips are fun, but the host segments are what really make this work. They’re campy and fun and Mitchell does a great job as the cornball spooky host. The fog-shrouded store is decorated with cobwebs and spooky artifacts, and Mitchell makes the most of it, shuffling about the set, conversing with skulls, and introducing the films with a hammy flair. It’s silly, ridiculous, and completely charming. Worth a look, you can find a copy on YouTube or archive.org.

Farewell Salute to Big Chuck Schodowski

2025-01-25T19:03:00.000-06:00

I was very saddened this week to hear about the passing of legendary horror host Chuck Schodowski. “Big Chuck” as he’s known affectionately to fans, rose to fame in the Cleveland market and hosted films on television for an incredible 47 years on station WJW. He originally worked with the great Ghoulardi, crewing on that show as well as appearing in skits. When Ghoulardi left to pursue work in LA the station encouraged Chuck to take over the hosting duties. He was at first reluctant to do so, which is easy to understand since Ghoulardi’s show was incredibly popular and was a hard act to follow. But he eventually agreed, co-hosting the show with local weatherman Bob Hoolihan Wells beginning in 1966.

The Hoolihan and Big Chuck show quickly became popular in its own right, largely because they didn’t try to do the same schtick that Ghoulardi did, instead creating their own unique brand of entertainment. Their show consisted largely of short comedic sketches filmed in and around Cleveland. That show ran for 13 years on WJW, until Hoolihan left and moved to Florida. He was replaced by Lil’ John Rinaldi, and the Big Chuck and Lil’ John Show became even more popular, running for another 28 years on WJW.

Big Chuck is a legend in the horror host field, and arguably the longest-running horror host of all time. Their host bits for their show were filmed live-to-tape in front of a studio audience and the show is fondly remembered by Clevendars to this day. Chuck published an autobiography that recounts his favorite stories over his 47 years of television work. It’s a great book and a fun read, I highly recommend it.

We here at Shackle Island want to give a big salute to Big Chuck - I’ve been able to see his show through recordings from fans and have loved the humor, warmth, and positivity of the show. Here’s to ya Chuck, thanks for all the entertainment and inspiration. You’re a one-of-a-kind!

Made in Wax

2025-01-15T22:37:00.001-06:00

FROZEN INTO ZOMBIES
DOOMED TO UNSPEAKABLE HORRORS . . .

There’s just something cool about movies set in wax museums. Perhaps it’s that uncanny valley effect of the lifelike yet still disturbing figures, or maybe it’s that so many wax museums specialize in horror and gore. Whatever the reason, I really dig them, and studios obviously agree with me, as they’ve made great settings for films through the years. I decided to watch one of these this weekend, the 1969 schlocker from Crown International, Nightmare in Wax.

Now, before I get started, let me make one thing clear. This is in no way what would be considered a “good” film. It’s cheap, poorly paced, and trashy. Story-wise, it’s basically a rip-off of the much better House of Wax (starring Vincent Price). But I gotta admit, the trashy aesthetic of this film is 100% in my wheelhouse.

It stars Cameron Mitchell, who is one of my favorite actors. He was in a ton of cheap and low-budget pictures but always delivered, despite the quality of material he was given. He stars in this one as Vincent Renard, the proprietor of a wax museum who is a former Hollywood special effects artist. We eventually learn that he was permanently (and intentionally) maimed by the head of the studio he worked for and blinded in one eye, which is why he wears an eye patch. Recently, star actors of the studio have come up missing. Guess you can see where this one’s going! The police investigate Vincent and have a few questions, especially as he’s created lifelike figures of each of the actors who have come up missing. We eventually learn Vincent has a unique method for creating such realistic work involving hypnotism and a secret serum that turns people into catatonic zombies for his dioramas.

I love that Cameron’s character is named Vincent in this one. It’s a neat little nod to Vincent Price that had to be intentional. It is also appropriate that he has an eye patch, as the director of House of Wax, Andre De Toth, was blind in one eye and wore a patch as well. This was written by Rex Carlton, the writer and producer of The Brain that Wouldn’t Die. This one has a touch of that same sleaze feel to it that Brain has. It was directed by Bud Townsend, who also directed Terror at the Red Wolf Inn in 1972.

Despite its low-budget, cheap sets, and poor pacing, I think Nightmare in Wax is still fun and worth a watch. It would be nice if there was a remastered version out there somewhere—this could be just the type of film someone like Arrow or Vinegar Syndrome should restore. I think it would improve a lot from being cleaned up, both audio and video-wise.

Nosferatu and the Road to Demonetization

2025-01-12T14:46:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I wrote about the Robert Eggers’ film Nosferatu (2024), as well as the previous two versions of that film—Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Terror (1922). I’ve had Nosferatu on my mind a lot lately, as it was the 1922 film that recently triggered my YouTube channel becoming demonetized. Which is completely ridiculous, as that film is firmly in the public domain.

In fact, every film made from 1929 and before is automatically public domain according to copyright law in the United States. But don’t tell YouTube that; they make their own arbitrary rules on their platform, as evidenced by the latest copyright claim I received on a video on my channel there. It was an episode of my old TV show Chiller Cinema from 2000 that was a vampire-themed episode. That video has been posted on there for years, but just recently received this claim. At the end of that episode, I ran a clip from Nosferatu (1922) that ran about 5 minutes. It was a silent clip, with no music underneath it. I ran it to fill the runtime to 28:30 for broadcast length. It is a clip with no music from a public domain film. No problem… except that a company called Jazzee Blue Records decided to file a claim on my video.

I initially wasn’t too worried about it, as I figured it must have been an automated match. Once I appealed it the company would see that it was a mistake and drop the claim. I’ve had that happen from time to time on public domain movies. So, I appealed it, and Jazzee Blue quickly came back and denied the appeal, insisting they owned this clip.

This in turn caused YouTube to demonetize my channel for three months. I still wasn’t too worried as YouTube offered the chance for me to appeal their decision in a video appeal. So, I sat down and shot a video a few days later from my home office talking about my videos, public domain films, my shooting process, and why this was a simple mistake. YouTube, in turn, denied my appeal the very next day.

I was shocked. This movie is 102 years old. It is undeniably in the public domain. No one can claim this movie. Yet, that’s exactly what happened, and YouTube was upholding this ridiculous claim. I did a search for Jazzee Blue Records, and the only company I can find under that name is a record label founded by musician Chris Rea. I’ve always been a fan of his music, so if that is the company responsible, that is doubly disappointing. And honestly, if I was using his music, I would totally understand, but this was a silent clip; therefore, there is no basis for this claim.

The funny thing about it is that the Chiller Cinema video in question hadn’t really even had that many views. I wasn’t appealing it because of loss of funds; it was more the principle of the thing. I am a big believer in the public domain and can’t stand to see people get away with abusing it. I posted a video about this situation after the fact to let my YouTube viewers know I’d be changing my approach to what I post over there. In that video I explained a common tactic that shady producers use on YouTube. They’ll often take a public domain film—like The Giant Gila Monster, for instance—and find a clip from it with music that doesn’t have any talking in it. They’ll pull the audio from that clip and publish it on a site like CD Baby, giving it a new title and calling it their own “song.” They’ll then go back to YouTube and file a copyright claim on every video using their new song. It’s a blatant and crass way to steal money from people legally using public domain material.

I’ve honestly given up on YouTube as far as public domain films go. When someone files a copyright claim on a video, YouTube automatically sides with the claimant. They aren’t made to provide proof or documentation that they own said material; YouTube simply takes them at face value. Once an appeal is filed, all the claimant has to do is come back and reconfirm that they own it. Again, no proof necessary, just their word. If the person receiving the strike wants to file a second appeal, they risk getting a channel strike. Three channel strikes and your channel is deleted, thus disincentivizing anyone from pursuing further. It’s just not worth the risk. It’s a broken system and one that YouTube has no interest in fixing.

Therefore, I’m done posting videos on there with any public domain material. I’ll stick to videos I create myself or quick clips used in reviews of movies, and even then, I’ll probably use more still images to avoid this in the future. I also scrubbed through all of my old videos and removed a good number of them, including all of my Chiller Cinema episodes. I’m able to reapply for monetization in March. We’ll see if they approve me.

In the meantime, I hope Jazzee Blue Records isn’t the same Jazzee Blue that was founded by Chris Rea. Again, I’ve always been a fan of his. If it is the same company, then Chris, I hope you speak to your employees about this. It’s bully tactics and no way to treat fellow producers, and is, in fact, the road to hell.

The Countless Qualities of Nosferatu

2025-01-10T10:29:00.013-06:00

I kicked off my 2025 movie-watching season with a trip to the local theater to see director Robert Eggers' remake of the 1922 film, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. I've liked all of Egger's work to date, especially The Lighthouse, so I was looking forward to his new film, Nosferatu. I enjoyed this one. It’s a bit long, clocking in at 2 hours and 15 minutes, but never seemed to drag. It was a moody, dark, and gory take on the 1922 original that added some new wrinkles and additions, primarily Ellen Hutter’s psychic connection with Count Orlok. It is also dark lighting-wise—while beautifully shot, much of this film takes place in shadows and darkness. This would not be one to see at a drive-in. It needs to be seen on the best screen possible. The look of Count Orlok, played by Bill Skarsgard, seems to be the biggest conversational touchstone for this film. Certainly, it’s a unique take on the creature—but I’m okay with that, as it makes it Egger’s own interpretation. This count is decrepit and disgusting, yet somehow the mustache that is garnering so much controversy makes him more humanistic at the same time.

I followed this up with a rewatch of the 1979 Werner Herzog film Nosferatu the Vampyre. Talk about contrast—watching those two back-to-back is fascinating. Where Egger’s version is shrouded in darkness, much of Herzog’s takes place in bright light. You can see details clearly in most of this film, including the Count himself, played by Klaus Kinski. He skulks around brightly-lit for much of this one. It’s beautifully shot, though, and full of a moody melancholy throughout. The makeup follows the 1922 design fairly faithfully, and Kinski really leans into the rat-like qualities of Count Dracula, as he’s called here. In fact, they use all of the names from Dracula—Harker, Lucy, Mina, Dracula, Renfield, and Van Helsing. The 2024 film, by comparison, sticks with the names from Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror—Hutter, Ellen, Harding, Knock, and Count Orlok. Which really underscores the intertwined nature of the two films. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula, made without permission. Separating the two is near impossible; they’re like dark twins, shadow versions of one another, and the remakes further punctuate this. Egger’s Count Orlok is named after the F.W. Murnau character, yet looks-wise, he resembles more closely the character from the Bram Stoker source material. In comparison, Herzog’s Count resembles the character from Nosferatu, yet is named Dracula.

Each of these films is excellent, and each has its own merits. If I were to rank them, I’d put them in order of release. The 1922 F.W. Murnau film is, for my money, the greatest vampire film of all-time, and the best silent film I’ve seen. Herzog’s film is a fantastic remake and tacks on an unexpected ending that is magnificent. Egger’s film is excellent in its own right, really painting in shadows to keep the Count cloaked in darkness. All three are worth watching, and I recommend viewing the last two back-to-back—it’s an eye-opening exercise.

1929 enters the Public Domain

2025-01-07T15:50:00.004-06:00

As of January 1st, a new batch of films entered the public domain—this time films from 1929. Among the notable films from that year are the Alfred Hitchcock film Blackmail, the first Marx Brothers film, The Cocoanuts, and the number 1 grossing film of that year, The Broadway Melody. Even though there aren’t many films from this year’s offerings that I will screen on my show, it’s still exciting for me as a horror host as it inches us that much closer to the big two becoming public domain. And by those big two, I mean the two films that kicked off a new era of monster movies for Universal Studios and had a huge impact on me as a kid… Dracula and Frankenstein. Due to their 1931 creation, both Dracula and Frankenstein will become public domain in 2027.

That will be a day to celebrate, but it’s absolutely incredible to me to consider where we’d be if it hadn’t been for one particular piece of legislation and one particularly diabolical congressman—Sonny Bono. That’s right, Sonny Bono, of Sonny and Cher fame. Sonny became a congressman in California, and Disney quickly got him in their pocket. He proposed a piece of legislation largely to protect the copyright of Mickey Mouse. It became known as the Copyright Term Extension Act, also known as the Sonny Bono Act. It essentially put a moratorium on films entering the public domain for 20 years. 20 YEARS!

That means that instead of films from 1929 entering the public domain this year, we would have had films from 1949 entering. That blows my mind. The Third Man, Rope, It’s a Wonderful Life, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Miracle on 34^th Street, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Cat People, The Maltese Falcon, King Kong, and SO MANY others would be public domain now.

Sonny Bono will forever be a villain in my book, right up there with Fredric Wertham (the psychiatrist that attacked and smeared EC comics and their fellow comic book companies in the 1950s). His name should forever go down in infamy.

Sir Cecil Creape honored with historical marker

2025-01-06T18:05:00.014-06:00

2024 was a banner year for us here at the Cinetarium. Not only was it the 25^th anniversary of my career as a TV horror movie host (we celebrated with a special 25^th anniversary live cast and crew reunion show), but I was also able to spearhead a project that paid homage to the man that was my direct inspiration for this endeavor—Sir Cecil Creape.

Sir Cecil Creape was Nashville’s horror host of the 1970s and 80s, and was played by Russ McCown, a film editor for WSMV (called WSM-TV at the time). His original show, Creature Feature, was legendary in the Nashville area, and is still fondly remembered to this day. Over the years we’ve done many tributes to Sir Cecil on the show, and I regularly ended the credits with the words, “Dedicated to the memories of Russ McCown and Ken Bramming, horror host legends of Nashville.” (Ken Bramming was Nashville’s first host, Dr. Lucifur, of the 50s and 60s).

In 2023 I contacted the Metro Historical Commission in Nashville and pitched the idea of a historical marker for Russ. I sponsored the marker, and was thrilled when it was approved.

“Every single time I mention this marker to anyone who grew up
in Nashville their faces light up in a way that never happens
for any other marker.”
Jessica Reeves, Metro Historical Commission.

On Saturday, July 13^th Russ McCown, a.k.a. Sir Cecil Creape was honored with a permanent historical marker outside his former home at 3712 Richland Avenue in Nashville, TN. Russ passed away in 1994 and would have been amazed to be honored in such a way. He is, in fact, the very first horror movie host to have a permanent marker erected in his honor.

Below is the induction ceremony from the marker unveiling. Speaking at the ceremony were Jessica Reeves of the Metro Historical Commission, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, Council Member Brenda Gadd, and Dr. Gangrene. Members of the McCown family were also present for the ceremony.

Watch the dedication ceremony below:

If you find yourself in Music City stop by and check out the Sir Cecil Creape historical marker - it is located at 3712 Richland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37205.

The Return of Amicus Studios!

2023-08-16T12:57:00.004-05:00

This week some great news was announced - the return of Amicus Studios!

Independent producer/director Lawrie Brewster officially made this announcement this week. Best of all, it is being done in cooperation with the Milton Subotsky estate. Subotsky was one-half of the legendary Amicus studio, which he formed with his partner Max Rosenberg. They made a number of mostly horror films in the 60s and 70s, specializing in portmanteau (or anthology) films, each usually containing four or five separate stories tied together with a linking storyline running throughout the film.

I'm a HUGE Amicus fan, so this was music to my ears. In fact, anthology films are my favorite sub-genre, and several of Amicus' films are among my favorite of all-time. Here's some proof, a couple of photos of the posters in my house...

Those are all originals, and just a few of the ones I own. I even have a poster of a Subotsky film made after Amicus disbanded - The Monster Club. This is an extremely difficult poster to find, the only one I was able to locate was a Spanish poster...

So, again, I'm a fan of these films. So I was very excited to hear the good news. Lawrie had teased he wanted to make a studio that channeled Amicus, and that's why I started following him on Twitter originally. The fact they're making it official and resurrecting Amicus officially is even better!

Here's the press release below. Check it out, and give them a follow over on Twitter, and keep an eye out for more official news upcoming!

****

Amicus Productions Rises from the Grave

After decades in the shadows, the legendary Amicus Productions is set for a grand revival thanks to the team at Hex Studios. Their upcoming film, 'In the Grip of Terror', seeks to honor the classic studio's legacy while forging a new chapter in British horror.

Drawing inspiration from iconic films like 'Dr. Terror's House of Horrors' (1965), 'Tales from the Crypt' (1972), and 'Asylum' (1972), the new portmanteau feature will spotlight four tales rooted in the works of revered authors such as H.P. Lovecraft, Ambrose Bierce, and E.F Benson. With a central theme of medical macabre, the film promises to be a chilling experience. While the full cast list is under wraps, it will feature UK horror stalwarts like Laurence R. Harvey (Human Centipede II) and emerging stars Megan Tremethick (Ghost Crew) Jonathan Hansler (The Devil's Machine) and Michael Daviot (Revenge of Innsmouth).

Guiding the ambitious resurrection is the new president of Amicus Productions, Lawrie Brewster, known for 'The Unkindness of Ravens' (2016), 'The Devil's Machine' (2019), and 'Ghost Crew' (2022). Alongside him is his business partner, writer/producer Sarah Daly. Their efforts come after extensive dialogues and collaboration with the family of Amicus founder Milton Subotsky, who have wholeheartedly endorsed this venture.

But the aspirations of Brewster and team stretch beyond a single film. They are calling upon classic horror aficionados to be part of this cinematic rebirth. A crowdfunding campaign, set to kick off in mid-September, will facilitate the initial stages of the project, driving set construction, original practical effects creation, and talent acquisition. Fans can get a head start by registering for updates on the Amicus Pre-Launch Campaign Page.

Brewster expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "Our aim is to re-establish Amicus Productions as a beacon of independent British horror. We're concocting a film that captures the essence and panache that rendered the studio iconic. By emphasizing atmospheric storytelling, tangible effects, and a genuine respect for the genre, our vision is to teleport audiences back to British horror's golden epoch. This venture transcends mere studio revival—it's a renaissance of passion, tribute to a rich legacy, and a testament to indie cinema's prowess."

Brewster also delved into the deep-rooted involvement of the Subotsky family in the project. "The title 'In the Grip of Terror' was generously shared with me by Sergei Subotsky, derived from a list of potential titles his late father, Milton Subotsky, had curated decades ago. It feels profoundly fitting that we're expanding upon the imaginative groundwork set by such a visionary. What's even more fascinating is that three of the four stories we're adapting were suggested by Milton's widow and Sergei's mother, Dr. Fiona Subotsky.'"

For continuous updates, follow Hex Studios on @LawrieBrewster on Twitter or at the "British Horror Studio" Facebook Group. Media inquiries can be directed to Lawrie Brewster, lawriebrewster@hexmedia.tv

This month in the lab

2023-05-03T09:05:00.006-05:00

The killers are coming this month in the Cinetarium. The schedule kicks off with a brand new episode this Saturday with Scream Bloody Murder!

Nature Attacks Month!

2023-03-29T11:56:00.001-05:00

Spring has sprung and the wildlife is on the attack with this month's films - it's NATURE ATTACKS month here in the lab all April

This month in the Lab!

2023-03-07T14:15:00.003-06:00

Join the Doc in the Cinetarium for March Madness all month long, a celebration of mad science, monsters and madness!

February's movies in the Cinetarium...!

2023-02-01T12:13:00.001-06:00

Keep watching the skies for an otherworldly lineup of alien invasion films this month on Dr. Gangrene's Cinetarium - every Saturday night at 9pm central (10 eastern) right here and on the Necat Roku Channel.

Coming up in the lab - Man in the Attic

2023-01-24T11:02:00.004-06:00

Made in 1953, this film was based on the book The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes, the same source material for Hitchcock's film of the same name (The Lodger 1927). Our film stars good ole Jack Palance in an early role as Mr. Slade, who rents a room in a boarding house in London during the Jack the Ripper slayings. Slade is a bit of an odd duck, and prefers his privacy - but becomes friendly with the niece of the owners of the boarding house, Lily (Constance Smith). As the killings continue, people begin to grow suspicious of the odd Slade - but does he know more than he's letting on, or just an innocent if somewhat quirky tenet? This is an entertaining mystery/noir, directed by Hugo Fregonese.

Saturday at 9pm central/10 eastern right here in the Cinetarium and on the Necat Roku channel.

January films in the lab...

2022-12-28T10:35:00.004-06:00

December schedule in the lab!

2022-12-09T13:50:00.007-06:00

Frankenstein 1931

2021-11-05T14:00:00.003-05:00

One thing I quickly discovered while doing this year's Halloween countdown of mad science movies for Youtube is just how many of them there are! Of course I knew there were a lot going into the countdown but once I started looking specifically at the genre the full extent hit me. Even with the specific criteria that I applied to this countdown - it had to feature not just a mad scientist but also a creation of some sort that runs amuck (thus the title Monsters Gone Wild) - there were way more of these films than I could possibly cover in 31 days (especially in the early days of cinema) .

But of all the hundreds or possibly thousands of mad science movies out there, one stands boots and bolts above the rest - I'm talking about, of course, the 1931 Frankenstein from Universal Studios.

Most of us are familiar with the story - Colin Clive plays Dr. Henry Frankenstein, a scientist obsessed with creating life. Together with his hunchback assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) he robs graves for parts to sew together to create a new body. He builds a laboratory in an abandoned windmill and makes all the preparations. During a thundering storm he harnesses electricity from lightning and brings his creation to life. The monster (Boris Karloff) is grotesque, huge, and strong, yet innocent of mind. When Fritz tortures the monster with a whip and open flames , it reacts in fear and murders Fritz. The horror of what he has done overcomes Frankenstein, and he realizes the monster must be destroyed. His mentor Dr. Waldman (Edward Van Sloan) prepares to dissect the creature to destroy it forever, but it awakens and murders the doctor, then escapes to rampage the countryside.

This film is loosely based on the 1818 Mary Shelly novel Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. It draws influences from the 1927 stage play adaptation of that novel by Peggy Webling too, as well as an American adaptation of that play by John Balderston. It's always been interesting to me that Universal chose to swap names of the doctor and his best friend, Henry and Victor. In the book the doctor is Victor Frankenstein and his friend Henry Clerval. This name swap came directly from the first stage adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel, adapted by Peggy Webling.

When I think of Frankenstein the image of Boris Karloff in that incredible makeup immediately springs to mind. The look of the monster is so iconic it is etched into the public consciousness. It’s a part of the general zeitgeist now. That design was painstakingly created by makeup artist Jack Pierce through weeks of trial and error with Karloff, testing and reworking designs until they came up with the final look that wowed audiences and continues to impress to this very day, nearly 100 years later.

It was Karloff’s performance that sold that design wholeheartedly, however. Without speaking a single word he conveyed power, pain, rage, and even vulnerability. Colin Clive is convincing as the obsessed scientist who immediately regrets his ill-fated actions in creating this monstrosity. Mae Clark plays the doctor's fiance Elizabeth. James Whale's direction is masterful. Dwight Frye is the actor who continues to impress me on repeat viewings of this film. He is just so GOOD in it. Fritz is a sad being who was undoubtedly mocked and abused by society and who, given the opportunity, does the same thing to someone else, torturing and tormenting the monster with whips and open flames.

Kenneth Strickfadden’s electrical apparatuses in the lab would not only be copied in films going forward, many of the actual devices would be used and repurposed in other mad science movies for decades.

This film is, in a word, iconic. It set the mold for so many films – not just Frankenstein movies, mind you, but mad science films in general – to come for decades. Thundering storms, the musty damp castle, buzzing electrical apparatus, a bubbling beaker-filled lab, the hunchback assistant, the obsessed scientist tempting the laws of nature – the list goes on and on.

This was quite possibly the first horror film I ever saw, on television as a kid in the early 70s. It doesn’t get much better than this.

💀💀💀💀💀

5 out of 5 skulls

HALLOWEEN KILLS - Trick or Treat?

2021-10-20T17:52:00.001-05:00

I finally watched HALLOWEEN KILLS this weekend. I initially planned to see it in the theater, but my schedule didn't allow it, so I finally relented and signed up for Peacock streaming and watched it at my house. I have mixed feelings about seeing movies this way. I'm a big supporter of theaters, but the past several times I've gone to see a movie anywhere outside of the Belcourt (Nashville's arthouse theater that doesn't allow talking or disruptions of any kind) the experience has been HORRIBLE. Audiences are so badly behaved nowadays that it ruins the entire experience. But I'll save my old man rant for another day - today I'm here to talk about Halloween Kills.

Spooky season is here and Michael Myers is back, stalking his way into theaters once again. I had heard there were a lot of folks upset about this latest installment in the franchise, and it was people posting spoilers online that finally made me go ahead and watch it at home. Admittedly, I wasn't the biggest fan of this team's first effort, HALLOWEEN 2018. I didn't hate it, I just kind of had a problem accepting the premise of it, to be honest. You see, there's just an inherent arrogance built into any filmmaker who takes an established franchise like Halloween and throws out all the sequels, proclaiming them trash and that theirs will be the only "real" storyline going forward. ESPECIALLY if they're not including one of the very best films in the franchise, HALLOWEEN 2, which I'm a big fan of. It's the second-best "Michael" movie, after the Carpenter original. It picks up immediately following the first film, builds on the events of that film, and tells a compelling story. It was also written by the man himself, John Carpenter, in conjunction with his creative partner Debra Hill, in 1981, just 3 years after the original, when the story was still fresh.

The new creative team (David Gordon Green, Danny McBride and Jason Blum) have gone on record saying the main reason for ignoring part 2 (and all subsequent films) is so Michael and Laurie would no longer be siblings. Not sure why they chose to discard this particular bit of lore, as it's one of the most well-known parts of the story. But they did, and it was a bit hard for me to accept that in the 2018 film. ESPECIALLY since that exact thing had already been done once, with HALLOWEEN H20 (1998). That one also chose to discard all the sequels, setting its story directly following the original 1978 HALLOWEEN. And here's the kicker - it did it better than the 2018 version.

In 2018 the biggest problem was the way they wrote Laurie. They were trying to portray her as a strong woman character, but instead, she comes across as a fearful loon, afraid of her own shadow and hiding in the woods with her guns. You know what's strong? Learning to cope with trauma, beating your fears, and being able to live a semi-normal life after the fact, even becoming headmistress of a school and raising a son. Hiding in fear isn't strong, conquering that shit and living life takes real strength!

So I found the 2018 version less than compelling for a number of reasons. BUT, I decided to put that aside and give the latest film, Halloween Kills, a fair chance - even if it is a terrible title. And it is. I mean... Halloween Kills? That's the best they could come up with? About as bad as FEAR THE WALKING DEAD, another really lame title for a spinoff property.

So how was this latest horror-holiday offering?

After seeing it, I'm really not sure what people were all that upset about online. This one takes place immediately following Halloween 2018 (in much the same way that Halloween 2 followed the original film). A large portion of it takes place in the Haddonfield hospital (again, much like Halloween 2). Halloween Kills was better than 2018 however, largely because Laurie is out of her cliché Sarah Connor mode this time around. She is injured in the hospital from wounds received in the prior film, and confined to her hospital bed for the most part. Her character is much better written this time around, showing some warmth and compassion with an old friend in her hospital room, as well as genuine concern for her family.

This one does get a bit convoluted story-wise by introducing a whole bunch of characters with ties to the 78 film. Probably a few too many, at least I had trouble keeping up with all of them. But that aside, the story was engaging and it felt more like a proper Halloween film this time around. There was even a nod to HALLOWEEN 3 in it, but I'm honestly not sure if it's supposed to be an homage or a middle finger to that oddball outlier of the franchise. But people can watch and decide for themselves, I suppose. Probably a better question for the filmmakers.

There's also an angry mob portion of the film that - you know, now that I think about it, a lot of the film is taken up with this storyline. Maybe that's what people disliked so intently. I was fine with it though, as it's at least something new that we haven't seen in any of the Halloween films before. I think it's good for the franchise to go somewhere new. That's what a sequel should do, not just remake the same film time and again.

There was a portion toward the end where Michael confronts the mob that kind of bugged me, cinematography/editing-wise, with them shooting it in slow motion, in kind of isolated shots highlighting specific kills, instead of letting us really see the action play out in real-time and revel in it. Makes me think of that amazing ending in CABIN IN THE WOODS when all hell breaks loose and the camera stays right on the action, pulled back so you can really see it in all its glory. I'd have preferred that here, but they got artsy with it, which is okay,I guess, it just lost some of its power that way, which is the complete opposite of what they were going for, I think.

So... is Halloween Kills a trick or a treat?

Overall, those gripes aside, I found this to be a bit of a mixed bag. The film is enjoyable, much more so than Halloween 2018, and I will probably re-watch it sometime, which I'm not sure I'd say for the 2018 version. I do wish the trailer for Halloween Kills hadn't given away so much of the story ahead of time. For the next chapter, the supposedly final one in this team's run (I think) titled HALLOWEEN ENDS (Really? Again, best you can come up with?), please, PLEASE - use some restraint on the trailer. Really. You don't have to give away major chunks of plot in the trailer. Study some classic trailers. There's an art to effectively teasing the action and intriguing audiences yet not giving away the story. You can do it, I have faith in you.

3 out of 5 skulls

I am Honored!

2021-05-03T23:03:00.004-05:00

I just found out that my interview with Bruce Campbell in Scary Monsters Memories #116 won a Rondo Award for Best Interview! I am truly honored, and very surprised! I didn't campaign at all this year, just mentioned it once on the social media sites. It was a blast talking with Bruce - this one was actually the idea of the Scary Monsters editors, Don and Vicki Smeraldi, who asked me to try and interview him. It turned out really well and my favorite fact from the interview is that Sam Raimi once sent a short film to the horror host The Ghoul - which he played on the air!!

Again - Thank you to everyone who voted for this interview, thank you to Scary Monsters for the space to write it. Long live the Rondos.

Vengeance Cops

2021-02-16T15:51:00.003-06:00

Not every movie I watch is a horror film, and that's certainly been true lately. I've been on an Italian crime binge lately. One of the recent ones I watched in that genre was Vengeance Cops (1971).

Vengeance Cops is an Interesting little cop film with a great title and some suspenseful moments, including the car chases, one of which takes place in a drive-in movie theater!

I love when drive-ins pop up in movies! IMDB lists the country of origin on this one as South Africa. Apparently drive-ins were big in South Africa at one point, so that makes sense. This particular one might have been a 5-screener too, as they pull into one lot with a big 5 at the sign of the lot entrance. There is also a blurry shot of what I think is the main marquee as they enter the drive-in, but I couldn't make it out.

I'd love to know the name of this drive-in where this was shot. I doubt it's still around but would be good to know some more details about it. It was concreted and had the humps for cars to angle toward the screen as well as speakers on poles - they did it up right! Vengeance Cops was a fun little Saturday afternoon action flick. I watched it on Amazon Prime.

Nocturne (2020)

2020-10-12T12:06:00.001-05:00

Nocturne is part of the Welcome to Blumhouse series of films from Blumhouse Studios, which features 8 films that will debut on Amazon streaming. The first four air this October, the rest in 2021.

A pair of twin girls named Juliet and Vivian (Sydney Sweeney and Madison Iseman) are enrolled in a prestigious arts school. Vivian is outgoing and popular, while Juliet more reserved and withdrawn. Both are gifted at playing the piano, but Vivian has always been the more successful – and favorite of their parents. When they arrive at the school, they learn that the soloist in the school concerto – a girl named Moria (Ji Eun Hwang) – died a week prior, having committed suicide, and there will be an open competition to decide the new lead. Vivian is the assumed forerunner. One day Juliet stumbles upon a notebook that previously belonged to Moira, her theory book, containing strange drawings, musical notations and messages written backwards. She finds herself drawn to it, and into a world of the supernatural, using it to channel her own talents and try to win the lead in the concerto…

Nocturne was written and directed by Zu Quirke, who is seriously channeling Suspiria with this tale of a musical academy with a supernatural secret lurking beneath its facade. However, unlike the 1977 Argento film (and its 2018 remake) this one doesn’t lean into the horror element fully, rather swerving at the last second to a more pedestrian ending that, while still good, falls short of the potential it was building toward. The acting is good across the board and Sydney Sweeney really shines in the role of the tormented Juliet.

Nocturne is a stylish and well-made tale of jealousy, ambition and sibling rivalry. I just wish it had embraced the horror fully. Just before she goes onstage to perform Juliet’s principal tell her to, “Give them hell.” Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go there.

Available on Amazon starting October 13, 2020.

Evil Eye (2020)

2020-10-12T07:00:00.003-05:00

Evil Eye is part of the Welcome to Blumhouse series of films from Blumhouse Studios, which features 8 films that will debut on Amazon streaming. The first four air this October, the rest in 2021.

Evil Eye is about a girl named Pallavi (Sunita Mani) who lives alone in the US while her parents live back home in India. Her mother Usha (Sarita Choudhury) worries about her daughter, especially as she’s almost 30 and hasn’t been married. She constantly tries fixing her daughter up and seems overly concerned with the topic, almost to the point of obsession. When Pallavi meets a handsome boy named Sandeep (Omar Maskati ) you’d think her mother would be thrilled, but quite the opposite. She becomes even more concerned, convinced that Sandeep is the reincarnation of the man who attempted to murder her 30 years prior, and who cursed her with the evil eye while she was pregnant.

Evil Eye was originally written by Madhuri Shekar as an audio play that debuted on Audible, where it was on the Best-Seller list. She also wrote the screenplay for the film, which was directed by Elan and Rajeev Dassani, twin brothers who were born right here in Nashville, TN. The story is as much a drama as a horror story, albeit one with supernatural overtones. Both Shekar and the Dassani brothers are of Indian descent, which shows through in the film. It feels authentic to the culture, even to a Westerner like me with little familiarity to it. It was interesting and engaging, even if the ending is a little heavy-handed with social messaging – although to be fair that is probably exactly what many viewers will like best about it.

Sarita Choudhury was especially good as the matriarch of the family. I looked her up on IMDB and the only film I think I’ve previously seen her in is Lady in the Water, which I really don’t remember that well. I hope to see her in more movies though, she was great, as were all of the cast. Produced by Amazon Studios in conjunction with Blumhouse Productions. Available on Amazon starting October 13, 2020.