By Travis Johnson
Horror Hosts never quite died out, but they’re a thing that needs to come back in a big, big way. Starting back in the ’50s, local TV affiliates used to screen series of cheap genre flicks bought on the cheap, appealing to “the youth” by having them introed and outroed by some game performer in a Halloween costume, who would generally treat the material with humourous condescension, kibbitzing on the poor production values, cheesy storylines, sub-par special effects, and so on.
It wasn’t as mean-spirited as it sounds. Generally it was all exceedingly tongue in cheek, with a lot of love for the B-grade gems being screened clearly evident between the barbs. The format produced some notable names – Vampira, who was one of Ed Wood’s muses, Elvira (who Vampira really did unsuccessfully sue for swiping her bit), Cinema Insomnia’s Mr. Lobo, and more. Australia even got in the the act – does anyone remember Deadly Earnest?
Now there’s a new show in the works drawing on this venerable showbiz trope: Horror House, an Australian series aiming to showcase locally produced horror shorts, but with a sexy, schlocky twist.
Horror House is a half hour hosted horror show, starring David Black as the crazed Count Funghoula and Tritia Devisha as the delectable Mistress Boobiyana. Together, they present the best of the short horror movies that have been made in Australia. The principal photography on the series of six episodes has only just wrapped and soon, David Black will be approaching Australian TV channels and VOD sites to bring Horror House to you.”
“Originally, I came up with the idea of the show because I’d been to many short film nights and festivals and seen some mind blowingly good horror movies,” Black, the lead singer of Australian goth rock outfit Darkness Visible, explains. “These amazing films usually can’t be released on a DVD or seen on TV due to being too short, so I decided to create a show that could feature them.
“Horror House will not be for the faint of heart,” he continues. “It is pure Ozploitation, complete with schlocky humour. There are tasteless jokes, dismemberments, blood, guts and the spurting of every type of body fluid imaginable.”
Which certainly sounds like a good time to us. Hopefully we’ll have word of a broadcast deal before too long. In the meantime, keep track of developments over at the show’s Facebook page.
Am an avid fan of horror, love it. I run my own webshow, which isn’t exactly horror themed, but has had a number of episodes about horror and some filmed in abandoned locations, this show will be awesome to see.