Once upon a time, there were many horror hosts happily haunting the airwaves.  Now, there's only a few here and there.   But those numbers may rise by one as a new...

By JOSEPH ANTHONY (PROFESSOR GRIFFIN)

It was a dark moonless night. My bedroom was bathed in the green light of my alarm clock. The house itself was still and quiet, not the usual sounds of laughter and children. I decided that the time was right, and I crept from the top of my bunk-bed (not an easy thing to do) and with trembling legs and cold feet, made my way to the living room where the television waited for me like a sleeping god.

I turned the sound all the way down first, then pulled the dial that gave life to the magic window into my joys. There, before my eyes appeared the wrinkled and angry face of The Frankenstein Monster. The Monster was carrying Boris Karloff away from a torch-bearing mob. I did not hear the growls and music, as I was afraid to turn the sound up at all. The Monster's fear of fire led him to the marsh, where he stumbled into quicksand and was quickly swallowed up along with the evil (I assumed) doctor that Karloff was playing.

I smiled and enjoyed the sight, knowing full well that I was going to try to re-create the moment with my Monster action figures and a mud hole in my back yard. (The Frankenstein figure got the worst treatment as I buried, froze, encased in mud and yes, even caught him on fire, a little.) I smiled, as I knew when I crept back into my room, that a blast from my flashlight would keep my frightening lightning models glowing until I fell asleep.

Back on the television, suddenly, was a ghoulish-looking man wearing a cape and standing next to, well, it sure looked like Kharis the mummy! This part of my magic memory was in color and I knew something special was happening. Here was this creepy guy, living in a dungeon, hanging out with The Mummy, surrounded by monster photos, toys, pictures, and models, and watching monster movies. This was a guy I wanted to be! This was a guy whose life I wanted to have!

This guy, was Harold Gunn. The program that I watched that night was Boo Theater and it featured Harold Gunn and Kharis the "Dummy Mummy." It was a horror show that had a very short life in Houston, Texas where I grew up.

Harold Gunn was a television personality and had several host shows on Houston television. (I last remember him doing Capt. Harold’s Theatre of the Sky! In the 80’s) All my young life I loved monster movies. My parents were very cool, and encouraged my love of the "spooky-gooky" as my Greek father would call it. My mother built and painted all my Aurora Monster Models for me (and did a great job!) and took me to the library to rent 8mm films of my monster heroes. Having had an amazing childhood like that, it was only natural I grew up and became an actor. My natural ability to perform had me on stage since the tender age of 13 and I’ve never looked back. I’ve had many ups and downs in my career. I’ve done off-Broadway, summer stock, repertory Theatre, and movies and television. I’ve perfected my ability to improv and joined an amazing group called "Monks’ Night Out," in Austin, Texas. We’ve won awards and praise and even earned the attention of HBO and The Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. I separated my love for acting and my love for monsters. Monsters were my private life, at home with my models and toys, videos, and books, monsters still are a huge part of my personal joy.

Recently I had an idea. I remembered Harold Gunn, and Zacherley (whom I’ve met several times at conventions) and Count Gore De Vol, and Paul Bearer and Morgus and all the rest of the folks whom my obsession with monsters has brought me in contact with. I then decided to bring the two aspects of my life together. Acting and monsters!

I have designed several haunted houses in the Houston area and one of the houses was a theme attraction with a host-character. That host was Professor Griffin. It is a character I’ve played several times before, and had a great time doing.

My next step was to prepare a package to present to the local stations here in Austin, Texas, where I now live.

My package was very professional, decorative, and fun to do! It contained a synopsis of the horror host idea, along with numbers and histories of successes and failures of horror hosts around the country. My basic push was simple, horror hosts in their heyday came at a very wonderful time, and monster movies were big money and big business. The horror movie comes in waves in theaters, but almost every decade had one...the Sixties with mutant radioactive monsters, teenage beasts, and the premiere of a certain Famous Monsters magazine...the Seventies with demonic horrors, the birth of the slasher film, and the imported horrors from Italy and elsewhere.

The Eighties brought on the full-blown slasher cycle, with Jason, Freddy and Pinhead all reigning in the box-office. The cycle is happening again, with successes like The Blair Witch Project and films like Stigmata, Lost Souls, and Sleepy Hollow, and the huge numbers of The Mummy worldwide, it seems that horror is back in style. What better time to create a local horror show?

My program is called The Midnight Shadow Show, and it’s host Prof. Griffin introduces the movies, and keeps the fun going with sketches, hair-brained schemes, and local entertainment in theme with whatever movie is playing. It would be a hub of local talent and nostalgic for young and old alike.

I went from station to station and always the response was favorable and very positive! I was always greeted with a "That’s a great idea!" as if I had created the horror show concept myself! Several stations have been in constant contact with me, asking questions and in most cases giving me advice. Several of my entertainment contacts in town have offered services to produce create and promote and the stations really appreciate it.

Finally something definite, the UPN station here in Austin, Channel 13, wants me to promote their week of Halloween Movies. I’m filming a series of short spots and briefly appearing to host and introduce the films. The time slot is awful! Three o'clock in the afternoon is no time for any self-respecting horror host to be about. It’s not my Midnight Shadow Show, but it’s a start.

So here I am, a horror host without a show, but I know I can make this happen. I have the encouragement, I have the drive, and I have the support of all I love. My bride-to-be, Tammy, is the most wonderful of all and is behind me 100%. I don’t know how the next step will happen or when, but I’ll keep trying until Professor Griffin’s Midnight Shadow Show is on the air!

We wish you luck, Professor Griffin!  When you do get your horror show on the air, remember that old Renfield does a great impression of Dwight Frye!  Cheers!

Article copyright Joseph Anthony

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