johnstanley

Before the MCU became mainstream and before horror films won Oscars, Horror Hosts helped create the Monster Kid Culture and legitimize fandom and genre conventions.

My guest, John Stanley, was not only the legendary host of Creature Features on KTVU-2 from 1979-1984, but also a novelist, film critic, and horror film director (NIGHTMARE IN BLOOD).

Join us as we talk horror host history straight from the source, what it was like to be there when ALIEN, PHANTASM, and even STAR TREK first premiered, and how fans resurrected the horror host culture!  

I hope you enjoy the show!

Films, folks, and shows discussed:

NIGHTMARE IN BLOOD (1977)

CREATURE OF THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951)

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)

CREATURE FEATURES- KTVU (1971-1984)

ALIEN (1979)

PHANTASM (1979)

ROBERT BLOCH

RAY BRADBURY

STEPHEN KING

LEONARD NIMOY

Without Edith Meiser, Sherlock Holmes might never have found enduring success and popularity in the United States. It was Meiser, a writer and Broadway actress, who persuaded a network and a sponsor that Holmes could be a viable radio property and she singlehandedly wrote his radio adventures for years. Along with faithful adaptations of classic stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Meiser created her own original mysteries. In honor of her birthday, we'll hear three of those original Holmes adventures: "The Case of the Avenging Blade" (originally aired on Mutual on February 1, 1948); "The Adventure of the Sinister Crate of Cabbages" (originally aired on Mutual on May 2, 1948); and "The Complicated Poisoning at Eel Pie Island" (originally aired on Mutual on June 6, 1948).

As Halloween approaches, we'll hear Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson face off against supernatural foes - or at least foes who appear to be supernatural. Werewolves, ghosts, vampires - none of them stand a chance against the world's greatest detective. We'll hear Tom Conway as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson in "The Adventure of the Black Angus" (originally aired on ABC on October 19, 1946) and "The Adventure of the Carpathian Horror" (originally aired on ABC on April 14, 1947). Then, John Stanley and Alfred Shirley star in "The Case of the Sanguinary Spectre" (originally aired on Mutual on February 8, 1948) and "The Case of the Everblooming Roses" (originally aired on Mutual on May 16, 1948).