American Scary (2006)

American Scary is a look at the nation's tradition of horror hosting, from Ghoulardi to Ghoul-A-Go-Go. Follow this American folk art form from its glamorous beginnings, through repeated ... See full summary »

Director:

John E. Hudgens

Writer:

Sandy Clark

Stars:

Forrest J Ackerman, Douglas Agosti, Ernie Anderson

Cast

Credited cast:
Forrest J Ackerman	...	Himself
Douglas Agosti	...	Himself / Dr. Shock
Ernie Anderson	...	Himself / 'Ghoulardi' (archive footage)
Curtis Armstrong	...	Himself
Bob Beidman	...	Himself / 'Carpathian'
Terry Bennett	...	Himself / "Marvin" (archive footage)
Bob Billbrough	...	Himself / "Hives the Butler"
Jerry G. Bishop	...	Himself / 'Svengoolie'
John Bloom	...	Himself
Ken Bramming	...	Dr. Lucifer (archive footage)
Nicole M. Brooks	...	Herself
Bob Burns	...	Himself
P.D. Cacek	...	Herself / 'Moira the Banshee'
Bill 'Chilly Billy' Cardille	...	Himself
George 'E-Gor' Chastain	...	Himself

Storyline

American Scary is a look at the nation's tradition of horror hosting, from Ghoulardi to Ghoul-A-Go-Go. Follow this American folk art form from its glamorous beginnings, through repeated waves of popularity, to its scrappy resurgence and survival in the age of cable access and the Internet.

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Plot Keywords:

author | san francisco california | philadelphia pennsylvania | television production | 1980s | 

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Taglines:

It's about that favorite show you forgot you loved ...

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Genres:

Documentary | Comedy | Horror

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

POOB Productions, Z-Team Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Black and White Color

User Reviews

I Bid You Good Evening

For what this was and what this was trying to do - this production about the evolution and, unfortunately, demise of the horror host phenomena was first-rate! I was not around this for the most part due to age and location except for Elvira. More on her later. I did get a chance in the mid-eighties to catch Chilly Billy Cardille in Pittsburgh and absolutely loved him. I wished I had had a chance to see more of these - if not all. Some look like hosts that I would have loved to have watched. I was around for Chiller Theatre in New York in the 70's(loved, loved, loved it!). So what we basically get here is an introduction and survey course in Horror Hosts 101 - so to speak. It traces the first and then goes up to the present, where believe it or not, some areas are still fortunate to have these late-nite pioneers still gracing their screens. The documentary gets into many specific "giants" and has lots, lots, lots of interviews with the people that did this. Noticeably missing is Elvira though they do, for this documentary, a very stylish presentation of her importance(which cannot be underestimated). we see Vampira, Ghoulardi, Cardille, Zacherley, and many, many more. What we need to do it make these television shows of yesteryear available for those of us who saw them and want to see them again OR those, like me, who would like to explore this territory for the first time. Whatwe really need is a first-rate classic horror channel. They could get a real host I've and then on other nights show some of those classics that are still available. There is so much out there to be seen. Anyway, American Scary was a great documentary about a subject I would like to know more about.