Its horror host mania today folks, with another vintage interview , this time featuring Dr Gangrene!
Lurking in Tennesse, forever plotting, is Dr Gangrene. He recently took time out from his atempts at global domination to answer a few of my pesky questions……
LR: What prompted you to begin broadcasting as a TV horror host?
D.G: Before losing my mind and becoming a horror host I was losing my mind and running a comic book company called Volunteer Comics, self-publishing comic books. This had sort of run its course and my comics partner (Chuck Angell) and I were looking for something different to turn our creative energies toward.
I had a friend who had a cable access program. After talking with him that seemed like just the sort of creative outlet I was looking for. I needed to figure out what type program to create, and after thinking about it for a while there was only one type of show that interested me; a tv horror host. Nashville and Middle TN hadn’t had a regular host in more than a decade, and I thought it was about time someone brought that back! Chuck agreed to hop onboard with me, and Chiller Cinema was born.
LR: Which other host/s did you see as a role model?
D.G: Definitely the host I grew up watching, Sir Cecil Creape. He was the main reason I started Chiller Cinema. I wanted to give Middle TN the type of show I grew up with, a local host who is spooky and fun. Other than Sir Cecil the only other host I had ever seen was Elvira, and of course Joe Bob Briggs on TNN. But it was Sir Cecil I remembered most fondly.
Sir Cecil’s show was called Creature Feature, and it ran in the early seventies. I didn’t get to watch it often, but when I did it was amazing. I remember promos for his show that would air during the daytime, and always thought he looked cool. Then I later met him at a Boy Scout event, where I got my Sir Cecil Ghoul Patrol patch. I sewed it onto the lab coat I wear on the show as a tribute to Sir Cecil.
LR:What is your most abiding memory of your time as a host? (on or off camera)
D.G:Two things come to mind immediately. First was a shoot we did at a local haunted house one Halloween. When we did the final bit, a group of kids gathered who had been through the haunted house already. I was asking them questions like „was it scary,‰ etc. and a big clown came over and choked me as I cut to the next break. Well, when we wrapped the kids all went their separate ways, except for one kid, a boy about 8 or 9 years old. He took a few steps off, stopped, turned around and said „Thanks! This is something that I‚ll remember!‰ That was amazing ! I mean, right there, that is why I do this. To have a kid tell me it meant enough to him that he‚ll remember it. Wow!
The other thing that comes to mind is when my own son, Ian, dressed as Dr. Gangrene for Halloween one year. I mean, how many people can say their kid dressed as them for Halloween. It was really cool!
LR: What do you get from being a horror host?
D.G:I think more than anything else it is a sense of creative satisfaction. This is something I take pride in, and I try to make the show as good as possible. Over the years we’ve made a lot of strides as far as the look of the show is concerned, although I still see room for improvement. Chiller Cinema is a great creative outlet, and I enjoy seeing what we can achieve on little to no budget!
I also take a great sense of pride in bringing the horror host tradition back to Nashville. It is a lost art form, this hosting job. I grew up with Sir Cecil Creape and now a new generation of kids can grow up with Dr. Gangrene. I love the idea that some day in the future a group of young adults will be sitting around talking about watching Dr. Gangrene’s show back in the good ole days.
Plus I was always SUCH a fan of Halloween growing up. I loved it, and still do matter of fact! This way I sort of get to celebrate Halloween all year round.
LR: What are your interests outside of horror?
D.G: My kids mostly. I have 3 boys, and most of my time outside the show is devoted to them. Besides that, I love going to the drive-in to catch flicks as often as possible. There is just something about a drive-in that you don‚t get at the hard top theaters. There is a real sense of nostalgia, and a feeling that you‚re taking part in a great American tradition. I‚m also a big football fan, of the Miami Dolphins in particular. I keep up with them and read the Miami newspapers daily for news updates. I‚ve also become a big hockey fan, in particular a Nashville Predators fan.
LR: If you were left on a desert Island, what 5 films would you take with you? Why?
D.G: Young Frankenstein ˆ This is my favorite film, hands down. It combines the perfect blend of horror and humor, and is really, in a lot of ways, still faithful to the Frankenstein mythos. It‚s really just an amazing film.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein ˆ Once again, this is a big, fun, silly movie that remains very faithful to the Universal Monster universe.
Planet of the Apes ˆ I‚m talking about the original here, dammit, not the Tim Burton disaster. This is an awesome movie, and one of those that blew me away as a child. You can just feel Rod Serling‚s influence in the writing.
Anything with Vincent Price in it. He was the master, and I love everything he did. House on Haunted Hill, Tomb of Ligea, The Haunted Palace. Hell, I‚d be happy with any of them. For arguments sake, The Haunted Palace (it has Lon Chaney Jr. in it too)
The Hideous Sun Demon ˆ Got to have one camp classic in there, and I adore this movie. Robert Clarke as a man who turns into a monster in the SUNLIGHT ˆ you just have to love that!!
LR: Talk us through a typical shoot for your show.
D.G: Well, we shoot at a studio at my house. My cast and crew all get together around 9:30pm, after my kids are tucked to bed for the evening, usually on a Friday night. Then we get ready with wardrobe and make-up, run over the shooting schedule for the night, and head out to the set, located in a shed behind my house. We shoot until we‚re through, which usually lasts until 1 or 2 in the morning, although occasionally it has gone even later! Everything is loosely scripted, and there is a lot of ad-libbing. (Usually a good bit of beer is involved as well)
LR: And finally, what message would you give to any wanna-be horror hosts?
DG: Just do it. Don‚t wait until you have the best camera and a brand new computer for editing. Just get shooting and use what you have. The better equipment will come if you decide you want to stick with it. Most cable access stations have equipment you can use or borrow, so check with your local station. Find out what their requirements are and join. Just do it. It amazes me how many people talk about wanting to do various things in life, then never even try to. Life is way too short ˆ if you want to do something just get off the couch and go do it. It is pretty simple. Just get a camera and host a damn movie, even if it‚s you sitting in front of a camera that is mounted on a tripod, or a table. If you want to be a writer, write a story. An artist, draw a picture. Just do it!
Many thanks to Doctor Gangrene . Dont forget to visist him on the web at: chillercinema.Com
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