Greetings, all. Ambush Bug here with another AICN HORROR: ZOMBIES & SHARKS column. Why ZOMBIES & SHARKS? Well, those are the two things that I’ve had the most nightmares about. It’s the reason I rarely swim in the ocean. It’s the reason I have an escape plan from my apartment just in case of a zombie apocalypse. Now if you’ve ever had those fears or fears like them, inspired mainly by nights upon nights of watching films of the frightening kind, this is the place for you. So look for AICN HORROR: ZOMBIES & SHARKS every Friday for the foreseeable future, horror hounds, where we’ll be covering horror in all forms; retro, indie, mainstream, old and new.
AICN HORROR’s regular column will post tomorrow, but I wanted to dedicate a special article today to the recent passing of Barry Hobart AKA Dr. Creep the host of SHOCK THEATER, who passed away on January 14th at 68 years old. Having moved to Chicago, IL eleven years ago, I often find myself out of the loop as to the happenings in my home state of Ohio. It wasn’t until a few days ago that I heard the news that one of my childhood icons, Dr. Creep, had crossed over into the great beyond.
Every television station used to have them. Late night horror movie hosts usually done up in white face paint, rising out of coffins set up in cardboard graveyards with smoke machines pumping out fumes and fake werewolves howling in the background. When the host laughed maniacally and introduced the creepy, campy horror show of the night, you knew you were in for something special and spooky. In Chicago, it was Svengoolie (now Son of Svengoolie). In Florida, it was Dr. Paul Bearer. In Columbus, Ohio it was Fritz the Night Owl (who is soon returning to late night horror!). In Detroit, Michigan it was Count Scary. And sure, Elvira is still around. For me though, growing up in Lima, Ohio, I never missed an episode of Dr. Creep’s SHOCK THEATER broadcasting “almost live” out of Dayton, Ohio on WKEF-TV Channel 22.
Looking back on YouTube clips of the show, one might see that the Creeper did a lot with very little, and though the budget was obviously miniscule, as a ten year old kid laying on my belly on the living room floor, watching black and white monsters chasing fearful maidens all shepherded by a bearded white-faced man in a top hat and cape, I found every spine-tingling second to be what the word awesome was made for. It was on SHOCK THEATER that I saw THE BRAIN THE WOULDN’T DIE for the first time. The show introduced me to my first Hammer and Universal Horror films. It was from watching SHOCK THEATER that I heard the name Vincent Price for the first time. SHOCK THEATER was my very first dose of horror and I’ve been an addict ever since.
Barry Hobart debuted his Dr. Creep character while working as the master control operator for Channel 22 in 1972, which coincidentally was the year I was born. For thirteen years, SHOCK THEATER featured all sorts of late night horror and as far back as I remember, I watched a hell of a lot of it. I believe I first got wind of the good doctor when he co-hosted CLUBHOUSE 22, an afterschool children’s show where Dr. Creep teamed with Duffy the Dog to present cartoons, skits, and all sorts of insanity. When I found out Dr. Creep had another show featuring monster movies, I fought tooth and nail to stay up late to see it. At first, my parents were resistant, but soon they realized that they had a true ghoul on their hands and allowed me to stay up late and "ooo" and "ahh" at what I thought was the coolest show in the world, SHOCK THEATER. And is was a damn cool show full of ad libbed lines and featuring obscure guest stars, horror skits, musical guests, and all sorts of silliness (as you can see from some of the clips scattered throughout the column here). Hobart was first in line to admit a lot of the movies he showed were crap, but gave it his all to make whatever the movie a fun experience to witness.
Mr. Hobart used his local celebrity to bring attention to many charities benefitting children and families all over the Ohio Area and helped found Project Christmas Smiles, a local children’s holiday charity which has helped 93,000 families in the 33 years it’s been running. Even though his health had been deteriorating in the past year, Hobart still worked for charities and made appearances at such events as the HorrorHound Weekend event in Cincinnati, Ohio right up to last November and was always open to giving free autographs, taking pictures, and shaking the hands of his many, many fans who grew up watching him.
If not for Dr. Creep, I wouldn’t be the horror fiend I am today. The news of his passing feels like the passing of an old friend. A lot of late night horror shows have faded into the darkness and I’m sure a lot of you have the same fond memories as I do of your own special horror host of yesteryear. I’d love to hear about them in the talkbacks below. Dr. Creep’s chilling laugh, yet surprisingly kind voice will always be in the back of my mind whenever I watch an old schlocker flim. He proved that despite the ghoulish appearance, one can have a heart of pure gold.Find out more info on Dr. Creep on his website by following this link.
Rest In Peace, Dr. Creep. Watching old horror movies will be a little lonelier without you.
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Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole / wordslinger / reviewer / co-editor of AICN Comics for over nine years. Support a Bug by checking out his comics (click on the names to purchase)!
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