Written By: Ken HulseySource: Danielle Gelehrter
As many of you know we simply love horror hosted programs here at Monster Island News and do the best job possible to help spread the word about them. In the past we have embraced many such shows with a west coast flavor, most notably "Cinema Insomnia" (hosted by Mr. Lobo), yet in recent months a couple of programs from America's eastern half have caught our attention.
On such show is "Penny Dreadful's Schilling Shockers" hosted by the buxom witch Penny Dreadful. Like CI Penny's program is a showcase for the best public domain movies and B features that we all love.
Never seen "Shilling Shockers"? Fear not my horror movie fanatics the shows 8th season is upon us!
Here is the press release:
Award-winning cult TV show Penny Dreadful’s Shilling Shockers continues giving monster movie fans an alternative to the drudgery of reality TV and infomercials. Penny Dreadful, the witch hostess, presents classic horror and sci-fi films on over 200 public access channels throughout New England. Shilling Shockers Season 8 hits the TV scare-waves this October and features such classic silent films as The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde starring John Barrymore, and the Fritz Lang masterpiece, Metropolis.
Producer Danielle Gelehrter asserts, “People often knock public domain films, but some of the greatest motion pictures ever made are in the public domain. Many of them just happen to be silent movies. In Season 8, we’ll showcase some of the most iconic films in the history of horror, fantasy and science fiction.”
Shilling Shockers stands out from other hosted movie programs because of its detailed storyline segments that often complement the film being shown. This season, Penny travels through time with her fiendish friends (Garou the werewolf, Dr. Von Bulow the monster hunter, and madwoman Luna) in an ambitious plot that takes place over the course of several centuries and episodes. As these misadventures unfold, Penny guides viewers through the films with her usual morbid wit.
Of the more ambitious direction the show has taken over the past three years, Shilling Shockers director Rebecca Paiva explains, “We’ve been challenging ourselves more each season. A ‘hosted horror movie’ used to mean a charismatic character offering trivia and amusing anecdotes during breaks in the film. We have been expanding on this idea over the years to develop plots and backstories for our characters, and our shows often include local history, musical numbers, and complex narratives for viewers to enjoy.”
Gelerter adds, “The show now lives up to its namesakes ‘penny dreadfuls’ and ‘shilling shockers’ by featuring story arcs and ongoing chapters in a larger storyline. While we aren’t the first horror host show to attempt ongoing storylines, we have taken it pretty far in terms of merging the horror host formula with the continuing serial format.”
More information can be found at http://www.shillingshockers.com.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT PENNY DREADFUL’S SHILLING SHOCKERS
“Shilling Shockers is no fly-by-night production. Slick and professionally produced, it should be on the Sci-Fi Channel or PBS.”
- David Nahmod, Scary Monsters Magazine
“Horror hostess Penny Dreadful is the one to watch!”
– Dave Fuentes, Terror From Beyond the Daves
“A hot and hilarious host, and two zany sidekicks makes a cult series, and one worthy of the attention. Stop looking for a successor, Elvira; your replacements are right here.”
- Felix Vasquez Jr, Cinema Crazed
“Penny has drop-dead comic timing, and the rare ability to be in character and at the same time stand back and arch an ironic eyebrow at that character. Her low, sexy, husky voice is like Bela Lugosi channeled through Greta Garbo."
- Big Ole Face Full of Monster Magazine
The Shilling Shockers “scream team” are popular guests at horror conventions and frequently appear at Rock & Shock (Worcester, MA), Monster Bash (Pittsburgh, PA), WonderFest (Louisville, KY), and HorrorHound (Indianapolis, IN). Penny Dreadful won the 2007 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Favorite Active Horror Host. She won the award again in 2010, becoming the first and only horror host to win the award twice. Shilling Shockers has also sponsored fundraisers for the “Make a Wish” Foundation and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Where to catch "Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers:
Boston, Massachusetts BNN Comcast 23 & RCN 83
Worcester, Massachusetts WCCA 13
Salem, Massachusetts SATV 3
Cambridge, Massachusetts CCTV 10
New Bedford, Massachusetts NBTV 95
Providence, Rhode Island COX 18 & Verizon 39
Warwick, Rhode Island COX 18 & Verizon 31
Portland, Maine CTN 4
Belfast, Maine BCTV 2
Washington County, Maine WASHINGTON COUNTY TV 2
Manchester, New Hampshire MCAM 23
Laconia, New Hampshire LRPA 25
Burlington, Vermont VCAM 15
Montpelier, Vermont ORCA 15
New Haven, Connecticut CTV 27
Stamford, Connecticut CABLEVISION 77
Huntington, West Virginia COMCAST 20
