Search Results for: sammy terry

Bob Carter aka Sammy Terry – R.I.P.

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I just learned that Bob Carter passed away yesterday at the age of 83.  Mr. Carter was better known to his thousands and thousands of fans as Sammy Terry.

If you grew up in the midwest (especially Indiana) in the 1960’s, odds are you couldn’t wait for each weekend to roll around and for Sammy Terry to present his unique brand of humor coupled with a monster movie or two.

From 1962 until 1989, Sammy Terry hosted Nightmare Theater [later called Shock Theater] and made personal appearances at events throughout the state.  Sammy was a big part of many kids’ childhoods, mine included.

Although I’m glad his Sammy Terry character will live on, I’m sad to report the passing of Bob Carter.

 A public memorial will be held Friday, July 5, 2013 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Singleton Mortuary, 7602 Madison Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46227.

Sammy Terry

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Here is a link to about 20 minutes of Sammy Terry from the early 80’s. Of course I started watching Sammy when he premiered in the early 60’s out of Indianapolis when I was but a child. You can imagine how spooky he seemed in black and white. [That’s right youngsters, there was a time when television shows weren’t broadcast in living color.]

I don’t guess you’ll watch the entire clip, but if you do you’ll see ads for used cars, Billy Graham, a brand new $350 VCR, John McEnroe, Cowboy Bob and a bunch of other stuff… but Sammy Terry is the reason to click on the link.

Sammy Terry Anyone?

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One of the things that I love about YouTube.com is that you can find video of almost anything. I was surprised when I found a classic pro wrestling match between “Pretty Boy” Bobby Heenan [accompanied to the ring by Blackjacks Mulligan and Lanza] and “Cowboy” Bob Ellis.

I was even more surprised when I discovered video of Sammy Terry! I first told you about Sammy way back here. As host of “Nightmare Theater,” Sammy was on the air from the early 60’s through the 80’s. Although this clip is from 1987 [near the end of Sammy’s run] it will give you a taste of why I loved staying up until 11:30 on the weekend to catch Sammy hosting a horror movie double feature.

I’m really surprised that some network doesn’t have a weekend horror movie double feature hosted by someone like Sammy. My guess is that if kids didn’t tune in, there’d still be a good-size audience of folks like me!

Sammy Terry: Indiana’s Horror Host!

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The scary looking guy to the left is Sammy Terry. If you grew up in the mid-west, there’s a good chance that you watched and enjoyed him as he hosted “Nightmare Theater” out of Indianapolis back in the mid 60’s through the 80’s.

I used to love staying up late to watch the monster movies that he presented. Thanks to Sammy and his “Nightmare Theater,” I discovered the classics (“Bride of Frankenstein,” “The Thing,” “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and many others]. Sammy would come on to introduce the movie and tell bad jokes… he would then be back after commercial breaks with more bad jokes… and of course, he would end each show wishing everyone “pleasant nightmares.”

I was happy to find a site dedicated to Sammy, the scariest guy that we all loved!

Sammy’s Pleasant Nightmares!

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Everybody loves Sammy Terry. Well, everybody that knows him.

If you’re a longtime reader of this blog, then you probably remember that I wrote about Sammy Terry not a year ago. [Here’s the link if you want to catch up.]

Sammy hosted Nightmare Theater  on Friday nights at 11:00pm. Sammy would rise from a coffin, introduce himself and after a brief monologue about many things [including the movie we were about to see, would invite us to watch – if we dared!

So there we’d be, huddled in the dark, with our popcorn waiting for the monster of the week to appear and scare us! Sammy would return before the movie after commercial breaks with more of his dry humor… and then again, at the end of the movie, Sammy would make his final appearance. Before returning to his coffin, he would always wish us “Pleasant Nightmares!” followed by maniacal laugh.

What’s really cool is that Jerrald Hawkins has created a fan site and movie club dedicated to Sammy Terry. Jerrald has remastered old tapes of Sammy presenting movies. On the last Friday of each month, club members start their tapes at 11PM. Not only are members watching the movies “together” but at the same time they’re also able to take part in a live chat via Jerrald‘s site!

What could make this even better? Well, the tapes are professionally produced. They come in plastic cases with labels giving details of the movie, pictures of SAMMY and his logo… plus Jerrald sends them to members for the cost of the mailing! If this sounds like something you’d like then check out Jerrald’s site!

Even if you’ve never heard of SAMMY TERRY, you’re gonna love him because…… Everybody loves Sammy Terry! [“Until next time… Pleasant Nightmares!]

“The Killer Shrews” (1959) / Z-View

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The Killer Shrews (1959)

Director: Ray Kellogg

Screenplay by:  Jay Simms

Starring: James Best, Ingrid Goude and Ken Curtis

Tagline: Ravaging beasts feed on human flesh!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Thorne Sherman (Best) and his partner dock their boat loaded with supplies at a remote island research base.  Despite an approaching hurricane, Dr. Marlowe Craigis wants Sherman to leave the island immediately and to take his grown daughter, Ann (Goude) as well.  Sherman  says that they need to hunker down and he’ll take her after the storm passes.

Sherman soon learns that Dr. Marlowe’s experiments have created a breed of killer shrews that must eat twice their body weight daily in order to survive.  The shrews’ food supply has dwindled and now the shrews have their eyes on the humans!  With teeth strong enough to eat through walls it is just a question of time until they get into the house… and then…

The Killer Shrews is a low-budget horror film that makes the most of the small cast.  Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the special effects.  It’s very obvious that the shrews are sometimes puppets and other times dogs wearing wigs.  There is a romance subplot that is low budget as well.  A pre-Gunsmoke, Festus (Curtis)  co-stars and produced.

The Killer Shrews is watchable in the Saturday night movie presented by a Horror Host kind of way.  In fact I remember first seeing The Killer Shrews on an episode of Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater back in the 60s.  I was in third or fourth grade. I loved the movie and couldn’t wait to tell the old lady crossing guard all about it on Monday.  I recently re-watched The Killer Shrews (this time hosted by Svengoolie).  It brought back great memories and I’m sure I’d have liked it better if I was still in elementary school.

The Killer Shrews earns 2 of 5 stars.

“The Ghost of Frankenstein” (1942) / Z-View

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The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

Director:  Erle C. Kenton

Writers:  Scott Darling (screenplay), Eric Taylor (original story)

Starring:  Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr., Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers and Colin Clive.

Tagline:  The King of all Monsters strikes again! No chains can hold him! No tomb can seal him in!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Ygor (Lugosi) discovers Frankenstein’s monster (Chaney) buried under rubble of Dr. Frankenstein’s castle. Ygor and the monster journey to find Dr. Frankenstein’s son, Ludwig (Hardwicke), who is also a doctor. When they arrive in Ludwig’s town, the monster befriends a young girl.  Townspeople fear the monster is going to hurt the child and attack the monster.  Two villagers are killed before Ygor and the monster escape.

Ygor wants Ludwig Frankenstein to use his father’s notes and put Ygor’s brain in the monster.  While Ludwig considers this, he is visited by his father’s ghost (Ha! THAT explains the title) who says to find a good brain for the monster.  As villagers search for the monster, Ludwig prepares to operate, but whose brain will he use?  And what will be the result?

I have many fun memories of watching The Ghost of Frankenstein with my buddy late at night on Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater.  It’s a fun movie for kids.  You have Bela Lugosi (Dracula!) as Ygor and Lon Chaney, Jr. (Wolfman!) as the Monster.  You get the monster fighting villagers on a rooftop, chained in a courtroom (What?) and breaking free, plus the mandatory laboratory scene with electrical arcs and rioting villagers.  What’s not to like?

If you see The Ghost of Frankenstein as an adult for the first time, your mileage may vary quite a bit from mine.  I still enjoy The Ghost of Frankenstein even though we have Ygor and the monster as friends. They were bitter enemies before.  Chaney plays the monster as if it is blind, which explains why the monster’s eyes are always closed and it walks with arms outstretched.  This is never really explained in the movie. The Ghost of Frankenstein isn’t as good as Frankenstein or The Bride of Frankenstein (or even Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein) but I like it well enough to give it 3 of 5 stars.

“Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman”  (1943) / Z-View

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Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman  (1943)

Director:  Roy William Neill

Writers:  Curt Siodmak

Starring: Lon Chaney Jr., Ilona Massey, Patric Knowles, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye.

Tagline:  All New Thrills as Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Four years after the events of The Wolf Man, grave robbers break into Larry Talbot’s crypt.  When light of the full moon hits Talbot’s corpse he comes back to life as the Wolf Man!  Two days later Talbot (Chaney) awakens in a hospital. Talbot remembers killing people in his werewolf form, but is unable to convince Dr. Manning that he is a wolf man.  Thinking Talbot crazy, he is restrained.  Talbot escapes and goes in search of a cure.

Although Dr. Frankenstein is dead, Talbot believes the doctor’s journals may provide an answer.  As he searches for the notes, Talbot frees Frankenstein’s monster, who is buried in ice below the castle.  Posing as a potential buyer of the Frankenstein estate, Talbot meets Dr. Frankenstein’s daughter, Elsa. With the aide of Elsa, Dr. Frankenstein’s journals and laboratory, Dr. Manning believes he can drain the Monster and the Wolf Man of their life energy.  What could possibly go wrong?

The Frankenstein Monster and the Wolf Man in the same movie!  What kid didn’t love that?  Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was another of our favorites when it appeared on Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater.  Although the Monster and the Wolf Man don’t fight until the climax (we wanted more!), their battle destroying the laboratory as flood waters rushed in was always exciting.  Every time I re-watch Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man it takes me back to being a kid excited to see two of our favorite monsters in the same movie!.

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man rates 4 of 5 stars.

Universal Monsters Trivia!

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Mark Mancini at Mental Floss came up with 11 Facts About The Universal Monster Movies.  If you’re a fan of the Universal Monsters you probably know all eleven.  (Is there anyone who isn’t a Universal Monsters fan? Ah, but I digress.)  Before you click over, here are my top three and thoughts on each…

LON CHANEY JR. BECAME THE ONLY ACTOR IN THE FRANCHISE TO PLAY DRACULA, WOLF MAN, FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER, AND A MUMMY.  (Lon Chaney, Jr. is often considered one of the lessor actors to star in Universal Monster movies, yet he is the only actor to play the big four!  – Craig)

FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN ARGUABLY INVENTED THE IDEA OF A “CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.”  (What a genius idea! I can remember the excitement I had as a kid when one of the monster team-up movies was set to appear on Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater! – Craig)

BELA LUGOSI WAS BURIED IN HIS DRACULA CAPE.  (Dracula was the role that made Lugosi a star.  It’s interesting that Bela Lugosi only played Dracula twice (Dracula and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein)!

Svengoolie, Horror Movies and Bernie Gonzalez!

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When I was a kid growing up in Indiana, I looked forward to staying up late each weekend and watching a horror movie.  They were hosted by Sammy Terry.  It was something most of my friends did and it was always cool either watching with them or knowing they were watching too.

These days you don’t have to stay up late (unless you call 8 – 10pm late) and you can still catch a weekly horror movie.  These monster films are hosted by Svengoolie.   A lot of folks watching post comments on Twitter and it’s almost like watching with friends when I was a kid.  You might want to give it a try if this sounds like fun.

Each week, Bernie Gonzalez, the creator, artist and writer of Midnight Mystery (highly recommended) posts foreign movie posters for the film Svengoolie runs.  This week he posted the cool French poster for The Horror of Dracula.  Gonzalez’s posts are just another good reason to join in the fun!

Midnight Mystery #1 / Z-View

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Midnight Mystery #1 is part of a four-issue mini-series published by Alterna Comics.

Writer: Bernie Gonzalez
Artist: Bernie Gonzalez
Colorist: Bernie Gonzalez
Letterer: Wes Lochner
Cover Artist: Bernie Gonzalez

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***

Follow the strange adventures of detective Zeke King as he goes from case to horrifying case. In this issue: King’s latest case goes from freaky to fatal when he’s hired to find the lost son of a deceased horror host! The mystery begins in this new supernatural horror series!

Bernie Gonzalez’s Midnight Mystery is the Alterna series I was most looking forward to and it lived up to all of my expectations.  Gonzalez created a fun issue that quickly introduces us to Zeke King’s world and things to come.  I grew up watching Sammy Terry introduce late night monster movies and love that Count Karloff (a perfect name for a horror host) is used in the first Zeke King arc.  The issue ends with a cliffhanger and left me wanting more.  What better praise for a comic?

Gonzalez’s writing, like his art, is clear and supports the story in a lean, efficient way.  Many folks compare Gonzalez’s art to Darwyne Cooke and I don’t disagree but I also see the influence of Alex Toth and Paul Grist.

Bring on issue 2!
Rating:

‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ (1956) Trivia

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Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects present  22 Things We Learned from Joe Dante’s ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ Commentary. Here are three of my favorites …

11. Sam Peckinpah, who has a small role in the film, was apparently very quiet on set. He can be seen in the basement at 37:32.

13. They disagree over when exactly Dr. Dan Kauffman (Larry Gates) became a pod person. Dante thinks he’s one for the first time when Miles and Becky arrive in their bathrobes, but McCarthy says he’s been one since the earlier car ride. “Hmm, interesting,” says Dante, clearly not believing him but choosing instead to be a gentleman and a fan.

16. Siegel once snuck into Wynter’s house and hid a pod prop beneath her bed. No one challenges her on the commentary to prove she’s still human.

This version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of my favorite horror films.  I fondly remember watching it many times over the years — with my favorite viewings being hosted by Sammy Terry late at night at my grandparents house.

Ray Harryhausen’s Top Ten Movie Monsters

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On May 7, 2013, Ray Harryhausen passed away.  As a tribute of sorts, TopTenz posted their choices for the Top Ten Movie Monster Designed by Ray Harryhausen. 

Here are their choices and my thoughts:

10. The Phorusrhacos (Mysterious Island): I’m a huge fan of Mysterious Island.  It starts off as a escape movie set during the civil war (and using a hot air balloon) and turns into a sci-fi/monster movie.  I remember watching it late at night (presented by horror host Sammy Terry) when I was a kid staying over at my grandparents house.  My uncle came in from a date and watched the rest of it with me.  Good times.

9. The Giant Octopus (It Came From Beneath the Sea): The giant octopus is cool, but unless you live near the ocean how scary can it be?  Not a big fan of this film.

8. Joe Young (Mighty Joe Young):  I love this film and would put it at #1 on the list.  I think Joe Young is Harryhausen’s best work.

7. The Tyrannosaurus Rex (The Valley of Gwangi): I saw The Valley of Gwangi at a drive-in when I was a kid. Cowboys and Dinosaurs!!  I thought it was awesome.  When I saw it years later, I thought it was still fun.

6. The Ymir (20 Million Miles to Earth) and 5. The Beast (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms): Are both fun films but I often find that most fans of this genre like them better than me.

4. The Cyclops (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad): Harryhausen put his twist on the Cyclops making it a creature scarier than a one-eyed giant.

3. The Statue of Kali (The Golden Voyage of Sinbad): This is one of my least favorite of Harryhausen’s creations.  I just am not thrilled with a monster that’s a statue.

2. Medusa (Clash of the Titans): For me, this was the best part of a bad movie.

1. The Skeleton Army (Jason and the Argonauts): Although I prefer Mighty Joe Young, this is the scene that most folks go to when showing Harryhausen’s magic.  Who am I to argue?  It is awesome.

Boris Karloff’s Thriller

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If you’ve read the ZONE for any length of time, then you know about my love of monster movies, drive-in theaters, horror movie hosts like Sammy Terry, as well as scary [well at least they were when I was a kid] tv shows like The Twilight Zone, The Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and The Invaders.

One show that fits into the horror genre but you’ve never heard me talk is Thriller. Hosted by the legendary, Boris Karloff, Thriller ran for 67 episodes from 1960 to 1962. From all accounts Thriller featured episodes that had some of the best scares and creepy stories that could be found anywhere. Stephen King called it,

“Probably the best horror series ever put on TV.”

Yet, for some reason it never showed up in reruns and only appeared with sporadic episodes on VHS and laser disc. That’s changed now that Thriller -The Complete Series is available on DVD with tons of extras.

If you’re like me, you’re hesitant to plunk down your hard-earned bucks without knowing more. Well, we’re in luck because at A Thriller a Day, one episode of the series is reviewed, you guessed it, each day. Even if I end up not purchasing the series, I’m going to enjoy reading about it. The two guys running the site have a good banter going, they’re refreshingly honest {they’ll call a clunker story, just that] and yet they also have an obvious love for the genre. If I was to make any suggestions to them it would be to change their rating system. Now they rate each episode from one to four Karloffs like this…

Perhaps it would be more horrific if they rated the episodes like this…

Creepiest Lines in Cinema

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Hollywood.com recently posted their choices for the 25 Creepiest Movie Lines in Cinema. You know me, so using just their choices here are my TOP TEN:

  • 10.  “A boy’s best friend is his mother.” — Psycho (1960)  Combine that line and Anthony Perkins’ stare and you’ve got Creeepy with a capital C.
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  • “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”— The Silence of the Lambs (1991)  Follow that with Anthony Hopkins making a sucking sound and you’ll get goosebumps.
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  • “I realized what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply…evil.” — Halloween (1978) That line hints at the scares to come.
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  • “I see dead people.” — The Sixth Sense (1999)  The catch phrase of that years
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  • “It’s people! Soylent Green is made out of people! They’re making our food out of people…” —Soylent Green (1973)  Not just creepy, but shocking to the 14 year old seeing the movie for the first time.
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  • I can’t lie to you about your chances, but…you have my sympathies” — Alien (1979) How can THAT line not creep you out?
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  • “There’s nothing to be afraid of. They were right. It’s painless. It’s good. Come. Sleep.” — Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)  It was creepy to hear when I was twenty watching the remake in a theater, but even creepier when I was a little kid up way late watching the original presented on”Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater” on a little black and white tv!
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  • “I want you to make a choice… Let the game begin.” — Saw (2004)  Yeah, and Ms. Streep thought she had a tough choice.
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  • “They’re heeeeere!” — Poltergeist (1982) Hearing that makes the small hair on the back of your neck stand on end.
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  • “Have you checked the children?” — When a Stranger Calls (1979) That line creeped me out years before I had kids.

Lists are subjective, but how did my favorite creepy line, “They’re coming to get you, Barbara!” not make the cut?