Monday, May 2, 2011

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO No. 34!




Hell-o there boils and ghouls!

Welcome to the 24th installment of

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO!

I'm still on a "every other month" schedule with the Spookshows, but luckily we ended up in May, which celebrates the most loving of holidays,
Mother's Day, so expect some Mother's Day surprises! May also bring the birthday of your devilish host, that's right, yours truly!
So prepare yourself for the latest bloody installment!

This Month's maniacally, motherly melodies are:

I LOVE THE DEAD - The Gravesiders
HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES - B Movie Monsters
KING OF THE MONSTERS - Man...Or Astroman?
BLACK WIDOW - The Tarantulas
THE HEAD HUNTERS - Mike Fern
CREEPY GIRLS - The Gravetones
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - The Lugosis
RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD - Ghoultown
CHILDREN'S DAY AT THE MORGUE - Sheldon Allman
HAUNTED HOUSE - Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs
FRANKENSTEIN'S DEN - The Mighty El Dukes
PSYCHO KILLER - The Talking Heads
NORMAN BATES - Landscape
TEENAGE ZOMBIE SLUTS - The Matadors
NIGHT MARE - Billy Sills
COUNT MACABRE - The Connoisseurs
DANCE WITH THE GHOULMAN - The Fleshtones
HOT ROD HEARSE - 3-D Invisibles
BLACK WIDOW SPIDER WOMAN - Jack Hammer
WATUSI ZOMBIE - Jan Davis
MOMMY, CAN I GO OUT AND KILL TONIGHT? - The Misfits
PUBLIC VAMPIRE No. 1 - Bloodsucking Zombies From Outer Space

Just click on the image above to get the latest installment of

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO!

Enjoy......Happy Haunting!

George Van Orsdel

Friday, April 22, 2011

SPOOKY EMPIRE'S MAY-HEM!




From the folks who bring you Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend comes....SPOOKY EMPIRE'S MAY-HEM!!

Spooky Empire wanted to get the party started early in 2011. So they have put together one hell of a second show, coming in May of 2011. They are ready to rock the doors off the Wyndham Orlando Resort with sickest guest lineup on the convention scene so far! This event, appropriately called Spooky Empire's MAY-HEM, makes its home at the Wyndham Orlando Resort on May 27-29, 2011. Spooky Empire is fast becoming one of the most popular horror event companies in the U.S. with fans coming from all over the world to attend. Last year's October show was monstrous, with the most fans in attendance so far. So make your Memorial Day weekend plans now and come on out!

Their amazing guest line up includes a 30th Anniversary Reunion of The Evil Dead! Including horror icon BRUCE CAMPBELL, best known for his roles in "The Evil Dead" films, Army of Darkness, Xena, Bubba Ho-Tep, My Name is Bruce, and his newest project, Burn Notice, the #1 rated series on cable. Bruce will be joined by The Ladies of the Evil Dead; Betsy Baker, Ellen Sandweiss, and Sarah York, as well as Ted Raimi, Hal Delrich, and Special FX artist Tom Sullivan. From the Army of Darkness film, Timothy Quill will be appearing and from Evil Dead II, Danny Hicks.

That's not the only cast lineup at May-Hem. For all of you Boondock Saints fans, come out and meet the stars, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus and David Della Rocco. Sean Patrick Flanery is known for many other films and television projects including Powder, The Young Indiana Jones, The Dead Zone and Saw 3D. Norman Reedus is most currently starring in the AMC series, The Walking Dead.

Joining Norman Reedus "Daryl Dixon" for a Walking Dead cast gathering will be Jon Bernthal "Shane Walsh", Chandler Riggs "Carl Grimes", Keisha Tillis "Morgan's Wife", Addy Miller "Little Girl Walker", and Melissa Cowan "Bicycle Zombie".

Added to this already incredible lineup is Alex Winter best known for his part in The Lost Boys and even better as "Bill S. Preston, Esq." in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Cult Fiction icon Bob Wall from legendary Bruce Lee films including "Enter the Dragon" will be making a rare convention appearance as well as the beautiful Diora Baird, one of Maxim's Hot 100 of 2007 and 2008. She has starred in films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and Night of the Demons. Michael Kenworthy "Jesse Wilson" in Return of the Living Dead:II" will be in attendance as well as Erin Grey of Buck Rogers fame, as well as Jason Goes to Hell and of course Silver Spoons.

Last but certainly not least, the most recent and most exciting addition to May-Hem, ANTHONY MICHAEL HALL! His long list of unforgettable projects spans 3 decades! Including The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Johnny Be Good, National Lampoons Vacation, Edward Scissorhands, the television series The Dead Zone, and the list goes on. Don't miss out on this opportunity to meet him!

How can there be a Spooky Empire event without the life of the party, Bill Hinzman, the original Zombie. Bill will be hosting the Friday night kickoff event, The Dead Man's Party, by the pool. Some of the events taking place Friday night will be bands, DJ's, and a most original Zombie Costume Contest with $500 in cash prizes! The weekend will also be packed full of panels and Q&A's hosted by the many Celebrity Guests in attendance.

Advance tickets for this ultimate event are available now! $50 gets you in for the whole weekend, that's all three days of May-Hem! One day passes are just $30 and $35. VIP packages for $199 are still available but going fast. Visit the website www.spookyempire.com.

The Wyndham has extended an amazing rate of $59 a night to attendees if you mention "Spooky Empire" when you call for reservations. Make sure you reserve your rooms early, at this great rate they won't last! The Wyndham reservation line is 1-800-421-8001.

Join the legions of Spooky Empire fans on their Forum at www.spookyempire.com. Meet other fans, get answers to your questions, and find out the most recent updates on the show. You can also find and keep up with Spooky Empire on social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

For more information visit the website at www.spookyempire.com.

Friday, April 1, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LON CHANEY Sr.!







Leonidas Frank Chaney was born April 1st, 1883, to deaf parents, and went on to become one of silent film's greatest actors and one of horror film's biggest superstars. Lon Chaney, nicknamed "The Man of A Thousand Faces", worked on stage and vaudeville, before settling into a career as a film actor. Starting off in small bit parts, Chaney soon established himself as a great actor and a master of make-up, creating some of the most memorable and elaborate make-ups ever seen. Chaney's most famous make-ups, those of Erik in "The Phantom of The Opera", and as Quasimodo in "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame" are the stuff of legends. Lon Chaney's career lasted for over 160 films, before his life was cut short due to lung cancer at the age of 47. Read all about Chaney's amazing life and career on his Wikipedia page. Happy Birthday to the Man of 1,000 Faces!!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO No.33! AT LONG LAST!




Hell-o there boils and ghouls!

Welcome back to

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO!

It's been a rough time at the ol' Van Orsdel castle, but hopefully I can get back on track with Monster Spookshow Radio.
We're at Show #33 for March, and as you've noticed I skipped February. I will probably be doing a Spookshow every other
month until things are back on track with me on the employment front, so I can get back to doing the show on a monthly
schedule again. But for now, sit back and shiver to the sounds of MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO No. 33!

This Month's bloody ballads are:

THE TINGLER - Silent Horor
BANSHEE BEACH - The Ghastly Ones
VAMPIRE - Astro-Zombies
BLACK CAT - The Tombstones
1 LITTLE, 2 LITTLE, 3 LITTLE TOMBSTONES - Vic Mizzy
BAYING AT THE MOON - Zacherley
AIM FOR THE HEAD - Creature Feature
IT'S MONSTER SURFING TIME - Deadly Ones
THE HAUNTED HOUSE SONG - Planet Cock
PSYCHO - The Sonics
DEAD (I WANT THEM WHEN THEY ARE DEAD) - Batmobile
UNDEAD THEME (THE WINGED RIDERS) - The Verbtones
GRAVEYARD - Leroy Bowman
CHAMBER OF HORRORS - Tales Of Terror
BUCKET OF BLOOD - The Hellbillys
FRANKIE-STEIN - Robbie The Werewolf
CAN'T STOP THE MONSTER KIDS - The Others
MONSTER JERK - Don Hinson and the Rigamorticians
ZOMBIE IN A MINI SKIRT - Messer Chups
GRIM GRINNING GHOSTS - The Family Ghouls

Just click on the image above to get the latest installment of

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO!

Enjoy......Happy Haunting!

George Van Orsdel

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DWIGHT FRYE!







Dwight Frye, born February 22, 1899, was a very prominent character actor of stage and film, mostly known for his work in many of the early Universal monster classics. Many of us remember him as Renfield, the Count's dutiful slave in 1931's Dracula, and as the bumbling but torturous Fritz in 1931's Frankenstein. Dwight went on to act in many other classic Univseral films, such as The Bride Of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Son Of Frankenstein and many others. Labeled as "The Man with the Thousand-Watt Stare", Dwight specialized in portraying mentally disturbed criminal types. His roles weren't always the biggest, but he was always truly unforgettable. Alice Cooper even recorded a tribute to Dwight with his song "The Ballad of Dwight Fry", check out the video below of Alice performing the song live! Happy Birthday Dwight, you madman you!!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICOU BROWNING!







Ricou Browning was born February 16, 1930, and is most famous for portraying the Creature in all the underwater scenes for The Creature From The Black Lagoon, The Revenge Of The Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us. Although Ricou is mostly known for his work as the Creature, Ricou was also a stunt man, producer, cinematographer, writer and director, writing and directing many episodes on the Flipper TV show, as well as feature films. Ricou has been involved in film and television, in front and behind the camera, for over 50 years. I had the pleasure of spending time with, and hosting his Q&A panel at last year's Spooky Empire Ultimate Horror Weekend (I'll be posting the videos soon, I promise!) Happy Birthday Ricou, may you have many more!

Friday, February 11, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOBBY "BORIS" PICKETT!







Bobby "Boris" Pickett was born February 11, 1938, and went on to record possibly the most famous of all monster novelty records, The Monster Mash. The Monster Mash, billed as recorded by "Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers" was a spoof of many of the popular dance crazes of the time, such as the Twist and the Mashed Potato. Bobby went on to record a full-length album, which along with The Monster Mash featured many songs, such as The Transylvania Twist, Blood Bank Blues, and Wolfbane, which is featured on this month's Monster Spookshow Radio! Below is a video of Bobby performing The Monster Mash at Chiller Theater in 2006, featuring the one and only horror host with the most, Zacherle, and music provided by The Dead Elvi! Enjoy the video...and a very Happy Birthday to Mr. Pickett!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LON CHANEY JR.!







Lon Chaney Jr. was born February 10, 1906, and although he was born to the legendary "man of 1,000 faces", Lon Chaney himself, Lon Jr. managed to make a mark himself as a horror legend. Lon Jr. will always be remembered for his portrayal of Lawrence Talbot in Universal Studio's The Wolfman, but Lon Jr. was no stranger to the screen, having acted in almost 70 films before starring in The Wolfman. Lon went on to portray many other famous hollywood monsters, such as The Son Of Dracula, Kharis the mummy in The Mummy's Tomb, The Mummy's Ghost, The Mummy's Curse, and the Frankenstein monster in The Ghost Of Frankenstein. Lon was also well versed in other genres, having starred in many westerns and dramas. Before starring in The Wolfman, Lon gained alot of attention for his role as Lennie in 1939's Of Mice And Men, co-starring Burgess Meredith. To read about Lon Jr,'s diverse career, check out his Wikipedia page. Happy Howlin' Birthday Lon Jr.!

Monday, February 7, 2011

My deepest apologies

Hello fiends, here we are, a week into February and I haven't posted a new Monster Spookshow Radio yet. Well, as my story goes, back in December I had the misfortune of being delt a blow by the economy, thus being laid off from work, which of course plunged me head-on into having to seek out new employment. As a result, I haven't had the chance to while away at the computer and work on my Monster Spookshows. I do have songs lined up, I just haven't had a chance to sit and edit songs, sound clips, etc. I do promise that I will get to it as soon as un-humanly possible, but for now I apologize in my tardiness. In the meantime, take a stroll down memory lane and play all the Monster Spookshow Radio podcasts od yore (2 years yore!) Have faith my little demons, Monster Spookshow Radio will return soon with an all-new show!

Friday, February 4, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE ROMERO!






George Romero, born February 4th, 1940, will always be remembered for 1 thing....ZOMBIES! Considered the "godfather" of the zombie genre, George Romero started the ball rolling back in 1968 with the legendary "Night Of The Living Dead". George has gone on to establish himself as a true master of horror with his "Dead" series of films, as well as other classics as Martin, Creepshow, The Crazies, and many others. I had the pleasure of meeting George at the San Diego Comic Con a couple of years back (photo below) and he indeed was a very funny and friendly man. Happy Birthday to the king of zombies, George Romero!