Puppetmaster

Rich Koz

Sarah Palmer

Bill Leff

Scott Gryder

"Puppet Master" Coming up on House of Svengoolie on MeTV

Munchies

Teenagers from Outer Space

Tonight on MeTV, Nostalgiaferatoo returns with the rest of our Sven squad, Gwengoolie and the Imp, to present the 1981 musical monster mash-up “The Monster Club”. This movie is loaded with rock and roll, as Vincent Price and John Carradine share supernatural stories in a special night club for creatures of the night. The stories include the tale of a woman in financial need who gets involved with a mysterious hybrid creature; a son who discovers his father is a vampire, being pursued by vampire-killers, led by Donald Pleasance; and a movie director who finds the location he is scouting for his next picture is frighteningly more of a real horror than he bargained for. Plus, there are several music performances at the club- not to mention Gwengoolie leading her own musical number. There’s a lot more fun from our Sven Squad who are happy to make you a part of the club!

The Monster Club

Tonight on MeTV, our Sven Squad- Gwengoolie, Nostalgiaferatoo (again?!) and Ignatus Malvolio Prankenstein- the Imp-take over with the spaced-out tale of some aliens (who supposedly are teens, but, let’s say look slightly older) from beyond arrive by flying saucer to find a breeding ground for Gargons- huge lobster-like creatures who are a food supply for their planet. One of the aliens, Derek, is the lone member of the saucer crew who is worried about the safety of earthlings- which gets him imprisoned by his peers, only to escape- leading him to romance with a local girl, and disintegrating-gun-happy aliens tracking them down- oh, and the giant lobster-like thingies are not exactly waiting to be doused with drawn butter! The Squad talks about this 1959 sci-fi teen tale, and they provide their usual entertainment- which just might include the lovely Gwen singing!

Then- it’s time for us to tag in the Sven Squad- as Nostalgiaferatoo, Gwengoolie, and the aforementioned Imp bring us a horror comedy- with the likes of Harvey Corman, Robert Picardo and more-in “Munchies”-a film often called Roger Corman’s version of “Gremlins”! It begins with archeologist Simon Watterman discovering a creature in a cave in Peru. He brings it back to the US, but his evil twin brother ( it’s Harvey Corman in a dual role) kidnaps the little creature- but when his kidnappers harm it, it turns vicious- and Simon’s son must try to destroy it using one of the snack-making machines in the evil twin’s factory. That’s a bad idea, because as the machine chops up the nasty thing- it multiplies into MORE of them! They discover the perfect way to create more Munchies- not only that, but the little creeps develop an attraction to -women! Gwengoolie better look out- as she and Nosty and Imp get to work to provide an assortment of fun to snack on!

Then, our Sven Squad, Ignatius Malvolio Prankenstein (IMP), Nostalgiaferatoo, and Gwengoolie present a shocking 1999 horror- in what appears to be footage found in cameras used by some young documentarians who mysteriously vanished. They had headed into what was reportedly a cursed forest in an attempt to document the myth of the notorious Blair Witch and multiple murders that occurred in the area. For “Blair Witch Project”, the Sven squad has their own agenda- Imp breaks down the witch's supposed lore with his own original rap-then, in a Breaking News segment, Gwengoolie is on duty at the news desk where she'll share updates on the hunt for some missing film students from Berwyn (!?) who were last seen at an abandoned looking TV station on Chicago's west side looking for the cryptic "Berwyn Wrich”, aided by correspondent Nostalgiaferatoo reporting (and we use that word "reporting" very loosely) on the developing story.

The Blair Witch Project

Then, we turn it over to Gwengoolie, Imp, and Nostalgiaferatoo for a real shocker- the third entry in George Romero’s “Living Dead” series- “Day of the Dead”! This 1985 film picks up the story after the shopping mall zombie fest “Dawn of the Dead”-with survivors of the zombie apocalypse now holed up in an underground bunker-where scientists and the military are at odds over how to handle the zombies- with their differing opinions causing conflict that risks everyone’s lives! Our friend Tom Savini is again the special effects master for this film- which we do warn you may be too strong and frightening for some viewers. Please use your judgment regarding who should- and shouldn’t-watch!

Day of the Dead

Tonight on MeTV- instead of their usual second half of a double feature status- I’ll be stepping aside so that the Sven Squad- Gwengoolie, Ignatus Malvolio Prankenstein (also known as Imp) and the semi-clueless Nostalgiaferatoo can hit prime time for a very special screening of an ‘80s sci-fi comedy with big name stars and even musical numbers! Based on a song by comedienne (not Downtown) Julie Brown, it’s the story of a trio of fuzzy aliens who are attracted to the earth after seeing our planet’s women- and crash land their spaceship into the pool of a young woman who’s just suffered heartbreak! The aliens become her house guests and attempt to blend in with human society- as they get the idea that “Earth Girls are Easy”!

Earth Girls Are Easy

Then, back in the dungeon studio, it’s the Sven Squad-with a dangerous dip into Irish folklore that is all too real- in the 1993 starting point for the “Leprechaun” film franchise. Some people rent the farm house of a man who stole a leprechaun’s pot of gold, only to have the wee troublemaker seek him out with dangerous results- but he does imprison the leprechaun in a crate down in the house’s basement. One of the visitors hears cries for help, and, thinking it might be a child- releases the nasty little Irishman, who begins his deadly quest for revenge and his pot of gold. Gwengoolie, the Imp (ours, not the one from the Emerald Isle) and Nostalgiaferatoo bring lots of fun to the fright- in what was Jennifer Aniston’s first film, with Warwick Davis, the star of “Willow” in the title role- and giving it more humor than originally planned in the script!

Leprechaun

Speaking of the Imp, stay tuned for the second half of our double feature- when he joins Nostalgiaferatoo and Gwengoolie for a tale from the “Amityville Horror” series- in which a journalist purchases the infamous house to prove its supernatural horrors are fake- but soon discovers that the evil may be very real! It’s 1983’s “Amityville 3-D”- featuring Tony Roberts- and presented in chilling 2-D! The only 3 (who deserve a grade far higher than a D) are our 3 Sven Squad members, who will fill you in on the cast, and ring on their usual frightening fun.

Amityville 3-D

Our Sven Squad- Gwengoolie, Nostalgiaferatoo, and the Imp- get our second feature rolling- the chilling tale of two sisters, both former film stars, stuck in their miserable lives in a gothic Hollywood mansion. As children, Jane was a Shirley Temple-like star, which sister Blanche was denigrated and treated cruelly. However, as they grew up- things reversed- Jane’s childhood stardom was a thing of the past, and adult Blanche became the star- until a strange auto accident paralyzed her.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Then, that Imp, Gwengoolie, and Nostalgiaferatoo spin a web of horror as they present “Arachnophobia”- in which a coffin transported to a California town contains a new species of South American killer spider! When a young doctor (who has a phobia about spiders to begin with) moves his family to the small town, he is at first puzzled- then terrified- as the spider has reproduced, unleashing a horde of deadly spiders upon the locals! Jeff Daniels and John Goodman head the cast, which will be discussed by Gwen, as the Sven Squad gets into some arachnid antics!

Arachnophobia

Then, right on the heels of “Young Frankenstein”- the Sven Squad- Gwengoolie, Nostalgiaferatoo, and the Imp- go back to the beginning of a horror franchise- as they present the first Universal “Frankenstein” film! Boris Karloff stars in his definitive role- with Colin Clive as the scientist determined to make a man- aided by the bumbling Fritz, Dwight Frye, in this amazing James Whale production. No need for me to repeat the plot- and you can be sure that the Sven Squad will make this a memorable presentation of this cornerstone of horror history!

Frankenstein

And, after “The Fly”- the Sven Squad wings in to present the sequel to our movie- 1959’s “Return of the Fly”! Vincent Price is the only actor from the original film who shows up here- as the now adult son of Andre, Phillipe, wants to honor his father’s legacy by completing his work with successful results. Uncle Francios wants nothing to do with it- even when funds to support the experiment are running out. Phillipe finds a new backer to partner with- but he has his own evil agenda. There is more misuse of the disintegrator/ integrator machine, with monstrous results- is Phillipe doomed to the same end his father had? The Sven Squad- the Imp, Nostalgiaferatoo, and Gwengoolie will provide their own crazy commentary, information, and more, as usual!

Return of the Fly

Then- steel your nerves for a Christmas chiller- when a blended family returns to face frightening odds! Yes, Gwengoolie, The Imp, and Nostalgiaferatoo give the unexpected gift of “A Very Brady Christmas”! No, an attention-starved Jan does not whine “Rudolph, Rudolph, Rudolph”- but this group that somehow formed a family has plenty of Christmas conflict in this 1988 made for TV movie- in which a nice idea of reuniting the family for the holidays is torn apart by tensions in each member’s life. You don’t think this movie is scary? Wait until the chilling ( and possibly deadly) disaster that befalls the Brady family. The Sven Squad will be weighing the elements of this movie regarding its horrific possibilities, as they get into the holiday spirit as only they can!

A Very Brady Christmas

Then, Gwengoolie, Malvolio Ignatus Prankenstein, and Nostalgiaferatoo deck the halls- and your screen and the ocean- with a later Roger Corman creature creation- the “Sharktopus”! It’s – unbelievably-an intelligent shark with the tentacles of an octopus which the military has created as a weapon. Unfortunately, as many a caustic creature does, it breaks away from Naval control to go into attack mode when it makes its way to Mexico! Eric Roberts is the man who must get the creature under control or die trying- literally! The Sven Squad aids and abets the horror of this frightening feature that’s their gift to you- come to think of it, wouldn’t those tentacles come in handy for doing gift wrapping?

Sharktopus

House of Svengoolie is a hosted horror-comedy television spin-off of Svengoolie on MeTV. Airing roughly once a month, it shifts the spotlight from the classic horror host Svengoolie to his "Sven Squad." The crew—Nostalgiaferatoo, Gwengoolie, and IMP—take over the dungeon to host cult-classic movies, perform musical parodies, and host quirky sketch segments.

Puppetmaster

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