Saturday, March 16, 2024

The Magic of Imagination

Thanks to Sid & Marty Krofft, this was my first gateway into the world of imagination. I wanted to be a part of a world where magic exists. It does. I found it through the visual, audio, and performance arts. 


Their television shows included H.R. Pufnstuf, The Bugaloos, Lidsville, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Land of the Lost, Far Out Space Nuts, The Lost Saucer, Dr. Shrinker, ElectraWoman and DynaGirl, The Krofft Supershow, Wonderbug, Bigfoot and Wildboy, Magic Mongo, The Krofft Superstar Hour, etc. 


The World of Sid & Marty Krofft website: https://www.sidandmartykrofft.com/ 

Sunday, February 25, 2024

The NEW Sin City Horror Club !!!

 

Las Vegas locals who love horror movies have a new platform to network with like-minded fans of the genre and it's called Sin City Horror Club. It's a Facebook group where everyone shares what's what and what's happening in the horror community of Sin City. 

It's run by film director and composer Knik Woods (Clemency Blvd; Shoe Gazer) over at GhostChaser Productions and he's taken the group to another level by hosting the Vintage Horror Screenings (VHS) at the Millennium FANDOM BAR, a wonderous sci-fi/fantasy/horror themed establishment located at 430 Hoover Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89101. These events are hosted once a month and it is a great place for group members + friends to meetup and hang out in a casual and friendly environment... must be 18 and over.   

Vintage Horror Screenings was first launched on September 20th, 2023 with a showing of the gore classic "Saw" (2004). All films shown are screened from actual VHS tapes, taking us on a nostalgic trip in time when video stores were often the go-to source for watching all of your favorite movies. As of this post, the other films shown thus far have been An American Werewolf in London, Black Christmas, Candyman, Dawn of the Dead, and a double feature - Child's Play 2 and Bride of Chucky

I, and a friend, of mine have been going to VHS since it started and it has been a lot of fun. There is also a trivia session right before the start of the film in which you can win prizes. As you can see in the following pics, I'm goofing off with R2-D2 and showing what I won during trivia. 

You can join the Sin City Horror Club at: 


Follow the Millennium Fandom Bar on Facebook at:

You can also follow me, Jim Childs, on Instagram at: 

 


Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Terrence Sir (a.k.a. John Barclay)


TERRENCE SIR (John Barclay)
Nightmare Theater (Jan. 29, 1958-1958; KRON-TV; channel 4; San Francisco, California)


Voice actor, TV and radio producer John Barclay took over hosting Nightmare Theater as Terrence's father, Terrence Sir. It aired Wednesday nights at 10:35 pm. "To introduce Nightmare Theater on KRON in San Francisco, John Barclay enters as a two-faced monster from studio mummy's tomb wearing a grotesque mask on the back of his head and speaking in sepulchral tones learned during long years as a Shakespearean actor," is how LIFE magazine (May 26, 1958) described the host and the show. 

The Daily Independent Journal (Feb. 7, 1958) revealed much more information about the new host's debut and take over of Nightmare Theater: "Fans of the 'Nightmare' TV show have been startled the last two weeks to see a new face - and a bearded one at that. It belongs to Terrence Sr., father of Terrence Jr. who has been acting as host of the horror program on KRON. Senior stirred his creaky bones and left the comfortable dampness of his mummy's cage, just to return to life and see how Junior was making out with the television audience. During the course of a chat last Wednesday, Pop learned Son was doing fine, only he was getting a bit tired and and could use a little vacation. Now, you'll be seeing Senior on 'Nightmare' every Wednesday while Junior rests his creaky joints in the family tomb. Oh, yes, Terrence Sr. is really John Barclay of Sausalito, whose mannerisms on the air are faintly reminiscent of Boris Karloff. Barclay has had a long career as an... opera singer, dramatic actor and radio-TV writer [and] producer." The films shown were from the Shock! package.

FILMS SHOWN: The Black Cat (1934); Calling Dr. Death (1943); Chinatown Squad (1935); Dead Man's Eyes (1944); Dracula (1931); Dracula's Daughter (1936); Enemy Agent (1940); Frankenstein (1931); The Frozen Ghost (1945); The Invisible Man (1933); The Mummy (1932); The Mummy's Ghost (1944); The Mummy's Tomb (1942); The Mystery of Marie Roget (1942); Mystery of the White Room (1939); Sealed Lips (1942); The Strange Case of Doctor Rx (1942)



 

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Uneasy Alliance !!!


Scene from Sicko-Psychotic's Super Shock Show featuring all your favorite characters L to R: Mr. Nasty, Sicko the King of Ghouls, Silky Harlot the Spider, and Cameo the Magic Camera Obscura. 

When I first took on my horror host persona it was my way of contributing to the horror genre and reach out to like-minded fans. But I wanted viewers to only see Sicko not the person behind the make-up - Jim Childs - so, I tried to keep them separate. I felt that Jim would be a distraction from simply enjoying the character and the wonderfully creepy and bizarre world the ol' ghoul lives in. In time, however, I realized that to promote the show and do interviews, Jim would have to step in and take over occasionally. For better or for worse, you got to see more of the creator side of me.