Wednesday, October 12, 2011

ATTACK OF THE HORROR HOSTS: WEIRD WEB THEATER WITH THE MOD GHOUL By Frankie Franken

Hello, everybody, and welcome to The MonsterGrrls' THIR13EN FOR HALLOWEEN 2011! I'm Frankie Franken, your friendly neighborhood Creature-Grrl next door, and in addition to our usual fun and frights, this year we're showcasing the Attack Of The Horror Hosts, those great people who host all our favorite horror movies on TV, the Internet, and everywhere! Today I'm talking with Pennsylvania's Mod Ghoul, an interesting (and British) Undead who is the host of Weird Web Theater, which is exclusively on the Internet. Despite being a ghoul, he turned out to be a really nice person as well, so here's my chat with Mod Ghoul.

Welcome to THE MONSTERGRRLS’ THIR13EN FOR HALLOWEEN! Please tell us a bit about yourself and what you do!

Thank you for inviting me. I'm the Mod Ghoul, and I am a horror host. I have two shows, Weird Web Theater that can be seen on Facebook and Youtube, and Fright Club that can be seen on the Monster Channel. I introduce horror movies and just have fun with all my viewers. I try to find some kind of message or lesson to be learned from the films I show. It's just all good fun.

Sounds neat! How did you decide to become a horror host, and what inspired you to do this?

I grew up watching Uncle Ted's Ghoul School here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I always felt this would be a fun job to have, but never knew how I could do it. Years later I created a group on Facebook called Tingler TV, a group for all who love horror. Through this group I got to know a lot of the other horror hosts around the country, one in particular being A. Ghastlee Ghoul. I found how easy it would be to be a horror host, so a dream was realized. I put together my show and here I am.

Yet another example of Mad Science at work! So tell us a little about Weird Web Theater. Do you ever show any special movies for the Halloween season?

Weird Web Theater is unique in its form. We use movies that are available on YouTube and provide a link to these movies on Facebook and YouTube. We have gotten quite a following for the show. As far as movies for the Halloween season, we treat every day as Halloween but you've given me a great idea for what to do for this wonderful time of year. (Thanks, Frankie!)

Well, you're very welcome! But what is your favorite horror film?

The first horror movie I ever remember seeing was The Wolfman, so that is very near and dear to me. But I also have to add Horror Hotel with Christopher Lee--another film I grew up with that has never lost it's creepiness. It is such a great film, so tied for my favorites would have to be The Wolfman and Horror Hotel.

For my readers, that one's also known as City Of The Dead, and we have both in the Monster Shop film collection. What's your reaction to the enormous round of horror-movie remakes that Hollywood is doing? Are there any that you think are better than the original?

Well I believe in the saying, "If it ain't broke don't fix it." Creativity is dead in Hollywood. All these filmmakers are just trying to make a buck and have given up on creativity. I have not seen a lot of these films because how much better could it be than the original? I did enjoy Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween. A lot of people hated it because it humanized Michael Myers too much. To them he was scarier as a mindless killing machine, which I can understand, but I like going into the mind of a killer to see what makes him do what he does. That's just me, and that is what Zombie did with his version. It's all a matter of opinion really. All in all, why try to improve on something that is fine as it is? It's just a money making scheme.

What does Halloween--not the film, but the holiday--mean to you?

Halloween is such a magical time where we can be anything we want to be. It's a release from the mundane world we live in. It is magic in its creepiness and I love it.

Describe a favorite Halloween memory.

I have many, like going to this old farmhouse where the guy who answered the door had a hook for a hand and said he didn't know what Halloween was. Interesting, and his dog almost bit off my cousin's hand! But I have to say, all the times trick or treating with my kids have to be the memories I hold near and dear to me. My kids love Halloween as much as I do, so it's magic to be able to share that with them.

Thanks again, Frankie, for taking the time to talk with me. I have really enjoyed myself.

Thank you for talking to me as well, and Happy Halloween!

And if you readers will click on the various links through our interview, you can find out more information on the Mod Ghoul and his endeavors. The Monster Channel can be found by clicking our title link. Be back soon for more of The MonsterGrrls' THIR13EN FOR HALLOWEEN, because we're just getting started!

Sincerely,

Francesca "Frankie" Franken