MeTV is celebrating its second annual “Svengoolie’s Halloween BOOnanza,” and TV Insider had the chance to sit with the maestro of the spooky to talk about his essential horror viewing for the macabre holiday.
When we asked, “What are your five essential scary horror moves that you’d recommend for everyone to watch this October,” Rich Koz (A.K.A. Svengoolie) replied, “Well, first, your chance of any one of the original first appearances of the Universal Monsters, be it Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolfman, and of course, The Creature From The Black Lagoon.” Naturally, these are the cornerstones of cinematic horror, and as Svengoolie says above, “and you need to respect that!”
For his second choice, he quickly chooses “The Blob, a truly original horror from the ’50s.” And third, “the original Invaders From Mars, very similar to the Invaders of the Body Snatchers, which you can also watch.” He also explains the synopsis for Invaders From Mars, which sees people taken over by aliens but unable to convince others they’re in danger. Lastly, he chooses the original Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street for fourth and fifth, which can be seen as “the modern equivalent to those old classic monsters.”
When we spoke to Koz last year for New York Comic Con, the legendary horror icon explained his start all began with the original Svengoolie in Chicago, Jerry G. Bishop, a radio and TV guy Koz was working with and writing for at the time. Before long, Bishop was approached by a local station for a show, and while he wasn’t interested, he suggested his protegé.
“Then to me, he says, but you could do it. You could be the son of Svengoolie!” he said, recalling the moment Bishop passed the torch.
This year’s Svengoolie’s Halloween BOOnanza programming includes: ‘Svengoolie’s Halloween BOOnanza Double Feature,’ back-to-back horror movies every Saturday night with titles including Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Trilogy of Terror; overnight blocks with The Twilight Zone, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and Sventoonie; and mini-marathons of spooky-themed classic TV Westerns and spooky and kooky comedy TV series.
Check out the schedule for Svengoolie’s Halloween BOOnanza on MeTV.
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