My 5 Favorite Svengoolie Movies of 2018
For those looking at the above picture and thinking, "Who is that strange man holding a rubber chicken?" The answer is he's the man, the myth, the legend – Svengoolie!
Svengoolie is a horror movie host (and cultural icon) who has a weekly show where he airs a classic film from his extensive archive that includes everything from black and white horror gems, to monster movies, to campy made-for-TV films from back in the day. During breaks in the action he gives the backstory of the movie and its cast, tells jokes, and occasionally serenades viewers with a song about the film.
The show airs in syndication (I get it on MeTV, channel 33, Saturdays at 8pm), and if you follow me on Twitter (@AdamsWorldBlog) you’ve probably seen me live-tweet during the show.
Since I’m a weekly viewer (or at least DVR-er), I decided it would be fun to put together a quick list of my five favorite movies that Svengoolie aired in 2018. Here we go!
I absolutely love the gimmicky horror films of William Castle, and my favorite of the trio that Svengoolie aired this year was Mr. Sardonicus (the other two were The Tingler, and 13 Ghosts). Mr. Sardonicus is the tale of a man whose face froze in a hideous smile after digging up his father’s grave to cash in a winning lottery ticket. So basically, fun for the whole family!
I have to admit that Vincent Price playing a murderous magician is really all you need to sell me on a movie. Who says “no” to that … I mean, unless you happen to be a competing magician … or someone who plans on getting in Price’s character’s way.
Oh ho ho it’s magic, you know!
What’s not to love about this 1958 Steve McQueen classic? The Blob is an all-time great movie, and all the extra info Svengoolie gave about it was awesome, especially his notes on the iconic movie theatre evacuation scene, which alone are worth the price of admission. Wait, Svengoolie is on TV, there is no price of admission. Ah, well, you know what I mean.
A 1977 made-for-TV movie that was originally titled It Happened at Lakewood Manor, Ants! – which had an exclamation point in its title because we all know an exclamation point shows they mean business – featured killer ants taking over a hotel, and construction site. The film had an impressive cast that included Suzanne Somers, Barry Van Dyke, Lynda Day George, and Brian Dennehy, among others.
A scene that involved a kid rummaging through a dumpster, only to be attacked by killer ants, may have been my favorite.
Part of the reason I enjoyed this 1979 made-for-TV movie is that I laughed every time I thought about how the network execs didn’t exactly strain themselves when it came to naming the film. It was also the kind of schlock that was, in many ways, sexploitation-lite, which is hilarious on a number of levels. As a bonus, it featured the most excitement seen over California Angels gear in quite some time.
Needless to say, you know where I’ll be, or what I’ll have my DVR set to, on Saturday night.
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