There’s something weirdly comforting about horror hosts. Watching old black and white horror flicks in the middle of the night can be a lonely experience, but toss in a campy/corny host dressed like a vampire—think Elvira or Svengoolie, or non-vampiric hosts like Joe Bob Briggs—and suddenly you have a cozy night at home with an old friend. It’s an illusion, but a powerful one.
There’s also something weirdly comforting about horror hosts in Kenosha. Yes, Kenosha, Wisconsin has an unusually high concentration of homegrown cable access/internet horror hosts. Dr. Destruction. Storm Winter. Uncle Wolfman. The list goes on. Author Tea Krulos detailed this unlikely scene in a 2021 article for Milwaukee Magazine, “A Look Inside the Surprisingly Large Web of Local Horror Hosts.”
Now, a documentary based on that article is set to get a work-in-progress premiere. I’m Your Host will screen at the Twisted Dreams Film Festival on Friday, October 20 at 9 p.m. at the Times Cinema. A horror-host-themed afterparty will follow at 11 p.m. at Bay View Bowl. I’m Your Host is directed by Alicia Krupsky. Krulos and Christopher Kai House are producers.
“Vampires, witches, werewolves, and ghoulies—Kenosha has the highest population of horror hosts per capita, who produce their own homemade TV shows showing cult-followed horror films,” explains a press release. “This documentary explores their relationship as a community, their triumphs, and a tragic loss that bonds them together.”
About that tragic loss:
What started as a look at a group of quirky, creative horror fanatics who sometimes have a rivalry took a turn as Deadgar Winter (played by Curt Meyer) suddenly passed away from Covid-19. The hosts put aside their differences to mourn his loss and his fiancee, Storm Winter started her own show, Storm’s Eclectic Realm. I’m Your Host follows the laughter and spooky fun as well as the difficult human moments of this unique group of people.
Tickets to the Twisted Dreams screening can be purchased HERE. I’m Your Host will also screen at the UW-Parkside Student Center Cinema on Saturday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to that screening can be purchased HERE.
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