There is a long tradition of late night horror movie hosts in Cleveland – Ghoulardi, the Ghoul, Big Chuck & Lil John. Of course, the concept of horror movie hosts who interlude and interrupt bad movies is not strictly a Cleveland tradition. Other greats include Elvira, Vampira, and even Mystery Science Theater 3000. Last weekend, at Ghoulardifest in Parma, I met a couple of new horror hosts who are keeping the tradition alive. 

The Mummy and the Monkey – Janet Decay & Grimm Gorri – play B-grade horror movies on their show, interjecting with sound effects and music in the attempt to improve them. Movies such as Little Shop of Horrors (1960), Tales of Frankenstein (1958), and Horror Hotel (1960) (a film I will cover in next week’s post) are presented to entertain (or torture, depending on who you ask). Between acts, the duo presents skits, interviews from conventions or trips they take, and my favorite: Janet Decay’s Rotten Reels. In this segment, Janet shows, in full, everything from classic cartoons such as Betty Boop to trailers for bad flicks, and even histories of Cleveland’s horror host past.

While the Mummy and the Monkey cannot be found on broadcast television, there are many places online to view their program. In addition to their website, TheMummyandtheMonkey.com, and YouTube page, the program can be found on the Betamaxtv.com schedule, the Bizarre TV Roku app, and FreeUndergroundTV.com. So why not dig up a new classic from the Eerie Cinematery? You won’t regret it.