Movies
R.I.P. John Zacherle, Renowned Horror Host, Has Passed Away at 98
Sad news to report as it’s come out that New York-based horror host John Zacherle, aka “Zacherley”, has passed away at the age of 98.
Zacherle was a longtime member of the horror community, having started his career as the host of Philadelphia station WCAU’s Shock Theater in 1957. He played the undertaker “Roland”, who, with his laboratory assistant Igor, would interrupt horror films to do parodies and gags based on the film itself. He also recorded the novelty song “Dinner with Drac” in 1958, a track that would break into the top ten national songs.
After WCAU was purchased by CBS, Zacherle relocated to New York’s WABC-TV and continued his format while also appearing in motion pictures. Later, in 1988 he appeared as the voice of “Aylmer” in the sci-fi/horror film Brain Damage, from director Frank Henenlotter.
Zacherle was also a radio jock for several years, including a stint as a night broadcaster for prog rock tracks. [Editor’s note: I would’ve loved to have hung out with this guy, even just once.]
In 2010, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted John Zacherle into their Hall of Fame.
We send our condolences to his friends and family. We also send our thanks to someone who so lovingly embraced and lived the horror lifestyle for as long as he did.
After pulling in $28 million at the worldwide box office this month, director (and star) Dev Patel’s critically acclaimed action-thriller Monkey Man is now available to watch at home.
You can rent Monkey Man for $19.99 or digitally purchase the film for $24.99!
Monkey Man is currently 88% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with Bloody Disgusting’s head critic Meagan Navarro awarding the film 4.5/5 stars in her review out of SXSW back in March.
Meagan raves, “While the violence onscreen is palpable and painful, it’s not just the exquisite fight choreography and thrilling action set pieces that set Monkey Man apart but also its political consciousness, unique narrative structure, and myth-making scale.”
“While Monkey Man pays tribute to all of the action genre’s greats, from the Indonesian action classics to Korean revenge cinema and even a John Wick joke or two, Dev Patel’s cultural spin and unique narrative structure leave behind all influences in the dust for new terrain,” Meagan’s review continues.
She adds, “Monkey Man presents Dev Patel as a new action hero, a tenacious underdog with a penetrating stare who bites, bludgeons, and stabs his way through bodies to gloriously bloody excess. More excitingly, the film introduces Patel as a strong visionary right out of the gate.”
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Monkey Man is produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions.
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