From Vampira to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, female horror movie hosts have long been a staple of late-night television. Broadcast on local stations and cable access channels, characters such as Moona Lisa, Stella, Crematia Mortem and Tarantula Ghoul brought an entertaining blend of macabre camp and after-prime-time sexuality to American living rooms in the 1950s through 1990s. Despite a near total lack of local programming today, the tradition continues on the Internet and Roku and other modern media. Featuring exclusive interviews and rare photographs, this book covers dozens of “dream ghouls” with alphabetical entries, from Aunt Gertie to Veronique Von Venom.

Robert Michael “Bobb” Cotter, a graphic designer, lives in Pittsburgh. In addition to having written several books about comics and film, he writes a monthly column for Creepy Classics.

Robert Michael “Bobb” Cotter

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 172
Bibliographic Info: 43 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6434-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2656-7
Imprint: McFarland

Foreword by Penny Dreadful  1
Preface  3
Biographical Dictionary and Filmography  7
Bibliography  161
Index  163

• “Cotter digs deep into the history of the horror host, and uncovers a wealth of knowledge about those hidden stars…a must…a comprehensive look at the female horror hosts of the past, and present”—Green Man Review
• “will be of interest to the camp film buff, as well as the television historian”—ProtoView
• “a groundbreaking piece of research”— Killer Reviews
• “truly a book of love and you can tell Bobb has a great affection for these female Horror Hosts…amazing”—Reviews on the Edge