…
ASHLEY GHASTLY – Cyrus Newitt played the phantom Ashley Ghastly, host of the Bad Movie Show Scream Theatre from 1977 or 1978 to 1982. The program aired on Saturday nights/ Sunday mornings at 12:30am on WCSC in Charleston, SC.
Ashley’s name came from West Ashley, the area of Charleston where the WCSC studios were. And that part of the city was named for the nearby Ashley River. Each episode of Scream Theatre began with black & white footage of an actual graveyard while howls and screams were heard. At length the show’s title would appear in dripping blood-red letters.
Then, viewers would be greeted by Ashley Ghastly, who spoke with a British accent that sounded a lot like Tim Curry’s Dr. Frank N. Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As usual, a witty host or hostess showing bad old movies became a hit and Ashley soon had a Phantom “Phan” Club his devotees could join.
Despite some confusion online, Ashley Ghastly wasn’t a vampire, but rather a phantom who could even teleport via camera trickery. Ashley’s “Supporting Fiend” and Cue Card holder was retired Colonel Flash Ghastley (not Ghastly). The Colonel was off the night of the only surviving episode of Scream Theatre and as of this writing no fans remember what the character’s schtick was. Continue reading
THE SKY FISHERS – Who do these folk creatures from Brazil have to sleep with to get more well known? I’d love to read entire stories about them, not just a paragraph or two referring to these unique monsters who deserve to enter the Halloween tradition. 
The Sky Fishers get blamed when individuals or groups suddenly go missing and are never heard from again. Child victims are used to spice up the legends. Some traditions hold that these creatures only strike on nights of the full moon, or on no-moon nights. 
To clarify, The Law Enforcers was one of the rotating shows featured on The Bold Ones. The Law Enforcers was also known as The Protectors, but I’m using the former title to keep it distinct from the spy show The Protectors. 
PILOT MOVIE: DEADLOCK (Feb 22nd, 1969) – This telefilm filled a 2-hour timeslot with commercials. Back when this was made, television cop shows didn’t bother trying to realistically depict the way law enforcement worked, unlike the countless police procedural programs of today. Think of McMillan and Wife, for instance. NO Police Commissioner (Rock Hudson’s role) personally investigates individual crimes, but the show’s gimmick had McMillan doing that with his wife (Susan St. James). 
TETSUO THE IRON MAN (1989) – Director Shinya Tsukamoto hails from Japan and is noted for his surreal, nightmarish excursions into the darker side of transformative industrial technology … especially any technology that impacts the human anatomy. Long time readers of Balladeer’s Blog may recall that I cite this black & white film as one of my favorite sci-fi horrors ever. 
THE STORY OF THE HAUNTED SHIP (1825) – This tale was written by the German author Wilhelm Hauff, who died in 1827. 
HOUSEBOAT HORROR (1989) – “Mullets ahoy!” would make a good alternate title for this Shot on Video disaster from Down Under. Star Alan Dale of Neighbors fame leads a cast of untalented actors and barely adequate musicians who get chopped up by a disfigured slasher.
Text onscreen tells us it is October, which in Australia should be Spring, but the Aussie filmmakers for some reason have the characters keep saying it’s Winter. Guess they forgot what month they claimed it was. 
NUMBER SEVEN TAKES A FALL – In the NAIA, the 23rd ranked SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE MOUNDBUILDERS visited the number 7 team in the nation – the FRIENDS UNIVERSITY FALCONS. By Halftime the Moundbuilders were on top 20-14, and 26-21 to end the 3rd Quarter. From there Southwestern College won the game 40-21. 
ENTER: THE DRAGONS – The NCAA Division 2 TIFFIN UNIVERSITY DRAGONS traveled to face the HILLSDALE COLLEGE CHARGERS. A 7-7 1st Quarter tie became a 21-7 Dragons advantage at the Half. After the break, the Chargers shut out Tiffin but still lost to them 21-14. 
PART 80 – As always, it’s fascinating to read the over 100-year-old opinions of James Larkin Pearson (and by extension his Fool Killer), including the opinions that one doesn’t agree with. Here are some of the Fool Killer’s targets in December 1915. 
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT Vol 1 #5 (August 1972) 
LA MALROCHE (1833) – By Louisa Stuart Costello. Halloween month continues here at Balladeer’s Blog with yet another look at a neglected work of Gothic Horror, this one dealing with witchcraft, a monstrous child and supernatural beasts. Louisa Costello, the female author of this eerie tale, deserves to be much better known.
