Penny Dreadful XIII

Penny Dreadful XIII and Garou

Penny Dreadful XIII is a television horror host based in New England. She is portrayed by actress, writer, and comedian Danielle Gelehrter.

History

Gelehrter created the persona of Penny Dreadful the witch in an effort to revive the concept of a horror movie host on Boston-area television. The show, Penny Dreadful’s Shilling Shockers, premiered on local cable in January 2006. Shilling Shockers first aired on Public-access television cable TV in Providence, Rhode Island, Boston, Massachusetts, New Bedford, Massachusetts, and Salem, Massachusetts. It eventually spread to over 200 cities and towns throughout the six New England states.

The names “Penny Dreadful” and “Shilling Shockers” are both derived from 19th-century serialized tales of terror, crime, and the supernatural.[1] The Penny Dreadful witch persona is described on the program’s website as “an intermingling of light and dark elements. She can be very silly and sinister by turns, with a withering wit and a dramatic gaze." Penny is fond of using the exclamation, "hex-cellent!" and refers to her viewers as her "Dreary Ones."

Awards

The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards presented Penny Dreadful with the award for “Favorite Horror Host” of 2007. She was the first horror host to receive the award in this category.[2] Penny also won the 2010 Rondo Award for "Favorite Horror Host," becoming the first host to win the award twice in this category.[3] Penny's werewolf husband and sidekick Garou received a special "Pure In Heart" Rondo Award in 2014.

'The Dreadful HallowGreen Special,' a made-for-TV movie which Gelehrter co-produced and co-hosted with Larry Underwood aka TV horror host Dr. Gangrene, was nominated for a regional Midsouth Emmy Award in 2011.[4] In the special, Penny Dreadful & Garou and Dr. Gangrene join forces to save Halloween from a terrible fate.

On March 22, 2014, Penny Dreadful was inducted into the Horror Host Hall of Fame.[5]

Appearances

Penny Dreadful XIII is a regular guest at conventions such as HorrorHound in Indianapolis, Indiana, Monster Bash in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [6] and Rock & Shock in Worcester, Massachusetts.[7] Penny has hosted several live fundraising events for children’s organizations such as The Make-A-Wish Foundation[8] and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.[9] She continues to host Shilling Shockers and has appeared in a number of horror-themed publications such as Fangoria Magazine, Rue Morgue (magazine), and Scary Monsters Magazine as well as in films such as Atomic Brain Invasion [10] and The Dungeon of Dr. Dreck.[11]

Penny's sidekicks

Garou is the werewolf henchman and husband of Penny Dreadful. He communicates only through guttural growls and funny facial expressions. Garou was portrayed by Magoo Gelehrter, who died in May 2014 following a battle with cancer.

Dr. Manfred Von Bulow is a semi-retired vampire hunter with a thick German accent. He is Penny Dreadful’s foil. He is portrayed by Ivan Bernier.

Luna is a madwoman, released from the abandoned Danvers State Hospital. She is insane but highly intelligent. Luna is portrayed by the series' television director Rebecca Paiva.

References

  1. "shilling shocker - Encyclopedia Britannica". Britannica.com. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  2. Deina Zartman (2008-07-26). "Local cable show host wins national horror award". SouthCoastToday.com. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  3. "Rondo Hatton Awards". Rondoaward.com. 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  4. "Dr. Gangrene Emmy Nomination Blog Entry". drgangrene.blogspot.com/. 2011-11-21. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  5. "Horror Host Hall of Fame". horror-host.com/. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  6. "Monster Bash Guest List". Monsterbashnews.com. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  7. Archived January 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. "Halloween Howler with Penny and Garou (Zombos' Closet of Horror Blog)". Zomboscloset.typepad.com. 2008-10-25. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  9. "Das Internet steckt voller brennender Ideen". firehouse13.org. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  10. "Atomic Brain Invasion (Video 2010) - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  11. "The Dungeon of Dr. Dreck (Video 2008) - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
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