Penny Dreadful XIII | |
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 Penny Dreadful XIII (left) and Garou |
Penny Dreadful XIII is a television horror host based in New England. She is portrayed by actress, writer, and comedian Danielle Gelehrter.
Penny Dreadful XIII | |
|---|---|
| Penny Dreadful XIII (left) and Garou |
Penny Dreadful XIII is a television horror host based in New England. She is portrayed by actress, writer, and comedian Danielle Gelehrter.
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, began production in August 2005 and 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."
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]
'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 17, 2014, Magoo Gelehrter (Penny's husband and werewolf sidekick, Garou the werewolf) received a special "Pure in Heart" Rondo Award [5]
On March 22, 2014, Penny Dreadful was inducted into the Horror Host Hall of Fame. [6]
On March 16, 2019, 'Shilling Shockers' director Rebecca Paiva was inducted into the Horror Host Hall of Fame in the "Behind the Screams" category. [7]
On June 10, 2023, Penny Dreadful was inducted into the Rondo Awards Monster Kid Hall of Fame. [8]
Penny Dreadful XIII is a regular guest at conventions such as HorrorHound in Indianapolis, Indiana; Monster Bash in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; [9] and Rock & Shock in Worcester, Massachusetts. [10] Penny has hosted several live fundraising events for children’s organizations such as The Make-A-Wish Foundation [11] and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. [12] She continues to host annual Shilling Shockers Halloween specials 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 [13] and The Dungeon of Dr. Dreck. [14]
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.
In May 2021, Gelehrter launched a podcast called Terror at Collinwood and serves as its host. The podcast celebrates and examines the classic gothic television serial, Dark Shadows. Terror at Collinwood explores Dark Shadows’ storylines and characters, examining the show’s important place in gothic horror and pop culture history. Episode topics include in-depth conversations with guests about the show’s major storylines, examinations of the Gothic, the importance of Dark Shadows to “monster kid” culture, Dark Shadows collectible discussions, and more. The podcast also features in-depth discussions and interviews with fans, creators, crew, and cast members including David Selby, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker, Marie Wallace, and more. [15]
On May 16, 2014 Gelehrter's real-life husband Magoo Gelehrter, who played Garou the werewolf of 'Shilling Shockers' passed away due to stage four cancer.
On September 21, 2018 Gelehrter outed herself on her public Penny Dreadful Facebook page as a post-operative MTF transgender woman, and also revealed that her late husband Magoo Gelehrter had been a transgender FTM man. This was prompted by an anti-transgender ballot question in Massachusetts at the time which would have prohibited trans people from using the restroom which matched their gender identity. [16]
Danielle Gelehrter studied theatre at San Francisco State University. She also studied improv comedy at Second City (Chicago), Improv Boston, and Improv Asylum. She possesses BA degrees in Creative Writing and in Literature, and has a Master's Degree in English. The American-born daughter of Portuguese parents from the Azores, she performed with the Portuguese Kids sketch and improv comedy troupe under her maiden name, Danielle Oliveira.
Gelehrter has worked as a writer and researcher on various official projects related to popular toy and cartoon franchises.
Starting in 2016, Danielle "Penny Dreadful" Gelehrter and Eric Marshall took over as co-writers for the Masters of the Universe Classics toy packaging bios as well as the official digital "Masters Mondays" bios. Contracted through MVCreations, Gelehrter and Marshall wrote bios for Mattel and Super7, covering many characters and artifacts from the brand and toyline. Through the bios, Gelehrter introduced a new vampire villain called the Crimson Countess in an effort to add more distinct horror-themed elements to the Masters of the Universe canon. [17] Gelehrter also worked as a writer and researcher on a number of books by Dark Horse Comics, including 'He-Man & the Masters of the Universe: The Newspaper Comic Strips', 'He-Man & the Masters of the Universe: A Character Guide & World Compendium', and others.
Starting in 2019, Gelehrter and Eric Marshall began writing official packaging bios for Super7's ThunderCats Ultimates action figure line. Gelehrter and Marshall subsequently penned several toy bios for this popular 80's brand. [18]
Dark Shadows is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport, Maine, where a number of supernatural occurrences take place.
Robert Lawrence Stine, known by his pen name R.L. Stine, is an American novelist. He is the writer of Goosebumps, a horror fiction novel series which has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, becoming the second-best-selling book series in history. The series spawned a media franchise including two television series, a video game series, a comic series, and two feature films. Stine has been referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature".
Werewolf: The Apocalypse is a role-playing game of the Classic World of Darkness game series by White Wolf Publishing. Other related products include the collectible card games named Rage and several novels. In the game, players take the role of werewolves known as "Garou". These werewolves are locked in a two-front war against both the spiritual desolation of urban civilization and supernatural forces of corruption that seek to bring the Apocalypse. Game supplements detail the other shape-shifters.
Famous Monsters of Filmland is an American genre-specific film magazine, started in 1958 by publisher James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman.
Timothy Ray Lucas is an American film critic, biographer, novelist, screenwriter and blogger, best known for publishing and editing the video review magazine Video Watchdog.
Rue Morgue is a multinational magazine devoted to coverage of horror fiction. Its content comprises news, reviews, commentary, interviews, and event coverage. Its journalistic span encompasses films, books, comic books, video games, and other media in the horror genre. Rue Morgue was founded in 1997 by Rodrigo Gudiño, and is headquartered in Toronto, with regional offices in various countries throughout North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. The magazine has expanded over time to encompass a radio station, book publishing company, and horror convention. The magazine's namesake is Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841).
A horror host is a person who acts as the host or presenter of a program where horror films and low-budget B movies are shown on television or the Internet. Usually the host assumes a horror-themed persona, often a campy or humorous one. Generally there are breaks in the film where the host comments on various aspects of the movie. Many horror host shows also include skits involving the hosts themselves, sometimes with a sidekick or other supporting characters.
International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival is a film festival dedicated to the genres of horror and science fiction. The event is held annually in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The festival was founded in 2005 by fans of horror and sci-fi films.
Dr. Gangrene is a television horror host based in the Middle Tennessee area, played by actor/writer/producer Larry Underwood.
Nick Percival is a British graphic artist and graphic novelist primarily known for his published comic book, concept artwork and career in computer animation directing.
Marie Wallace is an American stage and television actress, best known for her performances in the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows.
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Todd Livingston is a filmmaker and author.
Midnight Monster Hop is a horror host television show that first aired in 2006 on HSTV in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
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The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award, often called the Rondo Award, is an annual award founded in 2002 that honors journalism, scholarship and film preservation in the horror genre, particularly of classic horror film and their modern-day counterparts.
David A. Weiner is an American filmmaker, magazine editor, and journalist.
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