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Tea’s Weird Week: Report: Krulos says October will be “Frickin’ Bananas”

Hey there, the TWW column (and podcast) has really fallen by the wayside this year. I’ve just been too golldang busy, I tell ya. Lots to do. And it’s only getting busier– since circa 2015 (the year my book Monster Hunters was published) October has been quite a busy month for me. It is, you see, to weirdos what June is to the wedding industry. Everyone want to tap into some creepy expertise and get a little spooo-kay.

This October is even busier than usual. Here’s what I got going on.

American Ghost Walks: I lead tours for AGW, they’re a good mix of Milwaukee history and ghost stories. Any time of year is a good time for a ghost tour, but there’s of course a big bump in interest in the autumnal season. I generally lead Third Ward tours Friday nights and Shadow of City Hall tours on Saturdays. AGW can help you book me for private tours, too. Check it out: www.americanghostwalks.com/wisconsin/milwaukee

Milwaukee Paranormal Conference: 8 years! MPC is happening this year with a Friday the 13th Fest pre-party at the Falcon Bowl on Oct.13, Saturday, Oct. 14th the conference returns to the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center and is FREE, Activities Day is Sunday, Oct. 15 at various locations. See schedule and get tickets here: milwaukeeparacon.com

I’m Your Host Work-in-Progress Premiere: Alicia Krupsky has done such a great job putting together this documentary on horror hosts from the Kenosha area. I’m a producer and this was inspired by an article I wrote for Milwaukee Magazine. I saw an almost final cut and it hit the right notes. I laughed out loud, got a little teary eyed and just enjoyed seeing the story unfold. A work-in-progress premiere takes place Friday Oct. 20th at the Twisted Dreams Film Festival at Times Cinema, 9pm, free after party at Bay View Bowl. Tickets and more info on Twisted Dreams: www.twisteddreamsff.com

What happens with I’m Your Host after that? We have a Kenosha screening on Saturday, Nov. 11 at UW-Parkside Student Center Cinema and are going to continue to submit it to film festivals.

October Reading Material I’ve Written Just for You

Monster Hunters (2015, Chicago Review Press). This book is about my adventure hanging out with paranormal investigators around the country.

Wisconsin Legends & Lore (2020, History Press). Collects tall tales, folklore, urban legends, etc. from around the state. It sells well this time of year.

Chicago Mothman (2023, Tea Set Press). An e-book that looks into the cases and investigators surrounding the “Chicago Mothman” sightings.

Don’t got a few bucks to support your poor old pal Krulos? I get it. Many TWW columns are creepy, kooky, all together ooky (and free to read), here’s just a couple that strike the right October mood:

TWW: I Love Those Old Monster Movies
TWW: The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter
TWW: Paranormal Real Estate Mogul

Have a Happy October and Stay Spooky, my Friends!

Posted in Halloween, Paranormal News

Tea’s Weird Week: Horror Hosts

Nov 8

Posted by teakrulos

I’m still recovering from October. What a month! Definitely one of the busiest I’ve experienced. I did a bunch of tours for American Ghost Walks, did some podcasts, took a trip to California to work on the American Madness doc and…oh yeah, started a new project– a documentary short based on an article I wrote for the October Milwaukee Magazine. The doc’s working title is Kenosha Horror Hosts.

This all started back in 2016 when I met a horror host from the Kenosha area, Deadgar Winter, who has a show called Deadgar’s Dark Coffin Classics. That same year I also first encountered Dr. Destruction, a horror host with a show called Crimson Theatre, also based in Kenosha.

A horror host show features a zany character (or cast of characters) that introduces an old horror film (or independent features) and they do short skits as “bumper segments” when going to commercial breaks.

Vampira is cited as the first horror host. Actress Maila Nurmi hosted The Vampira Show in 1954. Her life story is really interesting and amazing and if you’re looking for a good book, I highly recommend Glamour Ghoul: The Passions and Pain of the Real Vampira, Maila Nurmi, written by her niece Sandra Niemi (published by Feral House, who published my book American Madness).

Some other famous examples of horror hosts– Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (she was supposed to be a Vampira reboot, but her producers decided they would just rip Vampira off and not pay her), Chicago’s Svengoolie, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Joe Bob Briggs to name a few.

I got Svengoolie’s autograph at the 2015 Chicago Ghost Con.

After I met Deadgar Winter and Dr. Destruction, I thought there might be an interesting story there and I filed it away in the back of my brain. When I saw that two of Deadgar’s co-hosts, Celeste and Morgan Parker had split off and started their own show (Hexen Arcane), I decided it was time to do the story up. Then I discovered there was a fourth show in the Kenosha area– Nightmare Cinema with Uncle Wolfman. Whaaaaaat. Four Kenosha horror host shows?

While working on the article I just had a kind of light bulb moment where I could see the story being a great documentary short– it’s a story filled with colorful characters. My Tea’s Weird Week podcast co-host Heidi Erickson introduced me to her friend, filmmaker Alicia Krupsky, who agreed to be director. Christopher House, a co-founder of the Twisted Dreams Film Fest is a producer and cinematographer. Stephen Vincent Anderson and Heather House have provided additional camera work and we’ll have more talented people helping with production.

The documentary crew at Dr. Destruction’s haunted manor, an attraction at the Jerry Smith Pumpkin Farm in Kenosha. L-R: me, Christopher House, Dr. Destruction, Alicia Krupsky, Stephen Vincent Anderson.

We did a few shoots, including the bulk of interviews we wanted last month and it’s been a blast. Winter is going to be a good time to work on editing. We’re hoping to be done in late spring or early summer and will be entering Kenosha Horror Hosts into film fests. In the meantime, you can read my Milwaukee Magazine article here (or listen to me read it on this week’s Tea’s Weird Week podcast, link below): A Look Inside the Surprisingly Large Web of Local Horror Hosts (milwaukeemag.co

My article in the October Milwaukee Magazine.

Tea’s Weird Week S3 ep07: Halloween Hangover: Happy witching season! Tea reads his article on Wisconsin horror hosts from the October issue of Milwaukee Magazine. Tea and Heidi discuss Tea’s encounter with a street preacher while leading a ghost our, QAnon thought JFK Jr. would appear to them in Dallas, Zuck’s BBQ bottle and more. Miss Information has trivia and we close out with a track by Rexxx, “Animal.”

Listen here: Tea‘s Weird Week S3 ep07: Halloween Hangover (podbean.com)
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