Starring – Melissa LaMartina (WNUF Halloween Special, Call Girl of Cthulhu)
Rating – 4/5
Back in September I was doing some scrolling on Instagram when I came across a post from WNUF Halloween Special director Chris LaMartina about the blu release of the classic SOV horror film Cannibal Campout. He was sharing that he had copies of the blu available in his store. I wanted a copy of this for my collection but I couldn’t figure out the connection this release from Terror Vision had with LaMartina.
I soon realized why when I was browsing his store and saw that his wife’s horror host persona Aurora Gorealis had an episode featured in the special features of the release. I also saw that a collection of episodes of her Shocktail Hour with Aurora Gorealis was available on DVD. While I was a bit bummed it was only available on DVD I still snagged a copy with the intention of adding it to my October horror binge. Sadly, I wasn’t able to squeeze it during the month so I added it to my November watch pile to check out. I’m glad I did because it was a lot of fun.
**Spoiler Alert** The collection features three episodes where we follow Aurora Gorealis as she mixes drinks, deliver puns, and a host of other characters to contribute various segments to each show. **Spoiler Alert**
The three episodes follow themes such as werewolves, zombies, and blobs. I knew Chris’ gorgeous wife Melissa was a horror host but that was the extent of it. I never had the luck of seeing anything related to her Aurora Gorealis character, however, after watching this collection I can see that I was seriously missing out. I lived in an area that didn’t have their own regional horror host and I couldn’t piggy back off of other channels to get something like that but I did have the Elvira tapes at my local video store to enjoy.
While Shocktail Hour continues in the horror puns and macabre themes, it doesn’t rely on sexual humor like Elvira does. Elvira is an icon and for good reasons but she is not something that I can watch with my kids unless I want to lie to them about what she meant when she said “I’ve never had complaints before” when someone asks how her head is. Shocktail Hour is something I didn’t know I was missing in my life and I seriously hope they consider releasing more collections.
The acting in this one is great. I don’t know Melissa LaMartina but I can only imagine that this is an extension of her personality. She is this character and she does a phenomenal job in the role. The supporting cast is fun and their characters fit the show very well but it’s LaMartina and Aurora Gorealis that makes this what it is. The story for this one is a mix of a variety show meets The Ghouligans and I’m here for it. The jokes are funny for the most part, the skits and other aspects always fit the theme of the episodes, and I love the characters in each episode. While I can only speak for these three episodes, I can only imagine how enjoyable the other ones are.
Finally, the film is not a bloody or gory one. Instead, we get some fun make-up effects, a lot of costumes, and a campy set that takes the viewer back to classic shows like The Munsters and Addams Family. Overall, Shocktail Hour: Werewolves, Zombies, and Blobs is a fantastic watch for genre fans who enjoy the campy side of the genre. I highly recommend snagging this. You will not be disappointed.
