With Hemlock Grove, Penny Dreadful, Hannibal, The Walking Dead & more, Ron suggests this is a golden age in the history of Us TV horror…
Feature
On April 30th 1954, a Finnish-American actress, showgirl and pin-up named Maila Nurmi sashayed down a dark corridor fogged with dry ice, stopped on cue and unleashed a bloodcurdling scream. She was sporting her best faux-Morticia Addams dress, vampy fingernails, long black hair and an imperious expression. After the introductory trance and shriek that began every episode of Kabc TV’s The Vampira Show, the host would recline on a skull-decorated Victorian couch and mockingly introduce one of any number of low-budget and no-budget horror films for her late-night television audience. Vampira was the first horror host in American television, appearing on the air only five short years after the station first signed on in Los Angeles.
“Screaming relaxes me so”
Though Vampira’s reign as...
Feature
On April 30th 1954, a Finnish-American actress, showgirl and pin-up named Maila Nurmi sashayed down a dark corridor fogged with dry ice, stopped on cue and unleashed a bloodcurdling scream. She was sporting her best faux-Morticia Addams dress, vampy fingernails, long black hair and an imperious expression. After the introductory trance and shriek that began every episode of Kabc TV’s The Vampira Show, the host would recline on a skull-decorated Victorian couch and mockingly introduce one of any number of low-budget and no-budget horror films for her late-night television audience. Vampira was the first horror host in American television, appearing on the air only five short years after the station first signed on in Los Angeles.
“Screaming relaxes me so”
Though Vampira’s reign as...
- 7/6/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
This week in horror history saw the birth of two modern movies classics and one evil seductress. Vampira, born Maila Nurmi changed the face of TV as the hostess of the ‘50s cult and sci-fi series, The Vampira Show. She boasted two-inch nails, a micro waist, and a feline face.
Movie-wise Wes Craven’s 1996 film Scream introduced us to the “rules” of horror with a tongue-in-cheek look at the slasher genre that Craven was integral in creating more than 20 years earlier. 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors was Frank Oz’s musical adaptation of Roger Corman’s 1960 low-budget traum-com. It includes Steve Martin playing the most true-to-life dentist in movie history. Watch Clips below.
Title: Scream
Released: December 20, 1996
Tagline: Don't Answer The Phone. Don't Open The Door. Don't Try To Escape.
Title: Little Shop of Horrors
Released: December 19, 1986
Tagline: A Singing Plant. A Daring Hero. A Sweet Girl. A Demented Dentist.
Movie-wise Wes Craven’s 1996 film Scream introduced us to the “rules” of horror with a tongue-in-cheek look at the slasher genre that Craven was integral in creating more than 20 years earlier. 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors was Frank Oz’s musical adaptation of Roger Corman’s 1960 low-budget traum-com. It includes Steve Martin playing the most true-to-life dentist in movie history. Watch Clips below.
Title: Scream
Released: December 20, 1996
Tagline: Don't Answer The Phone. Don't Open The Door. Don't Try To Escape.
Title: Little Shop of Horrors
Released: December 19, 1986
Tagline: A Singing Plant. A Daring Hero. A Sweet Girl. A Demented Dentist.
- 12/21/2012
- by Sara Castillo
- FEARnet
As promised, on this most auspicious date of December 11th, Dread Central has a gloomy birthday treat for fans of the first horror host, the one-and-only Vampira: the exclusive premiere of the first video off the Vampira: The Movie Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD.
Decades before waves of hundreds of "horror hosts," Vampira ruled the airwaves for one glorious year in 1954. Actress Maila Nurmi would have been 87 years old today. Inspired by Charles Addams' drawings for New Yorker Magazine, the Vampira character had its beginnings in Los Angeles, CA on April 30, 1954 on Kabc-tv. "The Vampira Show" was a surprise hit, but the plug was pulled due to creative differences and Nurmi didn't work again until November, 1956 for only one day for director Ed Wood Jr. The result was Plan 9 from Outer Space, released in 1959, but found its audience at the end of the 1970s when the movie...
Decades before waves of hundreds of "horror hosts," Vampira ruled the airwaves for one glorious year in 1954. Actress Maila Nurmi would have been 87 years old today. Inspired by Charles Addams' drawings for New Yorker Magazine, the Vampira character had its beginnings in Los Angeles, CA on April 30, 1954 on Kabc-tv. "The Vampira Show" was a surprise hit, but the plug was pulled due to creative differences and Nurmi didn't work again until November, 1956 for only one day for director Ed Wood Jr. The result was Plan 9 from Outer Space, released in 1959, but found its audience at the end of the 1970s when the movie...
- 12/11/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
In our never ending quest to bring you every damned thing that's cool imaginable, we're proud to help celebrate the birthday of great and forever sexy Vampira along with a lot of familiar faces -- right here on DC!
That's right, kids! On December 11th Dread Central has a ghoulish birthday treat planned for fans of the first horror host -- the one and only Vampira.
This year Vampira, aka actress Maila Nurmi, would have been 87 years old. Nurmi is best known as the corset-waisted host named Vampira that had its beginnings on a popular West Coast TV show which aired on April 30, 1954 on Kabc-tv and lasted for only a year. "The Vampira Show" was covered in Life Magazine, and the show got fan mail from around the world although no one was able to view it outside the Los Angeles area. Nurmi was the Godmother of Goth before it existed,...
That's right, kids! On December 11th Dread Central has a ghoulish birthday treat planned for fans of the first horror host -- the one and only Vampira.
This year Vampira, aka actress Maila Nurmi, would have been 87 years old. Nurmi is best known as the corset-waisted host named Vampira that had its beginnings on a popular West Coast TV show which aired on April 30, 1954 on Kabc-tv and lasted for only a year. "The Vampira Show" was covered in Life Magazine, and the show got fan mail from around the world although no one was able to view it outside the Los Angeles area. Nurmi was the Godmother of Goth before it existed,...
- 11/30/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Disclaimer: This article may contain sarcasm; irony and “LOLs” proceed with caution.
The Final Chapter (read Part 2 here)! We have Howard the Duck, Freejack and Shyamalan flicks on the list; these are never good signs. Nonetheless we are bringing it all to you in full-color and in 3-D. (Ed. Note: Due to the economy, 3-D has been dropped and will be replaced by Smell-o-vision — check for your scratch and sniff cards in about 4-6 weeks.) Best Sound went to rage-zombie veterans Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke, leaving Mark Weingarten who worked on Rejuvenatrix in the dust. The Sound Editing section contains one too many references to Ron Silver, and at least two references to a Roger Corman film.
The visual effects category pulled on our heartstrings this year due to the loss of Stan Winston, who was noted en memoriam along with other heroes, Vampira, Leonard Rosenman and Charles H. Schneer...
The Final Chapter (read Part 2 here)! We have Howard the Duck, Freejack and Shyamalan flicks on the list; these are never good signs. Nonetheless we are bringing it all to you in full-color and in 3-D. (Ed. Note: Due to the economy, 3-D has been dropped and will be replaced by Smell-o-vision — check for your scratch and sniff cards in about 4-6 weeks.) Best Sound went to rage-zombie veterans Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke, leaving Mark Weingarten who worked on Rejuvenatrix in the dust. The Sound Editing section contains one too many references to Ron Silver, and at least two references to a Roger Corman film.
The visual effects category pulled on our heartstrings this year due to the loss of Stan Winston, who was noted en memoriam along with other heroes, Vampira, Leonard Rosenman and Charles H. Schneer...
- 2/26/2009
- by Heather Buckley
- DreadCentral.com
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