Andy Copp Interviews Dr. Creep for Secret Scroll Digest

Andy Copp: Where are you from Dr. Creep?

Dr. Creep: I'm from Southwestern Ohio, a mythical city called Middletown. AKA Transelvania USA!

AC: Describe Dr. Creep in 3 words or less?

DC: Very, Very Scary!

AC: How long have you been a horror host? How did you get your start?

DC: I've been a horror host for 30 years. My uncle had the country's largest traveling horror show at one time. He was Dr. Treabau and his show was Dr.Treabau's House of Horrors. He had a full Frankenstein laboratory on stage and from time to time he would dress up like a werewolf and he and my dad would do the carnival sideshows. So I came by it naturally. He had also done about 50 movies, his name is Doug Hobart. Some of you may have seen some of the movies he worked on such as STING OF DEATH or DEATH CURSE OF TARTU. I did TV, he did radio. I started on TV on January 1, 1972. I figured my audience at home would be so hung over that I could get away with whatever I wanted that first night on the air! I had a very simple set behind me with long high tables, pentagram cloths and skull candles. There was also a boa constrictor with me on the set and a few other pets! My knees were knocking that first night! We were on the air for 13 years solid. I hold the record in Dayton, Ohio for the longest running locally produced program. I got out of the business for a while. In 1990 I got back in the business and in 1999 I started a new Shock theater program thanks to Andy Copp. We've been back on the air for 3 years. I am also a member of the Horror Host Underground on the Internet. They call me the Pappy of the horror hosts! Some call me the Legend! I don't know about being a legend, but I have sure had fun doing it all these years.

AC: How would you describe your show?

DC: Well we used to have double bills when we first started and we were live! We would be on the air from 11:00 PM for three hours and it was a big party. But the station made us start taping the shows so they could keep a better eye on what we were doing! Originally we would just go for it and we would go off the air whenever the station ceased broadcasting for the day. But we always kept it fun, like a big gathering of friends who want to celebrate monster movies and such. The new version of the show is the same format, but with one movie per episode.

AC: When/where do you broadcast?

DC: We broadcast the program on Miami Valley Cable Council in south Dayton, DATV in Dayton proper and Tipp City's KIT TV. We trade tapes through the horror host underground, so I am seen throughout the nation on cable access in California, Tennessee, New Jersey and other areas.

AC: What goes into making a show? How long does it take?

DC: It takes as long as it takes! With the public access version we tape the segments by themselves, so we usually cut out an afternoon and do two maybe three shows. It ends up taking maybe four or five hours to do and numerous hours of editing!

AC: What are some of your favorite movies you have hosted on Shock Theater?

DC: I love the original DRACULA with Bela Lugosi. I love him as Dracula. Even though when I got to interview Vincent Price on my show, many years ago he said his favorite Dracula was Christopher Lee. I think some of the others we showed that I loved were the original INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. We also had lots of requests for ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE, which we showed and I liked a lot. There were several more, the old Universal monster movies we got to show as part of our 1977 season such as the original FRANKENSTEIN and the werewolf movies. But my all time favorite is the original DRACULA.

AC: What are some of your memories of the drive-in era?

DC: Well we did a whole show on this actually! I played a lot of drive-ins in my day as Dr. Creep. At one I brought in two punks (Note: "Punks" is Carny for sideshow monstrosities such as the deformed fetus in a jar) one was Wolf Girl and the other Monkey Boy. They were actually real mummies; a friend of mine still has them down south. The two I remember the most though was one at the Sunset Drive-in SSSSSSSSSSS the snake movie. We brought a friend of mine in a hearse. He was laid down in the back dressed as Dracula. Now this was an inner city, urban drive-in. It takes a lot to rattle them. Come intermission, these three black girls came to the stand to get some snacks to take back to their car. Suddenly there is this scream from inside the hearse. The girls look over at it, startled, as the coffin lid opens. The girls throw all their goodies up in the air and run to their car. The first two girls got to the car first and locked the third one out! My buddy, as Dracula, chases her all around the drive-in theater! The projectionist announces, "Dracula is loose on our lot!" Then all you can hear in the lot is the sound of "Click, Click, Click" as car doors lock all over the lot. Finally she gets back to her car and the other girls let her in just as Dracula gets to her car and scares the crap out of all of them.

We were at these drive-ins owned by my friend Alan Doll. He owned the Belmont Auto and the Sunset Drive-in. He wanted us to do the same show at the Belmont the next night. He told us that the woman running the concession stand was a very superstitious. So we had our Dracula stay in the coffin until the customers had cleared out and she was alone in the stand. She was cleaning up waiting on the next push of customers and he lets out that scream again. She stares at the coffin over her shoulder while we're hiding outside watching through the side door. He jumps up out of the coffin and chases her all around the stand. Then he leaves. There was a girl out at the booth handing out the tickets, which is just outside the actual drive-in where people come in. He sneaks over next to the booth just beneath where she hands out the tickets. He reached up and grabbed her hand and jumped up in front of her and went ARRRGGH! She passed out. Dead out! That was interesting. I did a buried alive at the Northstar drive-in too. I have some hot memories of the drive-ins, and I did some sort of appearance at all of them in the Dayton, Ohio area at one time or another. I wish they would bring them all back. I love drive-in theaters; I had a lot of fun as Dr. Creep at them.

AC: What would your dream "Dusk Till Dawn" drive-in marathon be?

DC: Let see. That's kinda tough. Very interesting question though. One for sure would be TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Another would be a movie I have always had trouble sitting through cause it scares me so much, THE EVIL DEAD. Another would be GATES OF HELL (AKA CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD) I would definitely have. Lets see, what else…I'd top it off with RE-ANIMATOR.

AC: What was your favorite drive-in snack treat?

DC: The girl next to me! Ha ha ha ha! I also like corndogs, but I still prefer the girl next to me!

AC: What is the best part of being a horror host?

DC: I dunno. I really enjoy what I do. I'm a people person, I like meeting people. Plus it's a chick magnet too! I gotta be honest! I can go up to pretty girls and say, "wanna be on Shock Theater!" I really do enjoy what I do and meeting the public. There for a while when I left channel 22 they claimed they owned the rights to the character, which is why I was off the air for so long. Then Andy came up with doing Shock Theater on Public Access and I was all for it. I came from a show business family like I said. My Uncle helped build the Florida film industry, along with bringing the horror shows out around the country on stage. My Dad was a nightclub piano player; my grandfather was with the Ringling Brothers circus. So it's in my blood. I'm just carrying on the tradition.

AC: How was your experience at last year's Cinema Wasteland?

DC: Cinema Wasteland was my first convention. I was supposed to go to a couple previous to that, but had some health problems; in fact I almost died TWICE! But I was really glad I got to go to Wasteland. Ken puts on a great show. It's fan friendly, dealer friendly and guest friendly. I really love Ken. I had a great time there and am looking forward to coming back. I've been to a few since and each one has their own ambiance and feel, but Wasteland remains my favorite. Plus I sold all my tapes there! HA HA AH AH AH! So it was good for me, was it as good for you!?!?!?!