Vampira.
Svengoolie.
Elvira.
The horror host is a concept almost as old as horror itself revived in the form of these televised ghouls whose witticisms and puns help us find the humor in darkness. Setting a mood and creating a proper atmosphere for the B Movie entrée with comedic sketches and insightful views into the making of the films themselves, they were the gatekeepers initiating generations of genre fans with their late-night shenanigans. While the era of streaming video has usurped public access television, the horror host is more important than ever before. While some modern contemporaries still run with the schlock classics and video nasties many of us grew up with, others are turning to the independent filmmaking community to curate episodic anthologies of terror.
Australia’s Horror House is possibly one of the best new hosted horror shows doing exactly that. Helmed by goth rocker David Black (Darkness Visible) and filmmaker/actress Tritia DeVisha (Inanna, The Queen of Heaven) the show brings the classic style and format into the 21st century with original short horrors punctuated only by vignettes of sexualized humor and over the top gore. Honestly, the interludes featuring the hosts have an almost Troma-esque (Tromatic, maybe?) feel to them though the writing is far less juvenile than that description might lead you to believe. Count Funghoula (Black) and Mistress Boobiyana (DeVisha) are a pair of deviant, horror loving vampires who shine a spotlight on the often overlooked and underappreciated independent horror community growing in Australia.
As if Horror House wasn’t already hitting all the marks on the way to being truly outstanding, the 25 minute long episodes aren’t being chained in place by a single medium. Airing on local television as well as through YouTube and other streaming sites, the series is available almost everywhere, allowing an international audience a chance to revel in the dark delight that Horror House has to offer.
The first episode of Horror House finds our dysfunctional hosts sifting through a series of incredible short films while Mistress Boobiyana is gradually, and rather intimately at times, dismembering Funghoula to alleviate her boredom. These gross out comedic moments not only advance a character developing narrative for the duo but offers the audience a brief moment to gather their nerves before the next terrifying film takes the screen. The adult humor and gore are all the more impressive considering the almost Puritanical censorship standards against horror content in commonwealth countries like Australia.
Horror House is a love letter to the classic horror hosting shows of the past with a commitment to original, independently created horror cinema of the future. David Black and Tritia DeVisha have an incredible on screen chemistry not only in the series and its assorted promotional materials but in every project they take on together. Like a blood soaked Laurel and Hardy, these veteran filmmakers and artists have committed to bringing audiences and the horror community something truly unique in this horror hosting revival. Described as a “sexy, gory adventure of bad taste and mayhem” this show is a must watch.
Check out episode 5 of Horror House here and be sure to check out some of the other great videos being shared by David Black and Tritia DeVisha.