The once-popular local-horror-host trend began in the 1950s, as television stations stocked their schedules with old films, and it pretty much ended in the late 1980s, when Elvira's popularity reached its zenith and black-and-white movies began vanishing from the airwaves. Not counting the plentiful online shows of the ilk, the ONLY horror host that I know of who still has a regular TV gig is Chicago's Svengoolie (who unfortunately, airs opposite this series -- although that's less of an issue in the age of streaming).
With dwindling content available due to the global insanity of 2020, the VP of Cleveland's CW affiliate, WUAB, decided to take a chance on licensing some cheap titles from Corinth Films, which has around 60 horror/sci-fi movies from the 1930s-70s in their collection (some are truly dreadful, but there are plenty of well-worn cult classics in the mix).
Zachariah Durr, one of the station's video producers who moonlights as a stand-up comic, jumped at the chance to host, and he roped in friend, acclaimed photographer, and fellow b-movie fan Laura Wimbels. They signed a contract for a full year, a storage room was converted into a set, and The Big Bad B-Movie Show was born.
Durr and Wimbels star as Leopold and Lenora, two oddballs who were accidentally sealed in the station's vault for decades, where they gradually "went mad" watching and rewatching bad movies. Leopold gives off an overt Gomez Addams vibe, and Lenora is like the hottie-next-door whom you don't realize is bonkers until after you've become trapped in a relationship with her... behind her husband's back!
Five weeks in, and little has been revealed about these hosts beyond what's stated in the intro -- initially, I thought they were supposed to be married, but he comes off more like her gay bestie than as a spouse. There have been several indications that Lenora has depth, and I'm hoping that they'll continue to expand on that and further develop the characters. They're appealing as one-dimensional cutouts, but they'd be more endearing if they delved a little more into their backstories (we had the luxury of getting to know MST3K's Joel and the bots through their ongoing banter, but Leopold and Lenora only appear at the breaks, they don't yak through their films).
Most of the movies run 60-70 minutes, which means that they have to provide a lot of padding for the 90 minute episodes. Durr has recycled several of his seldom-clicked YouTube sketches, fellow Ohio internet hosts The Mummy and the Monkey frequently provide material (and they even popped up in the studio on Halloween), there are oddball cooking segments, mock commercials and PSAs, Lenora's wacky HorrorScopes, plus vintage news footage, commercials, and bumpers culled from the WUAB archives.
The nostalgia factor is a huge part of what makes this show so special. It's not just the lure of the format, the old movies, or of glimpsing an ancient commercial with Ted Knight, sentimentality seems to permeate the production. Although a literal human leech has been the primary host of the cooking segments, they somehow seem like something from an '80s or '90s morning show. Lenora's HorrorScope readings sort of feel like a sendup of Miss Cleo and the Psychic Friends Network commercials. Remember those terrible educational films about respecting others who are different? Here we have Eli Moth, the unfairly persecuted mothman! I'm unsure if they're intentionally trying to evoke nostalgia (it's even rampant in the skits that Durr created before the show was conceived), but they're succeeding, and it works well.
The list of good things to come out of this year seems mindbogglingly short, but I'd definitely mark the creation of this show on that list -- it feels like comfort food at a time when many of us are starving for it. I have nothing but praise and well-wishes for the cast and crew, and sincerely hope that The Big Bad B-Movie Show remains on the air for many years after 2020 has become a distant memory!
