Dr Creep, Ohio Horror Host
Created | Updated Mar 23, 2018
Horror hosts are an American tradition going back decades. They dress up as spooky original characters and present classic horror filma that have passed into public domain with themed comedy bits bookending commercial breaks.Some notable examples include Elvira and Chicago's Svengoolie. Horror fans from the Dayton, Ohio area have a special place in their hearts for the local host known as Dr Creep.
Dr Creep, real name Barry Hobart, was the star of Shock Theater (briefly known as Saturday Night Dead) from 1972 to 1985, as well as co-hosting the Saturday morning children's program Clubhouse 22. Originally called Dr Death and sporting skull make-up, dressed in black, and donning a cape and top hat, this was deemed to frightening for younger audiences and was scaled back to white face paint with black around the eyes along with the new moniker. The show featured mostly black and white classics and the comedy sketches ranged from parody songs to interviews with the featured monsters to Benny Hill style bikini girl chase scenes. The comedy got more and more risque and adult oriented over the years, eventually leading to the shows cancellation.
The good Doctor continued making public appearances, however, doing autograph signings every October at Foys Five and Dime, Fairborn, Ohio's year round Halloween store, and starting in 1997 hosting Horrorama, an annual horror movie marathon with trivia and costume contests held in a local theater to benefit the charity Project Smiles. This kept him very much in the public consciousness and led to the re-launch of his tv show, now called the New Shock Theater, running from 1999 to 2005. He continued hosting Horrorama until his deteriorating health prevented him from making public appearances in 2009.
He passed away January 14, 2011, but still lives on in the hearts of the Dayton horror community, and posthumously starred in 2 comic book series by Dayton Based Sparkle Comics. His trademark laugh still brings joy to generations of Ohio horror fans. "Ooh hahaha! Ooh hahaha!"
Dr Creep, real name Barry Hobart, was the star of Shock Theater (briefly known as Saturday Night Dead) from 1972 to 1985, as well as co-hosting the Saturday morning children's program Clubhouse 22. Originally called Dr Death and sporting skull make-up, dressed in black, and donning a cape and top hat, this was deemed to frightening for younger audiences and was scaled back to white face paint with black around the eyes along with the new moniker. The show featured mostly black and white classics and the comedy sketches ranged from parody songs to interviews with the featured monsters to Benny Hill style bikini girl chase scenes. The comedy got more and more risque and adult oriented over the years, eventually leading to the shows cancellation.
The good Doctor continued making public appearances, however, doing autograph signings every October at Foys Five and Dime, Fairborn, Ohio's year round Halloween store, and starting in 1997 hosting Horrorama, an annual horror movie marathon with trivia and costume contests held in a local theater to benefit the charity Project Smiles. This kept him very much in the public consciousness and led to the re-launch of his tv show, now called the New Shock Theater, running from 1999 to 2005. He continued hosting Horrorama until his deteriorating health prevented him from making public appearances in 2009.
He passed away January 14, 2011, but still lives on in the hearts of the Dayton horror community, and posthumously starred in 2 comic book series by Dayton Based Sparkle Comics. His trademark laugh still brings joy to generations of Ohio horror fans. "Ooh hahaha! Ooh hahaha!"
