The Balboa Theater is featuring a Halloween warmup this Tuesday night with a walk down memory lane with the Bay Area’s iconic Creature Features television show.
Creature Features was a popular television show on KTVU Channel 2 from 1971 until 1984, broadcasting campy horror films on Saturday nights:
The Saturday night series was hosted by former TV advertising writer Bob Wilkins for eight years, followed by San Francisco Chronicle entertainment writer John Stanley who kept the series alive for another six. To those who grew up watching with family members and friends, the mixture of host commentary and classic and not-so-classic horror movies remains a nostalgic memory.
Tuesday night’s event at the Balboa will include two films that celebrate Creature Features, Q&A, and a free raffle of Creature Features related items.
First up is a 50-minute group of “lost” segments of John Stanley’s Creature Show 1979 – 1984 recently found in the former host’s dungeon. Second is the story of Creature Features, “Watch Horror Films, Keep America Strong” (trailer below) produced by Tom Wyrsch, the filmmaker of this summer’s smash hit “Remembering Playland”:
Wilkins’ wit and unusually droll personality and Stanley’s celebrity interviews and satiric short subjects are all part of “Watch Horror Films, Keep America Strong”, a full-length documentary journeying back through those years. Featuring interviews with Wilkins, Stanley, and other key figures close to the show, as well as classic clips, this historic journey illuminates an era of television that should never be forgotten.
The creepiness begins at 7pm on Tuesday night at the Balboa Theater. Admission is $10; advance tickets are available online.
Sarah B.
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