COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN (BRINK VISION BLU RAY)
The streaming era has ushered in a new way for fans of all genres to consume their favorite films and television shows. Before streaming, scheduled programming was the de facto way to manage what we watch and when we watch it. Compare that now where what we want to watch is simply a matter of finding it and pressing “play” whether that’s first thing in the morning or late into the evening. While there are likely some readers who don’t remember a time before streaming services, those of us who do may also remember the coveted TV Horror Movie Host. While many horror fans today will likely be familiar with Elvira and Joe Bob Briggs due to their celebrity and Shudder sponsorship, there was a time when Joe Bob, Elvira, and many others were things people looked forward to each week. I distinctly remember watching Joe Bob on The Movie Channel during free preview weekends and then on TNT, as well as catching old episodes of Elvira on syndicated re-runs. These were the days before the internet and being a horror fan meant that one of the few times you got to feel a sense of community was every Saturday when the green Frankenstein-inspired TNT graphics would broadcast “Monstervision”. The thing about Joe Bob and Elvira is that they were the exceptions to the rule as they broke through regionality to receive nationwide recognition, and there are far more than those two who have done it before, during, and will do so long after. This brings us to the recently released documentary from BRINK VISION, EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN. This documentary follows the history of Count Gore De Vol and the man behind the vampire makeup to provide an understanding of how lesser-known, but just as impactful hosts served the horror hearts and minds of the areas their shows played in. As always, the question on our minds is if EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN is a lovely reminder of the dwindling TV Horror Host or an unfulfilling reminder we’d rather forget.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
The amazing and funny true life story of television personality Dick Dyszel, whose popular television characters, 'Count Gore De Vol' and 'Captain 20,' continue to inspire generations of fans and artists. Featuring Steve Niles, Jeff Krulik (Heavy Metal Parking Lot), & more!
HOW IS IT?
As I’ve shared before in various Collector’s Crypts before I am a sucker for a genre documentary. Like a can of Pringles once I pop one in I have a hard time stopping which is why I was quite eager to check out EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN. Overall, this independently produced and bootstrapped documentary is worth a watch for those who find themselves waxing nostalgic even if the overall film is a mixed bag in terms of topic and quality. The focus for the film is of course the local TV Horror Host Count Gore De Vol (whose real name is Dick Dyszel) and shifts between interviews with fans, Dick himself, and footage of old and current shows which are still being broadcast online today. As far as documentaries go this one is as lean as they get and doesn’t stray too far off the topic or stray from the format most films like these tend to take, for better or worse.
The good about EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN is that there is a lot of love in this documentary. It is clearly made by a group of passionate fans who see Dick as a staple of their childhood and life. Dick wasn’t just Count Gore De Vol, but he was also Bozo the Clown as well as Captain 20 for the local public access channel. It’s endearing seeing how much creativity the team and Dick put into these productions for local TV since there was usually no budget to speak of. While times have changed and technology has made production easier, there is still something thrilling about people building their own sets and creating cheap special effects to liven things up even when things don’t go as planned. That “just roll with it” mentality feels so germane to the TV Horror Host since you never know what could happen during a live broadcast with gags that haven’t been fully tested and taking risks that hopefully pay off for the viewer. It’s in these moments that EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN shines brightest.
On the flip side, EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN falls prey to some troubles that may take some viewers out of it. The first is the overall cohesion of the film. While the interviews and stories largely stay on topic, there is a randomness it seems to some of the ordering which in turn makes some things seem redundant. It’s reasonable to expect that they won’t have a large network of fans to interview, but some of the interviews seem to cover the same ground more than a few times even by the same people so it gives the sense that the editing was somewhat of an afterthought. Aesthetically, this is as simple as it gets with editing and post-production as there are no flashy graphics on title cards or really anywhere else. While this doesn’t harm the content being delivered, it does make the viewing experience less than ideal since the quality is so poor. I can’t rag on the filmmakers since I imagine this is a labor of love not money, but in this day and age, the Standard Definition on high-def discs is more noticeable than ever. Still, fans of the genre's history, and especially old horror hosts will still get a kick out of this even if does run a tad long and low in the budget.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
Unfortunately, this is one of the lower-quality discs that we have reviewed here in the crypt. The blu ray disc almost feels unnecessary since the quality of the original video seems to be in SD. It’s understandable that a bootstrapped production, which I assume this was, would experience some limitations in quality, but this looks as good as SOV stuff. Screenshots from the release are featured throughout the review.
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
Nothing special to write home about here as EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN is presented with a digital stereo track. This is more than enough considering this is a documentary, but the sound does come through crisp and clear, much more so than the video.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
There is an additional documentary on this disc that I have yet to take a look at (BALD HEADED BLUES companion documentary, 50 Years and Counting), as well as an Audio Commentary. Relatively slim in the special features, but again, this being an indie production it’s understandable that the supplemental stuff may be limited.
LAST RITES
Hardcore fans of horror history and documentaries will get a lot out of the charming EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN, and while others may not get as much enjoyment out of it it is still a worthy pick-up if you’re interested in the more regional horror hosts that have haunted TV sets across America past, present, and future!
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a copy for the crypt to review, and you can buy EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN now via MVD DIRECT!
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