5 Questions With > Penny Dreadful

A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of being a guest on He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast alongside one Penny Dreadful, a bewitching horror host based in my own native New England. After a quick consult with my sources in the underworld, I was able to arrange an interview with Ms. Dreadful. Read on! –PG

PENNY DREADFUL
Real Name: Penny Dreadful XIII
Base of Operations: Haunted New England and www.shillingshockers.com
History: Penny Dreadful is the witch hostess of the horror movie TV program Shilling Shockers. She delights in the macabre and is known for saying “hex-cellent” a lot. With a withering wit and a dramatic gaze, she can be silly and sinister by turns. Penny’s mysterious powers were acquired in the late 1300’s. Whispered tales claim these powers came from an infernal pact made in her youth. Penny has neither confirmed nor denied these rumors, but becomes melancholy when reminded of those “tragic” times. She is assisted on the program by her “snarling darling” Garou the werewolf and by the semi-retired vampire hunter Dr. Manfred Von Bulow. In addition to winning the 2007 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Favorite Horror Host, Penny has also freed over two dozen villain overlords from evil dimensions, has displayed no shame in rummaging through the royal junkyard for psychotic robots, and has cloned at least twenty people.

1.) You’re a frequent contributor on the He-Man.org forums and have also participated on He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast. What’s the story behind your love of He-Man & She-Ra–when did it begin, and how has it grown?

I’ve been a fan since 1982. I first became entranced by the world of Eternia when I saw the Castle Grayskull commercial with He-Man and Beast Man. The timpani drums and blaring horns, plus the announcer’s voice just made it all seem so epic. The colors on the Mattel figures really caught my eye too. The characters looked so vivid and unique. I used to stand in the toy aisle and look at them, and especially at the Castle Grayskull painting on the box. The box art for the toys was very sublime and mysterious. All of this was sucking me in. I finally got up the nerve to ask my parents for a figure, and they bought one for me! The first figure I got was Faker and I still have him! The Filmation cartoon soon appeared and I became VERY addicted to that. I’d come home from school and watch it with my sister every day. I’d also talk about the episodes with my friends at school the next day. “Did you watch it?” we’d excitedly ask each other every morning. Good times!

There was something very mystical about the cartoon, but there was also great warmth to it and I think that’s why so many kids fell in love with it. We really cared about those characters. I collected a whole bunch of the figures, watched ‘Secret of the Sword’ when it came out, and watched She-Ra every day when the show came out. Eventually, I didn’t buy as many toys though. I still checked them out in the toy stores but decided not to spend more money on them because I wanted to save up for other things. The last figure I bought in the original line was The Sorceress. Well, some time went by. The New Adventures of He-Man came along and I didn’t like it at all. It really didn’t “feel” like He-Man to me so I didn’t get into it at the time. Then came “The Dark Ages.” For several years, there was zero MOTU stuff going on. People in my age group remembered it, but it was a fond memory and nothing more. I was in college when they got internet there in 1995. One of the first things I looked up that year was He-Man. Well what do you know, up popped a He-Man site run by a guy named Adam Tyner. I remember thinking, “This is awesome! A He-Man page created by a dude named Adam! How perfect is that?!” I became a frequent visitor to the site and got super-addicted to MOTU all over again. I collected everything I could find. I’d pick up Toy Shop magazine and scan toy newsgroups looking for stuff. I managed to buy every figure, vehicle and playset except for Tytus and Megator.

Bear in mind, this was the mid-90s, so He-Man stuff was pretty cheap compared to how much it costs now. I got Eternia MIB and Castle Grayskull MIB together for $600 total! Fandom was just starting to form and it was a really cool time. This is when we were all sharing info about then-obscure things like the He-Ro prototype pics, the giants (which a lot of folks stateside didn’t know about), the Laser figures, etc. I used to read Scrolls of Grayskull, joined the Guardians of Grayskull mailing list, and traded grainy Filmation tapes with people. I was more of a quiet fan back then. I’d post to the list or email other fans once in awhile but was more or less a lurker. Anyway, the new dark ages came for me in 1999-2001. I had limited internet access at this time, but would swing by the MOTU/POP sites on the rare occasions I could get on a computer. I was also planning to move to California, had some pretty hefty bills to pay, and needed money badly so (as much as it pained me) I decided to sell most of my vintage collection. Yep, I did it. Even that MIB Eternia. Excuse me while I slap myself. *smack!*

While I was in California, I found out about the MOTU relaunch and really got into that. The Four Horsemen character designs were phenomenal. The figures (and eventual stactions) blew me away. I watched the MYP show every week and enjoyed it a lot. I also truly loved the MVC comic, which I miss to this day. It was an exciting time to be a fan. Around this time, I finally decided to be more active in fandom and joined the Org forums in 2002. I’ve been part of it ever since! Nowadays, I collect the truly amazing MOTUC figures and am an active participant in the fandom. There’s just something about MOTU/POP that captivates me to this day. The blend of diverse elements drawn from all areas of myth, legend and speculative fiction coupled with the fondness I developed for the characters in my childhood, makes for something really special.

2.) The most famous witches of the MOTU/POP universe are Evil-lyn and Shadow Weaver. What do you think of these fellow practitioners of the dark arts? Would Penny Dreadful have put up with Skeletor or Hordak the way they did?

I’m a big Evil-Lyn fan. I always thought she was the coolest of Skeletor’s crew. Evil-Lyn taught me some of my most wicked spells, and she is definitely part of the brew that went into the making of Penny Dreadful. I always thought Shadow Weaver was cool too. There’s something very creepy about her. I could totally take them both in a fight though. Okay, maybe not in a magic fight, but definitely in arm wrestling.

There’s no way I would put up with Hordak. He’d make me wear his face on my outfit which is just weird. And all that snorting! Forget about it! I bet he snores too. As for Skeletor, I’d get really tired of his “blame everyone but myself” attitude, and all those blasts from the havoc staff… well, actually, he’s pretty hot so I might forgive some of those havoc staff blasts. I mean, I can see what Evil-Lyn sees in the guy. He’s a buff blue wizard with a skull face. Instant turn-on!

3.) Have you ever made reference to the MOTU/POP mythos on Shilling Shockers?

Yes, on occasion. Frank Langella came up in an interview once, so I had to mention Skeletor (and Unemployed Skeletor for good measure). I mentioned He-Man and Skeletor in a Christmas episode. And in an upcoming show for the new season, I mention Shadow Weaver (I think it was Shadow Weaver. It might have been Madame Razz now that I think about it).

I would love to get the rights to host the 1987 ‘Masters of the Universe’ film, either on TV or at a live event. If we ever show the movie, you can bet that episode will be packed with references.

4.) Do you have any other toy-related hobbies or interests beyond MOTU/POP?

Yes, I’m a big fan of the classic TV show Dark Shadows and I’ve started collecting the new Spectre Toys figures based on the show. I’m also a fan of the classic 80’s Strawberry Shortcake dolls and pick those up when I can. I love Universal Monsters so I have a bunch of the Sideshow 8” figures. Unfortunately, Garou likes to use some of these figures as chew toys. Sigh.

5.) As someone well-versed in sf/horror movie history, how would you cast your ideal MOTU/POP movie? Let’s say you can use any actor from throughout movie history, living or dead (or undead).

That’s a tough one. There are so many great actors to choose from. In terms of appearance, we can’t make everyone look like a bodybuilder because I simply can’t think of that many beefcake actors to play all of the characters as they appeared in the toys and cartoons. He-Man himself is the iconic guy so he has to look right, but he should also be played by someone who can convey compassion, power and humor. With some hair bleach, I think Clint Walker would have fit the bill. Anywho, here’s my cast:

Clint Walker (plus bleach) as He-Man
Sean Connery as Man-At-Arms
Barbara Stanwyck as Teela
Howard Morris as Orko
Maggie Smith as The Sorceress
Mark Hamill as Prince Adam
Stan Laurel as the voice of Cringer
Charlton Heston as the voice of Battle Cat
Robert De Niro as Ram-Man
Cary Grant as Stratos
Lon Chaney as Man-E-Faces
Kenneth Branagh as King Randor
Lauren Bacall as Queen Marlena
Lynda Carter (plus bleach) as She-Ra
Errol Flynn as Bow
Lillian Gish as Princess Adora
Laurence Olivier as Zodac
Vincent Price as Skeletor
Barbara Steele as Evil-Lyn
Lon Chaney Jr. as Beast Man
Steve Buscemi as Mer Man
Chuck Connors as Trap Jaw
Clint Eastwood as Tri-Klops
Peter Cushing as King Hiss
Christopher Lee as Hordak
Peter Lorre as Mantenna
Joan Crawford as Shadow Weaver
Boris Karloff as Horde Prime
Bela Lugosi as Count Marzo

Now let’s go back in time and make this movie! Where’s a cosmic key when you need one?

Well, Mr. Poe Ghostal (marvelous moniker by the by) it has been a pleasure chatting with you but I must go. I hear Evil-Lyn has the sniffles and Skeletor is looking for a fill-in, so I’m off to Snake Mountain for the night.