PENNY DREADFUL UNLEASHES HER ACCURSED NEW TV SEASON – Local Show Returns With New Horrors
Award-winning cult TV show Penny Dreadful’s Shilling Shockers continues giving monster movie fans an alternative to the drudgery of reality TV and infomercials. Penny Dreadful, the witch hostess, presents classic horror and sci-fi films on over 150 public access channels throughout New England. Shilling Shockers Season 8 hits the TV scare-waves this October and features such classic silent films as The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde starring John Barrymore, and the Fritz Lang masterpiece, Metropolis.
Producer Danielle Gelehrter asserts, “People often knock public domain films, but some of the greatest motion pictures ever made are in the public domain. Many of them just happen to be silent movies. In Season 8, we’ll showcase some of the most iconic films in the history of horror, fantasy and science fiction.”
Shilling Shockers stands out from other hosted movie programs because of its detailed storyline segments that often complement the film being shown. This season, Penny travels through time with her fiendish friends (Garou the werewolf, Dr. Von Bulow the monster hunter, and madwoman Luna) in an ambitious plot that takes place over the course of several centuries and episodes. As these misadventures unfold, Penny guides viewers through the films with her usual morbid wit.
Of the more ambitious direction the show has taken over the past three years, Shilling Shockers director Rebecca Paiva explains, “We’ve been challenging ourselves more each season. A ‘hosted horror movie’ used to mean a charismatic character offering trivia and amusing anecdotes during breaks in the film. We have been expanding on this idea over the years to develop plots and backstories for our characters, and our shows often include local history, musical numbers, and complex narratives for viewers to enjoy.”
Gelerter adds, “The show now lives up to its namesakes ‘penny dreadfuls’ and ‘shilling shockers’ by featuring story arcs and ongoing chapters in a larger storyline. While we aren’t the first horror host show to attempt ongoing storylines, we have taken it pretty far in terms of merging the horror host formula with the continuing serial format.”
More information can be found at https://www.shillingshockers.com.
