Product Review

The story of one of the most popular Bay Area television shows ever: CREATURE FEATURES. As told by Bob Wilkins, John Stanley, film critic Bob Shaw, Japanese monster movie expert August Ragone, film maker Ernie Fosselius, Bob's wife Sally, daughter Nancy, son Rob, John's wife Erica, Creature Features Archivist Tom Wyrsch and Planet X magazine publisher Scott Moon. WATCH HORROR FILMS, KEEP AMERICA STRONG. This 75-minute documentary - produced by Tom Wyrsch, official archivist and historian of the CREATURE FEATURES TV series - retraces the legendary show, which was one of the most popular in the San Francisco-Bay Area for 13 years. How Bob Wilkins, a one-time advertising executive in the Sacramento TV market, rose up to become a famous horror host icon throughout the West Coast is retraced through the memories of associates who worked closely with Wilkins (film critic Bob Shaw, Japanese monster movie expert August Ragone, film maker Ernie Fosselius, and replacement host John Stanley). Also describing Wilkins' impact on audiences are his wife Sally Wilkins, his daughter Nancy, his son Rob and Planet X magazine editor/publisher Scott Moon. Wilkins dominated in his Saturday night time slot for eight years, surrounded by candle, skull and a sign on the wall which read WATCH HORROR FILMS, KEEP AMERICA STRONG. His trademarks became a ubiquitous cigar and yellow rocking chair. John Stanley, who replaced Wilkins in 1979 and kept the show alive until 1984 with his satirical minimovies and celebrity interviews, also describes how the transition between hosts was made, and why the series still remains vividly popular with those who grew up watching it.