NIGHTMARE THEATRE

DON PARIS - "THE SHROUD"

"Nightmare Theatre" was a hosted horror movie show with Don Paris as "The Shroud" presenting movies on Friday nights on WFFT-TV, Channel 55 Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA between 1979 and 1983. The "The Shroud" wore a pointed black hood over his head and a flowing black cape. The Shroud spoke in a low resonant tone of voice that would send chills down the spine. Portrait of "The Shroud" by Dave Dunlap.

Portrait of "The Shroud" by Bradley Beard.
"The Shroud" - biography (taken from Bradley Beard's Facebook page)

His show was no laughing matter. Tonight I present The Shroud, host of Nightmare Theatre on WFFT-TV Channel 55 in Fort Wayne, IN. The actual air dates of the show are subject to speculation but it's accepted that the air dates were from 1979 to 1983. The guise of The Shroud was worn by the late Don Paris. Paris approached the role with deadly seriousness. He was a black clad figure who wore a pointed black hood over his head and a flowing black cape. The Shroud spoke in a low resonant tone of voice that would send chills down the spine of the most hardcore horror host fan. He provided the viewer with biographies of the actors and tidbits of fascinating information about the movies being shown. In the mid 1980's, the name of the show was revamped without a host and the name was changed to Shock Theatre. "Until next time... pleasant dreams!" In 2021, Donald Paris - "The Shroud" from "Nightmare Theatre", was inducted into "The Official Horror Host Hall of Fame". The following is a photo montage with audio from the show. "Nightmare Theatre" - clip from The Professor's Scary Clips on Vimeo.

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