CHILLER THEATER
(aka CHILLER THEATRE)

JOHN ZACHERLE - "ZACHERLEY"

"Chiller Theater" (aka "Chiller Theatre") was a hosted horror movie show with John Zacherle as "Zacherley" presenting movies on WPIX-TV Channel 11 New York City, New York between 1963 to 1965. Portrait of "Zacherley" by Dave Dunlap. Portrait of "Zacherley" by Bradley Beard. "Zacherley" - biography (taken from Bradley's Facebook page)" "We've all seen the ghoul named Roland but of My Dear... only her hand. Could it be he has fear because Igor is near, that he won't show the rest of My Dear?" Today I present Roland otherwise known as Zacherley, the king of all horror hosts. He and his dear My Dear found their humble beginnings in 1957 at WCAU in Philadelphia introducing Shock Theatre; a package of 52 Universal Horrors released by Screen Gems to TV syndication. In 1958 he moved to WABC in New York and became known as Zacherley. It was his friend and colleague Dick Clark who nicknamed him "The Cool Ghoul". Zacherley quickly became a household name and recognizable commodity; he even appeared twice on covers of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, issues #7 and #15. John Zacherle turned 96 years young this year and all I can say is...LONG LIVE THE KING! Be sure to join me tomorrow... my dears. Chiller Theater / Chiller Theatre has a long history with WPIX / PIX11, going back as far as 1961. The series had previous different incarnations: "Chiller Theater" 1961 - 1963, unhosted, with announcers. "Chiller Theatre" 1965 - 1978, unhosted, with announcers. "Chiller Theatre" 1980 - 1982, unhosted, with announcers. "Chiller Theater" 2008-2011, with a variety of hosts. The period "1961-1978" should not imply uninterrupted weekly transmission. Listings show a return on 30 December 1967, another on 10 January 1970, and a further return on 19 September 1970 after a summer break. JOHN ZACHERLE John Zacherle was an American television host, actor, recording artist and radio personality best known as Zacherley, the "Cool Ghoul". Raised in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he attended Germantown High School and earned a degree in English literature from the University of Pennsylvania. During World War II, he served in the United States Army in North Africa and Europe. After returning to civilian life, he performed with the Stagecrafters theater company in Philadelphia. Zacherle entered television through WCAU-TV's live Western series Action in the Afternoon, playing several characters, including an undertaker. The long black coat associated with that role subsequently became part of his horror-host costume. On 7 October 1957, he debuted as Roland on the station's Shock Theater, presenting horror films from the Screen Gems Shock package. His character inhabited a crypt populated by an unseen wife, My Dear, and other eccentric companions. With pale makeup, a sinister laugh and an irreverent manner, he combined macabre sketches with comic interruptions inserted into the films. In 1958, Zacherle brought the character to WABC-TV in New York, where Roland became Zacherley. His television work subsequently included Zacherley at Large, appearances on WOR-TV and hosting Chiller Theatre on WPIX. He also presented Disc-O-Teen, a teenage dance program on WNJU-TV in Newark, New Jersey, performing in his familiar costume and involving participants in comedy sketches. His popularity extended to recordings. Released by Cameo Records in 1958, his novelty single Dinner with Drac became a national top-ten hit. Additional recordings developed the same mixture of horror imagery, comic narration and popular music that characterized his television performances. In 1967, Zacherle joined New York's WNEW-FM, beginning a further career as a radio disc jockey. He became associated with progressive rock broadcasting and moved to WPLJ-FM in 1971, remaining there for approximately a decade. He later worked at WXRK and continued making Halloween broadcasts and public appearances. His film work included the horror comedies Brain Damage (1988) and Frankenhooker (1990). Zacherle maintained contact with his audience through horror conventions and occasional television appearances into his nineties. He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2010. He never married or had children. He died at his home in Manhattan on 27 October 2016, aged 98. Below is a recreation of an episode from the series:

LINKS

Internet Movie Data Base "Chiller Theater"		Horror Host Graveyard "Chiller Theatre 2008"
The Classic Horror Film Board "Chiller Theatre"	E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts "Zacherley"	Internet Movie Data Base "John Zacherle"

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