DR. MADBLOOD PRESENTS
DR. MADBLOOD PRESENTS THE FRIDAY NIGHT FRIGHTS
DR. MADBLOOD'S HALLOWEEN FILM FESTIVAL
DR. MADBLOOD'S HALLOWEEN HOWL
DR. MADBLOOD'S MOVIE
DR. MADBLOOD'S NIGHTVISIONS

JERRY FOSTER HARRELL - "DR. MAXIMILLIAN MADBLOOD"
MARK YOUNG - "VOLLEY"
MIKE ARLO - "COUNT LACUDRA"
CRAIG T. ADAMS - "BRAIN"
PENNY PALEN - "PATIENCE DREAM"
CARTER PERRY - "ERNIE K."

"Doctor Madblood" has been a television icon in Hampton Roads for over 40 years (since 1975). The original inspiration for the Madblood show occurred when the show's creator, Jerry Harrell, realized that there was no local TV of genuine creativity, and he hoped to remedy the situation. The results skyrocketed the show in popularity for its quirky and off-the-cuff humor. Over the years, Doctor Madblood had a number of assistants, including Mike Arlo as "Count Lacudra", Mark Young as "Volley", Craig T. Adams as "Brain", Penny Palen as "Patience Dream", and Carter Perry as "Ernie K.". From "E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts" and "Wikipedia", a listing of "Doctor Madblood" shows: Dr. Madblood's Movie: Saturday late-night following Saturday Night Live; then on Saturday afternoon November 1, 1975 - January 1982 WAVY-TV, Channel 10 (Virginia Beach, Virginia) Dr. Madblood's Night Visions Sunday 11:00pm WHRO, PBS Channel 15 (Virginia Beach, Virginia) (syndicated to 17 PBS stations around Virginia) Fall 1982 - 1983 Dr. Madblood's Halloween Howl Halloween 1984 special WAVY-TV, Channel 10 (Virginia Beach, Virginia) October, 1984 Dr. Madblood's Halloween Film Festival Halloween 1986 special all-night triple-feature starting at 12:30am WAVY-TV, Channel 10 (Virginia Beach, Virginia) October, 1986 Dr. Madblood's Movie Saturday afternoon WTVZ-TV, Fox Channel 33 (Virginia Beach, Virginia) Early April 1989 - 1993 Dr. Madblood's Movie Halloween one-shot special, followed the next year by a monthly late-night show WTVZ-TV, Fox Channel 33 (Virginia Beach, Virginia) 1995 - August 3, 2002 Dr. Madblood Presents The Friday Night Frights Friday from 8:00 - 11:00pm WSKY-TV, Channel 4 (Virginia Beach, Virginia) Friday, September 27, 2002 - January, 2004 Dr. Madblood Presents Saturday at 8:00 pm (following The X-Files) WSKY-TV, Channel 4 (Virginia Beach, Virginia) Saturday, February 7, 2004 - August 2007 In 2007, "Doctor Madblood's Halloween Horror Express" went back to the "Halloween Howl" concept, with the characters Nurse Dream, Dusty the Cropduster and Grinfield appearing in scenes of the movie "Horror Express". For 2009, the characters returned with "Doctor Madblood's Haunted Halloween". The characters Grinfield and Kid Exorcist appeared in House on Haunted Hill". For the first time the party scenes featured a live band, Phoebus Rio. For Halloween 2010, the characters appeared in the 35th anniversary of the series' debut with a party and a showing of Christopher Lee's Horror Hotel as well as 35 clips from the various Doctor Madblood shows; screened on Whro Public Media on 31 October 2010. Doctor Madblood may be seen irregularly on Whro Public Media since 2010. Sadly, Jerry Harrell passed away on 16 February 2026. Elena M. Watson (from her book "Television Horror Movie Hosts") provides a very extensive rundown on the "Story of Doctor Madblood". Portrait of "Dr. Madblood" by Dave Dunlap.

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

"Thanks for turning us on!". Tonight I present Dr. Maximillian Madblood, Host of Dr. Madblood's Movie on WAVY-TV Channel 10 in Virginia Beach, VA, which ran from November 1975 to January 1982. His show continued under several incarnations such as Dr. Madblood's Nightvisions, Dr. Madblood's Movie, and most recently Dr. Madblood Presents the Friday Night Fright on WSKY-TV Channel 4 which simply became Dr. Madblood Presents when moved to Saturday nights. Madblood creator and actor, Jerry Harrell, has dedicated over 40 years of his life to bringing his infectious brand of humor to his audience; the show is one of the longest running horror hosted shows ever. He clearly loves what he does and has a blast doing it. Dr. Madblood also offers fans an amazing interactive Shockwave website, allowing them to "tour" Madblood Manor. After all he's given his fans over the years, we should all thank him for turning us on! In 2014, Jerry Harrell - "Dr. Madblood" for "Dr. Madblood's Movie", was inducted into "The Official Horror Host Hall of Fame". JERRY FOSTER HARRELL From Cremation Society of Virginia: Jerry Foster Harrell, 78, peacefully passed away on February 16, 2026, in Norfolk, Virginia. Jerry was born on July 10, 1947, to William (Bill) and Betty (Bets) Harrell in Morristown, TN. He was a graduate of Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, TN. After proudly serving in the Vietnam Conflict as a Chinese language interpreter for Air Force Intelligence and earning him the Purple Heart, Jerry returned to Tennessee to begin a career in broadcasting. He worked as a radio DJ and in television at WKPT in Kingsport. It was there that he met and married Jean Owens, and together they welcomed their son, Daniel. A born entertainer, Jerry walked two creative paths. Behind the microphone and camera, he built a distinguished career as a producer, director, and writer. At the same time, he pursued his lifelong love of performance on stage and television. The family later moved to Richmond, Virginia, where Jerry, already an accomplished magician and ventriloquist, portrayed Ronald McDonald and later Bozo the Clown on WTVR-TV. In 1975, Jerry moved to Hampton Roads to accept a Senior Producer position at WAVY-TV. There, he created what would become his most beloved and enduring on-screen persona, Doctor Madblood. Originally conceived as a one-time Halloween special, the character became a regional television icon, entertaining audiences for five decades, celebrating his 50th anniversary show last year, after nearly 18 years on WHRO TV. Throughout his career, Jerry was widely recognized for his many television personas, including Dr. Madblood, Rusty the Rent-to-Own Man, and JJ the Wizard on Fox-33 Kids Club. Beyond his on-screen work, he earned dozens of awards for producing hundreds of documentaries, television programs, commercials, and video presentations for organizations such as March of Dimes, the SPCA, the U.S. Navy, and many others. He retired from Old Dominion University after more than 20 years in the position of Video Production Manager. The following is a promo for the show from 2022:

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