The Midnight Massacre Theatre

Remember the good old days of sneaking downstairs at midnight to watch your local horror host introduce a viewing of some god-awful B-movie? The movies might not have been memorable, but you no doubt remember the horror host!! Those hosts are what made watching such bad movies fun; they were like your own personal buddies whom you could poke fun at the feature presentation with.

You don’t see horror host shows that much anymore, but the Sinister Minister, host of The Midnight Massacre Theatre, wants to change that! The Midnight Massacre Theatre is a horror host show just like the good old days…the Sinister Minister, along with his Altargirls, introduces the night’s B-movie and while it plays cracks jokes at the movie’s expense.

The Sinister Minister is a fun character who is a corpse paint wearing, long hair rockin’ metalhead crossed with a black-clad, pointy-toothed vampire. Don’t let his dark good looks fool you, though, he is quite the amusing horror heckler when it comes to watching bad B-movies!

I was treated (or tricked?) to an episode where the Sinister Minister and his minions watched Lady Frankenstein, a frightfully bad 1971 Italian horror movie that pits a woman “mad scientist” against her father’s monstrous creation. The comments made by the Sinister Minister made me chuckle quite a bit! The Minister is quite a kooky character and I enjoyed watching him much more than the film! In fact, I wish there had been more of him and less of Lady Frankenstein!

Rather than popping up around commercial breaks, this show actually cuts back and forth between the movie and the Sinister Minister making his snarky comments. Though a bit distracting, you soon become accustomed to these welcome interruptions! I really also enjoyed the PG-13 humor employed by the Minister. It’s not completely dirty, but it’s also not safe for kids! Take for one a joke made about a woman’s place being on her back; when the Altargirls take offense, the Minister changes it to a woman’s place being on her knees! Mwhahahahahahaha! Not the best joke, but kiddies 13 and up will no doubt get it, despite its tastelessness!

The show’s technical elements were also impressive. The set looked appealingly dark, dank and like any Minister’s “Chap-Hell” should look! The Sinister Minister also got to sit on a big, black throne and was surrounded by ominous looking candles that added to the menacing atmosphere. The camera work was also very professional and crisp. Both of these elements gave the show a sleek, slick look. Even the special FX used (fake flame and so forth) looked pretty good, especially for a low budget production.

The Midnight Massacre Theatre currently plays in six different states and if you are lucky enough to live in an area where the show is broadcast I wholeheartedly recommend checking out the Sinister Minister and his lovely Altargirls! You can also check out episodes on the website! I know when you do you’ll have a gruesomely good time!

Check out episodes and more at Midnight Massacre Theatre’s Official Site!