R.I.P. Bob Wilkins of ‘Creature Features’

I grew up watching Bob Wilkins every weekend and have many fond memories of spending time with friends sitting around the TV not knowing just what kind of weirdness would show up next. Jett Loe over at thefilmtalk.com has an epitaph for one of the original geeks…

As a little kid growing up in Oakland – somehow managed to stay up late on Saturday nights and watch Bob Wilkins hosting Creature Features. He passed away yesterday and I find myself melancholy at the thought of Bob not being around anymore.

To my 7-year-old-eyes Creature Features was forbidden cinema. Bob himself would often warn you against watching the often terrible films he would screen. The joy that can come from bad cinema, trash art, obviously rubbed off on me – as, often on TFT, I seem to be more exercised by poor films than good ones.

As far as I can see the late night horror movie host format is dead and gone now – and with it the low-production values, (I mean look at that set! though as a kid it was dark, inviting, a window into an unknowable realm), and charm that comes from someone inviting you to watch a movie with them just for fun. These local TV shows often had charm, a low key wit and weren’t burdened by the graceless ambition of modern day programming.

I’m going to stay up late tonight and watch Matango, (aka Attack of the Mushroom People, aka Curse of the Mushroom People, aka Fungus of Terror, aka Matango the Fungus of Terror, aka Matango: Fungus of Terror, a film I remembered scared the ever-loving bejeesus out of me when I saw it on Bob’s show.

(Additional notes: as JHarris says in this thread – the fact that Bob had to hock DVDs of his show to pay for his medical treatment shows that the Health Care system in this country is far scarier than anything we saw in Creature Features.

Also so I don’t leave you on a somber note – please watch the opening credit sequence of Creature Features at the beginning of the clip below – note how practically the only lyrics of the title song are the words ‘Creature’ and ‘Features’ !)

Source: thefilmtalk.com

More information about Bob Wilkins and his legacy can be found at his website.