Erik Sprowls recalled watching “Chiller Theater,” a Saturday night show of horror, fantasy and science fiction movies.
It was on years ago and hosted by the late Bill Cardille known as “Chilly Billy,” on WIIC-TV, now WPXI-TV.
Sprowls has created a production, “Dead and Buried Treasures,” where he shows similar movies to what viewers watched on Chiller Theater. He plays Pirate Captain Calico Drake. There is a talking parrot, a character called Mr. Bones, who is a skeleton and Siren, an unseen female with a sexy voice.
Sprowls writes each episode, which can be seen in between segments of the movie for that week. There is a pre-show called “Walk the Plank,” and an after-show where he takes viewers’ phone calls. He discovers an island of dead and buried treasures, which includes forgotten films – which become the pictures he shows.
“I grew up with Chilly Billy,” said Sprowls, 54, of Washington, Pa. “He was so successful. I hope to resurrect some of the elements of the old Chilly Billy shows. I started this show for fun and it’s really grown. It’s more than just talking about films. It’s a pop-culture show.”
“Dead and Buried Treasures,” was awarded with the 2020 Greater Pittsburgh Community Media Award for Best Entertainment Show on television. You can watch here.
“The award is really nice and humbling,” said Sprowls.
Sprowls, who hosts the show year-round, has a scary week planned to celebrate Halloween, which includes shows at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday and Saturday he will feature “Night of the Living Dead,” by Pittsurgh’s own George Romero.
All the movies are public domain and viewed at 11 p.m. on The Vortexx and The Monster Channel, which is seen on regular television though Apple TV, Roku, as well as Facebook and YouTube.
Sprowls is a former college professor at Clarion University, California (Pa.) University, Bethany College and Robert Morris University, where he worked with students in television production. Sprowls met Cardille when he was teaching at California.
“The timing of these shows has been great this year because the pandemic closed down Hollywood and people are looking for things to watch,” said Sprowls, who teams with Rich Cange, from Canonsburg, for the pre-show.
Cange has a “bat cave” in his home. He and Sprowls shot an episode there when they showed “The Bat,” with Vincent Price.
Cange said the show does well because more people are at home watching television and that the younger generation is into vintage – from clothing to movies.
“There is an appeal to the old black-and-white horror films,” Cange said. “I never liked horror movies growing up, but I look at them now and I like them because they aren’t blood and gore like the newer movies.”
His wife, Dana Messino-Cange, plays Professor Gurdy, a cross between a pirate and a scientist, who always has a glass of wine. She said Sprowls finds creative ways to tell stories and incorporate information from the film he is showing that night.
“The show is family friendly,” she said. “Erik was looking for his character to have someone to have a conversation with so when he asked me I was like, ‘sure.’ Since I have theater background and some radio experience I decided to give it a try. This is a great opportunity when you are scrolling through channels to find us.”
Cast member Siren said fans ask who she is but that Sprowls will never reveal her name.
“It’s a lot like Tim Allen’s neighbor where you only see part of his head on ‘Home Improvement,’” Siren said. “It’s just a running joke that now has turned into an obsession. I know a lot of these horror host shows always show women for sex appeal, and that’s OK. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen one where you never see the woman and only hear some type of sexy voice — especially coming out of a bottle.”
“Dead and Buried Treasures” is creating more interest with Halloween coming up.
“That compounded with winning the award,” Sprowls said. “My phone has been ringing off the hook, I get more and more texts and my emails are now flooded. But that’s OK, because that means people are watching.”
