Brink DVD | Buy at Amazon | Review by Doug Waltz
EVERYOTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN is a documentary about Dick Dyszel. I know what you're asking. Who is Dick Dyszel? Well, he's a lot of things, but first and foremost he was the reason that Channel 20 out of Washington DC was the place to be. Taking on the triple threat role of Bozo The Clown, Captain 20 and Count Gore De Vol, Dick filled the airwaves for decades and went on to be an influence to children everywhere.
Sure, we all know who Bozo The Clown is, but who are these two other guys? Captain 20 was the guy who introduced afternoon cartoons to the kiddies and Count Gore De Vol was a horror host.
Can you imagine having to not only host three shows throughout the week, but also reading news updates on the air? The mind boggles at the sheer talent of Dick Dyszel just with his ability to remember what voice to use.
At 90 minutes long this documentary is miles short of what it should be. I have met Count Gore on a couple of occasions at Cinema Wasteland and he is truly a delightful human being to be around. He has the one-man-show down to a science. I catch him with his tripod and video camera getting interviews with people and generating content for his web show. Oh, did I forget to mention the web show? Yeah Count Gore brings us Creature Features every week at countgore.com. A feature film hosted by the Count himself every week!
Amazing.
Now, I was born and raised in the wilds of Michigan and we had The Ghoul as our host. Where The Count is suave, sophisticated and a bit of a flirt, The Ghoul is manic energy personified. Comparing them is like comparing apples and tombstones. Just not the same thing. I will always be a Ghoul fan, but The Count leaves a wonderful impression.
Now for a final confession. I have been bitten by the horror host bug myself. My youngest son and I are on cable access here in Kalamazoo in The Basement Of Baron Morbid. Like Count Gore we also shoot out of our basement. We have crazy get-ups, rotten public domain films and we have a blast. We actually shot the first episode of our second season which begins this June. It's people like Dick Dyszel that make our show what it is. Also The Ghoul and a close couple of friends that go by the monikers of Dr. Dreck and Moaner.
EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN is a gem of a documentary. It gives us the old days of local programming. It makes a case for why local programming should be a part of every community and the whole show made me smile.
They only got one thing wrong; With Dick Dyszel and his counterparts, Bozo The Clown, Captain 20 and the fabulous Count Gore De Vol, EVERY day is Halloween.
The DVD comes with some extended scenes, a few deleted scenes and, in my humble opinion, the coolest thing of all... a Captain 20 membership card with a secret code on the back.
This is the best film I have seen this year and it's going to be very difficult to beat.
