RIP - Jim Hendricks, aka Commander USA! (1946 - 2018)

COMMANDER USA'S GROOVIE MOVIES (1984 - 1989)

When I was growing up, there was a lot of great programming on television! While I missed out on some classic TV shows (since I was born in 1983 and all), I still managed to familiarize myself with TNT'S MonsterVision & 100% Weird, as well as USA Network's "USA UP All Night" with hosts Gilbert Godrey and Rhonda Shear. However, I never got to fully immerse myself in the adventures of the legendary patriotic horror host, Commander USA, who's TV run ended in 1989!

Portrayed by actor (and former disc jockey) Jim Hendricks, Commander USA screened films from his video vault that was located deep underground, "beneath a teeming shopping mall." Decked out in a cheap red, white, and blue uniform (complete with cape), and typically chomping on a cigar, this superhero (and "member of The Legion of Decency... retired") would go on to show nearly 200 horror and cult films, ranging from Hammer Horror classics, to 80s slasher flicks, to monster movies & creature features galore!

And now sadly, I must report that Jim Hendricks, the once beloved Commander USA, has shuffled off this mortal coil. On March 17, 2018 (St. Patrick's Day), Jim passed away, and the news is only just now starting to spread across the internet. Word of Jim's passing broke three days ago on the Classic Horror Film Board, and took many by surprise. (Apparently he didn't want a formal obituary released.)

Though Hendricks and his Commander USA persona are gone, he has left behind five years of awesome TV memories! I myself have been pouring through old commercials and episodes most of the afternoon, and getting a real kick out of them. And ironically, the first full episode I watched was Commander USA's St. Patrick's Day episode, which featured THE CHILDREN:


For more information about Commander USA, be sure to visit his Wikipedia Page, and scope out the Groovie Movies entries over at Spooktacular.... History of Horror Hosts, and the Horror Host Graveyard. Also be sure to check out this YouTube channel to watch hours of commercials and full episodes of Commander USA's Groovie Movies! It's a great trip down memory lane for those of us old enough to remember the show, and a great time capsule for young Horror fans!

Rest in peace Jim Hendricks and thanks for the movies, and the memories sir! All of us here at the Vault salute you!

GODSPEED COMMANDER USA!

Goodbye Godzilla: Suitmation legend Haruo Nakajima has passed on.

RIP - Haruo Nakajima (January 1, 1929 - August 7, 2017)

It is with a heavy heart, that I bid farewell to actor Haruo Nakajima, who passed away yesterday at the age of 88. Starting out as a little-known actor playing bit parts, Nakajima eventually cemented himself as a staple of kaiju movies, with the release of 1954's GOJIRA. As the first person to ever climb inside a Godzilla suit, Nakajima instantly became a trailblazer, and would continue to portray the King of the Monsters in eleven more Showa era films.

But his bragging rights do not stop there: Nakajima-san was also the first to don the suits of other popular giant Japanese monsters, including Rodan, Mothra, Mogera (in THE MYSTERIANS), Varan, Baragon, Gaira (the Green Gargantua), and Gezora (from SPACE AMOEBA, aka YOG: MONSTER FROM SPACE).

As a lifelong Godzilla fan, I've managed to get my paws on tons of collectibles featuring my favorite mon-star. But all of that stuff (movies, soundtracks, action figures, Christmas ornaments, comic books, posters, etc.) pales in comparison to meeting Haruo Nakajima in person! It's an experience that I shall treasure always!

I could barely contain the joy of meeting my childhood hero!

I met Nakajima-san at Chiller Theatre in October 2014. Despite the fact that I had to get up early and drive to Parsippany, NJ, I foolishly attended a 35mm EVIL DEAD film festival the night before in Syracuse, NY. Because of this, I was running on approximately three hours of sleep on my way to Chiller. Once there, I waited in line for an agonizingly long period of time, just to get into the hotel. Then I waited nearly two more hours just to be in the same room as Nakajima-san, as well as Kenpachiro Satsuma and Tsutomo Kitagawa, two other notable Godzilla performers.

In the end, it was well worth the lack of sleep and long lines, because I got to meet a living legend! I was able to shake the hand of the surviving member of Godzilla's "Founding Fathers, which at one time also included the amazing quartet of Director Ishiro Honda, Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, Composer Akira Ifukube, and Special Effects Supervisor Eiji Tsuburaya! Nakajima signed my old Ian Thorne Godzilla book (which he seemed to puzzle over for a moment), and gave me a quick photo op.

But before parting ways, I issued him a heartfelt thanks for bringing me hours upon hours of joy during my tumultuous childhood. Although I'm not quite sure he understood everything I said, there was no mistaking my excitement and enthusiasm. (Unbridled joy is a universal language!) Sadly, this would end up being the first and last interaction I would ever have with Nakajima-san.

I will treasure this always!

While that realization fills me with sorrow, I take solace in the fact that I had the opportunity to meet one of my heroes. On top of that, Nakajima-san's filmography is readily available, so we can continue to enjoy all of the films that he starred in as our favorite kaiju characters. As long as we keep Haruo Nakajima's memory alive, he will never truly be gone, and we can continue to enjoy, and share, his legacy with newer generations!

Thank you Nakajima-san: You will be missed, but you will not be forgotten! And though we may meet again in another place, for the time being, I must sadly say....

Goodbye now Godzilla, Goodbye now Godzilla, until then.
Take care now Godzilla, take care now Godzilla, my old friend.
Sayonara till we meet again.

To Haruo Nakajima's family, friends, and fans, please accept my deepest sympathies in your time of mourning. But take heart knowing that he was well-loved, and will long be remembered for his contributions to (kaiju) cinema.

- The Vault Master

Doc Terror Forever - JOIN US as We Celebrate James Harris' Legacy and Help Out His Family!

#DocTerrorForever

On April 13, 2017, my friend James Harris (proprietor of Doc Terror.com and HorrorSexy.com) lost his long battle against Ewing Sarcoma.

In the time I knew him, James was pure inspiration: A devout family man, he was passionate about all things Horror, and overflowing with positive energy. Jimmy's enthusiasm was infectious, and everyone (including Jimmy himself) truly thought that he was going to come out on top in the end.

But the tide suddenly turned a few weeks before his untimely demise, and now the world seems a bit darker without him. Jimmy was one of a kind - a diamond in the rough. He was the sort of person (and Horror fan) that the rest of us all aspire to be.

Since his passing, I've seen an enormous outpouring of love and sorrow on social media. It is absolutely incredible how many lives Jimmy has touched in his short time here on Earth, so it comes as no surprise that many are rallying to help his family and keep his memory alive!

Here is a list (thus far) of various folks in the Horror community that are doing special film screenings, art prints, t-shirts, and more to raise funds for the Harris clan. I'll try and keep it all updated and current as events are announced:

• Hudson Horror Show's Chris Alo hosted a late-night Italian Horror double feature on Saturday May 6th at the Empire South Hills 8 in Poughkeepsie, NY. The event featured TWO mystery Italian Horror films in 35mm! Between ticket, merchandise, and raffle ticket sales, a total of $2,000 was raised!
• Quiltface Studios' Chris Garofalo did a limited edition art print that pays tribute to James Harris and his love of Creepshow. It is now available HERE for a mere $20, and it is pretty damned cool - Jimmy would have definitely approved! Please pick one up because all money raised will be going to the Harris family! If you donated to the GoFundMe campaign to make this print possible, contact Danny over at The SHOCK Chamber with your mailing address to ensure that you get one!
• The gentlemen at Vinegar Syndrome did a silent auction, and the winner (who spent a whopping THREE-THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!) got themselves a single MASSIVE package that will include all of VinSyn's releases from May thru the end of the year (including all secret and limited titles), a film canister with a VS shirt, VS hoodie and other added surprises inside. Congrats to the winner - thank you for your generosity!
• For one week only, FRIGHT RAGS' did pre-orders for a Tribute tee to Jimmy "Doc Terror" Harris, designed by the uber-talented Jeff Zornow! The t-shirt was $20, the hoodie was $40, and every penny of that $2,000 going to Jimmy's family!
• The folks from Exhumed Films dedicated Ex-Fest: Part VII to James. The event took place at the International House in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, April 29th!
• I've also heard that the folks that put on the Italian All-Night Splatter Fest at The Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, PA are dedicating their next big event in honor of Jimmy Terror. More details when I get them!
• Chad from The Horror Movie BBQ put together a charity raffle to raise money for Jimmy's family, comprised of three enormous prize packs donated by various companies, bloggers, and other do-gooders. In the end, a whopping $1,435 was raised! Congrats to the winners!
• On Friday, May 26th at 7:30 PM, The Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, NY did a James Harris Memorial Screening of CREEPSHOW!
• Danny "Mozz" Monserrate from The SHOCK Chamber started up a GoFundMe for James last March. CLICK HERE to visit the page and make a donation. 
• Dan Terr of Inked Up Merch will be selling more Doc Terror beanies and baseball caps to raise money for Jimmy's family. The first batch has sold out but more are now available!

Further details (and hopefully more new events) will be posted soon. In the meantime, explore Jimmy's legacy on the web:

DOCTERROR.COM - Jimmy's home base on the internet. Even as his health deteriorated, he continued plugging away at it.

HORRORSEXY.COM - Home of the HorrorSexy podcast and the short-lived HorrorSexy Web-mag.

DOC TERROR YOUTUBE CHANNEL - Those 8-bit Horror game previews James and Frank Browning created are to die for!

CINEPUNX INTERVIEW WITH DOC TERROR - Cool interview with Doc Terror!

Jimmy, it was a distinct honor to call you my friend. I miss you terribly, but hope that someday, in some way, our paths will cross again. Rest in peace my friend, and thank you for being a shining example for so many of us.

R.I.P. - Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore.

While most of America watched football and/or watched in disbelief at the debate between our two main Presidential candidates, others were mourning the death of a legend. On Monday, September 26th, 2016, Herschell Gordon Lewis, the beloved "Godfather of Gore," passed away in his sleep.

I had a chance meeting with Mr. Lewis years ago at a Monster-Mania Convention. I was walking backwards in the main lobby of the hotel, while talking to my friend Adam, when he suddenly pointed over my shoulder and said "Hey, is that guy someone famous?" I turned and there was H.G. Lewis in the flesh! I excitedly shook Lewis' hand and said "thank you for the films you've made," then got a quick photo. (Sadly said photo is long gone - lost in the memory card of an old cell phone.)

But even before that, H.G. Lewis had a major impact on me. While I am now constantly driving around the tri-state area in search of retro film fests (which are thankfully plentiful these days), I got bit by the 35mm bug back in July of 2014. A now defunct event called Mondo Movie Night kicked off a series of screenings with a 35mm presentation of BLOOD FEAST. Not only was I hooked on seeing films in their original format, but it instantly made me a fan of Lewis' work!


And speaking of which, Herschell Gordon Lewis directed nearly forty films in his lifetime, and was a jack of all trades. He composed music for some of his films, worked on the effects for others, and wrote the screenplays for at least half of the movies he directed! Lewis strove to show moviegoers something they had never seen before, and it all started with his 1963 classic BLOOD FEAST. Though you can't really say it's a good film, it was the first splatter flick in existence, and opened the door for a growing genre that was looking to push the envelope.

Had Lewis not introduced the world to Fuad Ramses and his cannibalistic cuisine, we may never have had the films of George A. Romero, Peter Jackson, Sam Raimi, and the slew of Horror filmmakers that came after. So thank you Mr. Lewis, for your contributions to film, particularly in the realm of exploitation cinema! As long as your films exist, you will never be forgotten. 

By all accounts (and my brief personal experience), Lewis was a kindly gentleman that embraced his fandom, and the world shall not look upon his like again. Here's hoping that his swan song (i.e. BLOODMANIA) finds a new audience once it is released, and helps carry on his memory for years to come. Rest in peace Herschell - we'll miss you.