Dr. Gangrene
Encyclopedia
Dr. Gangrene is a writer, artist, and award winning television horror host
based in the Middle Tennessee
area, portrayed by Larry Underwood.
horror host. Created in 1999, the show was originally a half hour Public-access television
cable TV program called Chiller Cinema in Hendersonville, Tennessee
. The first episode aired July 1, 1999 on the Hendersonville, TN Public-access television station. The show quickly expanded into Nashville, Tennessee where it aired on Community Access Channel 19. Chiller Cinema was the first program to broadcast live out of the new Public, educational, and government access
television building where CH 19 broadcast from. Chiller Cinema was soon seen on other Public-access television stations across the country, making Underwood one of the first horror hosts to self syndicate his program.
The show moved to Nashville
's WB affiliate WNAB
in 2005, and was renamed The WB58 Creature Feature, expanding to a two-hour format showing horror and Sci-Fi movies. It later changed its name slightly to The CW58 Creature Feature to match WNAB's switchover from The WB to The CW in September 2006.
In 2005 Dr. Gangrene won a Rondo Award for Best Website at the The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. He won a second Rondo in 2008 for his "Go Green with Dr. Gangrene" PSA Campaign (see below).
On October 30, 2007 a photo of Dr. Gangrene alongside legendary horror host Zacherley appeared in USA Today
along with a mention in an article about horror hosts.
In April 2010 Dr. Gangrene appeared alongside several other horror hosts in Rue Morgue Magazine #103 in an article featuring top horror hosts from across the country.
Dr. Gangrene continues to stay busy, with his program currently airing on WNAB. He is a regular guest at the Wonderfest
convention in Louisville, Kentucky
, where he hosts live movies every year. He has appeared in a number of magazines and newspapers, as well as several movies, including appearing alongside fellow horror hosts in the documentary American Scary
.
and Larry Underwood
and directed by Cameron McCasland
. The series went on to win several local and national awards, including an Emmy Nomination for McCasland , and citations from the Governor of Tennessee Phil Bredesen
, and the Nashville City Council.
In the 2008 Rondo Awards the PSAs were awarded a special Rondo Award in The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards called "The Vasaria Public Service Rondo Award" http://www.rondoaward.com/rondo/RondoVIIwinners.htm
formed a horror punk band called Spookhand. Underwood fronts the band, appearing in a number of outlandish costumes and masks. The band utilizes a variety of shock rock gimmicks live including dismemberment, blood drinking, and brain eating. The songs are all horror themed and based on many sci-fi and horror movies. They perform annually at Dr. Gangrene's Horror Hootenanny show as well as often in Nashville and surrounding areas.
Horror host
Horror hosts are a particular type of television presenter, often tasked with presenting low-grade films to television audiences. This tradition is primarily American, though there have been a few international hosts over the years.-Film Packages:...
based in the Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee....
area, portrayed by Larry Underwood.
History
Underwood was inspired to create the character as an homage to Sir Cecil Creape, a former NashvilleNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
horror host. Created in 1999, the show was originally a half hour Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV program called Chiller Cinema in Hendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville is a city in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 51,372 at the 2010 census. Hendersonville is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located 18 miles northeast of downtown Nashville. The city was settled around 1784 by...
. The first episode aired July 1, 1999 on the Hendersonville, TN Public-access television station. The show quickly expanded into Nashville, Tennessee where it aired on Community Access Channel 19. Chiller Cinema was the first program to broadcast live out of the new Public, educational, and government access
Public, educational, and government access
Public, educational, and government access television, refers to three different cable television specialty channels...
television building where CH 19 broadcast from. Chiller Cinema was soon seen on other Public-access television stations across the country, making Underwood one of the first horror hosts to self syndicate his program.
The show moved to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
's WB affiliate WNAB
WNAB
WNAB, virtual channel 58 is the CW-affiliated television station in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Tennessee Broadcasting, although operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group under an outsourcing agreement. It currently serves as a sister station to WZTV and WUXP-TV. It is currently branded as...
in 2005, and was renamed The WB58 Creature Feature, expanding to a two-hour format showing horror and Sci-Fi movies. It later changed its name slightly to The CW58 Creature Feature to match WNAB's switchover from The WB to The CW in September 2006.
In 2005 Dr. Gangrene won a Rondo Award for Best Website at the The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. He won a second Rondo in 2008 for his "Go Green with Dr. Gangrene" PSA Campaign (see below).
On October 30, 2007 a photo of Dr. Gangrene alongside legendary horror host Zacherley appeared in USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
along with a mention in an article about horror hosts.
In April 2010 Dr. Gangrene appeared alongside several other horror hosts in Rue Morgue Magazine #103 in an article featuring top horror hosts from across the country.
Dr. Gangrene continues to stay busy, with his program currently airing on WNAB. He is a regular guest at the Wonderfest
Wonderfest
Wonderfest is a nonprofit California corporation dedicated to informal science education. Wonderfest seeks to inspire and nurture a deep sense of wonder about the world. Through provocative public discourse about science, Wonderfest aspires to stimulate curiosity, promote careful reasoning,...
convention in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, where he hosts live movies every year. He has appeared in a number of magazines and newspapers, as well as several movies, including appearing alongside fellow horror hosts in the documentary American Scary
American Scary
American Scary is a 2006 documentary film about the history and legacy of classic television horror hosts, written and directed by American independent filmmakers John E...
.
Go Green With Dr. Gangrene Campaign
In 2008, Dr. Gangrene appeared in a series of Public Service Announcements entitled Go Green With Dr. Gangrene. The initial three shorts were entitled "Bonehead", "Two Lane Trash Stop", and "Trash Day Of The Dead". The shorts were written by Cameron McCaslandCameron McCasland
Cameron McCasland is a Regional Emmy Nominated American film maker.- Early life :McCasland was raised in Edgewood, Texas....
and Larry Underwood
Larry Underwood
Larry W. Underwood is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dr. Gangrene.- Television career :...
and directed by Cameron McCasland
Cameron McCasland
Cameron McCasland is a Regional Emmy Nominated American film maker.- Early life :McCasland was raised in Edgewood, Texas....
. The series went on to win several local and national awards, including an Emmy Nomination for McCasland , and citations from the Governor of Tennessee Phil Bredesen
Phil Bredesen
Philip Norman "Phil" Bredesen Jr. was the 48th Governor of Tennessee, serving from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected Governor in 2002, and was re-elected in 2006. He previously served as the fourth mayor of Nashville and Davidson County from 1991 to...
, and the Nashville City Council.
In the 2008 Rondo Awards the PSAs were awarded a special Rondo Award in The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards called "The Vasaria Public Service Rondo Award" http://www.rondoaward.com/rondo/RondoVIIwinners.htm
Horror Punk Band - SPOOKHAND
In 2009 Larry UnderwoodLarry Underwood
Larry W. Underwood is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dr. Gangrene.- Television career :...
formed a horror punk band called Spookhand. Underwood fronts the band, appearing in a number of outlandish costumes and masks. The band utilizes a variety of shock rock gimmicks live including dismemberment, blood drinking, and brain eating. The songs are all horror themed and based on many sci-fi and horror movies. They perform annually at Dr. Gangrene's Horror Hootenanny show as well as often in Nashville and surrounding areas.
- In 2005 Dr. Gangrene provided a spoken intro on the Creeping Cruds CD, "The Incredibly Strange People Who Stopped Living and Became the Creeping Cruds." He also provided a spoken word bit in the middle of the song "All Hail the Horror Host" on that album. That CD was nominated for a 2005 Rondo Award for BEST CD.
- Dr Gangrene also provided the spoken intro and outro for the horror rock compilation CD "T-Boner's Rot-N-Roll Compilation from Hell," released in 2006.
- In 2009 Dr. Gangrene recreated a faux horror host episode at the start of the song "I Kicked Dracula's Ass" on the Creeping Cruds CD, "Tennessee Bloodbath." The bit spoofed tales of long lost Hollywood horror films and poked fun at ridiculous "Americanized" titles of imported Spanish horror films. A classic horror film that was lost in a fabled Hollywood fire is recovered from Dr. Gangrene's dungeon in Tennessee nearly 75 years later. Before Dr. Gangrene is able to screen the new found film for his horror host audiences the film catches fire in the projector and is again lost for the ages.
- Larry provides the voice of a deranged killer truck driver on the 2010 CD Mark of the Psycho by the band Psychocharger. That CD was nominated for a 2010 Rondo Award for BEST CD.