Dr. Creep
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Dr. Creep is a very popular local media personality in and around Dayton, Ohio.
Dr. Creep is the alter ego of Barry Hobart. Hobart is the nephew of horror movie makeup artist and stuntman Doug Hobart, who had a traveling monster show in the 1940s and 50s and worked on nearly fifty horror films. Barry was the creator and host of Shock Theater on WKEF television in Dayton from 1972 to 1985, and has since reprised the role (and the show) in home video and on local access cable in Dayton in recent years. During the 1970s and into the early 80s, Dr. Creep was co-host of Clubhouse 22, a popular local kids show.
[edit] The birth of Shock Theater
The character of Dr. Creep was initially created by Hobart in 1971, as WKEF management were looking for a gimmick to garner ratings on Saturday nights. Hobart was already employed at the station as a master control switcher. When Hobart suggested a horror movie show to the management, they thought it was a good idea, but it was almost a year before it came to fruition. Hobart was asked to audition for the part of the host, donning a monk's robe and make-up, and initially calling himself "Dr. Death". Though others auditioned, it was Hobart that won the job.
(note fangs and skull face)
Dr. Creep was officially born 11 p.m. on January 1, 1972 (Saturday) when "Dayton 22" premiered Shock Theater. Like other local horror shows, Shock Theater played classic B-grade horror films, and also had local breaks featuring the host, which leaned more toward the humorous than the horrific (Dr. Creep originally wore vampire fangs and was made up in a skull face, but these ideas were soon abandoned for being too fearsome). By the mid-late 1970s, Shock Theater had moved to Saturday afternoons, gaining a younger following, added to which Dr. Creep's co-hosting duties on Clubhouse 22 added to his star power as well.
By the early 1980s, Shock Theater was getting more risque, which caused increasing clashes with WKEF management, and consequently resulted in the station pulling the plug on Shock Theater in March of 1985. Hobart remained with the station as a master control switcher until 1991.
In 1997, Dr. Creep along, with Andrew Copp and Rick Martin, started the first annual HORRORAMA film festival. The movie marathon was an all night horror movie fest with the proceeds going to his charity project, Christmas Smiles. The first year took place at the now defunct Flicker Palace movie theater in Huber Heights, Ohio and showed the films, Scream, Gates of Hell, Blackenstein and Revenge of Frankenstein. As of 2007, HORRORAMA is still active.
In 1999, cult film director Andrew Copp and partner Rick Martin would resurrect Shock Theater with Dr. Creep at the helm once again for Dayton, Ohio Public Access TV. The show used public domain films and ran off and on for another six years.
In 2002, Hobart played Dr. Creep again in Necrophagia: Through Eyes Of The Dead, a bunch of music videos and interviews with rock band Necrophagia and horror hosts and was directed by Jim Van Bebber.
In 2003, Hobart stepped up in front of the camera as a father-like spirit in Andrew Copp's film, Black Sun. The film showed around Dayton, Ohio and built up a cult following. Also that same year, he did the opening narration for Copp's documentary, Freakshow Deluxe, about a local sideshow that pops up around Halloween in Xenia, Ohio.
In 2006, Hobart was Dr. Creep again and speak about his career as a horror host in John E. Hudgens' documentary, American Scary.
[edit] Charity work
Hobart (as Dr. Creep) is also popular for his work with local charity, lending a hand every Labor Day with Muscular Dystrophy Association fundraising, and every Christmas with a charity he co-founded called Project Smiles, which collects toys for needy children in the Dayton area around the Holidays.
