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Erik Lobo (born November 27, 1970), better known by his
stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Mr. Lobo, is an American artist and comedic actor best known as the
horror host A horror host is a person who acts as the host or presenter of a program where horror films and low-budget B movies are shown on television or the Internet. Usually the host assumes a horror-themed persona, often a campy or humorous one. General ...
of the nationally syndicated American television series ''
Cinema Insomnia ''Cinema Insomnia'' is a nationally syndicated American television series presented by horror host Mr. Lobo. Format Typically, Mr. Lobo opens each episode by promising to screen a well-known horror or science fiction classic (such as ''Creatu ...
''. In 2022, he was inducted into the
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award, often called the Rondo Award, is an annual award founded in 2002 that honors journalism, scholarship and film preservation in the horror genre, particularly of classic horror film and their modern-day counterp ...
' Monster Kid Hall of Fame.Archive link
/ref>


Career

After going to school for print technology, Mr. Lobo published many humor
zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...
and
underground comics Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...
. Mr. Lobo is a very prolific freelance artist and writer with numerous multimedia credits and clients. He wrote, directed, and performed
Radio Theater Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
for 9 years. Mr. Lobo is a short film and commercial director. He was the head writer for a long running local cabaret/parody talk show ''The Moe Bettermann Show''. Mr. Lobo has been covered in several horror magazines and in the national news. He has also participated in many B-movies, offbeat genre films and documentaries.


''Cinema Insomnia''


Documentaries

Mr. Lobo was interviewed for ''
American Scary ''American Scary'' is a 2006 American documentary film about the history and legacy of classic television horror hosts, written and directed by American independent filmmakers John E. Hudgens and Sandy Clark. Background The film features nearly ...
'', appeared in the supplementary content on ''Every Other Day is Halloween'', interviewed for ''I Dream of Being an Artist... And It Makes Me Sick'', was a consultant on ''Watch Horror Films... Keep America Strong'', produced and hosted the featurette ''Bob Wilkins: The Sacramento Years'', introduced the short documentary "I Was a TV Horror Host: The John Stanley Story" and is the host of '' Virginia Creepers''. Mr. Lobo is also interviewed in the short retrospective ''Citizen Wood: Making "The Bride", Unmaking the Legend'' about the making of ''
Bride of the Monster ''Bride of the Monster'' is a 1955 American science fiction horror film, co-written, produced and directed by Edward D. Wood Jr., and starring Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson with a supporting cast featuring Tony McCoy and Loretta King. The film i ...
'' featured on the volume 19 DVD set of ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...
''.


Directing

In 1993 Mr. Lobo co-produced and directed a short film titled ''Street Art'' which won an award with the Film Arts Foundation in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. He directed a commercial for the California Tree Fruit Growers Association that was a parody of old
Slinky The Slinky is a helical spring toy invented by Richard James in the early 1940s. It can perform a number of tricks, including travelling down a flight of steps end-over-end as it stretches and re-forms itself with the aid of gravity and its ow ...
commercials titled "Pit Popper". Mr. Lobo directed animation for a public service announcement called Deputysaurus Rex for the Sacramento Sheriff's Department. He also directed animation for an educational film called Splash: The Mysteries of Vernal Pools which has been seen by over 10,000 school children. In 2009 Toy Fusion asked Mr. Lobo to direct a humorous G.I. Joe fan film which involved rare and forgotten G.I. Joe collectibles and they won two awards at JoeCon that year. Most notably in 2010 Mr. Lobo got to work with legendary exploitation film director
Ted V. Mikels Ted V. Mikels (born Theodore Vincent Mikacevich; April 29, 1929 – October 16, 2016) was an American independent filmmaker primarily of the horror cult film genre. Movies that he both produced and directed include ''Girl in Gold Boots'' (196 ...
to work as a second unit director on the new film Astro-Zombies: M3 Cloned.


Radio and voice work

He wrote, directed, and performed
Radio Theater Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
for the University of Davis Radio Station (
KDVS KDVS (90.3 FM) is an American student and community radio station based in Davis, California. Featuring a freeform programming format, the station is owned by Regents of the University of California. Broadcasting at 13,000 watts, it is one of ...
) from 1987 to 1992 and picked up again from 1996 to 2000. His two most notable projects are ''Radio is Dead'' which was performed as a stage play in Sacramento, San Francisco and Chicago; and ''The Last Thanksgiving'' which was a live remote parody of ''
The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...
''. He did the voice over for numerous local TV spots for Pulte Homes and Super Cuts. Mr. Lobo voiced the "Pit Popper" in the California Tree Fruit Growers Association commercial. He was also the voice of Deputysaurus Rex for the Sacramento Sheriff's Department and Professor X. Plorer in the school film ''Splash: The Mysteries of Vernal Pools''. Mr. Lobo is the voice of Larry Scholls Ghost Train both on the commercials and on the hot-line. He was the voice of the Oracle in ''Midnight of my Life''. Mr. Lobo also narrates all of the trailers for
Apprehensive Films Apprehensive Films was an independent American film production and distribution company in operation from 1997–2016. Its main focus was low-budget Grindhouse-inspired films shot in Super 8 mm film and 16 mm film. In 2006, Apprehensive Films ...
including the 30th anniversary promo reel for ''
Hardware Wars ''Hardware Wars'' is a 1978 American short science fiction parody film in the form of a teaser trailer for a fictitious science fiction film that parodies ''Star Wars''. The 13-minute film, which was released almost 18 months after ''Star Wars' ...
''.


Live shows

Mr. Lobo makes numerous live appearances at conventions such as
ComicCon A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at con ...
in
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
,
WonderCon WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, and film convention held in the San Francisco Bay Area (1987–2011), then—under the name WonderCon Anaheim—in Anaheim, California (2012–2015, 2017–present), and WonderCon Los Angel ...
in
San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
,
Screamfest Screamfest Horror Film Festival is a horror film festival founded by film producers Rachel Belofsky and Ross Martin in August 2001. It runs over ten days during the month of October and is hosted at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Los Angeles, Ca ...
in
Vero Beach, Florida Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...
, The B-Movie Celebration in
Franklin, Indiana Franklin is a city in Johnson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 23,712 at the 2010 census. Located about south of Indianapolis, the city is the county seat of Johnson County. The site of Franklin College, the city attracts n ...
, Blobfest in
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Phoenixville is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia at the junction of French Creek (Schuylkill River tributary), French Creek and ...
and Monster Bash near
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. He also takes part in live film shows at the
Crest Theatre The Crest Theatre is a historic theatre located in downtown Sacramento, California. History It originally opened in 1912 as the Empress Theatre, and at that time was used as a vaudeville palace. It later became the Hippodrome. On September 14, ...
in
Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
, the Parkway Theater in
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
Cinefamily Theater in
Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
, The Castro Theater in San Francisco, California, Artcraft Theatre in Franklin, Indiana, The Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, as well as many others. On August 14, 2010, ''Cinema Insomnia'' had their first broadcast taping at the Guild Theater in Sacramento in front of a live audience. The film presented was ''The Undertaker and His Pals'' and due to the graphic nature of the film, everyone was given a 'Barf-O-Vision' Audience Sickness Bag.


Art

Mr. Lobo has designed, not only much of the cover art for the ''Cinema Insomnia'' DVDs, but the art for many other
Apprehensive Films Apprehensive Films was an independent American film production and distribution company in operation from 1997–2016. Its main focus was low-budget Grindhouse-inspired films shot in Super 8 mm film and 16 mm film. In 2006, Apprehensive Films ...
releases as ''
Hardware Wars ''Hardware Wars'' is a 1978 American short science fiction parody film in the form of a teaser trailer for a fictitious science fiction film that parodies ''Star Wars''. The 13-minute film, which was released almost 18 months after ''Star Wars' ...
'' and ''The Undertaker and his Pals''. In 1995 Mr. Lobo put out his own line of trading cards which he wrote and illustrated wrapped in a faux wax pack he also created. He also designed the packages for Horror Host Graveyard's
Horror Host A horror host is a person who acts as the host or presenter of a program where horror films and low-budget B movies are shown on television or the Internet. Usually the host assumes a horror-themed persona, often a campy or humorous one. General ...
trading cards as well as help design the ''Hardware Wars'' trading cards.


Comics

In 1991 Mr. Lobo wrote, illustrated and self-published an underground comic in full color called ''Nuke Nova'', a
post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...
comedy about a futuristic hero. ''Nuke Nova'' was distributed by Diamond and Capital City to comic book stores across the United States. Mr. Lobo has also published the comic series ''Funny Pages'': * ''Funny Pages'' (1995), a 100+ page satirical humor trade paperback which was a collaboration with many artists and writers, most notably Joseph Sweeden, Tom Working, and Chris Grill. It was distributed via Tower Books. * ''Funny Pages 2D'' (1997), which was also a collaboration and distributed by Tower. * ''Funny Pages 2X: "Zombie the Little Undead Boy". As well as "Harley the Tuff Li'l Biker Slut". Both featured in a standard comic book sized flip book that parodied
Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfr ...
like
Casper Casper may refer to: People * Casper (given name) * Casper (surname) * Casper (Maya ruler) (422–487?), ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque * Tok Casper, first known king of Maya city-state Quiriguá in Guatemala, ruling beginning in 426 * David ...
. Mr. Lobo wrote both issues of the ''Queen of Trash'' comic book and inked the first issue. Recently, Mr. Lobo lent his writing talent to the comic ''13 Hosts'' illustrated by Brian Maze.


OSI74

In 2015, Mr Lobo and his wife, graphic artist Dixie Lobo, founded OSI74, an online
web television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aer ...
channel. The channel was created as a permanent platform for
Cinema Insomnia ''Cinema Insomnia'' is a nationally syndicated American television series presented by horror host Mr. Lobo. Format Typically, Mr. Lobo opens each episode by promising to screen a well-known horror or science fiction classic (such as ''Creatu ...
, and as a host channel for shows created by independent producers from around the world. OSI74 specialises in broadcasting
horror host A horror host is a person who acts as the host or presenter of a program where horror films and low-budget B movies are shown on television or the Internet. Usually the host assumes a horror-themed persona, often a campy or humorous one. General ...
movies, independently-produced television shows, orphaned programmes from public access and
community television Community television is a form of mass media in which a television station is owned, operated or programmed by a community group to provide television programs of local interest known as local programming. Community television stations are most c ...
, and shows by
Church of the SubGenius The Church of the SubGenius is a parody religion that satirizes better-known belief systems. It teaches a complex philosophy that focuses on J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, purportedly a salesman from the 1950s, who is revered as a prophet by the Church. SubG ...
. While functioning primarily as a
video on-demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
service from
Roku Roku ( ) is a brand of hardware digital media players manufactured by American company Roku, Inc. They offer access to streaming media content from online services. The first Roku model, developed in collaboration with Netflix, was introduce ...
and from its website, OSI74 began broadcasting a 24-hour stream from
Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle con ...
in 2021. In 2022, Mr Lobo and OSI74 opened up their first original production space, OSI Studios.


Other appearances

On December 11, 2009, Mr. Lobo was the guest on the late-night syndicated
radio talk show Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
''
Coast to Coast AM ''Coast to Coast AM'' is an American late-night radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics. Most frequently the topics relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was hosted by creator Art Bell from its inception in 19 ...
''. On the second hour, the infamous caller and
right-wing extremist Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
"J.C." called in to denounce Mr. Lobo and horror hosts in general. Mr. Lobo also has a cameo in the music video for the song "Hot Sahara" by the band
Fans of Jimmy Century Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...
. On October 21, 2010, Mr. Lobo posted a video response to
Elvira Elvira is a female given name. First recorded in medieval Spain, it is likely of Germanic (Gothic) origin. Elvira may refer to: People Nobility * Elvira Menéndez (died 921), daughter of Hermenegildo Gutiérrez and wife of Ordoño II of León ...
's "Elvira's Not a Witch"
viral video A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander Haupt ...
on YouTube titled "Re: Elvira's Not a Witch". It was a spoof on Elvira's video which was a parody of
Christine O'Donnell Christine Therese O'Donnell (born August 27, 1969) is an American conservative activist in the Tea Party movement best known for her 2010 campaign for the United States Senate seat from Delaware vacated by Joe Biden. O'Donnell was born in Phi ...
's popular "I'm Not A Witch" ad. On October 30, 2010, Mr. Lobo did a
spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
parody complaining about how much the song "
Monster Mash "Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called ''The Original Monster Mash'', which contained several ...
" is played. In 2019, Mr. Lobo can be seen in several of the Cinemassacre "Rental Reviews" videos on YouTube. He plays the landlord for the building. On April 5, 2021, Mr. Lobo was a feature guest on "Time for the Show".


Acting

Mr. Lobo is cast as Criswell in John Johnson's upcoming remake of ''Plan 9 From Outer Space''. In addition, for the purpose of promoting the film on the internet, Mr. Lobo has produced 62 episodes of ''Criswell Predicts!'' which is a parody and homage to the original television program. He also hosts John Johnson's biweekly "
Choose Your Own Adventure ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actio ...
"-type web series called ''Spade''.


Filmography


Religion

Mr. Lobo is a reverend to both
Church of the SubGenius The Church of the SubGenius is a parody religion that satirizes better-known belief systems. It teaches a complex philosophy that focuses on J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, purportedly a salesman from the 1950s, who is revered as a prophet by the Church. SubG ...
and
Universal Life Church The Universal Life Church (ULC) is a non-denominational religious organization founded in 1962 by Kirby J. Hensley,James R. Lewis, The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions' (2001), p. 769-70.U.S. Department of the Army, ''Religious Re ...
. On October 4/5, 2003, he was
canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of Cult (religious practice), public veneration and enterin ...
as the "Patron Saint of late night movie hosts and insomniacs" in the Church of Ed Wood.


Controversy

During a Q&A session at the Sacramento Horror Film Festival, wrestler
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...
referred to Mr. Lobo several times as “Hadji” — a racial slur against Middle Easterners. Mr. Lobo, however, is not Middle Eastern and took little offense. After the first affront — and a shot at
Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and entertainer. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she is a great-granddaughter of Conra ...
— Mr. Lobo jokingly took Jericho's drink to apparently sniff it for booze. Jericho's response to this was “it’s apple juice, fag.” which led to a huge public outcry by civil rights groups. Video from the event appeared on
TMZ TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...
and triggered a series of mock videos resulting in Mr. Lobo's challenging Chris Jericho and subsequently beating him at a thumb wrestling match in a video featuring Chris Perguidi. Mr. Lobo later recounts the events and ultimately has another confrontation with a "pseudo Jericho" in a live reunion of Mr. Lobo's old comedy troupe ''The Moe Bettermann Show''.


In popular culture

* In the first episode of the animated series ''
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' (also known as ''Mystery Incorporated'' or ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery, Inc.'') is an American animated television series that serves as the eleventh incarnation of the ''Scooby-Doo'' media franchise created by Han ...
'', "Beware the Beast from Below", the unmasked villain Professor Emmanuel Raffalo is inspired by Mr. Lobo.


References


Sources

* Baker, D (2005). "Who Is the Best Horror Host In the World?", Monster News, Issue 12. * Duran, C (2005). "Cinema Insomnia Goes Coast To Coast", Monster News, Issue 12. * Stanley, J (2007). "I WAS A TV HORROR HOST", Creatures At Large Press.


External links

*
YouTube

Kickstarter

Biography on Coast to Coast AM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lobo, Mr. 1970 births Living people American television personalities Horror hosts Cinema Insomnia