Penny Dreadful XIII is a television

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. Generall ...

based in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

. She is portrayed by actress, writer, and comedian Danielle Gelehrter.

History

Gelehrter created the persona of Penny Dreadful the

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

in an effort to revive the concept of a horror movie host on Boston-area television. The show, ''Penny Dreadful’s Shilling Shockers'', began production in August 2005 and premiered on local cable in January 2006. ''Shilling Shockers'' first aired on

Public-access television Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was creat ...

cable TV in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

; Boston, Massachusetts; New Bedford, Massachusetts; and

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

. It eventually spread to over 200 cities and towns throughout the six New England states. The names “

Penny Dreadful Penny dreadfuls were cheap popular serial literature produced during the nineteenth century in the United Kingdom. The pejorative term is roughly interchangeable with penny horrible, penny awful, and penny blood. The term typically referred to ...

” and “Shilling Shockers” are both derived from 19th-century serialized tales of terror, crime, and the supernatural. The Penny Dreadful witch persona is described on the program’s website as “an intermingling of light and dark elements. She can be very silly and sinister by turns, with a withering wit and a dramatic gaze." Penny is fond of using the exclamation, "hex-cellent!" and refers to her viewers as her "Dreary Ones."

Awards

The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards presented Penny Dreadful with the award for “Favorite Horror Host” of 2007. She was the first

to receive the award in this category. Penny also won the 2010 Rondo Award for "Favorite Horror Host," becoming the first host to win the award twice in this category. 'The Dreadful HallowGreen Special,' a made-for-TV movie which Gelehrter co-produced and co-hosted with Larry Underwood aka TV horror host Dr. Gangrene, was nominated for a regional Midsouth Emmy Award in 2011. In the special, Penny Dreadful & Garou and Dr. Gangrene join forces to save Halloween from a terrible fate. On March 17, 2014, Magoo Gelehrter (Penny's husband and werewolf sidekick, Garou the werewolf) received a special "Pure in Heart" Rondo Award On March 22, 2014, Penny Dreadful was inducted into the Horror Host Hall of Fame. On March 16, 2019, 'Shilling Shockers' director Rebecca Paiva was inducted into the Horror Host Hall of Fame in the "Behind the Screams" category. On June 10, 2023, Penny Dreadful was inducted into the Rondo Awards Monster Kid Hall of Fame.

Appearances

Penny Dreadful XIII is a regular guest at conventions such as HorrorHound in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

; Monster Bash in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

; and Rock & Shock in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

. Penny has hosted several live fundraising events for children’s organizations such as The

Make-A-Wish Foundation The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of and 18 years old. Make-A-Wish was founded in 1980 and headqu ...

and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She continues to host annual ''Shilling Shockers'' Halloween specials and has appeared in a number of horror-themed publications such as Fangoria Magazine,

Rue Morgue (magazine) ''Rue Morgue'' is a multinational magazine devoted to coverage of horror fiction. Its content comprises news, reviews, commentary, interviews, and event coverage. Its journalistic span encompasses films, books, comic books, video games, and ot ...

, and Scary Monsters Magazine as well as in films such as ''Atomic Brain Invasion'' and ''The Dungeon of Dr. Dreck''.

Penny's sidekicks

Garou is the

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...

henchman and husband of Penny Dreadful. He communicates only through guttural growls and funny facial expressions. Garou was portrayed by Magoo Gelehrter, who died in May 2014 following a battle with cancer. Dr. Manfred Von Bulow is a semi-retired

vampire hunter Vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a fictional occupation in history and fiction which specializes in finding vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampires a ...

with a thick German accent. He is Penny Dreadful’s foil. He is portrayed by Ivan Bernier. Luna is a madwoman, released from the abandoned

Danvers State Hospital The Danvers State Hospital, also known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, The Danvers Lunatic Asylum, and The Danvers State Insane Asylum, was a psychiatric hospital located in Danvers, Massachusetts. It was built in 1874, and opened in 18 ...

. She is insane but highly intelligent. Luna is portrayed by the series' television director Rebecca Paiva.

Terror at Collinwood: A Dark Shadows Podcast

In May 2021, Gelehrter launched a podcast called ''Terror at Collinwood'' and serves as its host. The podcast celebrates and examines the classic gothic television serial,

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinspo ...

. ''Terror at Collinwood'' explores Dark Shadows’ storylines and characters, examining the show’s important place in

gothic horror Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

and pop culture history. Episode topics include in-depth conversations with guests about the show’s major storylines, examinations of the Gothic, the importance of ''Dark Shadows'' to “monster kid” culture, ''Dark Shadows'' collectible discussions, and more. The podcast also features in-depth discussions and interviews with fans, creators, crew, and cast members including David Selby,

Kathryn Leigh Scott Kathryn Leigh Scott (born Marlene Kringstad;Biography:Kathryn Leigh Scott". Retrieved on September 28, 2010 January 26, 1943) is an American television and film actress and writer who is best remembered for playing several roles on ''Dark Shadows ...

Lara Parker Mary Lamar Rickey (born October 27, 1938), better known as Lara Parker, is an American television, stage, and film actress known for her role as Angelique on the ABC-TV serial ''Dark Shadows'' which aired from 1966 to 1971. Early life Parker ...

Marie Wallace Marie Wallace (born May 19, 1939) is an American stage and television actress, best known for her performances in the gothic soap opera ''Dark Shadows''. Early life and career Marie was born in New York City on May 19, 1939, and grew up in the ...

, and more.

Personal life

On May 16, 2014 Gelehrter's real-life husband Magoo Gelehrter, who played Garou the werewolf of 'Shilling Shockers' passed away due to stage four cancer. On September 21, 2018 Gelehrter outed herself on her public Penny Dreadful Facebook page as a post-operative MTF

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

woman, and also revealed that her late husband Magoo Gelehrter had been a transgender FTM man. This was prompted by an anti-transgender ballot question in Massachusetts at the time which would have prohibited trans people from using the restroom which matched their gender identity. Danielle Gelehrter studied theatre at San Francisco State University. She also studied improv comedy at Second City (Chicago), Improv Boston, and Improv Asylum. She possesses BA degrees in Creative Writing and in Literature, and has a Master's Degree in English. The American-born daughter of Portuguese parents from the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, she performed with the Portuguese Kids sketch and improv comedy troupe under her maiden name, Danielle Oliveira.

Professional Work on Toy and Pop Culture Franchises

Gelehrter has worked as a writer and researcher on various official projects related to popular toy and cartoon franchises. Starting in 2016, Danielle "Penny Dreadful" Gelehrter and Eric Marshall took over as co-writers for the Masters of the Universe Classics toy packaging bios as well as the official digital "Masters Mondays" bios. Contracted through MVCreations, Gelehrter and Marshall wrote bios for

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

and Super7, covering many characters and artifacts from the brand and toyline. Through the bios, Gelehrter introduced a new vampire villain called the Crimson Countess in an effort to add more distinct horror-themed elements to the Masters of the Universe canon. Gelehrter also worked as a writer and researcher on a number of books by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...

, including 'He-Man & the Masters of the Universe: The Newspaper Comic Strips', 'He-Man & the Masters of the Universe: A Character Guide & World Compendium', and others. Starting in 2019, Gelehrter and Eric Marshall began writing official packaging bios for Super7's ThunderCats Ultimates action figure line. Gelehrter and Marshall subsequently penned several toy bios for this popular 80's brand.

References

''SouthCoast Today'', July 26, 2008
- Article about Penny Dreadful winning the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for “Favorite Horror Host”

- Penny Dreadful interviewed in ''USA Today'' horror hosts article
''Scary Monsters Magazine #78'', Spring, 2011
- Penny Dreadful and Garou appear on the wraparound cover for ''Scary Monsters Magazine's'' Shilling 78th Shock issue which features articles about ''Shilling Shockers.''

- Featured article in ''Dark Realms Magazine''

- Radio interview on WBSM’s ''Spooky Southcoast'' show
''Scary Monsters Magazine'' July 2006, issue 59 and June 2007, Issue 63
- articles about ''Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers''
''Big Ole Face Full of Monster Magazine'' Issue #4, 2008
- Featured magazine interview
''Interview with Danielle Gelehrter and Eric Marshall, new MOTUC Collector's Choice bio writers''
- He-Man.Org Bio Writers Interview

External links

''Penny Dreadful’s Shilling Shockers'': Official website of Penny Dreadful XIII
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dreadful, Penny, Xiii Living people American television personalities Fictional witches Year of birth missing (living people)