MonsterVision was an American variety series which aired on TNT from June 29, 1991 to September 16, 2000. The show underwent multiple changes throughout its over nine-year run. Initially, the program (which acted as a marathon of older horror, science fiction, or fantasy films) revolved around a mysterious claymation-style moon character who was featured in the bumpers alongside a creepy-sounding disembodied voice, who served as the narrator for the show and its promos. Additionally, the show was regularly paired alongside the series 100% Weird, which brought viewers even more bizarre films. Later, in June 1993, entertainment duo Penn & Teller guest-hosted MonsterVision marathons featuring mainly old B-Movies from the 1950s and 1960s. Then, by Saturday, July 31, 1993, the narrator of the series became solely a voice-over announcer.
From 1996 until around the show's cancellation in 2000, the series was hosted by Joe Bob Briggs, and featured mainly classic horror and schlock films from the 1970s to the 1990s. Here, much of the original formatting under Briggs was derived from his earlier work on The Movie Channel program, Joe Bob's Drive-in Theater. Yet, this series would also incorporate Joe Bob's Last Call, a segment that presented that night's final film. Then, in 1999, the overall program became styled as Joe Bob's Hollywood Saturday Night and MonsterVision, before ultimately returning to its non-host format in mid-2000.
Format and series overview
Pre-Joe Bob Briggs (1991–1996) When MonsterVision premiered on Saturday, June 29, 1991, it was little more than a marathon of older horror, science fiction, or fantasy films beginning at 8:00 PM ET and ending well into the early morning. With a claymation-style moon character serving as the original narrator and 'host,' broadcasts tended to air monthly, as well as on certain holidays. Films often fit a general theme, such as "TNT Salutes The Outer Limits," "Halloween Night," "Attack of the Sea Monsters," "A Christmas Nightmare," "Harryhausen Havoc," or recurring "Godzilla Marathons," although other occasions had somewhat unrelated choices. Additionally, MonsterVision sometimes had special events, such as their "Dracula Weekend," which had a mini-interview with Christopher Lee in honor of the release of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). A number of later marathons, beginning on Saturday, June 5, 1993, were presented by the well-known entertainment duo Penn & Teller, before the show then transitioned to voice-over narration for the remaining duration of this period.
Joe Bob Briggs era (1996–2000) Beginning on Friday, June 28, 1996, Joe Bob Briggs (John Bloom), the drive-in movie critic, became the official host of MonsterVision, with the series transitioning into a regularly scheduled Friday time slot, every week at 11:00 PM ET. MonsterVision would typically show no more than two films per night, though several episodes were much longer, such as the 1997 "Super Bowl Sunday Special," which consisted of sixteen continuous hours of horror movies. That being said, on usual double feature nights, Joe Bob would appear anywhere between sixteen and twenty-four times throughout the movies, significantly more than he did on his previous program, Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater. In these segments, Briggs would discuss the films, and more, from the inside and outside of a staged trailer home with a green neon TNT sign in the background. Joe Bob was also frequently visited by one of a succession of 'mail girls,' including Honey (Honey Michelle Gregory), Reno, Kat (Kathy Shower), Summer (Cheryl Bartel), and Rusty (Renner St. John), who not only served as attractive, comedic 'sidekicks,' but also brought Briggs fan letters, sometimes from actual prisoners. TNT also added the segment Joe Bob's Last Call, which was used to showcase the final movie of the night. Similarly, the program was occasionally able to feature guests such as rapper and actor Ice-T, and directors Wes Craven and John Waters.