Prolific character actor and obsessive monster fan, Daniel Roebuck, examines the roots and the hobby of monster collecting in a new DVD documentary!
In spite of his fame, which has been pieced together like the Frankenstein monster over the course of a long Hollywood career of character parts, Daniel Roebuck is one of us. Roebuck first got Hollywood’s attention with the chilling portrayal of a remorseless, murdering teen in “The River’s Edge” (1986). In a career now spanning over 25 years, Roebuck has appeared on dozens of TV shows, including an eight year run on “Matlock,” and movies including Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” (2007) and “Halloween II” (2009). On the street, Roebuck is likely most often recognized for the pivotal role he played on Tommy Lee Jones’ team of federal agents in “The Fugitive” (1993) and “U.S. Marshals” (1998).
In the horror fan community, Daniel Roebuck has taken on another identity completely as the face of and spokesperson for the underground swelling of monster fans and rabid monster collectors everywhere. As one of the most astute collectors of classic monster movie collectibles in the world, Roebuck is one of only a small handful of celebrity monster enthusiasts that includes Metallica’s Kirk Hammett (who recently released an amazing hardback book chronicling his vast classic horror collection called “Too Much Horror Business”), beloved movie prop collector, Bob Burns, and horror film director, Guillermo del Toro. Both del Toro and horror rocker turned horror movie director, Rob Zombie, join Roebuck to discuss their own horror movie obsessions and collections in “Dr. Shocker’s Vault of Horror” now available on DVD at www.docshocker.com.
Dr. Shocker is Roebuck’s horror host alter ego, a tribute to the infamous television horror hosts that bookended creepy black-and-white double features that networks used to fill time slots on Friday and Saturday nights from the late 1950’s, with characters like Vampira and Zacherley, through the 1980’s with the double barreled antics of Elvira. Even Louisville had its own horror host with the Fearmonger on WDRB-41’s “Fright Night” from 1971 through 1975. There is a new breed of horror hosts that have begun popping up everywhere over the last decade; “monster kids” who grew up with the tradition are putting on their own horror programs on local cable channels and internet webpages, like Nashville’s Dr. Gangrene.
Roebuck’s Dr. Shocker has assembled roughly the Avengers of the monster collecting world to discuss their divergent life paths that have sent them down the rabbit hole of obsessive monster collecting in the multiple mini-documentaries that make up the core of “Dr. Shocker’s Vault of Horror.” In the 45 minute long centerpiece, “Monster Maniacs,” you’ll hear from celebrity collectors like del Toro and Zombie as well as other loveable oddballs and misfits like Steve Busti, owner and operator of The Museum of the Weird in Austin, TX (for more details check out http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201304/3437/ ), world renowned mask collector, Dr. Lady, and Universal Monster Army (www.universalmonsterarmy.com) editors, Raymond Castile and Bobby Beeman.
Topics covered include the Aurora monster model craze of the 1960’s and early 1970’s, “Famous Monsters of Filmland” magazine and the tantalizing ads for arcane collectibles in the back pages of the Captain Company, as well as the obsession with vintage rubber Topstone and Don Post monster masks.
Roebuck also presents separate mini-documentaries that cover some of his other childhood monster obsessions like “Imagineering,” a wonderful 15 minute look at the company that gave us Vampire Blood, Evil Teeth and Scar Stuff! Roebuck clearly has a passion for these notorious novelties and his vivid memories bring their nostalgic qualities to vibrant life even for those that didn’t necessarily grow up covered in/with them. It’s the stories that Roebuck, del Toro, Zombie and others tell about their experiences growing up and how these films and toys changed their lives that really makes “Dr. Shocker’s Vault of Horror” worth watching.
You’ll also find mini-features on the biggest collection of “Creature from the Black Lagoon” items in the world, live convention panels on the Captain Company and a “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” Presidential Debate, a paranormal tour of Haunted Hollywood and a 3D photo gallery of Daniel Roebuck’s private monster museum (exclusive 3D glasses included!).
Also included is the 12 minute short film, “How My Dad Killed Dracula” (2008), staring Daniel Roebuck and based on a real life prank pulled by the father of the filmmaker. Altogether, “Dr. Shocker’s Vault of Horror” clocks in at approximately 2 hours of ghoulish fun; a trick-or-treat bag of both worthy information and just plain silliness.
Recently, Roebuck decided it was time to downsize his considerable monster collection, which had started to claim an entire wing of his Hollywood home, and conducted a well-publicized auction at the world famous TLC Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA. In interviews, Roebuck has discussed how his once little collection had snowballed into a massive museum of monster movie history, and how he felt it was time to “let go” of part of his dragon’s hoard of creepy collectibles.
“It all started with collecting the stuff I had as a kid,” says Roebuck in a recent fan shot tour of his collection, “and all the stuff I wanted as a kid but my parents couldn’t possibly afford; all that cool stuff I drooled over in the Captain Company ads in Famous Monsters magazine.”
“That’s the stuff that really means something to me,” he continues. “That’s the stuff I really want to keep. Everything else is just—well, stuff.” Roebuck has released “Dr. Shocker’s Vault of Horror” to coincide with his collectibles auction, and I suspect it not only serves as a way to document his complete collection before he begins to sell it off in pieces, but also as a form of therapy to deal with the “letting go.” The film ponders the reasons why we collect things and why we surround ourselves with the stuff we love, and it also examines the ways in which we try to reclaim just a little bit of our most valued but most elusive possession, our own innocence and all too brief childhood.
