FANGORIA loves Svengoolie, and we’ve got good news for you — the Svengoolie family is growing! After announcing MeTV’s second annual “Svengoolie’s Halloween BOOnanza” featuring a month-long extravaganza headed up by the beloved horror host, the show keeps on growing. The October celebration includes “Svengoolie’s Halloween BOOnanza Double Feature,” with back-to-back classic and campy horror movies every Saturday night, and fans have undoubtedly noticed some new additions to the dungeon! It is our pleasure to officially introduce the new Sven Squad cast members Gwengoolie, IMP (Ignatius Malvolio Prankenstein), and Nostalgiaferatoo.
The casting initially kicked off during New York Comic Con in October 2022 before expanding nationwide and took a full year of screening and auditioning (it takes a lot to build the right Sven Squad!) and now the official Squad is unveiled. Sarah Palmer as Gwengoolie, an undead Hollywood enchantress from the golden age of cinema. Scott Gryder as IMP (Ignatius Malvolio Prankenstein), a loveable trickster, and Bill Leff as Nostalgiaferatoo, an 800-year-old vampire. Toon In With Me fans may recognize Leff as the host of the weekday morning show. Take a look below for more details on these three new characters from the official press release.
SARAH PALMER plays gorgeous ghoul Gwengoolie, an enchanting Hollywood, or Hollyweird, diva from the glamor age of cinema. Dead and loving it, she crossed over about 65 years ago and now happily puts the “decay” in decades. She recently arrived at Svengoolie’s dungeon and is ready for her close up! Sarah is a proud California native whose unwavering love for all things vintage, tiki, and Halloween shines through in everything she does. With a career spanning 18 years, Sarah has made her mark in the world of entertainment. She’s known for her remarkable ability to embody iconic figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, and the Bride of Frankenstein, delighting audiences with her versatile performances.
SCOTT GRYDER joins the team as IMP (Ignatius Malvolio Prankenstein), the devilishly ingratiating, and slightly grating, sly trickster who keeps claiming Svengoolie is his uncle. Gryder most recently appeared in the Jeff-Award Winning Buyer & Cellar (Pride Films & Plays) and Jesus Christ Superstar (Lyric Opera Chicago). Scott studied theater at Texas Tech University and continues to perform across Chicagoland at such intimate venues as Davenport’s Piano Bar and Skokie Theatre. Scott has three National Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on the national children’s television show Green Screen Adventures and one Non-Equity Jeff Award for Buyer & Cellar.
Plus, MeTV fans will recognize BILL LEFF, who joins the Svengoolie cast of characters as Nostalgiaferatoo, an 800 year-old vampire, but to be honest, he doesn’t look a day over 760. He chalks it all up to counting carbs, and clean livin’. Leff is a pop-culture and classic TV fanatic who studied improvisation at Chicago’s Second City Theater, performed stand-up comedy nationwide in clubs and on national TV, and is a popular Chicago radio personality. Bill is host of MeTV’s weekday morning show, Toon In With Me, which features live-action comedy segments wrapped around classic animated shorts featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Road Runner, along with cartoon shorts featuring Tom & Jerry, Popeye and Woody Woodpecker.
MeTV has you covered this Halloween weekend as ‘Svengoolie’s Halloween BOOnanza’ closes out with fan favorite Kolchak: Night Strangler and the cult classic Trilogy of Terror on Saturday night’s ‘Svengoolie’s Halloween BOOnanza Double Feature’ followed by a “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” late-night marathon, plus marathons of spooky episodes of classic TV series on Sunday and Tuesday. Check out the full MeTV lineup and Halloween BOOnanza schedule.
