Popular Horror Host Stops Off at Greenbelt's Utopia

DC television personality Richard Dyszel, best known for Count Gore De Vol, visited the Greenbelt Arts Center Oct. 20 to promote a documentary film detailing his life and career. The Utopia Film Festival sponsored the screening.

The film, "Every Other Day is Halloween" was followed by a special appearance by Dyszel’s alter ego, the vampire Count Gore De Vol who was a popular horror host who originally appeared on WDCA (channel 20) from 1973 to 1987.

During those years Count Gore De Vol hosted his own program, Creature Features, which broadcasted various classic and cult horror movies.  The horror host’s task is to present the films to the audience, but Count Gore de Vol added his own flavor and style to the genre. 

“I was the most visible person on Washington television. Kids grew up with me and adults grew old with me,” he said. “I didn’t get any older, but that’s ok.”

Carol Ready attended the screening and said she watched the Count during her high school days.

Dyszel came just in time for Halloween but he takes the holiday off.

“Every other day is Halloween for me,” he said. “That’s how the title came about.”

“Halloween is a time for mortals and the rest of the world to have some fun. I have fun the rest of the year. So I basically sit back, relax and watch everyone else have fun. And then the next day I go back to work,” he added.

Today, you can find the Count on the Internet at countgore.com, which is celebrating its 14th year. The site presents the Creature Features weekly web program, in which the Count hosts horror movies and shorts. Other hosts from around the country also contribute to the program, which changes every Saturday night. Dyszel says that the largest market for horror hosting is on the Internet so he made the move to the web to cater to his fan base.