The hellish origins of Puerto Rico’s 1st Horror hostess, Melevill (P1).

(Part 1: The Discovery)

When Television became popular in Puerto Rico during the mid-50s, horror fiction was almost a taboo subject among most viewers.

And even when it slowly began to be accepted by the general public during the mid-60s, it was still considered a lower form of entertainment. This was primarily due to the strong influence of religious groups, which held significant sway over Puerto Rican consciousness, and the disapproval from parental and authority figures.

Religious groups like Roman Catholics, which are the dominant religion in the Island, even outright suggested that all forms of Horror fiction should be banned from Puerto Rican shores. An interesting fact indeed, since Catholicism has an intense, morbid, and horrifying history, enough to fill endless seasons of a Game of Thrones/ Witchfinder General type show.

During the same period in the U.S., a new form of horror entertainer was emerging: the horror host. This trend was spearheaded by the original Queen of the macabre and mistress of the dark: Vampira, who paved the way for future horror hosts.

The Vampira Show ran for 1 season, from 1954 to 1955. But it left an incredible mark on horror history. One that has often been poorly imitated by merchandise-driven entities and other misguided individuals who never understood what Vampira really represented, or what Maila Nurmi (the creator and portrayer of Vampira) was really doing with her character. Vampira was a way for Maila to satirize the uptight and intolerant 1950s society.

Vampira was not just sexy, she was a symbol of rebellion. She was always in control, portraying what a strong, sensual woman could be like. Her material didn’t rely on “boob” jokes every 3 seconds, or make her look like she was a disposable sex doll. On the contrary, Vampira, the character, was like a dominatrix, defying all authority while being creepy and spooky at the same time.

Vampira was a villain, a monster, but the cool kind that you would want to hang out with sometimes.

These are crucial aspects of her character that were lost in translation somewhere, leaving us with a plethora of diluted versions of what Vampira truly represented.

Fast forward to 2017, to the south of Puerto Rico, where a young Puerto Rican woman named Melanie Ramos is listening to a classic punk song called “Vampira” by the Misfits : “Two inch nails – Micro waist –

With a pale white feline face

Inclination eyebrows to there

Mistress to the horror kid,” (Lyrics by Glen Danzig).

The concept of a horror host is a foreign one to most Puerto Rican kids who grew up in the late 90s and the 2000s.

So, Vampira, “the horror hostess,” was not well known in P.R.

But that excellent Misfits song would send Melanie into a world of classic black-and-white monsters, independent cross-dressing filmmakers, and the thrilling discovery of Tim Burton’s greatest film: Ed Wood.

(To be continued on Part 2: Searching for Puerto Rican Horror hosts.)