This is the origin story of Paul Thomas Anderson. A prequel so to speak. The story of his father, Ernie Anderson. Or as he was better known, the great and ghastly, the drunk and baffling, Ghoulardi.
A local TV presenter in Cleveland, he achieved notoriety and cult status, hosting late night horror movies in the bizarre pioneering years of American television. At the peak of his powers, he had an inspiring effect on the youth of Cleveland, with the city’s police department attributing a 35% drop in juvenile crime to his show.
The Ghoulardifest, an annual three-day festival, takes place every Halloween in Cleveland, Ohio. Go there if you get the chance. There’s a pizza contest that’s yours to win. That’s if you get past the preliminaries.
This documentary’s for the super-nerds into their historic, uber-niche, American underground counter-cultures. Or for those just curious to see what Paul Thomas Anderson’s dad was like.
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