TV’s Newest Horror Host Stan the Mechanic

Parrlime Productions, in conjunction with Here TV, is proud to present Stan the Mechanic, TV’s newest horror host who is set to haunt the airwaves just in time for Halloween.

Chosen by Satan himself, Stan the Mechanic was created by actor, writer, and comedian John A. Hernandez. A proud New Yorker of Puerto Rican/Italian heritage, Hernandez is an out-and-proud, gay man who identifies as a member of the bear community. With Stan the Mechanic, he hopes to give visibility to the LGBTQ community and people of size in the horror genre. A long-time horror fan, Hernandez is thrilled to bring Stan the Mechanic to a global audience.

Stan the Mechanic will make his debut on Here TV on Halloween night. According to Executive Producer Richard Jones, “When we pitched the idea of a new ‘bear’ horror host to Here TV last year, we really didn’t know what they would say. They took about a nanosecond to say yes, and that the idea was thrilling.

“The exciting journey of bringing Stan the Mechanic to life began. John A. Hernandez has worked tirelessly to create a fun, yet different horror host and represent the elements that make him the only bear, Latino horror host out there.”

OUT FRONT had the chance to talk more with Hernandez about what we can expect from Stan the Mechanic, how this character will bring visibility, and some of his favorite Halloween memories and queer horror films.  Hello! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me. How are you doing during these unprecedented times?
It has been an adjustment for sure. Like a lot of other people, I lost my day job, but on the plus side, that gave me a lot of time to focus on the show and do a lot of writing. So, that’s been great, but otherwise, it has been crazy. Although, I can’t complain. I’m not sick. My mom did come down with COVID, but she is doing a lot better. It has been stressful.

At least she is doing better, and you are staying well! Now, you are playing the internet’s newest horror host, Stan the Mechanic. Can you tell us more about this character, and what can audiences expect?
Yes, of course. Stan the Mechanic is the one and only satanic mechanic commissioned by Satan himself to perpetuate mayhem and mischief against mankind using their automobiles. The reasoning behind that is that everybody needs to be in an automobile at one time or another, so it is an easy way to get at them.

He runs a workshop in Brooklyn, New York with a revolving cast of playthings which are consorts of the devil that he sends to Stan’s shop to work off some punishment. As time goes on, I will also be featuring all different ethnicities and body types. The goal of the show is to very inclusive and welcome everybody.

At the workshop, we take care of cars for the supernatural community, and during our downtime, we watch some horror movies with our friends. That is kind of the premise of the character.

Stan the Mechanic will make his debut on Halloween night on Here TV. Will this be a one night-only-event or a continuing series?
Because of COVID, our production schedule got pretty messed up, but we did want to fast-track the first episode, which will be catered around the movie Hellbent, which takes place on Halloween, so we wanted to fast-track for a Halloween release this year. There will be more episodes coming probably towards the end of November. We just couldn’t get all the post-production done in time, but we wanted to hit this landmark for Halloween.

Is Stan the Mechanic a character you created?
I created him. I am the writer and creator, so I a leg up on the competition with being cast for the role [laughs].

Related Article: The Boulet Brothers’ “Creatures of the Night” Podcast

What do you hope audiences take away from Stan the Mechanic?
I just want everybody to have a good time. This has been such a tough year for everybody in so many ways; we just need to sit back and have a good laugh. Me and myself, I represent a lot of diversity because I am a gay man and a large, gay man. You do not see people who look like me often on the television screen. So, I kind of want to bring that angle to it with body positivity, promoting acceptance, and seeing people with large bodies in the spotlight.

I am also Puerto Rican, so, it’s like, I’m a person of color; I’m gay; I’m big. I want to celebrate all that within the genre that hasn’t always been fair to marginalized communities. This is a way to show the growth of the horror genre as a whole.

To celebrate that, I want people to come and have a good time, recognize the diversity in the show, and have a few laughs. Horror hosts are usually geared towards a younger audience, but Stan is definitely written towards adults. Whereas there is a lot of innuendo and fun, he will cross the line and curse a bit. There is adult content and adult language, but it is in all good fun. When there happens to be like a socially conscious topic that comes up in the horror movies, it is a way to have a larger conversation and be more socially aware.

I never realized the horror genre doesn’t have a lot of diversity. It is nice to see that you want to bring all those elements together.
One hundred percent. I am thrilled to be doing this, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit concerned how people are going to react to the way I look, and that really just speaks to the fact that there really was nobody that looked like me in the movies that I love. It is exciting and scary, but I think the world is ready. I think people are going to like Stan.

Have you always had a passion for acting and writing?
Writing, yes. Acting, I used to do some in high school and college, then I kind of fell away from that in my adult career. I worked in the garment industry for about 15 years, but writing was always a constant. I have been writing a while for Bear World Magazine doing horror reviews, and before that, I would write some experiential columns. It is nice to get back to acting because it is an old love of mine. So, it has been great.

Why do you think Halloween resonates so well with the LGBTQ community?
I think it is a time for us to let loose. I think in a larger way, the LGBTQ community kind of identifies with monsters. Growing up, I feel like we are told that who we are is wrong and we have to keep that hidden. So, a lot of gay people I know, myself as well, used to identify primarily like the vampires who have to hide who they are and stick to the shadows.

I think that carries over into our love of Halloween because that is the day that you can be anything you want to be, and nobody can say anything about it. I think it taps into those deeper childhood issues that us LGBTQ folks have.What is your favorite Halloween memory?
Oh, boy. I would have to say, it’s random, and it’s not even that big of a deal, but my favorite Halloween memory is when I was 8 to 9 years old, and my dad took me and my brother trick-or-treating ridiculously late into the night. It was 9 or 10 p.m., and there was a deluge. It was a huge storm, so we were soaking wet, but we were just having so much fun with it. Just having such a good time hanging out with dad, and it was one thing that we all really connected on. So, that is my favorite Halloween memory. Simple, but I think about it all the time.

What is your favorite queer horror film?
Hmm, there is a few of them. This isn’t about plugging the show, but I would say even before going into this, the first movie I am hosting is Hellbent, and that was always my favorite queer horror movie. I think what I like so much about that one is that the characters are just gay. Them being gay has no effect on the plot, and I love that because it really normalized it. So, that is a great one. I also recently saw one called Death Drop Gorgeous, which is doing the film festival circuit right now. That one is a great one for people to check out. I mean, it’s a slasher movie with drag queens. You cannot go wrong there!

Why do you think it is common for the LGBTQ person to be one of the first people killed off in a slasher film?
That is a good question. I think because historically, those characters were viewed as disposable, unfortunately. Much like gay people in general were viewed as disposable. Either we are killed off right away, or sometimes, they would be the villain. There was never any real positive representation there for us gay folk in horror movies, but that is changing. There is definitely a lot more queer horror coming out, and Stan is definitely riding that wave. I think there is brighter future in that respect.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects you would like to mention or plug?
Yes. Like I said, we are doing this initial run with Here TV premiering on Halloween. It will be available on the streaming app and also on their website. After we complete our run with Here TV, we are also filming a few episodes for the Stan the Mechanic Roku TV channel. There will be more details to come, so it is going to be, like, a rolling premiere of stuff into early 2021.

We understand these are tough times right now, and Here TV is a paid membership. I also wanted to share Stan with everybody, so Roku, of course will be free, but we will be doing the Here TV episodes first. I just wanted everyone to know that is coming, too. I will also continue to write my column for Bear World Magazine where I will talk about my horror recommendations and any other pertinent issues coming up in the horror genre.

To stay-up-to-date with Stan the Mechanic, follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or visit his official website.

Photos by Catalin Stelian

Photos Courtesy of Catalin Stelian