H.R. Bloodengutz

**H.R. Bloodengutz** formerly known as **Lawrence "Larry" Kurtzberg** is a popular character from *Halloween Horror Nights*.

## History

### Background

#### Origins

Lawrence "Larry" Kurtzberg was born in the early half of the 20th century. At age 17, he began acting during the 1930s in the musical comedy *Babes in Arms* at the Shubert Theatre of New York City. Kurtzberg became a broadway actor before struggling to find work and working at his uncle's taxidermy shop.

During the 1970s, Kurtzberg was contacted a woman named Moyra, claiming to represent one Mr. Feld at *Audit Management Associates* casting the, "*WKNB Midnight Horror Show*" of WKNB Station in Carey, Ohio. Moyra offered Kurtzberg the show's master-of-ceremonies/host role of *H.R. Bloodengutz* on the *WKNB Midnight Horror Show* assuming he stop working at his uncle's taxidermist shop otherwise the agency would drop him completely. Unknown to Larry, Moyra was actually the supernatural temptress Lady Luck, who offers games of chance to mortals so that she can turn the victims into her "Spade Minions".

Kurtzberg accepted the role and moved to Carey, leading to the Midnight Horror Show becoming a popular horror variety show.

#### Holidays of Horror

Over time, Larry became insane and obsessed with the role while demanding to be referred to as H.R. Bloodengutz while not being filmed. Films which seemed to have been shown by Bloodengutz included: *Midnight Snack 2,* and *Meetz Meats*. A year after Larry lost his mind, the show's ratings began to dip as a result of Larry making to program too disturbing, with advertisers more hesitant to sponsor the show. Producer John Reynolds sent a letter to Larry, informing him that the producers were planning on cancelling the show.

Because of this, Kurtzberg snapped and kidnapped the producers to torture on a final live broadcast of his show. Bloodengutz's crimes were themed around different American Holidays on his "Holidays of Horror" broadcast, tied into different campy horror films which he showed on his program. Amongst these films were: *VD 2: The Recurrence* (Valentine's Day), *Uncle Sam Wants YOU* (Independence Day), *The Feaster Bunny* (Easter), *Arbor Day:* "When the Boughs Break, Your Limbs Will Fall...Off (Arbor Day), *Get Lucked* ( St. Patrick's Day), *Dead Presidents Day 2: The Re-Election* (Presidents Day), *Thanks-Killing* (American Thanksgiving), and *Ho Ho Homicide* (Christmas).

Throughout this broadcast, Bloodengutz continuously tortured station-manager John Reynolds during segments tying into these holidays: stabbing him with a cupid arrow, jamming a lit M80 firecracker into his ear, stabbing his eye with a quill pen, painting his face with egg dye, giving him a poison ivy rash then scratching his face with a rake, clubbing him with a shillelagh, stabbing his hand with a carving knife, stapling his head with tinsel before electrocuting him with Christmas lights, and finally slitting his throat during sign-off. By the time the police arrived, the only survivor was John Reynolds who later died of his injuries in the hospital. Lawrence Kurtzberg was sent to prison for life with no regrets over his actions.

#### Later history

A document from 1998 revealed H.R. Bloodengutz to be the closest living relative of an inmate of the *Shadybrook Rest Home & Sanatorium* originating from Carey and who believed in practices connected to "Halloween Horror Nights".

## Appearances

### Halloween Horror Nights

#### Halloween Horror Nights 21

H.R. Bloodengutz was tied to the backstory of event icon, Lady Luck and appeared in her games leading up to Halloween Horror Nights.

##### H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: Holidays of Horror

Bloodengutz originates from this haunted house in-which he was the main-antagonist.

#### Halloween Horror Nights 22

Bloodengutz was identified as a member of the Morphans Legion.

#### Halloween Horror Nights 30

##### Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store

A 1998 document from Shadybrook Sanatorium identified H.R. Bloodengutz as the closest relative to the inmate central to this tribute store.

##### Welcome to SCarey: Horror in the Heartland

H.R. Bloodengutz reprised his role from Holidays of Horror in this haunted house.

## Trivia

* H.R. Bloodengutz is a relatively minor Halloween Horror Nights character who developed substantial popularity within Universal Studios/HHN circles. The TV Tropes page on Halloween Horror Nights characters identifies him as an *Ensemble Dark Horse* for this reason.
* Given how Larry was 17 in the 1930s, he would have to have been born at some point between 1913 and 1922.
* The name of Bloodengutz may be a play on real-life children's TV character *H.R. Pufnstuf*.
* The movie "Thanks-Killing" shares its name with the 2009 slasher-comedy *Thankskilling*. The movie's title was later muted when Bloodengutz mentioned it, presumably for this reason.
* The identity of the 2021 Tribute Store's Shadybrook patient of whom Bloodengutz is apparently related to is still unknown.
	+ One theory is that its a character who has yet to be met/truly introduced.
	+ Another speculation is that he may be "The Asylum Patient", the unofficial icon of *Halloween Horror Nights XIV* who was a perpetually terrified insane-asylum patient of unknown identity.
* In Welcome to *SCarey: Horror in the Heartland*, various advertisements for *Meetz Meats* appeared along with a poster for a Universal film called "Meats Meetz". This references the story of the haunted house *Leave it to Cleaver* which was also set in Carey, Ohio.

## External links

* *H.R. Bloodengutz on the Halloween Horror Nights wiki.*