Morgus Madness 2025
One of New Orleans' most iconic characters has become the basis of one of New Orleans' best annual Halloween parties, Morgus Madness, the annual WYES-TV fundraiser celebrating the life and legacy of the iconic New Orleans horror-host Morgus the Magnificent.
The annual Halloween celebration has garnered a cult following among New Orleans media enthusiasts, which, of course, perfectly mirrors the following for the years of Morgus' mad science experiments from behind the Old City Icehouse. His many devoted academic followers, the "Friends of Science," came out in full-force at the WYES studio party. The event is also just the first leg on a Halloween season, including a new look at the man who brought the local legend to life, Sid Noel.
An Evening with Sid Noel: Recollections of a Mad Scientist is a new documentary special from WYES-TV and the Historic New Orleans Collection that both reminisces on the horror host Morgus while also looking at Sid Noel's creative process. Adapted from a sold-out 2019 stage talk of the same name given by the late creator at the Orpheum Theater, "An Evening with Sid Noel" is both one of the most exhaustive celebrations of horror host culture, while also being a deft rumination on the act of performance. Set to air on Saturday, October 25 at 7 p.m., the event, described by WYES, is as follows:
On Saturday, October 25 at 9 p.m., WYES is once again bringing Dr. Morgus back to local television, with a special twist. This time, viewers will not only see Morgus the Magnificent in all his scientific glory, but also get a rare glimpse behind the scenes to meet his alter ego, Sid Noel. In 2019, Noel appeared in a one-man show at the Orpheum Theater entitled "An Evening with Sid Noel: Recollections of a Mad Scientist." Before a sellout crowd, he shared backstage stories of the creation of Morgus, Chopsley, and Eric. The event was recorded and donated to the Historic New Orleans Collection and now is being aired for the first time on television.
"For the first and only time in my life, I'm going to do a stand-up," Noel said in an interview before the event. "It will be the story behind the story. It will be a biography of two people, Morgus and that clown behind him."
The party at WYES included a wide variety of local catering, along with a costume contest specifically modeled around characters from across the Morgus-verse, accompanied by the music of local band Consortium of Genius. Prominent attendees included the family of Sid Noel, as well as Benny Grunch, the famed bandleader of the Grunch Bunch, who takes particular pride in having acted in Morgus' early New Orleans episodes. These memories are, with WYES's help, in very good hands.
For the full schedule of WYES programming, including "An Evening with Sid Noel" on October 25, see the WYES-TV website.
