Filmmaker and performer John Waters is no stranger to ghoulies and ghosties. He was featured in the 2011 Lonely Island video, “The Creep.” He starred as the Groom Reaper in “Til Death Do Us Part” on Court TV and appeared in an episode of “Tales from the Crypt.” He played two different roles in the Chucky franchise. He’s the ultimate fan of horrormeister Vincent Price.“I actually prayed I would wake up and be Vincent Price,” he has been quoted as saying.This Halloween, Waters is underscoring his affection for Price by helping his daughter Victoria and her neighbors cope with a different sort of horror: losing everything in a flood.It turns out that Price’s daughter lives in an area of western North Carolina that suffered extensive flood damage caused by Hurricane Helene, and that’s how Waters got involved.This week he released a video on YouTube in which he asks horror fans for donations to help people seeking to recover from the hurricane, which made landfall on September 26 in northwestern Florida and also battered parts of Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.“Hi, this is John Waters, aka the Duke of Dirt, the Prince of Puke,” the video begins. “I’m reaching out to all the horror fans out there to ask you for your help because the daughter of the King of Horror, the Master of Menace himself, Vincent Price, has asked me for my help.“I’m sure you’ve heard about how Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc, particularly in western North Carolina,” Waters continues. “Vincent’s daughter Victoria lives in the area and watched in fury as insurance companies refused to help people who have lost everything to mud and flood damage. So she has partnered with the Community Foundation in her county to create The Mud & Flood Fund. This will go directly to individuals and small businesses trying to rebuild.”Wearing a black turtleneck and a jacket bearing images of human skulls, Waters tells fans there are two ways for people to help Victoria Price and her neighbors.“You can donate directly and also bid on amazing things she is gathering for an online auction launching October 30,” he says. “I’ll be donating an autographed vintage two-sided Horror Film Festival poster that makes me feel like doing The Creep.”Donations can be made at: bit.ly/HendoWEen.The auction website is: https://givebutter.com/c/mudfloodauctionhendo.Other auction items include: a signed copy of Cassandra Peterson’s autobiography, Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark; a Raven poster signed by Victoria Price and Sara Karloff, the daughter of actor Boris Karloff; a signed painting of Vincent Price by Graham Humphreys and a Rubber Chicken signed by Svengoolie (Rich Koz), a Chicago-based TV personality. In addition, Victoria’s publisher, Dover Press, has donated copies of her book, Living Love, which she will sign and include with each winning auction item.More information is available on the Vincent Price Facebook page; vincentprice.com and @masterofmenace on Instagram.Help for Henderson CountyVincent Price (1911 to 1993) was an American actor known for his work in the horror film genre, mostly portraying villains. His films include “House on Haunted Hill,” “The Tingler,” “House of Wax” and “Theatre of Blood.” He collaborated with director Roger Corman on a series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, including “House of Usher,” “The Haunted Palace,” “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Masque of Red Death.” He appeared in the television series Batman as the villain Egghead and has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures and one for television.His daughter Victoria, 62, lives in Hendersonville, a city of about 15,500 in the Southern Appalachians between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. It’s the county seat of Henderson County, North Carolina, about 25 miles south of Asheville.After her town was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, Victoria collaborated with the Community Foundation of Henderson County to create a fund to assist people there who lost their homes or small businesses due to mud or flooding from that storm and aren’t receiving any compensation from their insurance companies.The Mud & Flood Fund that they created is targeted to assist people in a limited area of western North Carolina. According to its website, it was established to “help residents and small businesses in Henderson County whose homes or small businesses have suffered damage due to mud and/or flooding during Hurricane Helene. It is estimated that only 2 percent of residents possessed flood insurance, making recovery for those community members especially daunting. The Mud & Flood Fund aims to aid individuals, families, and small businesses who might otherwise fall through the cracks in being able to rebuild and come back stronger than ever!” With the funds raised, the website states, the fund will assist homeowners in need through Henderson County Habitat for Humanity programs. In addition, “a portion of the funds raised will be used to boost small businesses, the backbone of the local economy, buoying access to low-interest loans or services from the Chamber of Commerce to help them rebuild and thrive once again,” the website states. Donations are tax deductible, and will appear on receipts as a donation to the Community Foundation of Henderson County.The Mud & Flood Fund is one of several initiatives that residents of Henderson County have launched to “raise awareness, raise funds [and] raise spirits” for residents there. Another is the HendoWEen Hurricane Helene Fundraiser, which features a Thriller Dance Challenge organized with help from Flat Rock Playhouse and Pat’s School of Dance (www.givebutter.com/thrillerdancechallenge).A history of supporting worthy causesWaters, 78, has donated auction items in the past to help causes he supports, including the work of the Provincetown Film Society. The difference in this case is that he’s supporting a specific disaster relief effort rather than the ongoing work of a non-profit organization.Waters ends his video by making one more appeal on behalf of Vincent and Victoria Price.“We know how supportive the horror community is,” he says. “This is a way you can help people experiencing the real horror of losing everything. Come on, monster kids. From beyond the grave, Vincent Price commands you to donate. Do it or die!!!”