My masks in THE STRANGERS!
Current mood: satisfied
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Working on movies can be an isolated experience sometimes. Such was definitely the case on THE STRANGERS, which I got a call for well over a year ago. I was asked to make two of the three masks worn by the killers who stalk Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman in the film. I never had the opportunity to read the script. I never met the director or any of the cast, since the movie was being shot on the other side of the country. I only dealt with the production manager over the phone, who provided me with a number of well-rendered designs that I had to turn into practical masks.

It was determined that the male character would wear a crude, home-made disguise so I did the ones worn by the "Pinup Girl" (Laura Margolis) and "Dollface" (model Gemma Ward). They wanted them to look like the cheap plastic face masks sold in stores at Halloween. Of course, those are made of brittle styrene and would not survive the rigors of a lengthy shooting schedule. I sculpted each character personally, then had my crew mold them to generate stone positives. These became "bucks" from which the masks were vacuum-formed in sturdy ABS plastic. Over a half dozen of each design were made, trimmed, and finished by hand. The final touch was hiring my old friend Mick from Movieart to paint them. A master artist, he duplicated every one down to the tiniest eyelash!

The finished pieces were shipped to location and the project became just one of many for me and my company Total Fabrication. It wasn't until I started seeing photos and trailers for the film online last year.



THE STRANGERS is currently playing in theatres and is getting good reviews. It is truly exciting to have played a role (albeit a small one) in what will hopefully be a well-regarded horror film.



If you want to read more about the film, read what my friend Gary Wood has to say about it here:

http://www.american-vulture.com/strangers.html

5:04 PM - 16 Comments - 26 Kudos - Add Comment

New JESSICKA RABID poster
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

I just completed and posted my poster design for JESSICKA RABID, the highly anticipated film from actress/producer Elske McCain. What do you think?

9:10 AM - 17 Comments - 23 Kudos - Add Comment

Saturday Afternoon on SAVAGE STREETS
Current mood: pleased
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

It had been "in the wind" for some time before I got the call from my filmmaker friend David DeCoteau inviting me to sit in on the audio commentary for SAVAGE STREETS.

For those of you unfamiliar with this 1984 exploitation gem, Linda Blair stars as the tough-as-nails streetwise high school student. After she and her friends piss off a gang of drug-dealing bad-asses, they rape her deaf mute teen sister (played by future scream queen Linnea Quigley) and throw her best friend off a bridge. This pushes Linda too far so, decked out in a spandex jumpsuit, high heels, and lip gloss, she purchases a crossbow, some bear traps, and goes on a rampage of revenge.

David, Eric Spudic, and myself got to question veteran producer John Strong and actors Robert Dryer (Jake) and Johnny Venocur (Vince) about their memories of making this thoroughly entertaining film.



Look for the DVD release soon. My thanks to Walt and Bill Olsen of Code Red, Cliff McMillan at BCI, and Lee Christian for the photo.

11:11 AM - 4 Comments - 7 Kudos - Add Comment

I’ve been nominated for an Emmy... really!
Current mood: surprised
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

The last thing I was expecting was to learn I have personally been nominated for an Emmy! My brother, Cleve, and I are both named as part of the team up for Outstanding Achievement for Costume Designing/Styling for the Nickelodeon kids show YO GABBA GABBA.

Most of you know me here as an independent producer, director, writer, and (sometimes) actor. I also work in another side of the industry. For over twelve years, I have owned and operated Total Fabrication, a specialty costume company in North Hollywood. While we have done monsters and makeup effects for films, we do more light-hearted, goofy things, like Mooby the Golden Calf for JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK and villains for past seasons of the Power Rangers.

YO GABBA GABBA was co-created by Christian Jacobs, founder of the musical group The Aquabats. He have us the task of bringing the crazy characters pictured below to life. (And no, we did not make Elijah Wood.)

5:59 PM - 29 Comments - 41 Kudos - Add Comment

Fangoria 2008 - Part 3 - The Final Chapter
Current mood: exhausted

"The Party That Would Not End"

Okay, it's been a solid week since my last Fangoria blog so I'm sure some of are wondering why there haven't been any updates until now. Those who were there need no explanation. The following will hopefully help the rest to understand.

Thursday, I continued taking my houseguests, Elske McCain and her friend Cici, shopping. After all, they wanted to look their best for the pre-show party, which was being hosted that night by Ryan "Rotten" Turek, managing editor of ShockTilYouDrop.com. When the sun went down, the girls got into their sexy finery. I dressed up a bit too.



The Good Night Bar in North Hollywood was packed with cool people, including fellow filmmakers Mick Garris, James Gunn, Jim Van Bebber, Jeff Burr, Jake West, Dave Parker, etc. I think it was after her second or third martini that Elske took a spin around the "stripper pole" on the dance floor while cameras flashed away. (I missed it.) As the crowd thinned, we headed back to my place where the party continued into the wee hours.

Somehow, we managed to get up the next morning and, after much coffee and a hearty breakfast, we set out for the LA Convention Center, the new home for Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors. While picking up our passes, Sid Haig stopped to say "hello." A few moments later, we ran into RA Mihailoff (Leatherface III) and Lynn Lowry (star of Cronenberg's SHIVERS as well as my recent short NIGHT VISIT). All this was before we even got inside the convention hall!

Elske and I were at the show not only to hang out with industry folk but to promote GIMME SKELTER, Scott Phillips' new film which we both appear in. Scott couldn't make it out but our co-star-turned-distributor Kurly Tlapoyawa had a table there to sell DVDs, which we'd be autographing. Our big star, Gunnar Hansen, had his own table but graciously agreed to come by Saturday morning to sign with us.



My pals Reggie Bannister, his wife Gigi Fast Elk, and band members Scarfo and Miser were at a table next to ours, so it was like a family reunion. For three days, we were all talking to fans, seeing old friends, and, of course, drinking heavily.

The one down side to being behind a table is I saw very few of the panels and previews at the show. I did make it a point to check out the presentation on writer Kenny Yakkel's DEAD AIR, directed by Corbin Bernsen and starring Patricia Talman. Ditto the FEAST II & III panel, headed up by director John Gulager, patriarch and actor Clu Gulager, and the beautiful Diane Goldner. I had to see what my friends have been up to.



At this point, I will fall back on that old adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" and share a few photos from the weekend. Bear in mind this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as celebrities in attendance. It's just the ones who didn't run fast enough.



One of the highlights of the show was a reunion of cast and crew from the original classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, including director George Romero and star Judith ("Barbara") O'Dea. Pictured with me here are the lovely Kyra Schon ("Karen Cooper," the screen's first zombie child) and producer/actor Russel Streiner ("Johnny").



My manager for personal appearances, Aine Leicht, also represents this gentleman – David Naughton, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON himself.



Speaking of zombie films, one of my all-time favorites is RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, and here I am with Dinah Cancer of 45 Grave, who sang "It's Party Time" on the soundtrack.



This is me with actor/producer/bon vivant Chuck Williams, who also stars in my film NIGHT VISIT.



No Fangoria convention would be complete without at least one accordion solo from Count Smokula! (You've never heard the Stones' "Paint It Black" like he does it on the squeeze-box, sung with a Yiddish accent!)



All good things must come to an end, as did the show on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, Elske had a few more days in town so the party did not stop for me. I'm still recovering. ?

1:37 AM - 13 Comments - 17 Kudos - Add Comment

Fangoria 2008 - Part 2
Current mood: excited
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

"Two Girls from Tucson"
or "Why i Haven't Been Blogging Vigilantly"

Tuesday was the day I did all my prep for the weekend. Why? Because Wednesday morning, Elske McCain and her friend Cici were arriving in town. Elske, for all you MySpacers who don't keep up with indie horror, is an up-and-coming scream queen. She co-stars in GIMME SKELTER but, again, we had no scenes together.




I picked these ladies up from the historic Union Station in downtown LA and we had margaritas and Mexican food on Olvera Street. After lunch, we headed into Hollywood as they wanted to pick up a couple of sexy outfits for the show. I took them straight to Playmates on Hollywood Boulevard, were I'd taken people like Linnea Quigley and Ty Randolph is years past to buy the type of clothing that you just couldn't find in your neighborhood department store.

While on the boulevard, I stopped in to see how Eric Caidin of Hollywood Book and Poster was doing after his recent attack. For the full story, go HERE. Fortunately, he'd recovered nicely and will be at the show this weekend.

We also stopped in at Hollywood Toy and Costume, where we ran into fellow filmmaker Tyger Torres. Elske was amazed we accidentally ran into someone we both know in such a big city.

We finally headed back to the valley so the ladies could unpack,unwind, and, of course, have more tequila. The weekend still lays ahead of us and it's important to get our system acclimated.

9:56 AM - 5 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Fangoria 2008 - Part 1
Current mood: satisfied
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

"My Dinner with Leatherface"

The Fangoria Weekend of Horrors seems to happen earlier each year. (I seem to remember it used to be in June.) It' an event I always look forward to, regardless of whether I'm promoting one of my own projects there or not.

This time, I'm actually helping to promote friend Scott Phillips' new movie, GIMME SKELTER. I am an actor in this one (see my previous blogs) so I was happy to be asked to sign DVDs at the show. Scott couldn't make it to the show so Kurly Tlapoyawa, co-star and owner of Burning Paradise (Albuquerque's 1 source for independent video) will be there to sell the movie.

Last week, I was delighted to get an email from Gunnar Hansen, who is also in the film. (Alas, we do not have any scenes together.) It turns out he was coming into town early and wanted to get together.

I've known Gunnar since the 80s when he was out here doing HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS. We met at a gig of Dukey Flyswatter's legendary band, The Haunted Garage. Since then, we've run into each other at various conventions all around the country.



Monday afternoon, he phoned my at my office and I arranged to pick him up at his hotel. When I learned he had been up since 3am, I thought he'd prefer a laid-back evening instead of going to a crowded, noisy restaurant. So, we went back to my place where we I made a tasty dinner (pappardelle with Italian sausage and mushrooms in a sun-dried tomato cream sauce), had a few glasses of wine, and caught up on things.

Since he had been up for twenty hours, we made it an early evening. I dropped him back at his hotel and returned home. After all, it's going to be a crazy week and it was only Monday!

10:50 AM - 6 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Stuart Gordon’s STUCK
Current mood: pleased
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

It was a lazy Sunday and I was recovering from the open bar at Todd Masters' post Halloween party. Long-time friend and filmmaker David DeCoteau rang me with an invitation to a screening of Stuart Gordon's new movie. I had no plans and it sounded like fun.

I was working with Empire Pictures back in the 80s when Stuart had his first success with RE-ANIMATOR. My brother Cleve had worked on the makeup effects team and brought back stories from the set of scenes that sounded so outrageous, I thought he was making them up. He wasn't. Later on, I was a puppeteer on some miniature effects for his second Lovecraft project, FROM BEYOND. After that, I remember touring the sets for ROBOT JOX in Italy while they were still under construction. I never got to know Stuart personally but, the few times I met him over the years, he was always friendly with a good sense of humor.

When we arrived at the theatre in Santa Monica, all we knew was the film's title was STUCK and that it starred Mena Suvari (AMERICAN BEAUTY) and Stephen Rea (THE CRYING GAME). I expected it not to be a horror film in the tradition of his early work but more of a dark drama, like his more recent KING OF THE ANTS or EDMOND. Before the lights went down, I saw he had a tremendous turnout of genre directors Brian Yuzna (BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR), Tim Sullivan (2001 MANIACS), William Butler (FURNACE), Robert Parigi (LOVE OBJECT), Anthony Ferrante (HEADLESS HORSEMAN), Ted Nicolau (SUBSPECIES), Jay Woelfel (GHOST LAKE), Rolfe Kanefsky (NIGHTMARE MAN), along with Full Moon founder Charles Band, Fangoria editor Tony Timpone, and one of my favorite cult actors, Udo Kier. It was great to see Stuart getting that kind of support.

The movie itself is "based on a true story" that introduces a couple of disparate characters who meet in a hit-and-run accident – one the driver, one the victim. The events that follow are both horrifying and hilarious, having everyone squirming in their seats. It's not a horror film but has all the sick, twisted elements fans expect from one masterfully delivered in a way only Stuart Gordon can. It would do an injustice to reveal too much here so suffice it to say, if STUCK appears at your local art house, in your neighborhood video store, or on cable, SEE IT! You'll be glad you did. If for no other reason, it will make you feel a lot better about the day you've had!

10:50 AM - 8 Comments - 12 Kudos - Add Comment

Photos from Shriekfest 2007
Current mood: satisfied
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Yes, my short film NIGHT VISIT had its LA premiere last weekend at Shriekfest. So where is the blog about it?

Well, it's October, which is always an exceedingly busy month for me. For this reason, I have not had the time to write my usual blow-by-blow account of the event for you here. Suffice it to say that Denise Gossett, Todd Beeson, and the entire staff made it a wonderful, if not exhausting, weekend and I got to share the screen at Raleigh Studios with many talented filmmakers. I have posted some photos from the festival on my website for you to view HERE!

8:10 PM - 4 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Vote for me!
Current mood: excited
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

I have been nominated for a 2007 Cult Radio A-Go-Go! "Craggy" Award for Best Indie Film Maker / Artist / Entrepreneur of 2007!

For those of you who don't know what Cult Radio A-Go-Go is, it's an online radio station run by the super-cool father/daughter team of Terry and Tiffany DuFoe. They have had me as a guest several times on their Saturday night show, where they interview horror and cult celebrities.

To vote for me, go to the following link:

http://www.cultradioagogo.com/awards.html

5:41 PM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment