There are few horror hosts operating today that can boast the mettle and determination of Virginia’s Karlos Borloff with regard to costume and prop creation. A life long fan of movie monsters (particularly the Japanese variety), Karlos began making masks in the 1970’s – when he was just 12 years old! “I used to shoot my own Super 8 Monster Movies and fight scenes,” says Karlos. “I was obsessed with rubber masks.”
So we all have our favorite movies and we all have our personal reasons as to why they are our favorites. We all also have movies that we can just watch over and over again, never tiring of them. That is what this list is all about. What is interesting about this list, is that some of my all time favorite films do not even fall on it. Even though a movie may be a favorite of mine, it doesn’t mean that I can watch it repeatedly and still enjoy it as much as I did the first time I watched…this aspect is actually rare in a film for me. As much as I love DAWN OF THE DEAD (1979), THE FOG (1980), THE THING (1982) and HALLOWEEN (1978), I cannot watch these movies repeatedly and usually limit them to one viewing a year. This list comprises those movies that I watch multiple times a year, sometimes more than once a month…they are THAT good to me! I have listed them in alphabetical order since I do not necessarily prefer one over another.
Upon hearing the news that the latest issue of SCARY MONSTERS MAGAZINE had hit the stands, I immediately headed to my nearest “Borders” bookstore. This is a magazine I have loved since its early years and the latest issue was very special to me. Back in May I had submitted a fan piece and interview on Michigan horror host, Wolfman Mac & The Chiller Drive-in. Now the story would finally see print along with an article I had written for Chicago artist, Jeff Carlson. Jeff, as you may recall, created an amazing replica of the famous medallion worn by Bela Lugosi during the original Universal classic, DRACULA! To revisit the blog piece we did on Jeff, please click HERE and then go get a much more in depth description on the piece and ways you can get your own in the newest issue of SCARY MONSTERS!
So here I am in Rhode Island going through our first blizzard of the winter. The storm, which dumped 15+ inches of snow and sleet, could have been a lot worse. In addition to having 50+ mile an hour winds, it is also bitterly cold. Flights are cancelled and workplaces are shut down. With the high winds and heavy snows, many branches came down and on a personal level, my greenhouse collapsed from the weight of the snow and ice. Through it all though, I am thankful that we didn’t lose power, phones or heat and the storm hit the day after Christmas. One thing I try to do now is find the positive in any given situation which is why I am not complaining, even though it has started snowing again. After discussing this with my co-blogger he suggested a piece on horror movies that take place in similar situations that I am going through now. After thinking about it I realized that there are quite a few movies out there that take place during snowy, winter conditions. This list is not intended to be complete in any way…these are the films that came to mind quickly and they are listed alphabetically since, in my opinion, they stand on their own and this list is not meant to compare one to the other.
I have always been a fan of not only monsters but of Halloween. It was only natural for me that in 1985 I combined both loves into a small yard haunt. Each year the display got larger and it eventually got to a point where I had more than 30 people volunteering their time to make sure my haunted yard (known as FRIGHT NIGHT since it was only open on Halloween night) went off without a hitch. It was at this time, in 1989, that I met James Lurgio, another resident of Jamestown, Rhode Island. Unbeknownst to me he was also a fan of monsters and Halloween and after one of my shows he called me and I invited him over to see my collection of masks, props and costumes. We have been friends ever since.
This Saturday’s Svengoolie is sure to be a special event here in Chicago. Not only does it mark an all new episode of Sven (after weeks of summer re-runs) but also an airing of one of my favorite monster movies – PUMPKINHEAD.
