Double Shot of Random Five Questions with Jessica Dwyer and Justin Beahm

Since I have been super busy of late, here is a double shot of Shawnster the Monster's Random Five Questions.

First up is Jessica Dwyer.  To know Jessica is to love Jessica.  She is a raging fangirl with an obsession for Doctor Who, Freddy Krueger, Johnny Depp, Dark Shadows, Shawnster the Monster, and The Walking Dead   Jessica just happens to be a writer for HorrorHound Magazine and http://www.fangirlmag.com  Jessica also co-host Fan Girl Radio every Thursday night.  Check Jessica out on Facebook and Twitter (@JessicaDwyer) If you see Jessica at any of the HorrorHound Weekends, stop and say hi!  She does bite!

Random Five Questions with Jessica Dwyer

1.) How did Fan Girl Radio come about?

Fangirl Radio came from the original Fangirl Magazine Podcast. That came from the webzine and the suggestion by a few people that when you got me talking along with my friends about the stuff we were passionate and knowledgeable abut it was entertaining to listen to. I also love interviewing people and asking them things that normally they don’t get asked.
If you’ve been to Comicon or a convention where there are Q and A’s or ever watched the more mainstream entertainment shows (like Extra for example) the questions can range from those that have been asked a 100 times before to just embarrassing. I like learning things and making our interviews fun and informative.
We have fun on the show and try to have discussions that are also interesting and informative. It’s important to me that people see that women know their stuff as well as the guys. Even though girls in the geek world have come a long way, it’s evident thanks to things like the “Sexy Geek” debate and the “Fake Geek Girl” stuff that’s in the news that we still have a ways to go before we’re considered on the same level of playing field as the men folk.


2.) Who is your favorite doctor from the Doctor Who series?
Without question, Ten. I grew up with Tom Baker and dear Doctor 4. But David Tennant came along in a very dark part of my life and gave me something to look forward to and to take my mind off of what was going on. He was a fan who go to live the dream of portraying a character he’d grown up with. He also took aspects of the previous Doctors and brought them into play and put his own spin on the character. I loved him as the Doctor and to this day I can’t watch The End of Time without crying. I’ve only managed to watch it twice.
Tennant is just an amazing actor and person as well. He loves the younger fans and appreciates the older ones. He does all sorts of things for charity and as I said is big ol’Geek all on his own. I think he’s amazing and will forever be my favorite Doctor.


3.) How did you become involved with Horror Hound?
I got involved with HorrorHound on issue 2 after I reviewed the first issue for Bloody-Disgusting.com I was the websites first fiction reviewer. After I read it and thought “These guys are pretty good.” I asked them if they would be interested in another writer for their magazine. My first interview was in issue 2 (which also happened to be a Shaun of the Dead cover) and was with Greg Nicotero of KNB FX. The rest is history.

4.) Describe your love for Freddy Kruger?

Fairly dark and twisted I suppose. My love of Freddy Krueger started when I was around 12…which if you know the history of the character is really sort of wrong. LOL.
But for whatever reason I gravitated to Freddy Krueger. I think it was the black humor and fantastical ways he took out his victims. The story and the myth and the way Robert Englund just made this character so evilly awesome. He was funny and scary and just great to watch. He embodied this new icon of fear to the hilt.
There’s something sickly seductive about Freddy Krueger. I’m not sure how to describe it. I still think there is something wrong with me when it comes to how much I love Freddy but then again, thanks to the internet, I’ve realized I’m not alone in that love of the crispy critter in the red and green sweater.

5.) What is the craziest thing you have ever seen at any convention?

Oh that’s easy, the Bic’ing that happened at Comicon in Hall H. I was only four rows over when the guy stabbed the man sitting next to him in the eye with a pen. I called it the Bic’ing because the eye gouging just doesn’t flow off the tongue as well. Anyway, Hall H on one of the biggest days ever in the history of Comicon (this is the day they announce the cast of the Avengers in there and Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig are going to be on stage together.) The Bic’ing goes down and we don’t know what is happening because all we see is this crowd of people sort of forming in that row. We thought someone had had a heart attack or something, but no…Twitter is how we find out being 4 rows away.
Stabbing in Hall H is making the rounds on the trending topics and my friends and I are looking at each other in terror. But they’ve snagged the guy and the cops show up AND LOCK DOWN THE ENTIRE HALL. 10,000 people are stuck in a room because the place is a crime scene. They have to delay all the presentations as this all goes down by over an hour. It was freaky.
Turns out the reason the guy did it was because he thought the man was sitting too close to him. In the irony of all ironies the guy who did the assault was wearing the “Harry Potter Criminal #1” t-shirt they’d given out that day.

Next up is Justin Beahm.  

My wife thinks Justin Beahm is cute. Sigh! Anyways, Justin is a writer and filmmaker.  He has written various articles for HorrorHound, Fangoria, and Famous Monsters of Filmland. Justin is also working on a super cool awesome book called "HALLOWEEN: THE COMPLETE AUTHORIZED HISTORY" that will cover about everything you will ever want to know about the Halloween movie series.  For more information check out http://www.officialhalloweenbook.com/
 If that is not enough, Justin also spearheaded the Halloween theatrical release last October and his documentary “YOU CAN’T KILL THE BOOGEYMAN: 35 YEARS OF HALLOWEEN” was shown before the feature presentation of Halloween.  He also loves kittens and sunflowers. Check Justin out on Facebook and Twitter (@justinbeahm)

Random Five Questions with Justin Beahm

1.) What started your love of horror?

I remember seeing Whale's FRANKENSTEIN when I was a kid, which kick started a love affair with monsters. From there, I was always checking out the Crestwood House monster books from the library, which were giving me an education in all things Wolf Man, Blob, King Kong, Dracula, and the rest before I even saw the movies. I started searching for videos of anything monster I could find, and over time that evolved into exploration of horror in general.

My buddies and I were always renting armloads of videos...everything we could get our hands on, which included a lot of horror and exploitation stuff. There is still nothing I won't watch, and in the early days, my curiosity led me down some varied, interesting, sometimes puzzling, always exciting, roads.

2.) How old were you when you first watched Halloween?

I saw HALLOWEEN II first on Halloween night in the fifth grade, so that was my introduction to the world of Haddonfield. It terrified and intrigued me. From there I tracked down the novelization and soundtrack of the original film, which I read and listened to before seeing the film, as weird as that may sound. It was probably in the sixth grade when I saw HALLOWEEN for the first time.

3.) Tell us a little about your upcoming book on the Halloween movie series?

It is a love letter to the fans and the series, with each film getting equal attention. Fully illustrated coffee table book, similar in format to Peter Bracke's 'Crystal Lake Memories' book from a few years ago. Full of interviews, photos, new and original art, and more.

4.) What was your all-time favorite cover of Fangoria?

It is impossible to narrow it down to just one, but here are a few favorites...
Two great classic covers:
#8: Fulci's ZOMBIE
#9 MOTEL HELL
Two recent covers that I love:
#299: BLACK SWAN (elegant simplicity)
#303: John Carpenter cover (nice painting of JC morphing into THE THING)

5.) What is the holy grail of your horror collection?

My collection isn't that huge, but the pride of what I have is a hand made silver WISHMASTER djinn ring made for me by my pal Andrew Divoff. Andrew played the Djinn in the first two WISHMASTER films, and has always been very proud of that character, despite countless other fantastic performances in LOST, and other films and television programs. Pretty cool having that sitting on the desk in my office.


Thanks to Jessica and Justin! Next week Texas Chainsaw Massacre star Teri McMinn!
© 2013 Shawnster the Monster Shawn D Patrick

Five Random Questions with Texas Chainsaw 3D's Dan Yeager

Dan Yeager has been a good friend of Shawnster the Monster for nearly two years.  Dan and I became instant friends over our love of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and silent film.  Dan Yeager was able to accomplished one of his dreams of playing the one and only Leatherface in Lionsgate's Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D that opened number one in theaters back in January.  Besides playing a homicidal misunderstood farm-boy who likes to wear human flesh as a mask, he has a love for classic cars, classic cinema, Waffle House, spending time with his wonderful family and running his business Bad Anger.  Hint hint Dan, I need some shirts in 3X (because I am a tall ol' boy) and some signed TC3D posters if you get my subtle hints.  Dan was nice enough to answer my random five questions.  You never know what this ol' southern boy might ask Dan.

SHAWNSTER THE MONSTER'S RANDOM FIVE QUESTIONS!

1.) What is one silent movie that you recommend that every movie fan should watch once?

Metropolis. It is the pinnacle of pre-sound film making for design and composition. The story is epic as well. For the horror fan in particular, you should see Nosferatu.


2.) If you come back for another Texas Chainsaw 3D sequel, will you make sure to have in your contract that Shawster the Monster and Professor Phil Raley are extras in the movie?

That contract is already written and signed. I'll do what I can, though. Have your agent call me.   

(Author's note: Dan better or I will text him nude pictures of Bea Arthur in the middle of the night! He will not have any memory left on his phone!)


 3.) What is your view on 3D?

3D is a great cinematic tool. It has been, up to now, largely used as a gimmick, but I think it can best be used to enhance the immerse quality of an already compelling story. In TC3D, I think we see one of the first thoughtful uses of it. There were the couple of homages to schlock 3D movies of the past, but it was largely restrained. You still can't break "the 4th wall." I predict we will be watching the local news in 3D within 10 years; maybe within 5.


4.) What other type of characters would you like to portray in the future?

My friend, Kari Kramer (better known to Chainsaw fans as the carnival scene Pig Man) penned a great story about a regular guy who went through a devastating break-up. She seems to think I could play the role, and I'm beginning to believe her. I do enjoy being scary, though.



5.) Who was your celebrity crush when you were growing up?

It changed daily, depending on what was on TV. Ginger, Elly May, Lilly Munster... But the quintessence of crush ability had to be Farrah Fawcett. I'm old.

Bonus question:
What would be more scarier, being forced to live in a cabin in Alaska for a year with Leatherface or legendary TCM fan Allen Titinik?

As far as which one would most likely end in murder, I suspect Allen would take the prize. I get along with Leatherface fairly well at this point. He's not at all annoying and is pretty useful around the cabin.





 Next week checkout author and Halloween (yeah the movie series) Justin Beahm!

 Want to learn more about Dan Yeager, check these links out.

    https://www.facebook.com/officialdanyeager
    https://www.facebook.com/BADanger
    https://www.facebook.com/DanYeagersBrains
    http://www.imdb.me/danyeager
    http://www.danyeager.com
    http://www.sag.org/iactor/DanYeager


© 2013 Shawnster the Monster Shawn D Patrick

Random Five Questions with Sean Clark

Sean Clark is a man of various trades. Sean is one busy man. He is the owner of Convention All-Stars and is a horror journalist with his "Horrors Hallowed Grounds" being featured in HorrorHound Magazine. In 2003, Sean was one of the people involved putting together a very cool horror convention "Halloween Returns to Haddonfield" 25th Anniversary Convention in Pasadena CA and Sean put together the sequel "30 Years of Terror" the Halloween 30th Anniversary Convention once more in Pasadena, CA. Sean was also involved in the making of the excellent documentaries on Scream Factory's awesome releases of Halloween 2 and Halloween 3: Season of the Witch. Sean is also a screenwriter. His first feature film was "The Black Waters of Echo's Pond" starring Robert Patrick, and Danielle Harris. Sean also like long walks in the park on nice sunny warm days in the Spring. Thanks to Sean for taking a timeout to answer Shawnster the Monster's Random Five Questions.

Random Five Questions:
1.) How did you become an agent?

It was sort of by accident. I was involved with conventions and was also friends with a lot of horror celebrities and I booked one of them into a show as a favor because I was tight with the promoter and then after that this same celeb asked if I could get him into other shows and I was thinking that one time was cool but this is sort of turning into a job and that is when the light bulb kind of went on in my head. Then I started my own company. I never did it with the intent for it to blow up like it has into an actual corporation. I was doing it as a way to get into horror cons for free and promote my own things like Horror's Hallowed Grounds on their dime. Then it took over my life.

 2.) How did you become involved in various documentaries about the Halloween series such as "The Nightmare Isn't Over: The Making of Halloween II" and "Stand Alone: The Making of Halloween III" on the Scream Factory releases of "Halloween II and Halloween III: Season of the Witch?

Well I have been involved in the Halloween franchise in one way or another since 1996 when I was known for making Myers masks. I worked on the very first DVD release of Halloween in 1999 with Anchor Bay. Then I put on the Halloween 25th Anniversary convention in 2003. From that we did the documentary Halloween 25 Years of Terror with Anchor Bay and my very first Horror's Hallowed Grounds episode on Halloween was a bonus feature on that DVD. Then I put on the Halloween 30th Anniversary Convention in 2008 and started working in various capacities with Malek Akkad & Trancas International. So when Shout Factory was working on Halloween II & III Jeff Nelson at Shout and Michael Felsher of Red Shirt Pictures got together and decided to get me involved. I'm honored they did.

3.) What is the craziest thing you ever saw at a convention?

I don't know honestly. They all kind of blur together. I guess the craziest thing is the crowds at San Diego Comic Con. That is truly insane.

4.) What would be your holy grail to be added to your collection?

 I guess the go to answer would be Nick Castle's screen used mask from the original Halloween. There were at least 3 used in that film and only one is known to exist and that was the one also used in Halloween II.

 5.) How do you control the women around Norman Reedus?

There is no "controlling" the ladies that go by many names. The Boondock Betties, Reddusmaniacs, Dixon's Vixens and so on. I let security try to control them and just do my best to stay on their good side.

Here are some links to learn more about Sean.
 www.conventionallstars.com
 www.horrorshirts.com
 www.silvershampainnovelties.com

Be on the lookout next week for Dan Yeager from "Texas Chainsaw 3D" answering Shawnster the Monster's Random Five Questions.


© 2013 Shawnster the Monster Shawn D Patrick

Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Going to keep this blog update at least once a week for now on. Here is a review from a longtime ago by me. An old review of Return of the TCM! Thursday, August 14, 2008 Return of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Shawn’s Backyard Drive-In! Have you ever watched a movie and considered it the worst movie of all-time? For me one of those movies is Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre aka The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. The first time I watched it was in the summer of 97. I watched the movie but I was distracted. Believe it or not I wasn't distracted by Drew talking during the movie or by some trailer park Woodlawn girl but by a swarm of locust! You couldn't even hear yourself think. Southern Arkansas summers are miserable but add a swarm of locust plus Drew to the mix than you have a recipe for disaster! Because of the locusts I missed the brilliance of this film! I have to give Joe Bob Briggs some credit. See, I read his review and I thought good old Joe Bob lost his mind. He is the same man that introduces me to Basket Case. I was thinking one of those editors in the Big D was trying to screw him over or drugged his six pack of Big Red Soda but no, it was his review. So, after eleven years, I decide to give it another shot only because of my respect for Joe Bob. This movie is a hidden gem. You see, this movie was made right after Dazed and Confused was filmed in Austin. So Matthew McConnaughey and Renee Zellweger took a taxi right across Austin and made this brilliant masterpiece. Kim Henkel who was the co-writer of the original Chainsaw, directs this movie as a direct sequel to the original. I wished I could have used Saw instead of Chainsaw in the last sentence but too many of you dumb-dumbs would think I would be referring to the movie about the guy with cancer who wears a hog hat that likes to put bear traps on peoples heads. Let's get back on track. Kim Henkel made one of the best all-time drive-in movies. In return Matthew McConnaughey and Renee Zellweger got famous and tried to stop the movie from being released. Ok Matthew and Renee, maybe you two should have tried to stop Edtv and Nurse Betty from being released. The movie takes place on prom night. So the four kiddies have an accident on a backcountry road and they stumble into the Sawyer Family. In turn, Leatherface does his best Liza Minnelli impersonation for Renee because he wants her face to be his new face if you know what I mean. Matthew's character Vilmer Sawyer has this remote control hydraulic gadget on his leg. Hence, Vilmer gets pissed when his batteries for his remote control are not charged. He can crush a human skull with his foot and likes to catch people on fire. Vilmer's brother W.E. Sawyer is continually quoting famous works of literature while he points a shotgun. You also have Rothman, who rides arounds in a limo and he is part of this secret group called the Illuminati. He is like the Ric Flair of the movie since he rides around in a limo. You have a crop duster assassin and a motor home chase as well. So this movie has everything you could possibly want - Girl on a meat hook, great one liners, stuffed people (like a deer head on the wall), Stone Cold Steve Austin's ex-wife playing a cop, three cameos by actors from the original, and pizza. So, you better give this movie another chance. You can connect it to the original but you have to use your noodle. Best drive-in movie of the 90's!


© 2013 Shawnster the Monster Shawn D Patrick

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The only real "Saw" movie!

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the perfect horror movie. The movie has the perfect title. What is not to like about that title? Growing up in southeast-south central Arkansas, I can relate with the nature of the beast. The environment of the movie was a rural nightmare. The heat, humidity, the grime, and the pure hellish mood of the film made it feel like you were right in the thick of it. This horror classic is so realistic! I could actually believe something like this happening. The TCM series has continued under different vices. Part 2 was an over the top sequel filled with black humor and gore with Leatherface falling head over heels in love or just became super horny. The third one had the feel of it being filmed in California but with a damn terrifying Leatherface who seemed to be going through some teenage angst. The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (The Next Generation) had the feel of a good old cheap drive-inn movie with Leatherface discovering his feminine side. The remake in 2003 has Leatherface getting revenge against the outside world with his family egging him on to further their agenda. I will just skip “The Beginning!” Texas Chainsaw Massacre (74) made the peaceful rural countryside into an unsafe place in 1974 and it still has that affect today. I have made countless friends watch the classic. Now they are scared to death to go down an old country gravel road. How awesome is that? Plus it protects all of my fishing spots.
Moving along to Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D, I am looking forward to it. At first, I thought “My Cousin Leatherface” might not be so interesting and made fun of the premise of the movie. When more and more info came out about the project I started to change my tune. It seems like a “saw” (There is only one “Saw” and it’s not that damn movie about that wussy Jigsaw but a movie called Texas Chainsaw Massacre!) movie I have been waiting for years to see. From the first time I watched the movies when I was a kid in the early 80’s, I wanted a story that took place right after the last scene and moved along to the current times. After praying to the drive-inn gods, this has come true. The only concern I have is about the director since I have not liked any of his other movies but I am rooting for the guy. Dan Yeager is a great choice for Leatherface. He has been very friendly to all the fans on Facebook by answering questions and even being nice to fans asking questions that they know Dan can’t answer. Some people have complained that Leatherface will be too old in the new movie. Nonsense! We don’t know the age of Leatherface in 1974. He could have been a really chubby 15 year-old cannibal trying to protect his home. Hell, I was already 6ft 4 at that age. 37 plus 15 for example would make him a mean lean (Have you seen a picture of Dan? Great shape and he plays an older man) 52 year-old Leatherface. 50‘s is the new 40’s. I hope to see many more movies from the series.
In a weird way I could always relate to Ol’ Leatherface. I was raised in the rural south with a messed up family. I lived with my grandparents (my grandfather was nice) and my uncle. To make things worse I ended up having a weird birthmark on my face and later after surgery, a huge scare replaced the birthmark. My grandmother came from a weird family from Drew, County Arkansas. The family was very abusive and not kind to anybody with a twisted idea of Christianity. Weird thing was that they were dirt famers and butchers. My grandmother and my uncle tried to install hate and fear in me of other people. Lock me up in closets all day long and beat me with switches. At one point, they tried to make me grow long hair to try to hide the scar. On top of all these problems, I had a speech problem, was considered very shy and I was a foot taller than most kids my age. Not a great combination and early on I took out my anger on the ones who attempted to torture me until I was around 12 years-old. What was the point of beating up somebody? I was just like them if I turn around and beat the living crap out of them. I am not saying I would not defend myself, because I would but I would not strike in anger any longer. I took a lot of abuse from home and at school. When I was around 14 I was taking care of myself at home since no one was around much and everything change for good. My abusive grandmother was placed in a nursing home, my uncle left the house and my grandfather decided to marry some woman in the county over. My mother was living a quite normal life elsewhere but I was not involved in those plans. Being alone in the old farmhouse set fourth challenges for me. I had to make decisions for myself but life was a lot better. Things at school were better, and I was able to make a bad situation into a good one. I made some dumb decisions but those were basically dumb teenage type stuff. One thing was for sure, I never got into nor did I ever even try drugs. I went to school and graduated. At this moment in my life I am married with a wonderful two year old who I will cherish and love forever. I will always do my best for him and help him with his dreams. I have two college degrees including a Master’s degree and I am in the field of education. I can always relate to Leatherface because of his family. My immediate family was so full of hate but I made the decision not to hate but to enjoy my life. It will be curious to see how Leatherface has changed due to him making his own decisions in the new movie. It looks like he still likes to chase people with chainsaws and maybe put people on meat hooks.
I hope that I can host the panel for Texas Chainsaw Massacre series this next July at a certain convention. I was told I could but I don’t know if they will still let me or maybe going in a different direction. The whole series is a lot of fun so check out it for Halloween if you have not watched it.
PS Thanks to the girl at the old Flick in Pine Bluff Arkansas who let me sneak in to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. You ruled and I really liked your Joan Jett hairdo back in the day.



© 2011-2014 Shawnster the Monster Shawn D Patrick