Celebrity Interviews

Arch Hall, Jr. – actor, musician, pilot, and author best know for his starring roles in early 1960s sci-fi and horror films, which were all produced by his father, the Western actor Arch Hall, Sr. Hall’s films, including “Eegah” (immortalized by Mystery Science Theatre 3000), feature his musical talents, with Hall on guitar singing with “swamp blues” inflections. Hall later became a pilot, flying both cargo carriers and commercial jets over the course of his career.

Bill Oberst, Jr. – a actor who has appeared in dozens of horror films, television shows, and web series, including “The Devil Within,” “A Haunting in Salem,” and Spike TV’s “1,000 Ways to Die.” He is known by Facebook fans as the cyber-stalker in the wildly popular “Take This Lollipop” application. A veteran stage actor, Oberst toured for 13 years in the first-person recreation of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

Bo Blackburn, Lead Investigator, Myst3ry, Inc. – a Lead Investigator with Myst3ry, Inc., a nonprofit paranormal investigation organization based in the Mid-Atlantic. Their main mission is to assist those who believe they have had a paranormal encounter, including sightings of ghosts, cryptids, and UFOs. The group also manages ghost tours in Winston-Salem, NC, and North Myrtle Beach, SC. Asheville-based amateur investigators can see Myst3ry, Inc. in June 2014 at the GeekOut popular arts convention.

Brinke “Scream Queen” Stevens – an active actress, screenwriter, and producer, with credits in over 100 sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films, including “Haunting Fear” and “Teenage Exorcist.” Stevens is popularly known as the Scream Queen, and was even the subject of her own Jeopardy question. Stevens has studied several foreign languages, and holds a Master of Science in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Carolina Ghostbusters (2014) – The Carolina Ghostbusters keep the Carolinas safe from ghosts, ghouls, spirits, specters, spooks, and the occasional demon. Their team of expert paranormal investigators travel around in their custom built Ectomobile to “bust some heads” and meet with fans at parties, parades, charity events, and other functions. The Ghostbusters and Ecto-1 will be at GeekOut in Asheville this June 6-8.

Chris Behrens, Creator of Doctor X – a North Carolina-based pen and ink artist and comic creator. His Doktor X series is full of all kinds of great things, like ancient gods, assassins, cyborgs, Mexican wrestlers, mysterious energies, super science, time travel, and even zombies.

Chris Hamer – an Atlanta-based artist who creates original art, recycled paintings and sculpture, toys, and comic books. His work has appeared in a long list of group and solo exhibitions. He and his monster mascot Byron have appeared at numerous conventions and festivals, including Dragon Con and FX International in Orlando, FL.

Chris Moore – the owner of We Become Monsters, and creator of the business’s “fugly resin toys for weird people.” (Not to be confused with Chris Moore, SML’s Maniacal Master of Movie Reviews.)

David Lee Fisher, Director of the Nosferatu Film Remix – creator of the 2005 “film remix” The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and coordinator of a Kickstarter campaign to create a companion remix of the 1922 film, Nosferatu. Fisher spoke to SML about his vision, the Kickstarter campaign, and the possibility of a Doug Jones remix trilogy.

Dawn Brown of Monster Shop, Inc. – Dawn Brown has worked on the sets of major motion pictures as a concept artist and set designer, including the Hunger Games trilogy, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, and J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek. Recently, Dawn created her own stop-motion animation studio and is launching a series of web shorts based on the 2012 animation short “House of Monsters.”

Jeff Riggan – a Florida-based artist with over 30 years professional experience in drawing and painting. Riggan has created large-scale murals and sculptures for Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Tijuana Flats restaurants. He periodically appears as a vendor at festivals, providing body painting, performance art, and mask-making tutorials. He is the creator of the Monster Art Studio.

Jeffrey Atencio – better known as the Jaded Viewer, since December 2006, his site has reviewed all manner of films, including horror, cult, grindhouse, gore, splatter, and exploitation films. “The jaded viewer” has been nominated for a number of awards, and his reviews have been featured in film trailers and on DVD covers. Jeffrey also reviews NYC Haunted Houses and runs a Tumblr blog entitled “Who is that hot ad girl?”

Jeffrey Combs – a primarily horror and science fiction actor best known for his performance as Herbert West in the cult classic “Re-Animator.” Including the “Re-Animator” series, Combs has acted in 8 H.P. Lovecraft adaptations. Fans may also recognize him for his recurring roles on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: Voyager,” and “Star Trek: Enterprise.” To date, Combs is credited with over 50 feature film roles, 30 television credits, and several voiceover credits.

John Michaelson – an actor who has appeared in over two dozen film and television projects, including “Wolves of Wall Street” and John Waters’ “Cecil B. Demented.” He has also been seen in a 2-year recurring role on “All My Children.” Michaelson has been nominated several times for his one-act performances.

Joshua Hoffine – a horror photographer concerned with the “imminence and randomness of death.” He stages his photo shoots as elaborately as films. His friends and family act as “actors” and crew, acting out scenes live before his camera. Hoffine’s photos also appear in scream-worthy charms on his Etsy site.

Len Peralta – an internet cartoonist who believes in making art affordable for everyone. He has created his own zombie alphabet font, participated in Rifftrax Live events, and provided the official poster for W00tstock 2009. His art has also been featured in “New Yorker” magazine, and he has worked with many musicians, including Jonathan Coulton and Paul and Storm. In 2010, Peralta started the one-year Geek A Week project, where he drew a trading card for 52 famous and influential “geeks,” including Felicia Day, Wil Wheaton, and Stan Lee.

Dr. M. Doc Geressy, Captain, Carolina Ghostbusters – The Carolina Ghostbusters keep the Carolinas safe from ghosts, ghouls, spirits, specters, spooks, and the occasional demon. Their team of expert paranormal investigators travel around in their custom built Ectomobile to “bust some heads” and meet with fans at parties, parades, charity events, and other functions. M. Doc Geressy is their fearless leader, and was kind enough to represent the group in our interview.

Matt and Lauren Johnson, ZaPow! – own and manage ZaPow! in Asheville, NC. Matt’s background is in video and audio production, while Lauren worked for 10 years as a professional designer and illustrator. ZaPow! is the Southeast’s only gallery and workspace dedicated to illustration, narrative, and pop culture. The studio also offers artists publishing and promotion assistance.

Mike Spatola – a makeup and effects designer with over 30 years of professional experience. His work includes such films as “Terminator 2,” “Stargate,” and “Tales from the Crypt.” Spatola has been recognized for his achievements with 2 Emmy award nominations and 2 CableACE award nominations. His book, “The Monstrous Make-Up Manual” is labeled as the “single most illustrated step-by-step guide on monster make-up … ever!”

Miss Cakehead – heads up Eat Your Heart Out, a UK collective of deliciously devious food artists. Though she does not herself bake, she is instrumental in curating cake events, stunts, and PR activity surrounding creepy cakes and petrified petit fours. Her recent work for the launch of Resident Evil 6, called “the Human Butchery,” caught the attention of SML and the Huffington Post, among many other sites.

Monster Art and Clothing, Seattle – an art and accessories shop dedicated to supporting local artists and sustainable goods. Opened by an artist and run by artists, Monster carries a wide range of clothing, art, gifts, and accessories at affordable prices. Their manager, Maxx, was kind enough to tell us a little about the shop and why they have dedicated an entire wall to socks.

R.A. Mihailoff – a lifelong horror lover and longtime horror actor. He is best known for playing the title role in “Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III,” and is more recently recognized for his head-splitting role in “Hatchet II.” Mihailoff recently appeared as a guest at the second annual Mad Monster Party convention in Charlotte, NC. He was kind enough to grant SML an impromptu interview while at his popular autograph table.

Rodney Smith, Founder of Screeners – Rodney Smith spends his time as a photographer, graphic designer, and stage actor in Asheville, NC. He is also the founder of a DeviantArt group, Screeners. Currently he is running the 2012 Epic Movie Poster Contest, a yearly online art competition for movie lovers.

Sean Cain – a filmmaker from Northern California whose work has taken him to Texas and now Los Angeles. Cain manages Velvet Hammer Films with Jim Wright, and together they have created such films as “Silent Night, Zombie Night” and “Breath of Hate.” Cain’s skills and resume have led Fangoria to label him the “Indie Horror Specialist.”

Shing Yin Khor – a privacy manager and monster sculptor living in Los Angeles. In addition to her art, she manages several webcomics and a small press publishing company. Khor has appeared at numerous expos and festivals, including Burning Man, Anime Expo, WonderCon, and Geek Girl Con. Her monsters – made from clay, fabric, paper, and wood – are available online through her website.

Steven P. Unger, Author of “In the Footsteps of Dracula” – a world traveler, accomplished author, and historian of Dracula – both the fictional character and the historical figure on which the legend is based. His book, “In the Footsteps of Dracula,” is a travel guide and photo memoir chronicling the author’s journeys in England and Romania to each spot visited in Bram Stoker’s novel and by the historical Vlad the Impaler. The books was recently ranked 5th in a survey of the World’s Best Romania and Moldova Travel Guides.

Tracey Birdsall – an active actress, producer, and screenwriter. From “Family Ties” and “All My Children” to fighting for Team Humanity in the impending robot apocalypse, Tracey has built an interesting television and film career. She’s going strong into 2016 with a couple sci-fi films: ROGUE WARRIOR: ROBOT FIGHTER, some of which was shot in the same dusty climes as parts of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, and AT THE EDGE OF TIME.

Trevor Denham – an artist and magazine illustrator from Mad Monster Magazine, among several others. He received a BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design, and has created creatures, storyboards, and graphic novels in addition to his signature pen and ink illustrations. The Head Monsters met Denham at the Mad Monster Party in Charlotte, NC earlier this year.

Wallace Krebs – an amputee actor who is quickly building up his IMDb credits. In the past three years, he has appeared twice on the popular TV series The Walking Dead, and on Army Wives and Homeland. Wallace makes his way around film sets, as well, serving as associate producer, production assistant, still photographer, and more on a number of video shorts. Asheville-based zombie fans can see Wallace from June 6-8, 2014 at the GeekOut popular arts convention.

“Welcome to Night Vale” – a community radio podcast for the small, fictional desert town of Night Vale. The podcast is written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, voiced by Cecil Baldwin, and published by Commonplace Books. “Welcome to Night Vale” is currently iTunes’ number one podcast in the U.S., U.K, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and in the top 10 in Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. Joseph Fink was kind enough to answer our questions on behalf of the show.

Zach Green – the producer of Fatal Pictures, a film production company based in Toronto, Canada. Green is a filmmaking jack of all trades, also serving as casting director, production manager, editor, and crew member for the company’s four current, critically acclaimed and award-winning horror short films. SML has previously reviewed “Familiar” (2012) and “Heir” (2015), which is currently touring the festival circuit.