Interviews - Entertainment

I remember sitting in the woodchip pile, watching the smug fifth-graders from my isolated corner of the recess world. Who did they think they were? With their unnervingly joyous squeals, frolicking about the monkey bar dome. Playground Law prohibited the inclusion of bowl-cutted chubsters in conventional recess matters. Even the Special Ed/ESL kids glared at me with disdain from atop their fancy repurposed scrap heap. Segregation. I wished Jason Voorhees would've picked them up on his way to hell. Unlike my social life, my imagination grew exponentially in those days. I was a horror geek, and I didn't know his name was Tom Savini, but I knew I had at least one friend.
 
Tom Savini is the brains behind the butchery in classic zombie/slasher films Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and many others. The "King of Splatter" (thanks Simpsons' Comic Book Guy - I'll get to that later) graced Palatine's Harper College auditorium, giving fans and unfamiliar faces a reason to appreciate the very real blood sweat and tears that transform into their cinematic likeness.
 
Savini introduced his ‘Special Make-Up Effects Program;' inviting students on a sixteen-month journey into the study and real world application of techniques used in the show design business [for more information log onto: http://www.douglas-school.com/savinisite], discussed the evolution of his craft, gave aspiring filmmakers advice on how to achieve success in a cutthroat industry, and offered a candid look into the extraordinary life of a misunderstood genius.
 
Before he ever staged a decapitation or strapped on a spring-released pistol belt - the "dick gun" in From Dusk Till Dawn -  he took pictures in a land far more horrific than any he would later decorate. He was a soldier/photographer in the Vietnam War. Documenting gruesome executions of his fellow men took an immense toll on Savini's psyche. Savini said he used the camera as a shield; metaphysically separating himself from the atrocities he was witnessing. The camera captured the loss of human life on one angle, and released Savini's anxiety through the other.
 
From a young age Savini grew obsessed with Lon "Man of a Thousand Faces" Chaney. Chaney was a Golden Era actor who portrayed some of the most diverse characters of 20th century cinema. Chaney was famous for his roles in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Phantom of the Opera.  Despite his penchant for rigging and exploding artificial organs, Savini does not underestimate the power of suggestion. "The old horror movies were the best because instead of showing the gore, you see a door shutting and you hear a sound. What you imagine is worse than what I create." said Savini. Reflecting on his inspiration Savini exclaimed: "After I saw Chaney with all these different faces, I thought, ‘wow, I have to do that!'... that's what happens to people, they become what they think about all day." Undoubtedly Savini's wartime experience (1969-72) and fascination with make-up effects merged together in development of his surreal work.
 
Among the most fascinating and humorous stories Savini told was one of how his bootstraps would be saved by two webbed feet. While on guard duty Savini's sleep was interrupted by the ignition of a flare, an indication of Viet Cong encroachment. Compulsively he opened fire. Naturally the other infantrymen unleashed a barrage in the direction Savini had begun shooting. Savini soon realized he had been aiming at a duck. Once the smoke settled, one of Savini's superiors had arrived to investigate the matter. Savini explained his reason for discharging his weapon. The general asked what caused the disruption, and Savini explained the duck situation. Angrily, the general responded "Well did you get em' at least?" Savini replied, "No sir, he got away." Due to his lapse of judgment, Savini was taken off his post until the next evening. Somewhere between that night and the next, Savini's former bunker was attacked and numerous soldiers lost their lives. Savini has since secured himself another label; "duck slayer" and refuses to eat duck to this day.
 
 
Before the end of the night, Savini sat down and patiently fielded questions from the audience. The following are excerpts from his Q and A session...
 
 
Q: Of all the characters that you've created, which is your favorite?
 
TS: To answer that is like picking a favorite child. You know there was Jason, Freddy, Fluffy from Creepshow... I love them all. They're my children. I can't choose a favorite.
 
Q: Why do you think people like horror films?
 
TS: "Let me ask you: why do you like go to the amusement park? Do you pay to get strapped into a machine and have no control? It's all about the thrill... It's exhilarating. [on his own work] I know what you're looking for, so I purposely misguide you."
 
 
Q: How was working on The Simpsons? [Episode 209: "Worst Episode Ever." Savini as himself]
 
TS: "It was a blast! They sit you down in this conference room, and they give you whatever you want. You can bring your relatives. Then you read over your lines with the cast members. That's how they decide which jokes to keep, and which ones to take out. It was so much fun listening to Dan Castellaneta do Homer's voice, Bart's [Nancy Cartwright]. I had to leave the room quite a few times, from laughing too hard ... and they treat you like a king!"
 
Q: You had a pretty big part in From Dusk Till Dawn, [Savini played a vampire fighting biker-turned-vampire named ‘Sex Machine' in the 1996 Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodiguez film] what was acting in it like?
 
TS: "I remember thinking ‘I'm going to act! How am I going to do this?' I got stage fright... but I found a way to eliminate it. I changed my mindset. Instead of thinking that way, I started thinking ‘I can't wait to see what comes out of me!'"
 
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers?
 
TS: "Build a portfolio! You gotta be able to show what you do."
 
 
Savini granted loyal enthusiasts a rare opportunity to meet their masochistic messiah. Fanatics from near and far gathered in a single file line; nerdstalgia in hand. Thanks to Tom Savini my now signed Dawn of the Dead poster hangs proudly on my apartment wall, like a fellow weirdo keeping me company on the playground.

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