MIKE SHUMSKY

To learn more about this week’s COLLECTOR OF THE WEEK, check out this week’s forum thread HERE!

Many members of the The Halloween Mask Association recall picking their respective jaws off of the keyboard when Daniel Horne first posted pictures of his creations on the HMA. Fortunately for those interested in knowing a little something about the artist behind the latex, the HMA had the opportunity ask Daniel a few questions about his mask creations.

Here is a small glimpse into the creative mind behind “The Monster Show”, and the growing collection of masks, dolls, figures, and illustrations offered by Daniel R. Horne.

HMA: You have been an illustrator, sculptor, and doll maker, why did you get in to mask-masking?

DH: I made masks when I was a kid back in the 60’sand 70’s, but it wasn’t until Elliot Brodsky asked me to attend the Maskapalooza here in Cherry Hill last year that I started making them again.

HMA: You have been a mentor over the years to many illustrators that admire your work, and have written on the subject of illustration for aspiring artists, are there any mask-makers/sculptors that have influenced or assisted you?

DH: There are MANY, I guess the first mask maker I met was Jordu Schell and that was a real pleasure. After the Maskapalooza show Jordu asked if we could sculpt in my studio and we did for the next two days, which was a real treat and learning experience for me.

Justin Mabry and Chris Russell have really schooled me in the art of mask making and have kindly answered my thousands of questions on mold-making and paint masks.

Doug Goins, who I met at the HMA Mask Fest last march, has not only become my teacher in all things related to silicone bust making, but has also become a wonderful friend as well.

Dark side Paul, another kind soul and wonderful human being has given me my very first sculpting job for his mask company and we have really hit it off.

Mike Shumsky has given me the confidence to make silicone busts by ordering one from me. And then there is our fearless leader, Eric Austin who has been nothing less than kind and encouraging by giving me an outlet for my art.

But really every one that I have met in the past year has been so kind and constructive and has helped me continue my mask making journey.

HMA: You seem to have a fondness towards the classic Universal monster characters, do you recall when you first became interested in monsters?

DH: It was in 1966, when I saw Frankenstein meets the Wolfman on our TV set; you know the kind, very small screen and that white French stain cabinet that was all the rage back then!

HMA: What is your favorite monster-related character?

DH: Hands down, the Frankenstein monster as portrayed by Boris Karloff

HMA: Are there any classic characters that you have not done that you want to do?

DH: Oh yes! I intend to do all the actors who have
portrayed the Monster and I’m actually working on
the Bride as we speak! I’m also
spreading out from classic horror to do some classic Hollywood stars as well,
like Hattie McDaniels from gone with the wind, the Wizard of Oz characters and
laurel and hardy. I also love Hammer
films so look for some masks to be made of them in the near future.

HMA: Do you have any pet peeves about mask making?

HMA: How does your background as an illustrator influence your sculpting / mask making?

DH: I think my years as a painter has taught me to see subtle forms and values. I never studied sculpture in art school and I actually sculpted my first mask, just last year!

HMA: I understand that it was the Creature of the Black Lagoon that was your first mask sculpture. Over the years you’ve also produced some much acclaimed cover art of the Creature. Why did you choose the creature to be your first mask?

DH: Well I wanted to try sculpting a character that everyone knows and would judge me on. Creech was the last of the classic monsters and just about everyone’s favorite rubber suit monster. He is misunderstood like the Frankenstein Monster. I love feedback and critiques; it is how we as artists learn. I remember at Maskapalooza last year, a fellow artist who I admire came up to me and said, “I hope you don’t get offended but you seem to always have one eye deeper in the face than the other.” That was a great critique! And ever since that I pay more attention to what I am doing.

HMA: If you could have anyone sit for you, for a sculpture or illustration, who would it be?

DH: BORIS KARLOFF hands down! What a wonderful face he had.

HMA: What has been your greatest achievement as an artist to date?

DH: That after 27 years as a freelance artist, I am still able to support my family by making my art.

To learn more about the artistry of Daniel Horne, please visit his website at www.danielhorne.com

Guests include:

KNB EFFECTS

JIM WARREN                                                       

JAMES LURGIO

To learn more about this week’s COLLECTOR OF THE WEEK, check out this week’s forum thread HERE!

We’ll start off with the Grandfather of latex masks, Don Post Studios. This fall, Don Post will be releasing the first ever, officially licensed Leprechaun Halloween mask along with complete costume. Does this new Leprechaun mask hit the mark with screen accuracy? Well of course not, but when was a mass produced offering ever 100% completely screen accurate? Just be happy that you’ll be able to scare the pants off folks this Halloween by ringing their doorbells and asking "WHERE THE H*** IS ME GOLD?!

Let us now move on to our "good friends" at Rubies. This year the folks at Rubies were granted to license to the Universal remake of the classic Wolfman! I hate to be so critical when it comes to any piece of art, but this new remake Wolfman mask looks more like a lawn ornament, rather than the cool Halloween mask that it should have been. Note to Rubies, when you get a hold of such an iconic license, please do it right! This is THE WOLFMAN for crying out loud, not to mention a RICK BAKER WOLFMAN! But I digress. You should be able to find this     Wolfman mask alongside cheap costuming and even Wolfman gloves, at your local Spirit, Spencer Gifts, etc., this fall. Rubies Wolfman mask will run you around $30-$50 depending on where you shop.

Let’s not forget our favorite hockey mask wearing maniac, Jason Vorhees from the Friday the 13th remake. Rubies has added 2 new latex Jason masks to their arsenal this year and I can’t say that I’m overjoyed by what I’m seeing. Does it seem like I’m picking on Rubies here? I really don’t mean to, but I hate to see such wonderful licenses go to companies who don’t care to do the characters any justice at all when it comes to sculpture and final execution. Well anyhoo, you’ll be able to grab the hockey mask wearing Jason, latex mask or the burlap sack version for around $35-$50 each.

He said he would be back, and he always is. The Terminator will indeed be haunting costume shop shelves this fall! I’m not a huge Terminator fan and I haven’t seen enough promo footage from the new film to give my opinion on the new Rubies offerings. Heck, I don’t even know what I’m looking at when I see these photos, but I’ll let you decide for yourself on these fellers. They’ll run you about $25-$50 each this fall.

That’s all for now, but I’m sure there are a few mass produced film masks that I’ve missed for this year. If you know of any that I might have looked over, give us a yell at HMAHEAD@hotmail.com . Also, please understand that I realize that mass produced masks are made with the intention of being worn for Halloween, then forgotten to time in someone’s garage or attic. The HMA appreciates that the bigger mask companies go out of their way to grab the cooler film licenses out there, but with that said, we think there’s still a lot to be desired when it comes to the end product.

Stay Scary,

HMAEA

I want to thank everyone who helped make MASK-FEST ‘09 such a huge success! For those of you who were unable to attend, I’ve put together this short video of the Mask-Fest ‘09 experience!

CLICK LINK BELOW:

MASK-FEST \’09

1. When I first met you years back, you owned a Haunt prop, company called “Ex Mortis”. How did Ex Mortis begin?

I started Ex Mortis after visiting a trade show for Halloween and party stores. After seeing the demand for some quality props I developed a couple of ideas based on a few film props and costumes I had previously made.

2. With all of the films you’ve been working on in recent years, do you still run Ex Mortis?

Ex Mortis is still operating, but due to all of the other stuff I usually have going I haven’t had time to develop any new products for a couple of seasons now.

3. Obviously you’re a fan of all things Halloween and Horror related. Would you say you have a Halloween obsession?

I wouldn’t call it an obsession, but due to Ex Mortis and the year round horror and Halloween store my wife and I operate, I would say its actually taken over my life to a large extent!

4. Here’s a question I’m sure all of our readers would like the answer to. Do you collect masks?

When I was a youngster I was an avid collector and mask fan. I would write letters to mask makers and collect catalogs as well as masks. I was lucky enough to live in the same state as Ed Edmunds of Distortions, who was and is a super nice man that took the time to help me develop my primitive mask making skills – he even sold a mask I had made at his workshop one year in his catalog, which was an amazing thing for me. After becoming a business owner, I appreciate the time he took to help out a geeky kid even more. I have tapered off collecting much of anything these days due to the space and upkeep any type of collection requires, but since rubber masks were such a big deal to me I still have a love for them.

5. I’m not sure a lot of folks know this or not, but you actually own a year round Halloween store in Burbank, called Halloween Town. Tell us a little about Halloween Town and how it began.

My wife and I started Halloween Town after the company she had worked at for years closed it’s doors, which happened to coincide with the creation of Ex Mortis and becoming involved with the Halloween market in general. We thought we could offer something special to it and just decided to give it a try. Ten years later it has continued to grow and thanks to the Internet is visited by people from literally all over the world.

6. Halloween 2 will be the third Rob Zombie feature you’ve worked on. When and how did you become associated with Rob Zombie?

I met Rob through a mutual friend and wound up being his Monster guy for ten years now. He’s a great guy and it’s a pleasure to have a positive working relationship and call him a good friend after all of these years.

7. When you started working on Halloween, did you feel any pressure from fans to get the mask just right?

Most of the pressure I felt was from myself to create something that captured the classic image of the mask yet inject a little of my own style. Aside from Rob’s keen eye, I knew that there was a small army of hardcore mask guys out there that would put it under major scrutiny!

8. How did it feel to be working on such an iconic character, such as Michael Myers? Were you a fan of the franchise before you got the job?

I was of course a fan of the original film, it’s one of the classics in horror cinema that created a new sub genre, but I’ll admit that I kind of lost track after the digits after the title increased. I had also worked on Halloween 4 for John Carl Buechler in one of the earliest years of my makeup career.

9. So tell us about your work on Halloween 2. Is Michael Myers look the same in this film or should we expect to see some changes?

Since we are currently in production, I cant really discuss what is going on with the mask exactly, but there is a new mask specifically for it. Rob released a photo of the sculpture, but it won’t be exactly what people expect based even on that.

10. When you have time, do you ever drop by the HMA to see what’s going on?

I regularly drop by HMA to check out what the latest news in the mask world is!!

(Thanks so much for taking time to talk with The HMA, Wayne!)

To learn more about Wayne Toth’s film credits, check out:  IMDB Profile

To learn more about Wayne’s Halloween Town store in Burbank, check out: Halloween Town

To learn more about EX MORTIS, check out: EX MORTIS

Major thanks goes out to our friend Paul Daniels of DarkSide Studio, for putting this together for The HMA. Be sure to check out DarkSide Studio at www.darksidestudio.com

When the Monster Mailman came knocking on your door after a grueling 4 to 6 week wait in 1966, it was almost certainly not one of Don Post’s lovingly sculpted spooks, with their finely ghoulish paint jobs and carefully styled hair, that was lurking in the box. No, for most young FM readers the legendary Don Post “Super-Deluxe Latex Rubber Whole Header Monster  Masks” would remain an elusive dream (or nightmare). What was waiting in the box was a far more humble, if no less terrifying, mask from a company whose name would remain largely unknown during the monster craze of the ’60 and 70’s. Of course I am talking about Topstone. The name may not have been a household word with monster fans, but the familiar Topstone faces remained mainstays of monster magazines and comics for decades.

Dating back as far as the late ‘50s, and continuing throughout the heyday of classic monster magazine and comic book advertising, Topstone offered a whole spooky spectrum of allowance friendly alternatives to the “Professional Custom Hand-Painted Hollywood” masks that were priced well outside what mom and dad could be begged into shelling out. These where masks that young readers could actually sink their claws into, and so the wages of freshly mowed lawns, cleaned rooms and shiny dishes were exchanged for the anticipation that in just a few short (impossibly long) weeks they’d be the terror of the neighborhood.

The ads begin appearing in Famous Monsters as far back as the earliest issues and with their characteristic line drawings touting their latest creepy creations they were impossible to ignore. Provocatively named, masks such as “Horrible Melting Man”, “Screaming Skull” and “Savage Cannibal” placed a strangle hold on the imaginations of the young readers, and would become a staple of Halloween during a time when all things monstrous enjoyed popularity that had never been seen before (or since). Although there is little “official” information known about Topstone, the one name that is forever linked to their legacy is that of veteran advertising illustrator Keith Ward. We can assume with a fair degree of certainty that the most iconic of the ad drawings where done by Ward as they reflect the skill and fun of much of his more well-known ad work. Its also been suggested that Ward sculpted many of the mask as well since many of them bear the stamp “A Keith Ward Creation”, and it should come as no surprise, the multi talented Ward was behind some of the most lasting images in 1950’s advertising, including Both Elise the Cow for Borden and the cow head for Elmer’s Glue, which I find a bit ghastly in itself, suggesting it’s the happy cows hooves in the bottle! In addition to advertising and mask making, Ward’s work can also be found in children’s books including the classic “Dick and Jane” stories as well as the intriguingly titled “The Scandalous Adventures of Reynard the Fox”, which provided the inspiration for Disney’s Robin Hood film.

Without the constraining red tape of major studio licensing and rigid standards imposed by the strive towards screen accuracy, the designers at Topstone where able to let their creativity run wild, and chart courses into whatever depths of horror they could dream up. The results where dozens of masks that run the gamut from one end of spookdome to the other delivering monsters, witches, zombies, ghouls, vampires, mummies, pirates, weirdoes and all manner of freighting freaks, all for only a few bucks piece.

Looking over the ample vintage advertising material from the day it becomes clear that although Topstone had their own unusual takes on the classic stable of monsters, they didn’t just rehash those same familiar faces over and over. The gorgeous full color 1960 Topstone catalog available for viewing at Monster Mayhem finds the disembodied heads of a somewhat familiar Frankenstein’s Monster, Mummy and Creature (the first mask ever based, albeit loosely, on the Creature from the Black Lagoon) side by side with the more generic, but no less appealing Girl Vampire, One-Eyed Cyclops, Spasms, Gorilla Monster and even a few Pirates. As time passed new monsters where added to the fold in addition to some humorous and just out right strange designs, there was something for even the most eccentric tastes.

However, it is one mask in particular that has done more to keep Topstone in the mind of collectors and nostalgic horror fans over the decades then any other. One fiendish face that has become a symbol of the ‘60s monster craze and Famous Monster magazine, of course I’m referring to the legendary Shock Monster! (or is it Horror Zombie?, or just plain “Horror”?) Whatever you call him, this mask holds a special place as not only the most instantly recognizable and unforgettable of anything Topstone would ever produce, buts its uniquely bizarre design and over the top personality has ensured it a place in the monster mask hall of fame along side the best from Post. The image of the Shock Monster has been seen on t-shirts, key chains, album covers and any number of other places (never credited to Topstone or Ward or course)

In the end, just like the monster craze that it helped usher in, the company inevitably faded into obscurity. The quality of their masks, always aiming first at affordability, would eventually fall to paper-thin pulls with quick and unforgivably shoddy paint jobs. Since the masks where bought to be worn and seldom with posterity in mind, vintage copies where usually tossed in attics, basements or the garbage and few examples from the companies heyday survive today. However, in 2000, over two decades after the last vestiges of the monster boom had been swept away, Topstone received an unlikely resurrection. In a third floor storage room of an old, forgotten building that had once been their headquarters the entire history of the company lay hidden away, just waiting to be found. When George Ligouri first laid eyes on the rows and rows of masters stacked on plywood he could scarcely believe what he was seeing and after laboriously hauling them down three flights of stares (in the middle of the summer mind you) and loading his truck to capacity, he begin what would be the second, and much deserved, life of the ghouls of yesteryear. Finally treated with the respect and appreciation they never received in the past, talented and dedicated mask makers such as Justin Mabry and Darrell Viduari and Aaron Lewis begin offering quality masks from the vintage masters. Making thick castings and giving them inspired paint jobs the Topstone masks that we have today are the best these beasts have ever looked and will ensure that the Topstone name remains the vital part of the history of the hobby that it deserves.

This retrospective was written by long time mask and monster enthusiast, Josh Bright. Thanks so much, Josh!

To get in contact with any of the above mentioned mask-makers who currently offer Topstone castings, here is a list of links / emails:

George Ligouri : honey041@aol.com

NightOwl Studios: http://www.nightowlpro.com

Darrell Viduari: vxxfx@hotmail.com

Monster Mayhem: http://www.deathstalkerstudios.com/