Monsters, Music, and Muscles

Constance Hall is best known as a special fx and foam fabrication artist on Syfy's tv show "Monster Man". She also has a passion for doing beauty makeup. She has done work on a ton of horror movies, including Children of the Corn 3 and Amityville: Dollhouse. She can be seen in action in "Monster Man". I got lucky and got to see her in action when she did a class at Hauntcon in Pittsburgh, Pa. I also got to meet her and she was super! Below is an interview I did with her recently!

1. What was your favorite thing to dress up as for Halloween in childhood?

Anything involving a pretty dress - the bigger and fluffier the skirt, the better! When I was a kid I used to insist on wearing some ridiculous outfits, and I give my parents a lot of points for not being too embarrassed to be seen with me at Furr's marching around in a pair of worn old black stilettos hanging off my little 8yr old feet. I always loved to play dress up, and the coolest thing about being an adult is that now I get to do it every day!

2. What is your favorite horror movie and why?

Hmmm, probably "The Black Cat" (the one with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff) or "Bride of Frankenstein" (makes me cry every time!). I really like old movies; I love the look of black and white films. Those films are stunningly beautiful and their content is actually very subversive, but in a very subtle manner which I think goes mostly unnoticed by the average horror fan of today.

3. Who are your favorite horror movie actors/actresses?

Elsa Lanchester. She was super cool and her face was very unique, I just love her features. Also Vincent Price (I love his voice!!), Bela Legosi, Peter Lorre�.I could go on and on I admire so many of them.

4. Is there any particular monster that fascinates you?

Pretty much anything with tentacles gets my immediate attention. I think sea creatures are fascinating and aesthetically they are so different they seem almost alien. I love mermaids and I think the Creature From the Black Lagoon is one of the coolest monster suits ever created.

5. What makes the special effects field so appealing to you?

The challenge. It's always changing, there's always new techniques to learn and different ways to do things, it allows me to work with my hands and be creative, and it never gets stale or repetitive. I love the entertainment industry in general because it's an adventure; I constantly meet and work with new people, in new places, on different types of projects. And as far as special effects are concerned, it is home to me. It just feels right to me, like I am exactly where I belong.

6. As a child who did you idolize?

Sailor Moon. And also Pizzazz.

7. Going to conventions you have met a lot of other famous people, who is your favorite?

Hard to say, I've made a lot of friends on the convention circuit. Ummm�I guess I'd have to say Britt Griffith because he's part of the Syfy family as well (Ghosthunters) and he was super friendly and very helpful to me and Cleve. He was a guest at the first horror convention we had ever done and he helped "show us the ropes." He even announced us for our panel discussion and got the questions going until our host got there because the staff was running a little late. He's a funny, laid-back guy and very fun to hang out with (so much so that a bunch of my friends in L.A. woke up Sunday to a drunk text from me that said "You ain't partied 'til you've partied with a ghost hunter!!!")!

8. What has been your favorite horror convention that you've been a guest at?

Blood at the Beach! It's in Virginia Beach, VA and we were guests at their first one last April. It was our first time being guests at a con and we had a blast and made a lot of friends. We went back for the second one in November mostly because we missed everybody so much!

9. What is your opinion of CGI effects in movies?

Some of them look good, some of them don't. I think they are best when used in conjunction with practical effects. I can appreciate the artistry involved and I think there has been a lot of CGI work in movies that was breathtaking�but there's also been a lot of movies that look like video games because of bad CG. CGI is just like every tool in the industry; It looks great�.if it's done right.

10. Who are some of your favorite SPFX creators?

Rob Bottin, whom I think is often under appreciated. A few of the films he created some awesome fx for include Total Recall, Robocop, The Howling, and The Thing (which I think features some of the greatest makeup fx ever created.) I also think Rick Baker is incredibly talented, he has always been a huge inspiration of mine.

11. What do you feel makes a good horror movie?

The same things that makes a good movie; good story, good script/dialogue, good acting, good cinema photography/editing/music + scary shit. Personally I like a movie with atmosphere- not really into slasher flicks although extreme violence can be fun, especially when its creative. Of course I think good makeup fx are totally essential in a good horror movie as well!

12. Why do you think that people enjoy being scared?

I don't think it's specifically fear that people enjoy, I think it's excitement in general (which is why action movies are so popular). Fear and excitement make us feel immersed in a film because they affect us physically and emotionally. Films take us out of our own reality for 90 minutes, that's the point of entertainment.

13. Any current projects?

Well, we wrapped up on Dead.TV a few months ago so keep an eye out for that one because I think it's being released on DVD pretty soon. It's a pretty fun concept and we had a lot of fun creating the fx for the killings. Also soon will be third film in The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra series which I'm totally stoked about. I'm excited about working with Larry Blamire, I think he's a comic genius. If you haven't seen The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra please watch it- it's hilarious, especially if you're a fan of the cheesy horror/sci-fi movies of the 50's and 60's.

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