1. Where did you come up with your
name?
***"I don't remember -- I was pretty young then!"
(And from Richard A. Becker, creator/writer/performer of
Doctor Morbius: His name is an homage to several horror hosts'
personae, including Morgus the Magnificent, as well as
FORBIDDEN PLANET's Doctor Morbius -- sadly, I wasn't thinking
of Marvel's Morbius the Living Vampire at the time...)
2. Where did you come up with your
character?
***"Same answer, baby!"
(I've always loved horror hosts. When I was a kid, it was
all about Los Angeles' Seymour, the Most Sinister Man On Earth
-- also DC's Cain, Abel and Eve, Warren's Uncle Creepy and
Cousin Eerie, EC's Ghoulunatics, and then Moona Lisa, Vampira,
Zacherley, radio's Raymond (Inner Sanctum) and Elvira and the
rest. When I visited great East L.A. horror host Nightshadow
and mentioned that I'd always wanted to be a host, he said,
"Come back as soon as you can. You're hosting my show as a
guest host." I did it and I never looked back...)
3. Going to conventions you have met a
lot of famous people, who is your favorite?
***"Death personified! He's really a people person..."
(I haven't really met too many famous people, myself. It's
always a pleasure to run into Bob Burns, Ted Newsom, Daniel
Roebuck and Brinke Stevens, none of whom have any idea who I
am. But it's still great to see them...)
4. What are your favorite horror movies and why?
***"All of 'em, including all the future ones yet to be
made! If it's not horror, it's worthless tripe!"
(There's some good in every era of horror. The Universal
Classics, the late-night black-and-white '50s cheapies,
Hammer, splatter, silents, gentler family fare like MONSTER
SQUAD, '70s "home movie from Hell" drive-in fare, all of it. I
like horror with a sense of humor, but there's also a lot to
be said for stuff that just goes straight into your nerve
system and leaves you sleepless for weeks. One pet peeve of
mine: Horror has to have an element of the fantastic, like the
supernatural or the science fictional. If it's just crazy guys
with knives and masks, that can be great, but it's a thriller
to me, not a horror film. Just my opinion -- the Bad Doctor
doesn't agree with me...)
5. Who inspired you growing up?
***"Eddie Poe, the Grimm Brothers and Vlad the Impaler!"
(A lot of people -- all the hosts I've mentioned, of
course. Also Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff,
Richard Matheson, Clark Ashton Smith, Tanith Lee, Clive
Barker, Michael Weldon of Psychotronic fame, Groucho Marx,
Olsen and Johnson, John Landis, and many more.)
6. What kind of advice would you give
to any future horror show hosts?
***"Give it up, I'm the best!"
(Make it fun, don't worry about the money because there
isn't any, and do your own character. The world doesn't need
any more Elvira clones -- no offense -- but it could use a new
host done *your* way.)
7. Who are your favorite horror movie
actors?
***"So damn many I can't even count!"
(I kind of agree with Doctor Morbius on this one. Of the
living greats, there's still the wonderful Sir Christopher Lee
and Barbara Steele, as well as Jeffrey Combs -- but I can't
omit Conrad Veidt, Barbara Crampton, Elsa Lanchester, Robert
Englund, or so many more. I even like the guys in the bad
ones, like the leads in H.G. Lewis' gore films...)
8. What in your opinion makes a great horror movie?
***"That it's a horror movie! There's nothing better in
film!"
(There are many ways to make a great horror movie. Some are
macabre tragedies, some are twisted odes to nihilism, some are
dark comedies, some are just an express train to
uncontrollable fear -- the main thing is to get a response, be
it quickly or slowly. Make 'em jump or make 'em fidget as you
slowly turn up the dread...)
9. What was your favorite thing to dress up as for
Halloween in childhood?
***"A dentist!"
(Any Universal monster.)
10. Is there any particular monster that fascinates
you?
***"Ever see that hottie from Hammer's THE GORGON? She's
got my motor revved anytime!"
(When I was a kid, it was the Chaney Phantom of the Opera.
As an adult, I think the standout among standouts is the
Creature From The Black Lagoon -- Millicent Patrick did a hell
of a job designing him. And of course, I love Godzilla and all
the Toho monsters.)
11. How did your show get started?
***"It's still on the launching pad!"
(Like the Doctor said, it's not quite cooked yet. Also, I
did mention this part above, with Nightshadow, so there you
go.)
12. Who are the other members on your show?
***"Heh heh heh, you said 'members!'"
(Can't announce my crew yet, but like a lot of other hosts,
the Bad Doctor will have a sexy female "sidekick" to wake up
the men in the audience (and do their own thing, too) -- in
fact, there are several actresses lined up to play different
versions of the character. Guest characters will also appear.)
13. Do you have any upcoming projects in the works?
***"Depends what you're doing tonight, baby!"
(Apart from hopefully getting this webseries off the ground
later this year, I currently have a Cthulhu Mythos cocktail
book online:
http://www.rpgnow.com/product/105326/The-Tikinomicon%3A-13-Forbidden-Cocktails
And if you hunt through Createspace.com, you can find a
microbudget feature film I wrote/directed/co-produced, called
SHADOWS
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2255946/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1a
The movie isn't really all that great, but hey, it was my
first -- and as they say in ED WOOD, "My next picture will be
much, much better.")
