Creepy L.A. - the Los Angeles Halloween blog » Interviews

Creepy Questions for Felicia Day and the cast of “The Guild”

RichardABecker — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:13:10 +0000

Actress/series creator Felicia Day as Codex in THE GUILD HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

Ever wonder what the people playing all those hack-and-slash heroes in your favorite online fantasy game were actually like? The hilarious characters in THE GUILD may just be the answer. We took a little time out from the hectic horrors of Halloween week to visit with the cast and crew of the hit web series, THE GUILD, and interview some of the stars – Felicia Day (Codex), Sandeep Parikh (Zaboo), Vincent Caso (Bladezz) – and ace director Greg Benson. With the debut of their own epic GUILD HALLOWEEN SPECIAL this month, what are their thoughts about the darkest holiday of the year?

* What’s your favorite horror movie?

FELICIA DAY: Not really a horror fan, so I don’t have a lot to compare. Playing RESIDENT EVIL and LEFT FOR DEAD made me have nightmares for weeks. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN I saw recently and still haunts me.

SANDEEP PARIKH: I don’t know if this counts but ARMY OF DARKNESS. If not, I’ll go with anything with the Olsen twins, they’re creepy as hell.

VINCENT CASO (BLADEZZ): I usually like movies that have a sort of “subtle scary” to them, the ones that get under your skin. I very much enjoyed BELOW, as a good example, and am looking forward to PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.

GREG BENSON: I still love THE EXORCIST best. Just freaked me out as a kid, and still does.

Sandeep Parikh as Zaboo in THE GUILD HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

* Any costume or party plans for Halloween this year?

FELICIA: My costume strategy is always the same: Go to the kid’s section on the 31st in the afternoon and get whatever will fit me to “make it work”. One year I went as Zac Efron.

SANDEEP: Probably going to hit up the West [Hollywood] parade. I’m thinking of dressing up as an extremely stereotpyical Indian guy with an outrageous turban, holding a slushee, and breaking out into random Bollywood dances.

* What do you love about Halloween in L.A.?

FELICIA: I love the fact that adults enjoy it even more than kids it seems. And it’s the home of movies so there are always incredible costumes, especially in West Hollywood!

GREG: I love that people go to great expense and trouble to dress their homes up for Halloween, and there have been some great houses that sadly no longer decorate. Luckily, we got one of our favorites, [Noah "Bats Day" Korda's] Grimmstone Cemetery, on film for our short NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIE a couple years ago, right before it closed for good.

* Have you ever had a paranormal experience you’d like to share with us?

Greg Benson, director of THE GUILD HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

FELICIA: Not really, I wish. I’ve used a Ouija board a few times and it seemed convincing, but I’m really really gullible.

VINCENT: We’ve all had our little spooks and scares. I’ve seen a thing or two that I couldn’t explain. But when it comes right down to it, whether you believe in it or not, the subject of the paranormal is always intriguing and really gets your mind working.

GREG: Nope, but I do have a new paranormal Halloween video I’d like to share with you…

* Describe your perfect Halloween.

FELICIA: Lots of adorably costumed children begging me for candy, and I force them to do something to earn their keep. No free graft on my watch.

Ryan Smith and Julie Wittner in THE GUILD HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

SANDEEP: A really kickass homemade haunted house. I used to build them in my basement as a kid, I used lots of spaghetti for entrails. Love that stuff.

Thanks, guys! And happy Halloween!

Ready to watch the special right now? Here you go!

THE GUILD HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

All photos by Brian Kameoka, courtesy of Knights of Good Productions.

Behind the scenes of THE GUILD HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

Sandeep Parikh and Jeff Lewis (Vork) in THE GUILD HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

Vincent Caso as Bladezz in THE GUILD HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

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Knott’s Scary Farm: Interview with a Maze Creator

Kelly Coones — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:08:28 +0000

Can someone hook this fella up with some 'Exposed'?

The Creepy interview with El Dia De Los Muertos Maze Creator, David Ortiz

A little over a week ago, CreepyLA brought you a sneak preview of the new maze at Knott’s Berry Farm based on the Central American holiday, El Dia De Los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead” to us gringos.

If you missed the preview, you can read it : Sneak Peek: Dia De Los Muertos Maze.

While taking the preliminary run through with the maze’s new scare tacticitans, CreepyLA was able to pull a few into the dark recesses of the maze for a quick Q&A:

CreepyLA: Can you tell me your name?

Matt: My name is Matt.

CreepyLA: Where are you from Matt?

Matt: I live in San Bernardino.

CreepyLA: What is your character here in the maze?

Matt: I’m actually a bandito, a Mexican freedom fighter.

CreepyLA: Ok, and how do you plan on going about scaring someone as they come through this part of

How about some limes with that skull?

the maze?

Matt: I plan on trying to just own it, like “this is my village” this part of the maze is mine.

CreepyLA: Ok. Now are they going to kinda zombiefi you out like you have been killed already and risen from the grave? Or do you know what your costume is going to look like?

Matt: I’m not sure yet, because I have makeup and I have not seen any of it yet, all I have seen is the costume. All I know is I’m… a lot of bones, haha.

CreepyLA: Alright, Thanks Matt

Next was an interview with one of the Cantina workers:

CreepyLA: Hey what’s your name?

Candice: Candice. I’m from Montabello.

The Cantina Band looks like they could use five...

CreepyLA: What is your character in this part of the maze?

Candice: I am a Saloon girl in the Cantina Room.

CreepyLA: Obviously a ‘dead’ Saloon girl.

Candice: Yeah, haha! Skeleton…

CreepyLA: What do you think you are going to do in order to get a scream out of somebody?

Candice: Maybe creep up on people, pop out of the bar, slam a couple of bottles…

CreepyLA: Nice. Do you have any idea what your costume is going to look like yet?

Candice: Ah, Yeah. It’s actually a skeleton costume, it’s like a black unitard with bones on it and then the dancing girls and I all have a white wrap to go with. And we all wear makeup, no mask.

Next was a talk in the graveyard:

CreepyLA: Hey, what’s your name?

The cemetery really has a glow about it, don't you think?

Eric: Eric, I’m from Whittier Ca., about 20 mins away.

CreepyLA: In this area, what character do you play?

Eric: I’m a zombie.

CreepyLA: How do you plan on getting a fright out of somebody?

Eric: Umm, the whole like thriller dance, you know, how they walk, I’ll do that. Play dead, come out from behind corners over in the front part of the room. Stuff like that.

Next was a dark passageway toward the end of the maze:

Greg: Greg, I’m from Adam Hills.

CreepyLA: So, you are going to be in this coffin here in the wall. It is dark in here, you are going to have a pretty easy time of scaring people, how are you gonna do it?

Greg: I’m gonna hide right in here, its build into the wall, pretty much when they come through, they are gonna think I’m dead, which they should. Then I’m going to explode out at them, hopefully I’ll be able to catch a few of them thinking “Oh, he’s dead, he won’t cause a problem.”

CreepyLA: And what is your costume gonna look like?

Greg: It is pretty much an all bones mummy, with some of my wrappings just hanging off.

CreepyLA: Alright, thanks man.

And lastly, in a portion of the maze set up to look like a lonely desert trail:

Gabriel: Gabriel, I’m from Torrance Ca.

CreepyLA: So there are three of you, what are you guys going to do in here?

The desert room. Go out there and tell that wolf to clam it!

Gabriel: Pretty much, our characters are wolves wearing monk robes, so we are kinda like werewolf style in here.

CreepyLA: So you know the costume then?

Gabriel: I do actually. I’ve seen both the costume and the mask, it looks like a typical jedi robe with a nice little American werewolf mask. It’ll get warm, but it’ll be good.

CreepyLA: Alright, well good luck.

And finally, Creepy caught up with the designer of this unique maze, Mr. David Ortiz:

Mr. David Ortiz, Maze Designer

CreepyLA: I heard it said that you have been involved in other mazes, but this is your first solo maze?

David: Yes, exactly.

CreepyLA: I can tell you have poured a lot of yourself into this maze.

David: Oh yes, well thank you for noticing. Yeah defiantly. This has been my dream, to make a maze, to create a maze, you know, design one, but to have it be this is even more special.

This just came to me a few years ago, and had gotten developed this last year, and I am very happy with it.

CreepyLA: Yeah, I’m very impressed with it too. I’ve always been interested in the Dia De Los Muertos…

David: And it has never been done before, but I never really thought about that until people started mentioning it.

CreepyLA: Did you participate in the holiday a lot as a child?

David: You know, not that much. I’m just very aware of it, and stuff like that, Halloween is my big holiday, and Dia De Los Muertos is similar to it, ah the focus is a little different, you know, Halloween is about ghosts, goblins and things going bump in the night, and Dia De Los Muertos is about remembering family and friends who have passed away.

In the way it’s presented though is kinda like Mardi Gras and Halloween combined. It has such a great look to it, and a big history too.

CreepyLA: I’ve seen a lot of Aztec iconography and such on the walls, did you do a lot of research in that area to kinda get things right?

David: Even though it’s a haunt maze I did research, but it’s a fiction so I really picked them because they

This maze has a blood thristy Aztec god as a perm resident

looked good, haha!

CreepyLA: Yeah, you gotta entertain!

David: Yeah, exactly!

CreepyLA: What is your favorite room in the maze? If you could pick one?

David: If I had to pick one, I would say the cemetery. We are doing some things there that we haven’t done before, like all the candles and that’s a real big icon of Dia De Los Muertos. It’s one thing I really hoped to pull off and I think it is working great.

CreepyLA: That’s the room I took the most pictures in, haha.

David: Even though it is my design, without all the people that we have and their dedication and support, we have really taken a liking to this maze and you can see it.

They care about it and it is because of them that it actually happens.

Don't worry, she is just taking a nap. Yeah, thats it.

We at CreepyLA really feel privileged to have been granted this sneak peek at such a unique creation from the people at Knott’s Berry Farm.

The Dia De Los Muertos maze truly will be a one of a kind experience for anyone brave enough to step inside its dark passages. Congratz to David and all those who worked on this maze, it really is a job well done and a credit to the holiday it represents.

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Burbank Art Exhibit is an Eye Opener

Kelly Coones — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:01:49 +0000

With Bold and Dark Imagery, Erin Martinez Delivers a Prelude to the Halloween Season.

"I Will Always Suffer" Mixed Media on Canvas by Erin Martinez (element)

The Hyaena Gallery of Burbank hosted the opening of artist Erin Martinez’s latest show Awakening, an expose of the artist’s newest creative work. Erin works in several types of media, however, her main form is water based acrylics on canvas.

Her soft toned backgrounds lurk behind moody and organic imagery torn from the artist’s own life experiences, creating a truly Gothic feel worthy of any classic Vincent Price film.

Far from being depressing, her work instead suggests a “bring it on” type of enduring strength.

CreepyLA had a chance to speak on a personal level with Erin about her art.

CreepyLA: I’ve been checkin out your stuff, and you have some really stark imagery. Do you draw any kind of inspiration from anything particular for that?

Erin: I’ve had some life changing experiences this year. I fell in love with my best friend and that was the most awesome experience ever. Everything just kinda worked out. The paintings are based on real life experiences that I have had. Things that I went through and that I have accomplished.

Bill Shafer and Erin Martinez pose for CreepyLA

CreepyLA: The little website blurb mentions you have a personal “mythology” that you integrate into your pieces. Can you describe that briefly?

Erin: Nightmares and Dreams. Visions, almost. I think I am a very emotional person. I think I tend to “fall in love” with my artwork because of the personal stuff in it. I would be excited to come home to it, I’ve had breakups with it, kinda like I had a relationship with it. The “Myself” piece is about me being or becoming more comfortable with myself, I feel like I am a beautiful person inside and out now. Everything I paint is based on something I have felt or gone through.

CreepyLA: What is your favorite piece here?

"Mywolfeyes" Mixed Media on Canvas by Erin Martinez

Erin: Favorite piece is “Mywolfeyes”. I usually do a lot of crows, ravens; the wolf is new for me. It’s kind of a representation of my boyfriend. He came in like a big whirlwind and he inspired me, I felt like I could live again. The piece took me seven months. It’s actually where the name of the show came from. I feel like I have experienced an awakening.

Erin’s ability to create stark and striking images is impressive, but after speaking with her, and becoming familiar with the creative processes and emotions that went into her work, the images come alive on the very canvas they rest on.

“Awakening” is open to general viewers through September 15th, 2009 at the Hyaena, admission is free. Make a point to take some friends along and view the artist’s stirring work.

Hyaena Gallery, 1928 W. Olive Ave. Burbank, CA 91506 818.972.2448
Mon – Sat: 11am – 7pm Sun: Noon – 5pm

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Creepy Questions for Jonathan Sharp

It Came from New York — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:35:01 +0000

Jonathan Sharp walked into a friend’s house recently weighed down with bags of food and started unpacking them.

“This is a Moroccan stew that I made last night. And I brought a cornish game hen. I thought we could have this too since I already made it.” He had been invited to dinner and had earlier asked his host if he should bring anything. He was told that nothing was needed. “Do you like key lime pie? I had one from Trader Joe’s in my freezer so I brought it just in case.”

Welcome to The Jonathan Sharp Show.

Sharp moved from NYC five years ago in search of new horizons. After working on the Broadway stage for 12 years, acting in lead and featured roles as well as in the ensembles of plays and musicals, he needed something new– a new city even, perhaps.

Also in his past was a 6 month stint on the daytime soap Another World and a veritable roller coaster ride in the former Soviet Union as a singing and dancing member of, as he calls it, “The Back Street Boys of Russia.” Don’t ask; he’ll tell you anyway.

Born in Mississippi and trained from the age of 9 in classical dance, he had moved to New York with the dream of dancing for a major ballet company.

Training at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet, he went on to dance professionally with the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Boston Ballet. From there he moved on to join the original casts of five Broadway Shows; The Red Shoes, Carousel (for which he won a glowing review from NY Times theater critic Frank Rich and subsequently was drawn by Al Hirschfield,) The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Dance of the Vampires and Fiddler on the Roof.

These days, Sharp has been performing regularly with LA Opera as a dancer, as well as teaching at USC. He still finds time for acting, appearing on Gilmore Girls and Law & Order: SVU, among others.

What do you love about Halloween in Los Angeles?

Well, actually, if I think about my favorite Halloween since I moved here, it would have to be winning LACMA’s Most Glamorous Costume contest two years ago. I was dressed as Frank N. Furter from Rocky Horror. I made the costume with Kirsten Solberg. She was on the costume crew for the Hairspray tour last summer.

What was your costume like?

It was a black leather, ruby rhinestone-studded corset, a small pair of ruby-encrusted lycra hot pants. two mismatched thigh-high fishnets, a pair of black glitter ruby rhinestone slippers– they looked like platform Wizard of Oz shoes in black instead of red. And the piece d’ resistance was a red crushed velvet cape which only covered me to the middle of my thighs. When I opened it, it featured 3500 piallettes– those huge sequins from the ’60s. The collar was red and black crushed velvet and it was to rival the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Yikes. What did you dress up as when you were a kid?

Every year I dressed up, and my grandmother made my costume. I was a very big fan of animals. I was many times a lion or a cat. However, my favorite costume as kid was something my grandmother had made for my dad and myself to wear together. She made matching clown costumes for us from bed sheets and there were like probably 25 pockets on each costume– pockets everywhere. My dad and I would fill the pockets up with candy and go around the neighborhood and pass it out. I love my dad.

Any costume plans for this year?

I would like to have this costume reproduced which I wore last year in the LA Opera production of The Dwarf. It is an elaborate Louis XIV era costume of an English prince. It has a high whisk collar that is over 20 inches side to side. It made my head look like it was on a platter.

What’s your favorite horror of movie?

My favorite childhood horror movie was a BBC TV production called Count Dracula. It was a literal interpretation of Bram Stoker’s novel, which is one of my favorites.

And now that you’re older and wiser, do you have more recent horror movies favorites?

The first remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers with Donald Sutherland was pivotal. It scared the hell out of me. Afterward when I went home, it turned out to be the first night I ever slept with the lights on.

And the original When a Stranger Calls is my favorite scary movie of all time. Alas, the remake was a frickin’ dud.

You’re obvously a horror fan. What other movies in the genre do you like?

Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Friday the 13th. I mean, look at them– they revitalized the horror genre in their time. The same goes for all of the Wes Craven movies. I auditioned for Beast Master. They told me I was too pretty.

Wow, it sucks to be you. Is there any chracter in a horror movie that you identify with?

I always identify with the villain. Not on a moral level but they’re always the most colorful chracter.

Did you see The Dark Knight?

Oh yeah.

And?

I really loved it. I thought the way Heath Ledger portrayed The Joker as demented, as opposed to crazy was astonishing– because they’re two different things, you know. He got you to laugh from the perspective of a pathologically obsessed persona. Successfully navigating that is a real challenge for an actor. It can easily veer into high camp.

Speaking of camp, Rocky Horror is a shining example of camp done intelligently. What did you learn from performing in the Broadway revival of that show?

I was cast in the ensemble but I was also principal male understudy for the characters of Rocky and Franken N. Furter so I got to run the gamut. The highlight of the run for me was playing Frank N. Furter to Luke Perry’s Brad. It was his New York theater debut right after his long run on Beverly Hills 90210, which had just ended. His TV fans were very loyal. The show sold out the entire week of his run.

Wow, that must have been crazy.

Yeah, it was pretty intense. On the first night of that week, dozens of his most steadfast fans from Japan showed up at the theater.

Did you feel slighted?

Actually, it put me on their radar and I’ve had a Japanese fan base ever since. On my birthday they send me stuffed Hello Kitty toys and tons of great Japanese candy that you can’t buy here. I love it.

Why did you leave NYC and move to LA?

I was in the biggest flop on Broadway, The Dance of the Vampires, which was a vehicle written for Michael Crawford who had become a huge star in Phantom of the Opera.

It was so taxing for me– 12 costume changes, 7 wig changes and 4 full body make-up changes, and all of this 8 shows per week. It was Hell on earth. After three months of rehearsals, three months of performances and rotten reviews, the show closed.

Literally, within 30 minutes of the announcment of the show’s closing, and with the blessings of good luck, good friends and cell phones, I somehow found a studio apartment for $500 in LA, in Silver Lake next to Mom’s Chinese Chicken and Donuts To Go. I took it without seeing it. And here I am.

What is the major difference between LA and NYC for you?

In NYC, if they hate you, they tell you to your face. In LA, they say, “Let’s do lunch! I can’t wait! I’ll call you!”

Welcome to my world. What’s the scariest thing about Los Angeles?

To a large extent, I’ve found that LA is a city governed by three major powers: fame, beauty and money. Nothing is as scary as the tempers of people hungry to posses any one of them.Similar Posts:

Shriekfest returns to Hollywood this weekend

It Came from New York — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:01:25 +0000

Raleigh Studios hosts the 8th annual horror film festival that started it all. And Denise Gossett wants to scare you!

Denise Gossett is the mastermind behind Shriekfest. Nine years ago she starred in a horror film called Chain of Souls. When she asked the producers and director what their plans were for releasing the film, she was shocked to hear it was going straight to video. She suggested submitting it to film festivals.

To her surprise, the filmmakers told her there were no film festivals dedicated to the horror genre.

I thought, ‘How can that be?’ There are so many horror fans. I did some research and found what they said was true for the US. There were a few in other countries but really nothing notable or well known. So I came up with the idea for this festival.

I was on the phone with my sister-in-law one day and I told her, ‘I got this crazy idea. Tell me how crazy you think it is.’ And she said, ‘No, it’s not crazy. It’s a great idea. You have to do it. Let’s do it!’

We had all of this naivete but also we had passion and energy to pour into it. Really, we had no idea what we were doing, but we did it anyway. We were essentially faking it– not faking the passion but faking the actual way to start and present a film festival.

We put up a website and started getting submissions. We couldn’t believe how good some of the films were. People were pouring their hearts and souls into these films and they weren’t getting recognition for them because it’s thought of as a narrow genre but the audience is huge.

There were only 40 films submitted, but the first festival came together in two months. I came up with the idea in late summer and we really wanted to have the festival in October. We thought putting a film festival together in two months was normal.

Gossett had moved from Orlando to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. She works full time as an actor and has appeared in numerous TV shows and films. But her love for horror films inspired her to start the first film festival in the US dedicated to the genre. She and Todd Beeson, her husband, are the festival directors. Kimberly Beeson, Gossett’s sister-in-law, was by her side for the festival’s first three years but left to raise her family.

Each year, Shriekfest has grown; more films are submitted, from more countries, and audience attendance keeps increasing too as word has spread. The third year they incorporated science fiction and fantasy categories into the festival. This year, they are adding a second theater to accommodate the crowds.

Virtually every feature screened at Shriekfest has gotten distribution. And the market for horror short films is growing rapidly. During the festival, buyers come looking for shorts. Gossett fields calls from video distributors asking her for recommendations for compilation DVDs. But she is unwilling to refer anyone to them unless she knows the companies intend to pay the filmmakers.

“Quite honestly, I do not want to refer a filmmaker to anyone who is not offering money. They deserve something; it’s only fair. We try to look out for everybody,” she says.

One aspect of Shriekfest is a screenwriting competition. Gossett states that if she likes a script that doesn’t make the final list, she still will refer it to parties in search of material.

“Companies come to us year round looking for screenplays, movies and shorts. It’s a full time job– and I’m already a full time actor. I work constantly. It’s becoming very difficult to do both. But we have been having a blast doing it.”

Shriekfest 2008, the Los Angeles Horror/Sci-Fi Film Festival; Friday to Sunday, October 3-5; Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles 90038

Shriekfest also holds regular networking meet-ups at Hollywood Billiards. Details are on their website.

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Creepy Questions for Fia Perera

It Came from New York — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:00:26 +0000

I first came upon actress/writer Fia Perera while she was doing stand-up comedy and I’ve been a fan ever since. Her latest solo show, Swimming Naked, about her charged relationship with the über WASP trip that is her mother, is currently making the rounds as a film script.

Her bi (coastal and career) ways keep her darting back and forth between NYC and LA acting gigs and comedy clubs. On the acting side, she will appear with Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd and Sean Penn in the upcoming film, Crossing Over.

What’s the scariest thing about Los Angeles?

Even the dogs look like they’ve had work done. I saw a chihuahua taking a s*** on Rodeo Drive the other day and he had no facial expression.

What do you love about Halloween in LA?

I love how it brings inappropriateness forward in people, especially the men. Not that they aren’t that way year round here. I was once dating this guy who said to me, “Oh my God, Fia, I so want to go down on you right here in the parking lot of Starbucks.”

Wow. What did you do?

After he was done, I kicked him out of my car.

Any costume or party plans this year?

I will probably dress up in a burkha since I am dating an Arab– who will be wearing a thong in red, white and blue, Baby!

What’s your favorite scary movie?

The Exorcist. Linda Blair was too good. Maybe she should run for vice president. We could use her to scare the stupid out of some people in this country.

Check out all things Fia at fiaperera.com

Photos: Bradford Rogne
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Creepy Questions for Kristin Bedford

It Came from New York — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:45:55 +0000

Kristin’s List, the Los Angeles cultural listing site, is the best of its kind in a city long mocked for its supposed cultural bereft-ness by callous East Coast sophisticates (like me.)

Kristin Bedford defies that cliché with cold, hard facts and winnows the dizzying cornucopia of events and activities on offer in LA to a highly selective, manageable directory– from intellectual to frivolous, fun to enriching, sometimes all at the same time and with big potential for rewarding the curiosity in us all.

Born in Washington, DC, with a background in politics, fashion, photography and a stint in big, bad NYC before moving west three years ago, she has run with the wolves and slept with the lambs.

What do you love about Halloween in Los Angeles?

Nudity. In most places Halloween is a chance for women to dress like prostitutes outfitted by the local costume superstore. LA has no need for such minutia. Strip down, maybe add a little body paint, glitter, a cape or some heels… costume complete.

What costumes did you wear as a kid?

In the 3rd grade Wonder Woman, 6th a punk rocker, 7th a piece of toast, 8th Andy Warhol and 9th a British colonialist, but what stands out most is what I didn’t wear.

In the 4th & 5th grades my sole dream was to dawn Deborah Harry’s white slip dress and armband from the cover of Parallel Lines. Unfortunately my mother did not share this dream and categorized the idea as “traipsing around the neighborhood in lingerie.”

Any costume plans for this year?

Maybe Deborah Harry from the cover of Parallel Lines.

What’s you favorite scary movie?

Alien… ”In space, no one can hear you scream.”

What character in a horror film do you most identify with?

The woman in the bikini swimming on the original Jaws poster.

What’s the scariest thing about LA?

American Apparel ads.

Photo: Zev Berman

Subscribe to Kristin’s weekly email list here. Similar Posts:

Creepy Questions for Robert Oriol

It Came from New York — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:57:50 +0000

A native Angeleno, composer/music producer Robert Oriol composes music for theatre and film in the Los Angeles area. He is currently producing a series of rock music workout CDs for The Gymrattz Collective.

What’s your favorite scary movie?

Night of the Living Dead, of course!

Any costume plans for this year?

I’m considering dressing up as Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter, pregnancy test in hand and mascara streaming down my cheeks.

What costumes did you wear as a kid?

My family had two costumes, both made by my mother (I think) that would be passed down from sibling to sibling each year, then worn and re-worn each year after.

One costume was a dog, and it was like wearing brown carpet. The other was a clown costume, very creepy. After Halloween each year, both costumes would be stored in mothballs until the next Halloween.

What do you love about Halloween in Los Angeles?

Even though Fall officially begins with the autumnal equinox, Halloween signals that my favorite season has truly arrived.Similar Posts:

Creepy’s Greatest Hits: Interviews

It Came from New York — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:36:09 +0000

LA Times columnist Meghan Daum on her costume last year: It always fascinates me how on Halloween women want to dress up like sluts and men want to dress up like women. Maybe I’ll go as a man dressed as a woman dressed as a slut. But I’d really like to get my hands on one of those vending machine costumes they apparently use in Japan to avoid muggers.

Last Halloween season, in our Creepy Questions series CreepyLA interviewed some notable Los Angeles denizens. From Elvira to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, from Patt Morrison to John Doe, each one shed some light on their habits, quirks and traditions for the holiday.

Shilah Morrow and Victoria Lane told us about Halloween parties of the “Nashvegas” and Goth aesthetics.

On the subject of Halloween costumes they wore when they were kids, the answers were all over the place. But when it came to identifying the scariest thing in Los Angeles, we seemed to (almost) reach a consensus.

As for naming their favorite scary movies– well, try not to read too much into the answers.

What did you dress up as when you were a kid?

Elvira: Even when I was a little girl I was anything but little. I had to go out as twins.

John Doe: I seem to remember my mom making me a ghost– sheet over head, cut out eye holes, several times.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: I dressed as a cowboy, a vampire, and my favorite costume was a baseball player.

Patt Morrison: I loved Classics Illustrated comic books when I was little and one year I insisted on going as – get this — Hamlet! I had a pageboy haircut already, and somehow my mother and grandmother put together a passable doublet to go with the whole black tights look, and I think I had a plastic skull candy basket so I could put my loot in “poor Yorick.” Of course I had to explain a jillion times who I was and I’m sure I came off like an obnoxious little git, declaring “To be or not to be … trick or treat!” but at the time I thought it was inspired.

Shilah Morrow: My mom, who was an actress, made me a great Mae West costume when I was 9 years old. She even taught me to speak like her. Trick-or-treating was never the same after that.

Meghan Daum: One year I went as the Statue of Liberty… Another year I was a Jawa from Star Wars. Remember those flashing red glasses called Zany Zappers? I wore those along with my father’s bathrobe. I was kind of tiring of Halloween by that point.

Eric Garcetti, City Council President: My mom and I made all of my Halloween costumes together. I still have most of them. I think that one of my favorites was a Superman cape that we made out of felt. Back then, I had no idea that one day my office would be in the same building as Clark Kent’s.

Tom LaBonge, Councilmember: A hobo.

Spindrift: Dave was a space alien and Zorro. I’ve been a robot, King Neptune, El Sobero (the character I play in our film,) Satan, a priest– anything but myself. That would be the scariest.

What’s the scariest thing about Los Angeles?

Patt Morrison: That’s easy – it’s Halloween 365 days a year on the freeway. Driving is the scariest thing in LA!

Elvira: The DMV!

John Doe: The freeway tunnels under Highway 5.

Dead Rock West: The traffic, the smog.

I See Hawks in LA: Sitting on the 110 at 6 PM, a darkening October eve, endless red tail lights to the horizon, traffic frozen. And then the doors swing open on the Ryder truck up ahead and angry, blond-bearded Norsemen toting Kalashnikovs tumble forth, taking aim at our soft and vulnerable heads. One by one they pick us off, turning the Harbor Freeway into the bloodiest traffic jam yet.

Spindrift: 6th Street, police helicopters at night, the Griffith Park fire, the shape my car is in, LAX.

Meghan Daum: My desk.

What’s your favorite scary movie?

Elvira: Well, for me, Vincent Price flicks were huge! Roger Corman’s releases were pretty damn cool too. Obviously they had a big influence on me.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: My favorite scary movie as a child was Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

Eric Garcetti: I liked The Sixth Sense. Waterworld was also pretty scary, but in a different kind of way.

Tom LaBonge: The Thing.

Any plans for November 1st?

Victoria Lane: Absolutely! I plan to remain in my pink robe and do nothing at all. If I’m awake before noon, it’ll be a miracle.

Left, Photo by Devin Phillips

Top, pictured from left: Elvira, John Doe, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Shilah Morrow, Patt Morrison

Photos by Lynn Goldsmith, Autumn De Wilde, photoren/Flickr (Creative Commons lic.,) David Shankbone (Creative Commons lic.)

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Creepy Questions for Mary Patton

It Came from New York — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:45:36 +0000

“It’s an annual Halloween tradition to freak out the customers by dressing up the Amoeba staff in khaki pants and white polo shirts. Just kidding, but that would probably be pretty scary, huh?”

We’ve featured Amoeba Music honcho Mary Patton’s Halloween desserts on CreepyLA. If you’ve seen them, you know this is a woman with a deep appreciation for the holiday and its attending festivities. So we asked her…

Being from the Windy City, which is scarier for Halloween, Chicago or Los Angeles?

There was once a time when I was sure no city could rival Chicago …until I moved to LA. The entertainment community here gets to apply their craft and unabashedly indulge in a fantasy world one night a year without restraint, and the result is spine-tingling and spectacular. I appreciate the attention to detail.

Keep in mind, you’re asking a girl who grew up with the nick-name, “Scary Mary,” and who once lived in a mortuary al a Six Feet Under. My step-dad was a mortician. I even used to keep caskets in my home long after I moved out of the funeral home and used them as functional home furnishings.

Give me an example.

They’re a wonderful place to store your vinyl LPs.

What does Amoeba have planned for Halloween this year?

Every year, the Amoeba staff compete in a costume contest, parading their costume creations across the Amoeba stage, and inviting the customers to choose the winners through wails and screams. Tricks and treats abound and candy is dispersed while an ear-bleeding musical massacre is pumped through the sound system.Similar Posts:

Creepy Questions for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

It Came from New York — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:05:07 +0000

Born in City Terrace, Antonio Villaraigosa is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles. He was elected mayor in 2005 and is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Mayor Cristóbal Aguilar led the city in 1872, when its population was barely 6,000. He also served in the California State Assembly, where he was named Speaker, as well as on the Los Angeles City Council representing the 14th district.

What do you love about Halloween in Los Angeles?

What I love most about Halloween in LA is seeing all the happy faces of ghosts and goblins while they are trick-or-treating.

What did you dress up as for Halloween when you were a kid?

I dressed as a cowboy, a vampire, and my favorite costume was a baseball player.

Any hints on what your costume will be this year?

No costume this year, but I will be handing out candy to the children that stop by my home.

What’s your favorite scary movie?

My favorite scary movie as a child was Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

photograph by photoren/Flickr; Creative Commons license

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Interview with Stephen Heath from “The Tripper”

Creepy — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 22:53:49 +0000

Actor David Arquette’s directorial debut, the comedy/slasher “The Tripper,” came out on video last week (add it to your Netflix queue, or win a copy of the DVD), starring Jason Mewes (the talky one of the Jay and Silent Bob duo), Lukas Haas, Jaime King, Thomas Jane, and Paul Reubens. Oh, and Stephen Heath. Heath doesn’t earn poster credit, but he shares as much screen time as almost anyone, including the killer. If you’ve seen “The Tripper,” he’s the one who says, “If the vans a rockin’, don’t come-a-cock-blockin.’”

Heath graciously answered some questions for Creepy LA. Read on for his experiences working on set with Arquette and company, his toxic Mr. Peanut costume, and more.

Creepy: Know any good Los Angeles ghost stories?

Heath: I was driving behind Dodger stadium with a friend who has lived here for 30 years, and as we passed a dirt road I commented, “That’s a total Hillside Strangler road.” It was just a bit creepy… a sort of dead end, a few trails… lotsa garbage.

Anyway, my friend Greg responds, “It is!”

After some back and forth, I realized that he was telling me that the street I was talking about was in fact the hillside strangler street where he killed a few people. I have a sixth sense. Or a sick sense.

What was your favorite Halloween costume?

My best costume ever was a giant paper mache Mr. Peanut that I made. I was probably in 8th grade?

Anyway, I fashioned a chicken wire shell, and papered is up, painted it Mr. Peanut yellow, glued a top hat on, giant monacle, two eye holes, wore black tights with spats, and had a cane. To make it dry faster, I added bleach or something to the paste, which started making me dizzy when I wore it. That coupled w/ the fact that I made the eye holes too far apart had me walking into things all night long.

Eventually I took it off and told people I was a ninja with no mask.

Give me your pitch of “The Tripper,” and how your character fits in.

A bunch of friends head to an outdoor music festival for a weekend of fun, drugs, and music, only to be killed off by a Reagan worshipping killer. I play the drug vacuming good time guy that keeps the party going, and is only serious about one thing…fun.
It’s a throw back slasher, has a visual look similar to the first “Chainsaw,” with a nice dose of politics. And plenty of blood and guts.

Including your own!

That wasn’t my call. It was probably deliberate, in that you need to find a couple of your main characters dead in any horror movie.

You worked with a pretty solid slate of seasoned, well known actors, who, I understand, all knew each other previously. How was it fitting in?

The idea of it was pretty nerve wracking going in, but as soon as I met everyone and got to spend a little time with the cast, it was very easy. The real up side to many of them having worked together, etcetera, is that they were all very relaxed.

I don’t have that much to go on, but the comment going around set seemed to be that it was a really fun, relaxed shoot. People generally seemed to think I was funny as opposed to annoying, which is also good.

David was very generous and easy to work for, really open and ready for anything, so I think it all trickled down from him.

For more on Stephen Heath, check out the web page or MySpace page for his band, Heath!
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