You guys remember JIM HORWAT, he's the artist who created the amazing FRIDAY THE 13TH pieces that we shared with you a little while back. He's got some more amazing work which we present to you today, plus he was kind enough to allow us a quick interview so that we can get to know to know him and his work a little bit better (click images to enlarge)…
J.H.: The first film that scared me deeply as a child was SALO. I should probably add that I never actually saw this film as a child, or adult for that matter, nor do I have any desire to do so now or even in the future.
In the late ‘70s/early ‘80s I would go on delivery runs with my grandfather. He was a butcher in Morristown, New Jersey and he didn't drive so we walked everywhere, which usually meant I rode on his shoulders. On our routes we would walk past some of the seedier blocks in town where there was obviously poverty and the early signs of the crack cocaine epidemic taking shape. I vividly recall a sleazy movie theatre in particular that had one of those gold box poster cases out front. Well, there was a poster in it once for the movie SALO with a photo of a little boy getting his tongue ripped out with pliers or something. I remember staring at this poster and it scared the living shit out of me. I must have been like 4 years old and I could tell that there was something evil about that image. It shook me up silently. I knew it wasn't a "dentist" image. I knew that something bad was happening to that boy. My brain couldn't process the concept of "torture" yet, but I was sensitive enough to get the chilling vibe of that movie. I think it scared me to realize that there are people in this world that will hurt little kids. That fricken' poster in that sleazy grind-house display-case made a lasting impression on me. Clowns, monsters, ghosts etc. don't really scare me, but stuff like that cuts deep.
J.H.: Quite a lot actually! -and thanks for the kind words! Yeah, my process is pretty intense -lots and lots of sketching, photocopying and reducing and cut-up and collage and tracing and steps backward to the photocopying stage all over again and again etc. I have manila folders for each project that are literally bulging with prep work. The FRIDAY THE 13TH Part 3 piece would be a prime example of this tedious process. The first two FRIDAY pieces went smooth as silk; they practically evolved by themselves with minimal effort, then the third came along and made sure I wasn't getting over-confident with this. There were probably 7 or 8 roughs alone of that print.
J.H.: I really can't say. Even with the accumulated experience I've had paying my dues and selling my artwork in the various subcultures, I truly believe that the more I think I know, the less I really know in the end. The business of art can be strange. Appreciators of art tend to have a life of unique experiences behind them, shaping what they like and don't like to look at. I think this makes the businessman's calculator quite frustrating when it comes to brass tacks sales of art. Art hits on complex emotions and in the end it forces us to accept that we are all individuals. I'm guessing, from a standard business school investment point of view, that this is scary stuff. It's certainly a challenge and there's a bit of an adrenaline rush when things go right because I understand how hard it really is, but in the end I honestly have no idea what might sell. I'm not afraid of failure and I try my best to live in the present. I just do my stuff. I'm thrilled that the horror-based work has taken off!
UNK: Besides the series that you have already covered are there any other horror franchises that you plan to cover? (Fingers crossed for HALLOWEEN).
J.H.: Hell yeah! I'll supply the practical answer first. I am on the bill for the next Monster Mania convention in August down at the Crown Plaza in Cherry Hill, NJ so my plan is to complete some Nightmare on Elm Street pieces for this convention, being that ROBERT ENGLUND is the guest of honor there + all the cast reunion stuff they have planned. I may skip Part 2 for this series though because it means I won't have to re-watch it.
I have an ambitious plan to work up a large scale MAD MAX/ROAD WARRIOR piece. There is so much amazing imagery and detail in the ROAD WARRIOR that I have been itching to cut my teeth on. Maybe people will see some humor in the concept with regards to the present gas crisis and all. I don't know… that post-apocalyptic style has influenced so much stuff in pop culture, from Japanese Anime and action figures to old Motley Crue videos. I happen to dig it. So, yeah my pencils are probably gonna get a work out.
*If you're hinting at John Carpenter's original HALLOWEEN flick with JAIME LEE CURTIS, then I will definitely add that one to the future production list. (…and Part 2 of that series is actually not that bad!)
J.H.: Let's pass on a human sacrifice and make it happen! I'll have to brush up on that one though… dig up all the facts on the "curse". Isn't there a book out on that?
UNK:Do you ever look back and want to change/edit a finished work?
J.H.:Yes, absolutely- and then my girlfriend reminds me of the upcoming art shows we've got and the 27 half-finished projects waiting in the studio.
J.H.:Be real to yourself. Don't be ashamed of liking what you like. Have fun with your art because it shows in the end. When an artist is really passionate about a particular topic then it thrives in all the little artistic decisions they make. I guess it comes down to passion. Don't be afraid to show it.
UNK: Thanks Jim, Your work is truly brilliant and we'll make sure to stop by the Monster Mania Convention in August!
Not unlike 9-1-1, AFI (The American Film Institute) is a joke. Yeah, you heard that right, a joke, and a really unfunny joke like the one about six being afraid of seven. Although they thought to include such non-popular, non-relevant genres like "Sports" and "Courtroom Dramas" on their DUMB LIST, for some reason they neglected our most favorite genre of all. And no, it's not horror. We're all for the ostracizing of horror films, the last thing we want is for horror movies to go mainstream; we're talking about… wheelchair movies!!! (The inclusion of REAR WINDOW in their suspiciously WATCHER IN THE WOODS free mystery list simply does not suffice!) We can overlook their bizarre, borderline flippant, spurious assessments of cinema (Girl at video store: "Let's travel to the magic fantasy world of GROUNDHOG DAY!" Boy at video store: "No. I'm in the mood for a sweeping, globetrotting epic like SHINDLER'S LIST!"), but the smug oversight of making their choices blatantly handicap inaccessible must be corrected at once! We here at Kindertrauma neither have the time nor the will power to right all the wrongs in the world (so please stop asking), but as far as this glaring error in judgment goes, we are more than handicapable.
10. MONKEYSHINES
Oh Chris Higgins, you certainly are one of the more self-indulgent of THE FRIDAY THE 13TH final girls, aren't you? In the third installment of the franchise you get a lot of sympathy mileage not only from your long-suffering boyfriend, but also from anybody within earshot when you recall a vague incident that occurred two years prior to the events in the film. As you tell it during a double-exposure flashback, after your boyfriend dropped you off on the night in question, you got into a fight with your folks and then ran off into the woods seeking solitude. Resting under a tree, you were confronted by a disfigured man ("Almost inhuman" are your words) who you grappled with and the next thing you knew you woke up at home in bed. Then comes the part that we here at Kindertrauma have trouble with; you claim to have blacked out the sordid details of that encounter. Chris, really? You're going to use the old catchall excuse "the blackout?" Unfortunately for you Chris, Kindertrauma's scandal happy investigators were able to unearth 10 minutes of extra montage footage that was edited from the film at the last minute by Paramount. If we may be so bold Chris, it seems your problems have less to do with Mr. Voorhees and more to do with one JACK DANIELS.
Your Unkle Lancifer does not hate SILVER BULLET, he just doesn't get all the love for it. Many readers, whose opinions I respect, adore this COREY HAIM-starring STEPHEN KING adaptation. If you are a SILVER BULLET enthusiast here is your chance to speak up and defend the honor of your beloved movie! This upcoming Friday (6/6/08) we will post all the positive SILVER BULLET valentines you kids can come up with alongside an unbiased take from your dear old Aunt John. If you have some positive words on this furry flick send them to us at kindertrauma@gmail.com and let me know what I'm missing. Who needs an unenthusiastic review from yours truly when you guys can spread all the SILVER love together?
In other Kindertrauma news, Aunt John put down his bottle of Peppermint Schnapps and pack of Virginia Slims long enough to upgrade our operating system to WordPress version 2.5.1. He also has made the commenting process user-friendlier by installing a WYSIWYG-editor. Now you can make hyper-links, make items bold or italicized, and spell-check before you post your comments. Also, he has incorporated user icons into the commenter process via Gravatars. Creating your own icon is easy and free, just visit http://en.gravatar.com/ to create your icon (make sure that the e-mail address you use with them is the same one you used with us when you first signed up as a commenter). If you do not create an icon (and you don't have to if you really don't want to), the default image of Kindertrauma's mascot clown will appear next to your name in the commenting section.
