Our friends at Living Dead Reviews got us another interview and this time its with Michael Jones of Slit of the Wrist FX. He was the make up FX Supervisor for Mental Scars and has worked on several films. Thanks guys!!!
LDR: What are your first recollections of the horror genre? What chilled the Dedman first?
MJ: I have been watching horror movies for as long as I can remember. My first real favorites in the genre were films like the original Friday the 13th and My Bloody Valentine, Halloween, The Howling, It’s Alive and all of the 80’s fare. I caught a lot of films on Commander USA’s Groovy Movies. I was also a big fan of Saturday Nightmares on the USA Network, where they ran programs like The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Ray Bradbury Theatre and The Hitchhiker.
The first movie that really scared the shit out of me was John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing. When that alien burst out of the dog, I nearly lost it! Poltergeist 2 really scared me as well. The scene where the corpses and caskets came out of the flooded swimming pool was a really powerful scene. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, while cheesy by today’s standards, was entertaining and funny as a kid. The changing sequences in The Howling and An American Werewolf in London had me frozen as well!
LDR: As the driving force behind Slit of the Wrist FX, as well as having several feature films under your belt, Introduce yourself, Let us get to know Mike Jones, and what led to your pursuit of the art of make-up FX?
MJ: My name is Michael Jones, and the owner of Slit of the Wrist FX in Raleigh, NC. I have been a producer, actor, special FX supervisor and artist on several films:
Mental Scars (2008): I served as actor (Native American Killer) and Make-up and Special F/X Artist/Supervisor on this film.
The Mental Scars (Release Pending) Official Site: www. mentalscars. com
Z13: The Zombie Within (2007): I served as actor (zombie with torn cheek) and Make-up and Special F/X Artist on this film.
Z13: The Zombie Within (Release Pending) page: https://allacesmedia. com/
The Evil Woods (2007): I served as a Make-up & Special F/X Artist on this film.
The Evil Woods (Released on DVD June 3, 2008 by Lionsgate Home Entertainment) IMDB page: https://www. imdb. com/title/tt0968738/
The Forever Dead (2006-2007): I served as Producer, actor (Zombie in Plaid, Running Feet #3, and Camp Leader) and Make-up & Special F/X Artist on this film.
The Forever Dead Official Site (Released on DVD March 4, 2008 by Brain Damage Films): www. theforeverdead. com
The Forever Dead IMDB page: https://www. imdb. com/title/tt1128214/
Miscellaneous Make-up Information:
Boneyard Bar Tour 2008
Entire bar staff and guests Halloween night at White Collar Crime (Bar) Raleigh NC
Nevermore Film Festival 2006
Make-Up and F/X Demonstration at the Nevermore Film Festival held in Durham, NC
The Grinder 15 promo short 2006-07
Promo make-up for the feature film The Grinder in Charlotte NC
KIFF music video “The Forever Dead” 2006
Music Video shot in the Frightmare Haunted House for KIFF in Raleigh NC
The Frightmare Haunted House 2006
Make-Up for the Frightmare Haunted House in Raleigh NC
Writing Credentials
GoreZone Magazine
I wrote for them for about a year. What was cool about that magazine was that they were (at the time) an almost totally European magazine and I was the only American writer. I had my own column entitled The Cold Room where I highlighted not only the projects I was working on, but I brought press releases, DVD Release info and other exclusive little tidbits about other independent horror films being made. I also did a few feature articles, including a history of the entire Howling series, as well as my version as an American of their top 20 Video Nasties. I also did a few DVD reviews for them.
Dark Disc Magazine
I also wrote for a magazine that only had one release called Dark Disc. I did two interviews in that edition. The first was with Christine Parker, Director and Producer of The Forever Dead. The second interview was with Bill Mulligan, whom had acted, produced, and did the make-up FX with me on set for The Forever Dead.
Wicked Karnival Magazine
Another I wrote for was Wicked Karnival Magazine. I did a few DVD reviews for that one.
G.A.S.P. Magazine
In the April 2009 issue, exclusive interviews with Mischa Perez (Director, Producer and Actor of the upcoming Mental Scars) and Richard Myles (Writer, Producer and Actor for the upcoming Mental Scars).
ShriekFreak Quarterly
In the July 2009 issue, I will have exclusive interviews with Aaron Harvey (Director of The Evil Woods) and Blake Faucette (Producer and actor on Z13: The Zombie Within and Director of the upcoming Shadow: Ops).
The Deditorials
I have my own original series entitled The Deditorials. This is where I would take topics that were going around in the genre and wrote opinion pieces on. Topics ranged from the MPAA and the Ratings System, a Horror Hall Of Fame, Major Retailers Banning Movies Releases and so on. I have also done several behind the scenes articles on films I have worked on.
Interviews
I have also done interviews with, Christine Parker ( Dir, Pro: The Forever Dead), Bill Mulligan (Pro, Actor, Make-up FX: The Forever Dead), Don May, JR (Owner of Synapse Films), Stephen Biro ( Owner of Unearthed Films), Peter M Bracke (Writer of Crystal Lake Memories), Matt Pennachi (Program Director of The Carolina Theatre), Lilith Stabs (Scream Queen), Melantha (Countess Bathoria, Model, Actress), Heidi Martinuzzi (Actress, Pretty/Scary. net, Women of Horror Calendar), Rob Avery (Dir: Psychos Gone Wild), and Alex Ferrari Dir: Broken).
As far as what led to my pursuit of being a make-up artist in the genre, it was my Dad! He came home from work one day and gave me my first issue of Fangoria magazine. To be specific, it was issue #36 that contained an interview with Tom Savini and a behind the scenes look at the FX from Friday the 13th Part 4. Jason had become a fascination for me anyway because of where we lived in upstate NY. Where we lived kind of looked like the woods from Camp Crystal Lake, so I was hooked from there. Flipping through those pages again and again reading Savini’s words and seeing Jason’s demise are just images that stuck with me from that day!
LDR: As an artist, who are your influences? Savini, Botin, Baker? Or was it someone else entirely?
MJ: Tom Savini has been one of the biggest influences of my life. Just take a look at what the man has done in his career! With films like Dawn of the Dead, The Prowler, The Burning, Friday the 13th and so on, how could he not have been an influence for anyone who does this for a living? I really wish he would do more today, but I even enjoy seeing his as an actor. He really has done a lot with his school as well. He really is someone that I respect and admire greatly for all of his contributions to the genre as we know it today!
Other people that have influenced my work would be people like Rick Baker, Screamin’ Mad George, Greg Nicotero, and Olaf Ittenbach. All of these people have done films that are really important to me in the genre, and are people to be respected. There is one other person in the FX genre that I really feel is overlooked and that is Gianetto De Rossi. Here is a man that has worked with some of the best in genre but you almost never hear about! I think with films like Lucio Fulci’s Zombie, Cannibal Apocalypse, The Beyond, House by the Cemetery, Conan the Destroyer, Dune and High Tension, he really deserves more praise and attention than he receives. He and Savini are really the top masters of their craft, and anyone worth their salt in this industry owes them many a thanks for what they have given to the FX industry!
LDR: You have worked on several films. Mental Scars, The Forever Dead, just to name a couple. Do you have a favorite so far?
MJ: I know this may sound clichéd, but they are all favorites. The reason for that is each one introduced me to different aspects of the film making process. For example, The Forever Dead was my first film. Christine Parker welcomed me in and let me express myself creatively with the special FX and gave me my first acting role. I also met my FX partner Bill Mulligan on set. He and I just seem to gel well as an FX team and without both of them my career may not be where it is now!
With Z13: The Zombie Within, Blake Faucette and Voltron Jones taught me a lot about how lighting in a location can make a world of difference. I also learned a lot about the planning of stunt choreography and fight sequences. You have to be pinpoint accurate when you do fighting sequences or someone is going to get hurt. The sheer amount of time it takes to make a fight sequence look like a fight on film is unreal! The film also used digital FX. It was fun being on set and seeing how a sequence is filmed without something or someone being there, but in the final product it is.
The Evil Woods really taught me about how a film set is run by Hollywood standards. Aaron Harvey really ran a tight set, and timing was everything. I also saw a lot of interaction between Aaron and the actors. He was really good at conveying to them what he wanted in the shot while allowing them the freedom to ad-lib certain things. It really made the performances flow better and not seem so “acted”.
Mental Scars built on everything that all of the films taught me. It had the highest budget I had worked with yet, and by far the most Hollywood tested crew to date. This was also the first film I had worked on that was shot on 35 mm. Working on film is much more intense than working on a digital format. There are so many things that have to be just right or they don’t come across right.
LDR: I know that you have had roles in some of the films in which you also did FX for. Do you plan to pursue acting more? How about writing or directing?
MJ: Yes, I do plan to pursue more acting every chance I get. I really enjoy being a zombie or a victim, but I don’t know yet if I am ready to really have a “starring” role. When I worked on The Forever Dead, I was not cast as the campfire storyteller. It was more of a quick decision to have somebody telling a story around the campfire and then being “killed” as a prank to the other campers like you see in other horror movies. I had guessed that I may play a cameo role as a zombie, but when Christine Parker approached me about the role, I could not refuse! I really thank Christine for that opportunity, though. Thanks to her, my first role ever in a movie will be as a zombie attack victim!
Z13: The Zombie Within was pretty much the same way. I showed up with Bill Mulligan to do the FX make-up. He and I had a playful game of one-upping each other with the zombie make-up when we noticed that there was not a lot of zombies there, so we approached Blake Faucette and Voltron Jones about putting ourselves in make-up. They had no problem with it, so Bill and I became zombies in that movie!
I did not do any acting on The Evil Woods, but that worked out just as well. I really think Aaron Harvey had a good cast, and that was the first time I had worked with a crew that big. To be honest, I was a little intimidated when I first stepped on the set, but everything worked out great and I was on the behind-the-scenes. So I had camera time either way!
The acting in Mental Scars was a bit of a last minute thing as well. Mischa Perez and Richard Myles approached me about needing a killer for a scene not related to the lead character David Taggart. The role required no speaking and you can barely see my face, but if you look really carefully you can see my Carolina Hurricanes tattoo! That was fun because I was able to hide the FX tubing in that scene by being in it. Sometime acting can help create the illusion a little bit more!
LDR: As a Horror Purist, what is your opinion on the state of mainstream horror? How about the future?
MJ: I feel like mainstream horror today is in trouble. That is not to say that there is not good new horror out there, but the majority of it comes from the underground. Hollywood is really on this remake craze that has been going on for the last several years. While there have been some good remakes, films are called classics for a reason. It also seems to only affect our genre. I don’t see remakes of Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Ben-Hur or Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the works. They are all considered classics, so why not remake them? The fault lies with us in the genre as fans, but Hollywood deserves a heaping plate of blame as well. We as fans have to show Hollywood that we want to see original horror stories or sequals. Hollywood needs to understand that we are tired of seeing our films over run by the latest WB show teeny-bopper cast and that we don’t want PG-13 rated horror! I would also like to see Hollywood make people understand that the NC-17 rating does not mean that it is a porn film. Thanks to crap like Showgirls, that rating has been given a negative meaning, and that’s a damn shame! Make horror films for adults and adults will go see them!
What does the future hold for our genre? Hard to say. Until we as consumers let them know that what they are doing now is not what we want, they are going to continue to put this crap out and talented up and coming directors that have original stories are going to be pushed to the direct to DVD market. Hollywood is going to have to learn that putting $20 million into a project and slapping together a half-assed story and calling it a remake isn’t going to work either. For that one $20 million shitfest they put together, they could give 10 new directors with original stories $2 million, find a new hit or franchise, and make their money back tenfold. Some of our greatest films in the genre were made that way, and Hollywood has forgotten that. Sadly, so have most of the fans…
LDR: You and Slit of the Wrist FX are solidly entrenched in the independent horror scene. How difficult was it to get established in the industry? What advice would you give to a budding artist?
MJ: Wow! First let me say that it is an honor to me for you to say I am entrenched in the independent horror scene! I don’t think I am there yet, but I do feel like I am slowly fighting my way to that point. As I have said earlier, were it not for people like Christine Parker, Ed Warner, Bill Mulligan, Blake Faucette, Micha Moore, Aaron Harvey, Mischa Perez and Richard Myles, I would not be as “established” as I am now. I think it is very important for people to remember how they got to where they are now, and I feel like with all of the people I have mentioned that we have all helped one another. Even though I have done four feature films, I am only one of thousands to do this. With luck one day, maybe people will remember me and my work.
As far as advice that I can give to budding artists: DON’T EVER GIVE UP! This is not an easy job to have. Make sure that this is what you want to do with your life. You will have to make decisions and sacrifices that you never dreamed of just to have a 1 in a million shot at making it. Keep watching what other FX artists are doing. Watch movies that you wouldn’t normally watch. If you work on horror films, WATCH horror films! Go back to the earliest to the latest films. Never think that you know everything! You can always go on set and learn something new. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and experiment in your off time. Sometimes the simplest things can pull off the most complex FX!
LDR: What is your dream project? Who would you sell your soul to work with or for?
MJ: Another tough question! Not a huge fan of remakes as I stated before, but if I had to pick a film project that was a remake, I would choose Lucio Fulci’s Zombie or The Beyond. Those two films have always inspired me to push my work to the limits, so if they were going to be remade, those would be my picks. As a big fan of the Friday the 13th series, of course I would love to work on one of those! I also would love to work with master directors like Dario Argento, George Romero, Olaf Ittenbach, Rob Zombie and Quentin Tarintino. FX artists like Tom Savini or Gianetto De Rossi would be a truly humbling experience.
But sadly, the guy I would sell my soul to work with is no longer with us. Lucio Fulci was really the director that caught my attention. His eye for detail (and of course gore!) really kept my attention glued to the screen for hours. Classics like Zombie, The Beyond, City of the Living Dead, The New York Ripper, Cat in the Brain and many, many more just held a morbid fascination for me. While he may have had a bit of a reputation for the way he treated actors and had a bad temper, it would have really been an honor to work with him.
LDR: What’s next for Mike Jones and Slit of the Wrist FX? What do we have to look forward to?
MJ: Well, Mental Scars and Z13 have not been picked up and released yet, so anything I can do to help get them out is one of my top priorities. As far as film goes, I have a few things brewing. Blake Faucette will be doing a film entitled Shadow Ops, which could start filming at any time. I am slated to do the FX/Supervisor thing on that one, and if I am lucky, maybe get killed or be a zombie in it!
My buddy Aaron Harvey has a few projects on the back burner I can’t discuss yet, but again I may be doing FX for them. We will see what happens with that. I have also been asked by another talented film maker by the name of Rob Avery to come out to Ohio this summer and play a bit part in Slashers Gone Wild 2! I can’t give any details yet, but suffice it to say that it will be bloody good stuff! I am also hoping to make it to Minnesota to work with a guy named Jason Stephenson and NFTS Productions. I love what they are doing up there!
LDR: As always we ask, what is your favorite Horror film and why?
MJ: YIPES! I knew that this was coming! Where should I even begin? I can’t give you just one. Movies like Friday the 13th, My Bloody Valentine, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Mother’s Day and Halloween hold special places in my heart because they are what I think the slasher genre is all about. They all have a certain amount of cheesy cliché that you hear a lot of fans complain about, but they all added something to the mythos of what makes a slasher a slasher.
Lucio Fulci’s Zombie, The Beyond, Night, Dawn and Day of the Dead (originals!), Cemetery Man, Return of the Living Dead, and Shaun of the Dead are all zombie films that I feel are the standard bearers for the living dead. Zombies are my all time favorite types of film, in particular if it came from Italy. I could list dozens upon dozens of Italian zombie flicks!
Other films that I am really high on would be Susperia, The Burning Moon, Nekromantik, The Guinea Pig Series, Chopping Mall, C.H.U.D., House of a 1000 Corpses, the Saw series, The Crow, City of the Living Dead, Troll, Ju-On, Ringu, A Living Hell and on and on and on!
Blood, guts, gore and nudity are staples of our industry. Get some crafty camera shots, usually a cast on unknowns and just a bit of cheese and you got what I love.
All of those movies listed above have helped me become the person I am in the genre today, and I would like to thank all of them for the countless hours of entertainment they have provided me!
Thanks to Living Dead Reviews and Michael Jones
