Wow "1984" I was in high school and Metal ruled the
world and I wasn't even Tattooed Steve®yet!
I didn't know Warren yet, so I wasn't able to take part in the creation of "Drive-In
Madness". But it was a time when I met a kid named Shawn T. Reich who shared my love of horror movies and a magazine
called "Fangoria". We were like Jay and Silent Bob back then, just cooler. ;0)
I had met Shawn in Science class when I was seated next to him. We didn't
talk for the first few weeks because I thought he was too F'n quiet, and he thought I was a retard metalhead
stoner (Never touched the stuff not even cigs). Anyway he put his open gymbag on the floor one day and all I saw was
a "Fangoria" magazine. I asked him "If he was into horror movies?" and all he said was "Yes..." that was it a few minutes
later we were talking directors and an alience was born.
A week later during summer vacation I was at "The Monmouth County Fair"
and saw a face painter named "Ricky Dick" who owns "Castle Blood" in PA. and is on a few of the "Mehron" makeup packages.
I was going through his makeup book and saw all the cool gore stuff he did as well as the face painting. I told him I liked
his work, he gave me a card and then I was cutting school every other day to help in "The Costume Shop" in Red Bank N.J.
Ricky and his then business partner "Doug Clayton" taught me all the basics of horror stage makeup and appliance
makeing. And through them I had met Tom Savini. The Shop was later bought by Bennett Camhi and his Wife Diane and
moved it to Keyport N.J. Bennett is also the owner of Mr. B's Entertainment and had taught me acting and voice acting
as well as entertainment contract writing and promotion. All that time at the store (When I was in high school) had
cost me a summer in attendence make up, but it was more than worth it.
The second Shawn and I were back from summer vacation we had both
signed on for the TV production calss offered by R.B.R. H.S. and we had taken to it like ducks to water. It was
a three period class so we were always filming, editing or writing. Our teacher Mr. Steve Geller was really impressed
with our dedication to it and made sure to show us all he knew from his time working in the field. And any project we
did had to have a script, story board, schedual of completion and a working budget. In return we were given hall passes so
we could film where needed. So Shawn did the directing and camera work while I did the effects and acting. And we
both did the writing, lighting, later sound effects and editing. Then during the end of our seinor year my
uncle Bob had worked for Warren on "The Bloody Dead" and got me in touch with him. The only night Shawn and I missed filming
on "Flesh Eaters" was when we were at our high school graduation (Our parents were not letting us dodge that, movie or no
movie). And I had acted in a short film written and directed by Shawn back then called "Out in the cold". I
had played a disturbed induvidual who thought he was snowed in during a power outage, then proceeds to kill himself.
When in reality it was just the reverse because the power outage happens during the summer. And after he paints
the wall with his brain (Two coats) the power comes back on. It took Shawn five months two film the exteriors
because we didn't have a snow machine. So "Mother Nature" gets the credit for scene decorator.
