Between October 1,2014 to October 31,2015 FWYW artist and founder Bradley Beard created a series of 421 horror-themed portraits and released them daily on Facebook for 396 consecutive days. This self imposed challenge has become known as the 13 Months of Horror and to commemorate it’s 5th anniversary, Bradley is sharing it once again on Facebook and Instagram. FWYW will be collecting each week’s and sharing them in our blog so please enjoy as we present to you The 13 Months of Horror – Revisited.
DAY 29 – MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES
Today is dedicated to Lon Chaney Sr. or James Cagney or both… depending on your perspective. Both designs are of James Cagney from the 1957 Universal Studios classic Man of a Thousand Faces. In this movie Cagney portrayed the life of silent horror screen legend Lon Chaney Sr.; although Cagney himself never acted in a horror movie. My first design is of Cagney as the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the second design is the Phantom of the Opera. Oddly enough Cagney’s Phantom make-up became so iconic that it was the image used by Universal Studios to promote Phantom related products in the 1960’s even though it was only shown for mere seconds in the movie. I may not have a thousand faces but I will have two more to show you tomorrow.
DAY 29 – LON CHANEY SR. aka MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES
This is a piece I designed after having had the pleasure of meeting the amazing Chaney family at the Licensing Expo. Lon Chaney was one of the actors that introduced me to horror and has provided much artistic inspiration over the years. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to present a newer design alongside 2 older designs to allow you to see the progression of my minimalist style.
DAY 30 – THE WAR OF THE WORLDS & THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD
76 years ago today, Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds caused a nationwide panic; people actually believed an alien invasion was imminent. Today is dedicated to those world invaders. My first design is of a Martian from the 1953 Paramount Pictures classic The War of the Worlds. This is probably the most famous retelling of H.G. Wells novel and one of my all-time favorite sci-fi movies. My second design is of a giant mollusk from the 1957 MGM Studios classic The Monster That Challenged the World. In a typical 1950’s offering, an earthquake in southern California awakens giant pre-historic mollusks that are discovered in the Salton Sea. This plot is somewhat of a stretch to be considered a “world” challenge but hey, it’s science FICTION. And don’t forget what day it is tomorrow… until then.
DAY 31 – HALLOWEEN & TRICK ‘R TREAT
Halloween is finally here and nothing is more iconic to the season than what I present today. My first design is Michael Myers from the 1978 classic Halloween directed by John Carpenter and starring Jamie Lee Curtis. This movie is the standard by which all modern horror movies are measured. A little known fact is that the mask donned by Myers in the movie is actually a Don Post Studios William Shatner mask that was painted white. My second design is of Sam from the 2007 Legendary Pictures film Trick ‘r Treat. This movie is inspired by 1970’s horror anthologies; each individual story is ultimately tied together in the framing sequence. Sam is a little boy who just wants a piece of candy so don’t disappoint him if he shows up at your door… or else. The horrors are now over… or are they? I may be back tomorrow…
DAY 32 – CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF
Since the entire month of October was were-less (as in WEREwolf), I will make up for it this month starting today. This design is of Oliver Reed from the 1961 Hammer Studios classic Curse of the Werewolf. This movie was Oliver Reed’s first screen appearance. This movie follows the cursed life of a man named Leon from birth through adulthood. His mother was thrown in prison after refusing the advances of an aging Spanish nobleman where she was later violated. Leon was born on Christmas and suffered a lifelong curse. The werewolf make-up is some of the most iconic ever created and Reed’s werewolf one of the most frightening. I am glad to be back presenting more art for the next couple of months so you’re not rid of me yet. Keep checking back daily… or nightly if you prefer.
DAY 33 – THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD
Alien visitors… many people hope to see them and many more want them to come. But the real question to ask yourself is would they come in peace? This movie provides us with a very frightening answer… Hell NO!! Today’s design is of James Arness as the alien from the 1951 RKO pictures classic The Thing From Another World. This was one of the first from the 1950’s “alien invasion” movie craze and most definitely one of the best. A team is sent to investigate when a UFO crash-lands in Antarctica; they unwitting thaw a frozen being and pandemonium ensues. The alien is a plant-based life form that views humans and our blood as food for its germinating seedlings. John Carpenter remade the film in 1982. I will visit that in a later design… so “Keep looking. Keep watching the skies”.
DAY 34 – THE SLIME PEOPLE
Remember that ONE movie you watched as a kid that you loved so much? It was amazing and nobody could ever convince you otherwise. Then 20 years later you decide to recapture that childhood memory only to find out what a dud it really was? This is THAT movie for me. My design today is a monster from the questionably “classic” 1963 The Slime People starring Robert Hutton and Les Tremayne. The movie is so bad IMDB gives it only 1 star and Rotten Tomatoes hasn’t even rated it. In a nutshell, slime creatures emerge from the sewers (a real stinker) to take over Los Angeles… and they’re still there (just joking)!! This synopsis is in no way meant to convince you to watch this movie; I suggest that you don’t. If you like my design, just leave it at that. Remember, something this bad just makes everything else look better.
DAY 35 – THE SHE-CREATURE
The 1950’s saw the birth of the science fiction movie. Some of those movies became instant classics due to poignant storytelling or for their groundbreaking special effects while others had nothing more than a cool, creepy monster; today’s design is from the latter category. This is The She-Creature from the 1956 AIP classic of the same name. The iconic make-up was created by Paul Blaisdel; who was best known for conceptualizing some of the most colorful monsters of the 50’s era. The plot: A hypnotist experimenting in hypnotic regression takes an unwitting girl into her past life as a pre-historic humanoid land-shrimp and uses her to commit murder. (Umm… What the hell?). If something smells fishy right about now… it might just be tomorrow’s design.
