five with frights:- tom sullivan
-
Perhaps best known for his work with the Evil Dead / Army of Darkness movies, Tom Sullivan is a popular artist, prop maker, FX guru, and more. Definitely one of my favorite people to talk to, check out the interview he did for us...
MR. FRIGHTS: It's so awesome that you have a show case of your work, is it as equally awesome packing and unpacking it for shows?-
TOM SULLIVAN: Fortunately I have my good friend, Transportation Captain and official Bookbinder of the Dead, Patrick Reese helping most the time. Pat was on the set of Evil Dead when it filmed in Marshall, Michigan way back when. He was at the premiere in Royal Oak when Evil Dead was called The Book of the Dead. Pat designed the efficient racks for my art prints of my Evil Dead, H.P. Lovecraft and other work over the years. The Art Print Gallery and my Movie Memorabilia Museum featuring props, photos, articles and art from The Evil Dead and other films I've been part of. -
MR. FRIGHTS: You've told me before about how you did the artwork and how long it took to do the drawings for the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, but can you retell that story for our fans?
-
TOM SULLIVAN: In Sam's script, The Book of the Dead the book is described as having a cover made of some kind of animal skin with a few letters of an ancient alphabet. Besides being the description of the book from Equinox, a film I had seen but Sam had not at the time it didn't sound very scary or properly impressive. I had read about Ilse Koch, the wife of a Nazi Concentration Camp Commandant who had lampshades, curtains and book covers made of human skin. Being the most disgusting thing I had ever heard of I thought that a book cover made of skin would be awful to pick up and would look sickening and like something you wouldn't want to pick up. I took some latex coated molds of the actors, Hal Delrich's I believe and after about 5 or 6 layers I pulled out the cured skins and glued them onto some corrugated cardboard covers with contact cement and instant movie history.
I drew the covers over the first two weeks of production in Knoxville, Tennessee. I would get all my other work done and sit around the kitchen table with Josh Becker and talk about movies while I did the pages. I based the designs on DaVinci's sketchbook pages, images from the script and my vague recollections of hieroglyphs. -
MR. FRIGHTS: Have you ever dared to read the book aloud?
-
TOM SULLIVAN: No, there is a bad history with that.
-
MR. FRIGHTS: With coming up in a world of animatronics and making props and things the cool way (stuff you can physically manipulate and touch, hold, etc.) what's your feelings on how that kind of thing has changed with new tech and doing stuff mostly with computers or using computers to enhance the artwork?
-
TOM SULLIVAN: I like any tool used with taste and skill. Digital is another tool and offers some great advantages such as in compositing. When the budgets allow the several amazing CGI studios the time and money to do the creatures correctly it's an amazing thing. And then there is the stuff we see on certain science fiction genre cable channels on occasion that makes one harken back for stunt men in rubber suits, animatronics, stop motion animation and matte paintings. I'm no longer surprised at the overwhelming preference for the old school effects that the hundreds of film fans I've talked to.
-
MR. FRIGHTS: You do some of the coolest artwork I've ever seen, have you done graphic novels or comics or anything like that?
-
TOM SULLIVAN: I painted and illustrated role playing games for Chaosium Inc. for 18 years. They produce The Call of Cthulhu game and I did a lot of their H.P. Lovecraft books. I have also written a couple of comic books stories for Legion of Doom and Cryptic Comics formerly Dead Dog Comics. Chazz DeMoss, the publisher has Crypticon in Minneapolis this November where I'll be a guest and he put out my comic series The Books of the Dead: Devilhead. Sadly it ended with issue #2 but should be released as a graphic novel if everyone demands it. I promised two bloodbaths per issue and I delivered.
Hit the Grab Bag Questions below to go on with the interview...
GRAB BAG QUESTIONS
-
MR. FRIGHTS: Have you ever thought of putting a Tom Sullivan school of props and special effect together? Would you or have you taught your techniques to people looking to learn?
-
TOM SULLIVAN: My techniques were gained through a couple of issues of the late, great Don Dohler's Cinemagic Magazine. I would recommend they reprint those and see that filmmakers and effects artist's study them. My work is pretty old school and of the kitchen sink and garage caliber. While I did work at the very professional Chris Walas Industries on The Fly Part 2 and I learned a great deal about casting and materials there are many other worthy schools to learn the basics.
-
MR. FRIGHTS: I love that you're pretty much always at Cinema Wasteland, how did you becoming a regular come about?
-
TOM SULLIVAN: I met Ken Kish at Motor City Convention in Novi in 1998 I think. He had some Evil Dead T-Shirts and we got to talking. He told me he was planning to do a drive inn themed horror movie convention and invited me to be a guest. It turned out I was the first person Ken had asked to be a guest at what became the legendary Cinema Wasteland Horror Movie Expo.
Ken the the perfect room for me at the Holiday Inn Select in Strongsville, Ohio. It has the space and security and is right next to the main floor and the movie show rooms.
I'm a regular because I neglected to read my contract with Ken and I unwittingly signed an agreement to be a guest for 50,000 lifetimes. Gotta read that fine print. -
MR. FRIGHTS: Other than Ray Harryhausen, have you had any other strong influences that drove your work?
-
TOM SULLIVAN: The big three for me are Willis O'Brien, genius behind King Kong, Frank Frazetta, the powerful illustrator of dynamic adventure stories and Ray Harryhausen who carried the torch of outstanding fantasy films for two generations. I gathered all I could about these artists and even met Darlyne O'Brien, Ellie and Frank Frazetta and had dinner with Ray and David Allen.
-
MR. FRIGHTS: What about other sides that people might not know about you... have you ever done deadite childrens books under another name?
-
TOM SULLIVAN: Not sober.
-
MR. FRIGHTS: Are you currently working on any new horror projects?
-
TOM SULLIVAN: After a year and a half writing my feature film script called The Last Ghost Story based on the history, ghost sightings and location of the World class haunted attraction, The Homer Mill, the place burnt down. I had a producer, effects artists doing designs and tests, locations secured and things moving forward and the Gods of film decided to mess with the Tomster. So I am coming up with a plan B. But I'm thinking of a film story taking place in a shower to minimize fire hazard.
-
MR. FRIGHTS: I know you have people asking for your autograph constantly. I was wondering what is the strangest thing you've ever been asked to sign?
-
TOM SULLIVAN: I think the most shocking was a fellow who had me draw one of my Screaming Skull drawing on his arm and a few hours later he came back and the drawing was now a
tattoo. Ow.