From my previous posts you all know I have always had mad admiration for and supported the work of Cleve Hall and his daughter Constance. They have been in the monster making industry for a ton of years before SyFy’s Monster Man. However, they were the first to bring monster making into our homes (on our television sets). They showed the world the importance of making hand made creations vs always going with CGI to bring monsters and horror movies to life. When it happened it was a huge breakthrough for dark artists everywhere. It not only supported us but gave people a better understanding and opened some minds to the idea of what dark art is all about and why we love what we do. It also gave younger audiences inspiration of what they can be when they grow up..if you love drawing monsters and don’t want to be a doctor or lawyer.. draw monsters! I wish so badly there was something like this out there for me when I was younger that showed me the outlets of a career I never knew existed.
This is actually part of the conversation I had with Cleve last night… in PERSON! I finally got to meet him and even though I thought I was going to have to stand in line like everyone else as a part of a meet in greet it actually happened quite differently and rather perfectly. You see we brought Frankenhearse out last night to the Dupage Haunted Halloween Flea Market (very cool event!!) and ended up being asked to put it on display in front of one of the buildings. Needless to say it was a huge hit with the people attending and the promoter Bob was very happy we brought it.
The coolest part of the night though was when we walked away for a while and came back to find Cleve (a big hearse enthusiast) checking out Frankenhearse. Frank was like “Babe I think that’s Cleve by the hearse” We ran over and he was right! I walked up to him and introduced myself and immediately he knew who I was and gave me a big hug. He told me that the Cleve mini zombie head I made him is doing great and sits by his TV. That of course made my day…. month… year! The man is a monster making legend and MY creation is on display in his home! I am still smiling. The greatest part is he had time to kill before judging the costume contest in the building right by the hearse so Frank and I got to have a really nice conversation with him and actually hang out.
We talked a little about the show as I know that is something people probably talk his ear off about. I just told him that as an artist my appreciation for them doing the show was it gave me a behind the scenes glimpse into the creative process. To be able to see how they worked to create something from an idea turned into a physical thing that came to life on set blew my mind. It was the closest thing to me being able to experience that myself and I was grateful for that.
A very special thank you to Cleve for taking the time to talk with me and making my first time at the Halloween Haunted Flea Market such a memorable one! It’s not very common for people to get to meet those who inspire them in person. I am so grateful to have gotten this opportunity and even more so for the one on one time with such a legend.
Stay Spooky!
LDG Nicole
