Issue 015 October/November 1998

Steve Johnson: Monster Mogul

Hollywood is the epicenter of the make-up effects industry. At the upper end of this very competitive field are the “mega shops,” multimillion dollar facilities designed to not only handle major films, but wow filmmakers with their architectural design and set dressing. Steve Johnson is not only the latest member of this exclusive club, but also is the first to open a permanent satellite shop in another country. With multiple film projects, commercials, and five ongoing series at any given time, Steve Johnson is a monster mogul. We spoke to Steve at his new lavish “Jetsons-like” mega shop about the wild and zany world of Magic Johnson.

Matthew Mungle: Blast from the Past

Between the Psycho remake, One True Thing, Deep Blue Sea and Bowfinger’s Big Thing, make-up artist Mathew Mungle has been very busy. We spoke with him about the age make-ups he did on Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek and Joey Slotnik for New Line Cinema’s Blast From the Past, a “fun film” says Mungle.

Dick Smith: Shadow Master

In 1967 a daytime television show called Dark Shadows captured the attention and imagination of the American public. The show was unique in that the very rich and mysterious Collins family was surrounded, plagued, and haunted by innumerable supernatural beings. The star “monster” of the show was a two-hundred-year-old vampire, Barnabas Collins. For the 30th Anniversary of the show, Todd McIntosh, interviewed the creator, Dick Smith, about the Barnabas Collins make-up.