Newsgroup: it.cultura.horror
Titolo: [TESI] Intervista a Tom Savini

Forse Cabal apprezzerà quest’intervista a Tom Savini, uno che di
splatter dovrebbe saperne qualcosa:-)
 The following interview with conducted(July 97) at the recent Monster
Bash
  in Ligonier, Pa. The con focused mostly on classic horror (i.e. Wolf
Man,
 Frankenstein, Dracula, etc), but one of the guests of honor was Tom
Savini.
 As you can tell from my page I am a big fan of Tom and was lucky enough
to
 sit down and do an interview with the King of Splatter himself. So
enjoy!!!
Caretaker: I am here at the Monster Bash talking with Tom Savini, the
King
of Splatter. Tom, I have read many of the articles you have done over
the
years and was wondering who your influences were? I know Lon Chaney, Sr
was
one of your idols, but who else?
Tom Savini: Definitely, Jack Pierce, of course. Because to me
Frankenstein
existed and I didn't realize or discover to some years later that he
existed
because of Jack Pierce and James Whale and other people. But as far as
the
actual monsters, something I would duplicate on myself was inspired by
Jack
Pierce's efforts. Dick Smith, of course. Dick Smith was the only guy who
you
could call up and he would share information with you, secrets of
make-up
techniques. Before that I was sticking chewing gum in my ear. Later on
you
have Staurt Freeborn, Rob Bottin, Rick Barker, Stan Winston. You know
all
the walking ones today.
Caretaker: How about as an actor?
Tom Savini: Not that they are great actors, but personalities. Actually
when
you are watching a movie, you are watching a series of takes that work.
An
actor is only as good as he was within that take. Tom Lee Jones, to me
is
like one of the greatest actors around. But growing up, I was influenced
by
Charles Bronson, Charlton Hestion, John Wayne, Steve McQueen, Lee
Marvin,
the tough guys. Again, personalities and not so much the actor. But as
far
as actors go, Tom Lee Jones, Lawrence Oliver, Burt Lancaster, and Tony
Curtis were all big influences.
Caretaker: Are you a horror fan?
Tom Savini: I thought I was the horror fan. No, I am the fan that made
it
good, well at least that is what they tell me. Horror is such a right
turn
off the path, the beaten kind of everyday normal path. Also, its a scary
thing, anything that gets your adrenaline going . Endocrinologist will
tell
you a horror movie, a roller coaster ride that sort of thing releases in
your system a chemical. I don't know the name of chemical, but it's a
cancer
fighting chemical. That if you were to go get a treatment of it would
cost
you $40, 000. So watching a horror movies, riding a roller coaster or
that
kind of thing produces millions of dollars of this chemical in your
body.
But horror is such a...its the weirdness of it. We all love a freakshow.
We
all stop to look at the accident. It stems from that.
Caretaker: Speaking as a fan, what is your view on the state of horror
today?
Tom Savini: Well, I don't think that horror has reached the point where
they
are making movies as an excuse to sell hamburgers, button, etc. I am a
little afraid that the danger of a movie like Scream making so much
money,
is that it trains people to except such stupidity as a horror movie. I
prefer the classic horror, the monsters, but they are not scary anymore.
The
only horror that scared me was The Exorcist and the Alien trilogy. So it
is
possible to be inventive and unique in the genre of horror. Who is going
to
do that I don't know, but I 'll be waiting for them and hopefully I can
be
one of them.
Caretaker: Tell us a little about what it felt like working on your
first
film "Deathdream"?
Tom Savini: Well, it was my first movie so being in a room with lots of
people with a big camera on a dolly...it was like "Wow, hey I am where
they
are making a movie", someplace where I always wanted to be. Then it was
like
the Peggy Lee song, "Is that all there is". The things that stick out
was
doing the effects, when they didn't work we could do them again, but
when
they did, it was very rewarding.
Caretaker: How did you come to meet George Romero?
Tom Savini: Well he came to my high school, I think I was a sophomore.
He
came looking for actors for a film he was making called "Whine of the
Fawn",
which was never made. I was one of two actors that he took down to his
studio for a screen test. Years later when I heard he was making "Night
of
the Living Dead", I went down with my portfolio to say "hey, I can do
make-up effects." George said he could use me, but I had just enlisted
in
the army and was in Vietnam when the movie was made. But a few years
later,
I heard he was making "Martin" so I went down to audition for the
vampire,
but he was already cast. So I stayed on and did the effects for the
film.
Caretaker: How did you come to do the make-up effects for "Dawn of the
Dead"?
Tom Savini: I was in North Carolina doing a play when I got a telegram
from
George that said "start thinking of ways to kill people." That's all it
said.
Caretaker: I just finished watching the recently released Director's Cut
of
"Dawn of the Dead" from Elite and heard George and you discussing a
suicide
ending for the film. Was that ever shot?
Tom Savini: He doesn't remember shooting it, but we definitely shot it.
I
was on the roof of the Monroeville Mall in the snow with the helicopter
with
a big bracing 2 x 4 systems that was holding up the dummy with fishing
line.
After the head explodes, we cut the fishing line and the dummy dropped.
We
definitely shot it and I saw the footage, but where it is now who the
hell
knows.
Caretaker: Which ending did you prefer?
Tom Savini: Definitely, his ending.
Caretaker: How did you get involved with "Friday the 13th"?
Tom Savini: That was right after "Dawn" and they saw my name on it and
so
they called me. They wanted to get the guy who did those effects.
Caretaker: Any effects on that film that really stick out in your mind?
Tom Savini: Everything was new in those days. We were inventing it.
Probably, the arrow through the throat of Kevin Bacon, but that was more
of
a magic trick.
Caretaker: "Day of the Dead", was that the movie that George Romero
really
wanted to make?
Tom Savini: No. We went through 3 or 4 scripts on that one. Every time
they
gave him a budget cut, he had to make it smaller and smaller. It was an
epic. An zombie epic film. It just got too expensive.
Caretaker: Hopefully, with the next one in the series, George can make
the
movie he wants to make.
Tom Savini: I don't think he wants to do another horror movie.
Caretaker: That's our loss as fans if that's true. Well can you tell us
a
little about working with Stephen King?
Tom Savini: It was a blast. He's a funny guy, but brilliant. He is like
a 13
year old kid. You could sit around all day talking about your favorite
Twilight Zone episodes with him.
Caretaker: "Night of the Living Dead 90", I think was better than the
original, whose idea was it to do the remake?
Tom Savini: Thanks. I wish you could have seen the movie I wanted to
make.
But budgetary and rating constraits kept us from doing that. Oh yeah,
your
question....actually, it was George's idea. I think he finally got the
financing. When he asked me about it I said, "great I guess I will be
doing
the effects", but he said, "no I want you to direct." George gave me a
lot
of freedom on this film.
Caretaker: Whose idea was it to change Barbara's character?
Tom Savini: That evolved from us trying to think who we could bring back
and
George said "no one." I said what about Barbara. We see her dragged out,
but
never killed. Why couldn't she escape, grab a gun and help these people.
Than George began writing the Sigourney Weaver/Barbara part.
Caretaker: What part did you play in the effects for the film?
Tom Savini: I picked the effect team and designed what I wanted to see.
John
Vulich and Everett Burrell from Optic Nerve Studio had just worked with
me
on "Two Evil Eyes". I had wanted to take cadavers and mechanize them. We
couldn't do that, but that's the look I was after. They did a great job
for
me.
Caretaker: I am a big fan of the Italian Horror scene, any favorites?
Tom Savini: Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Lamberto Bava.
Caretaker: What did you think of Fulci's zombies?
Tom Savini: Great effects. The eyeball puncturing scene was wonderful.
Caretaker: What does the future hold for Tom Savini?
Tom Savini: Two possibilities immediately. One is called
"Claustrophobia"
and the other is "Vampirates". Promises, but not contracts. Hopefully,
they
will lead to contracts.
Caretaker: To direct, act, or do special effects?
Tom Savini: To direct and play parts.
Caretaker: Tom, one final question. Why the web?
Tom Savini: Two guys in Ohio called me up and said they wanted to do a
website. I said "website, what's that"? So the website was created well
before I had a computer. It was their idea and I love it. I love
plugging in
my laptop and being able to talk to the world. I love getting e-mail.
Ciao
Tommaso
-- 
ICHer e Membro Ufficiale della Mano Nera di ICH
L’incredibile sito di ICH: 
http://utenti.tripod.it/ICH/
Solange Cinema: 
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Highrise/5983/
Abolizione della pena di morte nel mondo:
http://www.nessunotocchicaino.it

splatter dovrebbe saperne qualcosa:-)
cabal ti adora...
se fossi stato una femminuccia avrebbe addirittura potuto chiederti la mano!
:o)))
gracias
cabal

Bella intervista, a parte il pazzo che dice che il remake de "La notte dei
morti viventi" è meglio dell'originale... questo è leccaculismo!!!
Cmq bravo Tommà... :)
--
MAX BARONI
-Lei non combatte lealmente, Corto Maltese...
-D'accordo, ma a terra c'è lei.
Membro ufficiale della Mano Nera di ICH
http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/vine/9175/index.htm

 Cmq bravo Tommà... :)
Thank you. Come si sa, sto affinando in rete le mie doti da Sherlock
Holmes:-)
