One of the reasons for going to a movie convention is the little secrets you find out from the guests. Like when special effects wizard Tom Savini revealed to the crowd at this weekend’s Fangoria Weekend of Horrors there’s something he can’t stand.
“I hate having fake blood on me,” said the man who helped spread enough of it around for Dawn of the Dead. But on is a big step up from in. As an actor in the up-coming Lost Boys 2: The Tribe, at one point he was being picked up by another actor, who was dressed in a wet suit and had a tube up his sleeve, ready to pump a spray of fake blood. Unfortunately, with his hand being where it was, Savini realized “I could feel the blood going up my ass. I was getting a fake bood enema.”
For those who wondered why he’s spending more time in front of the camera, rather than doing effects make-up, he had some sad news: as he gets older, the tiny detailed work is harder on his fingers. However, he still had some handy hints for up-and-coming gore auteurs: if your fake blood is going to be splashed against a white background, add a little green dye, “or it’ll look like Strawberry Kool-Aid.”
This article appears in January 18 • 2008.
