When Ray Harryhausen passed away earlier this month, I thought a lot about his contributions to movies. His pioneering of stop-action animation laid the groundwork for special effects today. However, with scene after scene of CGI in today’s films, I can’t help but think that modern cinema could benefit from old school propwork and animation. It would certainly be refreshing.
Last year, one of the real treats I found was a seven minute short called House of Monsters “Fun in the Sun”. The film, which was a side project for some special effects artists from Hollywood, is a love story (of sorts) involving classic monsters like the Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Werewolf. It’s funny and charming and worth watching.
House of Monsters was submitted to some film festivals and did well, winning some awards and even more praise. If you follow Hollywood, you know that the next logical step is a sequel or two and that’s exactly what Frankenstein and friends are getting via a Kickstarter campaign.
Director Dawn Brown is looking at bigger and better sets, costuming, and sculpted figures. The concept art is fantastic and the talent involved is impressive. Warren Manser, who worked on Spiderman, The Matrix, Transformers 3 and 4, and designed the new Superman suit for Man of Steel is involved, as is Jon Neill, a highly sought-after sculptor, who has worked at Stan Winston Studios and on The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Interview with a Vampire, and other films.
If you appreciate great family-friendly films and the originality and realism of stop-action animation, consider backing the Kickstarter for House of Monsters. It’s spooktacular!
