***UPDATED*** - The Man of a Thousand Faces

(UPDATED! - see end of article for additional information)
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Lon Chaney is solely responsible for giving me two very important things in my life.

The stuff of nightmares

The first being the earliest and scariest nightmares I can recall having as a kid.

Seeing him as Erik, the lead in the 1925 silent film masterpiece The Phantom of the Opera frightened me so much, I could not sleep alone in my bed for weeks. I was very young, perhaps five or maybe six years old at the most, and when Mom tried to put me to bed for the night, I cried and carried on and begged to sleep in that big, safe bed of hers and Daddy's. I know that she regretted having let me watch the movie, as surely she did for all the ensuing monster movies I just had to watch over my inquisitive, formative years and was of course mortally terrified by. 

In my mind's eye, I kept seeing that pivotal moment of the movie, where Christine (portrayed by Mary Philbin) sneaks up behind Erik as he plays the organ... and then pulls off his mask to reveal the deformed and utterly hideous features that lie beneath. I'm sure everyone can attest to having been freaked out by that unforgettable scene, solely by the expression of sheer horror Chaney gives the camera: his mouth agape in a silent rictus of terror, revealing the mangled dentition within; his eyes threatening to pop from the horrendous skull which contains them. 

The Phantom unmasked!

I could not shake that image for weeks - and you know, it still haunts me even to this day. The graininess of this dark, atmospheric movie and the pitch of the organ music only served to further embed permanent fear within the limbic portion of my brain, and no matter how many times I have seen it, I anticipate this eerie moment to relive my gut terror all over again. How delicious it is!

Studio publicity of 1925 claimed that the more delicate members of the audience swooned and outright fainted at that revealing moment, and I can totally believe it, because it truly takes one's breath away the first time you see it. It was such an astounding makeup job, the likes of which the early movie industry had never before seen. 

And that is the second most important thing that Chaney gave me - not just my love of silent movies and monsters and all things spooky, but the desire to become as adept as he was in the art of makeup and transformation. He literally changed the burgeoning  film trade by his astonishing skills of flawlessly metamorphosing his physical self into whatever character he was playing - and the man was an undeniable genius at it, which is why he earned the title "The Man of a Thousand Faces." Chaney only hinted at (yet never completely revealed) his innovative techniques, which is a good thing - I say, let 'em all wonder how it was done. A magician never reveals his tricks, right? 


(Legend goes that Chaney used puffs of cotton to enhance his cheek bones, matted down with copious amounts of spirit gum and glue, and utilized fish hooks to pull his nostrils up and flared wide, secured by gluing them underneath fish skin - yes, the actual skin of fish - to his forehead. I can only imagine how incredibly painful and smelly it must have been, but the effect paid off with his tortured performance as the long-suffering Phantom.) 

Like the old saying goes, 'One must suffer for one's art,' and in Chaney's case, that much was proven true.

Lon Chaney (R) and his most infamous role (L)

Of course, Chaney was famous for so many more films (including the Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Unholy Three, and the long-lost London After Midnight), but to many, it was his role as the macabre Phantom that is cemented in the collective consciousness of movie buffs and historians the world over.


In this day of CGI overload, I find it a breath of fresh air to view this film and still revel anew at the artistry which only the human hand and pure imagination could create. I know I am not alone here, with the subsequent legions of makeup artists including Dick Smith, Rob Bottin, Stan Winston, Rick Baker et al, who too were inspired - and initially scared shitless - by the pioneering legacy of the late, great Lon Chaney.


The Chaney legacy is kept alive by Ron Chaney, great-grandson of Lon, whose family operates LonChaney.com. It is an awesome site, full of Chaney memorabilia past and present that you can view and, yes, even purchase. 
Please click the link above and visit it!  

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***UPDATE*** September 1, 2011


I am floating on air!!! I am so excited to have received an autograph from none other than Mr. Ron Chaney himself! Here's what transpired: 

In my ongoing mania of late revisiting all things Chaney/Phantom, I purchased the astounding PHANTOM OF THE OPERA classic silents series book from LonChaney.com. This is an historic account of the entire genesis of the story, from Gaston Leroux's original novel to the Hollywood production and beyond. There are so many never before seen photos detailing how the silent film came to be, it made my head spin. I mean, most of these photos have pretty much been lost to time or just plain misplaced and forgotten in our modern day, but to me, the silent film fanatic, it's a treasure trove. I loved seeing actual photographs of the stage that the studio built for it (which faithfully recreated the Paris Opera house) and still stands to this day. And yes, many revealing test shots of Lon Chaney's makeup, instilling the childhood terror in me all over again. The moment this book arrived in the mail, I pored over it, and continued to do so late into the night while in bed, even as my tired eyes were closing in sheer exhaustion. I simply could not put it down. 

A glossy, black, handsome 300-plus page documentary-like book, it also includes the original script, production notes, interviews with cast and crew, and, dear God, so much more. Drool, drool, drool.

Oh yes - before I continue to babble away, how did Mr. Chaney's signature come to me? 

Inside the package that contained the book was also a plastic envelope protector which held an envelope with Chaney Enterprises letterhead. On this envelope was also a much coveted 32 cent postage stamp commemorating the Phantom of the Opera, and right below it, there it was, personalized to me... 

A close-up view:

It will be framed and hung in a place of honor.

And the Horror Hootenanny's "Best Costume" prize goes to...

ME!!!

The Dapper Zombie!

I am elated (though remain humble as always... hee hee) about winning this year's 1st prize at Dr. Gangrene's annual Horror Hootenanny. The prize was a $75 gift certificate to Lone Wolf Tattoo Studios in Nashville! I've been seriously jonesing for some fresh ink for a long while now, and will certainly put it to good use. My dreams of completing my arm sleeves are another step closer!

This year's theme was "Rock 'n' Roll Zombie Party" and with it, many kids simply slapped on some white-face and smeared black around their eyes to complete the look (along with a few splashes of stage blood).

Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill, always... I knew I wanted to win the much-coveted first prize, and set off on an evil, greasepaint-laden course to achieve my wicked goal. And, as most of you know, I once aspired to be a Special Effects makeup artist when I lived in Hollywood, so doing scary monster prosthetics is something that is near and dear to me.

A trip to Mecca (aka Performance Studios near downtown NashVegas) to procure a horrifying latex mask was first in order in the steps to render myself into a festering minion of the Undead. I found exactly what I needed, which was a fully-articulated foam rubber variety that allowed me to move my jaw once it was attached to my face. After all, being able to talk and drink liquids through a straw was important, you know. 

That done, I proceeded to step 2: What to wear as a costume? 

I considered a moldering, ripped black evening gown to complete the look of 'freshly risen from the dead,' but that was far too typical. I needed an EDGE... what to set myself apart from the rest of the herd? Then I remembered, I had an old pinstriped men's suit that had been hanging in my closet for years (last time I wore it was at the AVN Awards in Las Vegas in 2004), and what better usage than this stellar opportunity, eh? A well-dressed rotting corpse is one you're likely to remember long after the show, and a Dapper Zombie will surely leave a lasting impression for years to come. 

The foam latex mask was about a half-inch thick, adhered to my skin with that trusty old standby of stage and screen, spirit gum! I swear, when I smell its acrid odor, it lifts my mood and gets my old black heart pumping happily. I slathered my face with the malodorous goo, then applied a heavy layer to the inside of the mask.

The beginning stages of applying the foam rubber latex mask

Spirit gum is coated inside the mask and allowed to become tacky

With the appliance securely glued to my face, it was time to add several layers of liquid latex to the outer edges, to further adhere and blend the appliance onto my face.

(NOTE: Not a very pleasant thing to use, as it smells strongly of ammonia and and can be potentially dangerous, particularly if you have any latex allergies - therefore, extreme care and ventilation is needed whenever using this product!)

At least ten full layers total were painted on to form a strong, skin-like bond, with each layer being dried thoroughly with a hand-held blow dryer before the next layer was applied.

I wanted to create the look of rotting, peeling flesh, and as each layer was dried, I lifted my neck up to pull it almost off my own skin and then painted another thick coating of latex. This process was repeated several times until I achieved the desired look.

The effect was very realistic, especially when I inserted a good blob of coagulated stage blood seeping out of the wound!

After this painstaking process was completed, it was time to move onto my favorite stage - applying the horror grease paint. Ahh, it was Zen for me to dab it on.

Ben Nye Studios makes a whole line of awesome products. For my look, I used the "Ghoul Kit." It consists of a very dead-looking grey base coat, with bruised-looking contrast colors and deep black.

Slowly yet surely, I am transformed into a horrifying minion of the undead!

Filling in the slashes and ragged areas with contrasting makeup and you can see a fetid, decaying Zombie shape beginning to take effect... bwa-hahahaha!!!

But wait! Can't have a brain-devouring Zombie without a little coagulated stage blood, can we? And of course, I went on overdrive with it. A little blood is good, but a LOT? Why, that is so much better, indeedy.

A little more makeup and blood, and I'm almost done... almost there. Hair is spray painted with dead white temporary color, and pulled back into a skinny ponytail to keep out of my undead face.

I decided to cut off the sleeves from this dress shirt - and good thing I did, as it turned out to be very hot inside the club that night. But as you know, one must SUFFER for one's art, right?

Close-up of my handiwork, including the gaping, bleeding neck wound.

And the end result is...

Add a snazzy pinstriped suit with jewel-encrusted spider lapel pin, a crushed velvet top hat, demon skull (with light-up eyes that changed color!) walking cane, and viola! My look was complete. 
Total time spent in this transformation: 4 1/2 hours. Well worth it!

Dr. Gangrene's 7th annual Horror Hootenanny

(clickable link above takes you to Dr. Gangrene's website)

The show itself was huge fun, with the following bands playing live:

The Creeping Cruds (www.jeanoroid.com/)

Spookhand (www.myspace.com/spookhand)
Psycho Charger (www.psychocharger.com)
Alucard

The stage was set at The Muse for the 7th annual Horror Hootenanny!

(Photo credit: Jeano Roid Coffinberry)

The Doctor is in...SANE!!!

(Photo credit: Jeano Roid Coffinberry)

Me and Zombie hubby, Mark, who had a role onstage during Spookhand's show, where he jumps onstage and does a wild dance, pissing the Dr. off, who, along with two other ghouls, grabs and drags him to a chopping block. Down comes the axe on his right paw... SPLATTER! With the use of a hidden spout, fake blood is squirted all over the excited audience. The good Doctor then takes the bloody appendange and drinks the blood from it. It was the PAWS that refreshed indeed. Delicious!

(Photo credit: Jeano Roid Coffinberry)

The Dr. and me!
(mobile phone photo by Mark)

Swag table full of frightfully good stuff!

(Photo credit: Jeano Roid Coffinberry)

The marquee for The Muse

Me posing beside the Spookhand sign in the dressing room.
My biggest fan is behind me.

It was such a 'high,' it's disheartening to think that it will be a full year till the next horrific Hoot. 

I can't wait till next year's show... and am already planning my costume.