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If you’re a practical makeup effects aficionado, you’re no doubt a fan of Steve Johnson, an Emmy-winning artist who has lent his incredible talents to countless horror films over the years. We’re talking films such as Fright Night, Poltergeist II, An American Werewolf in London, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and Night of the Demons.
Steve Johnson was also on the visual effects crew for 1984 classic Ghostbusters, credited for designing/sculpting both the Library Ghost and the film’s most beloved specter, Slimer.
Steve Johnson’s life and incredible career will get the documentary spotlight in Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson, which is headed to the Fantasia Film Festival.
Fantasia will celebrate its 30th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 16 through August 2 in Montreal. The World Premiere of Rubberhead will be part of this year’s Documentaries from the Edge Section.
Fantasia previews, “Known for his intense work ethic, perfectionism, and obsession with breaking new ground, Steve Johnson has created iconic creatures and effects for some of the most beloved genre films in cinema history, working with everyone from John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, and Sam Raimi to James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, and Guillermo del Toro. His drive and ambition also led to heartbreaking acts of self-sabotage, divorce, and a serious drug addiction.
“Over seven years in the making and stacked with incredible, never-before-seen archival footage, Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson is a revealing portrait of an immense talent who could also be his own worst enemy. Director Nick Taylor lets the artist – an enormously engaging raconteur – do much of the showing and telling (though the likes of Linnea Quigley, John Landis, Tom Holland, and Oscar-winner Bill Corso also contribute). Rubberhead is at once a captivating reflection on the game-changing practical FX glory days when everything was unexplored ground primed for radical invention and a fascinating, moving story of an FX master whose greatest monster may have been himself.”
[Related] Steve Johnson Details the ‘Incredible Hulk’ Monster Movie That Never Was!
If you want to dive into Steve Johnson’s wild career in the meantime, check out his two-book saga Rubberhead: Sex, Drugs and Special FX, which serves as the basis for the documentary.
