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“Constantine” Effects Wizard Talks to iHorror

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“Constantine” effects wizard Conor McCullagh talks to iHorror about assembling monsters for a living, competing on Face Off and working with legends. His hard work literally paid off, winning season 1 of SyFy channel’s hit show, and securing his place in the industry as a skilled makeup effects artist. Currently, he is working on NBC’s Constantine, but teases there is something big in the works for 2015.

Conor McCullaugh and his work

Conor McCullagh and his work

McCullagh said he discovered Fangoria magazine as a kid, and from there his interests in worlds beyond Earth was born. The bloody, glossy, color pictures of Tom Savini and Rob Bottin’s work were splashed across its pages, and those images would eventually generate enough interest for McCullagh to practice makeup effects on himself, “When it came to learning the techniques at home, I was only able to fool my father the first couple of times. He soon caught on to what I was doing.”

He explains that he was inspired by some of the most iconic horror movies of the time; when effects were mostly done in real-time and not by software, “Some of the most influential films I saw as a kid were Poltergeist, American Werewolf in London and The Thing. At the time, it never occurred to me that I could actually do this for a living but I was always fascinated with science fiction and fantasy.”

Mummy Dearest

McCullagh’s Mummy Dearest

McCullagh’s interest eventually got him hired for his first film, helping to create the effects for 1991’s Xtro 2: The Second Encounter. Although undoubtedly thankful to be a part of this film, he feels the movie only represents the beginning of his potential, “Xtro II  was my very first feature film and I was the low man on the totem pole. But most of us who were involved on that project were very new to the business and I think it’s kind of obvious if you watch the film.” He said.

After moving to Los Angeles, McCullagh became an apprentice for John Caglione Jr., a master of the trade who is responsible for makeup effects in horror movies such as The Blob, Poltergiest III, and the cult favorite Basket Case. Caglione would eventually go on to win an Oscar® for his work on 1990’s Dick Tracy, starring Warren Beatty.

In 2011, with films such as Mars Attacks and Freddy vs Jason in his portfolio, McCullagh joined the cast of a new SyFy channel reality/competition show called Face Off. The show pits makeup artist against makeup artist in a series of challenges that have a specific theme. Ultimately the contestants present their finished pieces in front of a panel of industry legends, where they are judged and the work is hopefully good enough for them to stay in the game. McCullagh was good enough, in fact, he took home the top prize.

Face Off Season 1: McCullagh second from left

Face Off Season 1: McCullagh second from left

McCullagh says the pressures of on-the-spot challenges and trying to make the judges happy was daunting. Scoring high in almost every contest, the artist never let these distractions affect his work. He explains that his experience on Face Off  gave him the opportunity to compete with the judges three years later.

“The most difficult part of faceoff (sic),” he says, “was the pressure I put myself under and trying to guess what the judges wanted to see in each challenge. I think the most impressive competitors I went up against were the ones that I got to work with in the Judge Match. The competitors were all champions and finalists from previous seasons so there was some real talent on that episode. I also had a lot more fun doing the judge match then I did doing season 1 because I didn’t feel like I was under any pressure to win…I just got to enjoy it for once.”

Conor app4

After winning season 1 of Face Off the artist eventually went on to do effects for Seed of Chucky, The Hunger Games films, and Oz the Great and Powerful. His busy schedule barely gives him time to work on his company Nightmares ETC. With DIY tutorials on applications and techniques, Nightmares ETC streams tutorials for the working make-up artist, but with enough detailed narrative to give the novice a chance to practice the craft as well.

Starting from his beginnings in Canada and working on various projects through the years, McCullagh is currently working on a major network horror series, “I just completed keying the makeup effects for season 1 of Constantine, along with my department head, David Dupuis. The show is airing Friday nights on NBC. Given the very tight shooting schedules, we are very proud of what we were able to pull off in each episode. We also had help from some great Atlanta makeup artists including a couple of Face Off veterans including Roy Wooley.”

Wings of Love: Constantine Special Effects

Wings of Love

McCullough also tells iHorror that he is working on something special for horror fans in the near future, “It looks like I already have my schedule lined up for 2015 and, although I can’t go into detail right now, I’m very excited about what’s in store. Maybe check in with me in early Spring.”

As a horror fan and special makeup effects professional, you can be sure McCullagh won’t disappoint when this secret project comes to light. iHorror will be there to break the news for you as soon as it’s revealed.

Constantine the TV Series airs on NBC Fridays at 8/7 Central.

Episodes can be streamed for free through NBC here.

Season 1 can be streamed through Amazon.com here.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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