News
First Look at “The Living Corpse Relics” with Buz Hasson
Written by Brian Linsky
Buz Hasson is a busy man these days. He’s a comic book illustrator, a character and concept illustrator for films, a tattoo artist, an entrepreneur, and the founding member of The Living Corpse Crew.
Fortunately for us, Buz found some time to give iHorror an inside look at one of his latest projects, The Living Corpse Relics.
iH: So, tell me the story of the Living Corpse character. He’s a zombie, but he’s not necessarily a bad guy?
BH: Yeah, were big fans of byronic characters and anti heroes… vigilante comic stuff. Basically The Living Corpse is a self aware sentient alpha zombie who returns from the dead to eat his family, but gains self awareness in this mystical moment of rage.
He’s later greeted by a fallen angel who acts as his guide to a world between the living and the dead, where he learns he’s got a role in the destiny of humanity beyond what any zombie has done before. All is not what it seems in the living corpse universe and the monsters’ interpersonal relations between them make for a vast mythology were still building on.
iH: You’re now working on The Living Corpse Relics, a graphic novel of sorts?
BH: Yeah, we wanted to do a six issue miniseries but fans always fall off half way, so now it’s one shot, one kill and the 160 page graphic novel was the brick we wanted to drop. We’re having a blast self publishing, nothing greater than running and co-creating you’re own stuff direct for fans.
iH: Sounds very cool, when can fans expect to get their hands on the book?
BH: Spring 2017. That’s when The Living Corpse Relics drops and we’ll have even more surprises to reveal. The ideas come quicker than the reality can manifest them. Our previous books can currently be found now at Dynamic Forces. Fans will also be able to preorder the book.
iH: Your artwork is amazing. In addition to the art, do you also write the storylines?
BH: I create the characters and plot drive with my friend and creative partner Ken Haeser.
After months of hanging out working on freelance comic art for film production and comic publishers we hash out the ideas pretty thoroughly, lock in what we wanna do and then Ken breaks it all down in a cohesive story beginning, middle, and end.
iH: Besides Ken, you’re also working with Blair Smith as part of your Living Corpse Crew. How did the Crew first get together?
BH: Me and Ken been crushing the dream together for ten years. Blair has been at it just as long too but was so well rounded as an artist and with his out there brilliant mindscape, we had to bring him on board to make the trinity Corpse crew juggernaut we’re currently displaying today!
Me and Ken met through mutual creator friends in the online community. We weren’t far from each other in New Jersey where I was tattooing at the time. Once we hung out we knew we were gonna be working together for a while. Honestly though, I spend a lot of years working with different people so it takes a while to find the right mix.
After we launched Living Corpse and went on the con circuit, we met a lot of great people. Blair was one of them I saw online in 2012. He was doing digital colors as well as his painting and drawing, and reached out. The crew has never been more functional and cohesive, and creatively a powerhouse that cranks out art.
iH: What’s next for The Living Corpse character?
BH: Something big for sure. A next step up from the comics for us. I can’t spoil it yet, but fans will get an update next Spring. We’re also writing another one shot novel for after relics.
iH: You’ve worked in the art department on several new film releases as well, including Little Dead Rotting Hood (2016), Buddy Hutchins (2015), and The Horde (2016), How did you first get involved working with films?
BH: As a makeup artist early on I worked with Adrien Morot’s Maestro Fx in Canada. From there I realized creating the ideas in the early stage production was where the energy was, and where to make a mark on a film.
We’re now working with Gabe Campisi of Trap Light Pictures, who writes for the Asylum and is producing some new stuff we can’t mention yet that we’re working on for early 2017. Scariest stuff we’ve done yet, and some of the designs were challenging to work on to stay ahead of the culture.
iH: How’d you get involved doing artwork for the Grumpy Cat comic?
BH: Ken got the gig from working Dynamic Forces. Best part was he got to design the character look which with most cartoons is not the case. Grumpy is a kids comic but works for all ages so it was fun to be part of something not gorey and something safe for kids. For years we had nothing to offer to parents who liked our work, but now the GC stuff is perfect and we’re hoping to do some more cartoon stuff soon. We just did some cute style cartoony kid version covers for Stargate: Atlantis, It’s awesome to switch the style up a bit.
iH: Are you still tattooing?
BH: Yeah, I tattoo still, it’s an honor to do one for someone…. i love it. I’ve been tattooing since 1998. I took a professional apprenticeship from Bob Montagna (R.I.P.) in New Jersey, and worked with him for 8 years. Then I worked in Delaware at Explosive Tattoo for 11 years developing Living Corpse after hours, and now I’m working with Paul Acker and crew at The Seance Tattoo Parlor in Bensalem PA. Paul’s work has been a huge influence, and the shop is horror themed and genre related.
iH: I worked on a previous project with the help of Blair Webb, who writes the Ghostman comic. I understand he does some Living Corpse cosplay character and sketch work. How’d you guys hook up?
BH: I’ve known Webb since high school. We’d been working on comic art and developing our styles for years, it’s wild to have him in the crew rocking the suit. I’m a big fan of the actors who’ve played all my favorite monsters, Tom Woodruff Jr, who co-created and wore the Pumpkinhead suit, Ben Chapman, who was creature from the Black Lagoon, Boris Karloff, Kane Hodder,… it’s endless.
Having Webb be the Living Corpse couldn’t be more perfect. It’s been super fun to have him on board and he puts the work in like the rest of us and that’s how it gets done.
iH: So, what else should we keep an eye out for from Buz Hasson?
BH: I’m launching a skateboard LLC in January called STORY skateboarding company with Justin Ritter, the director of The Amazing Adventures of The Living Corpse. He’s hosting a launch event at the Tampa surf and skate fest Jan 12-15. The decks are all designed by me based on public domain horror and sci-fi, some original designs too, all comic style horror fantasy and action stuff gonna be really cool.
We just did a bunch of cover art for the official Hatchet comic based on Adam Green’s film franchise of the same name, published by American Mythology. I’d say keep an eye on my Instagram @buzcorpse and if you can find us on Facebook as well…..We’ve got two films, one tv series and many comic covers in development so as that stuff gets released they’ll be new stuff to see!
iH: Right on, we’ll be watching!
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Movies
‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt
Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.
In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.
This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.
Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.
“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”
The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”
The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.
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Movies
‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time
It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?
It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.
Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.
Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.
The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.
It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.
The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.
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News
Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween
Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.
The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.
This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.
This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.
“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”
But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.
This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.
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