Artist Nathan Thomas Milliner is one of the hardest working guys in the horror community. Consistently pumping out original and intriguing artwork in his own distinct style, he has worked hard to become one of the premiere illustrators in the horror art community. He has worked for years on the great magazine HorrorHound, and recently has been commissioned for many of the great Blu-Ray covers from Scream Factory!
His artwork is ubiquitous and undeniable, and he is passionate and insightful about films, art, and horror. He takes the characters that we all know, fear and love, and puts his own unique spin on them.
In an interview I had with the artist last year, he told me, “In the horror commercial world 9 times out of 10 you are asked to recreate images from popular films. Usually recreating stills or production photos. Sometimes you can spice it up by adding interesting compositions and layouts but in the end you are essentially limited to what can be done as you are expected to draw the actor in the costume from said film. When I started doing the con circuits I noticed that 8 out of 10 artists selling prints at cons were selling what is called “fan art.” Drawings or painting of Freddy, Jason, Dracula, Wolfman, etc. Most of them were just recreations of movie stills. Now there is nothing wrong with that but after awhile you realize that everyone is drawing the same damn pictures over and over. A little boring. But there is always one or two artists who are selling original art. Original visions and creations that only exist in their own head. In their art. I wanted to somehow bring those two things together.”
Nathan Milliner recently took the time out of his busy schedule to answer a few more questions for me about his newest artwork, his upcoming film projects, and his recent once in a lifetime encounter with Robert Englund as Freddy.

All of the prints above will be available at HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis Sept 5-7 and at The Scarefest in Lexington, KY on Sept 12-14 and at Fright Night Film Fest in Louisville, KY on Oct 3-5.

I know you recently had the unique opportunity to meet Robert Englund as Freddy. Can you tell me a little bit about how that felt and what that experience meant to you as a lifelong fan?

The Elm Street films were my gateway into the horror genre. I had teased it before that but it was a double feature of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and 3 one night in 1988 at the age of 12 that it all changed. I became obsessed with Freddy and horror in general and I attribute Freddy to being the reason that I have the career I have today. So when I saw that Robert was going to be donning the make-up for photos at a convention I could not believe it. He hadn’t done that since 1989 and I just never thought I’d get the chance to see him in that make-up in person without working on one of the films. At first I wasn’t on board but it took less than an hour to realize if I didn’t do it, I would regret it for the rest of my life. I knew when Aug 8th rolled around and I was sitting at home seeing other fans posting those photos I’d be kicking myself in the butt. So I bought the ticket…happily. Standing there in the room, moving around the curtain to see Robert Englund in the make-up with the glove, moving and talking like Freddy in the flesh. It was kind of numbing. I had worked out how I was gonna pose and all of that for months. But when I got up there I was in such shock that I just froze like a deer in headlights and the look on my face is the same as it would have been in 1988 at 12. Pure wonder. It was surreal. I will never forget it. Then seeing him later that night on stage in the make-up, falling into Freddy mode here and there was quite incredible. I mean, I am seeing a true horror icon in his famous make-up LIVE and for the last time. To me, it would be like a fan seeing Boris Karloff put on the Monster make-up one last time in 1961 and taking photos with fans.

When asked about his upcoming film projects, Nathan said :
My directorial debut, A WISH FOR THE DEAD is a feature length film based on a comic I wrote and drew back in the early 2000s. I directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay on it. It is loosely based on “The Monkey’s Paw” and is an unconventional anthology film and a bit of an anti-zombie film. I never like to do what has been done before and Wish is anything but typical. We see the lives of several people who are dealing with death in some form and the all intertwine in one hellish night of horror. The core story line is about a young man whose wife is dying of cancer and he is trapped in the hospital, desperate to find a way to save her. Then one night a mystery man shows up offering him an answer. The film will be screening at Scarefest in Lexington, KY on Saturday, September 13th at 3:30pm. We will be working towards getting it into more film festivals and cons and putting out a dvd in the coming months.

The other film project I am working on is called “Volumes of Blood.” Volumes of Blood is also an anthology–in a more traditional way. It is part of a program called the Unscripted Film School out of Owensboro, Kentucky. It allows students to work on an independent film set where they can get hands on experience. The film is being produced by P.J. Starks who I met a few years ago at a convention. He was a big fan of my first film Girl Number Three. He had me as a guest at his annual Film Festival in Owensboro earlier this year and then asked if I would be interested in being one of five directors to direct a segment in his horror anthology “Volumes of Blood.” I was down. I read the 3 scripts available and chose one and then did several re-writes on it to get it where I needed it to be to fit my voice and I am set to direct it on October 18th. That is the kicker. We have 8 hours to shoot our segments. Mine is titled “The Encyclopedia Satanica.” The original script was written by Todd Martin. So it is going to be super difficult to shoot the whole thing in only 8 hours but we are working hard on it. The film is set to premiere in March of next year.

A big thanks to Nathan Thomas Milliner for taking the time to tell us about his exciting new projects.
For more news and updates on his artwork, be sure and follow The Art of Nathan Thomas Milliner on Facebook.