Before CGI turned blood and guts into sterile ones and zeros, cinema was ruled by foam latex, animatronics, and pure madness. At the center of that glorious time sat Steve Johnson. Johnson is a man whose relentless obsession with breaking new ground gave rise to some of the most iconic monsters in sci-fi and horror history.
Now, Johnson’s wild ride is getting the documentary treatment in Rubberhead: The Life and Monsters of Steve Johnson, a hilarious, heartbreaking, and brutally honest look at the golden age of special effects makeup—and the genius who nearly let it destroy him.
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The Director
The film is from director Nick Taylor, who co-wrote the doc with Joseph Krings. Taylor and I had the chance to talk about this new deep-diving doc. He spoke about what drove him to make it, his respect for Johnson, and so much more. Watch it below.
However, this isn’t Taylor’s first dive into the industry. He served in the production department for the chilling horror film Shelby Oaks, and produced Devil’s Workshop. He’s also working on a sequel to the 2018 horror Pledge. You can also catch him on the horror-filmmaking podcast, The Nick Taylor Horror Show.
Coming Soon
Rubberhead is a must-watch time capsule for genre purists and filmmaking geeks alike. It is a portrait of an FX master who spent his life building cinema’s most unforgettable monsters, only to realize that the most dangerous one was the one staring back in the mirror.
The documentary will make its world premiere on July 23 at the Fantasia Film Festival. A wide release will follow.
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