DOUG BRADLEY of HELLRAISER: His Vision of Hell, Biggest Fears, the Band GHOST
I watched Hellraiser for the first time a few weeks ago and fell down a very dark and sadistic rabbit hole as I watched the next two sequels (II was very good, III was not). But the common denominator from both films was Doug Bradley aka Pinhead (and, as a brilliant Freudian slip, I initially wrote that as demoninator).
The British actor spoke to Elliott Fullam of Little Punk People about his life, his roles as Pinhead, and what his vision of Hell was. I loved this interview because it cut out all the rubbish you often get with celebrity interviews. The questions were clear and interesting, and so were the answers. No bullshit.
While looking for clips of Rear Window (1998) a few years ago, I stumbled upon this 1994 interview with Christopher Reeve. It was one of his last interviews before his tragic horse-riding accident which left him paralysed from the shoulders down.
At the start of the interview, where he was promoting his new film “Speechless”, he remarked how he’d played so many news reporters in his career—and said that Clark Kent was a good reporter (alongside his primary job as Superman).
He then delved into the media, media consumption by the masses, and how the press invaded people’s lives and sold sleazy stories. On tabloid news shows, he said:
“When I see those things, I want to break my TV, I really do […] you can feed all kinds of stuff down to the public’s throat because things will sink to the lowest common denominator. We are not particularly noble as human beings; we like trash, we like gossip, we like snooping around […] but should we cater to it? No culture before ours has ever gone to this length to make a dollar off appealing to people’s print (sic?) interest as much as we do now.”
When asked if he still got spotted by the public for being Superman, he replied: “you know, I go many, many days at a time without hearing anything about it”.
Christopher Reeve and Jimmy Carter talk about Speechless
Today’s interviewee is the wonderful Sareta Fontaine. She is a writer and content creator with a creative flair most of us can only dream of having. It was an honour and a pleasure to have Sareta participate so enjoy the interview!
What is your favourite city in the world?
My favourite city in the world is currently Amsterdam. It’s only a 50-minute flight (I hate flying), and everyone is super friendly, super chilled and open-minded. I’d look into having an apartment there if I could. I’d have a little apartment next to the canal, with window boxes full of beautiful flowers. I’d go on weekends with my laptop and write all day like Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and The City)…dreamy!
What’s the most unusual item you take everywhere you go?
Probably crumbs. The bottom of my bag is always covered in crumbs from snacks I’ve had ready for my kids. No matter what I do, crumbs will be there.
Why do you do what you do?
I love to create art, and I love to make people laugh. Whether it’s a video or photography, or something I’ve made with my hands, I love creating! I guess I always enjoyed making things as a child, so a lot of my toys I created myself. I’d make trains and houses out of shoeboxes and mini characters out of Fimo oven-bake clay, and play with those for hours. I suppose I never really grew out of it. I enjoy making things and seeing the finished product.
When was the last time you told someone you loved them?
Five minutes ago, lol! I just said I love you and goodnight to my boys.
Where do you go to relax?
What is relax please? I don’t even know anymore! I’d probably have a glass of wine and chill on my sofa, along with disco lights and incense.
69, 280, or 420?
420 for sure. But what does 280 stand for? I’m out of the loop and feel old now.
How do you say goodbye in your culture?
See you later. Which has always confused me because “later” may mean later on in the day… or week, right? But yeah, my family have always said: “See you later” in a London accent, of course.
Today, we have Terrance Pryor as our interviewee. Terrance is a music and gaming writer and radio personality from the East Coast and he answered our not-so-famous round of questions. Enjoy!
What is your favourite city in the world?
My best city in the whole world is New York City. There’s always something to do at any given time. For live shows, I always love attending Irving Plaza and Gramercy Theatre. Mercury Lounge is a great intimate spot as well.
What’s the most unusual item you take everywhere you go?
It’s not really unusual, but I always have a pen with me. It started out as an accident, but I never bothered to take it out of my pocket. I’ll never know if Publishers Clearing House will accost me on the street with a million-dollar check or if I have to sign an autograph because something thinks I’m Jaleel White.
Why do you do what you do?
I love supporting music. I started out as a radio personality because I wanted to play music from local bands. I always went to local shows with a request form for some music. It basically grew from there. It’s always a great feeling to hear new music from a rising artist.
When was the last time you told someone you loved them?
I honestly don’t know. I probably should get better at doing this.
Where do you go to relax?
I don’t really go anywhere physically for relaxation. My idea of relaxing is just watching Twitch, listening to music, or playing video games. Sleeping is great, too. Lately, I’ve been falling asleep with spectator mode running in Unreal Tournament 2004. Best $3 I ever spent.
69, 280, or 420?
I was going to pick either 69 or 420, but 280 stood out to me. No one ever gives this number any love on social media. It’s never “280, blaze it” or no one ever says “Nice” when 280 gets mentioned. I never see 280 trending on Twitter. I’m choosing 280 because I believe in it. 280 can do the thing!
How do you say goodbye in your culture?
I actually don’t say goodbye. I tend to just exit the spot without saying anything. Irish goodbye. I’ll say something on social media after I leave, though.
Another day, another great interview with my Twitter friend, Sampira.
What is your favourite city in the world?
I’d have to say Berlin, so far. The people were mad friendly and the architecture is stunning. There’s some parts of the city that are understandably heavy, but it seems to be a city that is thoughtful and apologetic about its history. I don’t know what it’s like to live there, but from a tourism standpoint, they don’t seem to hide it or sweep it under the rug. Every museum is like, it happened, it never should have, and it won’t again if we can help it.
What’s the most unusual item you take everywhere you go?
I take crystals to really important days, depending on what I feel I need on the day. That’s always good as an ice breaker, if they don’t think I’m the Blair Witch. I guess that’s the most unusual thing.
Why do you do what you do?
I’ve loved horror since I was a kid. I remember being about 7 and watching Scream for the first time and just… It was like time stopped. I was scared but I felt it in my whole body, but I couldn’t look away. I still think that’s a dope mask too. One of the best. And it kind of started there and exploded. I’d watched all the Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween films by the time I was 10. I’d never experienced anything like it. I was just hooked.
Then when you start trying to make it yourself, you really understand the mastery, and it gives you a deeper love for it. And then I looked around Britain and was like… We don’t back horror like America does. Like there are directors that really back and advocate for horror and see it as the pride of their body of work. They love it so much. I don’t think it’s because there’s not people that want to do it, I think it’s because there’s not visible people here that are like “Yeah, that’s my shit” loudly, y’know? They don’t say it with their whole chest.
And then when I figured out I was gonna make a go of it and commit to my love, I noticed there wasn’t a lot of people like me in it (mixed race, lesbian, etc) and there weren’t those stories. So it became even clearer and I couldn’t escape it. And my friends too. Any representation of colour I’d seen in horror, was of people my colour, so there was even less representation for people darker than me, which was so crazy to me. So, that was it. And that’s what I’m committed too. Just making dope shit with my mates, and if we scare people, we scare people. If we don’t, we sure had fun!
When was the last time you told someone you loved them?
I tell my dad and step mum a lot. You just never know. And my dog. He’s probably sick of hearing it, tbh!
Where do you go to relax?
I drive at night a lot. Go swimming. Watch a good film, but the soundtrack has to be on point.
69, 280, or 420?
280. 280 sounds good. Like an old horror film’s kill count.
How do you say goodbye in your culture?
I’m a hugger, I think. Everything ends with a hug.
I’ve been a huge fan of Dan Clarke’s work for years so it’s been a pleasure to have him join Cultrface for this interview.
What is favourite city in the world?
Tokyo – I went in my early 20’s and I’ll definitely be going back with my wife at some point. It feels like a different World in every way and I can’t wait to see it again.
What’s the most unusual item you take everywhere you go?
I tend to have a Nintendo DS Lite in my bag most of the time – Probably not that unusual in the grand scheme of things.
Why do you do what you do?
I’ve never known anything different — I try my best to make the things that I would want or like had someone else made them.
When was the last time you told someone you loved them?
I tell my wife and dog on most days.
Where do you go to relax?
A dog walk or a run is usually where I find that I do most of my thinking – I think it’s really important to dedicating time in a week to having some personal time.
That speaks to me on so many levels. His work has featured for brands such as Thrillist and FRANK151 and he had a brief stint teaching Online Presence and Social Media at Vancouver Film School and Vancouver Community College. Corbet is for the kids.
Today, the content polymath took some time out of his day to answer our specially *patented questions.
It’s a pleasure to have Simon take part in our Black History Month festivities. Besides being a good friend of mine, Simon is also a speech-language therapist and founder of Power In Discussion, an organisation creating positive discussion in the context of mental health and well-being, identity, and experiences faced by Black communities in Britain and Black LGBTQ+ representation.
What is your favourite city in the world?
Las Vegas.
What’s the most unusual item you take everywhere you go?
Almond oil.
Why do you do what you do?
Currently, I’m working on Power In Discussion, a platform which recognises the importance of having conversations both on and offline. I do it because I love communicating and I recognise the value in sharing our stories.
When was the last time you told someone you loved them?
Her love of visual storytelling has taken her around the world and she recently had her video, He’s Not Like That, featured at the BAFTAs as a finalist. We interviewed her for Black History Month.
What is your favourite city in the world?
To not be biased and say my own, I would say Oslo. I recently went there for a little weekend trip to visit one of my best friends and I wish I could have stayed longer. Such a beautiful city, friendly people and the food is great. Plus the flights are really cheap!
What’s the most unusual item you take everywhere you go?
There’s nothing usual that I take with me, although I’ve weirdly had a few people ask me before why I carry moisturiser with me all the time… I mean who wants ashy skin? Especially when you already have eczema.
Why do you do what you do?
I do what I currently do because I’m passionate about film and TV. So I currently have a full-time job as a logger for a production company and we’re working on a series about Formula 1 racing which will be on Netflix. I also do the odd videography/editing freelance job. It’s all to help pay the bills and fund my filmmaking hobby so that eventually I can start producing my own work for film/tv.
When was the last time you told someone you loved them?
I can’t remember and that’s terrible.
Where do you go to relax?
The only place I have to relax is my room really. I came back home last year and my room was still the same way I left it at 18 and so as I’m almost 23 now I decided it needed a makeover to match the woman I am now. So I’ve been slowly turning it into my own relaxing sanctuary where I can just edit and write, or watch crap on YouTube.
69, 280, or 420?
420, always.
How do you say goodbye in your culture?
Unfortunately, I don’t know Vincentian Creole, but my family have this habit of mostly saying ‘in a bit’.
He's Not Like That | Vlogstar Challenge Grand Final Entry
One of my favourite accounts on Twitter has to be @CoolFilmArt. It’s a treasure trove of, well, cool film art with incredible posters from all over the world. We spoke to Robyn, one of the curators of the account about its origins and some of her favourite film posters.
So, how did the @CoolFilmArt account come about?
My pal Jim helps run @CoolBoxArt and I basically ripped the idea off two years ago but for film posters, I also made a list on Letterboxd back in 2013 and thought wow that would be a cool Twitter account. My main basis for choosing a film to watch is 99% what the poster looks like so I thought other people would enjoy them as much as I do. There’s other poster accounts out there but I think we cater to a pretty niche market, like if you were to upturn a stone in between the woodlice you would find our kind of posters, haha.
How do you “curate” the film art you post?
Mostly I find stuff on Google, I like to look for Hollywood posters from other countries (Japan posters are always wild), VHSCollector is a big source for me, loads of hi-res scans of VHS box art! Tumblr also has a good community of poster enthusiasts. If I post fan posters I always try and link back to the original artist, some of them are so good though that you can’t tell if it’s official or not!
Do you have any ambitions to branch out to other channels like Facebook or with a blog?
I already run a film blog @bimbomoviebash and there are no plans to expand CoolFilmArt out. It was always meant to be this very simple idea of just posting posters, I kind of hate it when you follow an account for one thing and they start bringing all their personal stuff into it so I try and keep that to a minimum. Just posters posters posters!
Would you say creative film posters are a dying breed now?
Back in the 80s film rentals and sales were driven so hard by the poster, like you could take a video off the shelf and it would be the poster that swung it. In the day and age of the internet you can’t disguise a shitty film with flashy artwork anymore so there’s really no need for it. It’s definitely a dying art, which is a shame. I can’t stomach a lot of posters now, the trend of just putting absolutely everything on the poster sucks, like Force Awakens, however if something looks interesting now (like that neon green Thor Ragnarok poster) it definitely stands out. I think artistic posters are making a bit of a comeback now because all these kids who grew up in the 80s are making their own films now, but sadly it’s just not important anymore.
Paul Verhoeven. No one rivals his eye for flashy gaudiness or his bite. People are only just starting to GET Showgirls. What a legacy.
Favourite actor/actress?
Jeff Goldblum, I could watch him for hours. Tony Leung, Traci Lords, Divine, Linnea Quigley, Denzel, Jill Schoelen like, the list is never-ending!
Are there any film posters you hate and if so, why?
I’ve never met a Christopher Nolan poster that I’ve liked.
What kind of influence do you think film and film art have on culture in modern times?
I think we’re living in both the worst and best time for movies at the moment. Some days it feels like we’re in a never-ending chasm of superhero reboots that are never ever going to stop, and they all look the same and they swallow up and coming directors into this cycle and then don’t give them the creative freedom to do anything that was the reason they hired them. On the other hand you have stuff like Get Out that swept us all up in a way you wouldn’t think could ever happen anymore, it’s like we all forgot our cynicism and were able to come together to enjoy this truly great movie and things like that make me think we’re going to be okay.
