Salutations creatives! Pull your sweatpant draw strings tight and strap the fuck in. It’s another edition of The Inspo Report, live and direct to your cluttered inbox. Let’s start the show!
The Horror, the Childhood Horror
Revisiting “Scary” Movies of my Youth
Over the weekend I watched The Witches (1990), a dark fantasy comedy film inspired by the legendary Roald Dahl book of the same name. As some of you may know a remake directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump etc.) will be making its way to Disney+. I had never seen the movie but it had always intrigued me. I had heard stories of it traumatizing children in the theatre due to its heavy use of makeup and prosthetics. Dahl himself wanted his name to be stripped away from the film. He thought it was utterly grotesque and traumatizing to the children for whom it was made. It became such a problem that Jim Henson, the producer of the film at the time, had to personally sit down with Dahl face to face and apologize. After hearing the folklore, how can you not watch it!? I had a blast watching Anjelica Huston rip her face off and you will too! Afterward it had me thinking about the movies that horrified me as a kid.
The first that came to mind was Ernest Scared Stupid, a 1991 American comedy horror film staring Jim Varney as his lovable doofus of a character, Ernest P. Worrell. Looking back now this movie was an utter joke. Literally unwatchable now by today’s standards. The villains of the film were destroyed by fucking milk if I remember correctly but i digress…This movie made me cry like a newborn kitten looking for its mama. No the trolls weren’t real but they kind of were. No they didn’t live and breathe but they existed in physical space. They weren’t CGI like most movie magic monsters of today. They had a particular look, a smell and a feeling to them.
Another was Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988). I can say emphatically, that I should not have been watching this movie as a child. My Mother had a clown at my 5th or…6th birthday and let’s just say my reaction was not warm nor positive. I asked for the clown to be ejected from my home (after I was done sobbing in the bathroom alone of course) My brother found out about my adversity to clowns and decided to have a premiere of this little ditty the first time he babysat me. What a glowing beacon of brotherly love!? These movies burn images into the young susceptible mind because even if it’s just for a second you believe they are real. Whether its a combination of the uncanny valley, or just prosthetic masters at work, these movies are a true visual break from the norm. Give them a shot and try not to laugh at childhood Ryan for finding these “Horror” movies utterly spine tingling.
Face your Fears
How did you find the motivation when you started to really go for it despite doubt/insecurity?
This weeks question comes from @christinamichellle and its something we all deal with on a day to day basis. SELF DOUBT…The beast within us all. First let me say I am lucky in this department. I’m a white male, so off rip I have a heaping dose of unearned confidence. On top of that I was born to parents that made me believe I was capable of achieving anything. Those privileges have made it easy for me to view my failures as stepping stones and solider on. So please take my answers with a healthy dose of salt.
Often, I’ll ask my friends “What’s the worst that could happen?” when they respond with a laundry list of negative thinking, i.e (What if no one likes it? What if I get laughed at? What if I look stupid? The list goes on and on…) My retort is short and sweet. “AND?” So the fuck what!? Are you going to let people who don’t make anything critique you? Will you allow someone with no dreams at all - make you to feel small? FUCK THAT! You not only have dreams, you are chasing them. Have pride in that fact. That sets you apart. Do you want to be a bitter old woman or man because you sat around doubting yourself or do you want to take that first step?
The first step, the first brush stroke, the first written word. These are the hardest parts of any creative endeavor. The unknown is scary as fuck. Young Ryan wasn’t scared of the dark, he was scared of what could lie awake within it. But what if instead of imagining the Trolls from Ernest Scared Stupid waiting for you - there’s Pongo from 101 Dalmatians, or like Batman! What I mean is - why not imagine the best possible scenario instead of the worst? It’s terrifying to take that first step but you can do it. I know you can because we all have it within us. Once you do, the fear crumbles away layer by layer. You may fall, you may scrape a knee but you ain’t dead yet! Pick yourself up and take that next step. What’s the worst that could happen? Until next time I’m Ryan Evans and this has been The Inspo Report.