#awa_MasterClass

In 1988 MGM released a supernatural movie to the horror genre that would forever change the landscape of horror movies, and the way we look at dolls. Child’s Play introduced us to a new type of nightmare, a child’s doll possessed by an infamous serial killer who transferred his soul into the toy before he died.  The movie spawned a cult following along with several sequels, a reboot, and two seasons of a episodic television series. The main star of the franchise, Chucky the doll, has had a longevity in his popularity that transcended over into other entertainment mediums, including most recently several appearances on WWE’s NXT programming.  While Child’s Play is often looked at as a comedic parody of horror with entries like Seed of Chucky and Cult of Chucky, the franchise has never failed to keep its finger on the pulse of current events and the overall climate of societal hot topics.  As well as the franchises continued success, it has also enjoyed a wide variety of po...

  In 1980 the world was introduced to a story that would change the history of the horror movie genre forever. A story of a mother’s revenge over the death of her son, a bloody trail of slaughtered camp counselors, and a twinge of the supernatural. Friday the 13th spawned a slew of sequels and more changes than a traffic light. Killers, new killers, new new killers, trips to Manhattan, Hell, and even space. Jason Voorhees has become a heavyweight champion of horror movie slasher icons. He’s racked up a body count that many other horror icons are jealous of, and even stood toe to toe with (and objectively bested) Freddy Krueger.   This week on the Masters Class I have asked @man_beast_210 and @a.b_photos35 to slash their way through some tips and tricks on creating blood splatteringly incredible shots of Jason Voorhees action figure photography.  So sharpen your machetes, tighten up the straps on your hockey masks, and get ready to strike down some naughty (likely nude) ca...

In 1978 John Carpenter introduced the horror fan to a new Shape of fear. A towering, sometimes supernatural, killer in a white washed William Shatner mask hacked and slashed his way into the homes and hearts of many horror fans in his ceaseless pursuit of Laurie Strode and his sisters bedroom window.  Over forty years later, the pale faced boogeyman still had a way of striking fear into the very soul of us, through reboot and re imagining. Being as this month “Halloween Ends” releases and promises to bring a conclusion to the long storied and hard fought war between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, The Masters Class would be remiss to avoid broaching the topic of Halloween action figures and the photography of them.  #uc_hecktober is in full swing, and much like a kitchen knife through the throat of a Haddonfield resident, the Masters Class is here to slice up the tips and tricks to some more horror figure photography. Stalking through the back alleys and playgrounds on their ...

  In 1986, Clive Barker released a novella called “The Hellbound Heart.” It was a story of the thin, at times unperceived, line between good and evil, and the connection of sexuality to those two concepts. Barker had drawn on his own real life experiences as a hustler in the 70s to tell the story of the connection between pain and pleasure. The story’s antagonist, a sadomasochist named Frank that felt he has experienced all the pleasures a person could in this world, came upon a device called the Lemarchand Box or Lament Configuration. It was promised the solving of this puzzle box would open him to experiences only dreamt about. In actuality, it would open a schism between our world and Hell, and the demons which presided over that portion of Hell, the Cenobitical Order of the Gash, would unleash their powers of pain and pleasure upon the house on Lodovico Street.   While the novella only mild success, it served as a starting point for the Hellraiser movies that also began in...