Brian: You're a makeup artist and
performer. Were you tying relatives down, as a
kid, and making them look dead or forcing 'em to
watch you tap dance - or goddess forbid, both?
Morgan:
Well, I'm sure my sister has some harrowing
stories to tell. As a VERY young child, I had
been known to use acrylic paint and make her look
like she had been bludgeoned with a hammer or
some such blunt object.... that and the
occasional disemboweling. Then laying her out on
the kitchen floor for the parents to find when
they got home from work! I have awesome parents.
They never scolded me for any of it... in fact I
remember my mother passing down some of my
uncle's med school text books so I could brush up
on my knowledge of anatomy.... but my favorite
one was the communicable diseases text book! The
pictures were awesome. - As for the acting
side.... my mother says I've always been
dramatic.... HA HA!
Morgan:
Well, I grew up in Africa, which holds so much
beauty and just as much ugliness. The people
there suffer unimaginable hardships and yet still
intrinsically hold an incredible sense of humor
throughout their everyday lives. From a young age
I witnessed some really horrible things (tribal
warfare, government coups, the bombing of the
U.S. Embassy) but the strength that the local
people held throughout all of these things
instilled an appreciation for making light of
very dark topics like death and disease. As a
child I identified on a very base level with the
importance of horror films. I find that the
horror genre is an expression of the methods
humans use to cope through thick and thin. - I
come from a long line of artists (painters,
jewelers, fiber artists) so my own self
expression initially materialized in the form of
painting and sculpting which ultimately led to
makeup and special effects as one uses the basic
principles of painting and sculpting to create
the effects. That and trying to recreate what I
saw around me and in films. - I think my interest
became fully realized when a woman in the U.S.
Embassy in Burkina Faso decided that she was
going to launch a full-scale play, 'The
Little Shop of Horrors'. She made
EVERYTHING.... from the intestines and severed
limbs of the Dentist character to a huge Audrey
II puppet that had to be manipulated from the
inside, by a marine no less! My mother was the
costumer and so I got to watch everything get
built from the start. The whole thing blew my
mind! I couldn't believe that anyone would try to
do everything I had seen in film, but on stage,
LIVE! It was definitely the most inspiring thing
I have ever experienced. Actually, I still have
one of the smaller Audrey II puppets in my front
entryway at home!
Brian:
Tell us a bit about some of the effects that you
produced in 'Timmy the Greeting Card
Guy'.
Morgan: Well,
Y-Guys Films was the first group of people to
really give me a chance to practice makeup on
film. We went to university together. They
actually started as an experimental sketch comedy
troupe called Ubertoast and they asked me to come
aboard as their stage makeup and effects artist.
They were a lot of fun because they really
challenged people to think outside of the box....
VERY dark comedy. They really challenged me with
effects like coming up with how to slice a
parasitic twin off of it's host brother's back
with a chainsaw, on stage (My Parasitic Twin)
or a bear tearing someone's arm off and then
spraying the audience with blood being pumped out
of the limb (My Father, The Bear)! -
GREAT fun. They started making films and brought
me in to do some animal effects in 'The
Angst Bunny' and then kept me on to do a
few burn effects for 'Timmy the Greeting
Card Guy'. I enjoyed creating the effect
of Timmy's plastic bicycle helmet and unitard
being melted into his skin when he gets
electrocuted. Yummm!
Brian:
What has been the most gruesome, kick ass awesome
make-up effect that you've created thus far?
Morgan: You
know, I don't really know which is the most
gruesome.... I mean, Mel House and Stacy Davidson
have done a bang up job of packing their films
with some awesomely gory stuff! It's really
incredible! My favorite makeup effect to date
would have to be a very subtle one actually.
Stacy had been discussing with me how to go about
designing the makeup for the character of Mr.
Joad. We wanted to achieve a slimy quality about
him... in fact, I think the exact words Stacy
used where, "I want him to look like engine
grease is oozing out of his pores." We tried
different mixtures of things but ended up using
brown powder and charcoal powder mixed with some
tanning skin tint that beaded up right inside the
actor's pores.... it was really lovely. - I have
always been interested in the subtle effects
because I enjoy the challenge of creating an
effect that people don't notice on a conscious
level but subconsciously develop a strong base
judgment or feeling about a character. Expressing
psychological journeys with makeup, like a
character that has been through immense emotional
turmoil, is really what I find fascinating
because those subtle color choices or brush
strokes ultimately affect an actor on a base
level. It's really incredible to apply the makeup
away from the mirror then allow the actor to see
it. Their whole mood and body can change in a
split second all because of the makeup!
Brian:
In 'Necrophobia' and 'Closet
Space' you've dealt with two classic
staples of the horror world - the basement motif
and the tight confines of the closet. What dark
and dreary place freaks you out the most in real
life?
Morgan:
Well, just a quick side note, my character in
each film actually dies in the SAME place...
seriously! The cave where zombies in
'Necrophobia' maul my character, Jesse Chase, and
the secluded cave space Kristin is drug to in
'Closet Space' , is the same set! - I
think probably the freakiest place I've ever been
was, in fact, another cave! It was a miner's cave
in the Ngong Hills in Kenya. Actually, I had no
idea I was claustrophobic until I got about half
way down into it and realized it was FULL of
bats! I really don't find bats menacing
generally, but when you are in a tight space and
you can't see and you can hear little squeaks and
scuffling and things flying past you and there
isn't really anywhere to go and you have people
ahead of you and behind you.... Yikes! I'm
getting myself worked up the more I think about
it! ::Shudder:: .... ok, moving on.
Brian:
How did you get involved in 'Necrophobia'
and can you tell us what Stacy Davidson was like
to work with?
Morgan:
I responded to a flyer Odyssee Pictures had
posted at the University of St. Thomas drama
department! They were looking for someone with
makeup knowledge and I figured it was a total
long shot but I had been going to uni for two
years and had been given the opportunity to do
some independent studies in makeup and work on
some stage effects, as well as working with
Y-Guys Films. I decided I was ready to try my
hand at a full-scale horror film. - I was
originally hired to be the assistant makeup
artist but the head makeup artist ended up moving
to LA to work at one of the big studios out
there. I got thrown into the fray and never
looked back! It was a steep learning curve for
all of us involved and we all learned a lot about
ourselves and our capabilities and limitations. I
think we got through it with stubbornness and
luck but without the IMMENSE amount of talent in
everyone involved, I don't know that even those
qualities would have pulled us through! - I
definitely applaud Stacy for biting off so much
in! He has done a lot for the Houston film
community since his undertaking of Necrophobia.
He started the Houston Film Organization, which
meets every first Monday of the month, and he has
really brought local Houston filmmakers out of
the woodwork! I think he is and will continue to
be invaluable to putting Houston on the map in
regards to independent film.
Brian:
Can you tell us a little about who you play in
'Necrophobia' and what thrills, chills
and utter mayhem we can expect to experience upon
viewing it?
Morgan: I
play a character named Jesse Chase. She is the
underdog of the film. She is picked on by the
other characters but definitely gets her revenge
in the end... just my kind of woman! I go from
wearing glasses and a jean jacket to drenched in
blood from head to toe and kicking ass.... nough
said.
Brian:
How did your involvement in 'Closet
Space' come about and what was Mel House
like to work with?
Morgan:
Mel was still looking to cast the role of Kristin
and Stacy recommended me along with passing along
some 'Necrophobia' footage. So,
Mel sent me a script and I really enjoyed it! It
was a lot of fun to read and I couldn't wait to
get started on the project! - Working with Mel
was a lot of fun. He is extremely focused on set
and I have a lot of respect for his ability to
keep the shoot going. He really allowed us, as
actors, to take control of the characters and
really make them our own. - Actually, both Mel
and Stacy have been incredibly supportive of my
work and were a huge help in getting me involved
in 'The Flesh Kee' per, coming
soon!
Brian:
Can you tell us a little about your character in
'Closet Space' and how she differs from
other roles that you've played?
Morgan:
Well, I tend to play nerds.... HA HA.... I think
there is a very good reason for that as I am one
of the biggest nerds I know. On paper, Jesse and
Kristin had the potential of being very similar
characters but I took it as a great challenge to
make them different people. Jesse Chase ('Necrophobia')
is very sarcastic and generally pissed at the
world. She can come across as a total tightwad
and that is why the other characters like to mess
with her so much. Kristin is a lot more socially
savvy. She knows she is a nerd and is ok with it.
I tried to give her a sense of humor about
everything. She has a lot more "Morgan"
in her than Jesse did.... although they both
express certain sides of my own personality. Both
of the characters wear glasses that I wore at one
point.... Jesse's are the glasses I wore in
school in the early nineties and Kristin wears my
current glasses.... take from that what you will.
Brian:
Lastly, any future projects you'd like to clue us
into or recipes for tentacle matzo ball soup that
you'd like to share with the gourmet portion of
our reading audience.
Morgan:
Keep and eye out for 'The Flesh Keeper'.
Full of cannibalism, disembowelment, slicing and
dicing! There are some great recipes for human
remains strewn throughout that film! |