Over seven years in the making and said to be packed with “incredible, never-before-seen archival footage,” the documentary Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson will have its world premiere screening at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 23rd – and with that date right around the corner, a trailer for the film has dropped online! You can watch it in the embed above.
What is Rubberhead about?
Here’s the synopsis for Rubberhead, which was directed by Nick Taylor:
Known for his intense work ethic, perfectionism, and obsession with breaking new ground, Steve Johnson created iconic creatures and effects for some of the most beloved horror and sci-fi movies in cinema history. Rubberhead is a humorous and heartfelt portrait of the life and times of one of Hollywood’s most prolific monster makers, as well as a historical journey through the golden age of special effects makeup.
Steve shares endless, outrageous anecdotes about his freewheeling adventures in Hollywood, while also telling the inspirational but tragic story of his meteoric rise and subsequent fall. His drive and ambition led to some of cinema’s most groundbreaking effects and techniques, but also to heartbreaking acts of self-sabotage, divorce, and serious struggles with addiction.
Rubberhead is a captivating reflection on the game-changing practical FX glory days and a fascinating, entertaining, and moving story of an FX master whose greatest monster may have been himself.
In addition to Steve Johnson himself, interviewees include John Landis, Linnea Quigley, Tom Holland, and Bill Corso. The documentary has a running time of 105 minutes.
What has Steve Johnson worked on?
Johnson has a long list of credits in the “creatures and special makeup effects” department. Some of the movies he has worked on are The Fog, Humanoids from the Deep, An American Werewolf in London, Videodrome, Big Trouble in Little China, Night of the Demons, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Highway to Hell, Pet Sematary II, Innocent Blood, Return of the Living Dead III, Brainscan, The Stand, Species, Species II, Blade II, Men in Black, Ghost Story, Spider-Man 2, Leviathan, Bad Moon, Lord of Illusions, and several of the Howling sequels.
Are you a fan of Steve Johnson’s work, and are you looking forward to Rubberhead? Take a look at the trailer, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
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