MOH – Set Visit 1

Here’s the post I promised about my set visit to the Masters of Horror (not a lot in the IMDb post) project being shot here in Vancouver. I can’t think of a more inspirational way to start a week than a visit to the set of legendary horror film director Dario Argento who just happens to be one of my heroes in the horror genre. He is the second director of thirteen to be filming his episode of MOH, called Jenifer written by and starring Steven Weber of Wings sitcom fame. What a day! Watching this great director do his thing was nothing short of amazing. I kept grinning to myself with this weird sense of glee even though there was a hideously disfigured woman about to be cleavered by a madman just feet away. I think even Mr Argento noticed my enthusiasm for the proceedings. We were only feet apart while I was on set. I even had a headset to listen to the dialogue while viewing the monitor. I couldn’t have been more in the thick of things had I tried.

Here’s another picture taken with my ultra shitty camera phone showing Mr Argento at work:

The woman standing directly behind him was his translator as Mr Argento speaks very limited English and, of course, needs to be understood. She shadowed him where ever he went.

The scenes I watched being shot were underneath the Port Mann Bridge so it was a short drive. One of the shots was a high wide shot of a cop car and some of the action from a ‘cherry picker’ style crane. Here’s another shitty picture:

The focus puller on the crane was terrified of heights and secretly (until now) crapping his pants.

The friend I have on set gave me two scripts to read so I could see what a one hour horror TV episode reads like. I was also told that if I were to write something it would be given to Mick Garris, the producer and one of the writer/directors on the show to read. Apparently there are no firm scripts yet for a few directors namely Brad Anderson, Rob Zombie and my ultimate hero, George A Romero! I’m not going to get my hopes up, but I’m going to write one for fun. Each epsiode is going to take ten days to shoot so they’re here until November 9th according to the script progress report I was given. You never know what might happen. As I’m beginning to see, if I’m open to it absolutely anything is possible.

I’m also going to see if I can swing a few more visits for the various other directors. Including the ones I’ve already mentioned I’m hoping to either meet or watch in action Don Coscarelli (Phantasm), Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator), John Carpenter (Halloween), Larry Cohen (writer of Phone Booth), Joe Dante (Gremlins and Rock and Roll High School), Roger Corman (Little Shop of Horrors and many more films) and Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

What a cool life I’m having.