Of course, half the fun of reading the current horror and monster and cult 'zines is checking out the cool cover art. And one of the coolest cover artists is Bill Chancellor, who is a...
(Note: Bill Chancellor, cover artist for "Cult Movies" magazine, is a fan of classic and cult horror and monster films. In this spirit, he kindly consented to talk to HORROR-WOOD recently. After reading the interview, visit his webpage.)
HORROR-WOOD: Bill, you're currently the cover artist for "Cult Movies" magazine. How long have you been their cover artist? How did you begin designing covers for them?
BILL CHANCELLOR:
I’ve been doing covers for "Cult Movies" since the
March 1997 issue. I got involved with "Cult Movies" by
seeing an issue in Barnes & Nobles and thinking to myself:
"I can do that!" So I mocked up several covers on my
computer and sent them off to Mike Copner the editor of
"Cult Movies". He promptly gave me a call and the rest
is as they say....
HW: "Cult Movies" is certainly a 'zine that stands out from all the rest. It really seems to be a labor of love. Is that why you signed on with it?
BC: I like "Cult Movies because it is a labor of love and it shows. I particularly like the way it gives you a wealth of background details and insight into aspects of "classic" and or "cult" cinema. Having read magazines like "Cult Movie" all my life....(I’ve been a fan of (cover artist) Basil Gogos and the original "Famous Monsters" from issue #100.) I really enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to do this kind of work, in a genre I grew up loving and dreaming about working in. And since today’s pseudo FM is such a disappointment and travesty, "Cult Movies" is really a godsend and I would say just about peerless in this genre today.
HW: Please tell us something about your background. Did you "haunt" movie theaters as a kid, or did you catch genre flicks on TV as a youngster?
BC: As a kid growing up I lived on horror movies...I can remember watching the "Creature Features" and Chiller" Friday/Saturday night movies on TV. Anything to do with classic or not so classic monsters and science fiction...well I had to watch it. I collected the original "Famous Monsters," "The Monster Times," "Starlog"...I love all the Hammer horror movies. I had all the Aurora monster models with glow-in-the-dark parts. I was into anything "Star Trek" and "Planet Of The Apes"--I even made my own "Planet Of The Apes" movie with friends in the eighth grade! I wanted to do special effects makeup...made all the ape appliances myself...I lived at West Point, New York, and the army used to bring all the really really b-c monster movies in. guess they were cheaper than "real" movies. Basically I was your typical geek......and still am.
HW: That makes
two of us! What's your background in art? What formal training
did you 
undertake?
BC: Besides doing art all my life...I graduated from The Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design in 1990, with a degree in illustration. I’ve also studied fine art and sculpture at The University of Texas in El Paso.
HW: How do you design your covers? How do you get your inspiration?
BC: When I design a cover it always starts with the basic design the editor wants....Mike Copner will call me up and say we want something dealing with "Frankenstein Meets Wolfman" (as in the latest issue, #26) Sometimes he will then supply me with several images I might use...other times I find my own scrap.
HW: Sometimes "Cult Movies" mixes different cult and horror film figures together. (I recall Betty Page holding a figure of Frankenstein, for example.) Is this a special theme you enjoy?
BC: Actually, the cover you mentioned was done by Dave Stevens, who created the character "The Rocketeer" and did covers for "Cult Movies" for a time, and whom I am a big fan of!
HW: Me, too! Among your many covers, which one do you have a special regard for?
BC: I like all my covers but my personal favorite cover so far is my first: Glenn Strange as the Frankenstein Monster. I also like the way the Vincent Price/Groovey Ghoulies cover came out...It was actually one of the mockup covers I sent to "Cult Movies" and Mike Copner and Buddy Barnett liked it so much they built an issue around it. It was a departure from the style I’ve been developing and reflected my love of Sixties era rock & roll art.
HW: You obviously have a
fondness for outré, exploitation, and cult movies. When did you
begin enjoying these films? Which films do you especially enjoy?
Is there any film or film character you haven't done a cover on
that you'd like to?
BC: I grew up watching horror movies and sci-fi of all kinds and one of my earliest memories is of watching Jason And The Argonauts. I’m a huge fan of Ray Harryhausen and Willis O'Brien. Any Fifties horror/sci-fi—Them, The Giant Mantis. The Black Scorpion. Actually, thinking about it, I can’t think of a genre in horror or science fiction I haven’t watched and enjoyed!
HW: Same here. Since we're featuring a drive-in horror article in this issue, do you have any special memories of the drive-in to share with us?
BC: I never really got to go to drive-ins as a kid. I had to get my monster fixes at home or at the post movie theater.
HW: Too bad! Besides magazine covers, what other artwork have you produced? Do you have any special projects you're working on now?
BC: I’ve just recently produced two DVD covers for a company called Allday Entertainment. the first was for a British horror film from the Seventies called The Asphyx, and the second was for the legendary black vampire movie Ganja And Hess. I’m also actively looking for representation, and my punk rock band, Schizm, has just recorded our second album. Also, look for my work on the upcoming issue of "Screem" magazine!
HW: Great!
There seems to be a resurgence in interest in the classic and
cult horror and 
exploitation films, as well as the continuing
appeal of Betty Page. What do you think folks are so interested
in films and performers who would otherwise be forgotten today?
BC: I think the aging of the "Babyboomer" generation has caused a huge rush of nostalgia for these films and stars. Since the advent of the slasher film, which has usurped the position true horror films had in peoples’ minds, I think we're looking at these earlier, more "innocent" forms of horror and entertainment as a relief from the more graphic forms popular today.
HW: Bill, there's some aspiring artists out there who have done some nice horror-themed artwork. What advice do you have for them on "going pro"?
BC: DON’T GIVE UP. This genre is kind of limited so it could never hurt to expand your portfolio to include other genres. I’ve done CD covers for bands, I worked in the licensed garment industry designing "Bugs Bunny" and "Mickey Mouse" tee shirts...I’ve worked in advertising agencies. Any and all art experience is a good thing.
Thanks, Bill! We look forward to more great "Cult Movie" covers from you. Cheers!
Article copyright (c) Joe "Renfield" Meadows
