#15 - Sean Clark (Horror's Hallowed Grounds, Convention All Stars, The Thing With Two Heads)
Talks From The CryptShow Notes
Sean Clark joins us in the Crypt to talk about his journey through the horror industry, from Horror’s Hallowed Grounds and the Halloween franchise, to shaping the modern horror convention scene.
We explore the evolution of horror conventions, highlighting the thrill and struggle of getting celebrities on board, building “25 Years of Terror,” and Sean’s insider experience with the “horror elite.” We talk horror's golden ages of the 30s, 70s, and 80s, discussing the MPAA's role in shaping the genre, and the way conventions have evolved since the '90s, for better or worse. Sean opens up about his early days, his hesitations about joining YouTube, and the struggles and successes he faced on projects like Halloween 2 and Halloween 3.
We also dig into recent horror headlines, debating reboots and sequels, Halloween, Exorcist: Believer, Alien: Romulus, and The Crow, along with original titles like Thanksgiving, LongLegs, Maxxxine, and much more. We share thoughts on today’s horror “elite”, the tension between fans and executives, and horror’s thematic shift to psychological scares with films like Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau Is Afraid.
Beyond film, we discuss the rise of horror influencers and publications, “a*s-kissing" culture, and Sean's advice for up-and-coming creatives, stories from the convention circuit, and immortalizing yourself through creative work.
—
🎥 Make sure to subscribe to youtube.com/@talksfromthecrypt / youtube.com/@malfuncsean
Follow us:Talks From The Crypt – https://instagram.com/talksfromthecrypt / https://talksfromthecrypt.com
Sean Clark – https://instagram.com/malfuncsean
— 00:00:00 – Introduction00:01:05 – Horror’s Hallowed GG 00:17:29 – Sean's Involvement in the Halloween Franchise - Finding a Real Shatner Mask, 25 Years of Terror, Early Legal Battles, Landing a Standalone Feature 00:30:37 – Convention All-Stars00:41:15 – The Horror Industry: A Labor of Love, Celebrities Who Revel In It or Hate It, Getting Them to Do Conventions 00:52:05 – Horror's Golden Age: 30's, 70's, and 80's & the MPAA's Involvement 00:56:14 – Conventions Now Are A Different World, The Good and The Bad 01:02:10 – Being Hesitant to Get on YouTube, Early Success and Struggles In Sean's Horror Career, Working on Halloween 2 and Halloween 3, Finding Filming Locations and Going to the Wrong Place 01:27:15 – Remakes and Reboots? When does a classic become a classic? 01:42:47 – Excorcist: Believer, The Crow, Casting Bill Skarsgard in Everything, Child's Play Remake, Movies We Love and Hate, Alien: Romulus, Believable Casts 01:55:04 – Horror Publications Ass-Kissing, Executives and Influencers vs. Fans and Artists, The "Horror Elite,” Thanksgiving, LongLegs, and Terrifier 02:05:22 – LongLegs Review, Maxxxine & Its Prequels, The First Omen 02:12:20 – Casting New Actors vs. Big Stars, the Scream Movies, In A Violent Nature 02:21:31 – Horror's Evolution: Social to Internal, Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau Is Afraid, The Strange Thing About The Johnsons, Alien: Romulus Review (Contains Spoilers 02:29:05 – Film Critic Buzzwords, Why Do The Biggest Directors Have The Coolest Sounding Names?! 02:33:22 – Advice to Upcoming Creatives 02:48:34 – Long Intros and Trolls 02:54:37 – Safety In Numbers, Unfinished Episodes, and Immortalizing Yourself Through Your Work 03:05:16 – Sean's Talks His Famous Haircut 03:10:33 – Cutting Your Teeth 03:13:45 – Outro
—
Copyright Disclaimer Under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
More from Talks From The Crypt
Harold Schechter is an author, true crime historian, and professor emeritus. He has chronicled some of America’s most infamous murderers, including Ed Gein, H.H. Holmes, Albert Fish, and Belle Gunness. His books Deviant and Deranged are definitive accounts of Ed Gein and Albert Fish, and his many other works include Depraved, Fatal, The Serial Killer Files, Hell’s Princess, and Murderabilia. He is also the editor of the Library of America’s True Crime: An American Anthology and a two-time Edgar Award finalist.
Felissa Rose is an actress best known for her role as Angela Baker in the cult horror classic Sleepaway Camp. Her career in horror includes Victor Crowley, Terrifier 2, Scary Movie 6, and over 200 more credits. She is also a producer and longtime fixture of the horror convention circuit.
Scout Taylor-Compton is an actress and director best known for her roles as Laurie Strode in Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Halloween II, as well as performances in The Runaways, April Fool’s Day, and numerous other films. She recently co-directed the upcoming horror film Last Chance Motel, and previously co-hosted Talk Scary to Me, with Danielle Harris.
Joe Begos, director of Bliss, Christmas Bloody Christmas, Jimmy and Stiggs, and more, joins us in the Crypt for a conversation about independent filmmaking, shooting on film, and carving your own path without the system behind you. Joe discusses his films, the chaos that inspires his work, his polarizing writing and visual style, and maintaining full control over his films. We get into moving to Los Angeles with nothing, skipping film school, self-funding projects, and the reality of surviving as an independent horror filmmaker. We also talk film vs digital, world-building and taking wild ideas seriously, practical effects, working with Eli Roth, and the current state of the industry. We give our thoughts on Scream 7, remakes, horror conventions, and the mindset it takes to keep making movies your way no matter what it costs.
Grimmlife Collective is a horror and true-crime travel channel hosted by Michael and Jessica Kolence, known for exploring filming locations, cemeteries, abandoned sites, and dark history locations across the world. Their work blends on-location storytelling, horror fandom, and documentary-style deep dives into the strange and macabre.