toy federation | Screaming Soup!

SCREAMING AT JAMES WINBURN, HALLOWEEN’S FALL GUY!

Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Boy, if y’all didn’t know better, you’d probably think we traded our digs at the Howl-Inn Grub & Spirits for our new favorite toy store, Toy Federation, ’cause that’s where we spent ‘nother weekend diggin’ through collections of plastic goods from yesteryear and today while shootin’ the breeze with horror legends. Ran by a swell bunch of horror lovin’ fan boys, these new amigos of ours are puttin’ their store to great use in the face of all the convention cancellations, makin’ it an intimate meetin’ ground for folks to continue seein’ stars from their favorite fright flicks.

This time ’round, they flew in seasoned stuntman James Winburn whose long and successful career is most celebrated for a fall he took from a second story balcony as Michael Myers in John Carpenter’s original Halloween. Bein’ one of the first actors in an exclusive club to play the infamous Shape, we were plenty excited to hear some of James’s stories from the set, but even happier he was willin’ to give Screaming Soup! a few minutes to talk ’bout his involvement with other cult classic movies and actors.

An easy goin’ workhorse, James was a hoot to talk to as he unloaded encyclopedias worth of old Hollywood knowledge on us. Talkin’ through recent dental work he had done, James shares his association with Michael Myers as a horror icon, recounts the horrifyin’ street violence surroundin’ the production of 1991’s Popcorn, recalls jokes he pulled on the set of Ilsa She-Wolf of the SS, fondly remembers the late Robert “Maniac Cop” Z’Dar, and shares some of the hardest hits he’s ever taken in the stunt business. In hindsight, the injuries segment’s a bit long, but we feel it’s important to document as much of these kinda stories as possible for the benefit of anyone interested in bein’ a stunt man and to really capture what a conversation with James is like.

There’s so many more of his movies we wanted to ask James ’bout (like the fact there’s a Gong Show movie), but we got a fantastic handful of behind the scenes stories ya ain’t gonna find anywhere else. Check the video out below, and enjoy!

Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!

See ya later, Scream Freaks!

SCREAMING AT TONY MORAN!

Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Woo-wee, what a week this has been! After checkin’ out a double feature of Jaws and Jurassic Park at the drive-in, word got to us one of the original folks to play The Shape (better know as Michael Myers to some) was droppin’ by a local toy store for an appearance, and it turned out to be none other than Tony Moran, the fella who played Myers unmasked when he had that fedangled eye lid from a close encounter with a clothes hanger.

Thanks to the fine folks at Toy Federation for makin’ this happen, Tony was more than welcomed by his fans with a line out the door that snaked ’round the buildin’. Now, we normally hate the idea of standin’ ’round fer so long, but Tony was such a grateful guest, he managed to distract everyone’s boredome with periodic visits to the back of the line to extend his thanks for everyone’s patience while cuttin’ up with ’em. He especially got a kick when he saw us standin’ out from the crowd and even yanked his photographer outta his shoes to snap some pics with the web’s #1 animated horror host!

After that, surroundin’ folks wanted their own picture with us, and we were happy to oblige while spreadin’ the word ’bout Screaming Soup! with free tradin’ cards and magnets. Sweet! Even better, one little monster lovin’ young’n made our day when he pointed right at us and said, “I want one!”

Anyway, we eventually made it to Tony who was still entertainin’ the crowd with corny jokes inside, he lit up with excitement all over ‘gain at the sight of us as he surrendered his John Hancock on a still for Mandy, and our gang happily rode off into the moonset. What? Did ya think we made an instant love connection with Tony, and he invited us to shoot pool with the him after throwin’ himself at our boots, beggin’ to join our animated adventures? Woulda been damn cool, but naw. This was just a fun in-and-out signin’ with a class act from a legendary horror flick we’re happy to have been there for. Lotta thanks to Toy Federation ‘gain for arrangin’ this, and lookin’ forward to their next signin’ event with Kane freakin’ Hodder at their store!