In honor of Forrest J Ackerman’s 93rd birthday we’re bringing you some never-before-seen interview pieces. This interview was conducted in 1997 by Incarnadine author, R.H. Greene. We’ll be adding new videos each morning all this week to celebrate the man who made this all possible for us.
For those who may not be familiar (or may need a bit of a refresher) Forrest J Ackerman (Uncle Forry, 4E, 4SJ, Dr. Acula, Mr. Sci-Fi, etc. . .) was the editor and creative force behind Famous Monsters of Filmland. As a young man he hung out with the likes of Ray Bradbury, Ray Harryhausen, and L. Ron Hubbard-to name a few. These men laid what would become the foundation of science-fiction and fantasy as we know it today.
With the advent of FM, as it is affectionately called, Forry did something that had never been done before: He pulled back the curtain on the magic of movie making. Instead of tabloid-style puff pieces he focused on the creators. From directors and writers to special FX artists and creature designers, he covered them all. What made the magazine even more enticing to the readers of the day (including Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Torro, Stephen King, Wes Craven, and so many more) was that Forry broke down the mystique of filmmaking and made it accessible to everyone.
Forry encouraged everyone to just make movies. Arming them with knowledge that allowed them to do their own, at-home versions of FX and monster make-up as well as basic filmmaking techniques (including stop-motion animation), Forry unleashed an army of would-be storytellers and craftsmen that would shape the future of movies. Through each and every person who was inspired to create because of FM and Forry does his legacy live on.
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