ART OF THE MONSTERVERSE

Horror filmmaker Larry Fessenden’s Monsterverse is a series of contemporary independent films that draw from the classic Universal monster movies of the 30’s and 40’s: Dracula (Fessenden’s HABIT, 1997), Frankenstein (Fessenden’s DEPRAVED, 2019) and the wolf man (Fessenden’s BLACKOUT, 2023). Fessenden’s films blend classic horror tropes with contemporary themes. Aesthetically the films are crafted with an artisanal low budget cinematic style, employing tactile, traditional art techniques in the building of the imagery, tapping into primal childhood and folkloric memories. In promoting the films, classical techniques in portraiture and painted posters call back to cinema’s past. This exhibit celebrates the collaborators that have contributed their artistry to the Fessenden Monsterverse.

THE LOGOS
Beck Underwood who designed the Glass Eye Pix logo, also designed the iconic “Habit” logo in 1996.
THE ANIMATOR
James Siewert embarked on a seven-month journey to create 300 acrylic paintings for the animated hallucination of the werewolf for BLACKOUT.
THE PAINTER
John Mitchell, who created paintings and drawings for the BLACKOUT protagonist’s on-screen artwork, was also tasked with creating 150 pen and ink images for an animated sequence that depicts the man transforming into a werewolf.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
The classic monster portraits by Nelson Bakerman evoke the studio pictures that celebrated the work of makeup maestro Jack Pierce; not location shots or film stills, but portraits on white or black backdrops that were reproduced in monster magazines hawked to impressionable kids during he Monster Craze of the 60s and 70s. Bakerman’s work for the three films has appeared in Fangoria Magazine, The Village Voice, and inspired the posters displayed here.
THE POSTERS
Graham Humphreys is an illustrator and designer with 40 years experience. One of the few contemporary illustrators using the traditional medium of gouache to paint his images, Graham is best known for his work within the horror genre. Humphreys is the perfect illustrator to create the Retro Style Monsterverse Posters that pay tribute to the art of the original films (which the director grew up staring at).
FAN ART
Adam Markiewicz creates a delightful encounter between the Universal Monsters and their contemporary counterparts in this work of fan art encouraged by BLACKOUT vfx artist Eugene Lehnert.

On display at the IFC 2nd Floor Exhibit Space Starting March 8, 2024
Thanks to Posteritati for loaning out the space and IFC for hosting
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