After recently reviewing the newest film from Full Moon Features, Blade: The Iron Cross, we had a chance to catch up with accomplished special makeup effects artist Tom Devlin. We dive into Puppet Master, Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum, SyFy’s Face Off, and more!
Horror Geek Life: Blade: The Iron Cross has you returning to work on a Full Moon feature. What can you tell us about your contribution to Blade and your history with Full Moon?
Tom Devlin: I have worked with Full Moon for a long time and have been involved with several of their franchise films. Puppet Master has always been a favorite of mine since I was a kid; so getting to provide the puppets for Blade: The Iron Cross was a dream job. John Lechago, the director, is one of my closest friends; we have been making movies for years together, so getting to bring his puppets to life as well as the other crazy monsters from his mind has been an honor and a pleasure.
HGL: Blade from the Puppet Master series is such an iconic character. Is there some amount of pressure taking on a character that has so much history?
TD: This is my third time tackling the character. The first time I stayed very true to the original sculpt using molds from other Puppet Master films and working with the budget that I had been provided the best I could. My second go around on Puppet Master: Axis Termination (2017), I took a little more liberty with the Blade character and created what I called the Tom Devlin version. And, now for Blade: The Iron Cross, John and I decided that the Blade could be much bigger (as he is headlining his own film) and it would make him more relatable as a character and less of a prop.
I made some big changes on the new Blade that I am very happy with; I’m sure there will be people that want to see the 1989 version, but in my eyes that has been done. Making him bigger made him easier to manipulate and operate, and it also made it much easier for the actors to work off of. There is always pressure creating an iconic character, but as I’ve said in many other interviews during some of the other films I worked on, there are no two Jason Voorhees that look-alike. There is a very identifiable difference each time an FX shop takes on the puppets; I have definitely left my own mark.
HGL: Very true! Speaking of FX, many practical FX fans will recognize you from SyFy’s Face Off. What can you tell us about your experience on that series?
TD: Face Off was a blast! It was like going to makeup fx camp; the hype has died down lately, though. I hope the show finds a new fanbase and is released on Netflix or something; it’s been 10 years now I still find myself talking about it often.
Fun fact: Gage Munster, who was on Face Off during my season, created the puppets for Puppet Master: Axis of Evil (2010), and Tate, who I teamed up with at the end of Face Off, created the puppets for Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (2018), so we have some alumni from Face Off season one in the Puppet Master world!
HGL: Before you go, I’d love to hear more about your attraction, Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum, and what went into putting that together.
TD: The Monster Museum is a Mecca for horror fans and monster lovers alike. Our goal is to educate preserve and celebrate the history of practical FX. Every display in the museum is a handmade, one-of-a-kind piece of art created by my team and me. We have a lot of fun at the museum hosting celebrity signings and showcasing our artwork. It’s a blast! www.tomdevlinsmonstermuseum.com
HGL: Lastly, what’s next for Tom Devlin? Are there any upcoming projects or updates you can tell us about?
TD: We have opened a special makeup FX school at Tom Devlin‘s monster museum called the “Academy of Makeup and Monsters.” It is an all-inclusive school that covers all things having to do with practical effects from animatronics and puppetry, to multi-piece foam latex application, to blood tubing and rigging. My primary focus is building the school into a next-level education facility for Las Vegas locals, out-of-towners or anyone who is interested in the craft! www.specialmakeupfxschool.com
We would like to thank Tom Devlin for his time!
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