Photo Credit: Petrina Cooper
I tell you... there sure is something about blue chicks. I mean first there was Smurfette, then Aayla Secura from Star Wars and now there's Ms. Monster, foxy mistress of macabre comedy. Along with her twin sidekicks Tit and Tat she hosts HEL on ICE, a web series that features plenty of thrills, chills and fart jokes!Thanks for joining us Ms. Monster. I want to begin with a question that I'm sure is on every fanboy's filthy little mind... how sturdy are your monster melons? That is to say, could they hold their own in the coming zombie apocalypse?
Featuring the looks and the charm of her female horror host predecessors, Ms. Monster has quickly become an internet sensation thanks to her wry sense of humor and wacky tagalongs. Not only has HEL on ICE seen four seasons, but Ms. Monster has also graced the pages of comic books courtesy of B-Minus Comiks. Lucky for us, she agreed to swing by the clubhouse on her way to "dig up" some old friends. And what better timing now that we're ready to kick off the Halloween season!
The fact that Tit and Tat have been able to sustain everything from horrible head wounds to hacking off the occasional limbs, shows the world that my monster melons can handle anything a measly apocalypse can throw at them. Note - They also serve as flotation devices in the event of a water landing.
Photo Credit: Andrew A. Reilly
Now that we've "relieved" ourselves of that issue, can you tell us a little more about yourself?
Well, I’m the blue-skinned mistress of mayhem. Tit, Tat and I have been doing our thing for over six years in Hel, CA. (right outside of San Francisco). We like to think we bring a little bit of cartoon color into a world of dark, goth moodiness. We love to hang out and watch the classics from Wood to Fulci, Carpenter to Argento... bring it on. We eat it up. Coming from hosting live stage events and film festivals we’ve made a nice transition into online LIVE hosting on our own site as well as working with companies like 100 Years of Monster Movies.
In what ways did the horror genre influence you growing up?
Well both the melons and I have some strong memories growing up of Late Night glimpses of horror movies and the hosts that brought them to us. Tit is a west coaster so Bob Wilkins was his gateway. Tat and I have fond memories of Elvira bringing the "B" and Joe Bob laying down the truth. As a little ghoul I loved movies like April Fool’s Day and Teen Witch— which were a couple steps away from discovering Argento and his knack for killing ballerinas in new and exciting ways.
As Ms. Monster you host a spooktacular variety show alongside your maniacal melon co-horts, Tit and Tat. How did the premise for these characters and Hel on Ice first develop?
The Monster Melons came into my life at the same time I became the blue-skinned half-undead Ms Monster. You can read about the accidental incantation mishap in our full color 16-page Ms Monster Origin comic— just published! Get your copy now at our online store.
Can you tell us more about your show, HEL on ICE?
Ms. Monster and the melons host a late night horror variety show called HEL on ICE that airs live online and has also been released on DVD. Along with a stage show of HEL on ICE we also partner with the previously mentioned 100 Years of Monster Movies for live webcasts. I also write a Zombie advice column for Blinkys Zine, and we go wherever we are welcomed... or barely tolerated!
Ever since Elvira hit it big, there has seemed to be a certain criteria for female horror hosts to be sexy, funny and spooky. Do you feel that's a fair assumption and is one attribute more important than the others?
Female hosts bring allure to horror, a trait that makes horror more accessible for the average audience and blends sex and gore... rock the freak!
Speaking of Elvira, some people may also remember you from Fox's short-lived reality show The Search for the Next Elvira back in 2007. Is it true that you were the only contestant with any actual horror hosting experience?
The majority of the final 13 were actresses by profession. I’m not sure if they ever “hosted” before but they were certainly talented & endowed! Fox’s The Search for the Next Elvira was quite an experience from the auditions on Friday the 13th. It was great getting to hang out with Cassandra on set, being around other fabulous ladies and just having a blast running getting my horror on.
Artwork © Louis McHenry Howe
I'm sure that you've met quite a few people over the years, but who has been some of your all-time favorites?
Getting to meet other like-minded freaks is what it is all about for us! Celebrities that stand out for me? First to mind is Elvira, running into her at 2am on the haunted Queen Mary long dark hallway. Next would have to be Rick Baker, special fx make-up master. I adore Rick Baker... ADORE him. Bruce Campbell & Joe Bob [Briggs] are right on up there too and very accessible to followers and fans. We've also gotten the chance to do LIVE interviews with B-Movie legends like Sid Haig, Joe Dante, the ladies from Dark Shadows and so many more I can’t remember I can't remember right now.
Do you regularly attend conventions throughout the year? If so, which ones?
We try and hit as many conventions as we can afford! From SD ComicCon, Horrorhound, WonderCon, Spooky Empire, Dark Carnival, Weekend of Horrors and so on. We would die to do more conventions... free tables anyone??
Photo Credit: Petrina Cooper
What's the strangest request you've gotten from a fan?
I’ve gotten some pretty strange requests over the years, but aside from the dead things in the mail and LAME requests for my body parts my favorite request was a list of new ways to torture the melons. There were some great ones in there. I also remember with great fondness a fan that dyed his skin blue for 14 days.
Let's roleplay! You're trapped in a crypt with nothing but the mummified remains of Tit and Tat, a book of Lucky Jack matches, a half eaten squid and 5 reels of 8mm cult cinema. Which films would you chose and why?
8mm cult films, hmmm... Fulci’s Zombie, Romero’s Zombie Trilogy, Ed Wood’s Plan 9, Raimi’s Evil Dead and Vincent Price’s The Monster Club.
The Monster Club! Nice one! So, I just have to know... what's underneath Tat's eyepatch? Really, whatever it is can't be sanitary.
Underneath Tat’s eyepatch is a stinky portal to another dimension filled with butterfly farts and your darkest nightmares. Beware! It’s actually a sore subject with him, so don’t stare at it.
Is there anything that really scares you?
Carebears scare me. We actually did a comic about it called Dark Rainbow.
Fatality Mode: What's the strangest thing you can remember doing as a kid growing up?
I was a force to be reckoned with as a child, the type of kid that most others didn’t want to play with. Pretty on the outside, but dark thoughts always lurking. I coined the term “the look” amongst my family but mainly was simply curious by nature which led me to stick my tongue in an electrical socket, hold a playmate’s fingers in doorjam before I closed it... dig up buried neighborhood pets to witness levels of decomposition... and as I got older it was "cemetery lurking" and undead makeover sleep-overs with baby powder & sharpies!
Any regrets?
My only regret is not becoming undead sooner.
This article is part of the Countdown to Halloween blogathon, a month-long blogging marathon dedicated to honoring the Halloween season. For more information and a full list of participating sites, please visit www.countdowntohalloween.com.
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