Many fans of horror, amateur and professional alike, have devoted themselves to blogging about the thrills, chills, and no-frills side of the genre as seen in cinema and print. In this ongoing series that highlights the writers behind the blogs, we meet the unique personalities and talents that make the online horror scene so engaging. Up close and personal.
In this installment, Chris Zenga of The Day After runs with the Undead. And loves it.
I was very lucky as a kid and was introduced to monsters at a very young age. I'm a child of the 80's and had plenty to inspire me. I had a love for all things Scooby-Doo, and My Pet Monster and to this day re-watch my Hilarious House of Frightenstien DVD's as often as I can; only now I include my two children.
I saw The Monster Squad multiple times in the theater and was convinced that the fastest way to take down the wolf man was to tag him in the nards!. My father and I sat down to watch The Exorcist on the Halloween after my 12th birthday and I knew I wanted that adrenaline rush that only comes from pure terror, all the time. Although raised in a catholic household my parents were quite liberal when it came to me being allowed to watch horror films; perhaps they thought God would cleanse my soul next Sunday at mass? Now that they know I'm an atheist they're rethinking how liberal they were all those years ago.
As I grew older I began to pull inspiration from places other than movies. Music from Tool and Skinny Puppy would (and still does) put me in headspace where I could find myself and speak through my paintings. An artists like H.R Geiger and Wayne Barlow set the bar for what I wanted to achieve as an artist, both financially and creatively.
I am a fan of all things horror but have a very special place in my heart for the Undead. Oddly enough, it was the campy Return of the Living Dead that sucked me into the world of the walking Undead. There's just something horrifying about the idea that you can only run for so long before you get tired; but these monsters, they will never get tired, never stop, and they will always keep multiplying with one thing in mind…..FEED!
This is why my artwork is mainly Undead-centric. It’s my way of paying homage to the Fulcis and Romeros of the world. And when we reach the day after the end I hope I can carve out my own niche in the world of the Undead and do my part to entertain the community of the macabre.