Five FrightFest Facts with Nick Taylor from ‘Rubberhead’

Now, filmmaker Nick Taylor turns the spotlight onto one of the industry’s most prolific and colourful behind-the-scenes figures with Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson. More than just a documentary about movie magic, the film charts Johnson’s extraordinary rise through Hollywood, his collaborations with some of cinema’s biggest directors, and the personal demons that nearly derailed his remarkable career.

Drawing on never-before-seen archive material and Johnson’s own candid recollections, Taylor has crafted a documentary that is equal parts film history lesson, Hollywood cautionary tale and celebration of practical effects artistry. Ahead of the film’s Tubi FrightFest screening, we caught up with the writer-director for our latest Five FrightFest Facts.

Nick Taylor, writer-director of Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson

Tell us about your film.

Rubberhead: The Life and Monsters of Steve Johnson is my lifelong love letter to special effects makeup and one of the most wondrous, insane, and accomplished pioneers of the art: Steve Johnson.

Steve’s life story has always astonished me. He was a childhood hero of mine, and it wasn’t until I made this documentary that I truly realized the level of innovation he brought to the world of practical effects makeup.

The film tells his overall life story: from his years working under Rick Baker and Rob Bottin, to founding his own incredibly innovative effects company, to his struggles with drugs, alcohol, and other addictions. It ultimately becomes a wild journey through the history of practical effects makeup told through the lens of a Wolf of Wall Street-style story.

How did you get into making movies?

I’ve loved horror movies for as long as I can remember, and practical effects makeup was always the thing that fascinated me most. That passion naturally evolved into filmmaking.

Along the way, I began producing and working as a production assistant on multiple film sets. I produced the indie horror film The Devil’s Workshop, starring Radha Mitchell and Emile Hirsch, and even had a small acting role in it. I also volunteered as a production assistant on several other low- and mid-budget horror films, which gave me a real education in filmmaking and helped me understand the rhythm and pace of a working set.

Making Rubberhead felt like the culmination of all of those experiences.

What films would you love to see screened at FrightFest and why?

One movie I’ve never had the chance to see in a theater, and one I think is long overdue for a restoration, is Peter Jackson’s Braindead (Dead Alive).

I have no idea why it’s been sitting in the vault for as long as it has. I’d love to see a gorgeous 4K restoration projected on a big screen, and then finally get the Arrow Blu-ray we’ve all been waiting for.

If you could create your own award to give at FrightFest, what would it be and why?

That’s such a great question.

I’d probably create something like the Horror Cognition Award.

Horror is a genre that can make people think about things in a completely different way. It’s the most confrontational genre we have, and it allows filmmakers to explore difficult subjects, history, emotions, and ideas in ways that really penetrate the audience’s psyche.

I’d love to recognize horror films that fundamentally change the way we think about a particular subject.

If your life was made into a horror film, what would it be called, and who would play the starring role?

Oh my God, such a great question.

I had a solid two-week stretch where people kept mistaking me for Pedro Pascal, so I’m absolutely going to take the compliment and cast him.

The movie would be called Must Love Horror.