Special Effects Artist Builds Stuff of Nightmares in E. Springfield Garage

By DARLA M. YOUNGS
EAST SPRINGFIELD

True fans of the horror genre will be familiar with Troma Entertainment, Lloyd Kaufman, and Rocko Zevenbergen, collectively known for such delightfully disturbing B movie cult classics as “The Toxic Avenger,” “Class of Nuke ‘Em High” and the more recent “I Need You Dead!” Here in Otsego County, a local man is leading a team of experts as they develop special effects for Zevenbergen’s latest movie in an East Springfield garage.

RJ Young graduated from Cherry Valley-Springfield High School in 2004. After living in Portland, Oregon for a few years, he returned to Otsego County in 2017. Young, who lives in Cherry Valley, owns Mountain Side Contracting and is the son of Ron and Doreen Young of East Springfield.

Young said his love for horror films began at a very young age.

“I was interested in movies, and the art of special effects, ever since I watched my first Godzilla film when I was 4 years old. I remember crying at the end of the movie when Godzilla fell to his death. My mother said after seeing that she knew I was a little different than most children my age,” Young recalled.

“As I got older, I was able to watch anything, and everything, involving monsters. My parents were not very strict when it came to me watching movies. I am thankful that I grew up in the 90s and had access to cable television. I would always stay up late to watch some kind of horror film. It didn’t matter what it was—I would watch it,” he continued.

It was around the age of 10 that Young first realized people made money creating special effects and when he began to view it as a career possibility.

“I remember watching ‘An American Werewolf in London.’ Not only did it scare me, but it fascinated me how the actor was able to transform into a werewolf right in front of your eyes. I would say that was the first movie that made me realize special effects was an actual art, and that someone makes these beautiful things happen.

“Basically, it dawned on me that it was an actual job. In my eyes, Rick Baker will always be the first effects artist that really inspired me, and captivated me with special makeup effects,” he said.

Another FX artist that influenced Young a great deal is Tom Savini.

“I remember watching ‘Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter’ for the first time, and I must say that it scared the living daylights out of me. But after I watched a few more times, I was just in awe of the splatter masterpiece that was being filmed on screen,” Young elaborated. “Savini is known for his very realistic gore and blood effects. He is called the ‘King of Splatter,’ and for good reason. I guess after watching his effects, I realized that blood and gore in films is a real art form.”

Some of Young’s other go-to horror films, “just to name a few,” are John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” “The Lost Boys,” “Waxwork”, George A. Romero’s “Day Of The Dead,” and “Creepshow.”

Young, who is also an accomplished musician and film score composer, worked on his first Troma film for Kaufman in 2018, in New York City. The movie, titled “Shakespeare’s Sh*tstorm,” is a crude comedic parody of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” in which mad scientist Prospero lures pharmaceutical executives to Tromaville, New Jersey where he can begin to enact his bloody revenge.

“I learned how to make a movie and how difficult it actually is,” Young said. “It takes a lot of dedication, hard work and time.”

Young, who is largely self-taught, said he has always been into art and drawing.

“I began sculpting a few years back and really got into it,” he said.

While working with the Troma team, Young learned to cast an actor’s face and how to apply prosthetics—foam latex, silicone, clay. He described himself as a “huge fan” of Eric Fox, a contestant on the Syfy cable channel’s “Face Off” competition/elimination series for special effects make-up artists in which they create prostheses such as those found in science fiction, fantasy and horror films.

Young’s current efforts are focused on building a “diseased room” for writer/director Rocko Zevenbergen’s latest project. Titled “Flapjax,” the film is described as a “relentless dark comedy about mommy issues and pancakes” in which “an overzealous fast food manager unknowingly executes the sinter plans of an alien race by promoting a highly addictive new item: Flapjax.”

“[The room] will be about 16 feet long and we’re making it out of wood and cardboard,” he explained. “On the inside, we’re using spray foam and then we’re going to paint it, seal it with latex, and then we’re going to add some bladders in there to get some movement and some organic life to it.”

The grisly room is being built in four-foot sections. When completed and assembled, the actors will be able to crawl through it and look around,” he explained.

Young said filming of “Flapjax” will begin in August, after casting has been completed. It has been rumored that actor Frankie Muniz of “Malcolm in the Middle” fame is currently in talks with Zevenbergen.

“We’re looking for a theater for some of the shoots,” Young added.

Cobleskill’s Park Theatre is among those being considered. Filming for “Flapjax” will also take place on a sound stage in Schenectady, in New York City and in the East Springfield garage.

In addition to movies by Kaufman and Zevenbergen, Young also worked on “Clowns in the Woods,” which was filmed in Rochester.

“I’ve mostly worked on low-budget films,” he said. “‘I Need Your Dead!’ is being released on DVD soon.”

“I really love monsters, and creature effects, but I have a soft spot for gore effects…no doubt about it,” Young continued. “They are just so fun to create and pull off. For instance—when you’re on set, and the day has been very long, and people are starting to get tired, as soon as an effect like a ‘slit throat’ has to be shot, everyone gets excited, and cannot wait to see some fake blood fly.

“It’s just a lot of fun. It’s also a lot of pressure on my end, because blood effects can be unpredictable. No matter how much you test the effect, something can always happen. The blood doesn’t come out at the right time or too much blood comes out and the take isn’t any good, so you have to stop, have the actor change his wardrobe, and start again. But when everything goes right, and the effect goes well—and everyone is cheering and clapping—it’s a very rewarding feeling, and we’re all just feeling like little kids,” he said.

“I guess that’s one of the main reasons I love doing this kind of work, because I will always maintain that feeling of being a kid, and just being excited for what I do,” reflected Young. “I will never let go of the kid inside of me, who watched his first horror film and got so excited about monsters and effects. I’m 38 years old, but I’m basically just the same old nerdy kid.”

When asked to recall his most memorable experiences in the special effects industry, Young spoke animatedly about his work on Shudder’s “The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs.” The former host of “Joe Bob’s Drive-in Theater” on The Movie Channel and TNT’s “MonsterVision,” Briggs was hired by Shudder to host a standalone marathon of horror movies of his choosing, complete with singing, comedy, fun facts, interviews, rants, and more.

Young said he and his crew got to recreate a scene from [George A. Romero’s] “Day of the Dead” for the Joe Bob Briggs show, in which Briggs is ripped in half. He also got to play a zombie.

“Briggs is a really fun horror writer. I got called last-minute and had to find a way to make the scene work. It came out better than anticipated and Briggs was a good sport about it. I’m excited to see the premier of the show on Shudder.”

Laughing, Young confided that sausage casing filled with Jell-O is very convincing.

“Flapjax” is expected to be released in late spring or early summer of 2024.