CMBA profiles one or two members every month. This edition features Terry Sherwood who blogs at Stardust and Shadows.
Celebrating six years, Terry Sherwood's Stardust and Shadows is filled with film reviews, book reviews and more. He grew up on movies, thanks to his film
loving Dad. As a kid, like many, he loved horror movies, and still
does, but his blog much more: westerns, noir, and more. Terry has a second blog, Nitrate Visions, and also host two Youtube podcast shows. But instead of me telling you, let's here from Terry.
What
sparked your interest in classic film?
My
Father was a huge fan when he was growing up. He once told me that when he was
young he made a movie studio out of little card board boxes, cut faces from fan
magazines and put them onto figures that he moved around. He would take me to
film in the movies houses later one; the first film I remember seeing was with
him was BILLY BUDD. Got interested in Theatre for what reason I have no idea. Got myself a
Degree in Theatre Arts. Read Flynn’s
book that my father gave to me MY WICKED
WICKED WAYS many times which triggered more
reading acquiring and other
things in those pre-internet days.
You
are a big horror film fan. Correct me if I am wrong, but you love for the horror
genre spans more than just movies but also books and comics. Was the horror
genre your introduction to the world of pop culture?
Yes
it was. I was and still am a ‘Monster
Kid”. Big fan of TV shows like THE
MUNSTERS. I still have my issues of
FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILM LAND magazine. I
also read graphic story magazines such as CREEPY, EERIE and MONSTERS UNLIMITED
which had funny captions by Stan Lee when I could find them. I went to local triple bills at Rialto
theatre on Saturday afternoons when I was allowed to those of Hammer Studios and
Amicus releases. Then came our version
of SHOCK THEATER on local TV which was called HORROR HOUSE which ran the
Universal films, Inner Sanctums etc. I would record the soundtrack on cassette
and listen to them over and over. I
read Edgar Poe, and other authors not really getting an appreciation or understanding
What really got me was Ballantine
Books comic paperback adaptation of DRACULA
which I read till it fell apart. I also
had an LP record which I still have AN
EVENING WITH BORIS KARLOFF AND HIS FRIENDS which had audio excerpts and narration. Outside of Horror genre. I was around for the Adam West/ Burt Ward Batman series. Lot
of influences not knowing why.
Your
blog is much more than horror films. Can you tell us what other film genres you
favor and write about?
Honestly
it’s whatever moves me to write and strikes me as interesting. STARDUST AND
SHADOWS is about many things in film mostly it’s about the wonder of a good
story, strong acting and being human.
Try to give things a different spin in a conversational style. Genre wise:
we go to Film Noir, Westerns, Pre-code film, those ‘Women’s Pictures,” even youth exploitation for the sheer fun,
longer articles on people like Warren William, Max Factor, Jeffery Lynn. I also try to show Canadians
in Classic Hollywood like Norma
Shearer, Walter Pidgeon, and Yvonne De Carlo when I can, so many of
them, and I am Canadian.
What
makes a “classic” film in your opinion?
A
Classic film to me is timeless feeling that an individual has when watching
something that many reoccur in your mind.
You
have a second blog dedicated to the world of horror (Nitrate Visions). Can you tell us a little about that?
NITRATE
VISIONS is the companion site to STARDUST AND SHADOWS on the Horror or as I prefer to say the Nightmare genre. It
contains short reviews which I call SILVER BULLETS covering some film of
today and yesterday that interest me.
I also get quite a few
screeners from Indie film makers mostly
from Europe which seem more open
for review. NITRATE VISIONS also has literary reviews
mostly small press from the genre which I receive as active member of worldwide
recognized organization HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION.
You
also host a Youtube podcast series. Can you tell us about that?
There
are actually two shows on Youtube.
SINISTER
INCLINATIONS is a Horror Youtube series with James Saito and myself in which
we talk very informally and totally off the cuff about what
we watched, read or think about
the genre. We do have guests that we
interview like film people, Ghost hunters, musicians in the Horror
rock and roll scene. It is not
scripted except who is coming on
or a particular film both James and I watched
and will speak on. We also make fun of ourselves quite a bit
yet punctuate it with some challenging remarks.
SINISTER
INQUISTIONS is the companion show which features video interviews with film
makers or anyone that we record from Zoom or Skype. Chat about them, their
work career, recent
work etc. in more in depth format
Gives them a boost and we make contacts.
What challenges do you face with your blog and how do you
overcome them?
Every film, book, comic that I review,
comment on I view so its finding the time so I set up an informal schedule on
days off sometimes three a night into early morn. Writing is best for me in early evening. I also am a musician and have a full time job
plus a home life. I am so lucky for
support, help and understanding from my family.
This isn’t work. Its magic time.
