NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — This is a one for the monster kids; those of us who just always loved all things scary. Sometimes we were a little young to be watching those movies, but we grew up to be just fine. Ish.
I know a couple monster kids; Ben Rittenhouse and his 13-year-old son, Isaac.
"Is your dad cooler than all your friends' dads?" I asked Isaac.
"Yes!" he laughed. "It's just normal to me, y'know."
Ben teaches at Nashville's Academy of Makeup and Arts.
"We're kinda state of the art in the film industry," Ben explained. "We're using new technologies, respecting the past, using computers to do 3-D printing."
There's a story of how Ben got here, a father-son story.
When he was a kid, Ben's dad introduced him to monster movies.
"Creature From the Black Lagoon," Ben nodded. "My dad loved it as well. It became our thing, and he introduced me to really cool traditional monster movies."
Ben went back and got interested in some pioneers in horror. That included actor and revolutionary makeup artist Lon Chaney, the man of a thousand faces.
Then Ben got into the work of Rick Baker, the legendary makeup artist behind An American Werewolf In London.
"I realized I can make a living making monsters," Ben said.
So he did. Ben's makeup effects resume is incredible, including working in the team of his idol Rick Baker on Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes and Men in Black II.
Then one day, Isaac came to share interest.
"What genre?" Ben asked his son.
"Horror!" Isaac answered.
Ben and Isaac started making monsters.
"I think maybe eight or seven," Isaac remembered. "It's just really cool and fun to do."
Ben and his dad used to make his Halloween costumes together. So, Isaac was just thinking, why not continue the tradition? He wanted to make a Halloween costume with his dad.
"He's gonna mold my face," Isaac said. "Then, we're gonna sculpt on that mold and put intricate designs in it to match the character I want to do."
What should they do? Well, the guys figured it should be something that has a little Halloween iconography, something with the sort of artistry brought by Lon Chaney.
"It's truly beautiful," Ben said. "I get to share the same experiences I had with my father. It's a really special time for me. It's insanely unique and special to me. He probably doesn't know how much it means to me and probably the same way."
Isaac went on to sculpt and paint the mask. Ben and Isaac have created a nightmare.
Isaac stepped out with detailed makeup, making him look like Freddy Krueger. Just think. Some of you are going to be handing out candy Halloween night, and this is going to walk up.
It's like I told you. This one's for the monster kids.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
September 11, 2001 is a day most associate with terror and tragedy. Austin Pollack shares a story from that day about hope and persistence: the effort to save a little girl’s life – with an organ donation. The problem? The young patient was in Houston, and her life-saving liver here in Nashville. With the grounding of all civilian aircraft, how could it be done? “Nobody ever said this isn’t possible.”
- Rhori Johnston
