Interview with Tom Spina By David Kempf

Tom Spina Designs, Inc. specializes in creating custom statues, sculpture, mannequins, unique themed furniture and decor, and the restoration and display of film props and costumes. We caught up with Tom, to find out more about the man behind the masks.

1. When did you first become interested in horror?

Aberdeen Costello meet Frankenstein grab my interest when I was a kid but as a teen in the 80’s, Jason, Leatherface and Freddy were all the rage at the local mom and pop video rental stores. I’d rent whatever slasher films they had! When I saw the Howling and American Werewolf for the first time, I fell in love with both. It was in my later teens that I really got hooked into classic horror through a friend of mine whose dad was a big fan. I devoured the Universal and Hammer libraries in the years to come. I still love them all!


2. When did you first create your own mask or movie prop?

I don't remember a time where I wasn't trying to make things I saw on screen. Even in grade school I was trying to re-create things from the Wizard of Oz or Star Wars. Masks were a particular fascination and I would stare at the wall of Don Post and Distortions masks at the local Magic Shop in my town. If I was lucky, come Christmas I might find a rubber Cantina band member or Chewbacca under the tree.


3. When did you begin in the mask and prop design field?

I cut my teeth via books early on. As a young slasher fan, Tom Savini was a huge influence and his book, Grande Illusions (or Bizarro depending on when you bought your copy!) was my first real teacher. It gave readers a real peek behind the curtain helped reveal the magic in great detail. I treated it the way a baker would treat a recipe book and spent long days in a makeshift basement laboratory cooking up sculptures, rubber masks and monsters. Tom was such an inspiration that we even made a bronze bust of Savini in our Regal Icons series (available on RegalRobot.com)!

I also had a love for puppets and the Muppets in particular and I suppose my real first "gig" in the industry was an internship at Sesame Street. This was a dream come true and an experience that would shape my life to come.


4. Who is your favorite makeup artist or mask maker?

Rick Baker is my favorite of all time, however, I find inspiration in nearly every piece of work I’ve encountered and each artist behind those. My list of idols and influences that have inspired me is a long one! Off the top of my head- Jack Pierce, Stuart Freeborn, John Chambers, William Tuttle, Phil Leaky and Roy Ashton, Phil Tippett, Rob Bottin, Tom Savini… if I continued it’d be a never ending list of anyone who’s ever sculpted anything for a movie. I should also include Jim Henson. While he’s not a makeup artist, with films like Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, he pushed the boundaries of realistic creature work and inspired so many in my generation.

5. Do you prefer classic monsters or the slashers?

While I got my start with slashers it's the classics who have my heart. In particular I love the Frankenstein series from both Universal and Hammer. Son of Frankenstein is a particular favorite. Perhaps it’s because Young Frankenstein (which I absolutely love!) drew so much from that film? Hammer’s Revenge of Frankenstein is another. In the course of watching all of the hammer films over the years, Peter Cushing quickly became my favorite actor and his take on Baron Frankenstein in that film is top of my list.


6. When did you first start up your own business?

In the late 90s I found the Replica Prop Forum and connected with so many other prop and mask fans there and on the old Halloween Mask Association website as well. David Lady’s mask collecting guide from 1997 further showed me I wasn’t alone in the passion for replica monsters! At the time I was working in television on the technical side of things, but sculpting rubber monster masks on the side and the internet helped me find folks that wanted to bring those home.

It would be another few years before the business officially started in the early 2000s. I worked on the side creating masks and puppets but it was developing a skill for restoration that allowed me to leave my “day job” to work full time at Tom Spina Designs in 2006.


7. Tell us about your more well known clients and customers.

I think our "average customer" would surprise folks. Most people tend to think collectors of original movie props are generally fabulously wealthy. The vast majority of our collectors are regular people with a passion for films and props. While some people might have a second car that they tinker with or expensive season tickets to some sport, others love movies and monsters and want to collect what they see on screen.

That said we certainly have our share of stand out clients and I feel pretty honored to have created creatures for Lucasfilm, we’ve worked for the Disney Theme Parks, Universal and 20th Century Fox… but the real stand outs to me are times where we’ve restored priceless artifacts for the Skywalker Ranch archives and places like the Museum of the Moving Image where we helped preserve creatures from the Henson Archives.

8. Why do you think horror books and movies remain so popular?

Escape and surprise. “Real life’ gets pretty repetitive and boring. Immersing yourself into a bit of the fantastic really beats the drudgery.


9. Why do you think that people are obsessed with being scared?

I think it's a bit of an adrenaline junkie situation. Much like people who ride roller coasters, you're always on the lookout for the next thrill. Choose your poison… a big first drop on a ride or a wicked werewolf jumping out of the shadows!


10. What are some of your favorite horror books?

I lean towards the “making of” genre when it comes to books. I don't read a ton of horror stories, although I've picked up a few here and there. My shelves are filled with coffee table books about the universal monsters, vintage makeup/monster books like “Making a Monster,” making-of books about the Howling or American Werewolf, or collector books like the aforementioned David Lady mask guide and treasured memories of my dear departed friends, Bob and Kathy Burns, in the form of “It Came From Bob’s Basement” and “Monster Kid Memories.”


11. What are some of your favorite horror movies?

There's a difference between favorite and “best” films - while Bride of Frankenstein is certainly the best of Universal’s offerings, some of my favorites are later in the series. Son of, House of Frankenstein and even House of Dracula. They get silly, but I enjoy them so much. From Hammer, I love the first few in the Frankenstein series and, even though it’s missing Christopher Lee, Brides of Dracula is another favorite.


12. What are your current projects?

Our studio’s quite busy at the moment. We’ve just conserved a number of Michael Keaton Batman cowls from both ’89 and Batman Returns. We’re working on custom mannequins for a number of original film costumes and in the midst of a huge filming miniature restoration that I can’t share just yet. Folks can always check on our website to see what we’re able to share.

With my other business, Regal Robot, the crew’s currently working on about 100 life-sized Walrusman heads from Star Wars, complete with translucent tusks and hand-laid hair. Takes me right back to mask making days! They’re also busy making the last few Baby Yoda concept sculpture replicas in that run this week, as well as working on replicas of another Return of the Jedi alien concept maquette for release soon.


13. Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work.

Oh gosh, let’s see… I’m fascinated by monsters and puppets and inspired by the work of all the talented artists out there! Our studio helps preserve original film props, creates sculpture of all kinds from wax-style figures to bronzes to monsters and aliens and even builds giant foam trade show props and characters. We also create extremely customized mannequins and displays for film props. Via our other business, Regal Robot, we have a license with Lucasfilm to create replicas from Star Wars and Indiana Jones and I like to think we create some of the most unique collectibles you’ll ever find! People can find us at TomSpinaDesigns.com and RegalRobot.com and follow @TomSpinaDesigns and @RegalRobot on social to see what we’ve been up to!

PREVIEW: Tribe (2026 Film) - Starring Dan Asma

By Jon Donnis

Tribe, directed by Dan Asma, arrives on UK digital 25 May via GrimmVision after a run on the festival circuit. It follows Devin Adams, a retired university lecturer played by Asma, who begins recording his own condition in November 2024 as it worsens. His symptoms include loss of motor functions, amnesia and a developing facial deformity that continues to change across his recordings.

Devin’s footage becomes the main structure of the film. While documenting his decline, he discovers old videotapes that shift the timeline back to August 2024. These tapes show him investigating the death of his friend Charlie, played by Keaton Asma, who was connected to the Church of Heaven’s Light and took his own life after visiting the Cuyamaca Mountains.

That investigation draws Devin back to the same location in search of answers. The Church of Heaven’s Light sits at the centre of what he uncovers, tied to Charlie’s death and the events around the mountains. What he finds there begins to point towards something beyond a straightforward explanation, involving belief systems, hidden activity and material that does not sit comfortably within anything concrete.

The found footage format keeps everything limited to Devin’s perspective, using his recordings and the recovered tapes as the only access point to events. The present day deterioration and the August investigation start to overlap, with each set of footage altering how the other is understood.

As the material continues, the story moves into psychological collapse and body horror, with Devin’s condition worsening alongside the investigation. The cult elements and references to something larger and more unsettling remain unresolved, keeping the focus on the fragments of evidence rather than any fixed explanation.

Apple TV - https://apple.co/4nEJ1Tn

PREVIEW: Shadows of Willow Cabin (2026 Film) - From actor turned writer-director Joe Fria

Preview by Jon Donnis

Buried traumas begin to take shape as something physical and inescapable in Shadows of Willow Cabin, a haunting new supernatural horror from actor turned writer-director Joe Fria, known for Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 and The Belko Experiment. The film blends romance with psychological horror, unfolding as a moody and intimate experience that plays out like a fevered descent into memory and fear.

Fria makes his feature debut with a confident fusion of tone and genre, drawing together emotional vulnerability and escalating unease. The result is a story that leans into both tenderness and dread, building a world where personal history refuses to stay buried and begins to reshape the present in unsettling ways.

Albert, played by Bryan Bellomo, and Devon, played by John Brodsky, retreat to a remote mountain cabin in search of space and connection. What begins as cautious desire slowly deepens into intimacy, until the environment around them starts to shift. The cabin itself becomes something far less passive, responding to what the couple have carried with them, and what they have tried to leave behind.

As the walls seem to whisper with voices thought to be silenced long ago, the pair find themselves trapped in a repeating, fractured sense of time. Ghosts emerge, reality bends, and repressed trauma begins to take form in ways that are no longer psychological alone. The cabin becomes a pressure point where identity, memory and fear collide.

Following its international premiere at Grimmfest 2025, Shadows of Willow Cabin arrives on UK digital 29 June, courtesy of GrimmVision

Apple TV https://apple.co/4dEdiPg

REVIEW: Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026 Film)

 

By Jon Donnis

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy arrives with the weight of an iconic title behind it, though it soon becomes obvious that Cronin has little interest in simply recreating what audiences might expect from the franchise. Instead, he leans heavily into his own style of savage body horror, pushing things into darker and far more grotesque territory. That decision is likely to divide viewers. Some will feel completely thrown by it, while others may appreciate the sheer boldness of the approach.

“The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace. Eight years later, the shattered family is stunned when she suddenly returns home. What should have been a joyful reunion quickly descends into horror as she begins transforming into something deeply disturbing.”

The opening section is undoubtedly where the film feels strongest. Against the suffocating heat of Aswan, the descent into the hidden pyramid carries genuine tension and atmosphere. Cronin takes his time building dread, allowing the unease to settle before unleashing something far nastier beneath the surface. Those early scenes feel focused, unsettling, and genuinely creepy. Once the story turns its attention to the Cannon family, the emotional side of the film also works surprisingly well. Jack Reynor gives Charlie a believable sense of weariness and emotional collapse, while Laia Costa brings a quiet vulnerability to Larissa that helps ground the increasingly chaotic horror.

When the film fully embraces its horror elements, it does so with absolutely no restraint. This is not a subtle experience. It is gruesome, excessive, and at times completely unhinged. Cronin clearly favours practical effects and intensely physical imagery, resulting in several moments that are difficult to forget. The now infamous toenail sequence alone will make even hardened horror fans squirm, and the film constantly searches for fresh ways to unsettle its audience. There is a grimy, unpleasant texture to the horror that clings long after the film ends.

There is also genuine creativity in the way the possession storyline unfolds. The idea of ancient scripture carved into living flesh is a particularly strong concept, and the slow deterioration of those bindings creates an effective sense of inevitability. Horror fans may notice echoes of Evil Dead in places, though the film still manages to carve out its own identity. The Morse code communication adds an unexpectedly tragic layer beneath all the violence, suggesting the trapped child is still fighting from somewhere deep inside.

For all its strengths, though, the film struggles to maintain momentum across its lengthy runtime. At more than two hours long, the pacing eventually starts to wobble. Certain sections feel stretched out, with tension repeatedly building only to lose steam before having to start again. That uneven rhythm hurts the film most during the second half, where the story occasionally feels unfocused.

There is also the unavoidable question of whether this truly feels like The Mummy at all. Despite the title, the film rarely resembles a traditional reimagining of the classic property. Instead, it often plays more like a possession horror film dressed in ancient Egyptian imagery. At times, it feels closer in spirit to Cronin’s previous work than anything audiences would normally associate with this franchise. Anyone expecting sweeping adventure, gothic fantasy, or classic mythology may find themselves disappointed.

Still, the film is rarely boring. Its relentless commitment to excess keeps things entertaining even when the narrative drifts. The death scenes are inventive, the visuals are memorable, and there is a reckless energy running through the entire film that helps carry it over its weaker moments.

Ultimately, this works best when viewed entirely on its own terms. Ignore the expectations tied to the title and it becomes a brutal, often highly effective horror film with flashes of real originality. Compare it too closely to what people traditionally expect from The Mummy, and the cracks become far more noticeable.

It is messy, overlong, and occasionally loses focus. Even so, it remains memorable, deeply unsettling, and willing to push further than most mainstream horror films would dare. That alone makes it stand out.

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy ends up as a flawed but undeniably striking horror film, one that audiences will likely argue over for years. A solid 7 out of 10.

In cinemas now.

Apple TV - https://apple.co/4tTPmvU

COMPETITION: Win Jitters on Blu-ray

Jitters Blu-ray is set for release on 18 May 2026 on Blu-ray

And to celebrate we have a copy  to give away!

Synopsis:

Long in the game Detective Collymore (Santino) thought he’d seen it all, a single father who is haunted by his own failings, he puts his all into his work. But when he’s called in to investigate what appears to be a routine case: the sudden, unexplained death of a young woman, that’s been officially ruled as “natural causes”, the detective soon finds himself faced with his strangest, most complicated case yet and is pulled deep into something truly sinister. 

The complex investigation takes him not only to the dark recesses of the internet, but to the depths of his inner soul, with all clues leading to a darkly disturbing video game… Jitters – an under the radar simulation, that’s being whispered about online. 

The only way he can survive and save his family, is to not only face the horrors coded into the system, but the darkness within himself. 

Starring Anto Sharp, Daniel Jordan, Fabrizio Santino and Jessica Impiazzi

Pre-Order from https://amzn.to/4nrvnCQ

Enter now for a chance to win.

Who plays Detective Collymore in Jitters?

Send your name, address and of course the answer to competition365@outlook.com

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here

1. Closing date 01-06-26

2. No alternative prize is available

3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.

4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

REVIEW: Kraken (2026 Film) - Directed by Pål Øie

By Jon Donnis

Pål Øie’s Kraken arrives with a premise that immediately feels full of potential. A remote Norwegian fjord, a scientific experiment gone wrong, and something ancient awakening beneath the water. It is a strong starting point, and for a good while the film makes effective use of that creeping sense of unease. The early scenes, focused on marine biologist Johanne and her work at a fish farm in Vangsnes, slowly build intrigue through strange incidents and subtle hints that something is not right. The story takes time to establish its setting before the chaos begins, and that approach works well. The fjord itself feels like a presence throughout, vast, mysterious, and impossible to fully understand. The cinematography also makes excellent use of Norway’s scenery. Sweeping shots of calm water and towering landscapes create a peaceful atmosphere that clearly cannot last.

The central concept, involving a sonic device created to tackle lice infestations in farmed salmon accidentally awakening a monstrous creature, is genuinely interesting. It mixes environmental concerns with classic creature feature elements in a way that feels fairly original. Once the Kraken starts to emerge, the film becomes far more engaging. Those sequences carry a real sense of scale and danger, suggesting something enormous lurking beneath the surface. The creature itself is essentially a gigantic octopus-like beast, and these moments are where the film feels most alive. There is a convincing sense that something ancient and powerful has been disturbed, and the attacks inject the film with much-needed energy.

Still, the weaknesses become more noticeable once the story moves beyond its strong setup. The film never fully overcomes the restrictions of its budget, and that becomes increasingly obvious as things progress. Some of the visual effects look uneven and occasionally artificial, which weakens the immersion. That is frustrating because the core idea deserves stronger visual execution. There is also the issue of the audience constantly feeling ahead of the characters. Too much is revealed too soon, leaving little room for tension or mystery to develop naturally. Rather than uncovering the truth alongside the characters, it often feels like simply waiting for them to catch up.

The character work is another area where the film falls short. Johanne works well enough as a lead on paper, but neither she nor the supporting cast are given enough depth to become fully compelling. Relationships feel thinly developed, and several major decisions lack emotional impact. A few noticeable plot holes also begin to creep in, particularly when characters behave in ways that seem designed to move the story forward rather than feel believable. It is disappointing because the cast themselves are clearly capable performers, they just are not given enough material to work with.

At under 90 minutes, the pacing remains fairly brisk and the film never becomes dull. Even when it stumbles, it stays watchable throughout. The strength of the central idea helps carry it along, alongside the occasional striking image of the fjord and the glimpses of the creature moving beneath the water.

Kraken feels like a film that should have landed more effectively than it ultimately does. The concept is strong, the setting is perfect for this kind of story, and the opening act pulls you in with ease. Unfortunately, the execution never quite lives up to the promise. It remains an entertaining enough creature feature, though one that leaves you thinking more about what it could have been with a little more refinement and polish.

I score Kraken 6 out of 10

Apple TV - https://apple.co/4ulJOKV

PREVIEW: WOKEN (2026 Film) - Starring Erin Kellyman

 

By Jon Donnis

Woken centres on a stripped back idea that quickly turns unsettling. A woman wakes up on a remote island with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She is heavily pregnant, surrounded by people who claim to know her, and expected to accept their version of events. From that starting point, the film builds a tense and uneasy situation rather than rushing into spectacle.

Erin Kellyman takes the lead as Anna, a role that leans heavily on confusion and instinct. Around her are figures who seem helpful on the surface, including her husband, played by Ivanno Jeremiah, and neighbours brought to life by Maxine Peake and Corrado Invernizzi. They attempt to fill in the gaps, but the more they explain, the less stable things feel. That tension sits at the centre of the film’s premise.

The wider situation is only revealed gradually. A pandemic has pushed humanity close to collapse, and the island setting suggests a form of separation from whatever remains beyond it. Even so, the real focus appears to stay close to Anna’s experience. Her uncertainty drives the story, especially as she begins to question whether the people around her are telling the truth.

Director Alan Friel keeps things contained, at least on paper. The setting, the limited group of characters, and the fractured perspective all point towards a film built on suspicion rather than scale. The presence of actors like Peter McDonald and Oscar Coleman adds to that sense of a closed circle, where everyone has a role but not necessarily a clear motive.

Set for a UK digital release on 25 May through 101 Films, Woken reads as a story that leans into paranoia and uncertainty. It keeps its ideas close, focusing on one character trying to piece together her reality while everything around her feels slightly off. That alone gives it a quiet tension that could carry through if handled carefully.

Apple TV - https://apple.co/3QELsZJ