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.
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!
