Monster Mania 2023: A Roaring Good Time
Josh B.
Con season 2023 has finally begun for me with the arrival of the spring event, Monster Mania, a small horror movie convention set in the cozy town of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I made my usual rounds patronizing local vendors, Collector’s Heaven and Video Daikaiju, the latter of which I interviewed in my previous article on Monster Mania right here.
I managed to get some great new kaiju media, like a DVD copy of the 2022 film What To Do with the Dead Kaiju?, a comedy about just how exactly the people of Japan deal with disposing of the body of a dead giant monster, and just what a thing like that does to the environment, the people living nearby, and the world at large. I've been aware of this movie for some time, but as it had yet to be licensed for American distribution, viewing it was nigh impossible for me through conventional means - Video Daikaiju was a real lifesaver here. It was a fascinating film, and I highly recommend any kaiju film fans to check it out. Much like Takafumi Sakabe’s Kaiju Girl, What To Do with the Dead Kaiju? examines a part of the genre many overlook.
More important than experiencing new cinema however, was getting to see new and exciting independent artists at Monster Mania. There were many artists selling their wares at the convention, and I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing three of them. The first artist I spoke with was Johanna Frappier, of Forest Haunt Apparel. Ms. Frappier takes clothing and bleaches it in specific ways to put creatures and pop culture icons onto beanies and hoodies for folks to enjoy.
Johanna Frappier (JF)
Joshua Brafman (JB): Hello there! I love your designs! How did all of this get started?
Johanna Frappier (JF): Well, it all started in 2013, I spilled bleach on one of my favorite shirts. I went on YouTube to see if I could fix it, and discovered the art of bleaching clothes!
JB: Well how about that! So, how exactly do you pick the designs you put on the clothes here?
JF: People really like the way black clothes bleach, so I do a lot of designs in black. As for what characters I use, well, I go to a lot of horror conventions every year, so a lot of my designs are based on things from horror movies or media. For instance, I just made a design with Wednesday Addams on it from the Netflix show. I make about fifteen to twenty new designs each year.
JB: Have you always worked with clothing, or just since the accident?
JF: The accident?! [laughs] That’s one way to put it!
JB: [laughs] Yeah, I realized as soon as I said it, that was a bad way to phrase it! Sorry.
JF: It’s fine, it’s fine! I’ve always been an artist, before working with bleach I wrote and published a few books. Two fantasy, one horror.
JB: What were they called?
JF: The fantasy books are part of the Fairy Circle trilogy, two are out now, I have to get back to writing the third. The horror novel is called Wood Spirit.
JB: Fantastic! I’ve written and published three novels myself. So, where can people find your art?
JF: You can find all my books on Amazon! If you’d like to get any of the clothes I make, the best way is to contact me at johannafrappier@hotmail.com. I’m currently transitioning from Etsy to my own personal site, but until that’s up and running, email is best.
Another artist I spoke with at Monster Mania was the multimedia talent, Charles Moran. He’s an accomplished artist that’s recently branched out into creating custom figures and sculptures. I had the pleasure of speaking to him briefly here at the convention.
JB: I love these figures! So, how did all this sculpting get started?
Charles Moran (CM): Well, I’ve worked in illustration for about 12 years now, and five years ago, back in 2018, I became curious about the sculpting process. I started working from there.
JB: How do you pick what characters to make sculpts of?
CM: I largely cater my art to fit whatever convention I’m attending. For instance, the people from the Terrifier films are here, so I made sculpted magnets of Art the Clown from that series. I really enjoy the art that comes with designing the sculpts.
JB: That definitely shows in your work! So, what about your illustration? What have you done with that medium?
CM: Well, the most notable work I’ve done in illustration is posters for concerts and special events. I’ve done work for The Melvins, Vampire Weekend, Patton Oswalt, the list goes on! I’m very proud of all the art I’ve created these past fifteen years.
JB: As you should be! So, where can people find your stuff?
CM: You can see my stuff on Instagram @horrorprints, or on my website, www.horrorprints.com.
Fire Beast Jerky Owners: Denny and Carolina Shane
Finally, the last artists I spoke to were a husband and wife duo, Denny and Carolina Shane. The two of them have created a different kind of art – culinary art, in the form of Fire Beast Jerky, their own personal beef jerky brand. I spoke with Denny about his unique business enterprise.
JB: So, when did Fire Beast Jerky get started?
Denny Shane (DS): My wife Carolina and I started the business back in 2019. We create the flavors and a factory we work with produces the product.
JB: 2019… Did COVID affect you guys at all?
DS: Yeah, COVID-19 stopped production for a while. Thankfully, online sales kept us going until things started opening up again.
JB: So, I have to ask, why beef jerky?
DS: Well, I started making my own jerky twenty-five years ago. I was dissatisfied with the jerky sold in stores; I wanted more fruit and more heat in my jerky. People got to tasting what I was making and they said I should do it for real. So, my wife and I worked for years to get this up and running, and I’m happy to say we’re going strong to this day!
JB: How do you come up with the specific combinations of fruit and peppers?
DS: A lot of it is just trial and error. For instance, my wife [Carolina] wanted to make a jerky with guava in it. We kept mixing different peppers with guava until we hit jalapeno, and that’s how our Tropical Flare flavor came about.
JB: So, who designed your mascot? And how did you come up with the name Fire Beast Jerky?
DS: Our company mascot was created by my brother-in-law, an illustrator named John Howard. You can find him online @johnhowarddraws. As for the name, well, I just feel like a beast when I’m eating the jerky, and the “fire” comes from the heat of it!
JB: Fantastic! So, how can people get their hands on this jerky?
DS: Well, when we’re not at conventions, the best place would be through our website, www.firebeastjerky.com.
If there’s one thing this spring’s Monster Mania has taught me, it’s that art comes in all shapes and sizes. From bleached clothes to horror sculptures and illustration, to even beef jerky – there’s no limit to what people can create. I think that’s a truly beautiful thing. I look forward to returning for the August edition of Monster Mania, for another peek into the magnificent, monstrous world of independent creativity.
