When you think of Horror movie survivors, who do you think of?
That's right, most of you think of females. Why? It's easier to think of them as weaker until they do some incredibly bad-ass thing while the "big bad buff-guy" breaks down crying. Like most of you, I'm okay with that. But outside of that, there's really only one man that stands chin and shoulders above everyone else.
That man is not really who I'm going to talk about today.
Instead, I'm going to go back before Evil Dead was even a twinkle in Sam Raimi's sadistic eye for Bruce Campbell. In 1960's, the scene was ruled by folk rock, psychedelic rock, and a few other genres that bled over into other forms of art. Insert into this scene a young man by the name of Reginald Horace Bannister. Reggie wouldn't get too involved into the music scene (what with the band's dissolving not too long after forming), but he would get involved in the Theater scene, and after returning from Vietnam, that previous experience in theater would eventually lead him into mainstream success, with his first TV role in 1976 on Jim the World's Greatest and Kenny & Company.
Yeah, I've never heard of those shows, either. But someone obviously did, because a few years later, he auditioned for a new horror movie, directed by first time director Don Coscarelli, and starring first time actor and long time film critic Angus Scrimm. Reggie would get a role in that film, as an ex-Vietnam Vet Ice Cream Man named... Reggie. Rewrite or previously written? Don't know, don't care. All I know is that "Reggie" was the only character (other than the Tall Man) who was an indelible character in the film. Sure, the focus was on Mike, the teenager who was investigating the strange goings-on at Morningside Mortuary and Funeral Home, but if it wasn't for Reggie, the film would have lasted a half hour instead of 88 minutes.
Well, it wasn't until 1988 would the "Phans" of the first movie would get a sequel. And what a sequel it was. Many critics would pan the second Phan, but it's not about the overall film that draws you to the film. It's main draw is Reggie himself, who steps up and dominates the film.
My favorite scene is near the very beginning, when Reggie and Mike storm a hardware store for supplies. Showing everything they do and get, it's riveting for someone who is a fan of survival horror see the heroes of the film be proactive and prepare for taking on a monumentally evil opponent like the Tall Man. Plus, in the battle against evil, Reggie readies, in my opinion, one of the most iconic weapons in horror, the Pipe-Organ Quadruple barrel Shotgun.
And it's here where we see one of the greatest examples of influence in the horror scene: Reggie is the prototypical Ashley J. Williams. Go ahead and compare the films to each other. Both Ash and Reggie are ordinary guys who have to deal with things WELL beyond normal. Both have iconic weaponry (shotguns and chainsaws). And both men have an adversary that just refuses to die for good. The time scale is a little off when doing the comparison, but if you forgive that fact, then they're two peas in a bloody, gore splattered pod.
As the years passed, and both men filled their respective niches in cinema nuggets, both gold and brown, it wasn't until 2002 where both halves of an awesome whole would collide, when Reggie Bannister and Bruce Campbell would both appear in a little film about a Mummy who sucks people's souls out their anuses, and only Elvis and a black John F. Kennedy can stop him.
That's right! The remake of the Bonfire of the Vanities. No, wait. My bad. I meant Bubba Ho-Tep.
Outside of the movie scene, Reggie is a very active person. He makes his own music (with his bands, the Reggie Bannister Experience ), having made 6 albums that he's personally produced so far. He's a promoter for undiscovered talent. He writes scripts for movies, and serves as producer for films as well. He's served as SFX associate, as location manager, and as assistant director. The man does not hold back when he gets involved in a project. If he did anymore, there would be a lot more movies with him in drag, covered in blood, screaming and running in the middle of the night while revving a chainsaw madly.
He's also socially active, having started a Creative Arts fund, and has protested the slaughter of the Yellowstone Buffalo Slaughter, for which his song "Love That's Gone" continues to garner critical acclaim. As of this date, he is currently working on a book about his experiences in the industry, to which I look forward to.
No matter what movie he's in, he's always enjoyable. Whether it's something prominent like Phantasm V (which is in talks to be made), or something fleeting like in Wishmaster, or even something unexpected like his albums. Don't overlook this actor. The Balls have been wanting to hang with this guy (or just hang him, they can be a little bit of a bore when they want only one thing), and so do I.
That's right, most of you think of females. Why? It's easier to think of them as weaker until they do some incredibly bad-ass thing while the "big bad buff-guy" breaks down crying. Like most of you, I'm okay with that. But outside of that, there's really only one man that stands chin and shoulders above everyone else.
That man is not really who I'm going to talk about today.
Instead, I'm going to go back before Evil Dead was even a twinkle in Sam Raimi's sadistic eye for Bruce Campbell. In 1960's, the scene was ruled by folk rock, psychedelic rock, and a few other genres that bled over into other forms of art. Insert into this scene a young man by the name of Reginald Horace Bannister. Reggie wouldn't get too involved into the music scene (what with the band's dissolving not too long after forming), but he would get involved in the Theater scene, and after returning from Vietnam, that previous experience in theater would eventually lead him into mainstream success, with his first TV role in 1976 on Jim the World's Greatest and Kenny & Company.
Yeah, I've never heard of those shows, either. But someone obviously did, because a few years later, he auditioned for a new horror movie, directed by first time director Don Coscarelli, and starring first time actor and long time film critic Angus Scrimm. Reggie would get a role in that film, as an ex-Vietnam Vet Ice Cream Man named... Reggie. Rewrite or previously written? Don't know, don't care. All I know is that "Reggie" was the only character (other than the Tall Man) who was an indelible character in the film. Sure, the focus was on Mike, the teenager who was investigating the strange goings-on at Morningside Mortuary and Funeral Home, but if it wasn't for Reggie, the film would have lasted a half hour instead of 88 minutes.
Well, it wasn't until 1988 would the "Phans" of the first movie would get a sequel. And what a sequel it was. Many critics would pan the second Phan, but it's not about the overall film that draws you to the film. It's main draw is Reggie himself, who steps up and dominates the film.
My favorite scene is near the very beginning, when Reggie and Mike storm a hardware store for supplies. Showing everything they do and get, it's riveting for someone who is a fan of survival horror see the heroes of the film be proactive and prepare for taking on a monumentally evil opponent like the Tall Man. Plus, in the battle against evil, Reggie readies, in my opinion, one of the most iconic weapons in horror, the Pipe-Organ Quadruple barrel Shotgun.
And it's here where we see one of the greatest examples of influence in the horror scene: Reggie is the prototypical Ashley J. Williams. Go ahead and compare the films to each other. Both Ash and Reggie are ordinary guys who have to deal with things WELL beyond normal. Both have iconic weaponry (shotguns and chainsaws). And both men have an adversary that just refuses to die for good. The time scale is a little off when doing the comparison, but if you forgive that fact, then they're two peas in a bloody, gore splattered pod.
As the years passed, and both men filled their respective niches in cinema nuggets, both gold and brown, it wasn't until 2002 where both halves of an awesome whole would collide, when Reggie Bannister and Bruce Campbell would both appear in a little film about a Mummy who sucks people's souls out their anuses, and only Elvis and a black John F. Kennedy can stop him.
That's right! The remake of the Bonfire of the Vanities. No, wait. My bad. I meant Bubba Ho-Tep.
Outside of the movie scene, Reggie is a very active person. He makes his own music (with his bands, the Reggie Bannister Experience ), having made 6 albums that he's personally produced so far. He's a promoter for undiscovered talent. He writes scripts for movies, and serves as producer for films as well. He's served as SFX associate, as location manager, and as assistant director. The man does not hold back when he gets involved in a project. If he did anymore, there would be a lot more movies with him in drag, covered in blood, screaming and running in the middle of the night while revving a chainsaw madly.
He's also socially active, having started a Creative Arts fund, and has protested the slaughter of the Yellowstone Buffalo Slaughter, for which his song "Love That's Gone" continues to garner critical acclaim. As of this date, he is currently working on a book about his experiences in the industry, to which I look forward to.
No matter what movie he's in, he's always enjoyable. Whether it's something prominent like Phantasm V (which is in talks to be made), or something fleeting like in Wishmaster, or even something unexpected like his albums. Don't overlook this actor. The Balls have been wanting to hang with this guy (or just hang him, they can be a little bit of a bore when they want only one thing), and so do I.
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