Somewhere in Buffalo, a bald headed man with size 15 shoes roams the rust belt. Is it the mass murderer GORE? Bigfoot? John Candy's ghost? No, it's just John Renna, an actor and special make-up effects artist who has had his hand in many of the low budget horror films streaming out of the Queen City. I posted Renna's GORE gallery several months ago, and now that the flick is about to become available on DVD, I thought it was time to let the big man have his say. You can also see him in "action" in several segments of SLIME CITY SURVIVOR.


John, tell me what horror films inspired you growing up, and why you've chosen to pursue a career in acting and special make-up effects.

As a child I grew up watching movies with my dad. The classics of sci-fi, horror and action TARZAN, KING KONG, PLANET OF THE APES, DRACULA, THE WOLFMAN, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, THE THING and THE FLY (Vincent Price) and on and on, Then my Aunt Karen started babysitting me in the 80's and I would sneak and watch the late 70's - 80's classics FRIDAY THE 13th, HALLOWEEN, SLIME CITY, EVIL DEAD, TOXIC AVENGER, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, ROBOCOP. I loved the special effects and artwork and the idea of bringing these scary twisted stories to life. It is like biting your thumb at your own mind. Oh yeah, these things don't exist, I'll fix that! Now I have two favorite things, spending time with my family and making movies!

How did Adam Steigert approach you to work on GORE, and in what capacity?


After two movies together Adam and I have developed a great chemistry so he came to me to provide the effects. I read and liked the script and contacted them immediately with ideas. I was then asked to be the title character and I agreed. Then, in the script, Gore does something that required me to play Detective Steven. At the end of things it was decided I would be a Producer, Special Effects Supervisor, as well as a contributing stunt coordinator, actor and I helped set scenes for effects when I was available. With a low budget we all had to wear many hats to get the project done.

You play two characters in GORE: a wise assed cop and the title killer monster. How did you approach each of these characters?

Gore I played as a tough, sure of himself killer. He hasn't been killing for the last 65 years because he doesn??(TM)t want to have to go back to college, he LOVES it. I used the precision of Henry Lee Lucas as played by Michael Rooker, with the quiet glee of the mighty Pumpkinhead.

Steven was written for a woman, Stephanie the original name, and then we had to do some juggling and when I took over there was obviously a little wiggle room to make the character my own. I was thinking of the tough street cops of the gritty 70's cop dramas with the strange comedy of someone trying to cope with an extreme situation. The ha-ha's more of a coping mechanism than anything.

How did you design and fabricate Gore's look?

Adam showed me pics of the old GORE costume. It was Adam in a flannel with an old man rubber mask on. No way that was going happen. I then spent time sculpting the mask. I asked Adam and Steph a laundry list of questions about the character to build a mental picture in my head of the inbred redneck. I worked with Arick Szymecki designing the Dental palette. Then I went out with Stephanie and Adam to buy the outfits. The proper amount of aging and dirt then viola! 38 hours never moved so fast!

What was it like applying the make-up to yourself, and then executing additional effects during fight and kill scenes?

I liked the idea of playing all the characters when I thought I had more help with the effects! Then it happened, sickness and work made it almost impossible for the other artists to help as we originally discussed. I had to apply the makeup to my face and head in a dirty mirror in the unfinished attic of Gore's house and wear the complete costume all day even when coordinating the other gags, and applying the rest of the costumes. It was uncomfortable to say the least. I remembered one day applying the blood to one of the sets with my eyelid and eyelashes stuck to my forehead, my left eye continuously teared causing what I saw double, then triple. It was the hardest gig I have had since starting in the Effects biz, and the one I am most proud of.

How did you enjoy working with your two primary co-stars, Michael O'Hear and Stephanie Wlosinski, who co-wrote, co-directed, and co-produced the film?

I really enjoyed working with both. Stephanie is an amazing writer and director. We all work together very well. Michael was so convincing that I had to be in character around him, I had no choice! He has always been one of my favorite actors in Buffalo. He is so emotional in every role he plays. Stephanie as an actress is very intense and willing to go the extra mile for her character. The cast and crew worked more like a family together than an actual crew. We fought, and yelled and laughed and hugged together.

What is your involvement in GORE as a producer?

Almost every move in the production was the result of many meetings involving the producers. Adam, Steph, Kyle Andrews and myself. We worked for months to get the production ready for filming. Then we found the fifth member of the crew, Mr. O'Hear. He brought a new level of experience to the team adding to our knowledge his years of experience. Together we plotted every step of the way.

Tell everyone what you did on SLIME CITY MASSACRE.

I played the Mayor of Slime City, I was the Production Manager, I designed the Molemen/Cannibal costumes, I helped our amazing caterer Marc Kellick, our amazing costume designer Sunny Halecki and I was a contributing Effects Artist designing the sculpt for the Blue Demon played by the great Lee Perkins.

What are you working on right now?

Now I have a film with one of my partners in crime O'Hear called DUSK, I wrote a screenplay lined up for 2010 or 11 called THE SCARECROW OF TILDEN TRAIL. I just recently gave Emil Novak a hand with the film DECAYED and If you want to see more of the gore you can check out Final Fear at the Erie county fairgrounds.


As you know, there is a high number of indie horror films being produced in Buffalo, New York, right now. Why do you think this is?

This has to do with the amazing locations and friendly, excited outlook on movies. People are starting to realize that within 40 minutes of each other there is suburban, urban and rural locations, we have every season and can make any climate happen. Perhaps most importantly we are friendly and helpful people. That is the reason that Lloyd Kaufman came here for POULTRYGEIST and might return for TOXIC AVENGER V!