S2E35: “John Harrison’s Best Friends Are Zombies”

You might not know John Harrison’s name (though you should!). John’s written, directed, produced or written the score for some pretty big projects including Dinosaur, Creepshow (and Creepshow 2), Tales From The Darkside, the original Day Of The Dead and the 2000 TV version of Dune. John cut his movie-making teeth working for horror maestro (and inventor of the modern zombie movie) George Romero. If he wasn’t writing for Romero, he was acting for him or composing the music. Or working on the set as 1^st AD.

John then became a rock solid director in his own right.

But, along the way – there are great stories. Like the time John did a last minute zombie scene as a favor to Romero. After doing a bloody screwdriver-to-the-ear gag, John (who was making commercials back then) headed to meet with a client – without fully de-zombifying.

We’ll all trade stories about making the short-lived Wes Craven anthology Nightmare Café. And, of course, we’ll talk about “Tales From The Crypt”. John wrote four episodes and directed two (including “The Pit” which starred Wayne Newton).

After several Creepshow features and the Tales From The Darkside series, John directed the 2000 six hour TV version of “Dune” for Sci-Fi. In our conversation, John will compare and contrast his version of “Dune” with David Lynch’s version and the current Villeneuve version.

Finally, the three of us will talk a little screenwriting craft. If there’s a secret to writing great screenplays, it’s here.

You’d have to be a zombie – several times over – not to have a blast with John Harrison and this episode. Zombie Apocalypse? Why, yes please! Make ours a double!

Photo 68275731 / Zombie Apocalypse © Hgabric | Dreamstime.com