Connect with us

News

Horror Pride Month: Actor and Artist Adam Bucci

Published

on

Adam Bucci

Adam Bucci is a man who knows something about standing in two different worlds. In fact, it’s been a recurring theme throughout his life.

Born on a military base in Kentucky, the artist and actor grew up in New Jersey. His father’s family was strictly military, and his mother came from a long line of artists and musicians. He says he knew from an early age which path he would follow.

“I was always a visual artist,” Bucci said during our interview for this year’s Horror Pride Month. “I would always turn over a placemat in a restaurant and draw whatever was on the restaurant walls. I was always on that path of being an artist.”

Bucci stayed on that same path right into high school, where he discovered theater.

The painfully shy boy who had been a bit of a loner suddenly blossomed before the footlights and he quickly realized that acting was what truly spoke to him. In fact, it was transformative and when it was time to transition into college life, acting, theater, and dance took up every spare moment of his time.

After graduation, he worked in theater in New York for a while before making the move to Los Angeles as so many actors do. It was an isolating experience for him, and in that isolation, the visual arts crept back into his life.

“It’s a hard city to be in,” he explained. “Art came back as a tool to focus and just put my mind at ease here and there. I started painting again, but not really selling them. I was just stacking them in my closet. It really wasn’t until last year that I worked with someone who was painting on fabric and I thought, ‘I want to try that.’ So I just started kind of taking my love for the horror world and quirky, darker things and experimented with painting on fabrics, jackets, and bags.”

Since that time, his dining room table has become his art studio, and he’s opened up an Etsy shop called Small Town Weirdo to show off and sell his creations. The name was inspired by the idea that weirdos can be heroes, as well, something that really spoke to Bucci on a basic level.

This hand painted jacket is just one of the items Bucci offers on his Etsy Shop.

He had always been what he’d considered a “cool loser,” noting that he had lots of friends in school, but no one that would call him up to hang out on the weekends.

As a kid, he’d been fascinated with horror films and books, and he recalls making his mom take him to Blockbuster after school to rent Friday the 13thA Nightmare on Elm StreetThe Hills Have Eyes, and every other horror movie he could find.

When he was asked to write a story in the third grade, he wrote his own version of Stephen King’s Misery using the names of his classmates complete with graphic illustrations of the action, and he is surprised to this day that his mom and dad were not called in for a parent-teacher conference on that one.

“You always hear the phrase ‘small town hero,'” he said. “I became the ‘small town weirdo.’ I loved the way it rolled off the tongue. It had a double meaning that I could really relate to.”

Adam Bucci Michael Myers

Adam showing off another of his creations.

Coming into his own as an artist and actor was not the only revelation waiting for Bucci in Los Angeles, however. Three years after the move, he met and fell in love with the man of his dreams. It was a shock for the actor, who had previously only dated women.

He was understudying Adam Huss–yes, they’re both named Adam–in a musical and the two found an unexpected and profound connection with each other. That was eight years ago this Summer and the couple married last year.

Together, the couple is also working on creating a werewolf film titled Let it Kill You.

“We’re really proud of it. It’s a dark gritty movie with a lot of heart,” Bucci explained. “It has a gay love story built into it. We want to show people this love story that isn’t like other love stories. We want everyone to see it. We have this amazing werewolf transformation. We’ve already built the suit. It’s 7 feet tall with animatronics in the face and stuff. We’ve been working on this a long time.”

Adam Bucci’s journey to self has been a long one with twists and turns he never could have anticipated, but he says, he’s finally found exactly where he was meant to be.

“I’m becoming more myself; I’m embracing my weirdo,” he said. “I’m confident that I’m a little off center. I used to be afraid that someone would find out. Now I realize, I’m a better actor because of it. I’m a better artist because of it. I’m literally painting jackets on my dining room table. I’m embracing the Small Town Weirdo. I’m proud to be weird. I feel like everything in horror has that weirdness.”

Honestly, that’s a place we’re all trying to find, and more than a few of us in the LGBTQ community have found that space in the love of horror and the strangeness that it brings with it.

To learn more about what he and his partner are working on together, you can find them on their Patreon page. You can view more of Bucci’s designs on his Etsy shop. Every item there is a hand-painted, unique piece of wearable art. You can also find his creations on Threadless where you’ll find options to have a couple of his prints on t-shirts, phone cases, bags, and more so you can embrace the Small Town Weirdo in you.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

Published

on

Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

News

‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

Published

on

Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

News

How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

Published

on

Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

Embed Gif with Clickable Title