Michael Roddy started his career at Universal Studios portraying a Ghostbuster in 1992. Cut to today, when he’s one of the writer/director/creative masterminds behind Universal Orlando’s marquee events, including Halloween Horror Nights now staging its 19th edition.
Roddy, 41, a former actor who grew up in Atlantic Beach, Tampa and Atlanta, talks about his childhood influences (a certain shark, a classic monster) and the happiest days with the Horror Nights. (Photo by Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel)
Question: When I first met you, your name tag indicated you were from Amity. That’s a Jaws thing, right?
Answer: I have "Amity Island, Mass." I saw Jaws when I was 6 years old, and it was a huge influence on me. I recognize that movie along with The Wolfman and Frankenstein — and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in specific — as being films that made me say "I want to do that. I want to make movies or tell stories like that." I’ve been pursuing that ever since.
Q: Did Jaws freak you out?
A: I loved the story, I loved the way the story was told, I loved the humor, but also it scared me. I realized that "Wow, you can be terrified in this seat." All of a sudden I was transported out in the middle of the Atlantic ocean and being pursued by a 30-foot great white shark. And after it was done, I stood up and walked out into the sunlight and was fine. The fact that films or stories that had much power to transport you from sitting in a seat to fearing and sweating and heart palpitations and freaking out, I think, was probably the thing that was so attractive to me about being in some type of story-telling.
It goes back to just telling a good ghost story. In the right settings, you can freak a room out by nothing more than how you timber your voice and talk to people and put a story together.
Q: So Jaws was your gateway drug to other horror films. This interest grew in your teens?
A: From that point forward, I was always a movie fan. I had an uncle who knew every character actor there was. He gave me a great film education on who people were like Ward Bond and Thomas Mitchell and Walter Brennan. Even Lon Chaney, obviously, because I was always slanted toward horror films. Then I discovered Stephen King and realized that, wow, you can really scare people with the written word as well. ... Through grade school and then high school, any opportunity, whether it be to write a short story or to act on stage or even to make my own short films when I was in high school and college, I did.
Q: Do you have a theatrical background?
A: I did a lot of stage stuff when I was a kid, like a tour of Oliver. I was very fortunate that I got cast in a lot of stuff, and my career path seemed to be going down that way of being a professional actor — and I was for several years. I toured around the country and did several shows all over the place. What actually brought me to Orlando was a show at the old Mark Two Dinner Theater. I got contracted for a show here for, like, 12 weeks and afterward the contract was coming to an end and I said maybe I’ll give Orlando a year. ... I knew what Universal was, and I loved it. Luckily they had an audition shortly after that, and I got hired as a Ghostbuster, which was cool.
I worked here that first summer and also worked at a place called Terror on Church Street in downtown Orlando. Next thing I know they have this little thing called Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. I auditioned for that and was Norman Bates the very first year. ... The next year, just because of my passion, they said "You seem to really, really enjoy the subject matter and you know a lot about it. Would you be interested in helping out?" That kind of manifested itself over the years into where I am now.
Q: Didn’t you take a break from Universal for a while?
A: I left Universal in 2002 after Halloween at Islands of Adventure. I decided it was time for me to spread my wings. I did a lot of freelance stuff. I worked for Disney, and I worked for SeaWorld, Busch Gardens Tampa and Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I did stuff for Mirage Entertainment out west. I worked everywhere pretty much. ... I was always bringing my enthusiasm for Halloween and my enthusiasm for storytelling to these other properties.
I think it was 2005, I talked to [Universal senior vice president for entertainment] Jim Timon, and he said "You know, we’re looking for someone to head up Creative, and you know the park, you know the people, you know the property and you know the product." I was like, "Yeah, no one does it like Universal." We have the classic monsters, we have Jaws, we have all those great Universal movies that I grew up just loving — and I get to play with on a daily basis."
Q: Is Horror Nights a year-round process?
A: Oh, more than that. We’ve been working on 2010 since July [2009], so it’s starting to actually be more than a year-round process. There’s not a time where we’re not, in some capacity, working on Halloween Horror Nights.
Q: Is there a part of the creative process that you enjoy most?"
The most rewarding part for me is the first time you walk into the maze and it’s just starting construction and you’re like "Wow, we’re really doing this." There’s always still that kick of a little kid going "We’re really doing this." Opening night is always my favorite because you can walk through and people are screaming or people are laughing.
Q: And the the most daunting part?
You always find yourself, no matter what, there’s that moment of doubt. No matter how much research you’ve done or how much data you have saying the brand is popular, there’s always that moment before you walk in that you’re like "Is this going to work?" It’s just the pitfalls of humanity. You always doubt yourself no matter what.
For any show we do, for a month and a half when the production is in gear, you’re a rock star. You’re living that rock-star lifestyle. You’re up all night, you’re sleeping during the day, if you can get sleep. You’re drinking Red Bull. And then it closes. We call the first week of November a kind of mourning around here. For about a week, we don’t know what to do with ourselves. ... It’s a restless kind of energy. That’s getting less and less because we’re getting so much more busy, but there’s still at least a day or two of where we are in mourning.
With Halloween, you build these things and they’re there for a month, and then they’re gone forever. That’s cool and sad at the same time. So I’m always trying to take as many photos and go through as many times just to keep the memory of the experience.
Q: You have outside projects going?
A: When I’m not busy with Universal, I produce documentaries, just because I’m fascinated myself. I love hearing about how things were put together, the anecdotes and the process. The first one I did was based on Jaws. I produced a documentary called The Shark Is Still Working, which is a feature-length documentary on Jaws, which — knock on wood — we just got [Steven] Spielberg’s endorsement, and it looks like it’s now going to be on the Blu-Ray release of Jaws.
I started a new project called Monster Kids, which is an in-depth study of the lasting impact of horror films on generations. In the late ’50s, early ’60s when the monsters had a resurgence and then you had monsters on TV and Famous Monsters magazine. That continued into today and has created several generations of monster kids. .. .. .What is it about the fantastical that inspired so many people from Guillermo Del Toro to Frank Darabont to Spielberg to Stephen King? You hear the same stories over and over: "Well, I read Famous Monsters magazine, and I saw Dracula and Frankenstein on a little horror-host TV ... It’s the same story.
I thought this was something I’d love to capture, so I’ve been working on a project the side. So far, I’ve gotten the support of all the heirs. I’ve interviewed Sara Karloff, the Chaney family has become big fans and supporters of it, the [Bela] Lugosi family ... they’ve all helped. Guillermo Del Toro’s going to do an interview. Rick Baker’s going to be a part of it. All of the effects guys in L.A. I’ve worked with over the years have all done interviews for it. My goal is to be done with the production of that by the end of the year and to premiere next year at Monsterpalooza.
It’s interesting because I think there’s this attitude toward kids that enjoy the darker side of life, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. Now they’re branded as "goth." Now they completely transform themselves. Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s kids that are more in tune with the fantastical side of things and love a good story — because ultimately all those things are is good stories. Monster stories are part of our DNA. Fear is part of our DNA. And I think kids that enjoy it, there’s nothing darker or ominous about them. They’re just more tuned into "OK, I accept. that." For those kids, maybe it’s a way to deal with life.
Q: You have a pre-taped cameo in the Bill & Ted show at this year’s Horror Nights. Are you incorporated every year?
A: Sometimes it’s by design, sometimes it’s strictly by accident because someone didn’t show up. Last year, I was the captain in the video of the Interstellar Terror [haunted house]. This year, the director of Bill & Ted asked me if I’d open the show as a newscaster. .. .. . It seems to be getting some fun play. Now I’ll walk through the park on a nightly basis and you’ll see people look at me and say "Oh, it’s the newscaster."
Q: You’re a Horror Nights character now!
A: Yeah, I’ve become a character. I’m OK with that as long as people are enjoying what I’m doing.
Q: Any clues about the 20th anniversary of Halloween Horror Nights in 2010?
A: It’s safe to say that our concept, if you’ve liked Halloween for the past 19 years, Halloween 20 will blow your mind.
a good friend of mine mr Roddy
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