If you were a monster mask collector in the 1980s, you’re already familiar with Ron Magid and The Halloween Society! If you weren’t, then you’re in for a treat as esteemed author Ron Magid shares some of The Halloween Society’s fascinating history and its groundbreaking impact on how Halloween masks and horror movie props were treated in the years since. You’ll also hear from indie horror film director Harrison Magid on how he and his father are working together to “revive and resuscitate” The Halloween Society through new publications and an upcoming documentary – The Halloween Society: Unmasked! There was so much horror history to unearth in this interview, it took TWO generations/guests to do it!!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends! Spread the word!! You can also help support our content by becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/HorrorFam

LINKS for More Ron Magid + Harrison Magid:

• Ron Magid / The Halloween Society website = https://www.halloween-society.com/
  
• The Halloween Society on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/thehalloweensociety_unmasked/
  
• Harrison Magid on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/harrymagid/
  
• Narcolept on Intagram (Harrison Magid’s new horror film, releasing on Halloween!) = https://www.instagram.com/narcolept_shortfilm/
  
• Four Shadows Productions cofounded by Harrison Magid = https://www.instagram.com/4shadowsproductions/
  
• The Halloween Society on Facebook = https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555829788391
  
• The Halloween Society on TikTok = https://www.tiktok.com/@the_halloween_society
  
• The Halloween Society on Bluesky = https://bsky.app/profile/halloweensociety.bsky.social
  
• The Halloween Society on Twitter/X = https://x.com/THS_Unmasked
  
• The Halloween Society on Threads = https://www.threads.com/@thehalloweensociety_unmasked
  
• The Halloween Society on Pinterest = https://www.pinterest.com/thehalloweensocietyunmasked/
  
• Harrison Magid on YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/@HarrisonMagid

FULL Written Transcript: HorrorFam.com Podcast Interview with Ron Magid + Harrison Magid

*HorrorFam.com Podcast Intro Music*

Lauren Spear: Hi, Everyone! I’m Lauren Spear and you’re watching or listening to the HorrorFam.com Podcast – episode number 35 – and my guest today is The Halloween Society’s Ron Magid. AND… We have a surprise guest: His son, Harrison Magid!

And… *flustered noise* It’s hard to say what all they do because they do so many things! So, I’m just gonna get straight to it:

Hi, Guys!! *waves*

Harrison Magid: Hey there! *waves*

Ron Magid: What a pleasure to see you, Lauren, and be on the hot seat at the HorrorFam Podcast. And I know when you say “Horror Fam,” you really mean horror fam! Because we’re very familiar with your parents and so on. And, so, you’re at least 2^nd Generation Monster Kid.

Lauren Spear: *chuckles* Yes. That’s true.

There aren’t too many people [with first-hand knowledge of my background around anymore] who can, like, verify that. So, that’s fun that you’re able to be like, “Yes! You really are part of a Horror Fam.”

*gropes arms wildly as if hugging/gathering invisible people* But I’m trying to get other people to be part of the “Horror Fam” too!! *laughs*

Ron Magid: Well, we’re happy to be included!

Harrison Magid: Thanks for having us!

Lauren Spear: Well, as I said in the intro, of course, you’re part of The Halloween Society. You founded The Halloween Society with Dante Renta back in 1984 and… *releases breath of air to relieve brain overload* you’ve done SO MUCH since then that it’s… Gah. The whole episode would be the intro! *laughs* So, if [you don’t mind]…

Could you tell the audience a little about yourself in your own words?

Ron Magid: Yeah! So, as you said, Dante and I founded The Halloween Society in 1984. We did it in response to a newsletter that we got that was called the Mask Collector’s Club – the MCC – and it was just…

Dante subscribed to this thing and it was a valiant effort. I mean, because this was early days and everything had to be done by hand and so on. But, it basically turned out to be… I think a four-page newsletter? Basically. And by “four” pages I mean it was folded in half and there were four “pages” all together.

And we just looked at each other and we went, “I know we can do better than this.”

Ron Magid (continuing): So, we brainstormed. First, the name: The Halloween Society. And then we… And, basically, we set out to publish something rather ambitious!

Our first fan zines… And we did 14 of them all together because they were such labors – such INTENSIVE labors – of love and they were actually essentially handmade. The early editions, Dante actually glued together so they’d have, like, perfect binding! There were tipped-in photographs because we couldn’t… There was no color Xerox at one point. But when color Xerox came in, we used that to kind of bring some of the masks to life.

But, as I was saying before, this magazine became kind of a repository of all the knowledge that was available from the mask making world to the mask collecting public. Back in… Starting with… Back when we started in 1984 and through 1989 or so.

And, of course, we looked back as far as we could! So, we did interviews with Don Post, Jr. And a very fabled interview with Don Post, Sr. by a 10-year-old Paul Clemens who ended up sculpting a lot of the masks you see behind me.

Paul Clemens did this interview with Don Post, Sr. when he was probably 10 or 12 years old. And probably the most insightful question Paul asked is, “Aren’t you a little old to be making masks?” To which Don Post replied, “I’m 39.”

Ron Magid + Lauren Spear: *laugh heartily, knowing from lived experience that 39 is actually young*

Ron Magid: Anyway, the purpose of doing the memoirs…

Well, first of all, I have a son who’s about to be 21 and he would never in a million years hear all the weird stories that went into the creation of The Halloween Society, and all the weird stuff that happened subsequently. So, I originally wrote the book for Harrison! And then, as I was writing it, I realized I would have the opportunity to include the original magazines that we published – which have a LOT of stuff about Rob and Cathy Tharp, your parents, in them! And a lot of other mask makers, makeup artists, talented people. And, of course, a lot of collectors.

It just kind of evolved.

And the reason we started making our own masks, which was not our plan originally… We were just going to cover the field! But then we decided to write some very, very opinionated reviews of other people’s masks…

Harrison Magid: *nods and grins*

Ron Magid: …and we got a couple of apoplectic replies. *chuckles* Saying, “How do YOU know?” or “What do YOU know about this and why are you saying these things?!” and so on. And so, I turned to Dante and I said, “We have to make our own masks.”

So, we started with the Mr. Hyde you see over Harrison’s shoulder.

Harrison Magid: *points to the Mr. Hyde mask*

Ron Magid: That was sculpted by Joe Reader, who took a huge flyer on us, and I’d decided to do this basically on a subscription basis. We had no money to pay for… I was barely out of college, so I had barely any money to pay for anything! So, we did this on a subscription basis, where we basically wrote our members…

Dante did this brilliant illustration of the mask that we wanted to make and then we sent out this flyer to – I dunno. What? 25? 30? people at the time – and the edition immediately… Of 10! It immediately sold out! Sight unseen. Which is, I’m sure, a record.

But people had faith in us. I don’t know why! *laughs* But they did. And, you know, to this day, I think we made the strongest impression with that mask. It was just incredible. Not that we haven’t made great pieces since!

Ron Magid (continuing): Our goal was to make the BEST monster masks that had ever been made. We used Don Post Studios as kind of our Gold Standard. But we discovered, just like Don Post did – and many other people who’ve made masks – that your intentions don’t always keep up with your results. So, some are better than others.

But, you know, I’m very proud of all of them just because I know how much effort was put into each and every one! And it’s surprising that some of the favorites are not necessarily some of the ones that I would pick, but they are the ones that the public really seems to love.

So, it’s just been a really interesting evolution and we’ve met so many interesting people and so on as we went along…

Anyway! I’ll let Harrison now speak.

Harrison Magid: Oh! Yeah! I mean, well, I mean… It’s been a really interesting opportunity to be able to – again! – learn all this stuff! I… I guess it is second-hand? Because it’s… But, yeah, to be able to hear all these stories and kind of learn about our family history!

And, yeah, to push it forward with the documentary. And it’s kind of like… While the goal is to, I guess, teach or show other people about it, I’m learning about it at the same time! So, its been really interesting and fun. And very scary!

Ron Magid: *chuckles*

Harrison Magid: Because I… I’ve never done a documentary before. And it’s really been like… finding the puzzle pieces. And that’s definitely a challenge. But one that I am excited to kind of keep confronting. To keep finding as I go.

And once it’s out… Which, unfortunately, won’t be Halloween 2025. Which is in… two weeks?

Ron Magid: *nods*

Harrison Magid: Hah! Yeah. No way! Unfortunately.

So, that deadline, that original announcement is, uh… There’s going to be a delay. And I think the official release date now is…uh…*looks to his father for help* TBD?

Ron Magid: *nods* That’s crazy!

Harrison Magid: Uh…

Ron Magid: That announcement has aged as well as milk.

Harrison Magid: As well as maybe one of the masks that disintegrated…?

Ron Magid: Yeah. Right! *chuckles*

Harrison Magid: But… yeah! Documentaries take a lot longer than I had anticipated. But, yeah; it’s coming along.

Lauren Spear: Well, so the audience knows what we’re talking about:

There’s already… As Ron said, he’s written a book about The Halloween Society, The Halloween Society: Unearthed, which was Volume One. And then The Halloween Society: Unmasked, which is Volume Two.

And then there’s an upcoming documentary ALSO called The Halloween Society: Unmasked…

Lauren Spear (continuing) …and that’s what Harrison was referring to. He’s been working on that.

And, uh, yeah! Harrison! You’re sort of in the same position that I am where you’re a “2^nd Generation Monster Kid” and doing your own indie horror Thing. *gestures around at her HorrorFam.com shirt & podcast set to indicate what her 2^nd Gen horror contributions have been*

Did you want to talk a little bit more about your side of horror creations…?

Harrison Magid: Yeah!    

I really got into horror because him *gestures to Ron Magid* and my mom showed me the Universal Monsters movies when I was younger.

Actually, before that! The first movie… I think the first movie that I saw was King Kong when I was, like, one.

Ron Magid: *nods*

Harrison Magid: And, when I was two, he showed me Nosferatu. The original ‘20s one! *tugs at his Psycho (1960) graphic t-shirt* I honestly should’ve worn that shirt that I have, but I went with Psycho.

Lauren Spear: Yeah! *laughs because she just re-watched Nosferatu (1922) recently* That’s up on our YouTube channel because it’s Public Domain, so…

Harrison Magid: *laughs* Oh, okay! Yeah.

Ron Magid: *chuckles*

Lauren Spear: Yeah! *laughs*

Harrison Magid: So, he showed me Nosferatu when I was two and it gave me my first nightmare!

Ron Magid: *chuckles*

Harrison Magid: And yeah. That kind of sent me on the journey.

Then I would, you know, draw things in school from movies that I saw – that I probably shouldn’t have seen – and get in trouble for it. And… yeah!

It’s kind of been, you know, a snowball since then in that direction. *gestures with hands, indicating a snowball rolling down a hill, growing larger and faster* I just love horror! I love movies in general, but I always gravitate to horror. And everything that I do has something horror-related or horror-esque about it. So, yeah.

Lauren Spear: This actually reminded me… My dad had a question! It was originally for Ron, but I’m going to ask both of you:

Since a lot of the focus in The Halloween Society was on older films and masks and such… *briefly pauses while she has an epiphany that the “new” topics aren’t recent history either* And things that are now considered “old!” Since the ‘80s was a long time ago now. *laughs* And Dad wanted to know if there were any MODERN horror, either films or masks – well, mostly films – that either of you have enjoyed recently…?

Like, King Kong and Nosferatu were also… *laughs* …from a ways back!

Do either of you have any modern [horror] faves?

Harrison Magid: Yeah. The new Nosferatu!

Ron Magid: Yeah, we liked that.

Harrison Magid: It was…

Ron Magid: We liked the new Nosferatu. We like Robert Eggers a lot.

Harrison Magid: Yeah. Robert Eggers.

Ron Magid: We’re looking forward to both Frankensteins.

Harrison Magid: Yeah.

Ron Magid: Guillermo’s and The Bride.

Harrison Magid: Yeah. That’s…

Ron Magid: And… We’re in a horror Golden Age! For the most part. I mean, it’s kind of incredible. Because, growing up, there was almost nothing.

Ron Magid (continuing): Like, in the ‘70s, people don’t remember this – especially your generation – but before Star Wars, the only big budget science-fiction movie was 2001, Planet of the Apes… And those were in the ‘60s! Late ‘60s.

And then there were all the Planet of the Apes sequels which went through, like, ’75. But they were basically milking that ape by that point.

Ron Magid (continuing): And, you know, I mean… Logan’s Run? Not exactly the high point of cinema.

Ron Magid (continuing): And then, you know, followed by Star Wars. And that’s what changed everything.

Ron Magid (continuing): And it really… It’s kind of an amazing thing, that I document in the book, and that we touch on in the documentary itself, is how everything went from very niche… You know? You’d go to a science-fiction convention – you might start out at, like, *garbled audio* was 1974, I think. Or, it may have even been ’73. I’ve got to go find the program book to be sure. *chuckles* But, in any case, there were maybe a couple hundred people there and, after Star Wars, they’d start having the Creation Conventions and things and there were tens of thousands of people! William Shatner would appear on stage in a stadium…

Harrison Magid: *vigorously nods, as if his dad triggered a memory*

Ron Magid: …and tell his story and there’d be fans all over the place.

So, it was very interesting world for someone who had loved horror and science-fiction movies for my entire life to suddenly wake up in a world where EVERYBODY loved horror and science-fiction but their main touchstone was Star Wars. *chuckles* So, you’d go meet somebody at a convention and you’d go, “Yeah. I love science-fiction” and they’d go, “Yeah. I’ve seen Star Wars 10,000 times!” And I’m like, “Well, did you ever see Flash Gordon, which is essentially Star Wars back in the ‘30s? Including the opening crawl. And a lot of the situations and so on.” I mean, Star Wars and Buck Rogers – with “Buster” Crabbe – basically have very primitive evolutions…

So, I think people now are beginning to look backwards as well as forward…

Harrison Magid: *nods in agreement*

Ron Magid: …which is really great because, just speaking for myself, I’m kind of a historian and so I love to be able to talk about old movies and compare them to new movies that are coming out.

And, a lot of times, you can, you know… Not everything that’s new is an improvement because it’s new! On the other hand, not everything is great just because it’s old.

Lauren Spear: That’s like the Billy Joel song, “Keeping the Faith.” Where… “The good ol’ days weren’t always good and tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems.” *chuckles*

Ron Magid: Exactly. And so we’re looking for… We’re always looking forward to seeing what new people are doing.

Harrison Magid: *nods* Yeah.

Ron Magid: And back just to monster masks and so on…

It’s a whole Golden Age of collecting monster memorabilia!

Ron Magid (continuing): And particularly masks. With, like, Trick or Treat Studios doing all these incredible things.

And, you know, there’s a bunch of… Casey Wong has done some really neat stuff. And Mikey Sevier – I’m not sure if I’m saying his name correctly; forgive me if I didn’t. Anyway, he’s a very young mask maker, but his work is really incredible. And there’s…

I’m sorry! I shouldn’t be enumerating! Because there’s just so many people whose work is just great. Whenever I go to a Monsterpalooza convention or whatever, my eyes are knocked out by the quality of the work that people present. It’s just absolutely flabbergasting!

Our stuff, which was considered even BEYOND state-of-the-art at the time we were making all our masks, really pales by comparison to what people are doing today. And on a semi mass produced scale! It’s just incredible.

Harrison Magid: And, yeah, that’s another thing we really want to show with the documentary. Kind of how things have evolved and, also, how The Halloween Society was kind of the jumping off point for so many things that people do now. And it’s something…

Because, you know, I’ve been going to Monsterpalooza and all these things since I was probably, I dunno, eight…? When you first let me go? *turns to his dad for confirmation*

Ron Magid: *nods*

Harrison Magid: But, yeah, no. It’s been really… Seeing that – all the stuff that I’ve grown up around – and seeing and finding out that, again, this was the jumping off point for a lot of stuff. And to just capture that evolution and to just… yeah! To just see the evolution of that.

Lauren Spear: And make sure it’s not forgotten. *giggles*

It’s sort of funny. Like, you wrote your book for Harrison and one of the things… I’ve been encouraging my dad to write his thoughts down – and a lot of his stuff gets published on HorrorFam.com – because I… *places hand over heart* It was important to me to have it written down! Just so that I could have those thoughts there for me. But then I was like, “Well, other people are interested in this too!” *laughs* They want to know the history of these things and to hear it [from someone who was there creating it]. To hear his thoughts on these things. So, I think it’s neat when that happens…

Ron Magid: Yeah. I don’t… We… Some of the surprising things about your dad and mom…

Well, of course, they met at Don Post Studios.

Harrison Magid: *nods*

Ron Magid: So, you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for monster masks! And their love of creating things.

Lauren Spear: Yeah. Eraserhead was their first date! *chuckles*

Ron Magid: Ah, right! *laughs* That’s awesome.

Harrison Magid: *nods*

Ron Magid: My wife and my first date was the third…

Harrison Magid + Ron Magid: Army of Darkness!

Ron Magid: It was Army of Darkness. The third…

Harrison Magid: Evil Dead.

Ron Magid: The third Evil Dead movie. So, there you go! It repeats over generations.

Lauren Spear: *chuckles*

Ron Magid: When The Halloween Society disbanded, I continued to make masks for my own collection. Specifically to accompany a lot of original costumes and props and things that I had accumulated over the years.

Because, back when I started collecting, everything went in the garbage. Okay? There were no auctions. There were no people chasing after the stuff. Except maybe Forry Ackerman and Bill Malone and Bob Short and a couple of other guys. And that was it.

So, I was probably the youngest of those people who were just trying to save everything from the dumpster. Before it hit the trash and was lost irrevocably.

But, anyway, I went on and made a ton of masks which… As The Halloween Society goes forward, we’re probably going to release very limited editions as well.

But we tried… Wherever possible, I tried to…

Originally, The Halloween Society was trying to fill in the gaps in the Don Post Studios’ line.

Ron Magid (continuing): Where, you know, they’d done certain characters but not all of them. So, we were trying to fill those holes.

In my later career, as a guy who commissioned monster masks – because I have no talent for making them – we would try to fill in the holes that we left behind. So, we were filling the holes of the holes! *laughs*

And, so, it’s just been a really great experience being able to have a hand in creating these… Or, I should say, re-creating these incredible visages of people, and the characters, and the work of the makeup artists who just, you know, inspired my entire life.

The Halloween Society, for me, was just originally something we did – Dante and I did – as a lark! You know? Just because we were young and we thought, “What the heck? We’ll do these magazines.” But the magazines themselves were like 50-60 pages and we had to Xerox them and so on. They were all hand-done and snail mailed to our members. So, they were incredibly…

It became… It kind of took over our life!

And what was… The thing I never expected was… Forry Ackerman was one of our members and he bought a lot of our masks and so on and was just a huge supporter.

Ron Magid (continuing): And when he launched Monsterland magazine, I had the unbridled gall to come up to him and go, “You know, I know you’re a fan of our magazine, what do you think about a column in your new National magazine?”

Harrison Magid: *nods*

Ron Magid: After I’d only done these, you know, fan zines for a hundred people! “Can I… Can I have a column in your magazine devoted to makeup artists and people who create masks and stuff?” And he said, “Sure! That sounds like a great idea.”

So, that’s how “The Halloween Society Catacomb” in Monsterland magazine came about!

Ron Magid (continuing): And, from there, I launched an entire career! I became one of the editors of American Cinematographer, which is the oldest film publication. I worked for Make-Up Artist Magazine. I worked for a lot of trade paper… Trade magazines, including Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

But, also, eventually I broke into major publications like late-lamented Premiere magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and so on. Popular Mechanics at the end.

I was a staff writer at the LA Times. I had a little tiny column every week that was a nightmare to do.

Harrison Magid: *nods*

Ron Magid: That literally took me… Every article I published for them took two weeks to research and I had to get them in every week. So, it became an insane nightmare…

Anyway! So, that’s just… It’s kind of been… An amazing careen. Y’know? It’s nothing like what I expected my life to turn out to be and yet, in retrospect, it’s all… It just looks like everything was planned!

Lauren Spear: *chuckles, relating to that feeling*

Ron Magid: And it’s all so weird.

And I’m trying to pass that information onto my son.

Harrison Magid: *nods*

Ron Magid: Because you think you’re going in a straight line. And you don’t necessarily go in a straight line but you may, eventually, end up adhering to that line. So, it’s just… You take a lot of WEIRD paths! *laughs*

To get from The Halloween Society to where I am now… It’s been a long and winding road.

Lauren Spear: And people can read about all of those adventures in your book! And that’s out now.

Are both volumes out now?

Lauren Spear (continuing): They are, right? *double-checking because her parents received pre-release copies of both volumes, so the actual release dates became fuzzy for her*

Ron Magid: Yes. They are.

Lauren Spear: Okay!

Ron Magid: You can get them on Amazon. You can get them on BarnesAndNoble.com. You can also get them directly from Bear Manor Publications. So, where… Theoretically, wherever the BEST books are sold!

All: *laugh*

Harrison Magid: I wanted to go on about the documentary, also, just because you recount a lot of the stories in your book and then we interviewed the people who were actually also involved in the stories, and we hear them recount their side of the stories! And also stories that maybe you didn’t remember… *glances at his dad*

Ron Magid: *nodding, stifling laughter*

Harrison Magid: Or that you weren’t there for. So it’s been… Like, there’s just SO many things! I’m like… Oh my God! This is…

This is GOLD!!

Harrison Magid (continuing): But I’m trying to figure out how to fit it all in because there’s just, like, SO many…

Like, we have hours and HOURS… Probably like… *thinking face* Probably like, I’d say, 30 hours of footage at this point? *glances at his dad for confirmation*

Ron Magid: *nods* At least. Yeah.

Harrison Magid: Yeah. Probably more, honestly.

Ron Magid: *nods*

Harrison Magid: Probably 30 hours of just interviews and then…uh…

Lauren Spear: That’ll be quite the Director’s Cut! *laughs*

Harrison Magid: Oh my God…

Ron Magid: *huge laugh*

Harrison Magid: Yeah. *chuckles* Yeah…

Ron Magid: Well, we may put up some…

Harrison Magid: We’ll just make like an EPIC. Just some… Um… But, no.

It’s just been really cool to see that! And there’s just SO MUCH. Again. The challenge!! Because I’m kind of like… I have problems killing my darlings. Especially creatively. And I really need to… *arms flail* I’m like “AHHHH!” It’s so scary in the moment.

Lauren Spear: *chuckles*

Harrison Magid: But that’s also been what’s so cool about it! To also… *gestures to his dad* It also gives you the opportunity to see these people! Like, maybe if you haven’t even talked to them since The Halloween Society, you probably haven’t seen them since then, so…

Ron Magid: *nods*

Lauren Spear: Well, I know that’s true for ME! Ron used to be over ALL the time, hangin’ out, and then he disappeared for the last 30 years! *laughs*

Ron Magid: Well, you know, life… Life gets in the way. It’s unfortunate. But it does take you in different directions. And I would have never… I would have never expected not to be hanging out with your folks for all this time. Starting with when you were a kid and all this time that’s elapsed. But it just… It wasn’t in the cards in the same way.

Lauren Spear: Well, I was thinking, if you don’t want to “kill your darlings” and you’ve got 31 hours of footage, you could release one hour of footage for the 31 Days of Halloween! *laughs*

Ron Magid: *huge laugh*

Harrison Magid: Honestly? Yeah. We could just to a whole, like, series… Yeah. Of 30 hours… *reconsiders* Pfft. Yeahhh…

Ron Magid: *nods*

Harrison Magid: I don’t think anyone wants to see that. *quickly turns to his dad* No offence!

I think TWO hours is probably good! But 31?! It’s a bit much.

Ron Magid: There may be some stuff… You know. We’ll see what’s left.

Harrison Magid: *nods vigorously*

Ron Magid: We’ll see what gets left on the Cutting Room floor.

Harrison Magid: And that’s stuff that… I think that the plan for whatever does get left on the Cutting Room floor will be to, at whatever point, release the interviews separately. Even if they’re not in their entirety.

Because there’s obviously times when someone will tell a story just to get it out and then they’re like, “Don’t put that in there. I just wanted to get it off my chest.” *chuckles* So, ignoring the stuff that people obviously don’t want out there, we’re probably going to take a lot of clips and, you know, publish it on social media or whatever. *Says something too quickly for Lauren to understand/transcribe no matter how many times she relistened to it* Or just however you would do that now in the Digital Era.

And so, yeah, it’s just, again, a lot. And it’s going to be fun and a nightmare. Well, it IS and HAS been fun…but it’s also a lot.

Lauren Spear: And this is your first time making a documentary, right?

Harrison Magid: Yeah. It’s… It’s been… It’s really been a crazy experience.

Because, creatively, I want to do something different for everything that I do. It’s kind of an unsaid goal that I’ve set for myself, and a documentary is definitely different.

So, yeah. Again: Welcoming it, but also terrified!

But, the way I look at it, if I’m not scared to do something, it’s not worth doing. So… yeah!

Lauren Spear: But…

You have made horror films before?

Harrison Magid: I have! Yeah.

I did a short film. I shot a short film last year and just finished post back in March. And, right now, I’m doing the festival circuit.

Lauren Spear: Is that Nosebleed or a different one?

Harrison Magid: *visibly surprised that Lauren had looked into his work even before she knew he was going to be on the show only 30 minutes prior* Nosebleed I did last year! No. I’m sorry… *thinks hard* Yeah! 2024!

This one’s called Narcolept and it’s… I’m actually planning now to release it online on Halloween because none of the other festivals that I’m waiting for have premiere requirements. So, I think, on Halloween, even though… *quick glance at his dad* Hopefully to compensate a little bit for not making the release date for this documentary, I’ll be releasing that instead.

So, my new short film, Narcolept, is coming out this Halloween!

Ron Magid: *nods*

Harrison Magid: So, you can follow @Narcolept_ShortFilm on Instagram and follow it for updates. And, also, my Instagram @HarryMagid.

And, also, while I’m at it, The Halloween Society Instagram! Which is @TheHalloweenSociety_Unmasked

So, yeah, those are a lot of different accounts for a lot of different projects!

Ron Magid: *nods*

Harrison Magid: But, yeah. It’s exciting! And hectic.

Ron Magid: It’s fun to see him growing as an artist. Because he’s kind of amazing.

And it’s, you know… It’s really great because there were… You know, I had ambitions to be a playwright and a screenwriter – and I fulfilled them to a tiny degree – but Harrison’s already far exceeded what I was able to accomplish in my lifetime and he’s only 21. Not even!

It’s a little nerve-wracking to have somebody have your life story in their hands and then tell you that “I’m not sure exactly how I’m going to tell this story or what I’m going to say.” *nervous laugh*

Harrison Magid: Yeah. Yeah. There’s been conversations. *grins*

Ron Magid: But I’m excited! I’m very, very excited to see what he does. And I’ve been impressed with the results thus far! Although… We don’t agree on everything, but…

Harrison Magid: *much head nodding*

Ron Magid: As most parents and children don’t!

But, when it comes to movies, a lot of our tastes are very similar, so…

From the moment I held him up to the TV screen so he could watch King Kong fight the tyrannosaurus rex…

Harrison Magid: *chuckles*

Ron Magid: …in the original ’33 King Kong until now. He’s been inundated with these same images that we all grew up with.

And then he’s discovering ones on his own.

Harrison Magid: *nods*

Ron Magid: It’s a fascinating time to be a dad! You know?

Harrison Magid: *chuckles*

Ron Magid: To have someone… Because I am constantly learning from him! *chuckles* I know that people – parents – say this a lot but, in my case, it’s really true. There’s all these movies and things that he’s aware of that I would never be aware of. And just interesting current events and arts and so on… It’s a really fascinating time! It’s a SCARY time… but it’s also fascinating. You know?

Lauren Spear: Yeah. *chuckles, thinking about the things she has to help/teach her own parents about*

So, is the anything else you guys wanted to talk about?

Harrison Magid: So, in 2027… I’m part of a filmmakers collective with a few of my closest friends and we’re called Four Shadows Productions and, in 2027, we’ll be our big horror anthology feature film!

Harrison Magid (continuing): There’s a throughline with a… *pauses* I don’t want to give away any details yet because I haven’t talked this over with them! So, no details yet. But it’s an anthology film with a throughline and each one of us is going to be writing and directing a different segment.

And, going forward, it’ll just be showing off what all of us can do and what all our *garbled audio* collective is. And I’m really excited for that! Yeah.

So, stay tuned!! We’re going into pre-production and getting people together and we’re hoping to launch a crowdfunding campaign next year.

And, of course, during that time, I’ll absolutely still be hard at work at The Halloween Society: Unmasked documentary and going out and…

Part of the reason it’s taken so long is because there’s a lot of key people who we’ve been trying to interview, but they live out of state or… *glances at his dad for confirmation* I think there’s a lot of people who live out of the country?

Ron Magid: *nods*

Harrison Magid: And not all of them have Internet. Or Zoom. So, there’s a few key people who’ve been really… *glances at his dad* Especially with our schedules…

Ron Magid: *nods*

Harrison Magid: That have been hard to get in contact with. And… yeah. To be able to go and…

So. Waiting for those other interviews and… Yeah. Still hard at work!

Ron Magid: But The Halloween Society is on the rise! We’re making new masks, we’re going to have newsletters, we’re creating online content, and we’ll give you…uh… I’m sure, as you’ve been watching this, you’ve probably been seeing some sites and stuff scrolling by! Click on any one of those and check us out! Check out our sites and stuff.

Harrison Magid: *nods encouragingly to the audience*

Ron Magid: We’re hard at work reviving and resuscitating and reinventing The Halloween Society!

Lauren Spear: So, it’s going to be similar to what it used to be, but digital instead of Xerox…?

Ron Magid: I hope it will be, uh… I’m still a fan of being able to hold a publication in my hands!

Harrison Magid: *nods*

Ron Magid: I’m really old school.

Harrison Magid: *smirks*

Ron Magid: So, there probably will be a digital version, but I’m hoping that we’ll actually will be publishing a real honest-to-goodness magazine as well.

Harrison Magid: *nods*

Ron Magid: So, keep your eyes peeled! We have a lot of very ambitious ideas. We’ll see how much of this I can accomplish… With my friends and my son, as we move forward.

Harrison Magid: *nods*

Ron Magid: But we’re definitely aiming as high as humanly possible! *laughs*

Harrison Magid: *nods*

Lauren Spear: And, Harrison, for your film collective and the upcoming anthology: Would the best place to follow you for that be @HarryMagid or is there a separate…?

Harrison Magid: *magically whips out a business card and holds it up to the camera* So, we also have… This is our business card! And, also, *holds up a different card* here is The Halloween Society card. I’ll hold these a little closer… *holds both cards up close to the camera*

Oh… *notices that the footage is blurry* Well, uh, you can’t see the details. *removes the cards from the camera and looks at them* But, for The Halloween Society, it is, once again, @TheHalloweenSociety_Unmasked on Instagram and, for Four Shadows, it is @4ShadowsProductions on Instagram so, you can follow us there…

Ron Magid: *bursts out laughing at Lauren’s antics off-screen*

Harrison Magid: *seeing what Lauren is doing* OH!! Awesome!!

Lauren Spear: *laughs, triggering the camera to snap back to her, and is revealed to be holding up Harrison Magid’s business card for The Halloween Society: Unmasked documentary project* Yeah! I have this from when you were interviewing my dad back in April.

Harrison Magid: Oh yeah! Yeah… Was that April of THIS year??

Lauren Spear: Yes.

Harrison Magid: Ah! *glances at his dad*

Ron Magid: *nods*

Harrison Magid: But it feels like… Oh, man. Wow! The time this year… I can’t remember when things happened. There’s been SO MUCH that’s happened it’s getting mixed around in my head. I thought that was… *chuckles* It felt like LAST year!

Lauren Spear: Naw… *laughs* That was April of THIS year.

Harrison Magid: Yeah… Wow. A… *glances at his dad* …a LOT has happened since then. It feels like the time has gotten, like…*moves his hands outwards*…stretched since then.

Lauren Spear: *sighs, also feeling exhausted in 2025* Yeah…

Harrison Magid: It’s kind of weird, honestly.

Lauren Spear: This year has just been a blur. *waves hand in front of eyes as a shorthand for disassociation, and then chuckles*

Ron Magid: I want to make a major shoutout to your folks:

Rob and Cathy Tharp!

Ron Magid (continuing): First, the mask directly over my shoulder, your mom made for The Halloween Society…

Harrison Magid: *tries to help, but accidentally points to Joe Reader’s Mr. Hyde mask*

Ron Magid: No, no. That’s… you’re doing the exact same thing… *referencing a moment pre-recording when he lamented everything being reversed when recording via webcam*

Harrison Magid: *laughs* Yeah. It’s the Beauty and the Beast… *tries to point again, but gets mixed up by the camera reversal again* Nope. *laughs* The one starring… *successfully points to Cathy Tharp’s La Belle et la Bête Beast mask and grins*

Ron Magid: *nods, acknowledging his son’s successful point* Yep! And then she went on to make a ton of other really brilliant masks. And I’m sure your dad kicked in here and there, too. And their work is just amazing!

So, it’s really an honor to be on your podcast. I consider you 2^nd Generation…*low/muffled audio*

Lauren Spear: Oh, I’m sorry… What…? *holds hand up to ear to indicate she couldn’t hear*

Ron Magid: *leans forward* I said, “I consider you 2^nd Generation ROYALTY!”

Lauren Spear: Oh!! *laughs* Thank you.

But, yeah, um, I remember when my mom was sculpting the Beauty and the Beast mask. Or, you know, La Belle et la Bête. *laughs*

I also have a photo of me with the Curse of the Demon mask that you have behind you. I can’t remember which of… You’d asked me [before the show] if it was you or Dante who brought it over and I… *chuckles* I can’t remember! I was very young.

Ron Magid: Yeah. We’d share everything with your folks and we’d bring stuff over all the time.

Lauren Spear: Oh, yeah.

Ron Magid: They did amazing, amazing paintwork for us! On a lot of our masks and, also, I still have a wonderful collection of Aurora monster models that your dad painted for me. Truly mini masterpieces.

Harrison Magid: *nods in agreement, smiling*

Ron Magid: I’ve never seen… You know, the Lugosi Dracula that Aurora made always just looked like some generic Hungarian vampire and, I swear to God, your dad made him look like Bela Lugosi!

So, that was pretty darn cool! *laughs*

Lauren Spear: *laughs, always happy to see people enjoying the things they love*

Ron Magid: He did that with ALL of these! They’re just wonderful.

We’re BIG Tharp fans here at The Halloween Society!

Harrison Magid: *nods*

Lauren Spear: *chuckles* Well, that’s good.

Did… Did you guys have anything else you wanted people to know about?

Ron Magid: I think we’re good.

Lauren Spear: Okay, well…

Thanks, Everyone, for listening or watching! This has been episode 35 of the HorrorFam.com Podcast and there are links for everything in the description below and in the transcript. And be sure to check out the actual transcript for this episode because there’s going to be a whole lot of photos and neat stuff for you to look at.

So, thank you, Ron Magid and Harrison Magid! Byeeeeee!!

Harrison Magid: Thank you so much for having us!

Ron Magid: Thank you, the Tharp Family!!

Lauren Spear: *chuckles*

Ron Magid: The… The HorrorFam! See you soon.

*outro music plays*

Images labeled “HorrorFam.com” belong to Lauren Spear and her family. Movie posters and stills were purchased via CineMaterial and MovieStillsDB. All other images were provided by Ron Magid and/or Harrison Magid, with additional text/captions added by Lauren for context.