You can now listen to episodes of On Art & Monsters directly through Substack, as well as get my thoughts on art and art-type careers, Let’s Check In with Ben episodes and whatever else I decide to put up. Let’s have a totally non-creepy personal relationship on Substack!
Monsters, Schlock, Art and Anxiety on the New Cheap Chills Podcast
The New Cheap Chills Podcast
Coming June 24, The Cheap Chills Podcast returns with a whole new format! This time around, host and creator Ben Walker-Storey (that’s me) delves into memories of classic monster movies, kaiju creatures, and the dark, strange stuff we got into during our childhood that influenced our lives as artists and creators.
Joined as often as humanly possible by some of Ben’s fav creators, we’ll also get into the struggles that can so often go hand-in-hand (or claw?) with horror fandom and life as a Creative.
The first episode drops June 24, so hit that Subscribe button as new episodes come each week!
A Mission to Watch Every Hammer Film
*The Links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualified purchase at no extra expense to you, the buyer. Thanks!
I’ve recently made it my mission to see EVERY Hammer horror film made. How? Well, first by taking advantage of streaming services like Tubi, Prime and MAX. Also by finding inexpensive sets of Blu-Rays or DVDs. More on that in a bit.
But first,
ANNOUNCING!
Here’s a fun fact I’ll bet you didn’t know (and why would you?) Cheap Chills originally started because I wanted to tell people about the classic horror etc. I’ve been watching and how you, my friends can also see it cheap…ly.
And so I’m excited to announce that cheapchillsfanclub.com is relaunching as a blog focusing on recommendations for cult movies, classic horror, kaiju monster, sci-fi, even some modern horror and genre shows!
So now you can keep up with what we here at cc headquarters have been watching and where you can go to stream it for cheap (or free!) maybe even pick up some physical media that’s worth having in the permanent collection.
AND NOW~
I’ve got to start by pointing out this amazing deal I just took advantage of. A set of 8 Hammer Horror films on Blu-Ray on sale for $17.99.
Hammer Horror 8-Film Collection [Blu-ray]
Hammer horror films have been my favorite for a long time. British horror is oddly relaxing as they burn extra-slowly and are very unlikely to actually horrify you. (Let’s admit, it’s mostly people talking in castles) But I realized recently that I still haven’t seen most of what the studio has put out there. And if I want to see them all before I die (not that anything like that is specifically on my agenda) I better make a point of getting through the list.
So this set is really going to help with that mission. Eight Hammer horror films:
Brides of Dracula
The Curse of the Werewolf
Night Creatures
The Phantom of the Opera (1962)
Paranoiac
The Kiss of the Vampire
Nightmare
The Evil of Frankenstein
All for 17.99 (as of the time of this post). That’s $2.25 per classic vampire, werewolf, phantom and so on. All stored safely in your bookshelf, away from the changing whims of streaming service availability.
Until next time,
-Ben
Halloween Coloring contest
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Cheap Chills is excited to announce our first coloring contest! The prizes? Well, hopefully you like coloring because it’s signed copies of two of our coloring books, Costume and Mask, a Halloween Memories Coloring book and Monster Funk. Plus a copy of our joke book, Horrible! Jokes for Kids. Plus!! Hand-colored artwork by Ben Walker-Storey.
Deadline is October 16th so download the PDF page at the top and get to coloring!
Want to color digitally but unsure how? This video can help!
Got a Question? Ask Roman!
Want to be part of Cheap Chills next animated project? Or maybe you just need some advice and you don’t care who it’s from. Like, who IS this Roman anyway?
Roman Candelabrä is a guy who is taking your questions now. Hit the Start Recording button below to leave a message (90 seconds or less please)
Anyone Can Draw Goth boys and Girls with Shadowplay brushes by Cheap Chills
The first set of Shadowplay brushes is NOW AVAILABLE! Set 1 is Gothic Effects, So it’s spider-webs, flying bats, and other “effects” that help you draw dark, spooky stuff.
We are so excited to demo for the first time, a set of digital brushes that will allow anyone to "draw" goths. OK maybe that's not the best word for what we're doing. After all, users of our upcoming Shadowplay digital tool set will be able to design Death Rockers, Industrial Goths, Trad goths and Fetish goths. What about Celtic Goths? Sure, probably!
Oh, and that word, "draw". Is it drawing? Sort of, but more like playing with paper dolls or fashion plates. Of course, you can use these bits of artwork as a starting point and go nuts drawing from there. Or you can assemble your character, print it out in light blue and ink it (We'll got over all this stuff in future videos).
This is a preview of a set of "art assets", brushes and bits of artwork that users can use to design alternative-dressed characters. They will initially be released for Clip Studio Paint, with more apps to follow. Don't have Clip Studio Paint? Not to worry, it's an amazing drawing and painting program that's VERY INEXPENSIVE! There's even a 30 day free trial.
And do us a kindness? When you decide it's time to buy your Clip Studio download, or whenever it's time to grab some art supplies (recommendations to come), click through to the Cheap Chills Amazon Influencer page! Any purchases will send some support this way, at not extra expense to you.
Thanks, talk at you soon
Ben
We're on Buy Me a Coffee
I’m excited to announce Cheap Chills is now on Buy Me a Coffee! What is Buy me a Coffee? It’s sort of like Patreon but better because you can just drop us an easy, 1-time tip or sign up for monthly membership for exclusive content and access to members only merchandise. Plus it doesn’t sound all fancy.
Drop us a lil’ thank you whenever you want.
No membership needed!
That said, here are the Monthly Membership Levels:
$1 Literally Buy Me a Coffee
This level gets you Ben’s undying gratitude and ensures he has his steady supply of cheap coffee.
$5 One of Us!
Benefits of Membership include
Support Cheap Chills by literally buying Ben’s coffee.
Monthly video meetups and watch parties!
Access the exclusive Cheap Chills T-shirt of the month
20% off all T-shirts & Merch (including the exclusive C.C. shirt of the month!)
Monthly AMA - You leave a voicemail and Ben will do his best to answer your questions as a podcast.
Behind the scenes peeks at future Cheap Chills projects
Check it out at our new Buymeacoffee page.
Inspiration for Welcome to the Foggy Bog
One of the many projects I’m chipping away is a new animated story about the goings on at a weird nightclub called The Foggy Bog. I’ve recorded audio with some collaborators and I’m coming up with character designs, backgrounds etc. Much of this pre-vis type stuff will end up on this blog.
For now, check out a couple of my most loved inspirations for this project. The first is a…..documentary(?) I guess it is. I mean, literally everything going on in this 1984 UK nightclub during the course of a night is documented. Nothing made it to the cutting room floor. And that’s one of many reasons I love The Height of Goth: 1984 A Night at the Xclusiv Nightclub. When I first happened upon this video I must have looked like Richard Dreyfuss hunched over his mashed potatoes, “THIS MEANS SOMETHING!!”
Another inspiration for Welcome to the Foggy Bog is Dr. Katz Professional Therapist. Dr. Katz was a (barely) animated show from Jonathan Katz and Tom Snyder that aired on Comedy Central in the 90s. And like most everybody in their early 20s at that time, I watched my share.
When my son was born five years ago, I had to suddenly change my sleep habits. I couldn’t keep the light on to read or even watch something on a screen in order to unwind and turn my brain off. So I started listening to old episodes of Dr. Katz in bed. Ever since, I’ve been kinda obsessed. There’s something about listening to Jonathan Katz, H. Jon Benjamin and Laura Silverman talking (off the cuff by the way, aside from the comedians basically doing their sets from a therapy couch, this show was improvised and edited into something worth viewing, not unlike Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, etc.) that I find funny of course, but also incredibly relaxing, even comforting.
The visual aspect of Dr. Katz, I find inspiring too. I’m really more of an illustrator/cartoonist than an Animator so I’m always looking for ways to have an animated show without spending my life “animating” it. Plus listening to episodes is a great exercise in “storyboarding” mentally.
Did you know I once had the chance to work for Tom Snyder productions? Of course not, why would you know that? About 15 years ago I had the opportunity to join a small production team working on Tom Snyder’s newest project. I turned it down because I didn’t want a long commute. Quick question: What the hell’s wrong with me?
Anyway, for your enjoyment, check out this and every other episode of Dr. Katz. Professional Therapist.
-Ben