Episode Details

Join Justin and Angelique as they chat with Academy Award Winning make-up and special effects artists Matthew Mungle about classic monsters, Mausoleum, Silver Bullet, Dracula, and more!

Matthew Mungle bio:

"Academy Award winner Matthew W. Mungle is regarded as one of Hollywood's premier Make-up Effects & Prosthetic Artists. With over 250 film and television projects to his credit, Matthew has earned accolades and recognition as one of the industry's top masters of Makeup Effects Illusionist.

Born in Durant, Oklahoma in 1956, Matthew was one of five children born to Atoka dairy farmer Jene and Becky Mungle. As a boy he recalls seeing Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy. In 1964 with the release of The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao and The List of Adrian Messenger, Matthew credits the films as having been his greatest influence and deciding factor in becoming a Make-up Effects Artist. He was fascinated with the make-up, often "borrowing" his mother's cosmetics to create his own version of horror. In 1968, a film that would revolutionize make-up effects and further impact the small-town boy from Atoka was the release, Planet of the Apes. It is hard to say how many times Matthew saw the film. What he did know was that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his idols, namely Lon Chaney, Sr., Jack Pierce and John Chambers, who won the Academy Award for the specialized make-up creations for Planet of the Apes. As he got older, he would learn from books and magazines such as Richard Corson's Stage Make-up & Dick Smith's Do It Yourself Monster Make-up Handbook and would send away for theatrical make-up from New York and Dallas specialty stores - experimenting with face casts and prosthetics on willing family members and friends. Although his parents thought it was a phase he would soon outgrow, Matthew knew differently.

Return of the Planet of the Apes was released when he was a sophomore in High School and he encouraged the owner of the local movie theatre to let him dress up as one of the chimpanzees to promote the film. Not only did he dress and act the part but also created his own prosthetic make-up. The realism was so startling to the small town of Atoka, that many thought Hollywood had sent an actor to hype the film! Matthew would continue to promote films at the Thompson Theatre in Atoka by applying his own make-up and costumes until he graduated from High School.

Although his sights were still on Hollywood, at his father's insistence, he applied and was accepted into Oklahoma State University as a theatre arts major in 1975 after graduating from Atoka High School. Working with props and make-up for various productions, Matthew eagerly absorbed the educational tools being given.

Matthew finally arrived in Hollywood in December 1977 after applying and being accepted into Joe Blasco's Make-up Center - the premier academy responsible for training many of the film and television industry's elite Make-up Artists. "From the very beginning, Matthew showed exceptional talent!" claims Blasco, whose own career as a top make-up artist turned educator, has been instrumental in graduating Academy Award winners. "I instinctively knew that Matthew had what it takes to become a success in this business. His dedication to the art form and rapid ability to master the craft led me to hire him as an instructor following his graduation from my school in 1978. He stayed on-staff as a teacher until his own popularity as a working make-up artist became too demanding."

Matthew credits Joe Blasco with his professional start & as mentor in the industry. "I was a sponge, absorbing every ounce of knowledge I could. Whether learning the techniques of beauty make-up or casting molds and working with prosthetics, I wanted to be as versatile as I could". Today, Matthew is a veteran voice to up-and-coming artists hoping to find their own niche in the industry. "If you