INTERVIEW: Fright-Rags keeps the Halloween season going well beyond October
Image courtesy of Fright-Rags / Provided by Simply Legendary Publicity with permission.
The holiday shopping season in 2020 looks quite different than years past. Thanks COVID-19. Although plenty of people are heading to the malls and trying to socially distance themselves from other shoppers, others are taking advantage of the Black Friday deals online.
Fright-Rags, a horror-centered company that started in 2003, offers a bevy of movie and TV merchandise for everyone’s inner zombie. They have products inspired by everything from Edward Scissorhands to Evil Dead to Teen Wolf and the Halloween franchise. A few of their featured products: a Silent Night Deadly Night Christmas sweater, Count Dracula face mask, Creepshow lounge pants, Joe Bob Briggs action figure (this one is currently sold out) and official Chucky photo cards. Add to that an Amity Island hat, Haddonfield heritage hat, Killer Klowns From Outer Space pair of socks and Laura Palmer enamel pin, and it’s obvious that Fright-Rags has cornered the market on creepy cool.
(Oh, and if Amity Island and Haddonfield don’t ring some bells, stop reading now.)
This weekend the company is slashing prices (see what we did there), and in the new year they are looking to add some Dexter items.
Ben Scrivens is the founder of Fright-Rags, and he recently exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox about the company’s products. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What are you most excited for fans to enjoy this holiday season? Any cool new products or sales?
At the moment I’m most excited about our upcoming Silent Night, Deadly Night ugly sweater. It’s an actual knit sweater, completely custom made, and I’m so glad we were able to get it done for the holidays this year!
How do you make the decision to take on a new franchise? What kind of fan base does there have to be for you to start making products?
There are many factors to consider; it’s hard to judge the fan base on something because I feel there are groups of fans for every film. However, when you have to take into account the cost of the rights, and any potential limitations you have with them, the decision comes down to whether or not it will be profitable. There are times we’ve taken properties that we knew were more of a passion project but wanted to put something out there for it regardless of whether or not we make our money back. However, we can only do that as long as other franchises are selling well.
Are there more sales for the big property merchandise, tied to a movie like Halloween, or are there brisk sales for the more obscure items?
Titles like Halloween still sell tremendously well, but there are others that have surprised us as to how well they do. Timing has a lot to do with it as well, but that is incredibly hard to predict. For example, we had done some Hammer Horror stuff in the past with mixed results, but the release we did this year sold much better.
When did you first fall in love with the horror genre?
Friday, Oct. 30, 1981. I saw Halloween at the tender age of 4 and never looked back. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t into the genre.
Why do you think the horror fan base is so large and so interested in clothing and merchandise?
Horror is a way for us to tap into our primal nature, to express things in a safe way. We can exorcise our fears, anxieties,= and even anger by watching these films. Add to that the fact that most of us fans discovered horror at a young age, and this taboo of watching horror films became part of our childhood nostalgia. So naturally that is where we would want to escape to as we face the real world of being an adult.
What’s the most ‘horror’ thing you’ve ever done? Tattoo? Guilty pleasure purchase of a movie prop?
I’ve visited movie locations and sets, befriended actors who I grew up watching, and do own a few movie props. However, none of that would be possible without Fright-Rags. Starting that company in 2003 was probably the most horror thing I’ve ever done!
What horror movie have you watched more than any other?
With absolute certainty, Halloween. It is my favorite film of all time.
What does 2021 look like for Fright-Rags?
We’ve got tons of releases for properties we already have, as well as a slew of new titles we picked up this year, some of which are more broad and not exactly horror. We are also working on items as we expand into new categories. Lots of cool stuff is coming!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
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