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Chiodo Entertainment
by: Kathy Marcrum
If you know Mario Chiodo (kee-oh-do), you know him as the creator
of masks and displays for Illusive Concepts. Year after year Illusive Concepts
has endeavored to create some of the best in Halloween items. In 1998, they
released the Bondage Vampire mask. Voted one of the top 10 masks of the year,
rings, rope, and massive horns brought the art of mask making to a whole new
level of demonic vanity. He also created the sought after Limited Edition
Yoda Collectible and the 7-foot tall Han Solo in Carbonite piece.
1999 marked a new era for Mario, as Chiodo Entertainment forays into two new realms.
The first is a line of deluxe Halloween Specialty items for Haunted Attractions
and retail displays. Not your average, run-of-the-mill skulls and knickknacks,
Mario saw the industry's need for higher quality props at a reasonable price.
Chiodo Entertainment introduced their new Halloween Specialty Line at
Transworld in Chicago last March. The Grim Reaper Pillars attracted a
great deal of attention on the show as did the Crimson Dragon, with
17-foot wingspan and the demonic, winged Jungle Chimps perched on
8-foot tall Ice Pillars.
The second new arena for the Chiodo studio is the creating of scenic
art and sculpted elements. Being used in buildings and venues of all
stripes and spikes, such as haunted attractions, amusement parks, malls,
theme restaurants and even casinos. The casino industry has a lot of
capital to spend on visual fantasy, and Chiodo is using its Halloween
expertise to put the same amount of care and scare into bigger projects.
One project called the Greenbacks© is a sculpted couple displayed
at Harrah's in Las Vegas. Covered in rhinestones and overflowing
with cash, the sculpture exudes the affluent image that the casinos wish
to project. In the Reserve Casino, "The Pilot" appears to be floating down
into the restaurant by parachute, with a menu in one hand and a steaming
coffee cup in the other.
One of their current projects is a piece of work entitled "Jazz Court."
It will be the featured architectural/sculpted element for Harrah's
in New Orleans, which is scheduled to open in October of 1999.
In three-dimensional life-sized representation, it tells the tale
of New Orleans' musical history. Each of the 13 panels refers to
a specific period of musical history, with period clothing and
instruments. Each one of the 90 plus figures has an individually
sculpted and cast head, and the total length of the Jazz Court
is over 250 feet.
To make room for all of these large-scale projects, Chiodo recently
relocated to a 50,000 square foot studio in Oakland, California.
A recent visit to the studio to have a look at the birthplace of
these ghostly, ghastly, and artistic creations netted many rewards.
New sculpting, mold making, casting, fabrication, and painting areas
were all in place, ready to create a whole new generation of creeps
and creations. There is not an single area in the shop that does not
contain a current work-in-progress. The spooky ambiance, complete with
alley cats and creepy, squeaky doors is a great setting in which to make
nightmares come alive. Plus, the building talks. No one's quite sure
where all the noise comes from after the sun goes down. The fabricators
blame it on metal cooling at night, the painters attribute it to the
ventilation system, the mold makers say that the heavy molds cause the
shelves to make the noises. But the sculptors say it is ghosts…
One thing that strikes you when you visit Chiodo Entertainment's
studios is the incredible amount of detail put into each creation,
from the smallest tabletop item to the 25' wide Ice and Horror World.
The nuances of skin texture, a facial expression, the drip of an icicle,
are all testaments to the level of craftsmanship and dedication by the
Chiodo artisans.
Amid all the scenic display, masks, and clay; among the plaster,
unidentifiable things, molds, and, er, mess, the one thing we could
not find at Chiodo Entertainment was a stale design. Nearly everyone
working in the studio is young, full of new frights, fresh designs
and innovative ideas not seen anywhere else.
Chiodo Entertainment has recently acquired the licenses to recreate
the likeness of four icons of Horror entertainment: Elvira, Mistress
of the Dark™, The Crypt Keeper of Tales from the Crypt fame, Boris Karloff
as Frankenstein, and Bela Lugosi as Dracula. The designers have been
hitting the drawing boards full time to take advantage of these
opportunities. I for one cannot wait for to see the results of these
projects. Based upon their past work, I am sure that we will all be impressed.
Kathy Marcrum is owner of Dragon's Head Inn, a not for profit
attraction in Sonoma California. She can be reached at
mmarcrum@ix.netcom.com
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