This week, we're embarking on a bit of a side quest. EFFECTS isn’t a George Romero film, but it comes straight out of the Pittsburgh horror scene he helped shape. Directed by Dusty Nelson and made on a shoestring budget in the late ’70s, EFFECTS was the brainchild of a group of Romero collaborators honing their craft between bigger projects.
Among those involved: longtime Romero editor Pasquale Buba, composer and actor John Harrison, and, of course, makeup effects legend Tom Savini—who not only provided the gore but also starred in the film.
Long considered a lost film and a whispered legend among horror fans, EFFECTS was rediscovered decades later and restored for modern audiences thanks to Synapse Films and AGFA. In this episode, we dig into how the film came together, what makes it such a unique piece of regional horror, and how it fits into the broader legacy of Romero’s creative circle.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne & Justin Bishop, with special thanks to Todd Davis.
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