Interviews
[Interview] Candy Coated Designs with Aaron Crawford of Cavity Colors
Cavity Colors is a brand that most horror fans are fully aware of. Their style is bright, poppy, and fun. Ran by lead designer, Aaron Crawford, and fellow designer/co-owner, Ricki Kelly, the two have carved out a name for themselves by daring to be a bit different. I was able to catch up with Aaron this past weekend at my very first horror convention, Days of the Dead in Atlanta.
While there, I had an absolute blast. My mind was blown. I never thought I’d be in the same room with legends like Tom Savini and Bill Moseley. I got to meet writer/director Darren Lynn Bousman (Repo! The Genetic Opera, Saw 2 – 4, Abbatoir) who is seriously the nicest friggin’ guy. I was also awash by the “horror fan uniform”: black jeans, black t-shirt…preferably with a horror title on the front.
I snapped up quite a few of these shirts myself to wear as badges of horror-nerdom pride. They were being sold by practically every other vendor along the convention floor. However, there was one booth that stood out among the sea of black on black on black. That booth, naturally, belonged to Cavity Colors.
While in fact most of their shirts were…ya know, black – It was the designs that really popped. Bright, primary colors with splashes of neon. If you’re wearing a design by Cavity Colors, you’re sure to stand out in a crowd. Aaron Crawford was nice enough to take a moment out from his busy booth to chat it up with me.
BLOODY DISGUSTING (BD): When did you start the company?
AARON CRAWFORD (AC): About four years ago. I was doing a lot of metal band t-shirts for years. I kind of got burnt out on that and decided to basically take all my own art that I’d accumulated over the years and release on my own. That’s where Cavity Colors was born.
BD: What can you tell me about the name, Cavity Colors?
AC: Um, it’s kind of a weird one. I heard some people talking about my paintings in a gallery show one day saying how it looked “sweet like candy…almost like cavities.” I don’t know, that kind of bounced around in my head, and that’s where the name came from. Just one of those weird ideas…you hear something and you just keep thinking about it over and over again. It fits with the colors…
BD: Yeah, they’re very vibrant. As far as licensing, how do you go about choosing the films for your designs?
AC: A lot of times it’s things that I love. You know, a lot of movies I love and respect and grew up watching. We’ll approach a studio, and we’ll pitch an idea for what we want to do, whether it’s a candle, t-shirts, pins. We’ll also do some that are limited and time released. We try and bounce around to do a lot of different stuff.
BD: So, is there a film that you really want to get your hands on that you haven’t been able to?
AC: Yeah, we actually recently signed a licensing deal for Nightbreed. That was one that I really wanted to do. The other would be Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But, you know, you have Fright Rags doing an amazing job with that, so…how do you top that? I would say, for us, that’s a dream license.
BD: Anything coming down the pipeline we should know about?
AC: Yeah, we’ve got a lot of stuff lined up. There’s the Nightbreed collection. We’re doing officially licensed Rob Zombie pins, Evil Dead 2 collection for the 30th anniversary, TerrorVision, Bride of Re-Animator. So, yeah, we’ve got a lot of good stuff coming in 2017, and hopefully, in next year as well.
There you have it. Our chat was a brief one as a line of fans hungry for something on the colorful side was already forming at their booth. Personally, I was looking to purchase one of the awesome “SHOCKWAVES” Podcast t-shirts featuring the logo designed by none other than Cavity Colors, of course. While they didn’t have any in stock (if you’re XS or 4X they’ve got them online), Aaron did promise a second pressing is on the way.
Be on the lookout for that, the upcoming Nightbreed collection, Evil Dead 2, and more via the Cavity Color’s website right here! Also, follow them along on Twitter @CAVITYCOLORS!
Aaron Crawford (left) and Ricki Kelly (right) of Cavity Colors from their booth at Days of the Dead Atlanta 2017
As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
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