Last month while at San Diego Comic-Con, myself and a slew of other journalists had the chance to speak with writer/director/actor/comedian extraordinaire Bobcat Goldthwait about his new show, BOBCAT GOLDTHWAIT’S MISFITS AND MONSTERS. Going into the interview I was only familiar with the fact that the show was a scripted anthology series, so I decided to pick Mr. Goldthwait’s brain about the concept of MISFITS AND MONSTERS and he did not disappoint.

“It’s a singing competition show but it’s done with knives, everyone gets a knife,” Goldthwait says while laughing. “Actually, it’s an anthology series that’s similar in tone with the movies I’ve made where a lot of genres get smashed up. [For example], the first episode is a mashup of Cape Fear meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit. That’s what I like to do as a storyteller, I like to try and do genres that I haven’t had the chance to do. I’m a fan of genre so doing this show made perfect sense to me.”

What makes most anthology series so interesting to watch is that there is usually something enjoyable for everyone watching. Rumors had circulated that there was going to be a musical episode which Bobcat responded by saying, “There’s one with Bridgett Everett in there and it definitely has music and she sings. Style-wise and tonally it’s like an MGM musical but it’s all about the dangers of casual racism set in a Mermaid Park.” When asked if he feels pressure in creating a Universe based off of all different characters in the show, he stated: “Even though the series jumps around time-wise they kind of do live in whatever this world is, they definitely are in the same neighborhood.”

As a horror fan, I’ve appreciated how much love Bobcat has for the horror genre. My earliest memory of seeing Bobcat on the big screen was in one of my favorite Christmas movies, Scrooged(1988), which was then followed by Freaked (1993) and of course, the horror anthology, Tales From the Crypt. When asked if Tales From the Crypt inspired MISFITS AND MONSTERS, Bobcat responded saying, “No, this sprung out from truly realizing that I wasn’t going to be able to tell all the stories I wished I could in long form. I loved doing ‘Tales From the Crypt‘, it was Frank Darabont (The Walking Dead) who wrote the script and Richard Donner who was the director and a bigger than life personality.” He then reminisced, with laughter, about how Richard Donner taught him all he needed to know about directing. “[Richard Donner] was like, ‘Kid, do you want to know how to direct?’ and I said yes and he took me to his trailer and I thought to myself, ‘Wow, Richard Donner is going to teach me how to direct’. He then threw a pillow at me and said ‘Take a lot of naps!’ and so I took a nap in his EZ Boy while he laid down. I told him that story recently and he goes ‘It’s true!’ and I told him that I’ve never been able to lay down during filming, my movies only make hundreds of dollars.”

Seguing back to horror, Bobcat had a lot to say in regards to how the horror genre is perceived. “I think horror and comedy are the same animal, [in the sense that] you create a misdirect and then hit the audience with a punchline or the scare. I don’t think one genre is better than the other, I don’t think drama or comedy is any better than horror, I think horror is very valid. For example, Get Out was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time, so I think it’s how you approach the genre and mix it up to put your own spin on it.

One of my favorite films from Bobcat Goldthwait is his 2013 Bigfoot film, Willow Creek. With a show titled MISFITS AND MONSTERS, I was dying to know if we would be seeing some cryptozoological creatures come to life and if there was a specific mythical legend that he would love to tackle. “If I keep making [the show] there’s certainly a lot more characters that I would love to do, like a Sea Serpent one; but, there’s also lesser known characters that I would love to explore, be it the Mothman or Canadian Bigfoot.” He continued by saying, “I wait to do all these different things when I can do them justice. There has been a musical that I have been working on for years with Ray Davies of The Kinks and I’ve always been hesitant until I could get enough money to do it right. It would be terrible if the lead singer in a Kink’s musical sounded like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, ya know?”

This lead to the question of what, exactly, scares Bobcat? Well, the answer would be Sea Serpents and serial killers. “For some reason, I was frightened of sea serpents which made no sense [except] that I grew up where there was a lot of lakes. I would say, truly, what scared me was serial killers,” Bobcat says while laughing. “My dad took us camping when this serial killer broke out and was running around the Adirondacks. During this time my dad said, ‘Let’s go to the Adirondacks’, so I was convinced that this killer, named Robert Garrow, was going to kill me when I was in the outhouse. It was not one of my dad’s smartest moves but he’s like, ‘Well, we paid for the cabin, so we’re going.”

If you are a fan of Bobcat, you’re probably wondering what to expect from his new anthology series. When asked if viewers will see characters crossing over from previous episodes, Bobcat stated, “Not characters, but you’ll see Easter Eggs in most episodes that allude to the other episodes. There is one episode in particular where a character ends up at a convention called Conspira-Con, which becomes a little wink to all the other episodes.” When asked if there is anything in the show in which he would like to pay homage to, he divulged that there wasn’t anything in particular but hinted at an episode directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver), as well as another episode which is a big nod to Tex Avery’s animation.

To say it was an honor to speak with Bobcat would be an understatement, and if anything, it has made me even more excited about his series. If you missed the premiere of MISFITS AND MONSTERS, have no fear, has the show will be available to watch on TruTV. With suspenseful stories that bring about nostalgia and modern satire, with special guests ranging from Dave Foley, Seth Green, Melissa Joan Hart, and many more, this is one show you won’t want to miss. Check out MISFITS AND MONSTERS each Wednesday at 10pm ET/PT on TruTV and be on the lookout for our full review of the series coming soon.

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Shannon McGrew

Founder/Co-Owner at Nightmarish Conjurings

Shannon is the Founder of Nightmarish Conjurings and a lover of all things horror and haunt related. When she's not obsessively collecting all things "Trick 'R Treat" related, or trying to convince everyone that "Hereditary" is one of the greatest horror films ever made, you can find her designing interiors for commercial restaurants. An avid haunt fan, Shannon spends the entire year visiting haunts and immersive experiences throughout the Southern California area and hopes to one day design her own haunted attraction.

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