This classy horror host has a show local to Clevelanders and all over YouTube my new interviewee is Janet Jay AKA Janet Decay or The Mummy from The Mummy and The Monkey Show.  She is re-opening her thrift store again, and bringing new episodes of her show back soon, I wanted to show people what she is all about, at least I tried my best.  If you've gone to any conventions around you've probably seen her a time or two.  I had the pleasure of getting to interview her for my blog the were her ten questions:

    

     Steve (S):  #1  How did you come up with the mummy and the monkey idea?

     Janet Jay (JJ):  Well it was a collaboration, a monster mash up of sorts. James Harmon AKA Grimm Gorri had his own show on cable public access and for a short time(2013-2014) my character Janet Decay hosted The Daughter Of The Ghoul Show on cable public access in Northeast Ohio for DMK Productions. There was no ghoul relation, many people ask about that.

 Grimm Gorri and Janet Decay were doing a Halloween appearance and giving out candy to kids and we heard children shouting "Mummy!", "Monkey!". We even have it on video and several months later after The Daughter Of The Ghoul was cancelled we decided to name our show ,The Mummy And The Monkey. Since then we have two seasons and several holiday specials and our characters have evolved into our brand.

     S:  #2  Any films you've acted in worth mentioning so the readers can look up your work?

     JJ:  Ha ha yes! One cult film that is fun to watch and a tip of the hat to the 1950's sci-fi flicks is "Revenge of the Spacemen".

Recently it was picked up by Troma for distribution and It's a great feeling to say that I'm officially a Troma Scream Queen.

Another one that has had a  cult following is Easter Casket about a killer Easter Bunny. This film is more adult and may be offensive to some, but has that fun cheesy Troma feel.

I've worked on several straight to video flicks for RAK Films and those guys are always great to work with.

There's other projects in the works, but too soon to announce anything.

     S:  Sounds great I will need to look those two up and see what RAK films has to offer.

     S:  #3  Horror Conventions seems to be a great passion of yours, how many are on tap for 2017?

     JJ:  These conventions keep growing like weeds and we always attend at least 4-5 per year. We'd like to be guests at more shows this year and possibly travel more. We've also attended comic cons and anime shows since many of these fans cross over into the horror genre's. We love our fans and our convention families!

     S:  Sounds like your laying the groundwork for greatness, I have seen you and Grimm Gorri at a few.

     S:   #4  Name your favorite horror film?

     JJ:  EVERYONE asks me this and it's super tough to just pick one, Like a certain potato chip, you can't watch just one.

One of my fave 1970's gore movies is the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

As for classic universal flicks I have to say Dracula, because well, Bela Lugosi was awesome.

As for Mummy and Monkey movies there's the Original King Kong, and the Hammer Mummy movies I favor more so than Universal's The Mummy, and The New Mummy movie looks crappie.

     S:  I grew up with Hammer horror films and Universal so I am impartial there but new Mummy does look crappy otherwise I prefer Boris Karloff's Mummy films but original Dracula was meant for the menacing Bela Lugosi.

     S:  #5  Your TV show has a great following is there anyway fans outside of Cleveland can watch it?

     JJ:  Oh my, of corpse! We are on the biggest channel of them all....THE INTERNET! It drives us bananas when people ask what channel we are on.

We're on YouTube, and Roku channels so you can pretty much watch us anywhere, anytime on anything.

     S; Great people get out and enjoy watching new horror hosts as we used to watch the classic ones of a bygone era.

     S:  #6  Did you have any formal training in school or college?

     JJ:  My partner in crime, Grimm Gorri went to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and I took community college courses for art and linguistics.

We've both had our art displayed at shows and galleries. As for learning video and editing we learn as we go through trail and error and we learn what not to do from seeing other movie's and shows. We try to be creative and fun while being on a low budget.

     S:  That seems to be the consensus college is for the rich (unless talented) and everyone loves to be set ablaze with a trial by fire way to go.

     S:  #7  How long have you been the Mummy and when did Monkey (James) join in or has it always been a tandem project?

     JJ:  My mummy character started in 2010 when I was putting together a costume for a charity zombie walk. Everyone was being a zombie and I wanted to be undead, yet a little different. In 2012 I gave my mummy a name. When I'm an actress in independent movies I'm Janet Jay, so Janet Decay was the undead extension of myself I suppose. She has a whole back story of being a silent film actress that was mummified from a cursed movie prop and she wakes up about a hundred years later to become a horror hostess.Originally she was more dark and sinister, but Decay evolved into being a perky goth monster girl sort of like The Munsters show, funny,goofy, yet cute and undead.

As for James, He's always loved King Kong,ape-like monsters and TV horror hosts. So this fueled and inspired him to create Grimm Gorri, The flatulent fun loving monkey man  and co-host for our show.

     S:  It's great that you put so much thought behind your character, even a back story which is awesome someone should write a script for that and starring you.

     S:  #8  What do most people not know about you but should?

     JJ:  Tough question, there's a lot I keep private. One thing is, it's very difficult for me to relax. I'm always working on something and keeping busy. Even when watching a movie I could be mending my costume or doing arts and crafts with James. When we go out we usually bring a note pad to jot down show ideas or have a "to do " list handy. I've lost some friends the past few years who were artists that I know had unfinished projects that were left when they passed.

     S: I do the same with note pad always be ready when ideas strike, I enjoy my relax time it don't happen often so must take advantage of it, but I do understand always being busy.

     S:  #9  What was your first recollection of being introduced into horror?

     JJ:  Watching Universal monster movies on AMC in the 1980's and 1990's. On channel 8 my little brother and I watched Big Chuck And Lil' John.

James also grew up watching our local late night TV horror hosts. In the 1980's we had Super Host, Frank and Drac, Big Chuck and Lil' John, The Ghoul, Elvira depending if you had cable, oh and The Crypt Keeper!

     S:  I never had cable growing up, but I remember Super Host, and Big Chuck and Hoolihan was right before Lil' John joined him, days of yesteryear sigh.......

     S: #10  Who in the horror community (famous, fictional, or not) is your biggest influence?

     JJ:  Vampira for me. She was the first TV Horror Hostess that made it big and still has a following to this day. Wish I could have met her.

For James and I Big Chuck and Lil' John are a HUGE influence on us. If you are from Northeast Ohio  these guys are known as local TV legends.

    

     S: Big Chuck and Lil' John were hilarious and had the best skits, I never heard of Vampira till I got older and my dad (I believe) had a huge crush on Elvira.

Also big shout outs to all those great B movie directors that make horror hosting enjoyable.

Janet thanks for taking time out of your busy life to make my blog enjoyable, she can be seen in person at nerd (utmost respect I am one) conventions all over Ohio and hopefully expanding outside to other states soon.  She and James own and operate a thrift, antique, and collectables thrift store in Cleveland, so if your in town check them out and show some love.  And as always SUPPORT INDIE FILMMAKERS