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| Capturing the Nightmares of Childhood |
| Joshua Hoffine's horror photography makes the viewer want to hide under the blankets |
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Justin Cavell Biggar (cavell)  |
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Published 2008-05-23 16:12 (KST) |
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 |  | |  "After Dark, My Sweet" | | | ©2008 Joshua Hoffine | A young girl warily descends a staircase into a dark basement, unaware that lurking in the shadows is a ghoulish figure with sharp teeth and eyes glowing with evil intent.
Welcome to the dark world of "horror photographer" Joshua Hoffine, where behind every half opened door and under every bed lurks a childhood nightmare.
Hoffine's photographs create a hyper-realistic world where our darkest childhood fears are played out in technicolour. Featuring snarling wolves, assorted ghouls and that horror staple the creepy clown, Hoffine's portfolio is a potent mix of Brothers Grimm fairytale and Walt Disney on acid.
The images capture the best parts of horror films, the dramatic point in the movie where the bad guy is about to pounce, your heart is in your throat and you are screaming at the person on screen to run for their life.
Hoffine began his artistic career in illustration and writing with his interest in photography coming later in life.
"I started making photographs shortly after graduating from college with a degree in English literature," said Hoffine, in an email interview. "I became obsessed with photography and stopped painting and writing in order to focus on my new medium."
Hoffine describes always having a love for the horror genre but it only was after reading a short Kenneth Patchen poem that he was inspired to develop his unmistakeable blend of horror and childhood anxiety.
"I happened to read a poem by Kenneth Patchen that changed my direction and got me thinking about how horror films are like modern fairy tales."
The poem reads:Come now, my child
If we were planning to harm you,
Do you think we'd be lurking here,
Beside the path,
In the very darkest part of the forest? "Looking back now, this was a turning point in my development as an artist. I wanted to make photographs that felt like this poem."
Where adults see shadows, children see monsters. So too does Hoffine, who still possesses a kid like appreciation of how scary the world can be, where the only safe place left is under the blankets. The photographer refuses to leave his childhood behind, a grown up Peter Pan who prefers Tex Avery cartoons to more adult pursuits.
"The only thing I liked as much as scary movies were cartoons. Even in college, I got all the guys who lived on my dorm wing to watch Tex Avery cartoons every night for an hour on TV before dinner. All the girls were convinced we were watching porn."
In Hoffine's work the viewer can catch glimpses of Terry Gilliam, music video director Chris Cunningham and of course the Brothers Grimm. From his artistic beginnings as a teenage illustrator, his work has always contained a dark undercurrent.
"My work as a teenager was filled with horrific imagery," he said.
|  | | | "Face," Hoffine's latest image of horror | | | ©2008 Joshua Hoffine | Not for Hoffine is the unvarnished realism of fly on the wall photographers, rather he is the David Lachapelle of horror. His images are glossy, with high production values, their creation evolving over long periods of time.
"Getting the concept down is the first part. Years can pass before an idea goes into actual production," said Hoffine. "Pre-production is typically about two weeks. This involves preparing the set, props, and make-up effects, as well as enlisting the people I'll need as actors and, sometimes, crew. Lighting can take hours."
The only thing that moves quickly is the shooting process, explained by Hoffine's use of tiny actors. "Shooting goes very quickly. I'm used to shooting small children, who can only concentrate for a limited time - so I hustle during that part."
Hoffine's two young daughters, Shiva and Chloe feature in much of his work in a nod to the prevalence of the plucky little girl hero in the fairy tale genre.
"I prefer using a little girl, as opposed to a little boy, because of the allusion to classic fairy tale figures, like Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, Alice in Wonderland, and Dorothy in Oz. My girls get that, and act it out like it's a game of dress-up."
Hoffine is currently working on his next project, the second volume in the After Dark, My Sweet series.
"These ideas are much more ambitious than the first set, which was shot in 2003 and 2004," he said. "My budgets will be much higher, the sets and monsters more grand, and I expect the production process to take more time, but I also have a larger and more seasoned crew than before, so I think we'll keep a good pace."
To gain a further glimpse into the mind of Joshua Hoffine head over to his Web site at joshuahoffine.com. Just make sure the lights are on.
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©2008 OhmyNews
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