Comments on: Ray Dennis Steckler, 1939-2009

Ray Dennis Steckler, 1939-2009

Chinese Jet Pilot — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:53:00 -0800

Here's to Ray Dennis Steckler, the independent filmmaker who wrote, starred (as Cash Flagg) and directed influential films including The Thrill Killers, Rat Pfink a Boo Boo, and his masterpice The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies. A visionary artist whose influnce is clearly seen in contemporary cinema, Steckler was prolific (producing movies from 1963 until last year), economical (his films were self-produced, shot on 16mm film and later Hi-8 video), and brilliant (as clearly evidenced in this dance sequence from Creatures, "The First Monster Musical"). It hasn't been widely reported yet, but fans are mourning his passing. He died in his sleep yesterday, January 7th, aged 70.

I hesitated to post about a death without an obituary to link to (especially since I posted another obituary 24 hours ago), but Ray Dennis Steckler was an important creative influence in my life. I saw Rat Pfink a Boo Boo as a film student, but not at school; my professors were only interested in "serious" cinema like Casablanca and similar crap. It was a revelation. I saw clear artistic vision and high production values in spite of miniscule budgets and volunteer crews. My first e-commerce purchase on the World Wide Web, probably in 1996 and with much trepidation, was a VHS copy of Rat Pfink a Boo Boo from Sinister Cinema. I still keep a VCR hooked up so that I can watch it. On our second date, I took my future wife to a screening of The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies at the old UC Theater in Berkeley, CA. They screened it in Terrorama -- costumed actors (actually the cast for that evening's showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show) "terrorized" the audience by shrieking and running through the aisles. It made an impression on her. I highly recommend Steckler's films to anyone with an eye for cinema. I mourn his passing. Disclaimer: The YouTube link to the Creatures dance sequence is a self-reference. I posted that clip a few years ago.

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:01:52 -0800

Oh, no! What a bad day for weird movie people. :-( .

By: crapmatic

crapmatic — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:10:06 -0800

An autographed Cash Flagg tape of Incredibly Strange Creatures is one of my very few possessions with any claim to fame. It worked its way to the bottom of a jumble of old tapes and I'm going to rescue it right now. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie when it appeared on MST3K. I can't put my finger on why the film was memorable. It was murky and cheap but somehow it pushed the right buttons and made an impression.

By: jonp72

jonp72 — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:11:33 -0800

For providing a name for the Incredibly Strange ethos in film and music, he certainly influenced a lot of my aesthetics, but I still like the guy anyway. .

By: jtron

jtron — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:15:37 -0800

By: the dief

the dief — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:15:47 -0800

Anyone who was in a MST3K movie deserves a . So, I . . like the wind.

By: joelf

joelf — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:19:48 -0800

you forgot the !!? after the The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies Also, I am saddened by this loss

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:23:13 -0800

Aww, man. .

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:31:27 -0800

And let me add something. Artists like Steckler did more with pennies than Hollywood today today with tens of millions. The budget for a typical Steckler film probably is the same as the budget for the coke spoons for a typical film. We should be thankful that people like him exist - he's certainly an inspiration to my work, even though I haven't yet made a movie (but I've done all sorts of other low budget art fun things).

By: lapolla

lapolla — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:48:15 -0800

he is not dead. he lives on in every dark glimmering heart of movie maniacs; his soul flickering across the surfaces of corneas and psyches scarred by the brilliance of his fiendishly bloody, brilliant cinema.

By: queensissy

queensissy — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:16:33 -0800

Jeebus. This has been a bad week for my clients. First Ron Asheton, now RDS. Rest in peace, you maniacs.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:26:19 -0800

He set a standard. And I don't mean that as a joke.

By: K.P.

K.P. — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:44:49 -0800

Trivia: he also produced a music video for "Big Red Balloon" (covered) by Spell (Boyd Rice & Rose McDowall) that was never properly released.

By: jettloe

jettloe — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:17:27 -0800

First Wilkins, now Steckler. Jeez. Thanks for the post Chinese Jet Pilot - and for the mention of the old UC Theater - it was a real refuge for me - I practically used to live there!

By: MythMaker

MythMaker — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:37:41 -0800

By: JHarris

JHarris — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:15:39 -0800

TISCWSLABMUZ is not what I'd call a very good movie, but it was his movie. (And it gave MST fans the character of Ortega, a.k.a. Torgo 2.0.) .

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:55:41 -0800

By: El Brendano

El Brendano — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:22:00 -0800

By: JoanArkham

JoanArkham — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:35:42 -0800

By: SansPoint

SansPoint — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:10:12 -0800

Ortega drops ash in Mr. Steckler's honor. .

By: SPUTNIK

SPUTNIK — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:27:49 -0800

I don't want to live in a world without Cash Flagg. . you magnificent maniac.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:53:31 -0800

rest easy you feelthy peeg. .

By: Heminator

Heminator — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:11:47 -0800

Turner Classic Movies actually showed Rat Pfink a Boo Boo last year. I DVR'd it on a whim. It was so, so strange. Yet, oddly compelling and authentic. .

By: Snyder

Snyder — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:33:39 -0800

By: Chinese Jet Pilot

Chinese Jet Pilot — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:32:16 -0800

Here's a nice narrative from Arch Hall, Jr. reminiscing about the last time he saw Steckler.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:56:02 -0800

huh, Arch's face eventually took on human form. Good for him.

By: mike3k

mike3k — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:20:07 -0800

. Steckler is the guy who got thrown in the pool in "Eegah".