Bill Oberst Jr. is drooling all over Amazon. The actor’s slurpy face on a bestselling Halloween tee shirt on the e-commerce giant’s USA, UK, Germany, Italy and Japan marketplaces is the first in a series of branded horror products being developed by the Emmy Award and Lon Chaney Award-winner, whose cadaverous body, hoarse voice and scarred face have fueled a bloodsoaked career in horror audio, film and TV projects.
Oberst says the shot on the new Trick Or Treat tee is by Los Angeles photographer Michael Helms. “Michael is the best in LA; he’s shot me for years” says Oberst “He calls up one day wanting to play with some iconic Hollywood character types. So I’m in his studio and he says ‘Backwoods Killer!’ Well, I started thinking of lines like ‘Looks like ya’ll gonna be here for the night’ and boy, that drool just started flowing.”
It’s not the first time Oberst has has slung super-saliva power at a camera; in Billy Pon’s feature CIRCUS OF THE DEAD the actor memorably slicks up Chanel Ryan’s bedroom window glass, spewing spittle while enjoying the view; the mouth prosthetics that makeup artist Christopher Allen Nelson designed for Bill’s CRIMINAL MINDS character made Oberst so drooly that a production assistant was on standby with a spit cup; and the actor’s lead turn in Adrian Corona’s arthouse horror film DIS features a truly wet and nasty mandrake-munching scene.
“I think drool looks great on camera” says Oberst “and I’m proud to have it all over this shirt. I only wish it was in virtual 3D!” Oberst says his next set of branded official products for Amazon will include a CIRCUS OF THE DEAD diorama, custom horror dolls and the return of The Bill Oberst Jr. Severed Ear. “I promise not to drool onto any of those before shipping” he says “unless the customer asks.”
The Shirt: https://www.amazon.com/Bill-Oberst-Jr-Halloween-T-Shirt/dp/B08GC9CXG1
Bill’s Site: https://www.billoberst.com