I’ve teamed up with director Mark Borchardt to create some official
figures for the 20th anniversary of his short film Coven. With a simple sculpt
cast in resin and a black cloth cloak, these mysterious hooded figures are
mounted on a VHS-style cardback autographed by Borchardt himself (see pics
below).
Mark’s 1997 short film Coven
was highlighted in the documentary American Movie. Since then, he’s gained
cult status, with VHS copies of Coven becoming extremely collectable. Working
with Mark on this project was really fun, and he was enthusiastic about these
figures from the start.
Anyone familiar with Coven
knows the guerrilla-style approach Borchardt took to make it, which involved
him handling basically every aspect of the production on his own. These Coven
figures definitely capture that same DIY spirit. Not only was it designed
(along with the card art) and sculpted on my own, every single one was molded,
cast, painted, clothed, and packaged entirely by myself. Death by Toys is
literally a one-man operation with no factories or assembly lines.
This run is limited to 100 figures with 75 of them
being up for sale in the Death by Toys online store. The other 25 are being saved
for various toy dealers so they can be available at some conventions and
boutique toy shops (I also want a few for myself).
I debated making a figure of Borchardt himself, but the
fine details involved with it didn’t feel right against the simple aesthetic of
the VHS-style cardback. So I opted for the black hooded coven members with an
extremely simple sculpt and single color design.
This is a non-articulated piece that is truly meant to be
displayed in its entirety, cardback and all. So stop reading this and GO BUY ONE.
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