The Monster created by Monsters - The creation of Lester Jenkins

          We have always been afraid of the things that we do not know, and the things we cannot see... it is primitive in our youth, that what we fear, being the monsters that reside in the closets, or hide underneath our beds. Yet as we get older, and based on experiences, the monsters are not always what they seem to be. Sometimes, the monsters we create as people, unto others are the worse monsters to fear.
          Primative examples in cinema, going a LONG WAYS BACK, even showcase that infamous classic monsters that we know of, two personal favorites of mine, being Erik (The Phantom of the Opera) and Frankenstein's Monster - Both creature's victims of circumstance, one shunned away into solitude because of his distortion, his actions in return terrorize an Opera House. Another a Guinnea pig of science who had no say of being brought back to life, and AGAIN being rejected by many because of his monstrous form that no one understood, and the lack of his "creator" not wanting to be involved with his "experiment", now forced alone, never learned to love... but to hate...
         These along with many other characters helped influenced my first and very most complex Monster and creation: Lester Jenkins...


         It was my second year working and concluding afterwards with The Garges's Haunted Cornwalk of Horror, where this year, I portrayed Michael Myers as I had done for many years since I have started working my haunting career.
         When Lester was initially created, their really was never any plan on creating an original character, as far as I knew, next year I was going to be doing Michael Myers again and again and again, for years to come because that was a character I was used to playing as.
         The Year was 2007, and Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween was greatly anticipated and didn't do bad for the remake it was, so this year, like I try to do, keep up to date with the image of Michael Myers in whatever his recent film was or try to do an Old-school approach if that cannot be done. I had three different masks: The Michael Myers mask, that was styled after the remakes, I bought around 80 bucks on Ebay, before any massed produced retail masks were sold. A Pumpkin mask from the Asylum, and A Clown mask. The Clown mask being bought from Spirit Halloween, and what was quite hysterical about it, is that it was SUPPOSED to be an "original" knock off take of the Clown mask from the Halloween remake, and that there was this seller ON ebay, who would slightly paint the mask even thought the look was NO WHERE CLOSE as to what the mask in the film looked like, and charged 80 dollars for these masks- I PICKED UP 2 of them for around 25 bucks!!
           During that year, while I was doing Michael, I was changing between the masks, and when I felt a scare as Michael wasn't doing any justice, I had switched with the Clown mask and did a Clown characters with a maniacal laugh and head twitching which made a few people shit themselves as opposed to when I did Michael, and the reason being WHY that didn't work, as it had been for a few years, is that I was TALL ENOUGH to present that physical presence, and aside from a few shrieks, and the fact you are playing a character that does NOT speak but then some smartass has something negative to say, you cannot say ANYTHING BACK because YOU ARE MICHAEL MYERS....


        The season came and ended with the Haunting, and sometimes every once in a while, I always try and do some kind of photo sessions with costumes and try and make something work, and in this case, work with the Michael Costumes and masks... and doing these shots, there was this ONE image that stood out, of me, wearing a wig (supposed to be for Young Michael) The clown mask and wielding a machete, that something sparked and something original came from out of it, I didnt't know what it was about it I liked, but seeing that this was the mask that got in some great scares in during that season as opposed to being Michael, I took the ball and went with it, and although this character was nameless, I felt there could be something there.  

One of the first images of "Lester"

There was an interesting article that I had read awhile back in that the ORIGINAL Michael Myers mask, it would have been an Emmett Kelly mask, if it was not for the Kirk mask that came in and made movie history, and with a few exception Clown killer characters, I felt that I could go the distance and make this character a Clown character that marched to the tune of his own beat.

The name some people had thought was loosely based on an Internet meme, known as LEEROY JENKINS, a popular youtube video around that time, but the truth of the name, was that.... Lester... I dunno where is came from it just was one of THOSE Cliche names you could imagine having a killer named as, so that was practically a nod towards THOSE type of names, but JENKINS- There was a movie I had also watched when I was very little, an anthology movie that featured Sean Astin called THE WILLIES, similair as to the Creepshow movies but more cornier!! And there was this one story that featured this child who was bullied by both students, and ridiculed by his teacher... Mrs. Titmarsh.... and out of the cruel treatment he is recieving in school there is ONE PERSON who has his back. The Janitor, who as well in the end, was really a monster who picked off both the mean teacher AND the three "bad apples". His name- Mr. Jenkins
     So with that a name was given.

      Half way threw the year, this is where my introduction into costume weathering came into place, something that which I have never really done. It was on a Myspace group where someone gave me feedback that would help me, and he insisted the best way to make a character believable is to give his wardrobe a story in itself- That in which explains where he has been, and what he's been threw, and so THAT was another thing I had yet to tackle, not only what does he wear, but HOW did he get to that state and what his story actually was....
     Aside of all the stories I had looked over, some way overused, mine would probobly have been no different, was that he worked at this Haunt Attraction and thats where his monsterous urges started....
His attire was basically the Green shirt with a long sleeve underneath AND a pair of overalls, of course trail and error came into place with this being my first weathering and distressing and put in one too many cuts and stitches into the costume, some rips actually ended up causing OTHER rips that were never intended and henceforth-- TRAIL and Error...

A more modified attire for Lester, and prop testing

This would be the debut look of Lester nonethless, and during time, his appearance would change, between wig choices, what shirt he would wear, and inevitably a new mask and retire the first mask that although looked cool was barley being held together

Lester debuted in the fall of 2008 with the look he had above, and even during the course of those months, I had felt like there was something that never really looked right with his look and as each year went on there was ALWAYS something to changes as his look always changed, between different wigs, shirts, masks Weapons, giving Lester that definative look was not as easy as one could expect.

Above: Screen caps from a hidden camera from one of Lesters haunt Years
below: A concept idea with a new wigs and ripped button shirt

 Of course one thing that people have yet to really have grappled together, was Lester's whole backstory as to WHY he is the way he is...
     Without going into Lester's personal story details, what can be really said, as coming full circle, and going back to the beginning-- Monsters created by circumstance.... many backstories have been used over and over before, but not as much as the inoccent and tragic of ways.
     Consider someone going to school day in and day out, just to be tormented and teased, and then having this one bit of escape that makes him feel worthy... and for years he could hide behind a mask, and become someone, or something else... unfortunatelly it spirals out of control to were this person adapts to a second personality, and it controls and consumes... Jekyll and Hyde if you will ANOTHER classic that is a favorite of mine. and even when the good wants to control, it is far too late, for even him to go back, and it only leads to a climax where in the end, the once victim, becomes the monster and villain. in a very familiair fashion, such as Richie Cunningham from Christine- Meek from the beginning, and monster in the end.... THAT in a nutshell is the way to consider Lester, not exactly a continuity of what a story is, BUT that is exactly what is- a Victim who became a monster, circumstace to other monsters...

   As Lester continues to evolves, both backstory and physically, people have become intrigued with him and hopefully one day the character does have a recognition, if not a cult following of sorts

Lester Jenkins 2012