FAVOURITE SFX SEQUENCES AND DESIGNS

Horrorphile

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FAVOURITE SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKE-UP SEQUENCES AND DESIGNS

September 20th 2010 02:17

Tom Savini, one of my nightmare heroes, was in Sydney over the weekend as a keynote speaker at the IMATS (International Make-up Artist Trade Show). Unfortunately I wasn’t aware of this until it was too late. I’m slutted I missed the opportunity to hear him talk about his craft. C’est la vie, I suppose. I wonder who they’ll bring out next year … Rob Bottin, per chance.

Tom Savini

So it got me thinking about my favourite special effects make-up movie sequences. The real shit, none of this CGI crap. The real horror magic is effects work that is done in front of the camera, not in post. But there are so many to choose from; some brief, some long, some in dim light and shadows, others under bright light and in your face. There are the graphic gore sequences and there are fantastical transformation sequences. There are alien and monster designs and there’s zombie and ghoul designs. Where does one draw the line?

So I decided to break the selection into two lists: Top Five Favourite Gore Sequences and Top Five Favourite Creature Designs. There are, of course, numerous movies I haven’t seen that supposedly feature spectacular/convincing special effects make-up work. Just because a movie is outrageously gory doesn’t mean it’s necessarily an effective horror movie. The gore has to be well directed, which involves the right lighting and editing. And the same goes for a memorable creature design. It’s not just the look of the creature; it’s the performance under the prosthetics that makes all the difference.

Top Five Favourite Gore Sequences (in no particular order):

Day of the Dead (1985)
Artist: Tom Savini
George Romero’s zombie masterpiece has too many awesome sequences to mention! A young Greg Nicotero cut his teeth working on Savini’s team (and it’s his animatronic severed head that features briefly in Logan’s lab!). The stand-out moments are the severing of Miguel’s arm, the zombie gut spill, Rickles’ brow tearing, and, of course, Rhodes’ torso severing.

Re-Animator (1985)
Artist: No single creator, instead several crew: Everett Burell, Anthony Doublin, John Naulin, Gerald Quist, and – uncredited - John Carl Buechler and Drex Reed.
Stuart Gordon wisely chose to release his outrageous Lovecraft comedy without the approval of the MPAA. Herbert West’s hospital struggle with a naked undead and the effective use of a large powered cranial screw is an 80s gore highlight.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986)
Artist: Tom Savini
Unfortunately much of Savini’s work was forced to be cut out by the Draconian MPAA. However L.G. as a skinned victim and Stretch having to wear his face as a mask is forever memorable, plus the deleted scene of Leatherface slicing his chainsaw right through the side of an arrogant yuppie’s face. Yeah!

Intruder (1986)
Artist: KNB EFX Group
This was early work for Greg, Robert and Howard on Scott Spiegel’s low-budget slasher spoof. The stand alone moment is the industrial buzzsaw slowly hacking right through the side of the guy’s face and head as he’s held in place. A true goregasm.

The Evil Dead (1982)
Artist: Tom Sullivan
Although this movie is filled with eye-poppingly inventive gore effects, including graphic dismemberment, it is a small moment early in the movie that will forever be etched in my mind: that ghastly plunge and twist of the pencil into the soft flesh behind the ankle! At the cinema when I first saw this movie the entire audience collectively winced out loud.

Special mention must go firstly to Julien Zenier's short film Snip. And a second mention to Richard Taylor’s work on Braindead (1991). I worked on the movie, so it’s hard to separate myself from it, plus its such an over-the-top splatstick comedy that the gore doesn’t come across as that nightmarish, but it’s still very, very impressive, considering the movie’s small budget. The most horrific memory from working on the movie was looking through the crime scene forensic book the special effects team had as their “bible”. Truly disturbing.

Top Five Favourite Creature Designs (in no particular order):

The Thing (1982)
Artist: Rob Bottin
John Carpenter’s sf-nightmare masterpiece features several stunning sequences, chiefly the awesomely grotesque transformation of Norris, and the bloody transformation of Palmer following the blood test. Bottin was only 21 when he starting working on The Thing (and at the end was hospitalised due to severe exhaustion!)

Alien (1979)
Artist: H. R. Giger
Giger’s brilliant design work was animatronically realised and executed on set by Italian SFX whiz Carlo Rambaldi. For the close-up detail of that terrifying dual jaw the careful use of the slime/saliva gave the star beast that extra hideous realism. A seven-foot tall mime artist in a suit played the alien in full humanoid form. The face-hugger is also an absolute marvel.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Artist: Rick Baker
Having already provided impressive primate work on the Planet of the Apes TV series, plus suitably gloopy B-movie gore for The Incredible Melting Man (1977) Baker was given ample creative freedom and money to complete arguably his crowning achievement: lycanthrope-infected David’s living room submission to the full moon.

The Howling (1981)
Artist: Rob Bottin
Having begun work as a protégé for Rick Baker on An American Werewolf in London Bottin was then headhunted by Joe Dante to create the excellent effects for the other great werewolf flick, The Howling, which was released (much to Baker’s chagrin) before American Werewolf. Eddie Quest’s “Let me give you a piece of my mind” transformation, and the earlier reverse transformation of a werewolf’s severed paw into a human arm are superbly handled.

Legend (1985)
Artist: Rob Bottin
The movie polarised audiences; being caught somewhere between a cute adolescent fairy tale and a darker, more adult fantasy. But no one can deny the astonishing full body design work of the Lord of Darkness, played by Tim Curry, and the swamp hag Meg Mucklebones, played by Robert Picardo.

Special mention must also go to Rick Baker’s work on David Cronenberg’s masterpiece Videodrome (1983). The phantasmogorical creations, some gory, some simply bizarre manifestations, are fantastic, especially the flesh-handgun, and the torso-vagina-video-input thingy. But also the graphic body split which was deleted from the theatrical and VHS release.

Here's Eddie Quest's transformation from The Howling:

And here's some behind the scenes footage of Savini and team on Day of the Dead:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: lists

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Comments

19 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Lyzsi Sinclair

September 20th 2010 04:35

Cinema Nut
Film News and Reviews...

What a brilliant read once again! I love when you compile lists like these - and now I have a full playlist of films to watch when I return from my holiday

To be honest I agree with your Romero stance on Day being the best of the series so far...it's my joint favourite with Night (I just can't chose!)

And thanks for the video with the behind the scenes footage on...I hadn't seen that before and I love watching things like that :]

Comment by Bryn

September 20th 2010 04:56

Horrorphile

Hey Lyzsi, glad to made your day/week/month. (just quietly, but I may have secured an exclusive Q&A with the Savini legend himself!)

Comment by Mountain Fog

September 20th 2010 06:08

Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!

I would have to have Bob McCarron on the list...

cheers

fog

Comment by Bryn

September 20th 2010 06:56

Horrorphile

I met Bob McCarron when he did some additional stuff on Braindead. Lovely chap.

Comment by David O'Connell

September 20th 2010 08:23

20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic

These are all great Bryn, especially Rob Bottin's work on The Thing.

It's a tragedy, as you said, seeing so many horror films swamped by CGI rather than using make-up effects these days. It made me a bit nostalgic finally seeing The Loved Ones the other day. Great work all round.

Comment by Bryn

September 20th 2010 08:38

Horrorphile

Good to hear you enjoyed The Loved Ones. That was a pleasant surprise. I look forward to more from that director. How good was Robin McLeavy?! I've had a secret crush on her for ages , but didn't recognise her at first ...

Comment by Bryn

September 20th 2010 08:42

Horrorphile

Yeah, Rob Bottin is fucking awesome. A true magician of the macabre.

Comment by Mountain Fog

September 20th 2010 14:55

Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!

Yeah, Bob is utterly charming.

He worked on a few films I had also worked on.

I got to visit him at his home/studio once, when I took John Steers up there, (the man who made the original James Bond Aston Martin, and R2D2) when we were trying to get total Recall made out here, and I know what you mean about the forensic text....YIKES!

I was distracting myself while Bob and John chatted on, and opened up the book on the bench next to me... first image, a suicide by hanging, then the dead baby, mutilations etc

I think my eyes said it all, when I heard Bob say, in a calm voice from across the room, "you may find that a little challenging to look at..."

I nearly fainted!

He then told us his wife, a school teacher, once brought in a gaggle of work mates staying for lunch... that was a moment her fellow teachers didn't forget.

We didn't have to ask why, his whole workshop was festooned with severed limbs, heads, dead babies, shark ravaged bodies etc, and man they looked realistic, and this was in daylight!

Just thinking, your list is skewed to the bloodbath end of SFX prosthetics etc, which is natural for your blog, but it would be nice to see a tribute to the other styles, those adept at naturalism in their craft, Bob has done some great stuff in that area too.

cheers

fog

Comment by JohnDoe

September 20th 2010 18:41

Film & TV on DVD

You are a master of the macabre Bryn and this list is another fine addition.

Completely agree with all your entries! The Thing may just take the #1 spot.

Would the face melt in Raiders of the Lost Ark count?

Comment by Matt Shea

September 21st 2010 00:00

Ah Bryn - your lists are so pure for a hopeless procrastinator like myself.

I think you've got it covered...

You know my thoughts on Bottin - the man is a frickin' legend, and oddly often relegated to the reserve bench in conversations between film nerds.

Alien has gotta be my favourite creature - just such a well-realised beast - and Norris's transformation in The Thing my favourite gore sequence (perhaps because there's not actually that much gore), although JD's right: Raiders face melt is spectacular. Come to think of it, Crusade's disintegration was pretty good too.

Comment by Bryn

September 21st 2010 01:47

Horrorphile

Fog, sounds like the same book alright.
Yes, well of course I'm going to focus on the nightmare end of SFX makeup ...

The face-melt in Raiders is indeed excellent. A fan blowing warm air against a replica face mask made of gelatin I believe.

Cheers guys.

Comment by Spring-Heeled Jack

September 21st 2010 04:05

Over.Exposure

No love for the designs/special effects in Bram Stoker's Dracula? Watching the behind-the-scene feature on the effects work gave me a whole new appreciation of the film, especially as someone who appreciates the pre-digital age. The number of homages they worked in is pretty impressive.

Comment by Bryn

September 21st 2010 04:34

Horrorphile

SHJ, ahhh! Yes, I do love the work on Bram Stoker's Dracula, especially the were-beast incarnation, and of course, the bat-beast incarnation. I had to be careful how far I spread the love for fear of being seen as easy.

Comment by ShaunK

September 22nd 2010 10:31

Screen Adventure

it's worth mentioning how much more interesting these films are to look at (gore wise) than the more recent films that have used CGI

Comment by Bryn

September 22nd 2010 22:34

Horrorphile

Shaun, goes without saying ... As brilliant as some CGI work is today (take Monsters, District 9 and Avatar for example), much of it still has a flatness, a dullness to it. There are very few examples of CGI gore that impress me. The Midnight Meat Train did, but that was partly because it was so OTT and stylised. Hannibal did, but that was because there was no other way to achieve the desired effect.

Comment by James Rickard

September 23rd 2010 07:23

unlucky_ fishermen.com
Angling Fish
Check this out...

Glad to see my favorite, the change from American Werewolf in London is on the list. My other favorite is from the GORE category--I always liked the power drill killing in Body Double.

Comment by Bryn

September 24th 2010 00:24

Horrorphile

James, but you don't see anything in the Body Double killing apart from the blood-covered drill bit coming through the ceiling of the bottom apartment ...

Comment by James Rickard

September 25th 2010 00:42

unlucky_ fishermen.com
Angling Fish
Check this out...

Good point! I never thought about that. It's the mind at work. That which is imagined can be more terrifying than that which we see. JAWS is a good example.