Often dismissed for their gore, horror films have significantly influenced cinematic innovation. From German Expressionism’s atmospheric Gothic horror in the 1920s to the pioneering stop-motion of Ray Harryhausen, the genre has pushed the boundaries of special effects. Techniques like blood recipes, prosthetics, and early CGI emerged from horror, shaping film technology. Despite technological advances, practical effects remain vital, enhancing realism with handmade artistry. Horror movies entertain and reflect societal fears, making them a mirror to our anxieties. Thus, dismissing horror as merely “gross” overlooks its profound impact on filmmaking and its role in exploring the human psyche through the lens of fear. Beth Brunnig looks through the lens below, first published on FirstRand Perspectives.
Faking it: The story special effects
By Beth Brunnig
That’s just gross…
You can’t talk about movies without special effects, and you can’t talk about special effects without talking about horror films. While snubbed by the Academy, railed against by concerned parents and grandfatherly governments, and derided by amateur and couch pop psychologists, horror often led the way for innovation and storytelling. It’s not just the powerful sense of atmosphere given by way of Gothic Horror to the world by German Impressionists during the Silent Era of film in the 1910-1920s… the use of stop motion animation by masters like Ray Harryhausen… the development of blood recipes or prosthetics… the early development of CGI and composite Visual Effects.
Many of the world’s most celebrated talent – acting, directing or screenwriting – started their careers in the genre. Many tastemakers dismiss horror as too gory to be taken seriously. Still, given the contribution to filmmaking, that criticism is just a gross misstatement and underestimation of the influence of scary movies.
Dr Freud or Dr Caligari?
But the analysis holds when we consider scary movies within the context of their own time. The Silent Era (1890s—1920s) and Golden Age (1930s—1949) saw most horror films centred around classic gothic tales, with fear of bloodthirsty aristocrats topping the charts.
In the 1970s came the “ME ME ME” generation, and suddenly, cinemas were filled with evil children – The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby.
Social fears inform our horror regardless of how social mores attempt to control them.
In the golden age, Frankenstein (1931) had a line of dialogue that required censorship due to the Hays Code. After a character asks Dr Frankenstein, “What in the name of God?” he answers, “Now I know what it feels like to be God!” The second part of his answer was covered by a lightning strike effect, specifically to mask the words. Special effects can conceal as well as reveal. The original dialogue was only restored in 1999. However, the thunder strike effect has been used repeatedly, and that self-same strike can be heard in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, The Haunted Mansion, Back to the Future and Ghostbusters. Likewise, Tim Burton would not be Tim Burton without the stylised sets and production designs of the German Impressionists. Special effects can outlive their own films and eras and continue for decades or centuries after their first use. Most of the effects used in Star Wars were already in use when King Kong was made – and King Kong merely refined and perfected all that was already in the special effects arsenal.
The House of Harryhausen
Mention the name Harryhausen to a certain generation of filmmakers, and you’ll be greeted with reverence and excitement as if you just mentioned a saint. Several big directors remember being inspired by the stop-motion monsters Harryhausen introduced to the world – and future fans of the genre subscribed to magazines inspired by the man. Special effects wizards like Tom Savini (who worked on everything from Friday the 13th to Django Unchained and spawned a whole host of VHS greats) took inspiration from Harryhausen. Harryhausen’s big contribution was combining stop-motion animation – a separate art form – with actual footage at the time. The techniques were still used as late as The Terminator and Robocop. The early work on Jurassic Park was based on stop motion principles – until computer-generated imagery replaced it in the middle of production.
Green with envy
Still in use whenever you watch the weather, greenscreens (blue or green) essentially replace backgrounds. The actor does his or her thing in front of the canvas – and then images are either projected on the canvas or replaced in the edit suite. One of the worst examples of this was in James Bond’s car chase in Dr No – watch it today, and it’s almost comical. Alfred Hitchcock also used the projection technique in the first half of Psycho, where the leading actress drives away after committing a crime. Projection is even better and more sophisticated – the projection technique is the basis for most of the scenery in the TV series The Mandalorian. Virtual Production is changing the game; the only thing with the latest tools is that you can no longer believe your eyes.
One of the latest advances is immersive filmmaking. Using the layout and techniques of a planetarium, immersive cinema’s domed experiences place you within a movie rather than watching it.
Practical prosthetics
With CGI, Compositing, Virtual Production and Immersive filmmaking all bringing the power and capabilities of technology to the forefront, it would be easy to think that all effects are high-tech. However, several of the best and strongest effects are surprisingly low-tech. Not all things can – or should – be produced by computers.
Take prosthetics. Known as “practicals”, these effects are in camera – that is – photographed as they are as part of a scene and not created in the studio afterwards.
It’s not as simple as casting plastic in a mould.
Some prosthetics are so realistic that they feel like the real thing. Little veins can be observed beneath the ‘skin’, and they don’t feel like plastic but look and react like ‘the real thing’.
Practicals are essential to horror and science fiction filmmakers’ toolbox and will never be completely replaced.
Bloody mess
We tend to think of blood as one thing, but modern stage blood comprises different kinds to create ultrarealistic effects.
The barbed wire chain above is made of leather—it is soft and can be run over skin with absolutely no danger or pain. But it looks pretty real, and so it is with ‘blood’.
The picture above shows three different kinds of stage blood. Arterial blood—the bright red—has a zesty mint flavour and is quite runny. There is also jelly-like blood with nice bits and pieces for added texture. The oldest wounds and some of the darkest areas of the ‘bruising’ are made using one of the oldest tricks in the blood book: chocolate sauce.
But this was not always the case. The Hays code forbade the showing of realistic blood. Britain’s Hammer Films – not subject to the restrictions – made a killing (pardon the pun) showcasing all kinds of blood.
Initially, the red handkerchief was the perfect special effect for stage blood.
The Théâtre du Grand-Guignol, which opened in Paris in 1897 and remained a haven for those who loved gore and the macabre right up until its closing in 1962, created the first stage drops of blood with carmine and glycerine recipes.
Hammer Horror and others in the British film industry used what was known as Kensington Gore – a recipe developed by retired pharmacist John Tinegate – which used golden syrup as a basis.
By the time the Hays Code was abandoned, and Hollywood caught up, Dick Smith laid the foundation for Hollywood’s stage blood. The problem with Smith’s blood – used in Taxi Driver, The Godfather and The Exorcist, among others- was that one of its primary ingredients, Kodak Photo-Flo, was very toxic.
Today, the market is spoiled for choice, with all kinds of stage blood available for purchase.
However, in a pinch, some corn syrup and food colouring will do more than do. Add two drops red, one drop blue, and maybe half a drop green, and stir….
Everything about movies is based on illusion. Scary movies offer the best illusions by ultimately showing us that what we fear most are themselves illusions.
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