The Last House on the Left is a 1972 horror film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Sean S. Cunningham. A remake was released during 2009.
Tagline: To avoid fainting, keep repeating “It’s only a movie…It’s only a movie…”
A pair of teenage girls are headed to a rock concert for one’s birthday. While trying to score marijuana in the city, the girls are kidnapped by a gang of psychotic convicts.
Make Up Department Anne Paul … makeup artist
Special Effects Department Troy Roberts … special effects
Fritz Kiersch director of the original Children of the Corn (1984) celebrates his birthday today! 23 July 1951, Alpine, Texas, USA
Children of Corn won “Best Fantasy Film” at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film in 1984.
Children of the Corn (1984)
Tagline: An adult nightmare.
Courtney Gains as Malachai
John Franklin as Isaac Chroner
Trivia
Kiersh started out as a camera assistant on TV commercials. Moreover, Kiersch also worked as both an assistant director and production manager before eventually working his way up to producer.
Thriller was Michael Jackson’s most popular album; released on 30 November 1982, it stayed at #1 for 37 weeks on the Billboard Chart. At its peak, the album was selling a million copies a week worldwide. In just over a year, Thriller became—and currently remains—the best-selling album of all time. Sales are estimated to be between 47–109 million copies sold worldwide. An estimated 60,000 units continue to be sold every year in the U.S!
Thriller Zombies and Michael Jackson
Micheal Jackson and Thriller Zombies
Director John Landis
When the time came to create a music video for the album’s title track, Michael Jackson had been so impressed with the film An American Werewolf In London‘s (1981) special effects he asked its director, John Landis, to direct Thriller – a 14-minute music video that also acts as a short horror film.
Special Effects Wizard Rick Baker
American Werewolf’s creature effects whizz, Rick Baker, was hired to create the monster Jackson turns into in front of his girlfriend — before it’s revealed Jackson and his girl (former Playboy model Ola Ray) were only watching themselves in a movie.
There is narration from horror icon Vincent Price which heralds the arrival of zombies… which Jackson proceeds to dance with, quickly transformed into one of the undead himself!
Horror film Legend Vincent Price
Created for $500,000 ($1.4 million today – which, in 1982, made it the most expensive music video ever), Thriller was an instant smash-hit. Today, over 25 years later, it continues to top most polls as the Best Music Video. At the time, Thriller‘s video was even released as a separate VHS tape, that included a making-of documentary, and sold 9 million copies just by itself!
Rick Baker's special effects makeup turns Michael Jackson into a creature for Thriller video
Jackson, who was a Jehovah’s Witness at the time, even added a disclaimer at the start of Thriller, saying:
“Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult.“
GoreMaster's Guide to Makeup Special Effects 101
The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards at the 1984 Grammys.
Earlier this year 2009 there were reports that Jackson was partnering with the respected Nederlander Organization to create a Broadway show that expands the landmark 1983 Thriller video into a full-fledged stage extravaganza.
Thriller zombies
With the news of Jackson’s death today it does seem fitting to remember the amazing talent that he was and happier times when doing the “Thriller” dance was all the rage. R.I.P. Michael.
Thriller Dance Zombies
Thriller Video Trivia:
1. When Michael leaves the cinema, an announcer says “see you next Wednesday” (a recurring in-joke used in many of John Landis’ films, taken from a line in 2001: A Space Odyssey.)
2. The reason Michael’s face isn’t always that of a zombie during the dance sequence is that he found the make-up too uncomfortable.
3. Grape jelly was used for all the gory effects.
4. Famous composer Elmer Bernstein did the incidental music for the video.
5. The sound of the growling animal, used for Michael’s transformation, is the exact same sound Landis used in An American Werewolf In London.
6. The music video qualified for an Academy Award nomination, because it debuted before a screening of Fantasia — with most audiences leaving once Thriller had finished!
7. At the time Jackson’s record company didn’t want to pay $500,000 to make a video for an album that they thought had hit its peak. So Landis and Jackson made the video off the profits of a one-hour “Making of Thriller” documentary they made and sold to cable channels.
The Final Destination movie trailer is provided by New Line Cinema. The Final Destination movie opens in US theaters on August 28, 2009. The Final Destination movie stars Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Krista Allen, Mykelti Williamson, Haley Webb, Nick Zano, Andrew Fiscella, and Richard T. Jones.
Special Effects by
Steve Austin
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special effects journeyman
Larry Barado
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special effects technician
Ben Bornstein
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lab technician: KNB EFX Group
Stephen Bourgeois
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special effects foreman
Jeremy S. Brock
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special effects foreman: Florida
Guy Clayton Jr.
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special effects coordinator
Joe Giles
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special makeup effects crew: KNB EFX Group
Brian Goehring
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special makeup effects crew: KNB EFX Group
Carey Jones
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makeup effects technician
Edward Joubert
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special effects assistant
Peter G. Minor
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special effects assistant
David K. Nami
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special effects coordinator
David Nash
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special effects technician
Thomas Pilgrim III
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special effects technician: Florida
Gary Pilkinton
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special effects tech
Jason Pinsker
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special effects technician: KNB EFX Group
Elia P. Popov
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special effects foreman
Dirk Rogers
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special effects technician: K.N.B. Effects Group
Lino Stavole
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special effects technician: mold shop, KNB Effects Group
Chris L. Ward
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special effects technician
Visual Effects by
Melissa Almeida
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textures & lighting: Hybride
Ronald Arredondo
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lighting rigger
Marc Aubry
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animator: Hybride
Ian T. Barbella
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visual effects
Michel Barrière
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visual effects supervisor: Hybride
Olivier Beaulieu
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digital compositor: Hybride
Daniel Belair
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technical director: Hybride
Caroline Bélisle
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administration: Hybride
Michaël Bentitou
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digital artist
Didier Bertrand
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digital compositor: Hybride
Louise Bertrand
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bidding producer: Hybride
Pierre Blain
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digital compositor: Hybride
Raphaele Blanchard
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tracking artist: Hybride
Cédric Bonnaffoux
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digital compositor: Hybride
Maryse Bouchard
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textures & lighting: Hybride
Christina Castellan
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visual effects production manager: Cafe FX
François Chancrin
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lead animator: Hybride
Mélanie Cotton
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technical support: Hybride
Joanie Croteau
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production assistant: Hybride
Glenn Curry
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technical director: CafeFX
Christophe Damiano
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textures & lighting: Hybride
Olivier Debert
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digital compositor: Hybride
Thierry Delattre
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visual effects supervisor: Hybride
Steve Dellerson
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visual effects
Yves Désilets
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digital compositor: Hybride
Philippe Desiront
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digital compositor: Hybride
Luc Desmarais
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technical support: Hybride
Anouk Deveault-Moreau
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visual effects coordinator: Hybride
Mark Doney
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digital compositor: Hybride
Roy L. Downey
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pyrotechnics supervisor: Cinema Production Services, Inc.
Lafleche Dumais
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computer graphics supervisor: Hybride
Mathieu Dupuis
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digital compositor: Hybride
Leif Einarsson
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digital compositor
Dwayne Lance Elahie
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technical director: Hybride
Daniel Elophe
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digital compositor: Hybride
Felipe Fenton
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flame artist
Michael Fessenden
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previs artist: Baked Goods
Mike Fischer
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digital artist
Jean-Pierre Flayeux
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visual effects supervisor: Hybride
Michael Sean Foley
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cg supervisor
Xavier Fourmond
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digital compositor
Yanick Gaudreau
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textures & lighting: Hybride
Audrey Geoffroy
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animator: Hybride
Stephan Gervais
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technical support: Hybride
Antony Graf
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digital compositor: Hybride
Robin Scott Graham
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digital compositor: CafeFX
Pamela B. Green
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producer of visions
Veronique Guay
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production assistant: Hybride
Myléne Guérin
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visual effects coordinator: Hybride
Steven Hansen
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lead matchmove artist: Cafe FX
Brad Heiner
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key grip
Pierre-Simon Henri
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effects animator: Hybride
David Hochstadter
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digital compositor: Amalgamated Pixels
Nadine Homier
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digital compositor: Hybride
Jean-Francois Houde
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digital compositor: Hybride
Jan Huybrechs
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3D scanning: Eyetronics
Christopher Johnson
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visual effects: Cinema Production Services, Inc.
John Joyce
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visual effects coordinator: Cinema Production Services, Inc.
Michael Joyce
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visual effects supervisor: Cinema Production Services, Inc.
Shows the making of “Wolvy,” a behind-the-scenes special makeup effects and fantasy character video created in 1996 at Delfino Studios in the San Fernando Valley, California. Update as of Oct 22, 2007: the full 24-minute MAKING WOLVY video now on Demand at Amazon.com. DVD of MAKING WOLVY is also available.
Using Dragon Skin silicone rubber, Slacker Tactile Mutator, Psycho Paint and Skin Tite to make special effects masks, monsters and gell-filled appliances.
Rick Baker is an Academy award winning makeup artist and considered by many to be a master in his field. His masterful work in the area Special Effects Makeup is without equal. His long list of credits as a special makeup effects artist include American Werewolf in London, Men in Black, Hellboy, Planet of the Apes and many, many more! This is why you can trace pretty much any makeup artist or actor to the amazing Rick Baker in 6 steps (degrees) or less.
Rick Baker to John Carpenter
Rick Baker did makeup special makeup effects for the 1977 sci-fi horror movie “The Incredible Melting Man”. A story about an astronaut that returns to earth and starts to melt and murder! Ricks assistant makeup artist for the movie was Greg Cannom:
Greg Cannom was a special effects makeup artist for the classic 1987 comedy horror movie “The Lost Boys”. A story about young vampires feasting on beach goers. “Never grow old..never die” One of the young vampires named Marko was played by Alex Winter:
Alex Winter had a role in the 1985 crime drama (and sequel) “Death Wish 3”. A fantastic tale about a vigilante that takes out bad guys in
New York City
. The star of the movie was tough guy and all around bad ass named Charles Bronson.
Charles Bronson played “The Tunnel King” Danny Velinski in the star studded 1963 feature “The Great Escape” A superbly crafted movie about POW’s in World War 2 who try to escape from a german prison camp. Also starring in the movie was the masterful Donald Pleasence:
Donald Pleasence played Dr. Sam Loomis in the 1978 horror thriller “Halloween”. This was the movie in which we would be introduced to the frighteningly unstoppable Michael Myers! The director and writer of this timeless tale is our subject – John Carpenter.
John Carpenter is known as “The Master of Terror”.
