Designs, Models And Demonstrations For The I, Frankenstein FX That Never Were

Filmmaking is all about damage control. You start with an idea and you try to protect and nurture that as it develops into a screenplay, as it undergoes the rigours of production, and as the edit comes together. Good luck will sometimes lead to a little movie magic, and there’s no doubt that more thinking time can mean more good ideas, but a film doesn’t always get better and better as it makes its way to the screen.

This can make pre-production artwork and designs particularly intriguing and seductive. Look at, for example, this reel of designs, FX maquettes and test images that Dread Central uncovered. These show what Vincent Guastini’s VGP Effects and Design studio were planning for the ill-fated I, Frankenstein.

Would VGP and their work have saved the film? No. No they would not. This film didn’t fall apart because its FX were not up to snuff. It’s probable, though, the faulty FX, wobbly script, uneven performances and underwhelming film craft are all symptoms of the same problem.

It’s times like this I wish all dreadful movies had truly candid special edition Blu-rays pulling it all apart and working out what went wrong. Nobody sets out to make a dreadful movie, of course, but wouldn’t it be fascinating to see how they just couldn’t help it anyway?