Now matter how advanced and impressive it gets, CGI just isn’t as powerful and effective as practical effects. There’s just something about watching an elaborate creation that was actually built by hand, not a CPU. Practical effects are tangible, they engross you in what you’re watching as if you become a part of the narrative’s events. Even better, practical effects just flat-out age infinitely better than CGI. Just look at 1997’s Anaconda, where the practical effects snake still looks great (some say silly, but great) but as soon as it’s a CGI shot, e.g. when the snake is curled around Owen Wilson then looks back at him as it’s about to zip back for a final squeeze, any ounce of convincing nature evaporates.
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Naturally, no genre is better for practical effects than horror. This is where effects artists such as Rick Baker and Tom Savini were allowed to play, with the ultimate goal being to craft monsters (or death scenes) that looked convincing and shocking. But not all practical effects-driven movies are (literally) made equal, and the following 10 examples are the best of the ’80s in the visual creativity department.
10) A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
Most of the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies are rife with inventive imagery. Freddy Krueger doesn’t operate in our plane of existence, so when one of his victims runs into him, they’re in his world. And, in his world, he comes up with some pretty bonkers ways of dispatching of them.
The original film made great use of a rotating room, the third film had puckering needle marks on a pair of arms and a Freddy television, but it’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Masters that is the cherry on the franchise’s special effects sundae. The part where Alice gets sucked into a theater’s massive screen is fun (and a great use of light and blue-tinted color), but the best display of a warped creation is Debbie Stevens, who gets turned into a cockroach of sorts and is subsequently squished in a roach motel. Admittedly, there’s a pretty lame karate sequence, but that was because of budgetary limitations, so we’ll forgive it.
9) Hellraiser
Bob Keen and crew designed quite a few iconic hellish monsters for Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. Chief among them, of course, are the Cenobites.
Each of the four Cenobites, Pinhead, Butterball, Chatterer, and the Female Cenobite, are all makeup marvels that stand apart from each other. But they’re not all that the film shows the audience, as there’s also the winged skeletal dragon creature that closes out the film and the horrifying, groaning Engineer. Props are also very much due the scene where Uncle Frank’s skeleton rebuilds its gooey, dripping self and emits an ear-shattering scream.
Stream Hellraiser on Hoopla.
8) Gremlins
One of the best genre-blending films of the ’80s, Gremlins is a movie that hinged on three specific factors. One was its tone, which had to create a Mayberry vibe that is then ravaged. Two is a cast that can play characters you believe can live in Mayberry. And three is the monsters that descend upon that Mayberry-esque town.
All three elements were nailed. And, as for that third factor, the Gremlins (and Mogwai) designed by Chris Walas and Rick Baker couldn’t be any better. With their sharp teeth and sinisterly dark humor, they’re phenomenal animatronic little monsters.
7) Evil Dead II
The original film of the saga is a special effects extravaganza in its own right, but one cannot argue with the fact its microscopic budget has resulted in them aging not so well. Evil Dead II, however, is basically a slideshow of wacky, Looney Tunes-esque imagery if that Warner Bros. pop-culture juggernaut had an even sicker sense of humor than it already has.
In other words, with the sequel, Tom Sullivan was given the thick wallet he didn’t have the first time out and, as the movie progresses, he consistently outdoes himself. Every bonkers invention of Sam Raimi’s mind is brought to live in a way that remains convincing (that laughing deer head…).
Stream Evil Dead II on Prime Video.
6) The Blob
With special effects artist Tony Gardner commanding a crew of 33, including Chet Zar and Bill Sturgeon, who designed the mechanical effects, 1988’s The Blob had quite a few people working to make sure the pink goo could look threatening. And it does.
We know it’s threatening, too, because it does some wild things to people, always ending in their bodies wasting away. The most shocking scene of the film, due to how its paced, who it happens to, and how he goes out, is the demise of Donovan Leitch’s Paul Taylor. We sure are led to believe he’s the protagonist but, as he’s placing a frantic phone call, the Blob drops down on him. Shawnee Smith’s Meg Penny goes to check on him, only to see his face behind a thin layer of the Blob, with his arm outstretched to hopefully be pulled to safety. But it’s too late, his arm rips off, and the rest of him wastes away.
5) Killer Klowns from Outer Space
A horror film that could have and should have started a franchise, Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a lot of fun. It’s also the one movie brought fully to life by the Chiodo Brothers, a trio of special effects artist siblings who worked on films such as Critters and Team America: World Police.
The film was directed by Stephen Chiodo, written by Stephen and Charles, and produced by all three. So, naturally, they also did the special effects, and they successfully give the Klowns’ faces a frightening animation that makes you believe they’re capable of biting down on an unsuspecting Earthling who just wants to watch it make a balloon animal.
Stream Killer Klowns from Outer Space on Prime Video.
4) Day of the Dead
The vast majority of zombie movies, be they the classics or the modern ones, have more on their minds than undead carnage. In the case of Day of the Dead, it’s how humanity cannibalizes itself in times of strife even before the zombies get a chance to chow down.
But like with Dawn of the Dead, the true star of the show is Tom Savini’s special effects. And there’s an argument to be made he outdid himself with this one, perhaps even delivering the best work of his career. It’s hard to see the scene where zombies slowly pull apart a soldier’s throat (which makes his scream go up to an unbearable pitch) and not have nightmares afterwards.
Stream Day of the Dead on fuboTV.
3) The Fly
Unlike the bizarre but slightly underrated sequel, David Cronenberg’s The Fly was fully appreciated by critics. It even managed to win an Academy Award.
Specifically, Chris Walas won for his make-up effects work on the film. And it couldn’t have been any more well-deserved, because Seth Brundle’s slow transformation is horrifying to watch, and we’re made to watch a whole lot of it. Not to mention, the animatronic “Brundlefly” at the very end is an impressive monster in its own right.
2) An American Werewolf in London
The Howling and The Company of Wolves are excellent, but An American Werewolf in London was the definitive werewolf movie of 1981. It may very well be the definitive werewolf movie regardless of release year.
At the very least, it has the best special effects of any werewolf movie (crafted to perfection by Rick Baker). The transformation scene is a dragged-out, almost painful-to-watch affair that is incredibly detailed. Werewolf movies of subsequent years have often tried to mimic this scene and its furry result, but even when they’re fun movies (e.g. Silver Bullet) they can’t even come close.
Stream An American Werewolf in London on Prime Video.
1) The Thing
Initially, The Thing was a John Carpenter movie that received very little love. But even its detractors who called it gross were technically giving it a complement. The gruesome creations we see come to life on screen upset them. Job well done, Rob Bottin and crew.
The fact The Thing wasn’t nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects is inexcusable. To this day this remains the definitive example of how various materials can be merged to show a human body contorting and ripping itself to shreds in unique, unforgettable ways. The Norris-Thing, the Blair-Thing, the dog-Thing, they all stand apart and are masterful creations of nightmarish imagination.
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