Upon originally posting this, I neglected to mention the great Craig Reardon who took this picture and worked closely with Randy Cook in executing these great effects. If you loved any movie make-up in the '80s it's more than likely Reardon was involved. If I'm not mistaken the face-ripping sequence in Poltergeist was his baby. So, props to Mr. Reardon and my apologies for not including him in the original post.
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with today’s Behind the Scenes pic!
While most people wouldn’t regard 1987’s THE GATE as a classic film it had a huge impact on me as a kid. From the little demon bastards to the dead guy in the wall this flick really got under my young skin.
Call it nostalgia if you will, but I still get a little of that feeling when I revisit the movie. Plus it’s really fun for anybody interested in practical effects work because Randy Cook (who later went on to spearhead Gollum in the LOTR movies) and his compatriots used every trick in the book to make the evil little hell creatures, summoned by a young Stephen Dorff running a heavy metal record backwards, of course, come to life.
Forced perspective, make-up, stop motion, man in suits!... you name it, they used it.
Randy Cook himself sent me this pic, so it’s a bit unique in that it’s a personal picture from the set, not a professional studio still. I like it because you see the process of filmmaking crystal clear here.
I think this is from the moment the creepy-ass Workman (dude in the wall) falls and scatters into a dozen demons. So what you have is a massively oversized set that, when lined up correctly, will look normal with the kids on their marks. Look at the dresser, how it’s obviously not lined up correctly. Seeing it from this point of view (with the non-costumed effects guys standing next to the costumed demons) is pretty neat if I don’t say so myself.
Click the image for the bigger version! Enjoy!
If you have a pic you think should be included email me. I’m looking for the iconic, the rare or the just plain cool behind the scenes shots to feature here.
Tomorrow’s Behind the Scenes Pic needs your help! See ya’ tomorrow!
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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