12 of the creepiest movie monsters created without computer graphics

Some films have such an abundance of computer graphics that the characters on the screen look completely lifeless. Remember Steppenwolf from Justice League or the monsters from the 2011 remake of The Thing - can you really believe them?

In contrast, creatures created using only practical special effects and animatronics are impressive in their realism. Here are the best examples of such characters.

1. Brenda from Slug

"Slime" is the debut film of James Gunn, who is known for his "Guardians of the Galaxy" films. The plot of the film takes place in a small town in the USA, where a meteorite brings an alien life form. The slug bends the will of Grant, a local car dealer, and forces him to slowly mutate into a terrible, tentacled monster. A man slowly losing his mind is obsessed with one goal - to infect and turn into monsters as many city residents as possible.

All the creepy creatures in Slime look realistic and disgusting. But the most unpleasant of them is the alien womb into which an unfortunate town resident named Brenda has turned. Grant kidnapped her and filled her with parasite larvae, causing her to swell to the size of the barn where she was imprisoned.

Uterus slugs created using a huge silicone ball in which the actress was sitting in makeup. A special rubber “collar” was put on her neck, imitating a double chin, and plump, shaking pads were placed on her cheeks. All this was painted over with flesh-colored paint. And inside Brenda’s round “body” there were mechanisms installed that made it sway, as if the monster consisted entirely of one large piece of fat.

2. Something from the movie of the same name

The Thing is an American horror film directed by John Carpenter, a reimagining of the 1951 film The Thing from Another Planet. The plot takes place on Antarctic stations. A group of scientists and researchers encounter a hostile alien organism capable of copying other life forms. The station staff is trying to determine which of them is a real person and which is a disgusting monster.

To create a creepy, constantly mutating monster that takes on different forms, various latex models and radio-controlled animatronics (dolls with mechanisms) were used. Mucus, blood and other secretions of the creature did from mayonnaise, fruit jelly and canned corn juice, as well as chewing gum, which was heated in the microwave.

And in the scene where the creature, with its chest transformed into a mouth, bites off the hands of the pathologist, a person was filmed without both of these limbs. In the shot they were replaced with wax prosthetics.

The film still looks more than convincing to this day. Something with another planet looks so disgusting and alien that watching the movie becomes physically unpleasant.

3. Leprechaun from the film of the same name

Comedy movie horror film tells the story of the Leprechaun, an evil and treacherous character from Irish mythology. This is an ugly dwarf who has an unhealthy craving for precious metals. A certain cunning Irishman stole a pot of gold coins from the Leprechaun, went to America, and when the villain followed him, he locked him in a box with the help of a magic four-leaf clover. He languished in captivity for ten years, but then the new owners of the house accidentally released him, and he began to cruelly take revenge on the gold thieves.

The Leprechaun franchise gained cult status and was spawned by numerous sequels, although not always successful. In the following chapters, the Leprechaun will try to get married (unsuccessfully), fly into space, and even become a gangsta rap star.

At the time of filming, computer graphics were not as advanced as they are now, and CGI special effects were expensive and difficult to produce. Therefore, the character was created using special makeup with silicone pads. The leprechaun was played by short actor Warwick Davis, known for his roles in the films about Harry Potter, Star Wars andWillow». According to him words, it took 3 hours to apply makeup to his face, and another 40 minutes to remove.

Freak mask consisted from seven pieces of latex, as well as a beard and a wig. The result was an extremely frightening and repulsive, but at the same time ridiculous face.

4. "The Drop" from the film of the same name

The plot of the film tells the story of a strange cosmic substance that falls to Earth along with a meteorite. This “drop” turns out to be a liquid monster that dissolves all life in its path, increasing in size as it absorbs more and more people. Frightened teenagers - the heroes of the film - are trying to escape from the alien devourer pursuing them, encountering military men and scientists... And they discover that they should be feared no less than monster.

To create a substance that can digest people alive, the special effects team used silk bags filled with methylcellulose food thickener. This substance oozed through the fabric, creating the feeling of a sticky, slimy surface.

When it was necessary to film a person being devoured by a monster, the actors with the makeupsimulating wounds and burns, put on translucent blankets in which gel was injected.

The film's director, Chuck Russell, mentioned that he would like to try making a computer-generated monster, but in 1988 it would have been too expensive and not very realistic.

5. Frank from Hellraiser

Hellraiser - British 1987 horror film, created by writer and director Clive Barker. It is based on stories by Barker from his collection of horror stories, The Book of Blood. The events of the film unfold around a mystical structure known as Lemarchand's box - a kind of Rubik's cube, only demonic.

If you put the puzzle together correctly, you can open a portal to a parallel dimension from which terrible creatures called Cenobites will come. These are sadistic demons who enjoy tormenting both their own and others. Naturally, meeting such guys does not bring anything good.

The Cenobite characters, created using complex makeup, looked disgusting and realistic. The most famous and memorable among them is the terrifying leader Pinhead. Clive Barker did he was impressed by traditional African demonic figurines, created from nails, and hardcore regulars of New York sadomasochistic clubs who were overly fond of piercings.

But perhaps the most terrifying monster in the original 1987 film is the first victim Cenobites, petty criminal Frank Cotton. When the box falls into his hands, he accidentally summons demons, who tear him apart. However, when blood is shed at the scene of Frank's murder, he is reborn - in the form of a disgusting skeleton.

This character was manufactured from several types of wax with different melting points. The mannequin was first heated in front of the cameras to melt it, and then the scene was replayed backwards.

6. Fly from the film of the same name

The science fiction horror film The Fly, directed by David Cronenberg, is remake 1958 film. It tells the story of a scientist named Seth Brundle.

A physicist is developing a transport machine capable of moving objects using teleportation - breaking them down at the molecular level and then reassembling them in a new location. However, during the experiment, a fly flies into the camera of the device, and he merges with it into a disgusting hybrid of a person and an insect.

To transform Jeff Goldblum, famous for his role as the mathematician from Jurassic Park, into a fly, makeup and mechanical props were used. The final form of a monster emerging from a human body as if from a cocoon, done from overalls, under which prosthetics and heavy metal plates with spring-loaded pads were hidden. This makes the scenes in the film look extremely authentic... and unpleasant.

Let's do without unnecessary spoilers - let's just mention that flies so-called external digestion: they regurgitate their gastric juice onto food and then absorb the resulting mass. True, in fact, the mucus spewed out by the monster, the film crew cooked from a mixture of eggs, milk and honey. Bon appetit.

7. Xenomorph from Alien

"Alien" is a cult sci-fi horror film directed by Ridley Scott in 1979. The action takes place on a spaceship, the crew of which receives a distress signal from an unknown planet. There they find a ship filled with many eggs. And one of the team members is attacked by a creature that crawled out of the egg.

The alien monster, the so-called xenomorph, has become one of the most iconic characters in science fiction. The creature's unique eerie design was developed artist and sculptor Hans Giger. The facehugger and chestbreaker, the early stages of the monster's development, were depicted on camera using mechanical puppets. But the xenomorph himself was played by actor Bolaji Badejo, who wore an alien costume.

Head Alien, containing 900 moving parts, was made from parts of an old Rolls-Royce car, as well as rib bones and vertebrae of a snake, held together with plasticine. And the insides of the alien larva were done of lobsters, squids and other seafood, a whole bucket of which Ridley Scott ordered.

8. Hellboy from the film of the same name

Sometimes monsters are not villains, but heroes. This is exactly the monster shown in Guillermo del Toro's film. The film is based on Mike Mignola's comics about Hellboy, a demon who came to Earth but was raised by humans and defending good. He was played by Ron Perlman.

His character was created using elaborate makeup and costume. Hellboy's body, and in particular his pectoral muscles and back, were done from pieces of foam plastic. The horns and ears were attached to a plastic cap that was pulled over the head. Hair and sideburns were attached over it, and then the actor was painted with five shades of red. The complete process of applying makeup took 4 hours a day.

9. Sea monster from The Shape of Water

Amazing creatures can be shown not only in films horror, but also in... romantic dramas. For example, in the above-mentioned del Toro’s film “The Shape of Water,” which received four Oscar awards. Including in the nominations “Best Film” and “Best Director”.

The main character Elsa works as a cleaner in a secret government laboratory - it takes place in America during the Cold War. There she discovers a mysterious creature that scientists are holding captive. This is a sea monster, only vaguely similar to a human. The government plans to use it as a weapon, but the creature is not evil at all. Elsa tries to arrange the creature's escape and quietly falls in love with him.

The sea monster was played by Doug Jones, who also brought to life the images of the Faun and the Pale Man from del Toro's film Pan's Labyrinth, as well as some of the monsters fromHellboy». The monster's elaborate costume was made made of foam and latex. And the process of applying makeup to the actor’s face and body took 3 hours a day.

A system of remote-controlled servos was placed on the actor's neck, allowing the film crew to control the movement of the creature's gills. However, when creating a graph, you still was involved: with the help of a computer they added the ability to blink his eyes, which was difficult to do in a “natural” way.

10. The Crooked Man from The Conjuring 2

Directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, The Conjuring 2 tells how the... haunted Ed and Lorraine Warren try to deal with the Enfield Poltergeist, a ghost that allegedly terrorized an English family in London in 1977. In the process of fighting evil spirits, they encounter evil in different forms: a creepy dead old man sitting in a chair, a demonic nun and a tall Crooked Man - a character from a children's rhyme.

At first glance, the crooked man seems like a computer character - he looks and moves so unnaturally. But in fact, it was created without the use of graphics. monster played acrobat Javier Botet, capable of bending his joints in the most sophisticated ways. The director of the film, James Wan, filmed the man in makeup walking backwards, and then played the film backwards. It is thanks to this trick that the Crooked Man looks truly otherworldly creature.

11. American Werewolf from An American Werewolf in London

An American Werewolf in London is a cult horror-comedy directed by John Landis. Two American tourists, David and Jack, are hiking along the English countryside when they are attacked by werewolf. Jack dies, but David survives and soon realizes that after being bitten by the monster, he himself begins to become a wolf-like monster.

The most famous part of the film is the moment when David turns into a werewolf in his London apartment. The body of the unfortunate man is bent at impossible angles, stretched out, covered with fur... This scene implemented with the help of many artificial heads, arms and legs covered with fur, which changed in the frame as the main character transformed. The effect of “lengthening” the lycanthrope’s limbs was achieved using a special plastic material that could stretch. It took a whole week to film the hero's transformation into a wolf.

Special effects artist Rick Baker first in history he received an Oscar for best makeup for this film - the werewolf he created looks so impressive.

12. Victims of the Sumatran rat monkey from "Living Carrion"

The film Living Dead was directed by Peter Jackson. The New Zealand director would later create The Hobbit, which consisted almost entirely of computer graphics. But back then he had neither the money nor the ability to tinker with CGI, and was forced to improvise with practical effects. Therefore, "Living Dead" is full of disgusting scenes and black humor.

The plot of the film tells about an infantile guy named Lionel, who lives with his tyrant mother Vera. A woman was bitten at the zoo by a rodent brought from a distant island - an ugly Sumatran rat monkey, and Vera gradually begins to turn into zombie.

The living dead in the film are actors in makeup, smeared blood substitute. The limbs that the main character chops off from them with a lawnmower are plastic prosthetics, hand-painted by special effects artists.

In the scene where the dead lovers kiss and tear each other's lips off, silicone stretch masks were used. And the disgusting zombie baby, the fruit of their perverted love, is a doll that moves due to mechanisms inside.

For the final massacre used more than 300 liters of artificial blood - the film is considered one of the most brutal in the history of cinema. Actors complainedthat this substance emitted a cloying odor and was sticky.

By the way, the director’s previous film, “Alien Stew,” was also absurdly bloody and was filmed without any graphics. And masks of evil aliens from another planet for him baked Jackson's mother in the home oven. It's great when parents support their children's hobbies!