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Though Alien: Romulus received a mostly positive response from critics and fans, one aspect of the movie that was met with almost universal backlash was the likeness of a deceased actor being used for a new character via VFX.

When Rain Carradine and her crew arrive on the derelict space station, they learn that the ship's android is still functional despite clearly being in very bad shape after a Xenomorph attack. They plug him in to discover what happened, and we see that the synthetic is the same model as Ash from Ridley Scott's original movie.

The late Ian Holm was "resurrected" (with permission from the actor's estate) to achieve this, but even setting aside the controversy surrounding the practice of "digital necromancy," the effects used to portray the character were... not the best.

Some shots looked okay, but for the majority of Rook's screen-time, his face basically...

Director Fede Alvarez recently shared with ‘Empire Magazine’ that the digital recreation of the late actor Ian Holm, who portrayed the android Rook, was improved after the film’s theatrical release.

In ‘Alien: Romulus,’ Rook is a disembodied head from the same model of android as Holm’s character, Ash, from the original 1979 ‘Alien’ film. Since Holm passed away in 2020, the filmmakers got permission from his estate to use his likeness for this new android character.

The movie received various criticisms, with one of the main complaints being about the Rook character, especially the use of CGI. Many viewers found the digital effects less than convincing. Alvarez explained that, due to time constraints during post-production, the team wasn’t able to perfect the CGI in time for the movie’s theatrical release.

“I wasn’t 100 percent happy with some of the shots, where you could feel a bit more the CG intervention,...

Last Updated on January 13, 2025

Director Fede Álvarez’s contribution to the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus (you can read our review Here), had only been in theatres for a matter of hours before it stirred up a SPOILERy controversy on social media. That’s because one of the film’s cast members has been dead for several years, so Álvarez and his collaborators decided to resurrect them with CGI… and the CGI wasn’t exactly convincing. Alien: Romulus has since made its way to home video – and if you have watched it in the comfort of your own home, you may have noticed that an attempt was made to fix that unconvincing CGI.

Of course, what we’re talking about here is the fact that the android character Rook was given the face of the late, great Ian Holm (with his estate’s permission), who played the android Ash in the original Alien.

After the original "Alien" in 1979, every subsequent film seems to have featured certain elements that immediately resulted in backlash among audiences. James Cameron's sequel was criticized for stripping away the horror and replacing it with dumbed-down action, while "Alien 3" represented fan discontentment on a grand scale by killing off beloved heroes Newt and Hicks ... before doing the same with its own leading lady, Ripley. Both of Ridley Scott's prequel films rubbed many viewers the wrong way, despite gaining more and more appreciators over the years, but it's safe to say that last year's "Alien: Romulus" was meant as a much-needed return to form.

In many ways, it did exactly that -- perhaps a little too well, as /Film's Chris Evangelista wrote about in his review -- but it also continued the franchise's grand tradition of alienating (pun most definitely intended) audiences with another divisive creative choice.

This time around,...

Creating a film as iconic as Alien: Romulus comes with its fair share of challenges, especially when it involves reimagining beloved characters. Director Fede Alvarez faced such a challenge with the introduction of Rook, an android based on Ian Holm’s Ash from the original Alien.

A still from Alien: Romulus | Credits: 20th Century Studios

While the film captivated audiences, some fans were left questioning the character’s appearance. On the same topic, the filmmaker has recently opened up about the process of refining Rook for the home release. So, what changes did he make to improve the character’s look?

What made Fede Alvarez rethink Rook’s CGI in Alien: Romulus?

In Alien: Romulus, Fede Alvarez brought new life to the Alien franchise, mixing classic sci-fi elements with fresh ideas. One of the standout features of the movie was the android character Rook, who was brought to life through CGI.

The most controversial aspect of Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus last year was the use of late actor/original Alien star Ian Holm’s likeness in the film, with the digitally resurrected Holm playing an android named Rook, the same model as his character Ash from Ridley Scott’s original classic. The effects work for the uncanny cameo, well, it left much to be desired.

Turns out, even Fede Alvarez wasn’t happy with how the digital necromancy in Alien: Romulus turned out. As he explains to Empire, the effects were retooled for the home video release.

“We just ran out of time in post-production to get it right,” Alvarez tells Empire. “I wasn’t 100 per cent happy with some of the shots, where you could feel a bit more the CG intervention. So, for people that react negatively, I don’t blame them.”

“We fixed it,” he continues. “We...

When Alien: Romulus arrived last summer, it brought cinema’s greatest sci-fi-horror franchise screaming into new life, chestbursting a new Xenomorph rampage onto the big screen. And for the most part, Fede Alvarez’s film – set between the events of Alien and Aliens – revelled in played around with the established iconography of the series so far, touching on everything from Prometheus to Alien: Resurrection, while also liberally paying homage to Ridley Scott and James Cameron’s classics.

Those callbacks didn’t always come without controversy – one surprise awaiting audiences was the arrival of android character Rook, given the face of the late, great Ian Holm (with his estate’s permission), who played nefarious ‘bot Ash in Scott’s original Alien. The result on screen, though, was somewhat uncanny – which became the subject of much discussion among fans. Even Alvarez wasn’t quite convinced. “We just ran out of time in post-production to get it right,...

Burbank, CA – Today, Director Fede Alvarez announced at a special Beyond Fest partnered screening at the Aero Theater in Los Angeles that 20th Century Studios will release the terrifying sci-fi horror thriller Alien: Romulus on limited edition VHS December 3. An ultimate movie collector’s dream, the fully functioning VHS tape was created to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the legendary Alien franchise; the box features artwork by renowned artist Matt Ferguson.

Talent In Attendance: David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, Shane Mahan, Matt Ferguson, and Lee Gilmore. The Q&a was moderated by Jim Hemphill at Indiewire.

Director Fede Alvarez takes the phenomenally successful Alien franchise back to its iconic roots in the next jaw-dropping installment heralded by critics as “sheer terror” and “utterly breathtaking”. Alien: Romulus is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and has already thrilled audiences at the box office, becoming the second-highest-grossing film in the Alien franchise globally.

Alien: Romulus...

The people behind the new Alien movie, Romulus, got fans excited at Comic-Con! They talked all about what to expect from the addition to the popular Alien series. The director, Fede Álvarez, was there with the cast. They included Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, and Spike Fern.

The panel gave fans a sneak peek at Romulus. It takes place between the first Alien movie and Aliens. Álvarez said they wanted new people to be able to follow along, but also honor what came before. “You can’t just rely on connections to older movies to get people interested,” he explained.

They showed some intense clips too. One was a super scary facehugger attack scene. Another showed the infamous chestburster birth that grosses people out. These parts proved they used practical effects like robots instead of just computer graphics. Both the cast and director felt this added to the realness.

When you don’t have star power or a massive superhero movie to show off in San Diego Comic-Con’s highly-visible Hall H, you have to get creative.

And Disney and its 20th Century Studios division did just that for its Alien: Romulus panel. A little theatrics — red strobe lights followed by a gurgling man stumbling on stage, then dying from a “chest burster” — and video questions from surprise filmmaker guests such as original Alien director Ridley Scott or filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, among others can go a long way to bolster the already strong clips that were shown.

And if that fails, then you leave them with parting gifts, in this case, rubber alien “face huggers” that were distributed to all 6,500 or so people who packed the cavernous hall of the San Diego Convention Center Friday, many of whom immediately proceeded to take selfies and post the photos to all their friends.

“Maestro” did well at the Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists Guild on Feb. 18 winning two of its three bids. It claimed the prizes for both period/character makeup and special effects races but lost period/character hairstyling to “Barbie,” which was snubbed by the Oscars. Likewise for “Saltburn,” which won both contemporary makeup and hairstyling.

Of this year’s other Oscar nominees, “Poor Things” lost all three of its bids just hours after pulling off an upset at the BAFTAs, “Golda” and “Oppenheimer” were each defeated in a single race while “Society of the Snow” was snubbed by the guild.

These wins boost the odds for “Maestro” to prevail at the Academy Awards. In the decade-long history of these guild honors, there has been just one year when an Muahs winner did not go on to claim the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

That was two years ago: “Coming 2 America...

The Oscar-frontrunning “Maestro” was the big winner at the 11th annual Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards (held February 18 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel). Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein opus took period/character makeup and special makeup effects. This puts “Maestro” in the Oscar driver’s seat (led by two-time winner Kazu Hiro) against “Poor Things,” “Oppenheimer,” “Golda,” and “Society of the Snow.”

Two non-Oscar competitors, “Saltburn”and “Barbie,” split the other wins: Emerald Fennell’s psychological thriller grabbed both contemporary makeup and hairstyling, while Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar blockbuster snagged period/character hairstyling.

TV winners, meanwhile, were divided among “The Idol” (contemporary makeup), “The Crown” (period/character makeup), “The Last of Us” (special makeup effects), “The Morning Show” (contemporary hairstyling), and “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” (period/character hairstyling).

As previously announced, Annette Bening (Best Actress nominee for “Nyad”) received the Distinguished Artisan Award, and Oscar- and Emmy-winning make-up...

The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (IATSE Local 706) announced winners of its 11th annual awards on Saturday, with Amazon MGM Studios’ Saltburn taking home two Muahs Awards for best contemporary make-up and best contemporary hair styling. Netflix’s Maestro also picked up a pair of honors for best period and/or character make-up and best special make-up effects.

Warner Bros.’ Barbie also won in the feature film categories, taking the prize for best period and/or character hair styling.

Winners in the television categories include Netflix’s The Crown, HBO’s The Last of Us, Apple TV+’s The Morning Show and Netflix’s Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. ABC’s Dancing With the Stars won three awards for best contemporary make-up, best contemporary hair styling and best period and/or character hair styling. NBC’s Saturday Night Live won two awards for best period and/or character make-up and best special make-up effects.

“Maestro” and “Saltburn” took home the main prizes at the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild (IATSE Local 706) awards.

The guild held its 11th annual awards ceremony Sunday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The night kicked off with the honoree awards being presented. Oscar-nominated actor Annette Bening was honored with the Distinguished Artisan award. However, due to Covid, Diana Nyad accepted the award on her behalf.

Michael Westmore was presented with the Vanguard Award for his work on “Rocky,” “Star Trek,” “Mask” and “Raging Bull.” Kevin Haney received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and “Hocus Pocus 2.”

The first awards for daytime TV had a “Moonlight” “La La Land” moment when an envelope mixup resulted in the winners for hairstyling being read out instead of makeup and the team from “The Young and the Restless” came...

The Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists Guild got a jump on the Oscars by announcing nominations for its awards before academy members start to vote. Of the 10 films that remain in the running for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the Oscars, only four are vying for these precursor prizes: three-time nominee “Maestro,” two-time contender “Poor Things” plus “Golda” and “Oppenheimer.”

A half dozen films still in contention at the Academy Awards — “Beau Is Afraid,” “Ferrari,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” “Napoleon” and “Society of the Snow” — were snubbed by the guild.

The 11th annual Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards are set for Feb. 18.

Best Period and/or Character Make-up

“Barbie,” Ivana Primorac, Victoria Down, Maha Mimo,

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3,” Alexei Dmitriew, Nicole Sortillon, Amos Samantha Ward, LuAndra Whitehurs

“Maestro,” Siann Grigg, Jackie Risotto, Elisa Tallerico, Nicky Pattison-Illum

“Oppenheimer,” Luisa Abel, Jason Hamer,...

The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild on Tuesday revealed nominations for the 11th annual Muahs Awards, featuring 23 categories honoring outstanding achievements in make-up and hair styling artistry in motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos and live theater.

Disney/Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 scored a leading four nominations on the movie side, landing noms in four of the five competitive categories. Netflix’s Maestro also showed well with three noms. On the TV side, ABC’s Dancing With the Stars leads all titles with five nominations, while Prime Video’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has three.

See the full list of nominees below.

Winners will be announced February 18 at the 2024 Muahs Awards ceremony, where Rocky, Star Trek, Mask and Raging Bull make-up artist Michael Westmore will receive the Vanguard Award. In addition, Driving Miss Daisy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 make-up artist Kevin Haney and...

The 2024 Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards have officially unveiled their nominees.

The ceremony, taking place February 18, marks the annual awards show for the IATSE Local 706 union, honoring achievements in make-up and hair styling artistry across motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos, and live theater in 23 nomination categories. Julie Socash, IATSE Local 706 president, announced the 2024 nominees, which include “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “Saltburn,” “Barbie,” “Maestro,” “Poor Things,” and “Nyad.”

Notably shut out was “Priscilla,” Sofia Coppola’s film that IndieWire’s Bill Desowitz predicted would be a frontrunner for the 2024 Oscars.

On the TV side, “The Idol,” “Ahsoka,” “The Last of Us,” “The Crown,” and “Star Trek: Picard” are among the nominees. A tie in the Best Special Make-Up Effects TV category makes for six nominees as opposed to the typical five.

As previously announced, Oscar and Emmy-winning make-up artist Michael Westmore will receive the esteemed Vanguard Award during the ceremony.

The Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild (IATSE Local 706) has revealed the nominees for its annual Muahs Awards, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 leading the feature competition with four nominations and Maestro close behind with three noms.

Disney/Marvel’s Guardians 3 earned noms in the categories for contemporary makeup, period and/or character makeup, period hairstyling and/or character hairstyling and special makeup effects. Bradley Cooper’s Netflix Leonard Bernstein drama Maestro collected noms for period and/or character makeup, period hairstyling and/or character hair styling and special makeup effects.

The Muahs Guild’s feature nominees vary quite bit from this season’s Oscar shortlist for the category. In fact, Guardians 3 was already snubbed in the makeup and hairstyling Oscar race, failing to make the shortlist of 10 films that advanced to the upcoming branch bake-off.

The films shortlisted for the makeup and hairstyling Oscar are Maestro; Poor Things,...

With a love of cinema woven into its DNA, The Monster Squad helped indoctrinate ’80s kids to the classic monsters. The generation that grew up watching it on home video and HBO look back on the 1987 film with the same reverence director Fred Dekker had for the Universal monster movies, and now they’re passing it down in a similar fashion. There’s no better way to introduce the next generation than with the new 4K edition.

Conceived as “The Little Rascals meets the Universal Monsters,” the cleverly-plotted film clocks in at a tight 82 minutes. The punchy script by Dekker and Shane Black doesn’t have an ounce of fat on it, save for the casual homophobia, misogyny, and body shaming of the time. Drawing inspiration from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, human characters offer well-placed levity and a bevy of memorable one-liners, but the monsters are played straight.

The...

If the Joker is the most fun Batman villain to play, The Penguin has to be a close second. If you look at actors who've portrayed the legendary rogue, the character seems to bring out some genuinely novel and committed performances. Colin Farrell had unbridled fun playing the Penguin in "The Batman," telling Total Film, "It overtook me [...] I started moving and talking and gesticulating with my hands and it felt like being a kid in the sandbox, man."

Before Farrell and makeup geniuses Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine put their stamp on the Penguin, Stan Winston and Danny DeVito had a go at it for Tim Burton's 1992 effort "Batman Returns." And in much the same way Farrell was able to disappear beneath his prosthetics, DeVito was a little too committed to the role of the Penguin. In a making-of featurette, Winston, who'd designed DeVito's prosthetics, recalled seeing the actor on set,...

This article is presented by Paramount Pictures.

Bringing the world of Dungeons & Dragons from the tabletop to the big screen was no simple task, with hundreds of artists, animators, sculptors, and designers from different studios working in concert to make the film’s beasts, creatures, and curiosities look as ferocious and fantastical as they deserve to.

Den of Geek spoke with Shane Mahan and Lindsay Macgowan, co-owners of special effects studio Legacy Effects, and Todd Vaziri, Compositing Supervisor at Ilm, who gave insight into the practical and digital effects that make Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ monsters and magic look so distinctly D&d.

The Owlbear

Tiefling Druid Doric, played by Sophia Lillis, has the enviable ability to shapeshift into a snowy Owlbear, a hulking monstrosity with razor-sharp talons and a head that turns on a swivel. The team at Ilm obviously had no real-life reference to help them create the Owlbear,...

Welcome back, dear readers! We’ve nearly made it through another week and December is (quite literally) just right around the corner. And since the holiday season is pretty much upon us, we’re back with another installment of our annual Holiday Gift Guide. For today, I’m celebrating a handful of books that I have either had the chance to check out this year and fell in love with, or several titles that I’m confident genre fans will love that I just haven’t had a chance to check out yet for myself.

To make things easier, I’ve sorted the books into two categories: non-ficton and fiction. And also, just so everything is on the up-and-up, I want to mention that I did include my own latest book in today’s edition of the Hgg just because the artists featured in this second volume of Monsters, Makeup...

On top of introducing Namor and the underwater nation of Talokan, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" also presents another major Marvel Comics character: Riri Williams, also known as Ironheart. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato in 2016, Her vast intellect allowed her to create a suit similar to Tony Stark's. Eventually, the character became Iron Man before coming into her own as a superhero under the name of Ironheart. "Wakanda Forever" marks the character's first live-action appearance, played by Dominique Thorne, with the character providing an interesting dynamic with Shuri.

Since "Wakanda Forever" is meant to serve as the character's introduction before she gets her own Disney+ series, it makes sense to introduce the armor she builds as well. Hinted at being developed around Stark technology, Riri's mark one suit is reminiscent of the Iron Man armors from the earlier Marvel Studios films. The best part about the first...

Last year, Daily Dead Managing Editor Heather Wixson released Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Conversations with Cinema’s Greatest Artists, the first installment of a four-volume series from Dark Ink that shines an insightful, well-earned spotlight on the special effects artists behind some of the greatest creations to ever stalk the silver screen!

Now, with another Halloween season upon us, we're absolutely thrilled to share the news that the second volume of Monsters, Makeup & Effects will be released on October 26th!

Like its predecessor, the second volume of Monsters, Makeup & Effects features interviews with some of the most renowned and talented special effects artists in horror movie and television history, and it also includes a special tribute to the amazing John Carl Buechler.

We have additional details and a look at the cover art below, and to pre-order Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume 2, visit:

https://aminkpublishing.com/store/ols/products/monsters-makeup-and-effects-volume-2-hardcover https://www.

“Coming 2 America” dominated the Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists Guild on Feb. 19 winning all three of its bids. The sequel to the comedy classic won both contemporary awards plus the special make-up prize. The period/character awards went to the makeup of “Cruella” and the hairstyling of “Being the Ricardos.”

This haul positions “Coming 2 America” well for the Academy Awards. In the first eight years of these guild awards, the eventual Oscar winner claimed at least one prize here first. Of its four rivals for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the Oscars, only “Cruella” came away from here a winner. Both “House of Gucci” and “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” were bested in all three of their races while “Dune” was a two-time also-ran.

The Oscar and Emmy-winning makeup artist Michèle Burke and the Emmy-winning hair stylist Joy Zapata were feted with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Best Contemporary Make-up

“Black Widow...

It's that frightfully delightful time of year again for Fangoria's highly anticipated Chainsaw Awards, with this year's nominees including Nia DaCosta's Candyman, Don Mancini's Chucky series, Jill Gevargizian's The Stylist, and many more!

You can check out the full list of nominees below, and to cast your votes, visit:

https://www.fangoria.com/original/chainsaw-awards-2022/

In their most recent magazine issue, Fangoria officially announced the nominations for its 2022 Chainsaw Awards, and horror fans everywhere can currently cast their votes at https://www.fangoria.com/original/chainsaw-awards-2022/ for their favorite films, television series, directors, artists, and more that kept us all thrilled, chilled and entertained throughout the course of 2021. Winners will be celebrated later this year during a yet-to-be-revealed Chainsaw Awards event.

The 2022 Chainsaw Awards Nominees include fan favorite films such as James Wan’s Malignant, Candyman from Nia DaCosta, and Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho,...

The Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists Guild got a jump on the Oscars by announcing nominations on January 11. Of the 10 films that remain in the running for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the Oscars, eight are vying for these precursor prizes. “House of Gucci,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Coming 2 America” and “The Suicide Squad” reaped three bids apiece with the guild; “Cruella,” “Dune” and “No Time to Die” earned two each; and “West Side Story” has one.

Two films still in contention at the Academy Awards — “Cyrano” and “Nightmare Alley” — were snubbed by the guild. Conversely, five of the Muahs favorites — “Being the Ricardos,” “Black Widow,” “Don’t Look Up,” “In the Heights” and “The Matrix Resurrections” — didn’t make the cut with the academy in phase 1 of voting.

The 9th annual Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards are set for February 17. The Oscar and Emmy-winning makeup artist Michèle Burke...

Let the gussying-up begin. The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild has applied the nominations for its ninth annual awards show next month. See the film list of nominations below.

Triple nominees on the film side are The Suicide Squad, House of Gucci, Coming 2 America and The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Among the pics scoring two noms apiece are Dune, No Time to Die, Being the Ricardos and Cruella.

The movies vying for Best Contemporary Make-Up are Black Widow, Coming 2 America, Don’t Look Up, No Time to Die and The Suicide Squad. Films in the hunt for Best Contemporary Hair Styling are Coming 2 America, In the Heights, No Time to Die, The Matrix Resurrections and The Suicide Squad.

The Period and/or Character Make-Up nominees are Being the Ricardos, Cruella, Dune, House of Gucci and The Eyes of Tammy Faye. All of those also will compete for Best Period...

“The Suicide Squad,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Coming 2 America” and “House of Gucci” lead the ninth annual Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild nominations (IATSE Local 706).

“The Suicide Squad,” released last August, was nominated in special makeup effects, contemporary makeup and contemporary hairstyling.

“The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Coming 2 America” and “House of Gucci” also landed three nominations, while “Dune” scored two nods. This bodes well for all the films which made the Oscar shortlist.

As previously announced, makeup artist Michèle Burke, known for her work on the Mission Impossible and Austin Powers franchises, and hairstylist Joy Zapata, who worked on “A Star is Born” and “Wonder Woman 1984,” will receive the 2022 Muahs Lifetime Achievement awards. The Distinguished Artisan award will be announced shortly.

The winners will be announced on Feb. 19 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Find the full list of nominations below.

Best Contemporary Make-Up,...

For his first horror film, “Antlers,” which centers around a boy’s relationship with a supernatural creature, director Scott Cooper said he wasn’t willing to get behind the camera without creature master Guillermo del Toro as producer. During a Comic-Con@Home panel on Saturday, the pair discussed how they created the part-digital, part real-life creature.

Based on the short story “The Quiet Boy” by Nick Antosca, the central supernatural character in “Antlers” is based on the wendigo, a spirt found in Algonquian folklore. Legends describe humans transforming into wendigos because of their greed or weakness and are considered dangerous because of their thirst for blood and ability to bring about evil.

“The wendigo has very, very specific cues you need to follow,” del Toro said. “The antlers, for example, are a must. I said, ‘We have to remember we’re not creating a monster, we’re creating a god.

If you’re a horror fan, then chances are you love The Monster Squad. With that in mind, I think anyone who generally reads a genre website already has a pretty good grasp on just why The Monster Squad has endured for over 30 years, becoming even more popular now than it was three decades ago, and so going into André Gower’s documentary, Wolfman’s Got Nards, I was intrigued to see what he was going to bring to the table for his directorial debut, because I felt like we’d seen a good amount of material out there thus far that has done a solid job of diving into the 1987 horror comedy.

But as Wolfman’s Got Nards weaves through a variety of talking head segments, Q&A footage, and delightful animatics, it becomes clear why Gower is the perfect person to capture all the happenings that coincided with...

Of the nine Best Picture nominees at the Oscars, “Dunkirk” did the best at the guild awards. It ended up winning with five (casting directors, film editors, sound editors and visual effects wizards) of the 11 at which it contended. It lost with the actors, art directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors and producers. This WWII epic had not been in the running with the makeup artists & hairstylists or writers.

“The Shape of Water” was nominated at a whopping 12 ceremonies (having been snubbed only by the Visual Effects Society). It prevailed with four, including a shocker at the Costume Designers Guild Awards on Feb. 20, when it won Best Period Costumes over Oscar frontrunner “Phantom Thread.” This fantasy film also won with the directors, producers and art directors.

“Darkest Hour” won with the actors and makeup artists & hairstylists. “Get Out” chalked up victories with the directors and writers. And “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...

At the Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards on Feb. 24, Oscar frontrunner “Darkest Hour” won two of its three races: special makeup effects and best period/character makeup. It lost best period/character hairstyling to “I, Tonya.”

Among those films that “Darkest Hour” edged out for best special makeup effects was “Wonder,” one of its two Oscar rivals for Best Makeup & Hairstyling. That film contended on the contemporary side here and lost its bid for hairstyling to “Pitch Perfect 3″ and makeup to “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2.” The third Oscar nominee, “Victoria and Abdul,” was snubbed by the guild.

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While each of the five guild races has five contenders, members do not always nominate those films that made the shortlist for the Best Makeup & Hairstyling Oscar. Likewise, it often cites films that failed to make the cut with...

“The Shape of Water” pulled off a shocker at the Costume Designers Guild Awards on Feb. 20, winning Best Period Costumes over Oscar frontrunner “Phantom Thread.” That unexpected outcome marked its fourth win from the 11 guilds weighing in to date. This fantasy film previously prevailed with the directors, producers and art directors. It is in contention with the two remaining groups on deck: the makeup artists & hair stylists and sound editors. The only group with which it did not contend this awards season was the Visual Effects Society.

Of the other Best Picture nominees, “Dunkirk” has gone four for nine at these precursor prizes (casting directors, film editors, sound editors and visual effects wizards). It is in the running with the sound editors.

“Blade Runner 2049” won with both groups that held awards last weekend: the cinematographers and sound editors. It had previously prevailed with the art directors.

“Get Out” chalked...

Of the nine Oscar nominees for Best Picture, “Dunkirk” is faring best with the guild awards. It has won with four of the 10 to date (casting directors, film editors, sound editors and visual effects wizards). It is in contention at two of the remaining three groups (costume designers, sound mixers) but missed out on any recognition from the makeup artists & hair stylists. Those three guilds will hand out awards during final voting for the Oscars, which kicks off on Feb. 20 for eight days.

While “Dunkirk” racked up nominations from 11 of the 13 guilds (it was also snubbed by the writers), “The Shape of Water” did it one better, with only the Visual Effects Society overlooking this fantasy film in its nominations. It won with three groups to date: the directors, producers and art directors. And it is in contention at all three of the upcoming awards.

“Blade Runner 2049” won with...

The Oscar frontrunner for Best Picture, “The Shape of Water,” is in contention for prizes from 12 of the 13 guilds. The one group that didn’t nominate it, the Visual Effects Society, held its awards on Feb. 13. One of the other eight Best Picture nominees, “Dunkirk,” won best supporting visual effects here. That brought its overall recognition from the guilds up to three, having previously prevailed with the casting directors and film editors.

This latest win ties this WWII epic with “The Shape of Water,” which has also been cited by three of the eight groups to be heard from to date: the directors, producers and art directors. It lost its races at the awards held by the actors, casting directors, film editors and writers.

“The Shape of Water” was bested at the Writers Guild of America Awards on Feb. 11 by another Best Picture contender, “Get Out.” That satire vies at...

The Oscar frontrunner for Best Picture, “The Shape of Water,” has reaped bids from 12 of the 13 guild awards, having been snubbed only by the visual effects artists. This fantasy film has won with three of the seven groups to be heard from to date: the directors, producers and art directors. It lost its races at the awards held by the actors, casting directors, film editors and writers.

It was bested at the Writers Guild of America Awards on Feb. 11 by “Get Out,” one of the other eight Best Picture nominees. That satire contends at eight guilds in total and has also won a prize from the DGA for first-time helmer Jordan Peele. The other winner with the WGA was Best Picture contender “Call Me By Your Name.”

Another Best Picture nominee, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” was a favorite of the actors, taking home a whopping three SAG Awards. And...

“The Shape of Water,” which reaped a leading 13 Oscar nominations, is in the running for 12 of the 13 guild awards missing out only with the visual effects artists. It has won with three of the six groups to be heard from to date: the directors, producers and art directors. This fantasy film lost its races at the awards held by the actors, casting directors and film editors.

One of its main Oscar rivals for Best Picture, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” edged it out with the casting directors. And this character study was a favorite of the actors as well, taking home a whopping three SAG Awards.

Two of the other nine Best Picture nominees — “Dunkirk” and “Lady Bird” — also won with the casting directors with the former also finding favor with the film editors. Another Best Picture contender, “Darkest Hour,” picked up a prize from the actors.

Four more groups — cinematographers,...

On the weekend after Oscar nominations were announced on Jan. 23, the art directors and film editors revealed their picks for the best of the year. Prior to the unveiling of the Academy Awards roster, we’d already heard from the casting directors, producers and actors. Five more groups — cinematographers, directors, sound editors, visual effects wizards and writers — will weigh in before final voting for the Oscars commences on Feb. 20. The remaining three (costume designers, makeup artists & hair stylists, sound mixers) will have their say during the eight days of voting for the Academy Awards that ends on Feb. 27.

“The Shape of Water,” which reaped 13 Oscar nominations, is in the running for 12 of the 13 guild awards missing out only with Visual Effects Society. It has won with two of the five groups to date: the producers and the art directors.

One of its main Oscar rivals for Best Picture, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...

Before Oscar nominations were announced on Jan. 23, we’d already heard from the casting directors, producers and actors with their picks for the best of the year. Two more (art directors, film editors) hand out prizes on the weekend of Jan. 27. Five more — cinematographers, directors, sound editors, visual effects wizards and writers — will weigh in before final voting for the Oscars commences on Feb. 20. The remaining three (costume designers, makeup artists & hair stylists, sound mixers) will have their say during the eight days of voting for the Academy Awards that ends on Feb. 27.

“The Shape of Water,” which reaped 13 Oscar nominations, is in the running for 12 of the 13 guild awards missing out only with Visual Effects Society. While it has won with just one of the three groups to date, but it was a biggie: the producers.

One of its main Oscar rivals for Best Picture, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...

With just hours before the Oscar nominations are announced, we heard from the Motion Picture Sound Editors with their nominees for the best of the year. These masters of sound were 13th guild to weigh in with their choices following the actors, art directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, film editors, makeup artists & hairstylists, producers, sound mixers, visual effects wizards and writers. In addition, the casting directors have had their say.

With its three bids from the Mpse, “The Shape of Water” is represented at 12 of the 13 guild awards; the Visual Effects Society had ended a streak that had seen it reap bids from the first 11 precursor prizes to reveal their rosters.

“Dunkirk” is at 11, having missed out with the writers and makeup artists/hairstylists. The Best Picture frontrunner, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” is in contention at nine guilds.”Get Out” and “Lady Bird” are each missing from the line-ups of five guilds.

The Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild (Muahs) have announced nominations for outstanding achievements in motion pictures, television, commercials and live theater during 2017. Winners will be announced on Saturday, February 24 at The Novo by Microsoft at L.A. Live.

Read More:Oscars 2018: Best Makeup & Hairstyling Shortlist Includes ‘Darkest Hour,’ ‘I, Tonya’ and More

This year’s nominees include six of the seven films short listed for the Best Make-Up and Hairstyling Oscar, including “I, Tonya,” “Ghost in the Shell,” and the Netflix tentpole “Bright.” The only Oscar shortlisted film not to earn a Muahs nomination is “Victoria & Abdul.”

The full nominations list is included below.

Feature-Length Motion Picture – Best Contemporary Make-Up

Baby Driver

Fionagh Cush, Phyllis Temple

The Big Sick

Leo Won, Kirsten Sylvester

Ghost In The Shell

Deborah La Mia Denaver, Jane O.Kane

Pitch Perfect 3

Melanie Hughes-Weaver, Judy Yonemoto, Erica Kyker

Wonder

Naomi Bakstad, Jean Black, Megan Harkness...

Mike Hill (Creature Lead Designer/Sculptor) and Shane Mahan (Project Supervisor) joined me last week to talk about how they helped bring Guillermo Del Toro’s creature to life in The Shape of Water.

The Shape of Water, his imaginative variation on the theme of Beauty and the Beast, which Fox Searchlight releases Dec. 1.

First, del Toro hired sculptors David Meng and Dave Grosso to start the design. He then enlisted Shane Mahan, co-founder of Legacy Effects (Pacific Rim), a special effects studio with a focus on creature design, and lead designer/sculptor Mike Hill (Apocalypto).

"Guillermo brought me in...

Thirty years ago, a killing machine from 2029—assuming the form of an Austrian bodybuilder—arrived with a lethal directive to alter the future. That he certainly did. The Terminator, made for $6.4 million by a couple of young disciples of B-movie king Roger Corman, became one of the defining sci-fi touchstones of all time. Its $38 million gross placed it outside of the top-20 box-office releases for 1984, yet the film grew into a phenomenon, spawning a five-picture franchise that’s taken in $1.4 billion to date and securing a place on the National Film Registry, which dubbed it “among the finest science-fiction films in many decades.

A little over seven years after the release of Ridley Scott’s Alien arrived in theaters, James Cameron brought out the big guns (literally) with his action-oriented sequel Aliens, which dominated over the summer of 1986 as it held the number one spot on the box office charts for four weeks straight.

Starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Carrie Henn, Jenette Goldstein, Mark Rolston, and William Hope, Aliens follows Ellen Ripley, the sole (human) survivor of the events of Scott’s original film, and a rag-tag crew of Colonial Marines back to the planet Lv-426 where Ripley and her crew first encountered the deadly alien species after a terraforming colony located there mysteriously goes dark.

The complete antithesis of Scott’s Alien, Cameron’s sequel was a raucous action/sci-fi mash-up that took everything that made the original movie so great and then kicked it up...

On October 26, 1984, James Cameron’s The Terminator stormed into theaters and instantly captured the imaginations of an entire generation of filmgoers who may not have realized the true impact Cameron’s independently-made passion project would continue to have on Hollywood and pop culture for decades to come.

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield and Lance Henriksen, The Terminator was a huge success when it was released, taking the number one spot at the box office for its opening weekend against fellow newcomers, Body Double and Terror in the Aisles. The Terminator also enjoyed a lengthy theatrical stay as well- 12 weeks- which gave the buzz surrounding Cameron’s groundbreaking film plenty of time to continue to spread throughout the Us.

It’s no exaggeration to say that The Terminator changed the landscape of filmmaking and is probably one of the most influential pieces of cinematic sci-fi to have ever been created.

For the second day of our Stan Winston Week celebration, I wanted to shine the spotlight on another monster movie that I’ve always enjoyed, but it never seemed to get as much love as I thought it should- George P. Cosmatos’ Leviathan. It’s a movie that wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was endlessly entertaining all the same, featuring a top-notch ensemble and tons of wonderfully weird and creepy creature effects created by Winston and his team of artists.

Starring Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, Daniel Stern, Ernie Hudson, Amanda Pays, Hector Elizondo, Meg Foster, Michael Carmine and Lisa Eilbacher, Leviathan was released in theaters everywhere on March 17, 1989 and took a respectable second place for the weekend, right behind Chevy Chase’s Fletch Lives. It only stayed in theaters for a total of three weeks, but still managed to haul in over $15 million during that run, which...

Here's a fun video of Stan Lee visiting special effects house Legacy Studios. While there, character FX magicians showed Lee how they brought the Iron Man costumes to life for the movies. It's got to be so awesome for Lee to see the characters he created become a reality.

We recently filmed Stan's visit to Legacy, where co-founders John Rosengrant, Shane Mahan, Alan Scott, Lindsay Macgowan and the entire staff gave him a hands-on tour of the workshop, showing him step-by-step how they bring his legendary characters to life. It was an unforgettable day spent with a brilliant man and we're happy to share a glimpse of the visit in the video at the top of the page.

Thanks to Stan Winston School for the video!

Though the digital dinosaurs were a significant part of the appeal of the original Jurassic Park as that level of realism had never before been reached in cinema, many of the shots to feature dinosaurs were actually full-scale practical robotic creations, conceived and produced at Stan Winston Studio.

Two key artists at Stan Winston’s side from the early 1980s until his death in 2008 are Shane Mahan and John Rosengrant. Now, the pair of craftspeople is together in a new company called Legacy Effects, but 20 years ago, they were ready to release their most ambitious film to that point – Jurassic Park.

The team at Stan Winston Studio spent a year building all of the practical dinosaurs which would shoot live on the set of the film, directed by Steven Spielberg and photographed by Dean Cundey. After production wrapped, Industrial Light and Magic matched their computer-generated dinosaurs to Sws’ designs and...