Makeup Wizards

In addition to actors, directors, and writers, there's one more contributor to horror movies that fans like us like to check out: the makeup effects guy. There are a couple out there who are so talented and their work so renowned that to see their name in the credits is a guarantee you're about to see something special. In fact, some movies even put the name of the makeup artist on the poster or video box, knowing exactly what I just described.

Tom Savini (1946-)

My favourite makeup artist, and probably the most identifiable, as he has done his share of acting work as well (Dawn of the Dead, The Prowler, Maniac, and From Dusk Till Dawn, for example).

• Deathdream (1972)
• Deranged (1974)
• Dawn of the Dead (1978)
• The Manipulator (1978)
• Martin (1978)
• Maniac (1980)
• Friday the 13th (1980)
• The Prowler (1981)
• Eyes of a Stranger (1981)
• The Burning (1981)
• Nightmare (1981)
• Midnight (1981)
• Alone in the Dark (1982)
• Creepshow (1982)
• Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
• Day of the Dead (1985)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
• Monkey Shines (1988)
• Two Evil Eyes (1990)
• Bloodsucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh (1991)
• Trauma (1993)
• Heartstopper (1993)
• Necronomicon (1994)
• Mr. Stitch (1995)
• Cutting Moments (1998)
• Cold Hearts (1999)
• Web of Darkness (2001)
• Ted Bundy (2002)

Rick Baker (1950-)

His amazing work on the creature and transformation scenes in An American Werewolf In London, earned him the very first Best Makeup Oscar and a well-deserved half-dozen more. Plus, he worked on Star Wars! Also, he got his own mini-tribute in Summer School, a movie I like very very very very very much.

• The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971)
• Octaman (1971)
• Schlock (1971)
• The Thing With Two Heads (1972)
• It's Alive! (1974)
• Squirm (1976)
• Track of the Moon Beast (1976)
• The Food of the Gods (1976)
• King Kong (1976)
• The Incredible Melting Man (1977)
• It Lives Again (1978)
• The Fury (1978)
• The Howling (1980)
• An American Werewolf in London (1981)
• The Funhouse (1981)
• Thriller (1983)
• Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
• Body Bags (1993)
• Wolf (1994)
• The Frighteners (1996)
• The Devil's Advocate (1997)
• Psycho (1998)
• The Ring (2002)
• The Haunted Mansion (2003)
• Cursed (2005)
• The Ring Two (2005)

Dick Smith (1922-)

His most famous creation, the possessed Regan in The Exorcist garnered him fame and recognition, though he has a huge body of work beyond that, including The Godfather!

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968)
• The Exorcist (1973)
• The Sentinel (1977)
• Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
• Altered States (1980)
• Ghost Story (1981)
• The Fan (1981)
• The Hunger (1983)
• Spasms (1983)
• Poltergeist III (1988)
• Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
• House on Haunted Hill (1999)

Stan Winston (1946-)

I worship this guy. He is one of those talented craftsmen who can make your (worst) dreams come to vivid life. He also has enough Oscar nominations to choke a Velociraptor. Or a Pumpkinhead.

• Gargoyles (1972)
• The Bat People (1974)
• Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976)
• Mansion of the Doomed (1977)
• Zoltan, Hound of Dracula (1978)
• The Entity (1981)
• Dead & Buried (1981)
• Parasite (1982)
• The Thing (1982)
• The Terminator (1984)
• Chiller (1985)
• Aliens (1986)
• Invaders from Mars (1986)
• The Monster Squad (1987)
• Predator (1987)
• Pumpkinhead (1988)
• Leviathan (1989)
• Predator 2 (1990)
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
• Jurassic Park (1993)
• Interview with the Vampire (1994)
• The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
• The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
• The Relic (1997)
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
• Creature (1998)
• Lake Placid (1999)
• End of Days (1999)
• Jurassic Park III (2001)
• Darkness Falls (2003)
• Wrong Turn (2003)
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
• Constantine (2005)

Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero, Howard Berger

What's neat about these three friends is that they have enormous bodies of work, both separately and also as KNB, the company they formed together.

Berger, Howard

• Day of the Dead (1985)
• Night of the Creeps (1986)
• Evil Dead II (1987)
• Intruder (1988)
• Child's Play (1988)
• Horror Show, The (1989)
• Nightwish (1989)
• Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)
• Night Angel (1990)
• Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
• The People Under the Stairs (1992)
• Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
• Body Bags (1993)
• Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1992)
• Army of Darkness (1993)
• Doppelganger (1993)
• Ed and His Dead Mother (1993)
• New Nightmare (1994)
• In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
• Lord of Illusions (1995)
• Scream (1996)
• From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
• Night Flier (1997)
• Wishmaster (1997)
• DNA (1997)
• Sub Down (1997)
• Tale of the Mummy (1998)
• Faculty, The (1998)
• Vampires (1998)
• Phantoms (1998)
• Bats (1999)
• House on Haunted Hill (1999)
• From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999)
• From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2000)
• The Cell (2000)
• Ghosts of Mars (2001)
• Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
• Vampires: Los Muertos (2002)
• Soulkeeper (2001)
• Cabin Fever (2002)
• Ginger Snaps: Unleashed (2004)
• Riding the Bullet (2004)
• Cursed (2005)
• House of Wax (2005)
• Land of the Dead (2005)

Kurtzman, Robert

• Night of the Creeps (1986)
• Evil Dead II (1987)
• Intruder (1988)
• The Horror Show (1989)
• Nightwish (1989)
• Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)
• Night Angel (1990)
• Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
• Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1992)
• The People Under the Stairs (1992)
• Body Bags (1993)
• Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
• Army of Darkness (1993)
• Doppelganger (1993)
• Ed and His Dead Mother (1993)
• New Nightmare (1994)
• In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
• Lord of Illusions (1995)
• Scream (1996)
• From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
• Night Flier (1997)
• Wishmaster (1997)
• DNA (1997)
• The Faculty (1998)
• Vampires (1998)
• Phantoms (1998)
• House on Haunted Hill (1999)
• From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999)
• From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2000)
• Spiders (2000)
• Ghosts of Mars (2001)
• Soulkeeper (2001)
• Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
• Bubba Ho-tep (2002)
• Cabin Fever (2002)
• Vampires: Los Muertos (2002)
• Identity (2003)
• 2001 Maniacs (2005)
• The Devil's Rejects (2005)

Nicotero, Greg

• Day of the Dead (1985)
• Evil Dead II (1987)
• Intruder (1988)
• DeepStar Six (1989)
• Horror Show, The (1989)
• Nightwish (1989)
• Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)
• Night Angel (1990)
• Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
• Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1992)
• The People Under the Stairs (1992)
• Army of Darkness (1993)
• Doppelganger (1993)
• Ed and His Dead Mother (1993)
• Body Bags (1993)
• Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
• New Nightmare (1994)
• In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
• Lord of Illusions (1995)
• Scream (1996)
• From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
• Night Flier (1997)
• Wishmaster (1997)
• DNA (1997)
• The Faculty (1998)
• Vampires (1998)
• Phantoms (1998)
• The Haunting (1999)
• Bats (1999)
• House on Haunted Hill (1999)
• From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999)
• From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2000)
• Crocodile (2000)
• Spiders (2000)
• Ghosts of Mars (2001)
• Soulkeeper (2001)
• Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
• Vampires: Los Muertos (2002)
• Cabin Fever (2002)
• Identity (2003)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
• Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)
• Ginger Snaps: Unleashed (2004)
• Riding the Bullet (2004)
• Cursed (2005)
• Land of the Dead (2005)

Kevin Yagher (1963–)

He was the first makeup artist I knew by name, due mostly to his redesign of Freddy Krueger's makeup in Elm Street 2. Lately, he's begun writing (Sleepy Hollow) and directing.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
• Trick or Treat (1986)
• The Hidden (1987)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
• Child's Play (1988)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
• Retribution (1988)
• The Seventh Sign (1988)
• The Phantom of the Opera (1989)
• Defenseless (1990)
• The Borrower (1991)
• Man's Best Friend (1993)
• Demon Knight (1985)
• Bordello of Blood (1996)
• Rumpelstiltskin (1996)
• Bride of Chucky (1998)
• The Astronaut's Wife (1999)
• Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Rob Bottin (1959-)

This guy started out at a shockingly young age, and made a name for himself with the werewolf effects for The Howling and the disturbing/amazing monster design in John Carpenters The Thing. Rob also designed Robocop!

• King Kong (1976)
• Piranha (1978)
• The Howling (1980)
• Maniac (1980)
• The Fog (1980)
• Humanoids from the Deep (1980)
• The Thing (1982)
• The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
• Se7en (1995)
• Mimic (1997)
• Deep Rising (1998)