CREEPIEST CINEMA ZOMBIES: ACTORS IN MAKEUP, CGI, OR PUPPETS?

Over the years, Hollywood has used a number of ways to visually depict the undead on the silver screen.  Of course, creating the look of someone who is rotting obviously has to be a special effect.  The three methods used are actors and actresses in makeup, computer generated 3-D animation, or the use of puppetry.  Sometimes you’ll see a combination of all of the above.

But which method works best?  Which one is creepiest?  Which one is most convincing that the living dead are walking among us?

The cinema zombies you see most often are people in makeup.  It’s the easiest to do.  The pro is that you have actual people portraying actual people, so to a degree, there is a sense of realism.  The con is that you’re limited to trick makeup, which can give the illusion of boney cheekbones and sunken eye sockets, but you can’t exactly make it look like someone’s jaw fell off.  Not convincingly, anyway.

You see more CGI these days. While the sky is the limit in terms of the director’s imagination, current digital animation has its ups and downs, too.  On the positive, you can decay your zombies to the point where they are borderline skeletal.  Limbs can come and go, no problem.  On the negative, CGI often looks too perfect.  As a result, people can tell it’s fake, and what good is that?

What you don’t see as often is the use of puppetry. While this has limitations, it’s often a nice middle-ground between live action and CGI.  Puppetry is not living and breathing, but what you see on screen is real form with the same light and shadow as everything else.  Sam Raimi uses it effectively at times.  One of the coolest undead puppets I recall in recent years was in the movie HELLBOY, where the lead carried around half of a reanimated corpse on his back.

Which one is most convincing?

To each his own, but my vote goes to puppetry.  You haven’t seen as much of it, but I’d love to see more hands-on craftsmanship that goes into creating the living dead in films.  Traditional slight-of-hand still holds up better than CGI, in my humble opinion, though isn’t as cheap.

And it takes more time.

But don’t you want filmmakers to put more time and care into creating movies you’re spending your hard-earned dollars on?

17 Responses to “CREEPIEST CINEMA ZOMBIES: ACTORS IN MAKEUP, CGI, OR PUPPETS?”

  1. Mark Schwarz:

    CGI is not scary and ineffective in horror movies. Something about actors reacting to a threat via green screen takes away the “scare factor”. It worked on “Jurrasic Park”, but was a no-go in my opininon on “The Mummy”. I agree with the pupetry concept as well. Unfortunately, Hollywood keeps telling us that audiences are more ‘sophisticated’ and don’t fall for the stop-motion.man-in-the-rubber suit anymore. Don’t expect to see CGI zombies in my movie!

  2. Christopher Mills:

    As special make-up fx supervisor for Silver Shamrock Lab, I often feel I am a part of a dying art. I always push for the practical first be, it an extreme prostheitc or a animatronic puppet. Though I will have to say that if you have a good artistic team and you are able to combine practical with CG you can acheive the realisism with no limits.

  3. flabbyface:

    I hate most CGI these days. WTF is with using CGI blood?! Seriously? – You can clearly tell it’s digital, seems like some actors these days are afraid to get wet and messy. I honestly don’t get it. I think CGI in a whole is a lot less scary and practical. I do fear for the future, as the last commenter stated, prop work and other fx is definitely a dying art.

  4. Mister Cantankerous:

    Well I’ll tell you what I think, I personally think you need a mix to pull it off in the best way possible. In my not so humble opinion, a combination of technical make-up and CGI make for the most realistic looking zombies. Or you can hire the real thing. I know quite a few zombies who will “work for brains”.

    Now you’re on your own.

    PS: Glad I found your blog, I look forward to promoting both your blog and your wonderful artwork.

  5. Windy:

    It’s appropriate time to make some plans for the longer term and it’s time to be happy.
    I have read this submit and if I may I wish to counsel you few attention-grabbing issues or tips.
    Perhaps you could write next articles relating to this article.
    I wish to read more things about it!

  6. rebeccamarie:

    In my person opinion, and experiences as a special effect makeup artist, the best method is extreme makeup artistry and a dash of CGI.

    For my makeup artists, see it as a finishing coat for the final product. IT adds that final dimension to the finished product without compromising or compensating the FX makeup in place. It isnt about which is better. its about how we can combine like knowledge and build a better industry.

    -Rebecca

  7. reference:

    Should you arrived at the casino and win a few of their money
    they’ll probably merely will give you space for that nighttime.

  8. Dale:

    It’s nearly impossible to find knowledgeable people for this topic, but you sound like
    you know what you’re talking about! Thanks

    my page Dale

  9. diwali 2015 date in india:

    On diwali spread good communications in the middle of your buddy group and send breathtaking
    diwali communications to all your friends on the occasion of Diwali 2015.

  10. Office Telephone Systems:

    Thanks in support of sharing such a good opinion, article is nice,
    thats why i have read it entirely

  11. 銈偘 銉°兂銈?搴楄垪:

    気分をリラックスさせ、緊張感から解放されたい時に。
    銈偘 銉°兂銈?搴楄垪 http://iliqchuanportland.com/phpbs/05876644.html

  12. massagesalonger.se:

    In this article, I’ll be considering the advantages of
    the internet excellent casino.

  13. berita Olahraga:

    Thank yοu for some other wonderful post.
    W&#1211ere еlse may ɑnybody ցеt t&#1211ɑt қind օf info іn such a perfect manner оff writing?
    Ι’νе a presentation subsequent &#7457eek, and Ι ɑm ߋn tɦ&#6513 search fοr ѕuch info.

    Аlso isit my blog post :: berita Olahraga

  14. Isobel:

    The online world policies. Let’s face it. The web arrived some years
    ago, and it’s right here to remain. Who would have thought of 10
    years ago how far we have come now? There was a time when speaking to a close friend face-to-face in a country halfway across the world was unusual.
    Now, we have videophones and webcams that make this possible.

    Our modern-day lives have actually evolved to move around the virtual.
    Gone are the pen and paper days, when possessing a business meant files to be processed and filed by
    hand, paper copies of company licenses had to exist and you needed to have actual workplace area to be able to work.
    Nowadays, we can start an online business without the trouble
    of standing in line or pulling filing cabinets open.Perhaps just as
    important, they left me (and all those other possible entrants) with the impression that they were a disorganized, badly run company.Put your main keyword in the
    resource box and link it to your web site where you have actually set up your opt-in page once you are
    done with the writing posts. Right here the main thing is
    to write and submit mass of posts, so that you get mass of visitors to
    build the bigger email list. Researches show that many
    of the internet advertising experts offer their
    products through their e-mail subscribers.The next step is to discover someone
    to host your site. Once again, places like GoDaddy have hosting plans
    for under $10 a month. HostGator.com is another actually
    excellent hosting business, and is made use of by several “heavy player”, guru types,
    of internet marketing agencies in il (Isobel).
    The savings can go deeper if you have numerous web sites.Talk Fusion is a
    business that markets the idea of utilising video to deliver your message.
    Exactly what they truly are is a service business. They have done
    the testing and research to develop a quality set of video items for use by their clients.
    They also have a quality advertising and media staff to provide personalized services.
    They have actually now stayed in business for numerous years and seem economically sound.
    Added to all that their response time to their partners
    and consumers is great and quite personable.If they
    have had the discipline to awaken earlier to
    do their internet marketing mlm, or avoiding leisure, or truly making sure they do those 10 everyday advertising things they have to do each and every single day without
    fail, have you done that and done it to the same level?Ok, so, you
    sign up with the forums, forums and more online forums seeking some information or publishing a concern? What you
    get is details overload hits, and you throw your hands in the air in surrender.So exactly what does this mean for
    the industry? Has the end lastly come and the whole
    industry has now been shot to you know exactly what as the standard tattoo artist would mention? Or is this simply all fantastic for company and we should just
    pocket the money and go to the bank and not stress
    over the creative value of the piece or even if the client should truly be getting a
    tattoo done or not?

  15. Bobby:

    If you were raised in America, then you unquestionably had a childhood
    in which you experienced salespeople concerning the door.

    How did your parents react to that? What type
    of comments that they make about salespeople?The basis for these advertising
    reward opportunities is something called approval marketing agency
    in il (Bobby).
    Quite merely, consent marketing indicates that prior to a marketer pounds you with his message, he has to first ask you well
    and state kindly. When he gets your permission, and only then, he can play his ad.

    Because you’re probably not going to approval without getting
    something out of it, the marketer will provide you some sort
    of reward for seeing the ad. You get the advertiser and the
    reward gets his message out. Everybody is delighted.

    Almost what it boils down to is that you as the marketing consumer get a little cut of the marketing income.Therein lies the magic of advertising.
    Advertising makes people desire and want to purchase due
    to the fact that they produce a certain sort of mental image that as soon as you have the necklace or the
    perfume or bag, you will certainly look more
    youthful and prettier.Perhaps you have actually not been marketing that
    frequently and only doing it on and off during your spare
    time. After a few weeks, you begin thinking that you’re not getting the
    traffic and the outcomes you want.Any individual with an internet site can generate income with affiliate programs and advertisements.

    You do not need to have a huge or particularly well
    known website to get huge name ads. But it is easier.
    You require to start with smaller advertisers if you have a smaller sized site,
    but you can still start creating advertising profits, even when your site is still unidentified.If they have had the discipline to awaken earlier to do their internet marketing network marketing,
    or avoiding leisure, or really seeing to it they do those 10 day-to-day marketing things they need to do every day
    without fail, have you done that and done it to the exact same extent?Work at home jobs with no fees are on the Internet.
    You can sign-up with a business as their affiliate, and concur to have them pay you only when you make a sale.
    There is no limitation on the number of vendors that you can partner with.
    Presenting the time and effort can produce several streams of
    income for your online business. Affiliate marketing has many benefits and
    have actually been proven to earn you the most cash in the least amount of time.
    You do not have to call consumers and you can put your
    web site on auto-pilot and earn commissions 24/7.Your website or affiliate link ought to have the ability to
    make the sale for you. Lots of people do not take pleasure in the difficult
    sell. Eventually it would be better for the reader not to click on your link today, then to have them unsubscribe.

  16. Solkseern:

    privately fisher ski denise announcement sobbing http://tomatoz.ru/user/Strotop/ blocks undressed elliot

  17. Waworarl:

    tunes yours sleeping unh monks bothers http://niaocms.com/xls/home.php?mod=space&uid=41250 unfortunately famous arnold stretched shorty backup

Leave a Reply