It's pretty safe to say that the world loves movies. In fact, it's very unlikely that you know someone who despises film altogether. Sure, they may not care for a particular genre or possibly even hate most modern pictures, but everyone likes and appreciates some genre and/or era of movies. We just can't help ourselves. Film is one of the best forms of escapism. Personally I live for horror films. I go gaga over the suspense, terror and special effects make up galore. Hey, what else do you really need to make a great movie?
If you're a horror film nut, then you probably love special effects make up. Even though Hollywood doesn't have to make use of FX make up like they used to, they definitely still do with horror films and creature features. You're not always watching computer generated images on the big screen. Some of the blood and gore truly is quality special effects make up. A great example of costuming and FX make up can be seen in the instant horror classic known as "Jeepers Creepers." While this movie only hit the big screen in 2001, it's certainly established a reputation for being a monster movie classic. The villain of this film, the Creeper, is actually a man in heavy special effects make up and a costume. This is wonderful since so many films these days create monsters with mere CG. You surely noticed this when you watched "Harry Potter" or even "The Hulk." In reality there is no substitute for the real deal. We can typically tell if we're watching a false beast or monster. Get a lode of the snake in "Anaconda." Lame!
You simply have to give it up for old-school horror films and the great special effects make up they took advantage of. Movies such as "The Howling," "The Thing," and "Fright Night" are excellent examples of flicks that pre-date the whole phenomenon known as computer generated images or CG. These spooky classics relied on special effects make up and worked like a charm. The funny thing is that the older horror films are scarier than the stuff produced today. What does this tell you about classic film making versus modern cinema? There is certainly something to be said about old-school special effects make up and quality screenwriting.
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