Horror Movie Makeup

I wanted to make this post to express my love for horror movie makeup. Without it, we wouldn't have the movies that we do today. It is an art that is highly underestimated. When people watch movies, they see how an actor performs, the graphics and things like that. But they do not tend to see the immense amount of work that goes int o movie make up.

Since the beginning of movie makeup, it has changed a lot. Lets start from the beginning. Of course, Universal Classic Movie Monsters. Those actors and makeup artists would sit and work for hours on end just to produce a AMAZING finished masterpiece. It was later discovered that many of these makeup products were even toxic to the actors. They put their own health at risks just to proudly wear these character costumes. Roles like The Mummy, Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Wolf man all took exquisite details to produce such a fantastic on screen look.

In The Mummy, they applied layer after layer of bandages, and this paste almost like paper mache. The actor was covered from head to toe, with numerous layers. In order to produce this.

In The Hunchback of Notre Dame the actor actually worse a body suit that contorted his body to give him the hunch over look. There was also a ridiculous amount of makeup applied to this actor before every single shooting. This created this spectacular character. 

The Wolf man may have been the most time consuming of them all. A full size body suit was created for the actor. Every single hair that was on the suit was plucked in by hand. There are an uncountable number of hairs, yet they took the time to pull every one through, just to achieve this fascinating look. 

For this time period, these are all unbeatable makeup skills. Perhaps the most skilled makeup artists of this time even worked for Universal. No matter what new techniques are created, this will always reign as superior to me. Even though these creators had few examples to look up to for reference, they managed to create numerous, unique, and memorable characters based off of these makeup techniques. 

To see even more examples of amazing characters check out some of these movies here.

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American Horror Story

I am sure that most of you have seen this show. However, for those of you who haven't, here is a short run down of what it is.

There are four seasons so far. Season one: Murder House. Season two: Asylum. Season three: Coven. Lastly, Season four: Freak Show.

Within each season there is a completely different plot, different characters, setting, time period, everything like that. It is basically a whole new show, but the characters are all played by the same actors throughout all four seasons. In my opinion this is a great idea. This allows for endless options. Instead of running a show for around 10 seasons, then running out of ideas, and ending it, this show could go on and on for as long as they would like. Constantly creating a new premise for each season, and reinventing themselves over and over again.

The cons of this is that for the first few episodes of a new season, I was still stuck on the character that the actor played in the previous season. So when their role completely switched, it threw me off for a little while.

This show has gained an enormous fan base, and has come a long way. I remember watching this when the first season came out and being amazed with how unique and complex it was. It shocked me that not more people watched it. But as the seasons continued more and more people joined the following. By now, the third season, I have noticed that many more people have decided to try the show out, and ended up loving it.

Each season offers an entirely new scenario. Into family drama and a tormented house? Crazy people locked up in an asylum, or a murder? Witches and voodoo? Or freaks? As a whole, American Horror Story offers all of these things.

If you have not watched this show yet, I highly recommend that you try it out. Even if you're only into one of the subjects that I listed above, watch that one specific season. It's another pro of the show, since the seasons are not connected, you don't have to watch them all in order to understand what is going on. Any horror fan could find some sort of interest in this show, because it is in fact a full package. Check it out!

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Horror Tattoos

Ever want to express your love for horror? Well a clear way to achieve this is by permanently getting it  inked into your skin. You can use your body as a canvas, and wear your personality on your sleeves. Get your favorite horror movie characters done on your body, or even a more abstract idea. No matter the case, the possibilities are endless as long as you can think it up.

I personally plan on getting numerous horror tattoos. Tattoos, simply put are things that you are supposed to love so much, that you want it put onto your sin for the rest of your life. For me that is horror.

There are many different things that you could get done. The list varies from characters, movies, fears and many more.

30 Days of Night

Silence of The Lambs

Dracula

Monsters/Characters:

All horror fans have a few favorite monsters or characters. Depending on their favorite types of movies, it could be the slasher villains, or the classic Universal Monsters, all the way to the brand new horror figures present on our movie screens.  Here are some examples on the sides... but for even more click here.


General horror:
While the previous images were from specific movies, you could also go with a more general design, while still basing it from horror. The classic zombie, or a scary pinup is always a good way to go, or a generic vampire or creature. Here are some basic and general horror tattoos...






Tattoos are a life long decision so no matter the subject matter, always make sure that it is something that you will always want on your body. Try making the image the wallpaper on your phone, hanging it on your fridge, or putting it up in your room for a few months, if you still love it, then go for it.

Next time you plan on getting a tattoo, give horror a look. There are many different themes, or characters that could be achieved through ink.

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Hollywood Museum

In the heart of Los Angeles the Hollywood Museum can be found. Originally known for their wide variety of celebrity and movie memorabilia. They have had their doors open to the public for years. In honor of Hollywoods darker horror history, the museum has has created a new exhibit. The Dungeon of Doom. Venture down to the basement to see real props from some of your favorite movies.

As I make my way to Hollywood every year for the Halloween season, I often find myself looking for new horror related sites to see. While I have not been to this attraction, I do plan on going next time I am in the area.

They offer many things that I would love to see. They have life size figures of:

• Michael Myers
• Jason Voorhees
• The Crypt Keeper
• Elvira

Here are just some of the props that they have from a variety of films and T.V. shows:

• The Exorcist
• Psycho
• Phantom of The Opera
• The Mummy
• Van Helsing
• Dexter
• The Walking dead

There are not many other places that I can think of that offer this variety, or even any exposure to these props. This is for sure a must see for any horror enthusiast. To check out more of the museum for yourself or to buy tickets you can get to their website by clicking here. 

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Horror Movies Allow Demons Into Your Life? I Think Not...

Before I begin this post, I would just like to note that I have no intentions of offending anyone, this is my own personal opinion. While religious topics are always controversial, my opinion stands. At the same time I am not trying to degrade anyone else's opinion, I am simply stating my views on the said topic.

First off, check out this blog post so you understand what I'm referring to through out the post. You can find it by clicking right here. Upon reading this author's post I found myself in disbelief, so much so that I began a fit of laughter. Once I calmed down, I began to word-by-word look into the opinion that she was being stated. While I did try to read it, and understand the topic from a religious view. I continued to come up short on trying to find the logic within the page.  I personally know a few people in my life that share the same belief, so this wasn't a new perspective for me. But to actually hear the defenses that were brought up, honestly boggled my mind. 

The basic run down of her points is that by watching a horror movie you are directly allowing demons to come into your home. Once they are in your home they can cause many issues. Here is a quote from the author, stating her views on the things that could occur, "Are you experiencing any of the following:

• unexplained aches and pains
• disease/illness
• financial problems
• fear
• moodiness
• insomnia
• depression
• sadness
• anger
• nightmares."

She then goes on and explains that in order to get rid of these demons, you need to "acknowledge your mistake (your sin) and repent." The list goes on. This is the basis of her beliefs. Now... to get to my main point. While this truly feels like a stretch to me and it even ticks me off a little because she implies the wrong doing of all horror movie enjoyers, this is still not the main issue that I feel beyond frustrated with in this post. It is that there are many other aspects of religion that I fear could (and it has) do catastrophic harm. 

What startles me the most is that a person could have their mind so clouded by religion that they forbid themselves from enjoying something as simple as a movie. A movie that is made in a sound stage, on set, not in hell as she makes it seem. This is just one view based off of movies, it doesn't even begin to touch subject on anything else that is horror related. Halloween? Basically an entire holiday surrounded by so called "demon provoking." To deprive yourself of anything in life just based off of the "word of god" seems absurd to me. Here is where this really gets into my big picture... The pure ignorance, and manipulation that religion can cause. Just because of its longevity, its teachings that carry through generations, and influence that it continues to have in our society, it is capable of brainwashing entire groups of people. History has shown this repeatedly. 

The author of this post isn't the only one who follows this belief. By simply looking at the comments you can see a variety of others who seem to find logic in the author's words. The readers (some as young as 13) were even thanking her for giving them "insight" on the subject. Just by using religion as her proof, she was able to influence these people without using a single shred of real evidence to support any statements. Now, this is less about this specific situation, and it is more of an example of the root cause, that shows the fact that people are so easily persuaded by the word of religion. If reading a blog can influence someone, what else could religion bring up? War? Hate Death? Oh wait... This has already happened numerous times. Don't believe me? Here is some very well known cases of death due to the influence of religion that seem to always be overlooked. Just check out this site about the Crusades. Need more? Here is another site about a beautiful transgender woman who was bulled to death due to religion. Still need more? This is a link to information about the Inquisition. If you're religious and reading this, then perhaps you will want a more "reliable" source. How about a direct quote from the bible? Jesus even says in John 16:2-3 that there will be some people who commits murder based on the "word of god." Here are the words from the holy bible, "the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God." However he states that these people are not true believers because, "they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me." There is a little of proof from the holy bible itself. The thing that gets to me is that even with these situations of death put right out into the light, the usual defense from a religious perspective is that "Satan is clouding their mind, he is blocking them from seeing God's truth." Then I suppose this entire post is just Satan blocking my logic. Believe what you want, but with clear events in history that show the fault in religion I don't see how it is so often defended. Sure, if you need religion for your faith, as a sort of safety blanket, then go for it. But do not ever infringe upon someone else's right, or life just to preach your loyalty to the cross. 

Now this may not be directly rooted with the topic of my blog, but I feel that it is important to recognize this. Something as simple as believing a horror movie can cause demons to intrude upon your life goes hand-in-hand with all of the things that I spoke about above. End this negative influence. End these murders. 

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Prom Night

Looking for a good solid movie? Prom night may be for you. I still remember when I saw this movie in theaters. It left a lasting impression, and after all that's what we look for in a movie right? Right from the get go, this movie has you interested and keeps you guessing about the outcomes.

A personal favorite of mine is foreshadowing. This movie has tons of it. My girlfriend and I watched this movie recently, and we realized just how apparent the foreshadowing was. The very first scene includes at least 3. And the number only increases from there. Sometimes they came off as cheesy, but it was interesting to try to follow them through out the film. It just fuels the fire as it adds more questions to what these obvious foreshadowing cues will lead to. As the story progresses you get anxious about what the outcome will be.

You follow a girl on her prom night, as she begins the adventure of life in the real world out by herself, while she also combats the loss of her parents due to murder. Little does she know that this murderer is stalking her on her prom night. As events unfold, I became more and more anxious, and even frustrated about the things that the man was getting away with.

Now I am big on not spoiling the movie, so i'll leave the details there and go on with my own personal reactions. If you want a more detailed review and summary you can check this out. This movie has always been a favorite of mine, despite the cheesy aspects. It infuses the perfect amount of side story, romance, challenges, twists and of course scares.

So this winter break if you're looking for a good movie to curl up to with some hot chocolate. Give this one a try.

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John Murdy

John Murdy is the long standing creative director of the all amazing seasonal event called Halloween Horror Nights. With many years of this under his belt, be is capable of producing the best event in horror history. For more information about this event you can check out my previous posts here, here, here, and right here. In my opinion this event is by far his most impressive accomplishment. However, his is not the only thing that this man is known for.

Previous to creating HHN, Murdy was employed at the Universal park in Orlando. He created an amazing attraction. Ever been to Universal Studios in either Orlando or Hollywood, and went of the Revenge of the Mummy ride, well John was also the creative director behind that project. 

After the production of this ride, he requested that he be moved to the California Universal Park, where he could bring Halloween Horror Nights back from its long hiatus. 

After years of work, great challenges, and many changes, John Murdy has managed to make the event what it is today. I have attended the event every year since 2007 and I have personally seen the changes that have arose every single year. The number of mazes, scare zones, and guests has increased by a significant amount. This is all due to the guidance provided by John Murdy. 

During all of these achievements he was also written up by LA Times, NBC and ScareLA. Amongst other well known companies. He is a local legend amongst many groups, and is my personal idol.  

Throughout the years I have seen my favorite event grow drastically all due to this man, and he has even encouraged me to begin a hobby in creature makeup design, just like the characters that lurk around his event. 

John Murdy is a well rounded, man who is full of a variety of skills, exactly what you need for the high stake, versatile career that he is in. 

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