Friday, 6 October 2023

Tales from the Darkside (1983)

(Note: I would like to thank Ed French for sending me some of the images included here via email, as well as hosting them on his own Instagram page!)

The pilot episode of Tales from the Darkside, 'Trick or Treat', had its special makeups realized by Ed French; the makeup that got the most attention was the witch makeup, following a classic crooked nose and green skin design.
Several demon prosthetics were also designed by French; the red lighting obscures that the makeup was pink in colouration. Sadly no behind the scenes images of the background demon masks!
An undead pirate makeup was also realized by French, with a skeletal ghost also made; sadly no behind the scenes images of the ghost so far!
The Lizzie creature of 'Inside the Closet' was designed and sculpted by Tom Savini with Mike Maddi 'executing' the effects according to the credits. The puppet remained in good condition years after the show ended, judging by the photos posted by TheRPF user 'nosajpks' here (some of the images reposted here, but I've provided the source link at the bottom of the page). The puppet fell into neglect until it was restored by Tom Spina and their team, the images of which you can find on the TomSpinaDesigns website.
Ed French handled the special makeup effects in 'A Case of the Stubborns'; a series of makeup stages were applied to Eddie Bracken, with the last being the most elaborate, showing the undead grandad's decomposition.
Bryan Moore, a relative newcomer to the makeup business at that point, handled the special makeup effects in 'The Impressionist' which meant sculpting the episode's Hoffgosh alien mask and gloves. Originally, Moore wanted a different look for the alien, but this was shot down by the episode's director;

'I wanted him to look like the Tasmanian Devil from Bugs Bunny, and I sent my designs to Armand (Mastroianni). He liked the designs, but he wanted a peaceful, asexual alien. He and the art director made a design and I sculpted from it.'

'Originally, I was supposed to make a full body suit, but the way the budget was, all I could make was a head-and-shoulders mask, the hands, and some dentures. They girl they hired to play the monster is a professional mime, The face didn't move too much, but she really made it come alive.'

Savini returned to direct the episode 'Halloween Candy' in addition to designing its monster; the demon was realized as a mask similar in design to the one he had realized for Fluffy in George A. Romero's Creepshow. Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger assisted Savini in realizing the demon.
Ed French handled the makeup effects for 'The Devil's Advocate'; French made several very subtle makeups for Jerry Stiller to wear in the episode, before eventually a full demon face makeup was made for his final form.
The witch and ogre in 'Monsters in my Room' had their makeup artists uncredited; perhaps they could have been a freelancer's work, if not by some of the regular FX artists.
Ed French was the special makeup effects artist on 'The Circus'; one of the more elaborate makeups was the ancient vampire, as a full prosthetic mask and hand appliances.
Another makeup French designed for 'The Circus' was a werewolf, that sadly was barely glimpsed in the episode itself, only shown better in behin the scenes or publicity photos.
The titular swine demon of 'The Cutty Black Sow' was designed by Ed French, with assistance from Ken Walker. The Sow was a prosthetic mask and gloves, with animatronics fitted inside the mask to move the snout and light up the eyes.
The undead mummy makeup in 'The Grave Robbers' was realized by Mike Maddi; it's only briefly seen in the episode itself.
The werewolf mother and son in 'Family Reunion' had their makeup designed by Tom Savini with assistance from Ed French; Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero were also credited as assisting in the episode.
Sources: TheRPF 'Tom Savini Pics (Jason Vorhees & Lizzie)' forum thread

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