"Throughout horror movie history, filmmakers have used various techniques to create monstrous creatures and gory effects that we have all come to know and love. There are two main techniques that are used: practical effects, and digital effects. But which one is more effective at truly terrifying the audience?" -Bailey Estrella Kowal, 9th Grade
What are practical and digital effects?
Practical effects in horror are hand-made visual effects to heighten the realism of a certain creature or setting, or level of gore. This can include effects such as prosthetic makeup, puppetry, pyrotechnics, and many more, while digital effects are computer generated visual effects (often CGI) that are added into footage after shooting.
Before computers were invented to make digital effects, classic horror movies only used practical effects, as it was the only option available. Many of these movies are still famous today for their creative and baffling practical effects. Practical effects have proven to be very popular among horror movie lovers, as it has been said to be the more “real” method of special effects. Using practical effects, actors are able to interact with their surroundings because everything is real and tangible. This creates a more immersive experience for both the actors and the audience, and the actors are able to give a more genuine performance. Practical effects leave an impression on the audience that CGI simply cannot. Since it is fully human-made, it not only shocks the audience, but it leaves them wondering how it was made. However, practical effects also have limitations. There are some effects that simply cannot be created successfully using just practical effects. This is where the use of digital effects comes into play.
Contrasting to practical effects, one of the major benefits of digital effects is that you can still get a good special effect, but for a cheaper price as it does not require as many materials or shooting time. Many filmmakers tend to use digital effects for that reason. Also, the good thing about digital is that it is much safer. It makes it possible to have a gruesome murder scene without laying a finger on the actors. CGI also allows for certain effects that could not otherwise be made by practical effects. For example, in Stranger Things season 2, the main monster is called the “Mind Flayer” which is a spider-like shadow creature the size of a skyscraper. This creature was made entirely using CGI, since there would have been no way to make it out of real materials.
As already described, practical and digital effects each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Given that, a lot of modern filmmakers tend to use a combined approach that is often quite successful, as it merges the strengths of both techniques.
Some examples of the most successful combinations of practical and digital effects in horror are: Fear Street 1994, It (2017), and Stranger Things (Season 4).
Practical effects in horror are hand-made visual effects to heighten the realism of a certain creature or setting, or level of gore. This can include effects such as prosthetic makeup, puppetry, pyrotechnics, and many more, while digital effects are computer generated visual effects (often CGI) that are added into footage after shooting.
Before computers were invented to make digital effects, classic horror movies only used practical effects, as it was the only option available. Many of these movies are still famous today for their creative and baffling practical effects. Practical effects have proven to be very popular among horror movie lovers, as it has been said to be the more “real” method of special effects. Using practical effects, actors are able to interact with their surroundings because everything is real and tangible. This creates a more immersive experience for both the actors and the audience, and the actors are able to give a more genuine performance. Practical effects leave an impression on the audience that CGI simply cannot. Since it is fully human-made, it not only shocks the audience, but it leaves them wondering how it was made. However, practical effects also have limitations. There are some effects that simply cannot be created successfully using just practical effects. This is where the use of digital effects comes into play.
Contrasting to practical effects, one of the major benefits of digital effects is that you can still get a good special effect, but for a cheaper price as it does not require as many materials or shooting time. Many filmmakers tend to use digital effects for that reason. Also, the good thing about digital is that it is much safer. It makes it possible to have a gruesome murder scene without laying a finger on the actors. CGI also allows for certain effects that could not otherwise be made by practical effects. For example, in Stranger Things season 2, the main monster is called the “Mind Flayer” which is a spider-like shadow creature the size of a skyscraper. This creature was made entirely using CGI, since there would have been no way to make it out of real materials.
As already described, practical and digital effects each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Given that, a lot of modern filmmakers tend to use a combined approach that is often quite successful, as it merges the strengths of both techniques.
Some examples of the most successful combinations of practical and digital effects in horror are: Fear Street 1994, It (2017), and Stranger Things (Season 4).
In Fear Street 1994, there is a scene in which one of the characters gets her head shoved through a bread slicer, slicing her head into a bloody pulp. The way the filmmakers achieved this effect was by using a watermelon attached to a mannequin that looked similar to the actor, that they pushed through the bread slicer. They then used CGI to make the mannequin look more like the actor, and the watermelon appear as the actor’s head.
In It (2017), makeup and prosthetics were used on actor Bill Skarsgård to make the face of Pennywise, and most of Pennywise’s scenes used practical effects, with the exception of a few moments. In one scene, Pennywise creeps out of a refrigerator and disturbingly contorts and twists his body around. Most of Pennywise’s body in this scene is CGI, except for his head.
More recently, in Stranger Things (season 4), actor Jamie Campbell Bower was covered head-to-toe in makeup prosthetics to create the main villain, Vecna. CGI was used to make the character even more unsettling, by creating a more “slimy” appearance and making the tendrils and veins on his neck slowly move and pulsate.
While working in the film industry can seem exciting for the creativity and fun effects, it is not for the faint of heart. The process of creating any kind of special effects can be very time intensive and laborious. As we have seen recently with the actors and writers strike, similarly, VFX artists have not been compensated in alignment with the profits made by large film studios. VFX artists are passionate about what they do, but are now seeing the need to start joining a union called IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) to protect their livelihood. Notably, the Marvel VFX artists have voted to join IATSE as recently as this year.
Still, all of these examples show the combination of practical and digital effects, with the former providing a base that is enhanced by the latter. This is the best use of practical and digital effects. Given that both CGI and practical effects have their strengths and weaknesses, there is no clear winner in the debate of practical vs. digital. The best option to get the most chilling, petrifying, and gnarly horror effects is to combine the strong points of both methods.
Citations
https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/20500/Ciccone_oregon_0171N_11587.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y#:~:text=Practical%20effects%20are%20techniques%20that,computers%20(Metz%2C%202008).
https://blog.washcoll.edu/wordpress/theelm/2022/10/practical-vs-digital-effects-what-really-brings-horror-movies-to-life/
https://movieweb.com/practical-effects-better-cgi/#:~:text=There%20have%20been%20many%20examples,ensure%20the%20safety%20of%20performers.&text=CGI%20can%20also%20bring%20things,practical%20effects%20simply%20can't.
https://www.vfxvoice.com/effects-nightmare-the-creatures-of-it/
