Horror movie fans of a certain age (ahem) usually have one major thing in common with each other: we all subscribed to Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. Led by the irrepressible editor-in-chief Forrest J. Ackerman, this photo-and-pun-filled rag would show up every other month or so, bringing articles and opinion pieces about scary movies both old and new, and (more importantly) featuring the people who wrote, directed, starred in, and created these terrifying works of art. It was the first place I encountered names like Lon Chaney Sr., Jack Pierce, Dick Smith, and Rick Baker, and I quickly became fascinated with these special effects makeup artists and all the sculpting, molding, and painting they did behind the scenes to bring their creatures to life

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex, written and directed by Alexandre Poncet and Gilles Penso (they also made the documentary Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan) gives a somewhat chronological view of the creation of movie creatures both big and small, and is fascinating all the way.

Through anecdote-filled interviews with artists such as Chris Walas (Gremlins), Rick Baker (Men In Black), Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), The Chiodo Brothers (Killer Klowns From Outer Space), Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy), Phil Tippett (Jurassic Park), along with many many others, and never-before-seen test footage, rehearsal scenes, the filmmakers construct a fascinating overview of the art of creature-making.

Lon Chaney Sr. and Jack Pierce are praised for their trailblazing work and for their immediately iconic creations that became the standard-bearers  for nearly all later incarnations of their characters. You hear “Frankenstein” or “Phantom of the Opera,” and most likely an image that they created would pop into your head. Dick Smith is lauded, not only for his amazing work in movies like The Exorcist, but also for his complete willingness to share techniques, to feely offer advice and information  to any who might ask for it.  It is this attitude that really allowed the art form to build and grow.

And grow it did. As we’re getting a thorough explanation of the process of creature creating, from design to sculpt to finish, we are also given a front row view of the changes that came to the industry, as the stop-motion of the 1930s slowly gives way to man-in-suit creatures of the 1950s, which slowly give way to foam latex appliances and servo-controlled masks, which slowly gives way to computer graphics and digital creatures.  We feel their fear and frustration as these artists try to stay relevant in a world increasingly satisfied with just doing it digitally in post-production.

The love and respect that these people have for each other as well as for their work is obvious and sincere. They speak of each other with awe and delight, and Charlie Chiodo says something that I think sums the whole experience up for me: “This is the closest thing I can do to giving birth.” If there is any criticism I can (and it’s one for the entire industry, not just this documentary) is the lack of female involvement. I do wish there had been some women interviewed, but the fact is that the field is overly-male, and only recently (via shows like Face/Off) have women become involved with creature-making to any large degree.

The artists interviewed express a childlike wonder at seeing their creations come to life, and I couldn’t agree more. To watch a lifeless hunk of metal and latex suddenly sit up and move its eyes and mouth is almost akin to magic. Strike that, it is magic, and it’s happening right in front of our eyes.

Uncle Mike sez: check it out.