#1 - Special Effects: New School  (CGI & Computer) Vs. Old School (Latex & Man)
(This is a running article series that I write for my Horror site.  Please feel free to read and post any comments as you see fit.  This article was written and ran about 4 years ago! Now onto the carnage!!)

KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS AN OPINION PIECE! IF YOU DISAGREE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR THOUGHTS!!

A couple of nights a week, I have two friends that come over and I show them assorted horror movies that they may or may not have ever seen. This week, it just happened to be Friday the 13th parts 3 and 4. My one buddy, Thomas, had never seen any of them before, while Amos has seen all of them. Thomas seemed really into it, commenting on how Jason was the man, never missing and finding the most gruesome and interesting ways to off the horny teenagers. Amos on the other hand, just seemed to sit there and comment on the effects. He never really came out and said that the effects were lame, but he did ask me if I thought they would be better if they had been done in CGI……

Big Mistake!

Let me make a few things clear and then I will break it down. I am what I consider an Old School horror movie fan. I grew up watching the Late 70’s and early 80’s horror. I watch all the new stuff too, but I feel like it is missing something. After a while, I figured out what it was. A lot of the special effects were being done with computers and CGI!! You were not seeing as much in the way of flesh latex and spirit gum. Now, Thomas and Amos are a few years younger than me, and because of that, they have grown up in the computer era of horror. So really, they don’t know anything else, but like the cop tells you, ignorance of the law is not an excuse!

We took this conversation outside so that we could smoke (and so that I would not wake up my wife or my baby daughter) and stretch. It broke down like this: I have always thought that the Academy Awards should give two Oscars for Special Effects, one for computer and one for make-up. If you look at the two side by side, there is a huge difference between them. Computer/CGI are typically done inside an office, require a blue screen that actors “act” against something that they cannot see. Make-up on the other hand, has to be done right there on the spot, and the actor can react to something that is in front of them. I really feel that makes a huge difference.

Do computer and CGI belong in the horror genre? Sure. Without them, movies like Blade, The Frighteners The Stendhal Syndrome, and Bones would not be the movies that they are today. Sure, the ghosts look good, houses look creepier, eyeballs do cool things, and explosions sometimes rock. But, should they take the place of latex and man? Hell no!! I am not saying that it does not belong, but have you noticed the flaws with CGI? You can see a very small line where the real actor ends and the CGI begins. Bones, for example, has a scene where Bones is walking down an alley with a severed head in his hand. If you look at the neckline, it is very smooth. If you had listened to the scene where it happened, it was a pretty meaty tearing sound. No chunks or rips? Get the hell out of here!!

You have to think of something. Where would we be as a genre if all-time greats like Tom Savini and Screaming Mad George did not do what they have done? Let me give you a few examples of Savini’s genius: In Friday the 13th part 4, Jason gets up in the morgue and takes a hacksaw to a guy’s throat and then twists his head until his neck breaks! Great! How about the guy that gets the corkscrew in the hand and then the cleaver to the face! Outstanding! Or better yet, how about the machete through Jason’s hand and then through his head. Wow! Do you see the pattern? These things could never be done with a computer! The reason that flesh latex and spirit gum work is this: The Human Touch! Look at the time and effort these guys put into their craft. Sure, it may take hours to put the make-up on for a 30 second shot, but it is the effort!

In closing, that is my greatest fear. Can anyone give me the name of a great up and coming latex slinger? No. Most companies seem to be pushing the computer/CGI effects because that is what wins the Oscar. Watch movies like Friday the 13th 1-8, Dead Alive, Bad Taste, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, Nekromantik 1 & 2, Evil Ed, Evil Dead, Evil Dead Trap, Night, Dawn and Day of the Dead. Look at the effects and ask yourself if computer could replace or re-do these classics. Maybe we could start a petition to the Academy or something to that effect.

Well, that is it for today kiddies. Please feel free to post a response here or E-Mail me at Dedman13@yahoo.com. And look forward to many more visits from the Dedman in the Deditorials!

“Because I am the Dedman and you are not!”
Michael “The Dedman” Jones