Glam & Gore: The Artistry of SFX Makeup in Cinema

Image Courtesy: Los Angeles Times

Have you ever seen an image on screen so disturbing you couldn’t peel your eyes away? Or a creature that immediately brought you into a fantasy world? In most cases, this is due to the transformative power of special effects makeup. Special effects (SFX) makeup has always been a crucial part of film and television; with it, the wildest ideas filmmakers can develop become reality. The gory monsters, mutant superheroes, and mythical creatures are all made possible through the artistry of SFX.

Actors translate characters from script to screen, but SFX makeup is essential for some characters to immerse audiences fully. Take one of the highest-praised movies of 2024, The Substance. Starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, the film follows 50-year-old “washed out” popstar Elisabeth Sparkle, who takes a drug to live as a younger version of herself called Sue. As the film unravels, the balance between Sue and Elisabeth is disturbed, leading to various horrifying mutations. 

Image Courtesy: TV Tropes

The SFX makeup that evolves throughout the film depicts aging as a woman in Hollywood and society’s harsh perception of them. As Elisabeth Sparkle decays and a horrifying mutant emerges, it becomes a grotesque representation of the greed and desire to be young and fresh in the industry. From the tearing of flesh to mutants with teeth on shoulders and arms sprouting from heads, prosthetics brought this haunting story to life.

The film’s prosthetic makeup designer, Pierre Olivier Persin, described the process as grueling for both the creators and the actors. The prosthetics team used life casts of the actors to develop molds that would be applied to them later. “Then from all those molds and technical processes, we were able to obtain silicone appliances or foam latex appliances, or whatever appliances or prosthetics we used only one day because they are very fragile,” Persin tells the Los Angeles Times. The blending of these prosthetics with the performances of Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley made the film stand out, leaving audiences appalled and intrigued.

Image Courtesy: Variety

Another standout film from last year that showcased the power of SFX makeup was Robert Egger’s remake of Nosferatu (2024). The terrifying Count Orlok was deliberately hidden from all promotional material, only witnessed by those who experienced the film in theaters. As one of those viewers, I was unprepared for the creature that appeared on screen. Played by Bill Skarsgård, Count Orlok is an immortal vampire who plagues a town to reach Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), the female protagonist, who summons a supernatural being in a time of dark loneliness. Enter Count Orlok, who possessed her for the years to come. 

The character is defined by filthy, rotting skin, piercing, deadly eyes, and arthritic hands with talon-like fingernails. SFX makeup played a huge part in Skarsgård’s transformation into Count Orlok. There were nine prosthetics on his face alone, including pieces for the chin, cheeks, lips, ears, nose, neck, back of the head, and forehead. The prosthetic makeup effects designer, David White, revealed in an interview with Variety that developing the look for Orlok took almost a year. White knew that the makeup process would set the tone for the character and add a lot of depth, “I was able to explore the most important elements, being his age, his power and allure, his nobility and the extent of his decay and rot.”

Image Courtesy: The Express

The demand for SFX makeup is higher than ever as filmmakers push beyond their boundaries to create lifelike transformations that translate authentically on screen. Even before the incredible advancements in SFX made over the last few years, special effects have long been used to create some of the most iconic characters and moments in films. In 1973, The Exorcist premiered and completely transformed the horror genre. The work of makeup artist Linda Blair captured the sinister essence of the movie, using simple yet effective techniques like facial prosthetics for gashes, black eye makeup for dark circles, and rotting teeth prosthetics. All these elements blended to craft a horrifying image that remained ingrained in audiences' minds for years.

Movies and television are our connection to the most imaginative of worlds. They are our way of exploring life’s meanings and entering realms of the unknown. Without the magical abilities of SFX makeup, these extraordinary visions wouldn’t be possible.

Strike Out,

Writer: Isabella Santiago

Editor: Grace Groover

Tallahassee