In today's age of modern filmmaking, special effects have come a long way since the days of smoke and mirrors. Many studios have even upgraded and pushed their effects into the realm of CGI. There is perhaps no genre where effects are more crucial and vital than the world of horror.
Although there have been many CGI creeps in recent years, the best effects are done practically and perfectly. Have a look at these ten scenes that prove practical effects are still the scariest.
Freddy’s Face Wall (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
Sometimes the scariest scenes can be made using only a wall of spandex and the right backing track. The scene where Freddy's freaky figure morphs out of the wall above a sleeping Nancy is one of the most chilling images in the entire film.
Hard to believe it was actually one of the simplest effects the filmmakers pulled off, and that the remake version forced a literal CGI nightmare down the viewer's throats.
Krampus’s Minions (Krampus)
If it's one thing this Christmas creepshow does right, it's the practical effects that make up its monsters. From the evil elves to the mutant toys and even Krampus himself, almost every monster in the movie is made through puppetry, costumes, and stage effects.
Even that megamouth Jack-in-the-box was made without any help from CGI. That's one toy kids will not be asking Santa for this year.
The Fly Transformation (The Fly)
When it comes to body horror films, there's no one better in the business than David Cronenberg. Although the guy has more than enough films in his library to gross viewers out, few get as gnarly and gruesome than The Fly.
Watching Jeff Goldblum's grotesque transformation into the Brundle-Fly is more than vomit-inducing, and all thanks to some impressive makeup work and special effects by Chris Walas and company.
Werewolves of London (An American Werewolf in London)
Speaking of gruesome transformations, An American Werewolf in London features a seriously painful wolf transformation scene for David Naughton in this John Landis classic.
Created almost entirely through puppeteering effects, watching this poor guy's bones and tendons reform into a lupine shape borders on cringe-worthy. The thought of becoming a werewolf doesn't normally seem excruciating, but this movie Proves audiences wrong.
The Pale Man (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Where would the monster movie genre be without the vivid imagination of Guillermo del Toro? Although there is some CGI used on the Pale Man's eyes, the rest is all brought to life by magnificent monster makeup and the brilliant creature performance work by Doug Jones, who also plays the titular Pan.
The Pale man would give Slenderman a run for his money and is truly the personification of a boogeyman made real.
The Original Chestburster (Alien)
Granted, most of this scare is warranted from the surprise and shock, but even with that in mind, it's still one of the most iconic jumpscares in horror movie history, namely due to the background that went into making it.
The fear on the rest of the cast's faces is 100% real, as only John Hurt and the crew knew what was going to happen. One alien puppet and chunk of raw meat later and the rest is history.
The Vomit Scene (The Exorcist)
Considered by many to be the scariest film of all time, The Exorcist definitely has some seriously scary effects that went into creating the horrifying Regan McNeil.
There is, however, no effect more memorable or iconic than the infamous "vomit scene" where a possessed Regan violently throws up onto Father Karras. The vomit was created by mixing together Andersen's Pea Soup with a little handful of oatmeal, a true testament to the term simple but effective.
The Thing’s Many Forms (The Thing)
When it comes to great horror flicks of the '80s, John Carpenter is the most qualified. The man who scared audiences to death with Halloween gave new meaning to cosmic horror with his creation of The Thing.
Keep in mind, a creature who could change and grotesquely morph its form was no easy feat in 1982. However, thanks to some impressive puppetry and creative use of animatronics, audiences got one of the scariest aliens since the Xenomorph.
The Rituals (Hellraiser)
Hellraiser is by no means for the faint of heart. In lack of better words, it's a disgusting movie with bondage demons and buckets upon buckets of gore and viscera, it can make even the toughest horror hound a little squeamish.
But one thing that doesn't go unappreciated is the effects that make us squirm in our chairs. Every pound of flesh on every meathook was brought to us by a dedicated film team who went above and beyond for this twisted Clive Barker horrorshow.
All of the Evil Dead (The Evil Dead)
The Evil Dead was made on a shoestring budget entirely with practical effects to bring us a creepy cabin full of demons, Deadites, and some rather unfriendly trees.
From plastic contacts on cast members' eyes to creative camera shots to create a chase scene, every spine chilling element was made using what the filmmakers could afford. The result, one of the most frightening films of all time.