This article was originally published on TVBee
If you like horror movies, then we've got something for you. There are tons of behind-the-scenes photos from these movies that you probably haven't seen, but you should. From a kiss with a xenomorph to grooming a werewolf, there are a lot of pictures that will make you see these classic movies in a totally different light. If you want to see the pictures from on set that you probably wouldn't see otherwise, keep reading and you might just be pleasantly surprised.
Carrie (1976)
If you've ever seen "Carrie" then there's no way you haven't seen the iconic scene that has been redone many times. Carrie, the protagonist for whom the show is named, develops psychic powers while being persecuted by friends and family alike for being the weird girl. Then, finally, she gets asked out to prom and becomes the happiest girl on Earth... until it all turns out to be a prank and she gets pig blood spilled on her.
This has fatal consequences for the whole grade as she unleashes her mighty powers. This behind-the-scenes pic is so fascinating because we never see Carrie smile after the blood falls.
Halloween (1978)
Halloween was one of those movies that you went to see with your friends and came out never wanting to have Halloween again. The lumbering Michael Myers relentlessly stalked his prey throughout the whole movie on that very same holiday. Being able to walk away from this movie unscathed mentally meant that you had some sort of magical powers. But apparently that terrifying murderer also seemed to have a bit of a sweet tooth.
In an interesting photo from behind the camera, one of Myers' six actors enjoys his break taking a photo of himself feeding the empty mask a Dr. Pepper. Truly horrifying.
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984): Walkman
The most terrifying thing about "A Nightmare On Elm Street" may not have been the constant fear of falling asleep and the fact that "when you die in your dream, you die for real", but rather the character who would relentlessly chase down his victims to ensure that this observation came true. But what if you could hang out with him? Would you do it? Apparently his victims would:
Here he is just sitting there with his walkman surrounded by the kids he's yet to kill. Just kidding. Obviously, he's just an actor and everyone's entitled to a break here and there.
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984): Stretchy Skin
Did you think that that was the only interesting picture of Freddy Krueger? Well, if you were hoping for something else, we have good news for you. As it turns out, we have evidence that Freddy Krueger is suffering from a case of extra elastic skin. We're just kidding of course, and not that it would matter anyway since he's not technically alive, but this picture definitely gives the ol' imagination a good kick:
Honestly, this would probably have made Krueger an even scarier entity to deal with. If he did this in the movie, we're sure a character would've died of a dreamt-up heart attack.
Gremlins
The creepy critters of the "Gremlins" franchise aren't always so terrifying. Before transforming into the terrifying creatures of the film, they are cute, cuddly-looking creatures that look interestingly reminiscent of a Furby stuffed toy. Although they look like something you would want to take home with you and adopt, odds are they are nothing like that. As one of the posters for the movies said, "What you see... isn't always what you get".
And that seems to be very true for the creatures themselves. Fortunately, they aren't any old creatures, they are animatronics. Though they don't look any less creepy being a robot nearly the size of an adult human.
Child's Play
In the movie "Child's Play", a serial killer by the name of Charles Lee Ray (better known as "Chucky) escapes his inevitable death from a gunshot wound (and possibly capture by the police officer who shot him) by transferring his soul into a "Good Guy" doll. If you ever wondered how Chucky managed to get around so fast and come out of seemingly nowhere throughout the movie, then look no further than this picture right here:
It seems they used trapdoors all over the house to bring these special effects to life. Along with that, Chucky is equipped with plenty of wires to make his animatronic more lively.
Scream (1996): Butcher Knife
When you think of Drew Barrymore's role in the cult classic Halloween, you probably remember that her character was the first of many to be slaughtered by the terrifying killer Ghost Face. But while she reportedly wanted her character to die first and turned down the lead role to a movie that would become a $300 million franchise, it doesn't make it any easier to watch her die by a butcher knife.
That's why this picture is so interesting. She is currently being introduced to the weapon that would ultimately lead to her death in the film. And she looks quite excited about it.
Scream (1996): Blood
If you thought that one was interesting, here is Drew Barrymore getting blood applied for when she gets killed. Interestingly enough, she's smiling here too. It seems the whole process really excites her. Maybe that's why she ended up getting a starring role as Sheila in "Santa Clarita Diet". It seems she really likes to do the horror genre. And that would make sense considering she's in one of the most iconic horror films out there.
We would be smiling to if we were in that movie. Granted, it wasn't yet known that it would be such an all-time classic, but we think we'd be happy one way or another.
The Fly
"The Fly" was one of those movies that made you ask "just why?" Watching a scientist mess up his experiment and slowly turn into a half-fly, the half-man hybrid creature was probably one of the most horrifying movie sequences we've ever seen. That being said, it was surprisingly good at making us feel that way considering it's a pretty old movie. The practical effects had to be just right for this one.
Here we can see all the camerawork that was laid out for this scene as well as the wonderful special effects by Chris Walas, as well as makeup artist Stephan Dupuis.
The Exorcist: Two Regans
If you were ever wondering how they made the practical effects work for "The Exorcist", then we have an answer for you. To put it plainly, they used a doll to be put in place of Linda Blair, the actress for Regan MacNeil. You can see her here next to her human-turned-demon counterpart. At least that pretty much explains how they got her to twist her head around 360 degrees.
We're not sure if this makes us feel better about the demon version of Regan, but it's definitely comforting to see Regan smiling like a proper little girl despite the demon makeup.
The Exorcist: Setting Up The Fake
Despite our comfort levels rising for the demon makeup version of Regan, we still don't feel any better about the actual doll that represents her possession. That thing is always smiling and has disgusting teeth because that apparently manifests when a gross demon takes over your body. There's no way we ever want to see tht thing again. Despite that, though, here is a picture of it being set up for the scene:
Do you see what we mean? It's no fun for us to keep looking at that thing, but how do you think the people working on set must have felt being stared down by it? They probably went to bed with nightmares.
Saw
"Saw" is perhaps one of the goriest film franchises in all of horror movie history. While there may be some movies that are a bit gorier than certain "Saw" movies, nothing can stand up to the sheer amount of terrifying contraptions and bloody scenes that the 9 film series (and one short film) has. And it all started in one little bathroom. A bathroom that looked something like this:
Except, of course, there was a lot less light and a ton of horrifying ambiance along with it. To see the room filled with so many people makes us have hope for the character.
Jaws: Taking A Break
If you've ever watched "Jaws", you know that there are quite a number of horrible death scenes. The one that really stuck in our heads, though, is the one where Quint gets eaten. After struggling to keep himself aboard the sinking boat, Quint finds himself sliding right into the belly of the beast. The whole sequence is just gruesome and it ends with an eerie quietness after all the screaming.
This picture is something we wish were what actually happened. Jaws appears to be dead in the water and Quint is resting calmly. We're not sure if this was before or after the scene, but he definitely deserves a good rest.
Jaws: Hop In
Even though Jaws is actually an animatronic, it's still a pretty fearsome piece of tech. That thing is a perfect replica of a shark and a giant one at that. That's why we would be hesitant to get near it even if we had the chance. Of course, given the chance, we would definitely check it out, but getting inside of it would be a no-go, especially in the water.
Steven Spielberg clearly has a different opinion on that, however. This picture shows him getting into his creation and he seems pretty happy about it. But to us, this looks like the man's last day on Earth.
The Omen (2006)
If you've ever watched "The Omen", you know what's happening here. This is the park that Father Brennan tells Robert that his son is actually the antichrist. After telling Robert that he has to kill his son for this specific reason, Robert storms off and a real storm rolls in. This is the scene just before Father Brennan gets impaled by a rod that fell off of a church due to a lightning strike.
Considering the sheer intensity of the movie, this scene, and what happens next, it's quite surreal to see the movie from behind the scenes. It feels much better knowing that they'll all be okay in real life.
The Birds
This is a pretty interesting sight to behold. On the set of "The Birds", they set up hundreds (to reportedly thousands) of bird props to be sitting around while they filmed. Although, it seems that these birds aren't just props, but tons of real birds that were trained through a meticulous process using positive reinforcement. Some of these birds were also apparently thrown at Tippi Hedren during some of the scenes.
Seeing all these birds waiting around and so well trained is... disconcerting, to say the least. We think if we had to stand around on a set like this we would be pretty uncomfortable.
The Silence Of The Lambs: Precious
"The Silence of the Lambs" was a difficult movie to watch for many reasons. One of the hardest parts of the movie has to be the scene involving Catherine Martin, the kidnapping victim of Buffalo Bill. In the scenes involving them, Martin fought to stay alive as hard as she could, but that was difficult considering she was trapped in a pit. Then, she lured his dog Precious in to get some leverage on him.
After being rescued, we can only imagine how they got out of there, but this picture paints a pretty good idea of it. Of course, they wouldn't really do this, so she posed with a stuffed toy instead.
The Silence Of The Lambs: French Fry
Hannibal Lecter is one of the most diabolical villains to ever be portrayed in a horror film. He's intelligent, cunning, and horrifyingly gruesome and unsympathetic. That's why we have no qualms about seeing him all locked up the way they keep him what with the mask and straps and all. But when it came to the actor, it must have been a pretty tough job to be all locked up.
That's why they fed him french fries while he was doing the job through the holes in his mask! Gotta admit this would be a pretty messed up thing to try in the movie's universe.
The Incredible Shrinking Man
"The Incredible Shrinking Man" is, as the trailer states, "Incredible because it's almost beyond imagination". And that really is true. There are so many things that happen in this movie that are almost beyond belief, but when you stop to imagine that someone could actually shrink like that, then you start to realize how real it can be. What's even harder to believe is how they could make the movie so long ago.
Seeing this picture, though, clears a lot of things up. It's incredible just how many things they were able to recreate in larger-than-life proportions. Does that sewer grate also lead to a deep hole? We hope not.
Alien: Quick Breather
If you've ever seen Ridley Scott's "Alien", you'll know just how vicious these creatures can be. They have absolutely no care for human life and will even use them to procreate in rather agonizing ways. They are also incredibly skilled when it comes to killing their prey. The bottom line is, you never want to come across one of these creatures ever. Not even if they are taking a quick breather like this one:
This suit was a one-piece made of rubber, so it's no surprise that the actor playing it in his one and only film role, Bolaji Badejo, needed the break.
Alien: True Love's First Kiss
Speaking of "Alien", there's another behind-the-scenes picture that is sure to blow your mind. If you thought xenomorphs were scary, how would you like to put your face up to one? Surely they can't be all bad, especially after seeing Bolaji Badejo's previous and fairly tame picture of him taking a break from being scary. It seems as though the actors in the movie became rather desensitized to the xenomorph as well:
We've heard of actors becoming couples during movies, but this is just crazy! Who knew that Ellen Ripley had a thing for aliens? Ah, the irony. After everything she put them through, we wouldn't have seen this coming.
King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)
This is the first movie that pitted these two iconic kaiju against one another. It was first aired in Japan after John Beck sold the "King Kong vs Prometheus" script to Toho (becoming in the process King Kong Vs. Godzilla). The movie has both an English and Japanese version as John Beck was given the right to make an American version. This picture shows how one of the scenes Practical effects works:
Since Godzilla isn't actually a giant monster, they needed some way to make him able to break down a whole building. Putting strings on it and pulling it apart is admittedly a genius idea.
Sleepy Hollow
Taking place in 1799, you wouldn't expect to see anything modern in "Sleepy Hollow". That's why this next picture is sure to please. With all of the streets and architecture also being that of an early 1800s New York, it seems odd to see anyone walking around with a Super Soaker. But of course, this is Johnny Depp we're talking about, playing a character in a Tim Burton film.
That's why we're not totally surprised about this. On the other hand, we would like to know what he's doing with that and why it's on set. Good luck finding out.
It (1990): A Quick Break
"It" was a scary movie whether you watched the original miniseries, the newest movies, or any of its numerous remakes and remixes. If you weren't afraid of clowns before, then you definitely would be afterward. For that reason, it would be especially important that your child doesn't so much as get a glimpse of this movie so as to not ruin their childhood. But if we ever saw him like this, we wouldn't know what to think:
What's wrong, Pennywise? Tired of terrifying a group of little kids? It must be hard work doing what you do, so we guess you earned a little break for yourself.
It (1990): Another Sad Break
If you thought that Pennywise, or rather his actor Tim Curry, looked sad in the last picture, just wait 'till you see this one. This has got to be the most humbling picture yet. Sometime before or after a shoot, he decided to have himself a cigarette. It was also raining at the same time, so he covered up with a blanket and grabbed an umbrella. It's kinda weird to see.
We almost feel bad for him. Of course, this is the actor, so we would definitely sympathize, but it's hard to look at Pennywise the same way. This is so strange.
Son Of Frankenstein
This would be Borris Karloff's third time playing Frankenstein's monster in the movie series. This monster was misunderstood and driven away everywhere he went. As Frankenstein's monster was a highly feared creature, people ended up putting him in a position where his only choice was to be the aggressive monster people thought him to be. Despite that, he was still good at heart and this behind-the-scenes picture really captures that feeling:
Can you imagine the undead being sipping from a cup of tea? We can't either and we think that Karloff knew that himself. This picture truly defies the logic of Frankenstein's monster.
The Shining: Twins
"The Shining" is probably one of the most well-known horror movies to date. Even if you haven't seen the movie, there are so many references that you would get, such as the "here's Johnny" scene or the creepy twin sisters who invite you to come to play with them forever and ever and ever. Speaking of the twins, this picture shows a less creepy version of them getting ready to be their creepy counterparts:
This is the tamest we have ever seen these children. It's hard to imagine that they were two perfectly normal children after the brilliant performance they gave for the film.
Psycho
This next picture is a moment from Alfred Hitchcock's horror classic "Psycho". As a director, Hitchcock wanted everything to be perfect and it shows in his movies. His technique for bringing movie scenes to life is so fantastic that the first tie you see this movie you could swear that you see Janet Leigh's character Marion Crane get stabbed and bloodied despite the movie never depicting this. This picture depicts some of that creative process:
Hitchcock was so keen to have everything just so that he grabbed Leigh's face to position it just right. Looking at this picture, you would never expect what would soon happen to this character.
Critters 3
"Gremlins" was not the only movie with creepy furry death demons to watch out for. These alien asteroid prisoners descended upon the Earth in an attempt to escape their captors and decided to start attacking the locals out there. They might look like furry animals from behind, but they're really just creatures straight out of a nightmare with a set of jaws that would make even a shark green with envy.
Leonardo DiCaprio seems to agree with us. Bet you didn't know he was in this movie, did you? Well, that's probably because you never watched this movie, but it's a cult classic.
Hellraiser
Pinhead has one of the most interesting designs of movie villains out there. His name is suggestive of the fact that he quite literally has pins sticking out of his head. As a being that comes from some version of Hell, it would make sense to give him an appearance that sparked discomfort in viewers. What we didn't expect to see is just how they got the look to work.
A prosthetic makes sense, as this would be the only way to stick bunches of pins into his head. What we didn't expect was that the actor had such a large prosthetic for the film.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
As far as horror movie slashers go, Leather face is yet another serial killer that is hard to imagine ever being a normal human being. But as with all movie characters, there are real actors hidden beneath the mask and there are bound to be quite a few interesting things going on backstage. Here we have a picture of Caroline Williams and Bill Johnson fooling around on set:
We can't believe what we're seeing and you probably can't either. The crazed Leatherface being basically dominated by some woman chewing his ear off. If only it were that easy.
The Shining: Side Stepper
This movie has so many iconic scenes. Being one of the best classic horror films out there, it makes sense that there would be so many scenes to delight in. It may seem weird to "delight" in the scenes of a horror film, but to those who appreciate such things, they can be really good tools to learn how to make a great movie. Take the scene where Jack chases Wendy up the stairs:
The amount of work that went into making this scene so good is astounding. So many cameras are mounted onto the escalation device to make this walk perfectly paced and precise.
Predator
If there is any other creature to watch out for in the "Alien" extended universe, it's the predators. Predators are relentless hunters (as the name implies) and have a variety of weapons and skills to kill you. But because they are an alien species, you would never expect them to be anywhere near you or so close to home. That's why this picture is one of the most interesting we've seen from the franchise.
Seeing one of these voracious hunters actually being played by an actor is something else. It's almost hard to believe in a way. Still, we'd rather it be this than them being a real thing.
Friday The 13th (1980)
This is probably something you would never see. As one of the scariest serial killers to be portrayed chasing down some kids, there's no way to Jason Vorhees as someone who has fun or does anything that might be considered even remotely normal unless it's a bodily function. So when we saw this photo, we thought it was too good to be true. Of course, there's a real human in there, so it's not impossible.
But just seeing Jason playing pool was honestly a jaw-dropper for us. This is something that must have been set up but there's no way they'd ever know it would become so iconic.
The Wolfman (1941)
This is the movie that pretty much sets the standard for what we believe werewolves to be. You know, how they transform during a full moon and can only be killed with silver. That and the fact that being bitten by one and surviving will pass the curse onto you. Well, with werewolves come effects, and in this case, they had to use practical effects since there wasn't much of a way to do it otherwise.
That, of course, entailed the actor getting a bit of grooming before a shoot. You can't have your werewolves looking grungy and decrepit before killing innocent people, now can you?