Aliens, killer dolls and a very, very old Brad Pitt may all feature on this list
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00:00Thanks to the brilliant effects wizards behind everything from precious icons to horrifying gigantic demons
00:07It's safe to say those watching on were left feeling hugely disturbed by some of the most freaky and convincing
00:14Visuals ever to pop up on the big screen
00:17Prepare yourself friends things are about to get a little bit chilling
00:20Oh, yeah, and a quick shout out to the wonderful Kami Glover who also helped write this particular list. I'm Gareth
00:27This is WhatCulture and here are the 10 creepiest special effects ever used in movies
00:32Number 10 creating Benjamin Button the curious case of Benjamin Button
00:37Helmed and headlined by two of Hollywood's best David Fincher and Brad Pitt respectively
00:42the curious case of Benjamin Button follows Pitt's titular character who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and
00:50exploration while extraordinarily aging in reverse
00:53It's a harrowing tale of a man who's rare and instantaneously consequential circumstances
00:59Means he must watch those he loves and cherishes age and eventually pass away before his very eyes
01:04As he does the opposite not only is this film worth watching due to Pitt's glorious performance alone
01:10but also for the extraordinary special effects on display that aid the actor in his portrayal and
01:16Subsequently create Benjamin Button for the silver screen to do so mass computer-generated
01:22Intervention was needed
01:23It has become the norm in Hollywood for studios to cast similarly looking younger or older actors to accurately convey that characters on-screen
01:32Authenticity, however, the easy way is not the David Fincher way in a grueling process
01:38Which took over 100 animators and two years to complete including facial scans Pitt's
01:44Perseverance and even several busts and life-size casts of the actor himself
01:48Benjamin Button's face for at least the first third of the movie was in fact
01:52Completely CGI as opposed to using makeup or simply superimposing Pitt's head on top of another actor's body
02:00The task of projecting a wrinkled and weathered Brad Pitt onto a child-sized physique was a daunting one
02:06Which almost certainly paid off albeit a very creepy one for the most part
02:11Number nine Smeagol transforms into Gollum Lord of the Rings the return of the king
02:16Peter Jackson's fantastical the Lord of the Rings trilogy is innovative for a multitude of reasons
02:22And it's quite easy to overlook that these films were released in the early
02:262000s and still visually hold up to this day
02:29The Lord of the Rings is a feast for the eyes from a special-effects perspective
02:34however
02:35One clear standout in that department undoubtedly comes from the conception of Gollum and the brilliance of his orchestrator
02:41Andy Serkis it could and perhaps should be said that modern-day CGI wouldn't be where it is today without Gollum and circuses
02:50Revolutionary motion capture performance with that in mind Gollum is often an utterly terrifying figure from just a visual perspective alone
02:58Irrespective of his villainous actions and betrayals
03:02however
03:02One moment well more specifically one montage in particular
03:06Springs to mind that really showcases the terrifying use of special effects to create the phenom known as Gollum
03:13After mercilessly murdering Deagol to claim the found ring as his own
03:17Smeagol begins to spiral further and further down the rabbit hole as the ring continues to warp his mind and corrupt his spirit
03:25Smeagol's transition to Gollum is primarily achieved through practical effects
03:29Our circus dons jagged razor-sharp teeth and blackened overgrown fingernails to showcase his transformation from man to monster
03:37a combination of makeup and prosthetics brand both the character and actor
03:42Unrecognizable changing his head shape hands and feet as Smeagol's practical eyes close and open to reveal Gollum's signature
03:50Computer-generated ones chills I say chills now
03:54I want to know what do you think is the best ever performance capture performance to date?
03:58You let me know in the comment section down below
04:01Number eight the melting face Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
04:06The magnificent Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones films have unleashed some of the most entertaining and arousing moments in movie history over the years
04:14But that wonderful adventure series also boasts some surprisingly intense moments of horror at times, too
04:20With a number of villainous figures meeting some rather grisly ends
04:24Perhaps the most disturbing of the lots can be found during Raiders of the Lost Ark as Gestapo agent Arnold Toth
04:31Along with a bunch of other evil Nazis make the mistake of keeping their eyes open after the Ark of the Covenant is opened
04:37The villain's face is soon horrifically melted off. It still makes for a genuinely frightening watch to this day
04:44I was actually achieved by making a mold of actor Ronald Lacey's head
04:48With gelatin then being used for all of the layers of flesh that would soon easily melt off the fake skull
04:54Two propane space heaters and a heat gun were fired towards the face on the day of shooting
04:59But the melting process still took around eight to ten minutes before it was sped up in the lab
05:04And after all that hard work a deeply unsettling piece of movie history was born
05:10number seven the demon smile
05:13Easily one of the creepiest flicks to crawl into theaters over the last few years was Parker Finn's smile
05:18Based on the director's short horror film Laura hasn't slept
05:22Well, she's not the only one and after spending much of that
05:25150 minute ride wincing at every chilling grin and having the life scared out of you by a wonderful jump scares
05:31Finn delivered one of the most grotesque conclusions of recent times
05:36During those closing moments Rose finally comes face to face with the smiling demon that has been taunting her throughout the film
05:43And said face just so happens to belong to one of the freakiest bodies you ever did see
05:48Instead of simply going down the digital route for that chilling demon though the team went horrifically practical
05:54creating hugely convincing
05:56Nightmare mom mass to tear off as the creature revealed its true form an equally disturbing nine-foot tall
06:02Monster was also brought to life by a massive practical and nightmarish
06:07Monstrosity costume with an actor inside and some masterful puppeteering work
06:12If watching the finished demons true form in the flick wasn't already enough to keep you up at night
06:17Seeing this terrifying practical creation in the flesh behind the scenes will likely do the trick
06:23Number six the doll Megan
06:25As far as unsettling titular characters go they don't come much more creepier than the artificially intelligent menace known as Megan
06:34During her 2022 debut directed by Gerard Johnston the increasingly self-aware doll and fiercely protective pal of young
06:42Katie goes to some pretty extreme lengths to ensure her safety and it's during those moments when some of the features
06:49Undeniably impressive and often freaky special effects work
06:52Take center stage as Megan slowly peels an ear off a bully's head and dances her way down a hall whilst hunting down her next
07:00Victim when it came to the unsettling star of the show specifically though a combination of VFX
07:07Animatronics puppeteering and a real actor were used to bring Megan to life on screen
07:12For moments like that aforementioned viral dance slash murder sequence child actor Amy Donald donned a convincing mask
07:19That would then be animated with lip or eye movements if needed
07:23the folks behind the picture also
07:25Decided early on that medium shots of the doll would be done with a puppet and there were ultimately around six or seven of said
07:32Puppets that were used for performing specific movements
07:35So now you know what goes into creating a routinely shocking horror doll icon
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07:49number five the birth of two-faced the Dark Knight
07:52Heath Ledger's clown prince of crime may have quite rightly stole the majority of the villainous headlines coming out of Christopher Nolan's
07:59Sensational epic, but Aaron Eckhart's fallen white knight of Gotham was at the center of his fair share of memorable the Dark Knight moments
08:07too
08:08After being just about saved by Batman during that 2008 sequel a heartbroken Harvey Dent has his face half burned off
08:16After the Joker's attempts to blow him to smithereens
08:19Instead of going for the largely practical option for this particular effect though the famously anti CGI Nolan
08:25Surprisingly went for a mostly digital
08:27Disfigurement Eckhart did still end up needing a bit of additional makeup and half of his head was covered in a skullcap while shooting
08:34But the majority of this exceptional visual was made via CGI
08:39With the actor being able to perform freely with only some motion capture dots on his mug on the day
08:45And after the brilliant team at Framestore had performed their digital magic on
08:49120 shots involving a half-burned Harvey
08:52Nolan well and truly got his wish of seeing a photo realistic and shocking two-face in his movie
08:58Number four here's Annie hereditary
09:02Ari Aster's deeply unnerving horror masterpiece known as hereditary
09:06Contains some of the most disturbing imagery your eyes will ever absorb
09:10And one of the most startling slash horrifying visuals of the lot can be found towards the end of the relentlessly chilling movie
09:17When Tony Collette's very much-possessed Annie Graham saws her own damn head off with piano wire in an attic
09:24It's as grim and terrifying as it sounds in order to leave folks all over the world feeling sick at the sight of Annie
09:31Slicing at her own neck then
09:33Prosthetic makeup designer Steve Newbern designed a brilliant prosthetic gag for Collette to wear and perform with during the scene
09:40Newbern would also note how a whopping three gallons of blood was also pumped out of the star's neck for the sequence
09:47That is now burned into most viewers minds
09:50That disgusting practical combination ultimately resulted in a death scene so petrifying
09:56It's still tough to make it through the ridiculously intense scene without hiding behind your nearest cushion to this day
10:03Number three enter the Dementor Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban
10:07You'll struggle to find any creature within the wizarding world who strikes fear into the hearts of Harry Potter fans
10:13Quite like the ghostly prison guards known as Dementors not including he who must not be named, of course
10:20He is pretty creepy
10:21But these floating beings known as Dementors literally fed on human happiness and from the second they drifted into viewers lives
10:28During Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban
10:31it was clear these soul-consuming fiends were not to be messed with and hearing how the wonderful Alfonso Cuaron went about
10:39Experimenting with the different ways he could create these creepy Potter creatures is almost just as gripping as the sight of the Dementors themselves
10:46The gravity and Roma director initially played around with the idea of underwater puppets
10:52Shooting said practical creations in a tank in London
10:55However that method which involved capturing really beautiful slow-motion shots of the puppet Dementors
11:01Wasn't practical to use for the flick but those tests did help inspire the metaphysical movement of the eventual CGI
11:08Non-beings with those puppeteering moments in the water being key in the creation of the wizarding world's creepiest villains
11:15Number two the bear attack the revenants
11:18Not only did the ridiculously committed Leonardo DiCaprio go as far as to eat raw bison liver
11:25During the making of Alejandro Giannara to the revenants. He also got mauled by an actual live bear while shooting
11:32Just kidding, but the actor did actually still find himself in the middle of the chaotic sequence
11:37Only instead of an actual out-of-control wild animal the eventual Oscar winner was often facing off against a stuntman in a giant blue suit
11:46On the day instead that's right to pull off one of the most frightening moments this 2015 picture ultimately possessed
11:53Stuntman Glenn Ennis donned a massive as he called it smurf bear suit and wrestled with both Leo and his stunt double
12:00The terrifying visual of the grizzly bear was then painted on top of that performance by Ennis via CGI
12:06With the director being adamant that this creature still moved and felt like the real deal
12:11After spending time watching videos of bears attacking their prey
12:15Noting how it was often like a cat playing with a mouse
12:18Ennis was able to produce a frighteningly authentic performance in the suit as
12:23Practical and digital effects combined perfectly to create a properly disturbing sequence
12:28and number one chest pains alien
12:32Even over four decades later the iconic moment a little xenomorph pops its head out of the late great
12:38John Hurt's chest is about as gloriously creepy as it gets that terrific jump scare still has folks leaping out of their skins to this
12:46day to
12:47Joining the poor actors on the day who also had the life scared out of them
12:50Thanks to director Ridley Scott's call to keep his stars in the dark about the whole ordeal
12:55As far as they knew the scene just involved a thing emerging feeling prosthetics
13:00Just wouldn't cut it for such a gruesome moment
13:03Scott had his team bring him organs from a butcher shop and after the baby alien puppet was rigged up
13:09Stuff said real pieces of meat into an artificial chest cavity attached to the table Hurt's actual body was hidden underneath
13:17Creating the illusion of that faint chest being his
13:20Big hoses were also used to pump stage blood throughout with around six gallons of the stuff being used per take in the end
13:28That's a lot of blood
13:29Unsurprisingly the smell was apparently dreadful and the eruption of real organs and all that fake blood
13:36Ensured no acting was necessary as the likes of Sigourney Weaver and co were
13:40Understandably spooked for real by the arrival of this little horror icon