To faithfully bring artist Stephen Gammell‘s iconic illustrations into the world of three dimensions, the team behind Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – led by producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal – enlisted the help of makeup effects company Spectral Motion, who relied heavily on classic practical effects to bring the various monsters to life.
Believe it or not, even the Jangly Man was in large part a practical creation, with “Twisty” Troy James doing his thing inside of a practical suit. Similarly, the toe-less woman from the classic tale of “The Big Toe” was practically realized, played by Javier Botet – the character’s makeup design, you may have noticed, was based on Gammell’s “Haunted House” drawing!
A new featurette video this week from Insider digs into Spectral Motion’s work on Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, showing off behind the scenes footage and offering insights into the incredible amount of work that went into doing justice to Gammell’s illustrations. This video does include spoilers, so be sure to only watch it below if you’ve already seen the movie.
