It saddens me to learn of the death of special effects guru Stan Winston. Growing up, I saw most movies he had a hand in. Of course, as a kid I had no idea who this man was, or what special effects people did. All I knew was that the action and horror movies he worked on in the eighties kept me deeply enthralled. A master of the woefully defunct art of makeup and practical effects, Winston made works of art that simply can not be matched in the present era of cookie cutter cgi effects. Some might deride the hokiness of some of his earlier effects, but there's no denying their charm. Like the works of all great artists, his work is imbued with the singular vision and personality of a master creator. No matter who made each of the movies, Winston's name in the credits ensured that these films would be experiences to remember.
Here are some clips of Stan Winston's work:
Starman (1984)
Aliens (1986)
Invaders From Mars (1986)
Predator (1987)
1 comment:
The guy was a master. Didn't he do the werewolves in the original The Howling as well?
I most recently saw him in a documentary called The Sassquatch Odyssey in which he uses his expertise to debunk that famous bigfoot footage. Interesting film, worth checking out.
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