The Frankenstein Complex, OVID.tv

For horror fans, makeup and practical effects artists like Stan Winston and Rick Baker were bigger stars than most of the people in front of the camera. At least that was true in the 1980s and early 1990s. The whole CGI thing unfortunately complicated their business. Some of the best creature creators explain their art and craft in Gilles Penso & Alexandre Poncet’s documentary, The Frankenstein Complex (a.k.a. Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex), which premieres today on OVID.tv.

Penso & Ponset’s interview subjects are all makeup and effects artists who still regularly work in the industry, but they explain how everything they create is built on the innovations of the original masters, like Jack Pierce (who designed the Universal monster makeup), Willis O’Brien (who brought King Kong to life), and Ray Harryhausen (the great stop-motion animator, who was the subject of a previous Penso & Poncet doc). In fact, many of the creators specifically credit Pierce’s Frankenstein makeup for inspiring their careers (hence, the title).

In the 80s, Rick Baker emerged as one of the new breed of makeup stars, largely because he worked on both The Howling and An American Werewolf in London, a pair of dueling werewolf movies, whose directors, Joe Dante and John Landis good-naturedly discuss his work and their old rivalry. Although Rob Bottin has since left the business, his colleagues celebrate his work on John Carpenter’s The Thing as a continuing influence on creature designers.

Of course, CGI changed the industry. Most of the interview subjects argue practical and computer-generated effects should be used in concert rather than seen as an either/or proposition. Indeed, many casual genre fans might be surprised to learn from Complex just how many of the effects in both Jurassic Park and Terminator 2 were in fact, practical. Yet, artists like Phil Tippet admit frustration with the over-reliance on CGI, at the expense of his practical artistry.

It is important to remember Complex was released in 2015, when new releases the Marvel Cinematic Universe were still considered somewhat special. The only Marvel films discussed in Complex are the non-MCU Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies. Since then, recent MCU and DC films have released with some rather dubious CGI. Arguably, the ubiquity of CGI special effects has de-valued them. Think about it—when was the last time a particular CGI effect really became the topic of conversation? Instead, gross-out practical effects in movies like The Substance are more likely to generate buzz.

Penso & Ponset remind us how much artists like Chris Walas and Greg Nicotero (both present and accounted for) have contributed to the movies we love. Frankly, focusing more on 1980s and 1990s films (like Robocop, Predator, and Starship Troopers) than movies that were then current makes the documentary feel less dated—maybe even timeless. Just about every film it covers still holds up today, which proves the filmmakers’ point. Recommended as a tribute to the artists who create the monsters, The Frankenstein Complex starts streaming today (3/26) on OVID.tv.