I recently rewatched Army of Darkness for the first time in forever and I was so charmed by all the practical effects. The eyeball in the shoulder still gets me lol. Practical effects aside, the whole movie was a lot of campy silly fun. It’s just a gem of a movie.
What’s your favorite movie that uses lots of practical effects?
Do you have a favorite practical effect of all time?
Any movies like Army of Darkness you’d recommend?
I haven’t seen it mentioned, but I think Tremors (1990) is very much in the same genre as Army of Darkness, and I’m pretty sure the whole movie is pure practical effects.
Watch the original Gone in 60 Seconds, from 1974. The car stunts are absolutely insane, to the extent that they probably shouldn’t have been allowed to make the movie the way they did, but it happened and I’m glad that cameras were rolling. The Nic Cage remake was trying to make a movie safer, slicker, and more coherently, but there’s no replacement for a bunch of insane stunt drivers risking their lives and the lives of everyone around them.
Literally anything that Stan Winston had a hand in.
John Carpenter’s The Thing is the peak. It does not go higher.
The Terrifier films are unbeatable for practical gore.
David Cronenberg’s The Fly is also a must-watch if you like practical creatures.
Velocipastor. Here a Screenshot from the intro:
Aliens.
Still holds up in 4K nearly 40 years on. The drop ship, the mother alien, the armoured carrier, all incredible looking.
Sigourney Weaver battling the queen alien in that loader is one example that often pops into my head when this sort of question comes up.
Probably watched that movie 100 times. Last year I put it on for my wife, sat and really watched for the first time in ages. My god, came out when I was a child, still a perfect movie.
Yes!!! Me too!!! I recorded it onto a VHS tape off the TV as a kid and I’m probably at a similar watch count to you. It’s my favourite movie of all time.
Good answer!!
I love this movie, though not because of the practical effects, but because it is hillarious.
Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines
It is a brilliant comedy from 1965, plus the theme music is an unexpected banger that I have on my phone and gladly sing along to when driving.
I don’t know if I’d say favorite exactly, but I’ve always thought it was so cool how for the movie Independence Day they made the models of the Cities they blow up. That’s just neat.
The Princess Bride
Hey, you said favorite, not most dramatic or best use of those effects.
Gotta go with The Thing. Seriously next level and gross special effects. One of John Carpenters best movies.
Love the use of a double amputee for the defibrillator scene.
Rob Bottin, who was responsible for the effects, was only 21 when he did them! He also worked himself into hospital care with exhaustion, double pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer and was the one who came up with the idea of the Thing not having a definitive form.
Yeeesssssssss nothing has looked so good to me since. It’s not that the effects look photorealistic to anatomy or something tangible, they do but that’s not what sells it. it’s that they’re textured and made by someone who is inspired by things that are tangible.
Beth Cavener is a sculptor from Washington who’s got a similar grasp on that vibe
Also stop motion animation moves creepy
Amazing artwork, thanks for sharing
You’re welcome CUNO :D
Yeah, think about that rabid CUNO shit
The Empire Strikes Back
Yeah all three original Star Wars movies. That was awesome to watch. When I got older and saw the making of movies… holy!
For me, the peak of practical effects is Scanners.
https://www.slashfilm.com/1603402/scanners-head-explosion-why-shotgun-vfx/
That does look pretty amazing lol
yeah my parents took me and my sister to see it in the theaters. in the 80s they gave zero fucks if you were with your parents, probably not a great film for an 9 year old.
Mad God and John Carpenter’s The Thing.
Came here to post The Thing. Glad someone beat me to it.
Mad God the 2021 movie?
Yes, the one by Phil Tippett. It’s a stop motion movie. One of a kind.
What’s your favorite movie that uses lots of practical effects?
The Thing has to be up there if the criteria is just an overall great movie heavy on practical effects.
Do you have a favorite practical effect of all time?
The “digital” wireframe view of the city from Snake’s glider in ‘Escape From New York’.
It was accomplished with miniature buildings which is rad.
Thats super interesting about the wire frame intro to Escape From New York. I’ve seen that movie a ton of times but I always thought that part was early digital.
The Thing is a great one that I haven’t seen in too long. I’ll add it to my list.
That is super cool about the digital wireframe!
Mad Max Fury Road. Pretty impressive what they were able to accomplish.
Here’s the behind the scenes shot of my favorite effect near the end of the film. Link is timestamped but the rest of the video is pretty cool too.
