Gregory Monro

The unforgettable transformation scene in John Landis’s An American Werewolf in London (1981) took legendary makeup artist Rick Baker six grueling days of ten-hour shoots to complete. His groundbreaking work earned him the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup, establishing a new standard for practical effects in cinema. Baker and his team created an elaborate collection of mechanical heads, hands, and feet known as “Change-o” pieces, each designed to capture a different stage of David Kessler’s horrifying transformation. Landis insisted the entire sequence be filmed under bright lighting, without relying on dissolves or convenient cutaways to conceal the effects. Every stretching limb, shifting bone, and patch of emerging fur had to look convincing on camera. Actor David Naughton endured extensive prosthetics, contact lenses, artificial teeth, and layers of body hair to bring the transformation to life. The nearly three-minute sequence was made even more surreal by the unexpected use of The Marcels’ 1961 recording of “Blue Moon,” creating an eerie contrast between the upbeat music and the agonizing transformation. Baker’s collaboration with Landis began years earlier on the 1973 film Schlock, where the director first introduced him to the werewolf concept. Baker would eventually collect seven Academy Awards for his extraordinary makeup work, but his groundbreaking achievement in 1981 remains one of the most celebrated moments in practical-effects history.

A remote-controlled facehugger from the set of ALIEN: ROMULUS.

🎬 100ème ANNIVERSAIRE 🎂 Le 16 mars 1926 naissait celui qui allait devenir un des plus grands comiques américains : 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀 😍 ▶️ Extrait de l'excellent documentaire de Gégory Monro "Jerry Lewis clown rebelle"

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning!" RIP Robert Duvall

We're saddened to hear that actor and filmmaker Robert Duvall has died aged 95. Duvall starred in a string of much-loved Hollywood classics including Apocalypse Now, for which he won a BAFTA, as well as The Godfather, MASH and To Kill a Mockingbird.