Werewolves, Vampires and other movie transformations

A look through some iconic movie creature effects. Less an investigation and more of a celebration as I explore how visual and practical effects artists have used lights, misdirection, make up, CGI and so much more to transform a human into Mr Hyde, a werewolf or a vampire. How they've used those same tricks to age and de-age characters and morph one performer into another. It was surprising for me to learn how the same artists would return to a transformation effect having perfected their techniques. Often decades later. 

An American Werewolf in London (1981) - Universal Pictures
Aquaman (2018) - Warner Bros
Avengers (2012) - Paramount
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) - MGM
Black or White (1991) - Michael Jackson
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - Columbia Pictures
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1913) - Independent Moving Pictures Co. of America
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920) - Paramount
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931) - Paramount
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1941) - Warner Bros
Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1972) - Hammer Films
Dracula (1931) - Universal Pictures
Frankenstein meets The Wolfman (1943) - Universal Pictures
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - Warner Bros
Hemlock Grove (2013) - Netflix
Horror of Dracula (1958) - Hammer Films
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) - Lucasfilm
Interview with the Vampire (1994) - Warner Bros
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) - Silver Fox Films
Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Dreamworks
Sh! The Octopus (1937) - Warner Bros
Son of Dracula (1943) - Universal Pictures
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) - Paramount
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1995) - Paramount
The Golden Child (1986) - Paramount
The Howling (1981) - Sony Pictures
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) - 20th Century Fox
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - New Line Cinema
The Twilight Sage: New Moon (2009) - Summit Entertainment
The Twilight Zone: Long Live Walter Jameson (1960) - MGM
The Twilight Zone: The Howling Man (1960) - MGM
The Wolfman (1941) - Universal Pictures
The Wolfman (2010) - Universal Pictures
Titanic (1997) - Paramount
Vamp (1986) - New World Pictures
Van Helsing (2004) - Universal Pictures
Werewolf of London (1935) - Universal Pictures
Willow (1988) - Lucasfilm
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) - 20th Century Fox

Turner, G.E. (2024) Two-faced treachery: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The American Society of Cinematographers. Available at: https://theasc.com/articles/two-faced-treachery-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde (Accessed: 14 October 2024) 

Blood, sweat and latex: Howling American werewolves and a make up effects explosion (2020) Film School Rejects. Available at: https://filmschoolrejects.com/blood-sweat-and-latex-howling-american-werewolves-and-a-make-up-effects-explosion-671156a588b7/ (Accessed: 14 October 2024). 

Evangelista, C. (2022) What went wrong with the wolfman? how makeup VFX legend Rick Baker was pushed aside for CGI junk, SlashFilm. Available at: https://www.slashfilm.com/1050461/what-went-wrong-with-the-wolfman-how-makeup-vfx-legend-rick-baker-was-pushed-aside-for-cgi-junk/ (Accessed: 14 October 2024). 

Cronin, B. (2017) Did vampires not have fangs in movies until the 1950s?, HuffPost. Available at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/did-vampires-not-have-fan_b_8415636 (Accessed: 14 October 2024). 

Kasden, L. _Light & Magic_ (27th July 2022). Disney. Available at: https://www.disneyplus.com/home (Accessed: 06 January 2024). 

Seastrom, L.O. (2024) Willow at 30 with visual effects wizards • lucasfilm, Lucasfilm. Available at: https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/willow-at-30-with-visual-effects-wizards/ (Accessed: 14 October 2024).

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 3 Feature ‘Special Effects’ (2003) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7sjfH5AXTA (Accessed: 14 October 2024). 

Zicree, M.S. (2018) The Twilight Zone Companion. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press. Hollywood make-up legends: Jack Pierce (2011) Cause and FX. Available at: https://causeandfx.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/hollywood-make-up-legends-jack-pierce/ (Accessed: 14 October 2024). 

Neibaur, James L., The Monster Movies of Universal Studios, Rowman & Littlefield, 2017, p. 

Fxguidetv #202: The art of lola vfx (2015) fxguide. Available at: https://www.fxguide.com/fxguidetv/fxguidetv-202-the-art-of-lola-vfx/ (Accessed: 30 October 2024). 

Failes, I. (2016a) An oral history of morphing in Michael Jackson’s ‘black or white’, Cartoon Brew. Available at: https://www.cartoonbrew.com/vfx/oral-history-morphing-michael-jacksons-black-white-144015.html (Accessed: 27 October 2024).