MovieChat Forums > Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973) Discussion > How would you design these creatures in ...

How would you design these creatures in a remake?

posted 17 years ago by Error_PC_LOAD_LETTER
7 replies | jump to latest

While planning my Halloween costume for NEXT YEAR (2008, I wanna be a boogeyman type character with traits of the [Jeepers] Creeper, Fred Krueger, Corpse Jason Voorhees unmasked, and Henry Kane from Poltergiest II), I have found that putrefacation of the flesh works best. It is not only horrific and terrifying, but true rotting flesh is horrifically DISGUSting as well.

While studying the effects of rotting flesh, I found that this is what I think the Don't Be Afraid of the Dark critters would best be expressed in.

Take a look at rotting Jason Voorhees, for example. Do a google search and click on images. Or study other sources. The flesh turns horribly brown and black, the face and body disfigures beyond the most horrific mutations and gets maggoty and slimy and moldy. The teeth twist and contort to horrible shapes. Veins and flesh gell and get gooey, and rotting fibers can resemble matted black and filthy-gelled fur. The unbelievably strong and horrible stench of brown, putrid, rotting flesh about to droop and fall off the body and the patches of pocked putrescence don't even need to be smelled to be fully appreciated. The teeth contorted and filthy, the face twisted and rotted and slimy -- that's what the DBAOTD creatures need to epitomize.

Combine this horror with the staring eyes, like the hunger in the eyes of aliens (greys) or orange-red Amityville Horro eyes staring from a dark place, staring into the soul, and you'll see what I mean.

I think putrescence -- the most horribly putrified hominid trio imaginable, is how I would design these creatures for a remake.

But I am intertested in what others think these creatures ought to look like. Maybe they still should't be shown much -- but when they are, they should be, in my opinion, distorted putrescent hominids stinking with gooey decay and glob-ular gelled matted fiberous corpse rot.

Rotting hooded monks robes could conceal them from light, and slimy mummy fiberous wrapped muscular strands can play their part, but both burn away rapidly as they, too, are putrescent and horrible and seem to meld with the flesh. Facial growth mask epidermia could be peal-away layers of masks, layers of facial putrescence damaged by light. Claws and minor weapons, both grown-on and artificially made, could slash human flesh once or twice, but not to the extent of gorefest movies. But most of all, horribly putridied corpse flesh seem like it would express them best.

And 'cause' never was the reason for the evening,
--Or the Tropic of Sir Galahad.

[–] dhshoops2001 17 years ago

Now THAT may have been the scariest post I have EVER read...good lord!!!!

[–] Error_PC_LOAD_LETTER 17 years ago

Didja check your 'private messages' dhshoops2001 ? Isent you one (response).

I've seen the effects of veiny gelled putrescence of corpses, and think they would make fine examples of the flesh of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark creatures, which were little more than pruneheaded monkeys. Movie zombies tend to look like bad halloween costumes, and walking cadavers tend to look too dry.

Real corpses kind of transmutate to monsterous perversions of humanity, and are wet with brown shredded stenchjuice. The gnarrled heads as much like nasty alien turtles from the bottom of a maggoty garbage can full of corpse parts and nasty poop as they resemble skulls.

C'mon -- lets capture it on film. And leave the hidden 'unknown' to the original movie. Lets let these be the foulest, nastiest, most repulsive, creepy, AND disgusting hominids imaginable -- none of them higher than a knee.

Let's give 'em some ugly homemade weaponry either grown on or worn -- one slash would make a believer out of the husband and the movie studio would save the cost of one ice pick to do the handyman in.

But yes, they still reside in the darkness and are mostly unseen

And 'cause' never was the reason for the evening,
--Or the Tropic of Sir Galahad.

[–] andrsbckly 17 years ago

Error-
after talking to Nigel McKean, I think his original idea should be used- see my description in my post 'just spoke w/ Nigel McKeand' on this board. He described them as thinner, more demonic and MUCH quicker, and he didn't really like the original ones in the movie, he said they were 'lumbering' and not fast enough. (he is a GREAT guy!!) I loved how he described where he got the whole ash-pit thing from!
They would be thin, sleek, lightning quick, sharp talons, and the furry bits would not cover all, probably more around the wrists, neck, etc; the coloring would change, and the skin would be a puce rough affair. The faces would be longer, ears sharp and wicked, perhaps with 'knobs' for horns, and they could have crude weapons (remember the troll's dagger, i.e. 'cat's eye'?), maybe like an old remade straight razor, an old half-scissors, etc. and they would run on 2's and 4's and 'scramble' up things VERY quickly, too.
I am now trying to do a few sketches of the new concept.

[–] Error_PC_LOAD_LETTER 17 years ago

Thanks for the info!

1973 technology couldn't do much for us, but we've seen horrific things on Lord of the Rings and other Adventure and Horror movies.

Even as early as 1984, when Gremlins came out (though Gremlins seem puppetlike today) we've had SUCH better technology.

Hope to see your sketches, and even though I imagined something grosser, I'd love and welcome Nigel McKean's original idea brought to light (semi-pun intended). I want to read about where he got the ash-pit thing from -- maybe it's in some of your other posts.

And 'cause' never was the reason for the evening,
--Or the Tropic of Sir Galahad.

[–] andrsbckly 17 years ago

sorry, thought I mentioned it-- look on this board for "just spoke to NIGEL MCKEAN, he tells ALL" or something like that....explains a lot. (did you know he was also the sonar-man on 'voyage to the bottom of the sea'...??)

[–] Error_PC_LOAD_LETTER 17 years ago

Yes, I read your post, "just spoke to Nigel McKean".

Wish I could've seen HIS ashpit. Most ashpits I've seen have been fairly utilitarian and boring. Most old houses have hidden voids, pipe chases, old plumbing, voids next to chimneys and under stairs, which capture the imagination. For some reason, old brick and stone and other masonry DO seem creepier than mere wood -- maybe because they are harder to break in and out of.

When I first saw this movie, my grandmother's house had a hole in a chimney where it went through the attic, and, together with the creepy furniture banished to the attic, it gave the right effect. It was a fun place to explore, the whole house -- but sometimes the attic and the kitchen (which was dark and had a strange echo) and some of the back bedrooms could get very creepy for no reason at all.

And 'cause' never was the reason for the evening,
--Or the Tropic of Sir Galahad.

[–] andrsbckly 17 years ago

http://dingbat13lives.50megs.com/images/kobol1%20-%20Copy.jpg

try this address- it is my pic of the creatures (i will call them KOBOL from now on) as described by nigel, and my own twisted idea...let me know if you can see it o.k., i sketched it in about 10 minutes.