10 Creepiest Special Effects Ever Used In Movies

Sadly, nothing pulls you out of a gripping, magical, or jaw-dropping experience quite like some less than effective visual effects.

All of the terrific writing, masterful performances, and outstanding direction in the world can't erase the feeling of being deeply underwhelmed by dodgy CGI or less than impressive practical magic. But when those VFX moments are done not just well, but superbly, they have been known to leave audiences with their minds well and truly blown.

Or even feeling entirely creeped out in the case of the following flicks.

Had the following digital and practical effects not quite worked out in the way the talented filmmakers involved had hoped, there's a solid chance folks would still be cruelly chuckling about jarring CGI-faced leading characters, anything but terrifying deaths, and silly-looking antagonists. 

But thanks to the brilliant effects wizards behind everything from "precious" icons, to horrifying gigantic demons, it's safe to say those watching on were left feeling hugely disturbed by some of the most freaky and convincing visuals ever to pop up on the big-screen.

Prepare yourself, friends. Things are about to get a little chilling.

Helmed and headlined by two of Hollywood’s best, David Fincher and Brad Pitt respectively, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button follows Pitt’s titular character who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and exploration while extraordinarily ageing in reverse.

It's a harrowing tale of a man whose rare and instantaneously consequential circumstances mean he must watch those he loves and cherish age and eventually pass away before his very eyes as he does the opposite.

Not only is this film worth watching due to Pitt’s glorious performance alone but also for the extraordinary special effects on display that aid the actor in his portrayal and subsequently creating Benjamin Button for the silver screen.

To do so, mass computer-generated intervention was needed. 

It has become the norm in Hollywood for studios to cast similarly looking younger or older actors to accurately convey that character's on-screen authenticity.

However, the easy way is not the David Fincher way. 

In a gruelling process which took over 100 animators and 2 years to complete including facial scans, Pitt’s perseverance and even several busts and life-size casts of the actor himself, Benjamin Button’s face, for at least the first third of the movie, was in-fact completely CGI as opposed to using makeup or simply super-imposing Pitt’s head on top of another actor's body.

The task of projecting a wrinkled and weathered Brad Pitt onto a child-sized physique was a daunting one which almost certainly paid off, albeit a very creepy one for the most part.