10 Most Incredible Practical Effects In Sci-Fi Movie History

In 1981, An American Werewolf in London became the first film to win an Academy Award for Best Makeup. 39 years, many film fanatics still argue the makeup and practical effects are unequalled.

In the film, David gets bitten by a werewolf and turns into one himself during a full moon. Watching David contort his body in agony as his bones crunch and his joints realign is unlike anything else seen in cinema.

This effects were helmed by makeup designer, Rick Baker. Baker has won seven Oscars for his work on projects like Star Wars, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Thriller.

Baker spent a year constructing animatronics for An American Werewolf in London. These were composed of foam and fibreglass, giving them a pliable shape, which was crucial for this scene. While filming, Baker released compressed air under the exoskeleton to make the animatronic contort and swell.

Ironically, Baker was disappointed how the scene turned out since his work was condensed into a two-minute scene. Because the facial mechanism took months to perfect, he was frustrated the shot of David's snout protruding was only seven seconds long. Baker thought he wasted his time until he saw an audience applaud during this scene.