10 Most Ingenious Special FX In Horror Movie History

This special effect has become legendary over the years, and with good reason: this is one of the best werewolf transitions ever put on film. While director John Landis gets full credit for pulling the werewolf movie out of the tired Hammer/Universal backlot, it's really special effects maestro Rick Baker who deserves the credit for making us believe in lycanthropy again.

Initially, Baker had signed on for 1981s other werewolf movie, The Howling but this was eventually left in the hands of his friend and apprentice, Rob Bottin, who would go on to great notoriety himself (more on his achievements to come). Free to concentrate on the Landis project, Baker set about designing the effect required for the shots.

One of the first things you'll notice about this sequence is the lighting - the scene is brightly lit and visible from most angles, something which is a rarity for FX shots of this complexity. The protagonist, David, has his 'full' body on display, his real legs are sunk beneath the floor and his false legs straight out in front.

"The way I decided to approach the transformation was through comparative anatomy," explained Baker, comparing human to wolf body structure. Using a urethane compound for skin, Baker then designed hard models of the required body parts to stretch through, creating the effect.

As David transforms, his hair/fur also begins to grow, an effect achieved by pulling artificial hair through the urethane. The film was then run in reverse to give the 'growing' effect. A well deserved Oscar indeed.