By Michael Martin
Haunted House Resurrected
Shirley Jackson’s archetypal haunted house tale, The Haunting of Hill House, originally published in 1959, has returned from the grave in a big way. Resurrected as a ten-episode limited series for Netflix, the re-imagining of the original novel by show creator and director Mike Flanagan would star Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Annabeth Gish, and Timothy Hutton.
(The eponymous Hill House. Image courtesy Netflix.)
To produce the vast array of ghosts and other creepy practical makeup effects to represent the residents of Hill House, Flanagan would call on his Gerald’s Game collaborator Robert Kurtzman to be Makeup Effects Co-Department Head alongside Staci Witt. Kurtzman’s early career in makeup effects would include work on Night of the Creeps, Predator, and Tremors. Eventually, Kurtzman would become one of the three co-founders of the Emmy and Oscar-winning KNB EFX Group (along with Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero) with whom he collaborated on Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness, John Carpenter’s Vampires and Ghosts of Mars, Dances With Wolves, From Dusk ‘till Dawn, Pulp Fiction, and Spy Kids. In fact, since starting in Hollywood, Kurtzman has worked on over four hundred movies, television series, commercials, and music videos! But back to The Haunting of Hill House. Kurtzman, now running a new shop, Robert Kurtzman MUFX, took time out of his busy schedule to talk to SWSCA about his involvement with the project.
Jump To Section
- Creating a Ghostly Look for The Haunting of Hill House
- Bringing William Hill, aka the Bowler Hat Man, to Life
- Making Up the Bent-Neck Lady
- Building a Ghostly Litter of Kittens
- Making Leigh Crain’s Pregnant Belly
- Constructing More Ghosts
- Placing Easter Egg Ghosts
- Receiving the Mortician’s Blessing
- What Scares Robert Kurtzman?
Creating a Ghostly Look for The Haunting of Hill House
Initially, Flanagan didn’t tell Kurtzman what his next project was about. He was kept in the dark, so to speak. Once he found out it was The Haunting of Hill House, Kurtzman was very excited. To help him achieve Flanagan's goal of capturing as much in-camera as possible, Kurtzman recruited fellow Gerald's Game team members Mark Boley and Marcia King, and a talented crew of Atlanta-based makeup fx artists. From the outset, Kurtzman and company were tasked with a unique challenge, “…Mike Flanagan wanted to…have this desaturated look with all of the ghost characters.”
(Robert Kurtzman applying silicone prosthetics and a desaturated paint job to actress Carla Gugino. Note the concept bust in the background. Images courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
The look and style of the makeups would start with sketches. From there, they would move to the preliminary sculptures. The ghost designs would often change in the sculpture stage and then change once again in the coloration phase. Multiple camera tests with different lighting scenarios were done to achieve Flanagan’s desaturated color palette. Kurtzman would say getting there was tough, that they couldn’t use the typical red blood tones that one might first choose for split-open heads and other violent injuries. “We really had to pull that back as we tested and…find the colors that would work for him.”
(Kurtzman applying a red-toned 'freshly wounded' version of the prosthetics to actress Carla Gugino. Images courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
Bringing William Hill, aka the Bowler Hat Man, to Life
(The Bowler Hat Man peers underneath the bed. Image courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
To portray William Hill aka Bowler Hat Man, actor Fedor Steer would wear prosthetics to give his face that sunken bone structure look. Steer would also be outfitted with arm and leg extensions. The arm extensions were two feet long and would strap on underneath the actor’s wardrobe. Handgrips were provided that allowed Steer to move the hands back and forth. Magnets were used in the hands so that the Bowler Hat Man could hold his cane. For the disturbing scene where the Bowler Hat Man peers beneath a bed, an additional actor would perform the ghost’s legs in the background. Finally, the floating gag would be achieved with wire rigs provided by the show’s stunt team.
(Applying ghastly facial and hand appliances to actor Fedor Steer aka The Bowler Hat Man. Images courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
Making Up the Bent-Neck Lady
One of the most chilling recurring ghosts in The Haunting of Hill House would be the "Bent Neck Lady". The injured woman would have several makeup phases including a 'beauty' version, a clean appearance with the broken neck, and finally a moldy ghost look.
(Victoria Pedretti as the Bent Neck Lady. Images courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
The artists at Robert Kurtzman MUFX would sculpt a large bulge sticking out the side of the ghost’s neck as if her spine had popped. A silicone neck appliance was then created that would carry up onto the side of actress Victoria Pedretti's face, because Kurtzman says, “…she had to bend her neck all the time to get into that position, and I didn’t want the stress to be right on her jawline or the prosthetic would have started to pop up every day.”
(Robert Kurtzman transforms actress Victoria Pedretti into the Bent Neck Lady ghost. Note the desaturated and moldy look. Images courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
Building a Ghostly Litter of Kittens
A late addition to the makeup effects slate would be a litter of creepy kittens. Instead of using real kittens, the production requested tiny mechanical ones, and at very short notice. Kurtzman remembers feeling the pressure, “I’m like, oh crap!” The kittens would be built by Jason Collins and Mike McCarty at Autonomous FX and would be fitted with air bladders for breathing action. There would end up being some CGI enhancements to the kittens for close-ups when their eyes would bulge out and for when a bug crawls out of one’s mouth. Kurtzman fondly recalls the kittens, “I loved them.”
(Mechanical newborn kittens were built for the show by Autonomous FX. Images courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
Making Leigh Crain’s Pregnant Belly
The makeup effects crew would also construct a practical pregnant belly for actress Samantha Sloyan (as Leigh Crain). The belly was made out of silicone (in fact, all of the prosthetics done for Hill House would be produced from silicone). Half a dozen air bladders would be made from thin silicone sheets and then mounted to the stomach’s underform where they could make the pregnant belly swell and pulse.
(Thin silicone bladders made Samantha Sloyan's prosthetic pregnant belly swell and pulse. Image courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
Once the veins start to grow on the belly and it begins to change color, CGI would be used. The digital artists would take references from the color, veining, and splatter effects that Kurtzman and team were using on the ghost makeups.
Constructing More Ghosts
The "Crispy Moldy Basement Ghost" would be played by actor Josh Campbell, an amputee missing one leg. The frightening character would be one of the most extensive full-body prosthetic makeups produced for the show. Appliances included a chest piece, arm pieces, facial pieces, chunks of burnt hair, and a fake leg that was burned to a crisp.
(Kurtzman & Co-Department Head Staci Witt apply facial and full-body silicone prosthetics to actor Josh Campbell as "Crispy Moldy Basement Ghost." Images courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
Other makeup effects contributions would include painting twenty sets of ghost hands for a terrifying bed grabbing scene and applying both fresh wounds and scars on the hands of young and older Hugh Crain (played by Henry Thomas and Timothy Hutton, respectively) throughout the show.
Placing Easter Egg Ghosts
Kurtzman reveals that up to thirty ‘Easter Egg’ ghosts are planted throughout the series. “It was [creator/director Mike Flanagan’s] plan from the beginning to set up these kinds of little Easter eggs and see if people could spot them.” While working on the primary prosthetic makeups for the show each day, the makeup team would also produce up to four of the "hidden ghosts" as well for Flanagan to pepper in the shadows.
(An array of the many ghosts produced for The Haunting of Hill House. Images courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
Receiving the Mortician’s Blessing
The crew at Robert Kurtzman MUFX would create several silicone bodies for mortuary and autopsy scenes.
(One of the silicone dead bodies being touched up by co-department head Staci Witt. Images courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
The autopsy bodies would be built with realistic cavities in their torsos, and even the fatty layer beneath the skin flaps was included. The top of the skull would also be removable to simulate the procedures of a real autopsy. The show’s mortician consultant Brittany Godfrey (who would supply the makeup effects team with the proper waxed thread used in autopsies) thought the bodies were dead on. Kurtzman says, “She was completely blown away.”
(The autopsy bodies created for The Haunting of Hill House. Images courtesy Robert Kurtzman MUFX.)
What Scares Robert Kurtzman?
Robert Kurtzman would have nothing but praise for The Haunting of Hill House creator and director Mike Flanagan. The veteran makeup artist would say that the director was very specific about what needed to happen each day. All of the shots would be previsualized along with an extensive shot list detailing which camera angles the makeup effect would be shot from (FYI - Kurtzman will be working again with Flanagan on the director’s upcoming Dr. Sleep). Kurtzman would also give a shout-out to his Co-Department Head Staci Witt, and his dedicated crew for their hard work on the series. Check out the complete crew list below.
Kurtzman would say that the biggest challenge working on The Haunting of Hill House wouldn't happen in the FX shop or the makeup trailer, but on the set. It occurred during the incredible continuous shot in episode six which required intense rehearsals, precisely choreographed camera moves, removing and replacing corpses in their coffins, and the Bent Neck Lady showing up in the background while the long take continued. “…that kind of stuff was the most challenging.”
As for the scariest part of the show, Kurtzman would reveal that he was so engrossed watching an episode featuring an appearance by Nell Crane (no spoilers here), that even though he had been on set when the scene was shot, “…I completely forgot that scare was coming and it made me jump out of my seat. I just freaked out. I was like, dammit, I knew it was coming. But man, it got me!”
That’s pretty scary.
The Haunting of Hill House Makeup Effects Crew
- Robert Kurtzman – Co-Department Head
- Staci Witt – Co-Department Head
Robert Kurtzman MUFX Team:
- Marcia King – MUFX Coordinator
- Gregory Ethan McDougall – Key FX Artist/Sculptor
- Jillian Erickson – MUFX artist
- Giancarlo “Johnny” Brajdic – Key Moldmaker
- Eric Molinaris - Sculptor
- Brent Armstrong - Sculptor
- Mark Boley – Hair Specialist
- Midian Crosby
- Joshua Adams
- Jason Collins
- Mike McCarty
- Erica Koo
- David Brooke
- Tim Pheonix
- Lon Muckey
- Aina O’Kane
- Val Crawford
Concept Artists:
- Mark Kidwell
- Jay Fotos
Amber Dobbins – MUFX Production Assistant