Grande Illusions: Books I & II

by Tom Savini, George A. Romero (Foreword), Stephen King ( Foreword)

Legendary special make-up effects artist, Tom Savini's books, Grande Illusions and Grande Illusions II, have been entertaining readers and educating the next generation of artists for decades. Now, for the first time, both books are combined into one ultimate guide to the craft and art of make-up effects. With hundreds of pictures and diagrams, Grande Illusions uses Tom's real world experience on dozens of classic movies to show the readers exactly how he did each effect in an easy to understand step-by-step guide. This book offers budding make-up artists and film fans a firsthand look at how cinematic illusions are created. Some of the amazing effects that are explained in this book are from legendary films such as: Friday the 13th, Creepshow, The Burning, Maniac, The Prowler, Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Monkey Shines, Red Scorpion, Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, Night of the Living Dead (1990) and others. Using his own films as an example, Tom teaches not only how he did each effect, but also how to do head casts, make case molds, punching hair, sketching, color plates and casting teeth, giving budding artists a full understanding of the craft. With amazing introductions by fellow legends, Stephen King, George Romero and Dick Smith, Grande Illusions is sure to thrill and entice film fans and become and become a constant companion for new make-up artists.

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2013

Reviews

[Peter Derk · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the time of publication, this was how you learned this stuff: You had to apprentice and collaborate with a true master.

Today, it's a lot easier to learn basic techniques like mold making from the world wide interstellar net. Which means this book doesn't serve its original purpose quite as well, BUT it's a great time capsule and really brings the vibes of indie-ish horror filmmaking from the late 70's and early 80's, and it's quite a gem in that respect.

I go back and forth a lot on the whole thing about practical effects versus digital, and I think I've come up with a personal preference:

I always prefer practical, even when it doesn't look that good, BUT I think digital effects are totally acceptable when it comes to the question of safety. There are some stunts and stunt types, like being lit on fire, that are super impressive, but often appear in movies that don't warrant the risk, know what I mean? When you're doing a full-body burn and going for the record on a movie that has no plot and is just a generic slasher, you're putting a lot more into that movie than anyone else is, and that doesn't seem right to me.

The downside is that things like digital fires and explosions just never look super great, and it was always fun to see a HUGE explosion that was fucking real.

But I get it, it's a pretty dangerous thing to do, and doing it digitally, if it saves even a life, is pretty hard to shittalk.

That said, I wish there were fewer digital monster effects. We get so many monsters with elongated lower jaws now, and it's probably because that's a pretty easy effect. We get that generic monster face, and it's underwhelming.

I also think there are two skill sets: digital artistry and technical proficiency, that go into digital effects, and sometimes the artists have one skill or the other in a lot more bulk.

Which makes me think, maybe it'd be good to have artists create things in clay or miniature or matte painting, and then create digital versions. Maybe we'd be best off with hybrid styles.

Oh, well. Maybe those days are gone. Maybe Tom Savini will have to settle for going down in history as Sex Machine: The man with a penis gun.

[Horror DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grande Illusions: The Art and Technique of Special Make-Up Effects Original Books I & II from AuthorMike Ink is a reissue of the how-to guides previously released by Imagine, Inc. and Morris Costumes in the 1980s and '90s from author Tom Savini, a make-up artist who has worked in the industry for the past four decades. Originally inspired by the skills of legendary performer Lon Chaney, Sr., the “Man of a Thousand Faces”, Savini spent years refining his craft until he became one of the most sought-after names in the business.

You can read ZigZag's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[david j mcallister · Rating 5 out of 5]

The master of horror makeup

Tom Savini up close and personal. Genius of makeup. Perfection till the end. Highly recommended!! There would be no horror without Tom Savini.

[Samuel McNeny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It’s so informative and includes some really interesting inside knowledge on the world of filmmaking, specifically that of horror films in the 70’s-80’s. I found it specifically interesting when Savini explained his elaborate, clever designs for effects (love that Kevin bacon arrow-through-the-neck-trick.) At the end of the day, special effects is like magic but scarier and sometimes grosser. Savini will always be one of my favorite makeup artists, so this book is right up my alley.