Costume & Make-up in Horror Films

Costume, hair and make-up are often a huge part of horror movies. They are part of what makes the films successful and as scary and shocking as possible.

An example of good costume and make-up is in the horror movie, ‘The Descent,’ (2005).

Plot Synopsis:
After a tragic accident, six friends reunite for a caving expedition. Their adventure soon goes horribly wrong when a collapse traps them deep underground and they find themselves pursued by strange, bloodthirsty creatures. As their friendships deteriorate, they find themselves in a desperate struggle to survive the creatures and each other. With a lack of supply, they fight for survival and they face the hunger and savage breed of predators.

SCREAM YOUR LAST BREATH!

Characters:
The whole construction of characters and their appearance is used to heighten the shock and fear in the film. The villains in the film are created as strange, unrecognizable creatures, and the dark cave adds to the mystery as to what they exactly are.

As well as these villains, the make-up of the main characters (the six friends) is essential, as their situation is shown to gradually deteriorate and a lot of make-up such as blood and slime is used to add to the fear.

Another example is in ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ (2006)

Plot Synopsis:
The Carters, an idyllic American family are travelling through the great American southwest, but their trip takes a detour into an area closed off from the public, but more importantly from society, due to being misled to a shortcut going to nowhere by the owner of an isolated gas station. An area originally used by the U.S. Government for nuclear testing that was intended to be empty...or so they thought? When the Carter's car breaks down at the old site, they're stranded...or are they? As the Carters may soon realize that what seemed like a car casually breaking down, might actually be a trap. This trap might be perpetrated by the inhabitants of the site who aren't pulling a prank, but are out to set up a gruesome massacre. Absolutely trapped by the psychotics, they have to fight to survive.

THE LUCKY ONES DIE FIRST…

Characters:
The group of deformed cannibals that begin to attack this family were created well using skilfully designed costumes and make-up. They are made to appear very savage and threatening, frightening the audience who are watching. This adds to the experience of watching a horror movie. As the audience feel for the main characters (the family), they realise that they are in danger as the creatures are unwilling to give up and determined to kill them. The villains’ appearance emphasises this feeling and the family find themselves in numerous dangerous situations.

The family member’s costumes are originally normal holiday makers clothes, but are also adapted as time passes. Time, attacks by the villains and injuries all affect the costumes, therefore they have to be changed to fit the storyline. For example there is use of a lot of blood and dirt added to garments.

Below is the trailer, which shows some of the costumes and make-up of the characters:

Costume

Costume is a vital part in any film and the types of costume used can make a huge difference to a film.

During my work experience, I managed to work in the costume department and as a set runner on the ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’ film set. I mainly worked with Set Costume who stay on set at all times. This gave me a chance to see how a film is made behind the scenes.

Whilst working in costume, I saw the process of making garments, the different effects that could be added, the process of breaking it down and how they were changed to fit the storyline. The main effect that they used was the process of making the clothes look quite old and worn, in order to look as realistic as possible. Also, during a scene such as a fight, the clothes would gradually be torn, ripped and dirty, therefore many copies of the same garments are made, and the clothes are broken down in different stages, to also add realism.

I also saw other aspects of costume such as continuity, where they had to concentrate on making the costume identical if the same scene was shot at different times. This was vital, in order to not incur continuity errors.

An example of costume in a different Harry Potter film is in ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,’ where the director has given a brief and direction to the costume designer to place Dolores Umbridge (Senior Under-Secretary to Minister for Magic) in pink constantly. The garments change, but the colour is consistent throughout the film. This could be seen as ironic as pink generally represents girly, fluffy, soft etc. but Umbridge is not seen to be this type of character, in fact the opposite. Therefore this colour could be used to fool the audience into a false sense of security and add a twist.


People involved in Wardrobe:

Costume Designer :
The costume designer is responsible for all the clothing and costumes worn by all the actors that appear on screen. He or she is also responsible for designing, planning, and organizing the construction of the garments down to the fabric, colors, and sizes. The costume designer works closely with the director to understand and interpret "character", and counsels with the production designer to achieve an overall tone of the film.

Costume Supervisor:
The Costume Supervisor works closely with the designer. In addition to helping with the design of the costumes, he or she manages the wardrobe workspace. He or she is responsible for supervising the construction or sourcing of garments, the hiring and firing of support staff, the budget, paperwork, and department logistics.

Key Costumer:
The Key Costumer is employed on larger productions to manage the set costumers, and to handle the Star's wardrobe needs.

Costume Standby:
The Costume Standby is present on set at all times. It is his/her responsibility to monitor the quality and continuity of the actors and actresses costumes before and during takes. They will also assist the actors and actresses with dressing. This person is also known as a 'set costumer'.

Art Finisher:
An Art Finisher may be employed during the pre-production stage to "break down" garments. This specialised job includes making new clothing appear dirty, faded and worn. They are also known as breakdown artists.

Buyer:
On large productions a Buyer may be employed to source and purchase fabrics and garments. A buyer might also be referred to as a shopper. This distinction is often made when the lead actor in a production has control over their wardrobe, and they may personally hire this person.

Cutter/Fitter:
A costume technician who fits or tailors costumes, usually on-set. They can also be called cutters, seamstresses or tailors. Some celebrity actors have favorite cutters, and larger productions may hire several and have them on set at the same time, particularly in period film projects that might have complicated or extremely expensive extras wardrobe.