Tom Savini

Tom Savini: The Sultan of Splatter

            Tom Savini was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 3, 1946. Savini is best known for his role in special effects and makeup for the horror genre, but is also an accomplished actor, stuntman, and director. Lon Chaney’s role in Man of a Thousand Faces, was Savini’s earliest inspiration for acting and makeup effects. Savini would spend time as a boy creating his own makeup and persuading his childhood friends to let him practice on them.

            Savini was offered the position of makeup for George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, but was soon enlisted in the Army, and sent to Vietnam. During this time Savini was a combat photographer, practicing makeup in his spare time. Vietnam served purposeful as the horrors that he was exposed to would later influence his post-service work. Savini returned from the war to attend Carnegie-Mellon University for acting and directing.

            Savini received his big break in 1977 while working on makeup effects for Romero’s Martin. Savini had created a very convincing wrist slashing scene for the film at the opening of the film. Romero would then hire Savini for 1978’s Dawn of the Dead. The film’s larger budget allowed for an in depth approach to makeup with severed limbs and bite-marks. The zombies themselves used various shades of blue and grey as well as a fluorescent blood. Savini was originally opposed to the idea of the blood, created by 3M, but Romero made a convincing case that it helped convey a more comic-like feel to the film. The film grossed $55 million at the box office and made Savini a household name.

            Savini’s next big project was in the cult classic, Friday the 13^th. Savini did the makeup work for the grotesquely disfigured Jason Voorhees in the film, as well as the blood and gore effects.  Savini rounded out the 80’s doing makeup and special effects for such popular films as Creepshow, Friday the 13^th: The Final Chapter, Day of the Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and Creepshow 2.

            In addition to his special effects, Savini has been known to work as an actor on the same films he has done makeup work for. Savini has done numerous acting roles with George A. Romero, including both Dawn of the Dead films, Martin, Knightriders, Creepshow, Two Evil Eyes,  and Land of the Dead. Savini’s most popular role in acting is the role as the biker Sex Machine in From Dusk till Dawn. Tom Savini is well versed in using the bull whip and did his own stunts as Sex Machine in the film, and many of his stunts as an actor come from abilities such as his bull whip and fencing prowess.

            Tom Savini is in charge of the Special Make-up Effects program at the Douglas Education Center, located in Monessen, Pennsylvania. The program is a 4 semester, 60 week program that includes such classes as Sculpture, Cosmetic Make-Up, Anatomy and Anthropology, Hair and Beards, and Animatronics, to name a few. Savini reviews the final portfolios of each student. The course not only works for film, but also such places as theater companies, cosmetic companies, department stores, amusement parks, computer special effects firms, and mold making studios. Savini is well known to refer various film offers to graduates and students of the program. In addition to having his own school program, Savini is also an accomplished author for books on special film effects, titled Grande Illusions I and II.

            While the horror genre is as popular as ever, it has grown and expanded much larger due in part to Tom Savini and his film effects. Grotesque and disfigured beings and gore galore have attributed to this man’s success, and have helped launch some of the biggest film franchises to date. Partially inspired by Lon Chaney, and darker yet, inspired by the events of the Vietnam conflict, Tom Savini has reshaped the horror genre into a gory image that stays with us. On the silver screen, terror and Savini go hand in bloody hand.

Works Cited

"Tom Savini's Special Make-Up Effects Program." Douglas Education Center. N.p.. Web. 28 May 2013. <http://www.dec.edu/images/pdfs/programpdfs/DEC_TS_Catalog55v1.pdf>.

n.pag. IMDb.com. Web. 28 May 2013. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0767741/bio>.

savini.com. N.p.. Web. 28 May 2013. <http://www.savini.com/Savini.com/Welcome.html>.