Special effect makeup artists share their tips
Part of the fun of Halloween is playing the part of the character. It’s the only time of year that it’s acceptable to dress up as anything, from a superhero to a scary clown.
Special effect makeup artists, Rae Scalice, who works as a makeup artist for Chambers of Hell in Hauppauge, and Sarah Manuello, who works for Darkside Haunted House in Calverton, specialize in creating looks set to scare.
(Photo courtesy Rae Scalice)
Bellport resident Scalice, who said she has always been into art, started experimenting with makeup in high school. After high school, she went to New York Institute of Beauty and took their special effects class.
Scalice says she enjoys doing body makeup, and her specialty is clowns.
Throughout her career, Scalice worked at Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse, located in Bellport, for about five seasons. Currently, she works at Chamber’s of Hell. She’s also done makeup for films, including a film called Bring on the Damned.
“I love getting to work with actors and directors and getting to collaborate on looks,” Scalice said. “I love seeing any reviews that people leave that are about the makeup and how they enjoyed that. It makes me very happy.”
At Chamber’s of Hell, Scalice said that air brush makeup is often used.
“I’m doing most of the face and a lot of the detailing with the airbrush tool,” Scalice said. “We’re using a lot of other stuff like [fake] blood, and water based paints to dirty it up and make it a little more scary.”
She said she only gets five to 10 minutes per actor. And the makeup often lasts all night.
“[Air brush] is a fairly new medium to me,” Manuello, who is from Sound Beach, said. “I was using more practical stuff before, like grease makeup or regular makeup, and… hearing all the compliments from all the patrons and the actors you’re doing the makeup for, it’s really empowering. It makes me want to keep going with it… I find myself on the weekdays thinking when the haunt’s not open, what I’m going to do for the makeup this weekend.”
Manuello started working at Darkside Haunted House when she was 15.
“Loved it, loved working there,” Manuello said. “That’s what got it started because after a while, just getting more into the special effects world, I started working with a local band and experimenting with makeup with them, and eventually my boss took me under his wings and taught me all the air brush techniques and latex techniques.”
Manuello still works at Darkside Haunted House, using air brush tools, and working with the local horror based band UCHIKATSU on their music videos.
“It starts with the character design,” Manuello explained when asked about her process. “You’re thinking about what’s going on with the scene, or at the haunt, what’s going on in the room, taking that into play.”
Create A Vampire Look
Rae Scalice says you can achieve a vampire look with just an eye shadow pallet.
“I would probably say do the white eye shadow on the high points of the face… And then use a black, gray, purple or red to do the opposite of that and do the contours.”As for the eyes, Scalice recommends doing a smoky eye or some messier black and red eyeshadow to make the eyes look sunken in.
“I feel like I always think of vampires having a dark red or purple lip,” Scalice said.
To add fake blood around the mouth, there are several recipes online to make safe, fake blood with ingredients you may have in your pantry!
Scalice can be reached at paintedbyrae22@gmail.com.
Create A Zombie Look
Sarah Manuello recommended going to the thrift store for some worn, and cheap, finds. “Tatter the clothes up.”
Then you can use makeup that you already have or from a drug store. “Use your own facial features, those lines you have naturally, and accentuate those with a darker shade,” Manuello said, adding that you can use a white and gray base on your face. Manuello then recommends getting liquid latex at your local Halloween or party store, and cotton balls.
“Tear up some cotton balls,” Manuello said. “I’d [stick it] closer to the crown of your head… And put some liquid latex on top of it. It will dry off really quickly. And then you can hit it with a green color, yellow infected color, and it will give that appearance of bubbling, nasty flesh.”
Manuello can be reached at samanuello@gmail.com.