A History of Stan Winston’s Special Effects in Movies

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Stan Winston is a household name in special effects (SFX). This artist began his career with an internship at Walt Disney Studios before establishing his own Stan Winston Studio in the ’80s. Working in film and television, Stan Winston won four Academy Awards and two Emmy Awards for his astounding contributions to the field. But his impact on the industry is even more impressive than his accolades. He was a certified expert in the areas of makeup, puppets, and practical effects. Everything he ever touched is now, by most standards, a pop culture icon or staple within the horror, sci-fi, super hero, and fantasy genres.

Even if you don’t know much about SFX or VFX (visual effects), you’ve seen Stan Winston’s work. And if you need a reminder, we can refresh you with some of his most famous movie makeup, suits, and prosthetics. Of course, our list is by no means exhaustive; Stan Winston did effects for 50+ movies and series. Legacy Effects and the online Stan Winston School of Character Arts continue to preserve his legacy and achievements. Once you browse his work below, you’ll realize it’s no wonder that his supervisors and the Winston family wanted to carry his work onward into the future of filmmaking.

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Gargoyles (1972)

Winston earned his first Emmy for the telefilm Gargoyles. By a turn of fate, the young artist ended up applying makeup for the lead gargoyle — and earning his team credit where credit was due. Although only fresh out of his Disney apprenticeship, the proactive and bold Winston insisted he be credited for his work or else he’d walk off set. Such an ultimatum seems easy to honor from our perspective, but it was contended heavily in the ’70s. Fortunately, Winston would not back down, explaining that without SFX/VFX work, the creatures would not exist, and therefore the movie would not be the same.

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The Thing (1982)

While Winston finally gained recognition for his work, he didn’t hit his “big break” in Hollywood until John Carpenter’s The Thing. Alongside artist Rob Bottin, Winston created some of the most iconic visuals in sci-fi history. Stan himself was responsible for the dog-thing, a mutated hairless dog covered in slime, which appears in the film’s infamous kennel scene. Stan and his team fashioned a terrifying hand puppet out of foam and latex. Then, they covered it with fake blood and gore on set to achieve its final look. Lance Anderson puppeteered it from below.

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The Terminator (1984), Judgment Day (1991), and Rise of the Machines (2003)

Winston rose to all-new heights of fame when he collaborated with James Cameron. He designed and brought to life the titular machine of the Terminator franchise as a full-body puppet. A surprise hit, the now cult classic ‘8os film skyrocketed Stan Winston’s name to other studios’ attention. Winston also continued to work on James Cameron’s film projects. Additionally, Winston crated animatronics for Universal Studios’ theme park attraction, T2-3D: Battle Across Time (1996).

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Aliens (1986) and Predator (1987)

Cameron asked Winston onboard for Aliens — and of course Winston agreed! Indeed, he even won his first Academy Award for it. Winston and his team designed and built a full-size Xenomorph for the production. The chestburster, facehuggers, and Alien Queen were also his designs. Honestly, Stan Winston spent most of his time in the late 1980s making monsters. He headed creature effects for The Monster Squad (1987) and then debuted as a director with Pumpkinhead (1988). Somewhere in the middle, he also found time to redo the Predator suit at actor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recommendation.

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Batman Returns (1992), Constantine (2005), and Iron Man (2008)

Don’t forget about the super heroes! Well, maybe villains were more Winston’s speed at first. He designed the makeup and prosthetics for The Penguin in Batman Returns. Plus, his studio contributed robot penguins utilized throughout the DC film. Winston’s lauded creature crew went on to make and apply SFX/VFX for demons and angels alike in Constantine. Most of the demons were inspired by real-life autopsy photographs in order to enhance their realism. Such a realistic approach helped the team on Iron Man, for which they built Marvel comics-accurate suits that could also move and be (somewhat) comfortable for actors and stunt performers.

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Jurassic Park (1993)

Look, absolutely everything that Stan Winston did was incredible and downright legendary. But there’s something especially awe-inspiring about the sculpted T-rex from Jurassic Park. Steven Spielberg wanted full-size, operational, mechanical dinosaurs. Famously, Winston declared he didn’t have a clue how the team would accomplish it — but they’d figure it out. And they really did! In many ways, Jurassic Park (and the subsequent films, all made with Winston’s assistance) showed how right Stan was to demand credit all those decades ago. The dinos were the stars of the show, so Stan Winston was responsible for the most vital part of the entire film/franchise.

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Stan Winston’s final collaborations include Avatar (2009), Shutter Island (2010), and Enthiran (2010). His work survives him onscreen and in the awestruck eyes of many artists and fans, myself included. He was truly a revolutionary and a pioneer in the effects world, a man who will never be forgotten as long as movies and television series exist.

What is your favorite Stan Winston creation? Did we miss what you’d consider his all-time best? Share your picks and honor Stan Winston’s creative life and legacy at side.show.geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network. And don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!