Making Of

A bare tree on a dark ridge under a gray sky. The Witch (2015)

Cinematography by

Jarin
Blaschke

The Witch. Daylight shaped with negative fill, night interiors on triple-wick candles, the Alexa at 800 ISO. Robert Eggers wanted it “gray and dead.” Of every color film here, only Hush holds less color. How they did it

Ralph Ineson in The Witch

“You just can't be afraid of light falling off, creating large dark areas in a realistic way.”

Carrie (1976)

Blood by

Karo
syrup

Carrie. Karo and food coloring, poured from a ladder by the art director. Once it dried it stuck like honey, and the crew squirted water on Sissy Spacek to unstick her arms. How they did it

Psycho (1960)

Blood by

Chocolate
syrup

Psycho. Dark enough to read in black and white, from a plastic squeeze bottle. How they did it

A camera bolted to a plank

That run through the woods in The Evil Dead. There was no money for a crane, so two people ran through the trees holding the camera on a length of lumber. How they did it

The blood was Dick Smith's formula with non-dairy creamer swapped in, so the cast could spit it.

The goat

A scene in The Witch called for Black Phillip to mount a nanny goat in the shed. For that they needed the fresh urine of a nanny goat in heat. So far from anywhere, none was ever found, and the shoot ended without the shot. Later, over bourbon, it became a visit from the hare. How they did it