Metamorphasis The Alien Factor
AKA Deadly Spawn 2
This
was the sequel to a popular low budget movie in the early 80’s called
“The Deadly Spawn” But after the film got such a boost in both
production values, money (Around 3 Million) and effects it was decided
by the producers too distant themselves from there low budget
predecessor and call it “Metamorphosis The Alien Factor”
I was
asked to come and create all of the effects for the film and get a
large crew together. I was 23 at the time in 1987 and basically was
asked to head up one of the largest most ambitious effects creature
teams on the East Coast at the time. Remember this was way before CGI
or Stan Winston building large monsters and Dinosaurs for Jurassic
Park. This was right around the time “Aliens” was out when we went into
production on the film. Ted Bohus basically asked me to do all these
effects for 15 thousand dollars my budget and the film itself was
filled with problems. Which is useless and too lengthy to even go into.
If you want to know the full details just ask producer Ted Bohus at the
next Chiller Show you see him at tell him I sent ya.
In the
end the film was barley released and no one saw the film due to
lawsuits with the distribution company caught up for two years and
Trimark who finally did option the rights to released it, never really
gave it the push it needed.
The Dr.
Foster creature you see here is a mid stage of human and monster. An
alien virus infects the main character after being bitten by a kind of
mutant frog-
(A.K.A
SPOT THE WONDER BLOB) that is in this top research lab that Dr.
Foster works in. The Alien cell that helped create these mutations is
now in Dr. Foster cells turning him into the giant pulsating phallic
like creation you see here.
I
sculpted the head and did all the animatronics of the mid stage of Dr.
Foster myself. I also sculpted the head of the main spawn as well as
some of the neck, which was sort of a protective covering that would go
over the creature’s face when it was in trouble. That feature was never
utilized cause time ran out and animatronics designer Ken Walker who I
later worked with on the wings for DOGMA, just ran out of time and
money to work out the bugs.
Most if
not all the effects are very well done. I feel for the 23 year old kid
that I was I pulled off most of the live action effects very well my
final budget came in at about 30 grand. This was for over 15 different
monsters, the main Spawn creature, which was a fully animatronic
pulsating wonder, as well as creating hundreds of effects rigs etc. I
never did suits or constructions of this kind before so it was my
baptism of fire in doing animatronic effects and creatures that would
later serve me so well in what I’m doing today.
I basically lived on the set and
got pretty sick doing this film, I also drove my crew of
30 insane. This was like my low budget version of “THE
THING” for the East Coast and even in my misery in trying to get
everything done I was having a blast creating such wild monsters no one
has ever seen before it's a shame the film has not been given more
exposure.
