Horror movies have been freaking out audiences for over 100 years.
But it turns out that once you take away the spooky lighting, ominous music, and scary
masks, a terrifying spectacle can easily become nothing more than just a bunch of people having
fun.
Here are some amusingly disillusioning set photos that will keep you from looking at
iconic horror movies the same way ever again.
Freddy Krueger is easily the most charismatic killer of the '80s slasher era.
As the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise expanded, Freddy became quippier and punnier until he
basically turned into the '80s version of a slightly-less-murdery Deadpool without a
mask.
But before he became such a cuddly figure, he was a serial killer with wizard powers
who was probably also a child abuser.
That's why it's kind of jarring to see him chilling with the teens he would dream-murder
while bumping 1984's biggest hits on a Walkman.
Not even a living nightmare could resist taking a break with Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called
to Say I Love You."
By tearing away the curtain of fantasy, these behind-the-scenes photos remind you that these
monsters are just puppets or people in makeup, breaking the illusion and removing most of
the horror.
The problem with this shot from behind the scenes of 1990's Gremlins 2: The New Batch
is that it's actually way scarier than anything in the movie.
The adorable mogwai Gizmo is arguably the hero and definitely the breakout star of the
Gremlins franchise, so he's generally meant to be cute and tiny rather than scary.
But makeup artist Rick Baker's team built a prototype human-sized suit for a small actor
to fit into so Gizmo could walk around on camera.
Thankfully, this idea was ditched and this horrifying, presumably child-eating suit never
appeared on camera.
Thirsty Lady Gremlin was scary enough.
2006's Pan's Labyrinth was arguably the film that made director Guillermo del Toro a household
name.
The film uses dark fantasy to create a dream world in which the horrors of fascist Spain
are reflected by the horrors of a big maze with monsters in it.
The monster who gives his name to the title is the Faun, but the real nightmare star is
the Pale Man, whose "eyeballs in the palms" bit is probably the film's most memorable
visual.
The actor behind the Faun would probably be mad that the Pale Man upstaged him if it weren't
for the fact that they were played by the same actor: Doug Jones.
Jones is reportedly a very nice person despite his monstrous roles, so it's no surprise to
see him showing some affection behind the scenes to his makeup artist.
1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of the most influential and beloved horror
films ever made.
1986's Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 has something less of a critical consensus behind it, but
its reputation has grown in recent years.
Director Tobe Hooper wanted the sequel to expand on the black comedy elements of the
first film, so it really amps up the satire as well as the gore to make something almo
st as over the top as the first film is understated.
That spirit of fun really shows in this behind-the-scenes photo, in which Leatherface is playing cards
with his brothers the Cook and Chop Top in a game that seems to have gone somewhat awry…
but far less awry than their usual games.
The Hellraiser franchise is about demons from another dimension in leather gear with elaborate
body mods that steal people's souls.
Easily the most recognizable character is Pinhead, a leader of the Cenobites, portrayed
in the first seven films by Doug Bradley.
According to an interview with Birth Movies Death, while promoting Hellraiser III in 1992,
Bradley was walking through New York in full costume so he could present a prop to Planet
Hollywood.
Naturally, his presence drew quite a crowd, and at some point one of the dozens of people
following him down the street asked him to take a picture holding a baby.
Bradley refers to this as "Pinhead running for President."
Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street ended up exploding into a massive franchise, and
pretty much everyone agrees that out of all the sequels, the best one is part 3, The Dream
Warriors.
One of the most important additions to the Elm Street mythos in this film is the role
of Kristen Parker, portrayed by Patricia Arquette, who has the ability to summon other people
into the dream world at will.
And one of her most famous scenes is the one in which Freddy appears as a giant snake that
tries to swallow Kristen whole until he's stabbed with a shard of glass and pukes her
up.
As cool as that scene is, it's somewhat undercut by this shot of Arquette not at all bothered
to be halfway down Freddy's gullet.