Stephanie Barker is the Makeup Effects Artist in Mother's Day. I sent her a series of question regarding herself, her position as Makeup Artist, and about the production in general. Here is what she had to say....
So, what was your first scary movie?
I can honestly say that my first scary movie was Friday the 13th, I’m not sure which one, but I definitely remember watching them with my friend at her house when we were really little.
Did it really scare you?
Yes, it did scare me, especially because I wasn’t supposed to be watching any films like that in the first place because of how young I was.
Were you one of those kids who once you had the experience of seeing a horror film you could hardly wait to see another?
Yes, I couldn’t get enough of them, I would always want to go to my friends house just because she had so many.
Are you a fan of Friday the 13th?
Oh yeah, it’s hard to believe that so many people still haven’t seen a Friday the 13th film. I feel like these films inspired me right from the start, even though I was very young, I was always interested in the gory effects and how they were done.
Which Friday the 13th film was your favorite?
# 4, because the special effects in that one were amazing! Of course it’s because of Tom Savini, I would love to match up to his skills one day.
Before working on Mother's Day had you read any of the Eric Morse Friday the 13th novels?
No, but after learning that Cory’s script was based on the book, it made me extremely interested in reading all of them.
Though Mother's Day is a Friday the 13th film, the character of Jason Voorhees does not appear in the film. How does this change this story and make it different from the others?
Well, I don’t think you can really call it a ‘Jason’ movie, but I really like the role of “The Hunter” because it shows the power that the mother really has by her being able to possess a whole new character into doing whatever she wants.
Was the lack of Jason a detriment, or an advantage, or did it make any difference?
It would’ve been cool to have Jason in the movie, but I like how it focuses on the power of the mother and what she can do. I like how Jason’s mask represents him and how the mask still holds all of Jason’s power and evilness.
As you are probably aware, the makeup effects artist on the original Friday the 13th was the legendary Tom Savini. How does it feel to be in the position of doing homage to him?
It feels amazing. Tom Savini is one of the greatest makeup artists of all time and to be working on a film in the same series as him is awesome. It definitely gives me hope and confidence that someday I will be as good as he is.
Who is your inspiration as a makeup artist?
I would say that it’s Tom Savini. He does so many horror effects and that’s what I’m interested in the most.
How complex were the makeup effects on Mother's Day?
They weren’t too complex, but they were the most complex effects I’ve created so far. I was very intimidated at first, but once I started it all just kind of came together for me.
I know one character gets his head blown off. How was this effect accomplished?
It was created using a headless mannequin and I used some colored gelatin mixed with corn chips to create some of the chunks. The guts were created using blood and raw meat.
During every production there is usually one person that is the stand out person. Was there anyone on the crew of Mother's Day that you felt was this person?
There were two people that stood out to me, Kendall Sayer was one of them, he was amazing. He worked his ass off and never complained. Mali was the other person because she is an amazing actress and blew everyone away. I worked with her through all hours of the night and she was just as good at 4 in the morning.
Do you think that if Mother's Day is a success and the fans show support that there will be more adaptations of Friday the 13th novels in the future?
Yes, I believe that the fans have a huge impact and if this film is a success, then why not make another one?
Finally, what would you like to see in the future of Friday the 13th?
I would like to continue to see good special effects, it’s important and they really make a whole film believable.