How Frankenstein’s creature designer found a new look for an iconic monster

For Mike Hill and Guillermo del Toro, it all started with Frankenstein.

Years ago, Hill – a sculptor and special effects artist – exhibited his work at a convention in Burbank. Del Toro saw some of Hill’s monstrous creations on display and was so impressed that he decided to contact us, looking up Hill’s contact information from an obscure model forum. “I don’t know how he found me on a 20-year-old website,” says Hill, who describes Del Toro’s investigation as “very Columbo-esque” work. “But he wrote to me, told me who he was and asked me to order something.”

This first commission turned out to be a sculpture of Boris Karloff in makeup for the iconic 1931 version of Frankensteinand it will then be exhibited in the director’s famous Bleak House. “Immediately, it was Frankenstein,” says Hill, “our very first work together.”

From there, a successful relationship developed; Hill went on to design creatures for films like Nightmare Alley And The shape of waterand the Netflix anthology Cabinet of Curiosities. But when word got out that Del Toro was working on his own long-awaited version of FrankensteinHill’s phone remained curiously silent. “I was worried because I knew he was going to Frankenstein and I hadn’t been in touch,” Hill told me. “It was driving me crazy.” But del Toro hadn’t forgotten his partner: in fact, it turns out Hill was vital to the project.

“Guillermo invited me to breakfast and he said, ‘Listen, we’re doing Frankenstein. If you don’t do it, then I don’t do it, so it’s up to you right now. Eat your eggs and tell me at the end if we make the movie.’

Naturally, Hill said yes.

This version of Frankenstein had a brief theatrical run and will be released on Netflix on November 7. And it was particularly difficult for Hill given the omnipresence of Frankenstein’s creature. Karloff’s interpretation of Frankenstein in 1931, designed by legendary Universal makeup artist Jack Pierce, is an indelible part of pop culture, and since then there have been hundreds of variations on stage and screen. “It was very difficult trying to come up with something that no one had ever seen,” says Hill.

The design process was a collaboration between the director and artist. Del Toro did not provide explicit instructions, but rather explained what he doesn’t to want. The creature didn’t have to be hideous, for example, which meant no heavy, ugly stitching. From there, Hill created a few options and spent time researching 18th-century surgical techniques before arriving at the final version. “I just wanted to make it period, like it was built in the 1800s,” Hill says. “I wanted it to feel like a human being had meticulously done this to him.”

This iteration of the creature is tall and thin, with scars covering its entire body to create an almost geometric pattern. This fits with the film’s story, which really delves into the pseudo-scientific process Victor Frankenstein went through to construct this creature and ultimately bring it to life. And this contrast between beauty and horror is a key element of the character, according to Hill. “Victor was looking for a certain beauty,” he says. “He tried to make a beautiful glass window, but it ended up being stained and broken.”

In those early days, Hill didn’t have much to do. There was no script and no one was cast to play the creature. He later spent eight months designing prosthetics for an actor who ultimately left the project due to conflict. At this point, del Toro sent Hill a list of potential actors he was considering taking on, and one in particular stood out: Jacob Elordi, who ultimately took on the role.

Hill cites “his demeanor, his lankiness, his limbs, his doe eyes”, as reasons why Elordi was so perfect as a creature. It is useful that the Euphoria The star is 6-foot-5 and, according to Hill, has the kind of face makeup artists dream of. “Jacob’s bone structure made it a lot easier,” he says. “He has this very strong jaw, this very strong chin. As a prosthetic artist, chins are a pain.” The final version of the design involved 42 different prosthetic parts, and when Elordi had to wear the full body kit, it required about 10 hours in the makeup chair.

One of the most important parts of the final design is how it can evolve over the course of the film. Initially, the creature is bald and almost naked, signaling its childish innocence. But after being abandoned by his creator, he takes on a harsher appearance, eventually growing out his hair and wearing a long cape. Elordi’s behavior also changes; he mostly cowers at first, before being transformed into something much more menacing and terrifying. From a design perspective, all that really changes is the hairstyle and wardrobe; and yet, the transformation is spectacular.

At the end, Frankenstein proved to be an ideal collaboration for Hill and del Toro. The artist tells me that he has been creating monsters since he was a child, scooping up mud from a nearby riverbank to sculpt them, and since those early days, the story of Mary Shelley has been a guiding influence. He went on to create several versions of the creature as a professional artist and is currently working on a short film based on a decade-old sculpture. Just like Del Toro, the idea of ​​tackling Frankenstein in its own way was a long-time goal. So while it may have involved a bit of stress waiting for del Toro’s call, it was ultimately worth it.

“I always dreamed he would make it,” Hill says.