Von Babason is no stranger to a film set. He’s been apart of projects like La Bamba, Jaws 2, and the Incredible Shrinking Woman. But no film was as famous as John Carpenter’s The Thing.
“It’s almost the perfect motion picture. I mean just all aspects of it, its such a complete horror film- way ahead of its time.”
Although the film is now regarded as a cult classic, that wasn’t always the case. The Thing bombed at the box office the week it came out in 1982. Babason explains that it was a tough pill to swallow for the crew.
“We were all so tragically disappointed because we all thought it was a truly amazing film.”
Babason was assigned to the special effects department of production. He focused on model prosthetics and explosives. All of the effects in The Thing were made using prosthetics, puppets, and various camera tricks. All of the monsters had a large team of animators that would all focus on different parts like the arms, legs, and facial expressions. He says it was probably one of the best experiences of his career.
“Probably the most creative project I’ve ever worked on because of the different artists that were involved.”
Babason spent time at London Comic-Con and spoke on a panel to talk about his time working on The Thing.
