Embracing Monsters: Remembering Stan Winston

“Childs, we're going out to give Blair the test. If he tries to make it back here and we're not with him... burn him.”
-- R.J. MacReady from The Thing (1982)

“No matter what, Edward will always be special.”
-- Peg Boggs from Edward Scissorhands

“Don't you see the danger, John, inherent in what you're doing here? Genetic power is the most awesome force the planet's ever witnessed, yet you wield it like a kid that's found his dad's gun.”
-- Dr. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park

In the summer of 1993, I did something I had not done in many years; I went to see a film more than once in the theater. Multiple viewings of the same film were reserved for the Star Wars films, Indiana Jones films, Mad Max films or the other special films of my youth. Jurassic Park was going to be big. No one could deny that fact. It was Steven Spielberg bringing Michael Crichton’s bestseller to the big screen. The big question on everyone’s mind was how the dinosaurs would look in the final product. That was multi-million dollar question. If ILM could pull this off, it was a safe assumption the film would be a blockbuster of epic proportions. The visual effects geniuses at Industrial Light And Magic pulled it off. I went to a midnight screening with a good friend of mine and then I took my parents to see it that weekend. It was and remains a magical film. My older brother, Michael, was speechless when Sam Neill’s Dr. Alan Grant sees the brachiosaurus for the first time; it was the most magical moment in movies since the first time he saw the spaceship in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. I should know, he took me to see Kubrick’s film countless times every time it was re-released. Witnessing the majestic wonder of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park on the big screen is one of the major reasons I go to the movies-- to experience a sense of wonder. The Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Velicoraptors were as wicked as anything I had seen on film in a long time. Watching the dinosaurs in Steven Spielberg’s film, I kept thinking this is how entire generations must have reacted to watching Merian C. Cooper’s King Kong for the first time. King Kong was the first film I remember watching that I never looked away from the television screen in my parents’ bedroom. I must have been four or five at the time. It was a Sunday afternoon and I was lying in my parents’ bed between the two of them; my two older brothers were there too. I was hooked from that day on. This great ape captivated me like no other force. I was pretty brave too. None of the dinosaurs frightened me, but once Bruce Cabot went to rescue Fay Wray from Kong’s lair, well that little snake or whatever that thing that hisses… that scared me. The fight between Kong and Tyrannosaurus Rex is one of my favorites. King Kong’s impact can still be felt every time a film truly moves me. The first remake was an utter disappointment in 1976. Where were the dinosaurs? What is it about Dino De Laurentiis and giant snakes?

It is important to bring up the original King Kong because Stan Winston, who passed away this week at the age of 62, rightfully belongs in that Valhalla with Kong’s visual effects creator, Willis O’Brien. Willis O’Brien influenced everyone. Ray Harryhausen and Eiji Tsuburaya are the first to come to mind. I name both of them because their work had a huge influence on me. Before Star Wars, there were monsters and more monsters. King Kong was one of the best. I watched it every time it came on television. This film led to films like The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, Them!, The Giant Behemoth, The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad, Mighty Joe Young, One Million Years B.C. and The Valley Of The Gwangi. I loved them all and dragged my Mom to see all of Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad films. I loved it, but as much as I loved those films, there was a certain Japanese monster who stole my heart, but it took me awhile to embrace him. Godzilla’s roar used the scare the living shit out of me until I was five or six. You have to put this in perspective. I had a vivid nightmare on Christmas Eve when I was very young, I want to say I was in nursery school, but it might have been earlier. At this time I was always looking in my Famous Monsters magazines of photos of Godzilla or King Kong. It is safe to say it was only a dream, but it was so life like. I was in my brother’s room and right outside the window was Godzilla in all of his glory. It was vivid. The trademark roar was loud and I was frozen. I woke up and the next thing I knew it was Christmas morning. My brothers got a race track and a train set. I was busy looking outside the windows to see if there were any footprints or tree damage. The funny thing about the dream is that I was reading either Famous Monsters or something else. That dream did a number on me for many years to come. Needless to say I embraced Godzilla and all of his other Toho buddies growing up. Now you know why I loved The Host, The Mist and Cloverfield so much. I have always loved the monster movie. It is one of those great genres that I have never seemed to have outgrown. There is not enough ink in the world to describe the influence of Japanese monster films on my life. The criticisms of Jurassic Park were really strange. Many said that all Steven Spielberg did was make a high tech version of Destroy All Monsters. Yes, both islands have pretty bad security and infrastructure problems, but I always felt that was lame excuse not to enjoy the film. If Jurassic Park had one flaw, there were not enough dinosaurs, but in hindsight, I am not even sure that is true. The sequels gave us more, but the first one works the best. Steven played it cool like in Jaws; he revealed the creatures in just the right way. And speaking of man in suit action, Destroy All Monsters is in a class all by itself. Stan Winston deserved every Oscar he won, but his work on Jurassic Park was truly groundbreaking. He made dinosaurs look as real as they have ever looked. He and the ILM team did the impossible. They cracked the code.

Naturally I read up on all things related to the making of these monster movies and the men who created them. It was not only Famous Monsters, but also a healthy diet of Starlog, Fantastic Films, Cinefex and several other magazines that I am sure other mothers would not allow their children to read. My Mom was just happy I was reading. Reading those magazines, I would come across a lot of familiar names like Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Ben Burtt, John Dykstra, Douglas Trumbull, Tom Savini and of course, Stan Winston. I knew their names, especially the people responsible for anything Star Wars related or anything to do with Industrial Light And Magic. I read Starlog a lot and so I kept coming across articles about John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing. I did not have the stomach to see that when it first came out, but I had seen Halloween and later on I saw Escape From New York when it first came on home video. The photos of The Thing were pretty frightening to me in 1982. I still had not seen Alien because I heard it was the scariest film ever made. In 1986, I finally worked up the courage to watch Alien and loved it. I just adored it. It was as good and as scary as everyone made it out to be. That summer, James Cameron’s Aliens had opened and I went with my Mom to see it opening day. James Cameron was cool in my book. He made The Terminator and I knew his sequel to Aliens was going to be a kick ass great time. It was that and more. It is Back To Bataan in outer space. Stan Winston’s creature effects were astounding-- they still are in that film. There are so many aliens that Ripley, Vasquez and the Colonial Marines are forced to fight with great intensity. I had to go see it again with my brother. I used to be scared of these things-- not now. The summer of 1986 began my huge, but belated love affair with the horror film genre.

Not so fast, the night after I saw Aliens, my parents went out, I was home alone. John Carpenter’s The Thing was on network television, I had never seen it. When I was younger, the gore never appealed to me. The Siskel and Ebert review of the film turned me off because they kept saying that film was pretty sick. I was eleven years old when it came out. At fifteen years old, I finally decided to watch it and watch it alone. Guess what? I loved it. The effects were pretty mind blowing and yes, that infamous scene made me cringe. You know which one I am talking about. It did not matter because there was something else at work before the incredible effects-- an incredible cast consisting of Kurt Russell, Keith David, Donald Moffat, Wilford Brimley and several others. In the summer of 1986, it was an awesome reminder of what a great pairing Kurt Russell and John Carpenter made for the films, Big Trouble In Little China and Escape From New York. These three films are still magical. I wished I could have liked Escape From L.A. more, but I would still welcome another Snake Plissken film. Hell, I would just welcome another John Carpenter film in the theater one more time. Many of us wanted to be John Carpenter in high school. It is safe to say Robert Rodriguez made it happen for real.

John Carpenter, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton are great filmmakers, but they need the help of master artisans to give birth to their creations. Stan Winston was one of those artisans. In each of the films he worked on, the effects helped the story move along; they never took away from the story. As recently as Iron Man, he added his magical touch to a film that helped redefine the super hero genre. He also created the memorable visual effects in the Predator films. He gave Arnold Schwarzenegger some of his greatest co-stars as well as creating the look of his ultimate character, The Terminator. He is responsible for the make up in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, perhaps, Burton’s most poetic and beautiful film. He created dreams and nightmares for the audience. He also worked with Tim Burton on Batman Returns and Big Fish. He worked with the same directors throughout his life. His work is paramount in the permanence of those images within the cauldrons of our imaginations.

Stan Winston’s work has covered my entire movie going life. It would be criminal not to acknowledge his work and his contribution to my favorite obsession. He left us on a very high note bringing Tony Stark’s alter ego, Iron Man, to life. I will remember him as the man who was able to bring a wide range of emotions out of me during any number of films he worked on. He had a way of working on two films that made going to movies fun again during the summer. Terminator 2: Judgement Day was a reminder of why we get out of hot hazy and humid days of the summer and seek the cool solace of the unity in the darkness. Jurassic Park was a reminder of why we go to the movies in the first place as well. It is not just about escapism; it is about magic. While watching Peter Jackson’s King Kong or Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, I have a pretty good idea how mind blowing it must have been to watch King Kong for the first time in a theater in 1933. Stan Winston’s work reminded us how powerful images can be. The summers of 1982, 1986 and 1993 were made all the more special because of his work. His dinosaurs are truly visually stunning. Dinosaurs have not looked so good since King Kong. He was truly Willis O’Brien’s heir after Ray Harryhausen. His visual effects had heart and soul. In an age where the total reliance on CGI effects drowns out emotion and intensity, Winston’s work will always stand out. I am old school in many ways-- I loved how Eiji Tsuburaya would talk to the actors in the monster suits while they were standing on the set of model cities where the fate of the human race hung in the balance. Stan Winston combined the heart, innovation and soul of O’Brien’s, Harryhausen’s and Tsuburaya’s works. Eiji and Willis are in good company. What we owe Stan Winston is beyond evaluation.