Practical Effects

As May of 2015 drew to a close, an announcement was made that, in its’ own small way, changed the course of film history. Rick Baker, the winner of seven Oscars for his achievements in film make-up, announced that not only was he selling material from his past projects, but he was retiring. As a tremendous fan of retro pop culture, I thought back on the times that I saw Rick Baker’s work. Whether it was on film or at a theme park, I was impressed by Mr. Baker’s work even before I knew his name. Herewith, I would like to pay tribute to this versatile talent. I first saw Rick Baker’s work in the classic music video “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. I rented “The Making Of Thriller” from a local video store several times in the early 90s (this was the period before Michael Jackson’s career took a downward spiral). As I watched the music video, I thought that the character designs were amazing. Seeing those “grizzly ghouls from