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How to Make a Special Effects Zombie for a Movie

Movies like Dawn of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, and Army of Darkness have become cult horror classics for their zombie special effects. Creating a real-looking, undead zombie can cost a fortune in special effects prosthetics in big budget films. If you are making a zombie horror film and need a ton of brain-craving zombies to be in your movie, but still need to be easy on the budget, then this guide is for you. With materials you probably have in your home, you can have a set full of zombies in no time.

Things You'll Need

  • Liquid latex or school glue
  • White cream face paint
  • Toilet paper
  • Dark and light make up
  • Fake blood (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Pull all hair away from face with a headband or bandana.

    • 2

      Wash face and pat dry.

    • 3

      Apply a layer of liquid latex to face. Test elsewhere on the body before applying to face to check for an allergic reaction.

    • 4

      Attach squares of toilet paper to the liquid latex. Under the make up, this will be what makes the wrinkly zombie-crawling-from-grave-already-decomposing look.

    • 5

      Play with toilet paper to get desired effect on face. The toilet paper is only used for texture and will be covered with make up so be creative with how you use it. Feel free to make wounds, lumps, or cuts using the toilet paper.

    • 6

      Apply another layer of liquid latex to keep the toilet paper in place.

    • 7

      Use a white cream face base from your local costume shop and apply all over face.

    • 8

      Fill in the face with color, from lightest to darkest makeup to create an undead look.

    • 9

      Do not forget to use darker make up around the eyes to make them look sunken in.

    • 10

      If you choose, use fake blood around the mouth or dripping down to the neck to make it look as if you just feasted on a crowd full of brains.

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