Death in the theater

One man’s gore is another man’s art form.

For Linda Pisano, head of IU’s costume design program, crafting oozing gashes and rotting flesh is just part of her job.

“When I taught a makeup class last year, one student’s bullet wound was so realistic that I couldn’t look at him very long,” she said. “Even up close and under light, it looked so real.”

Fake gore has historically captivated audiences in a multitude of entertainment genres.

Director Zack Snyder turned stomachs with his lurching, bloodied zombies in “Dawn of the Dead.”

And more recently, musician Lady Gaga startled top-40 lovers with her Vogue-gone-wrong crime scenes in the video portrayal of “Paparazzi.”

Without expert training and multi-million-dollar funding, how can one render life-like death scenes?

With proper techniques and a trip to the grocery store, Pisano said.

“Most of the items needed to create scary effects can be found in the bakery aisle,” she said. “You can make your own blood with red food coloring, Karo syrup and peanut butter.”

Pisano said scary exteriors are easy to achieve, as long as potential zombies and vampires follow simple guidelines.

“Liquid latex can create weird scars,” she said. “You can manipulate it to make an open wound. Also, the darker the blood, the deeper the wound.”

Pisano said she and her students prefer stage blood because it’s “great for bullet wounds, with a minty fresh flavor.” 

But she added that corn syrup and red food coloring also suffices.

For eerie complexions, Pisano recommended altering skin tone with stage makeup found online and at costume shops.

“It’s not about the color on top,” she said. “It’s about dark undertones to indicate what the blood is doing. Bluish-green and yellow undertones can give a very sallow effect.”

Punches to the face aren’t the only way to achieve a black eye, Pisano said.

“Start with dark red makeup in the center and radiate purple to yellow on the outer edges,” she said. “Speckling fake blood over the colors will add a look of authenticity. Food coloring and Karo syrup provides an oozing gloss effect.”

Pisano said spookier characters take on a sickly look: dark bags under the eyes, no rosiness in the cheeks.

Malnourished physical exteriors imply death is near.

Pisano said students should surf the Web for gore-filled inspiration.

“The Internet provides us with more than enough gruesome research material,” she said. “It’s nothing we take lightly.”

John McGuire, co-owner of Campus Costumes, said some customers begin shopping for their Halloween looks in August.

“We have a whole aisle of makeup for people to select from,” he said. “This year, zombies and vampires are making a comeback. We’re selling lots of fangs and blood.”

McGuire, a self-described “zombie pro,” said undead costumes are easily constructed with liquid latex, fake blood, cream makeup and tooth wax.

Sophomore Kierstin Hamlin said she plans to apply similar at-home techniques to transform herself into something abominable this Halloween.

“It’s the one day you can look freakish and get away with it,” she said.

Hamlin gathered supplies at Walmart, but plans to draw tools from her own makeup bag as well.

“My friends and I take about 45 minutes to complete the look,” she said. “I want to look as revolting as possible.”

RECIPES THAT CAN BOIL BLOOD

Basic Fake Blood
1 cup of Karo Syrup
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 tablespoon yellow food coloring

Chocolate Fake Blood
1/2 cup warm water
4 tablespoons corn syrup
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 tablespoon powdered cocoa

Source: Linda Pisano, head of IU’s costume design program