Exploring Tim Burton's Horror Filmmaking Article

When people mention the topic of “horror movies”, they mostly think of directors behind some of the most well-known horror films of all time. Some examples of that include The Shining, Carrie, and even Friday the 13th. However, there is another director who is more underrated than the rest. The creative director, in question, is Tim Burton.

Some people have heard of Burton from his early 2000s, and recent, work. Others, on the other hand, might not be aware of who this particular director is. In fact, most A-list movie stars and celebrities have collaborated with Burton in a lot of his high-quality work. Examples of that include Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter. There are three of his movies that, from a movie watcher’s perspective, best showcase his creative filmmaking methods.

The first movie to mention is Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. A horror musical about a barber coming back to Victorian-era London to seek his revenge on those who wronged him. From the costumes & makeup, to the scenery & dialogue, everything fits so well. This worked greatly for both musical and non-musical scenes. In fact, the visual effects and props that Burton used were my favorite parts of his work.

Based on the movie’s behind-the-scenes video, he demonstrated how Sweeney (played by Johnny Depp) takes care of each of his victims. They would wrap a mechanic around an actor’s neck for each scene. The mechanic, which is filled with red-colored liquid syrup known as “fake blood”, would be cleaned up after each complete scene. With Burton’s work, however, he was able to make it look realistic with the amount of materials that he & his crew had available on set.

Another movie to mention would be Corpse Bride. This was one of the greatest animated works he has ever done. In fact, well-known stars – Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter – were both cast in this movie. This was also the same casting concept that Burton had implemented in Sweeney Todd, as well.

Stop motion animation was, and still is, one of the hardest animation types within the industry. With Burton’s overall expertise, however, he made each scene flow effortlessly step-by-step. For instance, the scene Emily encounters Victor on the bridge to say “You may kiss the bride” portrayed a lot of emotion and suspense.

The third & final movie to bring up is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Compared to the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Burton added his own creative twists to the movie. In fact, it was so well-done that the author of the books – Roald Dahl – liked this more than the other one!

Some people might not have noticed the “horrific” aspects of this movie, firsthand. Burton, however, figured out a way to make each scene look horrifying in his own imaginative way. There are actually two specific scenes that, from a movie watcher’s perspective, best define the “horrors” of this impeccable movie.

One scene involved a girl turning into a blueberry after a gum-chewing incident gone wrong. The original movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, made the scene look a bit silly. In this film, on the other hand, Burton made the transformation scene full-on nightmare fuel.

As for the second scene, it involved another girl being fully surrounded by a group of squirrels. Again, the original movie only had gooses and was still silly-looking. For this one, however, there were squirrels instead of geese. It was a slight change to the entire plot, but the visualization of a whole company of squirrels gathering around her looked so traumatizing.

Whether it’s an animated movie or a film based on a book, Tim Burton has made sure that he didn’t waste all of his creative filmmaking efforts. His fantastic and high-quality work resulted in film lovers fully experiencing these classic horror flicks overall. Who knows – the nostalgia and popularity of his movies could bring in new/future film lovers, as well!