The Last Voyage of Demeter Nosferatu Costume Display
More than just a custom mannequin – a complex and unique display for an original Nosferatu costume from the horror film, The Last Voyage of the Demeter.
The Nosferatu costume was comprised of many different foam latex and silicone parts which were originally applied to Javier Botet, an actor with a striking physique! These elements would need to be blended together to create a realistic creature.
The facial and body appliances were stored with foam cores, which were derived from the actor’s body and face cast. While we did not have a complete facecast (the foam bust the cowl was attached to was shriveled), we were able to use the individual cores from the teeth and face elements to rebuild the actor’s face and reassemble the parts with a great fit. In addition to creating custom hand painted replica eyes for the bust, artist Samantha Martino blended all of the silicone pieces together to create a single cohesive and menacing creature head.
Since Botet stands at 6’ 7” and has a very slender build, a standard mannequin was never going to be an option for these costume pieces! With The Last Voyage of the Demeter, being a fairly recent movie all of the foam latex body pieces were is very good shape and this allowed us some flexibility when it came to pose. The important thing for any foam latex props or costumes is to get them properly supported when they are still pliable, this way as they age they have a stable foundation to help support them. We used some of the included foam bucks as parts of our body build, but with added armature and cores to create a stable, standing figure. We bridged any gaps and added new pose-able cores to the hands as well.
For the base the client wanted something that was not only themed but could also be used to display a screen used life preserver from the film. We came up with a design inspired by the details of the ship, and turned to our resident horror expert Patrick Louie to bring it to life! He created the base with planks of wood which were patched together and distressed to give it the look of the deck of a well traveled ship. After that there was only one detail it was missing… lots of blood splatter!
Have an original movie or television prop in need of a unique or themed display? Email or call today and let’s discuss your project!
