27
Oct
Displaying a Trioxin zombie prop from The Return of the Living Dead
BRRRAAAAAINNNNSSSS! A wild custom themed display for a barrel zombie prop from The Return of the Living Dead!
One of the most memorable zombies from the 1985’s cult classic horror film, The Return of the Living Dead, is the zombie corpse that Frank finds in one of the drums of Trioxin. When our client showed us the piece, the inspiration for the display felt like a no brainer and that it should be inspired by the Trioxin barrel! The prop’s owner originally asked if we could build the whole top of a barrel to submerge the prop, but we felt that if we recreated the full barrel, or fully enclosed the piece inside of a barrel, it would obscure too much of the prop. After some brain-storming and sketching Tom came up with a design where from the front it would recreate the iconic moment in the film, but from the side you would get an unobstructed view of the prop and see all of the work the propmakers for the film did.
The overall condition of the zombie prop was very good considering its age, with only a few areas where some paint had flaked or chipped. It was made from a plaster material and it was extremely heavy. That was no small (grey) matter and became a unique challenge when it came to creating a support to hold the pieces in this custom display. The pieces were originally all bolted to a post which supported the weight long enough to film the scene but really wasn’t designed for long term display. We were able to unbolt all of the heavy plaster pieces from their original post and replace it with a more heavy duty, custom-welded mount by Pierre Brains…..er, Briel in our studio, which could support the weight for the long term and hold the pieces in the proper position to capture the shocking reveal from the movie.
Once the custom mount was created Patrick Louie began work on the custom themed display. He crafted a circular wooden base and then fabricated a large lid with the basic shapes of the barrel’s top. Added faux rivets and trim made it start to look like a heavy metal piece. The display elements were then given several layers of colors, washes, and dry brush treatments to recreate the look of old, dusty and rusting metal of the Trioxin barrel. We added a piece of acrylic to a cutout to recreate the window, and distressed that as well, for a more movie accurate finish.
The display was finished off with a bold and brightly colored custom printed metal plaque featuring the film’s logo. We love capturing movie moments and this project really emphasizes how you can do that while still showcasing the original prop in the process!
Have an original tv or movie prop in need of restoration or display?
Email or call today and let’s discuss your project!
Been a while since you've seen this cult zombie classic?
