How ‘Death Becomes Her’ Revolutionised 1992 Special Effects And Why Meryl Streep Found It “Tedious”

‘Death Becomes Her’ was a groundbreaking film in the early ‘90s, leaving a significant impact on special effects in cinema. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the cult classic brought together Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis, and Isabella Rossellini in a darkly comedic tale about the pursuit of eternal youth through a magical potion.

Despite mixed reviews, the film achieved box office success and has since become a Halloween favourite. The film’s visual effects, crafted by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), earned it an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, cementing its place in cinematic history. 

Image Courtesy: vfxblog

The innovation on ‘Death Becomes Her’ paved the way for future visual masterpieces; the techniques pioneered on this project directly influenced ILM’s later creations, including the lifelike dinosaurs in ‘Jurassic Park’ and the historical integrations in ‘Forrest Gump’. According to visual effects art director Doug Chiang, working on ‘Death Becomes Her’ meant venturing into uncharted territory. 

ILM’s team often began projects without fully knowing how they’d accomplish the effects. Photoshop, then an emerging technology, was utilised to achieve the famous twisted neck effect for Streep’s character, marking a shift from traditional art department methods to digital artistry.

The film bridged a technological gap in visual effects, introducing “organic CG” techniques that allowed more complex and realistic effects. For instance, achieving Streep’s head twist required three distinct filming stages: shooting her with a blue mask covering her head, then with only her face visible against a blue screen, and finally merging the two digitally.

This ambitious approach set new standards, and as Streep reflected in a behind-the-scenes video, the process was “tedious,” yet the result became an iconic moment in visual effects history.

-Sushmita Sarkar