Hollywood has just lost one of the greatest makeup and special effects artists of all time; Matt Rose, the mastermind behind some of the most iconic monstrous creations from horror films dating back to the 80s, recently passed away. Rose worked with directors such as Tim Burton and Guillermo del Toro, bringing characters to life, for films including 'Hellboy' and 'Beetlejuice', who until then had existed only in the filmmaker's imaginations.
His career began in the 80s with none other than 'Aliens', working on the special effects for the creatures which terrorised a young Sigourney Weaver. In 1987 Rose then signed on to work in some of his most iconic and influential projects: 'Predator', 'Gremlins 2', and 'Monster Squad', in which he was tasked with creating the "monster in the lake".
Despite having excelled in horror and science fiction, Rose's work also appeared in family films such as 'The Grinch', 'Men in Black', 'The Nutty Professor' and 'Batman Forever'. Some of the last films on which he worked were 'Star Trek: Beyond' in 2016, and Netflix's 'Bright', starring Will Smith.
A Dream Come True
Rose discovered his passion for special effects when watching 'Planet of the Apes', a film whose masks sparked his obsession with the world of makeup and prosthetics. In 2001 the artist then had his childhood dreams fulfilled when he was given the chance to work on Tim Burton's remake of the 1968 classic.
Hollywood has lost of the true master of pre-CGI special effects.
