Special Effects Look For Under $50

By Emily Phillips

Tired of using oatmeal to create a chunky, bloodlike wound for Halloween? Want something that looks more like the real deal? Most items for crafting a believable cut, wound, or gash can be found at local Halloween stores, home, or (my personal favorite place for materials) the Theatre House in Covington. Become a ghoul this holiday by following this guide to special effect stardom.

Materials (Price may vary with quality and quantity):
-Scar/Nose wax: $7-16
-Rigid Collodion (or just regular collodion): $8
-Paints (red, black, blue, etc.): $8
-Popsicle sticks: $3
-Q-tips: $1-2
-Fake blood: $5-7
-Paint brushes (small, childlike ones): $3
-Liquid latex: $3

Even if you haven’t heard of some of these materials, they are actually quite accessible. Many of these are, in fact, professionally used and will give you a stunning result. Now, time to piece it together.

1.) Use a Q-tip to apply a thin layer of liquid latex to the area you want your wound. This will allow the wax to stick better to the skin.

2.) Roll out a small portion of wax and mold it into the basic shape you want your wound to be. With your wax in place, use a popsicle stick to smooth down the edges. Leave the wax in the middle to be raised a little, as this will become your opening.

3.) Use the edge of the popsicle stick to etch into the wax, creating the wound. This will be the mold for your wound, in which you will paint later.

4.) **DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP** You must coat the entire wax piece with the rigid collodion in order to be able to paint it. The collodion solidifies the wax so that paint and fake blood may be placed onto it, otherwise your wound will be ruined.

5.) Now you can paint. Take a thin brush and use black paint to cover the innermost part of the wound. This will add depth. Then, add red paint to the wound until you create a result you’re happy with. You may add shades of blue, brown, green, and yellow to mimic bruising.

6.) Finally, use a different brush to add the fake blood. Make sure to appreciate the work you’ve done!