Visual Effects
Chris Walas
Born
1955-09-17 (71)
Place of birth
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Known for
Visual Effects
Credits
17 titles
Chris Walas is an American film director, special effects expert, and make-up artist. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. Walas rose to fame in the 1980s, with effects for films such as "Airplane!" (1980), "Dragonslayer" (1981), and "Return of the Jedi" (1983). In the film "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), Walas created the effects for a scene where the Nazi villains' faces melt from the intense heat generated by the Ark of the Covenant. In 1984, Walas was credited for the design of the gremlins in the film "Gremlins", a film that grossed 153.1 million dollars at the box office. After creating the creature effects for "The Fly" (1986), Walas was invited to direct the sequel film "The Fly II"…
Known for
5.8Martin Brundle, born of the human/fly, is adopted by his father's place of employment (Bartok Inc.) while the employees simply wait for his mutant chromosomes to come out of their dormant state.
The Fly II
1989
5.5The crew of an experimental underwater nuclear base are forced to struggle for their lives when their explorations disturb a creature who threatens to destroy their base.
DeepStar Six
1989
7.2The Frankenstein Complex takes a historical as well as a creative perspective, with a mix of fascinating scenes behind the camera, film clips, and dozens of interviews with all the big names in the industry. In addition to the many wonderful anecdotes, the film also offers a wealth of beautiful test material, while along the way showing how the art of filmmaking has changed over the years. An affectionate ode to monster makers throughout history.
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
2015
5.8A business man buys a house, but he has a hard time trying to get rid of its previous tenant, a dirty bum.
The Vagrant
1992
5.2A feature documentary about the enduring appeal of the character King Kong, and how he has inspired so many of the great filmmakers and artists since 1933.
Long Live the King
2016
7.6An in-depth, sad, and beautiful documentary about the stop motion and VFX artist Phil Tippett, a man who changed the landscape of visual effects in film.
Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters
2019
Film credits
2010s · 7 titles
7.2The Frankenstein Complex takes a historical as well as a creative perspective, with a mix of fascinating scenes behind the camera, film clips, and dozens of interviews with all the big names in the industry. In addition to the many wonderful anecdotes, the film also offers a wealth of beautiful test material, while along the way showing how the art of filmmaking has changed over the years. An affectionate ode to monster makers throughout history.
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
2015
5.2A feature documentary about the enduring appeal of the character King Kong, and how he has inspired so many of the great filmmakers and artists since 1933.
Long Live the King
2016
7.6An in-depth, sad, and beautiful documentary about the stop motion and VFX artist Phil Tippett, a man who changed the landscape of visual effects in film.
Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters
2019
This Documentary goes over how the special effects in the 1981 film "Scanners" were done.
The Scanners Way: Creating the Special Effects in 'Scanners'
2014
NRRetrospective documentary featuring interviews with Ethan Wiley, Sean S. Cunningham, Arye Gross and Jonathan Stark, among others.
It's Getting Weirder! The Making of "House II"
2017
7.0Chris Walas and Howie Mandel, the voice of Gizmo, describe the laborious development of Gizmo and the Gremlins and the painstaking work required to bring them to life in the pre-digital age.
From Gizmo to Gremlins: Creating the Creatures
2014
NRA portrait of painter, sculptor, makeup artist, set designer and inventor Charlie Gemora.
Charlie Gemora: Uncredited
2016
2000s · 3 titles
Behind the camera
5.8Martin Brundle, born of the human/fly, is adopted by his father's place of employment (Bartok Inc.) while the employees simply wait for his mutant chromosomes to come out of their dormant state.
The Fly II
1989
5.8A business man buys a house, but he has a hard time trying to get rid of its previous tenant, a dirty bum.
The Vagrant
1992
5.4After a small airplane crash lands in a remote area of Central China, several passengers survive, including a Chinese boy and his American guardian. As they wait to be rescued, they soon encounter the mysterious Yeren-- an elusive ape-man creature rumored to have inhabited the Shennongjia mountains for many centuries. When ruthless poachers arrive to capture the Yeren, our heroes must decide if the unique creature is their friend or foe.
Journey to the Forbidden Valley
2017
NRTake a unique behind-the-scenes journey (made especially for the Hollywood Theatre) with special effects legend Chris Walas on the making of Joe Dante's 1984 seminal film GREMLINS. Narrated by Walas, and featuring incredibly rare photos and video from his personal archive, witness the creation of this pioneering, effects-laden classic.
Gremlins: A Puppet Story
2020