Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini

Smoke & Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini (2015) is currently available on Shudder. The documentary tells the story of a poor immigrant kid raised in a large family in Pittsburgh who was artistic and surrounded by family members who nurtured his creativity. He started in theatre where his creativity and uniqueness caught the eye of Romero for his Night of the Living Dead project. Unfortunately due to his military calling that didn't work out, but when he returned home from the war he set out to work on projects that launched the slasher genre into what we know it as today.

This movie is directed by Jason Baker (Welcome to the Red Room and contains fascinating interviews with Savini, Alice Cooper, George Romero (Night of the Living Dead), Tom Atkins (The Fog), Doug Bradley (Hellraiser), Corey Feldman (Lost Boys), Sid Haig (House of 1,000 Corpses), Robert Rodriguez (Dusk till Dawn) and Bill Moseley (Devil's Rejects), among others.

They did such a good job with the human elements of this documentary, starting by establishing his family background and continuing with his personality traits as a big fun kid. They did a good job establishing how theatre inspired so much of his creativity and diving into his love of Pittsburgh and things he's done there throughout the various phases of his career. I also loved his storytelling of his Vietnam experience, his making of Night of the Living Dead as well as the final story of where his family is now.

Overall this is an absolute must see for fans of Savini and his work. This is a very well done production of his life that I'd score a 9/10.

Saw this at Sydney's A Night of Horror film festival in November 2016. Sat next to me was Tom Savini's sister-in-law. Well waddya know? Only a pity the great man himself couldn't be there.

The documentary focuses on Savini's life from a young boy, through his service as a military photographer in the Vietnam war and up to his work with George Romero & beyond.

While the documentary is genuinely fascinating, the 9/10 is because it focuses just a little too much on Savini himself and not on his work. OK, it's great to hear about his childhood and how Man of a Thousand Faces inspired him to become a special effects make up artist. It's also good to know how he loved/ loves theatre and acting. However hearing stories about his extended family, while welcome in small doses, detract a little from the pace of the story. This was however a "rough" cut so maybe things will be tightened up in editing before the film is given a commercial release.

I've been a fan of Savini's since Dawn of the Dead which I saw way back in 1987. He comes across as a genuinely genuine guy who loves life and has a real passion for his chosen subject. The deleted scenes from Dusk Till Dawn are amusing as are the outtakes from various movies.

Recommended, I just hope as I stated before, that this will be tightened up before it's given to the public.

A-

The self-narrated life story of a respected horror effects master. Savini certainly has the credentials: he led the gore teams behind Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow and two early Friday the 13th entries, parlaying that cult stardom into a healthy fringe acting career later in life. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are both longtime fans of his work, which led to small (but memorable) roles in From Dusk till Dawn, Django Unchained, both Machete movies and the like.

Savini seems like a genuinely nice guy, if a bit wacky and intense, but his story doesn't translate into an interesting biography. He's too polite to delve deep into the murkier aspects of his background - several rocky marriages, action in Vietnam and a difficult directing turn in 1990's Night of the Living Dead remake amount to nothing more than footnotes - which leaves very little dramatic meat on the bone. That void could've been filled with a more in-depth look at his special effects work, maybe a revealing glimpse into his creative process or running commentary on a few favorite scenes, but even that headline material is simply skirted and disregarded.

I'm not really sure how this chewed up ninety minutes. All the best bits are simple, regurgitated highlights from his filmography with no additional context or insight.

This was a documentary that I heard about through podcasts. It went on my list to see since I'm a fan of Tom Savini, like most horror fans. He also has worked on my favorite films of all time. This would include the likes of Dawn of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead remake, From Dusk 'Till Dawn and Maniac.

What this does well is giving us the history of this legend's life. We learn about his humble beginnings living in Pittsburgh, how he got interested in theater and cinema. It also gives us fun little stories about how he got a taste of the industry. There are also harrowing stories of his time in Vietnam and how that changed him forever. We then learn about how when he returned to the United States, how his personal life was affected by decisions and things that he did to make it in the industry.

Now I did see a buddy of mine pointing out that this is quite surface level. I do agree there, but since this is a documentary about this guy, I can see why they aren't delving deeper. Having a bit more of the other side, like when he was struggling in the industry would have made me appreciate even more how successful he is. This features the likes of George A. Romero, Doug Bradley, Robert Rodriguez, Alice Cooper, Bill Moseley, Greg Nicotero and others. Not that I want people to bad mouth him. I don't think it needs to go that far, but just more of the struggles.

This is still a fun documentary to learn more about this legend. The filmmaking is solid. Editing in footage and behind the scenes things work for me. This won't be for everyone. If you want a crash course of how Savini began and where he ended up, I'd recommend giving this a watch.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

I don't really need to make this review too long as it's so basically easily summed up. A great insight in to a master craftsman and a genuinely nice guy. Entertaining and highly recommended.