Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini

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.

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved horror. I got into horror movies when I was six years old. I love the bloody gory practical effects. It's just beautiful and fascinating to watch. It's art! Tom Savini is the King of bloody gore and practical effects. He's a very interesting person. We learn about his life, his time in Vietnam as a photographer, and coming home and working on special effects. He's said that he tries to make his effects real because of all the horror he saw in Vietnam. He's worked on films such as Friday the 13th, The Burning, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, The Prowler, Nightmare, Maniac, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, and he wanted to become an actor and appeared in films such as From Dusk Till Dawn, Grindhouse: Planet Terror, Dawn of the Dead, Django Unchained and even directed the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead. If you love Tom Savini and appreciate his work in the horror industry, I highly recommend SMOKE AND MIRRORS: THE STORY OF TOM SAVINI!!!

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.

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-

If you're interested in horror films or makeup effects, this is definitely the movie for you. It's a deeply personal and interesting look into the life of makeup effects master Tom Savini, warts and all. I never knew Savini had such an interesting life until this documentary. I'd known about his Vietnam days a bit, but I never knew he had such a passion for acting and it occurred to me that, perhaps, this might have been his true love. I'd always assumed that he'd fallen into acting due to his makeup effects work.

Savini comes across as an incredibly likable, intelligent, and warm guy and his daughters obviously think the world of him, which leads me to believe he's a wonderful father as well.

If you have Shudder, this is most definitely worth your time to get a peek behind the curtain of one of the most creative minds of horrordom.