A Stephen King adaptation, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, has earned glowing reviews from VFX artists, 37 years after premiering. King has a substantial and widely recognizable catalog, containing a lot of horror, and many of his writings have been adapted over the years. Some of the most celebrated productions based on a King novel include Carrie and The Shining, which have dedicated fanbases and a long-lasting impact on the genre. Several impressive performances have also come out of King adaptations, particularly the Kathy Bates portrayal of Annie Wilkes in Misery.

More recently, directors Andy Muschietti and Mike Flanagan have taken on King’s horror work, to largely favorable reception. However, King also created the source material for numerous acclaimed dramas, including The Green Mile and Stand by Me. The 1994 movie The Shawshank Redemption, based on one of his novellas, featured an ensemble cast led by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Upon release, the film was praised by audiences and received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, among other categories.

VFX Artists React To The Running Man

The King Adaptation Was Released In 1987

An adaptation of The Running Man, which King wrote using the pseudonym Richard Bachman, was released in 1987 and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser, the sci-fi movie follows Ben Richards (Schwarzenegger), a police officer who must compete in the eponymous game show when he becomes falsely convicted of murder. Along with Schwarzenegger, the cast of The Running Man includes Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, and Richard Dawson.

For their latest “VFX Artists React to Bad and Great CGi” video, Corridor Crew looked at The Running Man. Watching the sequence where a character’s head explodes shocked the group. Sam Gorski revealed that a performer might run a specific way to achieve that blast and Wren Weichman added that, based on where the blood falls, “this is an actual single sH๏τ.” Niko Pueringer then explained that the actor appears to have a straightened back, but he is adjusting his posture, and there’s “the false back behind that with the head sticking up.” Read Gorski’s praise of the effect below:

Not to mention, from like a pyrotechnic standpoint, from a special effects standpoint, that is like the best gibb I’ve seen. It’s kind of perfect. If you frame by frame, every frame is perfect.

Our Take On The Running Man VFX

The Head Explosion Remains A Memorable Scene

The reaction by Corridor Crew demonstrates how impressive that head explosion scene really is and them praising it further signals that it was well-executed. A memorable moment from early in the Stephen King adaptation, Chico’s death in The Running Man is sudden, but it stands out because of how practical it looks. The aftermath is just as gruesome, and learning about how it was accomplished using a false head and strategic running, may make for a compelling rewatch.

Source: Corridor Crew/YouTube