Buffy The Vampire Slayer

What goes into transforming a person into a terrifying ghost or ghoul ?

Up close, each brush stroke of clown white and liquid latex is visible.

But from a distance, the colors blend together, bloody teeth marks deform her neck and for a moment vampires exist outside of the WB’s "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Raymond’s facial canvas was painted by Tom McEvilly, who is the director of Black Hawk Park’s Evilhouse. In just 15 minutes, McEvilly transformed the sweet, round-faced 15-year-old into a bloodthirsty vampire.

He first applies a very thin coat of clown white to her face. McEvilly stresses that unless you’re actually painting the face of a clown, the white base should be as translucent as possible.

"Get right up into the hairline. And don’t miss the ears or neck," McEvilly says of the common mistakes he sees that can disrupt an illusion.

He applies red to her eyelids and blends splotches of black into the white base to give her a steely look.

After a few drops of blood are painted onto the corners of her mouth, Raymond looks like she just had lunch.

He makes a bullet hole by applying a circular outline of liquid latex on her forehead. When it dries, he coats it with a thin layer of white, uses a stipple sponge to apply a few splotches of gray for depth and then fills it in with his homemade blood (see recipe at right).

For 30 years McEvilly has not only specialized in Halloween makeup but also worked in the theater. An arsenal of makeup clutters his table. Though he relies on professional shades of blue and red to craft his scary faces, he says an average person need not spend hundreds of dollars on professional materials.

"Most of the supplies you need for doing makeup can come from your kitchen," McEvilly says.

Corn starch and baby powder can be substituted for clown white, or Cheerios can be soaked in milk, dried out and dipped in liquid latex to create flesh that appears to hang off one’s face.

Cotton batting can be soaked in gelatin, dried out, glued on and carved out to give the illusion of a large gash. (Be sure to fill with fake blood.)

Within the next 15 minutes, McEvilly works on Ambar Dekok to transform her smooth features into the bubbling flesh of a burn victim.

He sloppily applies two strips of liquid latex. The chunkier, the better, he says.

Once the latex dries, he carefully paints the rubberized skin with a little blue and a bit more red, blending the colors delicately with a makeup sponge. He adds a bit of sky blue paint and a touch of yellow to create texture. He then fills in the gap with his homemade blood.

Within 10 minutes, Dekok looks like she would greatly benefit from a call to 911.

"You just need a little blood. Too much can look fake," McEvilly says. "Start applying it at the top and let it drip downward."

Theater students at the University of Northern Iowa replicate what McEvilly does every year in Amy RohrBerg’s "Production Technique Studio Makeup" class. RohrBerg organizes several thematic classes --- a fantasy day, a look-alike day --- even a blood and gore day.

"The students love blood and gore day," RohrBerg says. "It gives them a chance to do something outrageous. ... People love to be scared and then survive it."

For 20 years, Rohrberg has taught her students how to make blood, scars, burns, bruises. She can even make a leg or arm look like its been impaled.

She agrees with McEvilly that the kitchen is an invaluable resource, and adds that Elmers glue is equally essential.

A recommendation : dip your hand in glue, let it drip down until it dries, then paint it. Your skin will look like it’s been scorched beyond repair.

RohrBerg and McEvilly admit to going "over the top" on numerous occasions, but only because acute attention to detail can transform the good into great.

Just when McEvilly thought he was done creating a vampire out of Raymond, he uses teeth to complete his masterpiece. So, with Raymond and Dekok’s help, McEvilly rummages through dozens of boxes, looking for teeth. They’re unsuccessful, but they do locate fake eyeballs that roll and bounce on the floor.

"Just a few more minutes can make a big difference," McEvilly says.

Photos by GREG BROWN / Courier Staff Photographer After 30 years doing Halloween and theatrical makeup, Tom McEvilly says he "has more makeup than most women."