Special Effects poster

Special Effects

1984 ·1h 46m · ★ 4.6 (44)

Reality and illusion collide as megalomaniacal filmmaker Chris Neville murders a young would-be actress, then sets about making a feature about the deed, casting the deceased's clueless husband as the patsy, and finding a dead ringer to play the late actress.

Why it matters

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Director

Larry Cohen Larry Cohen
9 horror films in catalog
It's Alive
It's Alive 1974
God Told Me To
God Told Me To 1976
It Lives Again
It Lives Again 1978
Full Moon High
Full Moon High 1981
Q
Q 1982
Special Effects
Special Effects 1984
The Stuff
The Stuff 1985
A Return to Salem's Lot
A Return to Salem's Lot 1987
It's Alive III: Island of the Alive
It's Alive III: Island of the Alive 1987

Cast

Horror DNA

Gore
Bloodless Splatterfest
14
Slow Burn
Shock-driven Slow burn
66
Psychological
Straightforward Mind-bending
100
Supernatural
Grounded Otherworldly
0
Creature
Human threats Monster-driven
18
Disturbing
Tame Deeply unsettling
83
Fun Factor
Deadly serious Blast to watch
33
Cerebral
Popcorn horror Thinking horror
85
Survival
No survival element Fight for your life
0
Discover with this DNA

Content Warnings

Taboo ContentDehumanization
Phobia triggers

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TMDB Keywords

actingmodelmovie businesssnuff

Pairs Well With

Kotoko
Kotoko 2011
What's the Matter with Helen?
What's the Matter with Helen? 1971
Venus in Furs
Venus in Furs 1969
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin 1971