Smoke and Mirrors: The Story Of Tom Savini

If you’re a gorehound dedicated to a collection of horror and genre flicks, you no doubt know the name “Tom Savini.” Even if you’re not into gore or horror films or even know his name, you’ve likely experienced his work or been touched by his lasting legacy for elaborate, iconic make-up visual effects. He was a unique talent that spawned at the right time in filmmaking. He was there when low-budget independent features gained more notoriety, and his ghastly creations were part of those successful breaks from Hollywood’s established machinery. But every artist has a beginning, and Smoke and Mirrors lets Savini take center stage in his own story as a makeup F/X genius, an actor and performer, and as a man. 

And it’s a fascinating story. As a decades-long fan of his work (I got to meet him when I was all of 12 at a convention in the early '90s), I knew a lot of the details of his life’s story. I heard him talk about making classic monsters as a kid. I knew of his time in Vietnam as a combat photographer. I was aware that he was supposed to do makeup for the original Night of the Living Dead, and his entry on the cinematic scene with Romero’s Martin and Dawn of the Dead. But I never really got to hear all of the fine details before this documentary. Outside of small mentions, I never really knew the full picture. Jason Baker’s documentary lets Savini tell his story on his terms, and it’s a hell of a yarn. 

As he was inspired by the terrific Man of a Thousand Faces biopic about the iconic monster man Lon Chaney, you can see how that film would chart the course of his life in entertainment. Of course, no path is a straight line. We get the background on early romances, scholastic endeavors, his time as a soldier, his time on the stage, all before we even get to mentions of his work for Romero or other genre filmmakers. But that background is important because we can also see how those life events all informed his art and how his art would impact his family life. 

Ultimately, the film is a celebration of Savini. It’s a love letter to his craft but also the legacy he’s established. Through his time as a makeup and F/X artist, he trained generations of craftsmen who have gone on to leave their marks on the industry. Realistically, without Savini, any number of films and television shows we love wouldn’t be the same, or possibly even exist at all! Now, I love me a good documentary, and this is a good one, but I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say I’d be excited to see a genuine biopic about Tom Savini. Who needs another dopy biopic about a mopey musician in the midst of another creative career cul-de-sac? I’d gladly see The Man of a Million Faces…and Body Parts! Hell, if they wanted to make it a long-form series, I’d love to see biopics of all the great makeup artists of that era. Imagine a series of films about guys like Savini, Winston, Bottin, Baker, and other great makeup and F/X wizards against the backdrop of creating some of their most famous works. I’d pay good money to see that on the big screen. I'd gleefully subscribe to a streaming service so I wouldn't miss an episode. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 
Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini returns to Blu-ray with a new Blu-ray release from Wild Eye and OCN Distribution. The film is pressed on a Region Free BD50 disc. The disc is housed in a clear case with reversible insert artwork. As of this writing, if you order from Vinegar Syndrome, a limited edition slipcover is still available. The disc loads to an animated main menu with standard navigation options.

This film was previously issued on Blu-ray in 2022, but I didn’t snag that edition, so I don’t know how this one compares. As is, this transfer for Smoke and Mirrors is a typical mixed-media effort. We’re going to see a blend of newer digitally captured footage (the film was made in 2015) alongside archival film and tape elements to tell the story. Some footage is cleaner and clearer than others; some can be quite rough, others are as sharp as a blood-covered razor blade. Ultimately, the elements come together to tell a cohesive story of Savini’s life and career. Colors are generally strong. Fine lines and details are good for what they are. The footage from various films Savini worked on also runs the gamut, from VHS to DVD to sharper, cleaner HD, depending on the film or even television appearance. If you've never seen them, look up the Savini appearances on Letterman; they're a kick. 

Without the need for an aggressive or wild surround track, Smoke and Mirrors enjoys a solid Dolby Digital 2.0 mix. On the Vinegar Syndrome website, it’s listed as a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track, but evidently that’s not the case with the final disc. No matter, really, even in Dolby Digital, this is a solid audio track for what it sets out to accomplish. As with most documentaries of this sort, Savini, as the main subject, gets most of the audio time. His voice narrates a lot of the footage, photos, and other imagery on screen. If it’s a photo of him from Vietnam, he’s telling the story as part of the next piece of interview footage. Other contributors, like various family members or co-conspirators in the world of movie gore, also get those moments of vocal reflections about working or living with Tom. There’s TV footage of Tom’s segments on Letterman or an ABC news segment. Given that they were likely captured on tape and a generation or two removed from the broadcast source, they serve their purpose. But everything is clear, dialog isn’t lost. Even in the home video footage in Savini’s workshop, the audio is crisp and relatively clean. Music cues for some of the more ghastly montage footage certainly can dominate, but it’s all in service to the moment.

Completing the experience for this disc is a pretty fantastic selection of extra features. The documentary itself gets a fine audio commentary with director Jason Baker and Tom Savini. However, I’d say the most exciting stuff is all of Tom’s behind-the-scenes footage of various films in progress. There are nearly two hours of material just for what he did on Day of the Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 alone! Normally, behind-the-scenes stuff can be pretty boring, but I love it when we get to see the F/X guys in their shops or coming up with an on-set solution to a problem in the moment. That's movie magic in action.

• Audio Commentary featuring Jason Baker and Tom Savini
• Tom’s Behind The Scenes Video Archives:
• Till Death Do We Scare (1982) (SD 3:28)
• Creepshow (SD 16:31)
• Creepshow 2 (SD 7:23)
• Day of the Dead (SD 1:01:56)
• Friday the 13th Part IV (SD 5:10)
• From Dusk Til Dawn (SD 5:02)
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (SD 43:11) 
• Tom’s Directing Video Archives:
• Night of the Living Dead 1990 (SD 17:41)
• Toms’s Personal Video Archives:
• Tom’s Home Movies (SD 20:06)
• Tom’s Dad (SD 2:36)
• Dracula - Pittsburgh Stage Show (SD 17:12)

Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini is a fitting love letter to a master craftsman of creature creations and gore effects. It’s fairly by the numbers in terms of setup and so forth, but it’s also worth seeing those early moments in a life to see how they affect his later creations and approach to F/X work while also training the next generation of artists. On Blu-ray, WildEye and OCN distribution deliver a great disc for any horror collector. The A/V package is great for what this documentary brings to the table, but it’s also packed with hours of behind-the-scenes materials of Savini at work. Recommended