After I watched BBC's 2020 Dracula series, I had to attempt to recreate some of the awesome practical special effects. Granted, with a much poorer execution, but; nonetheless, it was a lot of fun. I also love the above shot paying homage to Christopher Lee's iconic portrayal of the titular character.

I particularly loved the above special effect from the show.

The special effect I wanted to recreate the most, and one which seemed the most achievable, was the pealed off fingernails. I've done a similar effect prior and knew my way around it. However, having worked on this a few months back, I can now see that there is a much better way of going about this.

I decided to use 3rd degree and freehand the effect on my fingers rather than sculpt and mould it, which would have made the application and the overall look of the effect much smoother and more professional. Back then, I didn't know how to do that, and I was quite intimidated by the prospect; now though, I have improved and would have attempted this with my newly gained skills. Overall, I still think it turned out pretty good albeit not as clean. There is a lot of roughness and texture to it that doesn't necessarily match the wound. It’s still gnarly at least.

On the left is the screenshot from the TV show and on the right is my recreation.

I also decided to try, and recreate, the vampire bite mark scar which turned out ok but again could have been better (also made with 3rd degree). Finally, I made a short phone video showing the first special effect in action, i.e. the fingernail being pealed off. I really liked how it turned out, and the spooky music helps the creepy atmosphere.

The finger pealing scene from the first episode of Dracula.

My attempt at recording the special effect in motion.

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Recreating Special Effects from Dracula