Monster Mash: ‘Legacies’ EP Brett Matthews Unmasks 4 Season 1 Looks (PHOTOS)
The Mummy
Season 1’s monsters of the week included both freshly designed creatures and updates on the B-movie genre’s greatest hits. Falling into the latter category: this bandage-wrapped menace (Cheetah Plat), whom the Salvatore School heroes encountered on a road trip to retrieve an artifact. “We wanted to do our take on a classic monster design that was instantly recognizable but also unique to the look of our show,” says executive producer Brett Matthews, thanking makeup effects artists Mark Villalobos and Heather Mages for the accomplishment.
The Jinni
Making the well-worn genie legend specific to the show meant creating a subversive backstory for this stylish wish-granter (Riann Steele), who secured her freedom by using easy mark Lizzie Saltzman (Jenny Boyd). “To us, the Jinni is a street hustler,” Matthews says, explaining her Cockney accent. The most challenging part of the design: getting that perfect blue skin tone. “We tested that to make sure it would photograph the way we wanted.”
The Necromancer
We first saw the powerful Frankenstein-esque witch when he reanimated characters’ loved ones as zombies. “The Necromancer was our interpretation of Death,” Matthews says. “We made him a bit of a pompous jerk. He’s also a great example of how the best design is nothing without a great actor [Ben Geurens] bringing it to life.”
The Mer-Man
Matthews admits they “probably spent too much [money]” creating the suit for the scaly creature (Plat again) based on his fave classic monster as a child, given the Mer-Man’s limited screentime. “But he is one of our best and made a huge impact,” he insists. “The suit was also constantly being coated in K-Y jelly and as a result was sort of disgusting to be around.” TMI?
What’s old is new again in four favorite monster looks from The CW’s Legacies.
Executive producer Brett Matthews opens up about how the looks came together, their inspiration and more. Click through the gallery above for a deep dive into Legacies‘ monsters.
Legacies, Season 2 Premiere, Thursday, October 10, 9/8c, The CW
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