“From Skull Spiders to Bodywebs: The Mind-Blowing VFX Secrets of The Gorge!”
From crafting jaw-dropping visuals in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum to conjuring fantastical worlds in The School for Good and Evil, Christian Irles and Image Engine have been at the forefront of groundbreaking VFX. Their latest project, The Gorge, is no exception—bringing eerie landscapes, terrifying creatures, and mind-bending environments to life.
Getting on Board the The Gorge Train
In August 2022, Skydance approached Image Engine with an initial bid package, and by November—after director Erik Nordy and producer Rich Yeomans had joined—the team was diving deep into early artwork. Having worked with Erik and Rich previously, Image Engine was thrilled to be part of this visually daring adventure.
Crafting a World of Mystery and Mayhem
One of the most striking achievements in The Gorge is the creation of a hauntingly abandoned town, engulfed in eerie purple fog. Here, protagonists Drasa and Levi battle terrifying Skull Spiders and Hollowmen before making a desperate dash toward an underground bunker.
The design process focused on three major elements: decay, the mysterious ‘bonemoss’ overtaking the structures, and, of course, the ever-present fog. The bonemoss—crafted procedurally in Houdini—was imagined as a mutation caused by radiation, eerily resembling spiderwebs made of bone, foreshadowing the chilling Skull Spiders lurking nearby. Meanwhile, the fog evolved from an almost sentient presence to a more naturalistic atmospheric element, with Framestore ensuring consistency across sequences.
Balancing Practicality and CGI Sorcery
On-set construction was minimal. Most of what audiences see—the dilapidated buildings, twisted terrain, and menacing environment—was pure CGI magic. Lighting played a pivotal role in blending digital elements seamlessly with practical sets, adding dramatic rim lights to enhance the creatures’ terrifying forms. The team even simulated dust kick-ups for added realism.
Breathing Life (and Terror) into Monsters
The Skull Spiders—crafted predominantly from bone—were a unique animation challenge. Their weight dictated their movements, giving them an unsettling, almost unbalanced gait. The team designed three variants (child, woman, and man) to add diversity to their eeriness.
The Hollowmen, driven by hunger and grotesque mutations, were animated to move in a way that felt disturbingly unnatural. Their skeletal, twisted bodies couldn’t function like normal humans, leading to jerky, erratic movements that heightened the horror of the church attack scene.
The Infamous Bodyweb: A VFX Nightmare
One of the most ambitious elements in The Gorge was the ‘bodyweb’—a vast, translucent network of entangled human forms. Achieving the right balance of realism and readability was an immense challenge. The team expanded their render farm just to process the complexity of this scene! Fun fact: one of the key inspirations for its translucent look? Dumplings. Yes, you read that right.
Crafting the Underground Facility
The industrial facility—a massive, imposing underground structure—was designed based on production artwork and Blender models. The key challenge? Lighting. Given its long, tunnel-like shape, the team strategically placed ambient red (contaminant-induced) and green exterior lighting to maintain scale and depth while ensuring the environment felt both eerie and believable.
A Journey of Challenges and Triumphs
From the fog-drenched town to the intricate bodyweb, The Gorge was a visual effects rollercoaster. Looking back, Christian Irles is most proud of the film’s consistency in quality and realism. And while the bodyweb nearly drove the team mad, creating something entirely new and unseen in VFX history made it all worthwhile.
With a mix of innovative CGI, spine-chilling creature animation, and relentless attention to detail, Image Engine’s work on The Gorge is a testament to what happens when artistry meets technical brilliance. Hats off to the team—now, let’s hope those Skull Spiders stay on the screen and not in our nightmares!
