Lexx (1997)

Lexx was shy on creature effects, partly thanks to series creator Paul Donovan's drive to differentiate the series from contemporary science-fiction series. Lexx co-creator Lex Gigeroff quoted Donovan as saying, 'No shell-heads! Either you're human, or very far from human'.

Donovan also had a rule against 'rubber monster suits' which influenced the design of the ravenous 'Cluster Lizards' seen in the first season. Production coordinator Cordell Wynne stated 'We're looking for a real edge in the designs. We want to break new ground with monsters. We have to avoid cliches. Paul Donovan said 'no rubber suits', so we asked ourselves 'what hasn't been done before?' Rubber suits have, but a rolling lizard hasn't.'

The Cluster Lizards were a collaboration between David Albiston's Albiston Models & Effects and Colin Penman's MAD (Makeup, Art & Design) Company; the former primarily handled the miniature effects, while the latter the physical puppets.

Artist Mark Laing designed the Cluster Lizards on paper, and David Albiston sculpted maquettes to visualize the colourscheme for the puppets and CG models.

A photo found online - are these Albiston's Cluster Lizard maquettes?

Penman's MAD team then fabricated the Cluster Lizard puppets. The puppets were built in Toronto, and then shipped over to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Lexx was filmed.

Two life-sized puppets were made for shots that required them to interact with the actors. The large puppets had servo mechanisms inside that controlled the 'antennae' and jaws.

These puppets were basically worn by the puppeteers like costumes. Michael Peterson, one of the puppeteers, recalled 'To be honest, I hated that part of the job. I was blind, I was deaf and it was a ridiculously heavy piece of equipment, I couldn't manipulate it very well.'

Two miniature puppets were also fabricated by Penman's MAD team, used in quick shots where neither digital effects nor the cumbersome life-size puppets were viable. One of the smaller puppets was also used to represent the 'baby' Cluster Lizard named Squish

These smaller puppets were basically glove puppets. For the shots of a horde of Cluster Lizards in cages, digital editing was used to make it appear there was more than two

Peterson explained about the Squish puppet, 'A plunger opens and closes his jaw. It's actually fairly hard to do, as he's not very flexible. But we only use it for quick shots, so he works for that. We can't even make him talk, but he doesn't have to talk, he just makes sounds!'

The grisly moments of Lexx's first season, including a fake head sawed open and fake brain props, were likely the work of A. Scott Hamilton, credited under 'special make-up and effects'.

A fleshy prosthetic makeup was also applied on the sides of Malcolm McDowell's face, for the shots depicting his character after they have been absorbed into the Giga-Shadow's brain.

The second season's opening episode 'Mantrid' required many shots of the cast interacting with a surviving member of the Insect Civilization. The Insect was realized mostly as a life-size puppet, built by Chris Kunzmann, credited under his company name Chris Creatures.

The puppet had mechanisms inside that controlled the mouth and eyes, and could be operated to appear that the creature was shuddering awake.

The life-size puppet had a segment 'cut' out of it to resemble the Insect's innards, with a blue organ prop also being made. The organ prop had lights fitted on the inside, to make it appear that it was glowing. I assume it was Kunzman's work.

I assume the brief shot of the Insect falling into the water was achieved via a miniature effect, presumably supplied by Albiston Models & Effects.

(Amusingly, the 'Mantrid Build' prop, for the cyborg body of the titular scientist Mantrid, is credited both to propmaker Alexander Dammeyer, and 'dead chickens'. Presumably bought butcher shop chickens were used to simulate Mantrid's organs inside the prop...)

Kunzmann also supplied the prosthetics for Zev's Cluster Lizard transformation in the following episode 'Terminal'. The prosthetics were blended together with digital 'morph' effects making it hard to tell what was made, but Kunzmann has posted the mask on his social media accounts.

Not quite the nudity most pervy viewers wanted!.

Mark DeLuca was credited for special makeup on the episode 'Woz', creating a disfigured head appliance for Lenore Zann as the 'Dark Lady'.

The only other Lexx episode with elaborate makeup effects was the fourth season's 'Viva Lexx Vegas'. The mummy makeup was handled by Aaron Peerless and Greg Corbin's Phantom FX.

Sources:

• Assorted behind the scenes featurettes
  
• Parsec Magazine, 'Flip-side of the Prime Directive' by Mike Petersen .