Students "Face-Off" with Halloween horror show

By Mark Iacampo, U.S. Army Bavaria-HohenfelsNovember 5, 2015

Gingerbread Mummy
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Little Bo Peep Witch
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The whole crew
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Monsters abound
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Alice in Wonderland Ghost
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Little Red Riding Hood & the Huntsman
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Jack & the Beanstalk Frankenstein
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HOHENFELS, Germany -- Horror stalked the halls of Hohenfels High this Halloween as drama and visual arts students teamed up to create a monster mish-mash of famous fairy-tale figures transformed into ghastly ghouls.

Twelve groups of students picked between a variety of fairy-tale characters such as Hansel and Gretel, Humpty Dumpty, or Red Riding Hood and crafted new histories to explain how they had become mummies, vampires or creatures like Frankenstein's monster.

"All the special effects makeup was done by students using their different skill levels to create the look of the model," said senior drama student Payton Green, who participated as part of the "Mad Hatter Ghost" team.

The students showcased their creations before the whole school at a "Face-Off" competition, Oct. 29.

Barbara Nicklin, HMHS drama teacher, said she was inspired by the SyFy Channel's reality show, "Face-Off" in which groups of make-up artists compete against each other to create prostheses such as those found in science fiction and horror films.

"I have done extensive special effects units with my drama students in the past, and I wanted to do something fun where they could experiment and really showcase what they learned," Nicklin said.

With one student playing the character, the other members of the group related the gruesome tale that led to the horrific new character, such as the werewolf Rapunzel.

Though the students were provided with a character list to avoid repetition and ensure diversity with the presentations, the stories they concocted were all their own.

"The (Alice in Wonderland ghost) group was inspired by plot twists in the original story of Alice in Wonderland," said 11th-grade drama student Damita Harris. "I was especially intrigued by the Jabberwocky and his need to kill Alice so we incorporated that into our story."

Each group was judged on the caliber and the originality of the makeup, the quality and usefulness of props, and the delivery of the story which could not exceed two minutes.

"We solicited judges from the community to ensure impartiality when assessing the teams and to make it more of a community event," said Nicklin.

Trying to determine a winner among so many frighteningly fabulous figures was no easy task, but eventually the judges settled on Jack and the Beanstalk Frankenstein, Gingerbread Mummy, and Little Bo Peep Witch for the top three.

Many of the students agreed that creating the prostheses and makeup was the best part of the project.

"I loved to test what would work and try many different ways of applying effects," said Chloe Witty, 10th drama student and part of the Humpty Dumpty vampire team.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the collaboration with the other class and the sharing of creative effort.

Senior Jasmin Hack said she appreciated learning about the performing arts while having the opportunity to share her skills as a visual artist.

"The face off for me as an artist was a totally different show of teamwork and collaboration. Everyone knows how to work in a group but few know how to create art as a group," Hack said. "This was definitely a concept only those with imaginative minds could make come to life and I loved seeing my artwork and ideas take a human form."

As Victor Frankenstein himself might have said, many students agreed that seeing their creations take on life was … electrifying.

"The highlight was how all our work and preparation came together for an excellent performance," said Witty.

Perhaps Michaela Lefebvre, 10th-grade drama student and part of the Jack and the Beanstalk Frankenstein team, summed it up best.

"Everything was great," she said. "To work with all the creative people who had fun ideas and learning the special effects make-up, it was just a great time."

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More photos from the show