It’s not every day that you see a dominatrix-esque pig running around Barnsley, is it? Seen as it’s one of my personal favourite set of movies, I couldn’t let Halloween 2021 pass me by without creating a Purge inspired Halloween makeup. And yes, you guessed it, I decided to take this one on-location to grab some spooky street-scene shots!
.jpg "The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers")
The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers
Our shoot started off pretty tame. Well, okay, it’s not exactly tame tame, but you get what I mean. It started off without any of the creepy (debatable) SFX makeup that I so love.
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The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers
The inspiration for this shoot actually came from The Purge: Election Year, from the scene where the group of girls are super dressed up but wearing the creepiest masks and carrying huge weapons as they rock up on the street in a car covered in fairy lights. I’ve always found that scene to be pretty chilling! The mix of innocence, with the downright horrifying intention to commit murder is just the most unsettling combination.
.jpg "The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers")
The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers
Of course, I had to put my own twist on things, so I went for all black attire and threw in none other than a terrifying pig prosthetic!
.jpg "The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers")
The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers
I really loved painting this incredible pig foam latex piece. Especially to the sound of American Horror Stories playing in the background in the studio as I worked.
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The Purge Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers
I was actually watching the episode named Game Over which featured none other than Piggy Man! How fitting!
.jpg "The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers")
The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers
I’d already decided that I wanted the bulk of this shoot to be shot on the streets. So off I went looking for the perfect combination. In my head I was thinking shutters, graffiti, subways…when I suddenly realised the perfect place was right on my doorstep in Barnsley.
.jpg "The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers")
The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers
I can’t tell you how many people brazenly, or tried to secretly (but did not succeed – I saw you!), film me whilst we shot this series of looks. And I also can’t tell you how many people ‘oinked’ or squealed at me because I lost count at about number five. It was absolutely hilarious and I was certainly having a good giggle behind the freaky prosthetic face!
.jpg "The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers")
The Purge Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers
After returning home after a very cold hour shooting outdoors, we hit the studio to finish filming TikToks and get a last few studio shots.
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The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers
As we wrapped the end of the shoot, my Dad (and photographer extraordinaire) asked me if I was happy that we’d completed our last shoot of Halloween 2021. “No.” I replied. “I’m absolutely gutted!”
.jpg "The Purge inspired Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers")
The Purge Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers
I can’t tell you how much I’ve loved working through my character ideas this Halloween. It’s been real wild ride full of many ups and a few downs. But I’ve learned a lot, developed creatively and gotten a cracking new set of images and videos that I’m going to love looking back on over the years!
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The Purge Halloween makeup. Image: John Divers
If you’d like to check out the behind-the-scenes images and videos of this look and the previous looks, follow me on my social media channels below.
Wishing you a very spooky and very happy and safe Halloween!
