Exclusive Video: Go Behind the Screams with Tony Gardner for Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

Steve Barton |

Dec 15, 2015

Fanfare is typically minimal when it comes to the On Demand and Digital HD release of a film that’s been out in theaters – but when Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse burst onto the small screen on December 8, Paramount Home Entertainment celebrated in style. And Dread Central was invited to the party!

We, along with a selected few others, got a first-class tour of Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse special effect maestro Tony Gardner’s little shop of horrors, where we got to meet the “hero” zombie cat that attacks Cloris Leachman (and others) in the film and checked out some disembodied deer fragments plus a whole horde of zombie anatomy from eyeballs to toenails. (For those of you who love the window scene in the movie, nope: “that” body part was not on display.)

Tony’s workshop is a nirvana of weird, whacky and just plain wild – having been in the biz since the days of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video, the wizard of all things wonderful has too many credits to list here. But we saw posters on the wall for everything from his classics (Hocus Pocus) to recent career highs (Bad Grandpa). We saw the Good Guy doll used in the Chucky movies, a full-sized Frankenstein monster, missile-packing deer from Gentleman Broncos, the helmets Gardner designed for Daft Punk, the arm from 127 Hours, and much more.

After our tour and overview of what went into the making of Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, we got the star treatment – as zombies for a day! Staci Layne Wilson was the victim, er, we mean special VIP, in the chair of makeup artist Ralis Kahn (whose credits include Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Cooties, and The Monkey King). In just under two hours, our reporter was transformed into a grisly ghoul with prosthetics, glue, paint, temp tattoos, goop and gore.

She conducted an interview with Tony in full rotting regalia; then it was back to everyday Staci Layne with just a few swipes of glue-and-makeup remover. (As a parting gift, Tony presented the reporters with a special replica of the fantastic, furry fiend from the movie!)

Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is now On Demand and Digital HD. If you want to wait a little longer, it will be on DVD and Blu-ray on January 5, 2016.