The Well Animation

April 19th, 2011

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by Dave Alma

The 2002 hit movie The Ring, www.ring-themovie.com, had a profound impact on the Horror movie industry. Its visual depiction of a dark haired girl, Samara, rising from a decrepit water well was drilled into the minds of modern day movie goers and the core audience of the Haunted Attraction industry…teens!

The following animated prop pays homage to this instantly recognizable scene; a stone well with the little girl about to climb out.

Safety First

Proceed with this project at your own risk. I assume no responsibility for any damage or loss that may occur before, during, or after the construction of anything presented in this article. Read all safety warnings and know how to use tools before you start. Bloody props are cool but not if the blood is your own. Now let’s get started.

The Base

The well is constructed using an old 39 gallon plastic garbage can. Carefully use a utility knife to cut the can down to about 24″ high. (A larger can would also work fine.)

Carve rustic looking “stones” from the 2″ foam insulation approximately 8″ x 12″ each. Different sizes and shapes give the finished well a more natural rock look. The foam can be purchased from most home improvement centers, (Home Depot, Lowes) in various widths and thicknesses. The foam I used came from scraps of previous projects. (Fig. 1)

Glue the stones to the side of the garbage can in a staggered pattern using the Liquid Nails. Start at the top cut edge of the can and work your way down. Once each row of stone is secure, wrap the row with duct tape to hold the foam in place until the glue sets up.

Minimal expanding spray foam (Great Stuff ) is then used as the mortar to fill in the spaces between the stones. The foam expands, so don’t use too much. You can always come back later and add some more, however if the foam expands too much you will have to cut and carve it away to get a recessed mortar look. Once the foam hardens, it really ties all the stones together and makes the whole well very rigid.

Mix one quart of Black Latex Paint into Joint Compound, (a drill powered paint stirrer is a big help here) and check for color. If you want the base color to be darker, add more black paint. (NOTE: This concoction is often referred to as Monster Mud) If this prop will be used outside in the elements, then I suggest using Drylock waterproofing paint, (used for basement walls) to add some weather protection. (Fig. 2)

Coat the stones with a layer of very dark Monster Mud using the 2 inch brush. This step will add weight to your prop so make sure the surface you are working on can handle the weight.

Once the Monster Mud dries, you can add shading and highlights to each stone so that the piece will look three dimensional even in low light. (Fig. 3) Drips and stains can be added using watered down green and/or rust colored paints to give the piece that aged, disgusting look.

As a final sealing step, apply a couple of thin coats of clear satin exterior polyurethane.

The Hands

For the Samara prop, I first created a pair of small child sized hands. Use the thin sculpting wire to form the shape of a small hand. Use hot glue to secure each finger to the center wire that also forms the middle finger. This allows you to position the hand and fingers in different positions after the hand is completed. (Fig. 4)

1/4 inch thick upholstery foam is added to each finger and secured with some masking tape. Additional foam is added to create the back of the hand and the palm. Use the masking tape to hold the foam together temporarily. (Fig. 5) Later we will be adding a latex and tissue skin to hold it all together permanently. Additional wire is added at the wrist, then glued and extended about 12 inches. Once wrapped in the same 1/4 inch foam this forms the forearm. (Fig. 6)

Detail that is hard to see in the photos includes sculpting “missing” fingernails onto each finger. Before the hands are covered with latex, cut away a bit of foam in the area where the fingernails would be to leave a recess. During finishing, I painted these areas darker, almost black.

The fingers are simply bent to grip the side of the well, no further attachment is necessary. The sleeves of the nightgown are attached to the arms using a couple of straight pins pushed into the foam, nothing fancy.

The Skin

First prepare the chip brush by dipping the bristles in a mixture of mostly liquid detergent and water, dab the brush on a paper towel or rag to soak up the excess before brushing on latex. This allows you to wash out the latex after use. Otherwise, if the latex dries on the brush you need to throw it out.

Use the brush to paint an area of the hand with liquid latex and apply wrinkled tissue paper to cover the foam and masking tape. The latex not only seals the foam but will also simulate waterlogged skin. Soak the tissue with more latex and apply tufts of cotton batting on top of the tissue paper. Then add another coat of latex. The cotton adds texture to the final product and you can sculpt wrinkles or other details in the latex soaked cotton like the veins on the back of a hand.

Once you finish sculpting the details and everything has dried, Samara’s hands are painted with a mixture of latex paint and liquid latex. The colors are a light blue greenish tone to simulate waterlogged skin. (Fig. 7). More shading and highlights can be added for greater effect. You may want to practice shading on several areas of the hands, before choosing the one that provides the best results.

The Head

For the head, I used a Styrofoam wig form and used the light blue greenish latex paint to cover any area of the face that would not be covered by the wig, which isn’t really much if you have seen the movie. Dark shading is added to the eye sockets and other features to add depth and realism to the face. You don’t need to get too detailed with this, since more than 75% of the face will be covered by the wig. If this prop will be used outdoors I recommend attaching the wig to the foam head with 5-6 straight pins to prevent blowing off in the wind. If you are really concerned about this, you could use some spray adhesive to attach the wig and actually glue some of the hair over the face. Don’t glue all the hair to the face since some of the hair will be draped over the edge of the well when you put it all together.

The Motor

The head will slowly bob up and down using a 120Vac – 3 rpm motor contained within a plastic pail with a lid to protect the motor and electronics. Drill one hole in one lower side of the plastic pail for the power cord, just large enough for the wire to go through. The pail simply rests on the bottom of the well, no additional connection is necessary as the weight of all the components holds it in place. A motor can be purchased online at Jameco, All Electronics or other surplus sites. You could also use a replacement motor for one of those animated Christmas reindeer light sculptures. Try to find a motor with an in-line fuse on the power cord or you can add one to the Line or Hot lead between the motor and the power cord with the wire nuts. Generally, the fuse should be rated at twice the current rating of the motor. Most motors have some internal thermal protection but I recommend an extra layer of safety when using AC power. If your motor has provisions for grounding (3 conductor cord) connect the ground wire, (green) to the case of the motor. Wrap all wire nut connections with generous electrical tape for additional safety.

Use a felt tip pen to mark and pre-drill holes for the mounting screws of the motor onto the L-bracket. Make sure you do not pinch or cut the leads of the motor wires as you secure the motor. You can make a small notch in the bracket with metal tin snips if needed to allow more clearance for the wires. Just be sure the cut is clean and smooth. The motor must be mounted so the cam arms do not hit the bottom of the pail. (Fig. 8A)

Attach the L-bracket to the 3/4″ x 5-1/2″ x 4″ plywood base close to one edge as shown in fig. 9 with two 1/2″ wood screws.

The Armature

The head will be mounted on a piece of 1/2″ diameter PVC pipe that passes through a 1″ hole in the center of the lid of the plastic pail. Use the 1″ spade drill bit to drill the hole. (Fig. 8 and III. 1)

The motor I used came with a white motor crank arm approximately 1-1/2″ long. You may have to make one to fit your motor. This short motor crank arm had a shaft on the end of the arm.

I made a camshaft (black in the picture) from a 1/8″ thick by 3/4″ and 5″ long piece of rigid plastic. On one end of the cam shaft, I drilled a hole to accept the crank arm shaft, and a second hole approx. 2-1/2″ up from the first hole. After pushing the camshaft onto the crank arm shaft, a compression washer is wedged onto the shaft to keep the black arm from sliding off. Now, place 4 large rubber bands onto the shaft of the 1/2″ PVC. A 2″ wood screw is then driven through the open hole in the camshaft through 3 washers and into the 1/2″ PVC. Check to make sure that the hole in the crankshaft is large enough so the arm moves freely.

Slide the rubber bands down onto the camshaft, 2 below the woodscrew and 2 above it. The white arm turns with the motor shaft, which moves the black camshaft up and down, which in turn moves the PVC in a bobbing fashion. The rubber bands help keep the PVC shaft relatively vertical with slight side-to-side movement (Fig. 9). (This system was borrowed from Chris Olsen who used it on his animated Alien Pop-up Head.

The motor system (motor, L-bracket and base) is attached to the bottom of the pail using a 1″ drywall screw. Hold the motor/base in position and screw from the outside into the pail and the wooden base. (You could temporarily screw the base to the pail from the inside to hold it in place, just remember to remove the screw from the inside before you scratch something with it).

You will need to “eyeball” where the motor and base should be attached to the pail so the PVC shaft is as vertical as possible with the lid on. You may need some trial and error to get it right. It should be in the center of the bucket left to right and closer to one wall, but it will depend on the type of motor you use as to how far back it is secured. Adjustment of the L-bracket to the wooden base may be necessary as well.

If the PVC shaft is out of alignment, the friction as it slides through the pail lid may cause the crank system to bind. A small bit of lubrication can be added to the shaft to ease the movement.

Once the animation part is complete you can place the pail in the well, position the hands/arms on the edge of the well, drape the nightgown over the pail then attach the head to the top of the PVC shaft.

Figure 10 is a shot of the final product in my backyard. I used a motion detector to trigger the prop and turn on a blue spot light. So as patrons approach the light turns on and Samara begins to move for a set timeframe. There are many ways to control and activate a prop like this, but that will have to wait for another article.

Like the movie, this prop has a profound impact on patrons. It is an instantly recognizable depiction of the dark haired Samara rising from a crumbling well, a true hit with horror movie fans and will be the hit of your Haunted Attraction as well.

Dave Alma is the owner of Lothar’s Lair and can be reached at lothars_lair@yahoo.com or check out his how-to web site at www.lotharslair.com.

This article originally appeared in Haunted Attraction Magazine Issue #49.