Model head of 'The Reptile'

A model head of the lead character from the film 'The Reptile', sculpted from clay by designer and special effects make-up artist Roy Ashton (1909-1995).

Roy Ashton (1909–95) and Phil Leakey (1908–92) were master make-up artists who worked on many of the British cult horror films of the mid-20th century. A trained artist, Australia-born Ashton began his career at Gaumont-British Film Corporation in 1932 as a means of supplementing his passion for opera singing. In 1955, Ashton became the assistant to Hammer Films’ Phil Leakey, the first makeup artist to receive on-screen credit for ‘Special Make-up Effects’. Following Leakey’s departure from Hammer in 1958, Ashton took over as head makeup artist, where he continued his expert work throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

This model was made by Ashton whilst designing the look of The Reptile for the film of the same name. He consulted anatomical sources, drew snakes many time to create the plate like build up of reptilian scales on the bones of a human head to create a character who is half human, half snake.