Clay Model of the Creature's Head

Miniature clay model of the design of the Creature's head from the film 'The Evil of Frankenstein' (1964), sculpted by designer and make-up artist Roy Ashton.

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.

This model was made by Ashton whilst designing the look of The Creature for the film 'The Evil of Frankenstein'. Unlike the earlier Hammer film production, 'The Curse of Frankenstein', Ashton was able to use elements of the 'classic' Creature make up from the 1931 film made by Universal Studios, previously unavailable due to copyright restrictions.