Nightmare fuel -- Director shares a disturbing Jack Black prop from his latest movie

Brad S. | 7:50 PM on January 08, 2019

Eli Roth is a director and actor who is not one to shy away from terror. (He’s also an aficianado of bad cinema, to boost his creds.) He gave us the “Hostel” films, “Cabin Fever”, and this year’s remake of “Death Wish”, as well as starring in “Inglorious Basterds” for Tarantino. The man is not squeamish, we can agree.

So when he posts what he said is the scariest thing he saw last year, it warrants a listen, and a look.

This fall he took a career detour of sorts and directed what is more of a kids film, “The House With A Clock In Its Walls”. he has shared a unique object used in the making of the film.

Animatronic Jack Black Baby was the most terrifying thing I saw last year https://t.co/PL0pc1WkjI via @Polygon

— Eli Roth (@eliroth) January 7, 2019

The majesty behind this unsettling image is that a decision was made to bypass the usual computer graphics and fabricate a practical effect of Jack Black transformed to a baby. The story called for Black’s character to be cast with a time-shifting spell and reverted to his infant self. Roth hit upon the idea of keeping Black’s head adult sized, and going further, to have it displayed with an animatronic likeness.

The result is both impressive, and offputting.