Founders
Robert Kurtzman,
Greg Nicotero, and
Howard Berger were all working freelance on various Hollywood productions in the mid-1980s. Kurtzman likened the atmosphere to that of local bands who influenced each other. Nicotero and Berger met while performing special makeup effects under
Tom Savini on
George A. Romero's zombie film
Day of the Dead. While Berger did that, Kurtzman was hired to take Berger's place as
John Carl Buechler's assistant. Nicotero, Berger, and Kurtzman all worked together on
Sam Raimi's
Evil Dead II. The three briefly continued working freelance, sometimes on the same films. In 1988, the three formed their own company. The name KNB was chosen to represent the first letter of each founder's last name. KNB's first film was
Intruder, directed by
Scott Spiegel, who had written
Evil Dead II. Their work on this film cost them more money than they made but helped further establish their reputation. The realistic-looking cadavers they created got them the attention of
Kevin Costner, who hired them to make animatronic buffalo for
Dances with Wolves. Nicotero said this helped to break them out of being known only for gory horror films. For the 1991 film
City Slickers, they made animatronic calves. In the early 1990s, they continued their collaboration with
Sam Raimi, working on
Army of Darkness, the sequel to
Evil Dead II. Among other horror films, they performed effects for
Dr. Giggles, which was not well received among genre fans or critics, though its effects were praised. In the 1990s, a collaboration with
Quentin Tarantino began with
Reservoir Dogs. Kurtzman had hired Tarantino to write a screenplay from a treatment; this was eventually filmed as
From Dusk till Dawn. In return, Kurtzman promised KNB would perform special makeup effects for
Reservoir Dogs, which turned into that film's torture scene.
Dusk did not get produced until 1996. In the meantime, KNB worked on
Pulp Fiction. Following the release of
Jurassic Park in 1993, many artists worried that
computer-generated imagery might overtake the industry, forcing out
practical effects. Berger said that instead of panicking and changing their specialty, KNB decided to "just ride it out". At the same time, there was a slowdown in horror films in the mid-1990s. KNB emphasized to filmmakers their ability to create realistic animatronics, bringing effects that had once been mainstays of
B movies to mainstream films, such as prosthetic effects in comedy films. Throughout the 2000s, they continued their collaboration with Tarantino, working on
Kill Bill and other films. Kurtzman left the company in 2003. Berger said Kurtzman wanted to focus on directing and raising his family. KNB performed makeup effects for
Land of the Dead, Romero's followup to
Day of the Dead. Savini, who was by then working as a director, appeared in a cameo as a zombie at Nicotero's suggestion. In 2006, KNB created animatronics for
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was initially going to be completely digital. Their work resulted in an
Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling Since 2010, Nicotero has performed special makeup effects for
The Walking Dead, which has drawn
awards and nominations. In 2011,
Nightmare Factory, a documentary about the company, was released. ==References==