Crew

Screaming Mad George

Born October 7, 1956 · Osaka, Japan

Died February 10, 2026 · aged 69

Joji Tani (Japanese: 谷譲治, Hepburn: Tani Jōji), known as Screaming Mad George (October 7, 1956 - February 10, 2026), was a Japanese special effects artist, film director, and former musician. He was born in Osaka, Japan, and emigrated to the United States, where he became known for his surreal, grotesque and gory special effects. He collaborated with director and producer Brian Yuzna on many films.

Known For

Predator

Predator · 1987

MovieScience FictionAction

A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

The Abyss

The Abyss · 1989

MovieAdventureThriller

A civilian oil rig crew is recruited to conduct a search and rescue effort when a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks. One diver soon finds himself on a spectacular odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocean's surface where he confronts a mysterious force that has the power to change the world or destroy it.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master · 1988

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

MovieHorrorThriller

Freddy Krueger returns once again to terrorize the dreams of the remaining Dream Warriors, as well as those of a young woman who may be able to defeat him for good.

Poltergeist II: The Other Side

Poltergeist II: The Other Side · 1986

Poltergeist II: The Other Side

MovieHorrorThriller

The Freeling family move in with Diane's mother in an effort to escape the trauma and aftermath of Carol Anne's abduction by the Beast. But the Beast is not to be put off so easily and appears in a ghostly apparition as the Reverend Kane, a religious zealot responsible for the deaths of his many followers. His goal is simple - he wants the angelic Carol Anne.

An American Werewolf in Paris

An American Werewolf in Paris · 1997

An American Werewolf in Paris

MovieHorrorComedy

An American man unwittingly gets involved with werewolves who have developed a serum allowing them to transform at will.

Society

Society · 1990

MovieComedyHorror

Bill Whitney is worried that he is different to his sister and parents. They mix with other upper-class people while Bill is more down to earth. Even his girlfriend seems a bit odd. All is revealed when Bill returns home to find a party in full swing.

Space Truckers

Space Truckers · 1996

MovieComedyScience Fiction

John Canyon is one of the last independent space transport entrepreneurs. Rough times force him to carry suspicious cargo to Earth without questions being asked. During the flight the cargo turns out to be a multitude of unstoppable killer robots.

Bride of Re-Animator

Bride of Re-Animator · 1990

Bride of Re-Animator

MovieHorrorComedy

Unperturbed by the disastrous outcome of his previous meddling with the dead, Dr. West continues his research into the phenomenon of re-animation; only this time, he plans to create life – starting with the heart of his young protégé Dan's dearly deceased Meg Halsey.

Filmography

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Predator

Predator · 1987

MovieScience FictionAction

A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

Special Effects Makeup Artist

The Abyss

The Abyss · 1989

MovieAdventureThriller

A civilian oil rig crew is recruited to conduct a search and rescue effort when a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks. One diver soon finds himself on a spectacular odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocean's surface where he confronts a mysterious force that has the power to change the world or destroy it.

Sculptor

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master · 1988

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

MovieHorrorThriller

Freddy Krueger returns once again to terrorize the dreams of the remaining Dream Warriors, as well as those of a young woman who may be able to defeat him for good.

Special Effects Makeup Artist

Poltergeist II: The Other Side

Poltergeist II: The Other Side · 1986

Poltergeist II: The Other Side

MovieHorrorThriller

The Freeling family move in with Diane's mother in an effort to escape the trauma and aftermath of Carol Anne's abduction by the Beast. But the Beast is not to be put off so easily and appears in a ghostly apparition as the Reverend Kane, a religious zealot responsible for the deaths of his many followers. His goal is simple - he wants the angelic Carol Anne.

Visual Effects

An American Werewolf in Paris

An American Werewolf in Paris · 1997

An American Werewolf in Paris

MovieHorrorComedy

An American man unwittingly gets involved with werewolves who have developed a serum allowing them to transform at will.

Special Effects Makeup Artist

Society

Society · 1990

MovieComedyHorror

Bill Whitney is worried that he is different to his sister and parents. They mix with other upper-class people while Bill is more down to earth. Even his girlfriend seems a bit odd. All is revealed when Bill returns home to find a party in full swing.

Makeup Effects

Space Truckers

Space Truckers · 1996

MovieComedyScience Fiction

John Canyon is one of the last independent space transport entrepreneurs. Rough times force him to carry suspicious cargo to Earth without questions being asked. During the flight the cargo turns out to be a multitude of unstoppable killer robots.

Special Effects

Bride of Re-Animator

Bride of Re-Animator · 1990

Bride of Re-Animator

MovieHorrorComedy

Unperturbed by the disastrous outcome of his previous meddling with the dead, Dr. West continues his research into the phenomenon of re-animation; only this time, he plans to create life – starting with the heart of his young protégé Dan's dearly deceased Meg Halsey.

Makeup Artist

Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest

Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest · 1995

Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest

MovieHorrorThriller

After a couple adopts a pair of orphaned brothers, it becomes alarmingly clear the boys are much more than they seem.

Makeup Effects

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors · 1987

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

MovieHorrorThriller

A psychiatrist, familiar with the knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger, helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams.

Makeup Artist

The Guyver

The Guyver · 1991

MovieScience FictionAction

FBI agent Max Reed witnesses Dr. Tetsu Segawa - a researcher for the mysterious Chronos Corporation - being murdered. Dr. Segawa had stolen an alien device known as "The Guyver" from Chronos. College student Sean Barker, whose girlfriend's father was Dr. Segawa, finds the Guyver's hiding spot while watching the forensic team investigating the crime scene.

Director

Freaked

Freaked · 1993

MovieComedyScience Fiction

A vain actor, his best friend, and an activist end up at a mutant freak farm run by a weirdo scientist.

Makeup Effects

Necronomicon

Necronomicon · 1993

H.P. Lovecraft anthology is divided into four segments: "The Library" which is the wraparound segment involving Lovecraft's research into the Book of The Dead and his unwitting release of a monster and his writing of the following horror segments "The Drowned", "The Cold", and "Whispers".

Creature Technical Director

Jack Frost

Jack Frost · 1997

MovieFantasyHorror

On his way to be executed, the vehicle containing notorious serial killer Jack Frost collides with a hazardous chemical truck, turning him into a snow covered mutant and unleashing him on the unsuspecting town of Snomonton.

Makeup Artist

Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4

Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 · 1990

Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4

A reporter investigating the bizarre death of a woman who leaped from a building in flames finds herself mixed up in a cult of witches who are making her part of their sacrificial ceremony during the Christmas season.

Visual Effects Designer

Faust: Love of the Damned

Faust: Love of the Damned · 2000

Faust: Love of the Damned

MovieHorrorFantasy

An artist sells his soul to the mysterious M in order to get revenge on the people who killed his girlfriend. Soon, he realises everything has a price, and he is transformed into a horned demon with a passion for killing.

Special Effects Makeup Artist

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker · 1991

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker

MovieHorrorScience Fiction

A toy maker's creations display some very human -- and deadly -- tendencies.

Makeup Effects Designer

Arena

MovieScience FictionAction

On a distant space station far in the future, the best fighters from every planet vie for the championship in an intergalactic fighting competition. After over fifty years of no human contenders, Steve Armstrong emerges having trained all his life for a shot at the title, only to come up against a ruthless extra-terrestrial crime lord who wants him dead.

Special Effects

Curse II: The Bite

Curse II: The Bite · 1989

Curse II: The Bite

After a young man is bitten on the hand by a radioactive snake, his hand changes into a lethal snake head, which attacks everyone he comes into contact with. Also, his body becomes filled with snakes. Now, he must prevent himself from hurting others.

Special Effects

Tokyo: The Last War

Tokyo: The Last War · 1989

Tokyo: The Last War

MovieFantasyScience Fiction

In 1945, after the horrific fire-bombings of the Pacific War levels Japan to the ground, the government consults spiritual psychics to aid them in winning the war. Unfortunately, the souls' resentment and agony of the victims culminate together to revive the evil Onmyoji, Yasunori Kato. Only a young, psychically imbued priests' apprentice will dare fight the evil magician.

Visual Effects

Don't Panic

Don't Panic · 1989

On his 17th birthday, a boy named Michael has a surprise party thrown by his friends, where a session with a Ouija board accidentally unleashes a demon named Virgil, who possesses one of them to go on a killing spree. Michael, now plagued by violent nightmares and premonitions, sets out to try and stop the killings.

Special Effects

Boy in the Box

Boy in the Box · 2005

MovieHorrorComedy

A half-hour sitcom-styled absurdist short film centering on a boy who lives in a box with his bizarre family; the first and only entry in Screaming Mad George's 'Psycho-Fiction' series.

Animation

It Took Guts

It Took Guts · 1979

A teenage boy, troubled and alone wanders the grassy hills looking for something. He settles on a slope and searches for some activity to amuse him. He begins to pick pieces of his body off and taste them. This seems like a good thing to do. So he removes his eye, his face and finally his own guts and eats them all in an orgy of ecstasy and gore.

Music

The Legend of Diablo

The Legend of Diablo · 2003

The Legend of Diablo

MovieThrillerHorror

The small California town of Diablo is plagued with mysterious deaths after Sheriff Roberts Lopez unearths an ancient box. Legend has it that the box holds the sixteenth-century Mexican demon named Azar.

Special Effects Makeup Artist

Ju-On: Origins

Ju-On: Origins · 2020

SeriesMysteryDrama

A paranormal researcher searches obsessively for a cursed home where something terrible happened to a mother and her child long ago.

Special Effects