Scenes: Carol Anne Gets Abducted, Diane on the Walls
How It Was Done: These scenes were shot on a gimbal set. A gimbal set is, for lack of a better definition, a large, rotating set. Variations of gimbal sets have been used for decades to create similar effects. Everything that isn’t supposed to move on frame, including the camera and its operator, is locked in place. The actors then move while the room is turned. The final effect is a shot where it appears our heroes are defying the laws of gravity.
Mechanical Effects Supervisor Michael Wood described the rotating set for an article in Cinefex Magazine (#10): “The sets were built on special platforms so the gimbal could just clamp on, top and bottom, and pivot the whole room. Then by mounting the camera stationary, there was nothing to relate to the fact that it was actually turning. The gimbal was built in three sections and rigged with hydraulic motors so it could do a full 360 degrees. Each motor had 75,000 lbs. of torque. The sets themselves sat on a platform that 30×30 feet- with the corners cut off to facilitate the turning points of the gimbal.”
For scene where Carol Anne is abducted, the contents of her bedroom had to be rigged with trip wires, so that they could slide on cue. Alternatively, in the scene where Diane is dragged on to her bedroom walls, everything had to be glued down, including the drapes.
Gimbals were also used in films such as A Nightmare on Elm St. and one of it’s sequels, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, as well as The Fly for scenes where Jeff Goldblum had to appear like he was crawling on the walls.
