‘Game of Thrones’ Season 6’s Most Satisfying Death Was Almost Way More Gruesome
Game of Thrones Season 6 seemed more than ever to capitalize on fan-service (Season 7 isn’t looking too different so far), but perhaps most rewarding of all was a major death at the climax of “Battle of the Bastards.” Director Miguel Sapochnik had enough restraint not to linger on it, but it seems the initial bloodbath was too gruesome, even for Game of Thrones.
You’re warned of full Game of Thrones Season 6 spoilers from here on out, but where Ramsay Bolton got a fitting end at the jaws of his own hounds, even the brief glimpses were notably hard to stomach. Variety spoke to Image Engine visual effects supervisor Mat Krentz of the effects behind the scene, which were apparently much more disturbing in in their early cut:
“They shot the scene with multiple takes,” explained Image Engine visual effects supervisor Mat Krentz. “They did a pass of the dog on green screen, then Ramsay on green screen, and then we also had a background plate, which we put together.” Artists also created a CG jaw for Bolton, and animated it to reveal the flesh ripping between Ramsay’s skin and gums. The effect was too gruesome even by “Thrones” standards, so they pulled it back a bit, using a 2D composite instead.
You can even see a sample of Image Engine’s Season 6 work below, though sadly without the uncut Ramsay effects:
We’re hard-pressed to deny that Ramsay received a satisfying end, given equally horrid fates we’d wished on Joffrey at one time or another, but was Game of Thrones right to pull back on the finished effect? Who gets the honor of most gruesome Game of Thrones death overall?
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