Ghoulish graphic designer: Lon Chaney a favorite
October 25, 2007

By ANGELA D. SYKORA
Staff Writer

As a child, Tom Peltier of Gurnee was crazy for Creature Features, making homemade Halloween props and scaring the pants off his little brother.

Today, the College of Lake County graphic design student spends his spare time in his home studio, making one-of-a-kind items for his business, Tom's Night Terrors.

Peltier's creepy creations include fiendish monster masks, demon heads, sculptures and more. Two of his Rottgut Pumpkin Scarecrow props have even been featured at Six Flags Fright Fest.

Every item is hand-made, some taking as many as 40 hours to complete. To date, Peltier estimates he's created more than 80 pieces.

He recently finished a freakish head sculpture inspired by his own raging facial expressions. Humans can be scary creatures, Peltier said.

When Peltier dreams up a new monster, he uses his graphic design skills and works up a visual on his computer so he can experiment with skin tone, eyes and other features.
Peltier admits he's a perfectionist when it comes to his work.

>> Click here to in large image
Gurnee's Tom Peltier, creator of Tom's Night Terrors, with one of his earlier creations, a freaky pumpkin head for a scarecrow.

(Rob Dicker/Staff Photographer)
>> Click here to in large image
Using his own expressions as inspiration, Gurnee's Tom Peltier, of Tom's Night Terrors, shows off his newest Halloween creation.

(Rob Dicker/Staff Photographer)

"I don't want it to look cartoony," he said.

The fascination with horror started early for Peltier. He loved all those old Universal Studios films like Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula and The Wolfman. "Lon Chaney was my favorite," he said.

Peltier recalls the werewolf mask he made for a school Halloween contest when he was about 10. To make the hair authentic-looking, he turned to man's best friend-- the family's miniature poodle.

He also pulled great pranks on his little brother. "If I found something bothered my brother, I would scare him," he confessed.

A favorite prank was inspired by the 1946 film "The Beast with Five Fingers," which his brother found unsettling. Of course, Peltier took full advantage.

"I took one of my dad's work gloves and stuffed it with newspaper so it held the shape."

He then rigged a pulley system and hid in the closet, ready to make the "beast hand" appear, as if in mid air, over his brother's bed.

"It was my first prop." His brother's reaction? "He screamed." Enough said.

Visit Tom's Night Terrors.com to view Peltier's ghoulish creations.