The Hoarder Film VFX
As a key member of the VFX team led by the highly experienced Simon Wilkinson, my role on The Hoarder was to rig and animate the film's central tentacled creature.
The primary challenge lay in defining the creature's unique locomotion and behavioral mechanics. To achieve this, I utilized camera and matchmove tracking data from the live-action footage to seamlessly anchor the creature as it crawled across the actors' faces, transitioning fluidly from one person to the next. In a subsequent sequence, I developed a dynamic particle simulation to mimic falling salt landing on the creature, realistically driving its melting and dissolution effects.
Jun 2026 by Simon Wilkinson from Grand Designs
VFX Animation :Film The Hoarder
I have just worked with Ian on a horror feature film, and he is a fantastic person to work with. Nothing is too much trouble, and his work ethic is second to none. He is a wizard in Maya and his creative input is invaluable. Can’t wait to work with him again.
“The studio that brought you all the impressive set design and special FX is also owned by writer/director James Owen. Hoarder looks like a million-quid film, so if you're looking for help taking your film to the next level, give him a shout.”
“For a restricted-budget British horror indie, The Hoarder punches way above its weight class. It looks like a million-quid film because the visual team knows exactly how to stretch a pound.
Instead of hiding its limitations in the dark, James Owen leans completely into a claustrophobic, stomach-churning nightmare landscape. The seamless blend of practical effects and clever CGI brings the central threat—a wriggling, deeply unsettling potato-bug parasite—to life with visceral, skin-crawling realism. When that creature gets right up the nose of its victims, it delivers a genuinely unforgettable gross-out treat.”