WATCH: Behind The Camera Of The Goriest Scenes Shot in Hells Half Acres
When fighting the mighty bugs from the bug planet the producers of Starship Troopers needed someplace on Earth that did not look like Earth.
So they went to find a place that looked like - um - well someplace that giant bugs with interstellar space travel technology would live.
In Natrona County, Wyoming, just northwest of the city of Casper and Mills, is Hell's Half Acre. The area is actually bigger than a half acre. It can be seen from a back highway from a park.
For the Hollywood team, it was easy to drive their equipment in there and set it up for filming.
Here are some of the best scenes I could find from that movie shoot.
This video starts with the first attack of the bugs. "SOMEONE YOU WANT TO LIVE FOREVER?"
This next one is fun to watch. It's a behind the scene video of the making of the movie.
In this scene a soldier gets his leg snapped off by a bug.
You'll see who created the illusion for the camera.
In the background, you'll see Wyoming sagebrush and hills.
For those who live in the area see if you can spot any place you recognize.
This next video has a lot of screaming death scenes.
The gore factor is high so, you have been warned.
As it jumps from scene to scene you'll see day and night shots of Hell's Half Acre.
No bugs were harmed in the making of this movie.
Once again, let's go behind the scenes to see how they shot these gruesome moments in the movie.
There are lots of shots of people being snapped in half and ripped apart by giant bugs.
So how did Hollywood, with the special effects they had back in 1997 create these effects?
A lot of it was mechanical and what is called practical effects.
They did not have much for CGI back then.
Let's look at one last scene then we will look at Hell's Half Acre itself.
This is at the end of the movie when a big brain bug is captured.
What is the bug thinking at this moment?
He's afraid! - And that is a big deal.
These days you can't go hiking in this area. So let's go down into Hell's Half Acre with a drone.
I found a video online shot just 3 years ago using a drone.
The pilot and producer of this video wanted to get down to where Hollywood made this movie and show us what it looks like today.
As he flies around you'll understand why this was the perfect backdrop for a bug planet.