Custom Creatures strives to make the most realistic and authentic corpses possible.  To validate our work, and insure we are providing you with the closest reproductions possible, we turned to the experts.

The University of Tennessee's "Body Farm" is the best place to find experts in this field.  The Body Farm is the only place in world dedicated to how a corpse deteriorates.  It is invaluable information for forensic criminologists to study the process of decay.  Before the Body Farm existed investigators practically had to guess at the time of death when a corpse was discovered under suspicious circumstances.  I was lucky enough to actually know a forensic entomologist who spent time studying there.  In fact, he has been profiled in Discover Magazine for his work there.  It is from the work at the Body Farm that our "Dark" colored corpse is based on.  These corpses are designed to look as if they were freshly unearthed or exposed to the elements.  The colors are very dark brown to basically black.  These corpses appear to be rapidly decaying.

Next, I needed actual photos to work from.  For this I turned to the Capuchins' Catacombs located in Palermo, Italy. There are literally thousands of corpses lining the walls, like paintings.  The catacombs date back to 1599 when the local priests preserved a holy monk for all to see and then began expanding the operation.  These corpses are hundreds of years old and are very dry looking.  Their appearance suggests mummification.  It is from the Capuchins' Catacombs that our "Light" colored corpse is based on. They are a little less "squeamish" looking and their lighter color tends to show up better than the darker ones if your haunted attraction uses low-light levels. 

Please visit our Corpse Gallery to view photos of some of our latest creations

The following photos are actual corpses from the Capuchins' Catacombs:

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