Facades FX Biographies

Creature, FX Make-up, Mask and Animatronic Design

"The fiendish Dr." Phil Nichols and his partner Melissa "MONSTERELLA" Nichols are the brother and sister team of makeup effects artists who founded Nichols Studios in 1985, and became Façades FX Makeup Lab in 1989; celebrating twenty years of excellence in Design and Fabrication.

Trained by Academy Award wining veteran makeup artist Dick Smith and 20+ years of practical experience on the set and in the design studio, they are masters of dark illusions, who practice their artistry from their lab in Houston, Texas. They are members of the makeup artists and hair stylists union Local #706, and have more than 30 feature length productions, over 100 industrial, commercial, music videos and shorts to their credit. View our professional credits online .

Growing up fans of Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Vampires, mythology and anything Halloween, they live and work in the world they have created! A great creative force, they have together changed the face of the Halloween industry with their innovative designs and wonderful Halloween and Horror products! See our Halloween line:

Visit our section to see all of our fabulous products!

In addition to being skilled FX artists, both Dr. Phil and Monsterella are talented photographers, designers and studio artists with a lifetime of experience behind them in both areas.