Perhaps a fitting nickname for Barrie Gower is “The Barometer.”

(If you’re not familiar, spare yourself a Google.)

Eventually, it worked out in his favor.

the last of us infected makeup behind the scenes

Barrie Gower

An Infected in the earliest stages.

Despite already having intellectual property to work with, Gower was allowed to make certain changes.

The stages ranged from the aforementioned veins to full-blown mushrooms blooming from the skull.

behind the scenes image of infected from hbo’s the last of us

An Infected in the earliest stages.

They portrayed the first Clickers we see in the series in episode two and then again in episode five.

Each actor portrayed two different-looking Clickers, so both ended up with two customized makeups.

Three clickers, each from different environments, hence their differing color schemes.

behind the scenes image of infected from hbo’s the last of us

An Infected in the earliest stages.

As mentioned, Clickers are blind, and they do not have eyes.

[We] cheated the head forward so we could get that depth.

First, Gower’s Canadian team scanned the actors' heads and sent those scans to the UK team.

behind the scenes image of clickers from hbo’s the last of us

Three clickers, each from different environments, hence their differing color schemes.

There were also “plugs” the team created which were cut out of the eyes.

A clicker in the process of being airbrushed.

“We adapted the makeups,” says Gower.

behind the scenes image of a clicker form hbo’s the last of us

A clicker in the process of being airbrushed.

“Then, as it is with makeup effects, the more you do, the quicker you get.

By day three or four, we spent about two and a half hours in the chair.”

A clicker in its final form.

behind the scenes image of a clicker from hbo’s the last of us

A clicker in its final form.

“She threw her body into all these incredible shapes.

The Bloater

Then there’s the Bloater.

it’s possible for you to’t miss him.

behind the scenes images of a clicker from hbo’s the last of us

A clicker stuck to the wall, advancing to the Bloater state.

From there, the team applied a glossy substance on top to give him a “mucusy” look.

A clicker stuck to the wall, advancing to the Bloater state.

The Bloater was a labor of love for both the practical and visual effects departments.

It’s been a really happy marriage between ourselves and visual effects.

We’re very happy campers.”