A soldier’s life is a practical one, with gear designed to match. When we imagine warriors, whether modern or ancient, we think of gear designed for function and not form.

But throughout history, symbolism has held a powerful place in our cultures. This is reflected in armor from ages past that portrays otherworldly creatures, folklore, or exaggerated features to make the wearer an object of fear. Sometimes for show, sometimes for survival, these are 10 of the most fantastical pieces of armor ever crafted.

10 Maximilian I’s Frog-Mouth Helmet

Unusual in form and name, the frog-mouth helmet seems to be the most impractical helmet possible. Its lower front plate was curved upward and protruded, which provided its signature look.

With only a narrow slit to see out of, this helmet provided no peripheral vision. It was routinely bolted in place, so there was no ability to move it at the neck. What’s more, the wearer couldn’t see forward unless he was leaning ahead slightly.

Heavy and unwieldy, this helmet would have been a death sentence on most battlefields. But it was used almost exclusively in a different sort of combat, jousting. This was an ancient extreme sport where two mounted horsemen charged at one another with lances. The goal was to dismount the opponent while not being dismounted yourself.

In this environment, the frog-mouth helmet excelled. Its lack of peripheral vision was meaningless because knights jousted in straight charges at their opponents. Also, the helmet’s odd shape helped to repel lance blows instead of absorbing them.

The frog-mouth helmet shown above was used by Maximilian I during a jousting tournament to celebrate his wedding at Innsbruck, Austria, in 1494. A masterful example of the frog-mouth helmet, it was crafted by famous armorers Lorenz and Jorg Helmschmid.

9 Bearded Parade Helmet Of Charles V

Like his grandfather, Maximilian I, Charles V appreciated outstanding armor. From his boyhood on, Charles possessed many beautiful pieces of armor, though most were symbols of his wealth and power and not used in actual combat.

One piece, in particular, stands out: a parade helmet created by famed Italian armorer Filippo Negroli. While allowing the wearer’s head to be completely enclosed, this parade helmet featured golden curly hair and a matching beard. It ensured a good hair day for any discerning Holy Roman Emperor.

The helmet, while stunning, has not survived completely. The opening now present on the upper face of the helmet would have included an additional but now missing plate.

8 Mask Visor In The Form Of A Human Face

For about 30 years between 1510–1540, popular fashion in Germany and Austria included helmet visors sculpted to look like humans, either for frightening or humorous effect. It is hard to say which effect Kolman Helmschmid was going for when he created the helmet pictured above. Perhaps he was trying to outdo the look of his glorious rump armor.

The helmet depicts a mustached man with bug eyes and a smashing nose. Visors like these were used mostly for pre-Lenten festivals and were designed to be exchanged for more traditional visors during the everyday use of the helm.

7 Wings Of The Polish Hussars

The Winged Hussars of Poland were one of the most effective cavalries the world has ever seen. For nearly two centuries, they won battle after battle, often against seemingly impossible odds.

In one such case, 200 hussars successfully defended a city from a force of 30,000 in 1581. Sweden’s King Carl X Gustav said, “If I had some 10,000 of such soldiers, I would expect to easily conquer not only Turkey, but the entire world.”

One of the most fascinating facts about this elite cavalry was that they were, in fact, winged. Dyed eagle, ostrich, or crane feathers were affixed to a decorated wooden batten and then attached to the hussar’s backpack, giving him his signature wing.

There has been much debate over the function of this piece of equipment. Some suggest that it was a noisemaking device to rattle enemy horses not accustomed to the sound. Others believe that it was a protection against lassos used by Asian horsemen.

Still, the most prevailing theory is that it was simply an intimidation tactic. These seemingly invincible horsemen were clad in furs and wings, giving them the air of otherworldly attackers.

6 Face Guard Of King James II

The Royal Coat of Arms was created in 1399 during the reign of King Henry IV. It has been used by the British royal family ever since, although some have used it in more interesting ways than others.

King James II, who was crowned in 1685, had a harquebusier’s armor commissioned that included a breastplate, backplate, long gauntlet, and a pot helmet as the centerpiece of the set. The helmet displayed the Royal Coat of Arms with its standing lion and unicorn immediately in front of King James II’s face.

This set of armor was bulletproof—aside from the holes in its fascinating face guard—and was commissioned for £100.

5 Armor Garniture Of George Clifford

If we know nothing else about George Clifford, we know that he was a man who didn’t mind being noticed. He was appointed as champion for Queen Elizabeth I in 1590, and he incorporated her into his armor as much as possible.

His black suit of steel and gold armor was decorated with the Tudor rose, the fleur-de-lis, and the cipher of his queen (two E’s back to back). Though George Clifford did see battle—most famously perhaps was his capture of a Spanish fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico—this armor was designed for tournament use.

4 The Gifted Horned Helmet Of Henry VIII

This iron helmet was one part of an entire suit of armor originally gifted to King Henry VIII by Maximilian I in 1514. Today, only the helmet survives. However, its freakish horned appearance has caused much confusion over the years.

Originally, it was thought to have belonged to Henry VIII’s court jester. This makes sense as the helmet depicts the fool, a popular character in court pageants, complete with wrinkles, dripping nose, and stubble. Scholarly debate over the nature of this gift still rages, and we’re all left to wonder what the rest of the set may have looked like.

3 Lion’s-Head Sallet

We don’t know who made this helmet or who wore it, but we do know what inspired it. The Nemean lion’s demise was the first of Hercules’s recorded exploits. Though no weapon could penetrate the lion’s hide, Hercules strangled the legendary animal to death and then wore the beast’s skin as a mantle.

Naturally, anyone would be keen to channel this story, which was often seen in Renaissance art as a symbol of strength, courage, and perseverance. So this helmet was crafted to imitate the mythological hero’s victory. The underlying helmet was plain. But the top layer is a gold-and-copper lion, sure to inspire friends and frighten enemies in equal measure.

2 The Many Kawari Kabutos

A kawari kabuto (“strange helmet”) was a popular style of helmet used by high-ranking samurai between 1467–1603. These personalized helmets frequently depicted demons or fierce animals and were used to distinguish generals from their lower-ranking inferiors.

Though a staple of the ancient Japanese warrior for centuries, the kabutos have outlived their military usefulness. Now they survive in traditional Japanese wisdom and everyday sayings.

One such saying is: “Tighten your kabuto after winning.” This warns not to rest too soon after a victory. “Take off the kabuto” is a saying that means to surrender or suffer defeat.

1 Bamen

If a samurai would cover himself in terrifying representations of folklore and nature, he would naturally want the same for his horse. The bamen (“horse mask”) and bagai (“horse armor”) were used by samurai after the 17th century.

The armor was crafted from many small tiles of leather and gold that were sewn into cloth. The mask was made from boiled leather that was then shaped into the likeness of a horse or dragons, complete with horns, scales, and fiery red nostrils. The entire battle-ready horse and rider conveyed the owner’s prestige and power.

The subject of visual effects in movies often comes up nowadays in the context of complaints and for an understandable reason. We’ve gotten used to CGI and 3D graphics so much that their blatant inclusion can often feel cheap. VFX artists themselves often believe that the sign of a job well done is when people don’t notice or discuss it, which is quite unfortunate after so much work is put into something we take for granted.

The past was a very different time, however. For as much as we complain about fake-looking CGI and ridiculous effects, in the past, 3D graphics were either entirely unconvincing and difficult to use for most things or downright didn’t exist. The idea of convincing effects at this time was one that could only exist alongside a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief. Yet, they aged remarkably well, seldom looking bad despite not looking realistic. As these techniques are nothing if not very creative and interesting, let’s examine the ten most notable ones today.

Related: 10 Startling CGI Moments In TV And Movie Scenes

10 Puppets

Puppets in film aren’t what typically come to mind when we think of special effects, at least ones that are supposed to be convincing. Known mostly for stylized filmmaking usage, such as The Dark Crystal, puppets are actually a lot more versatile than one would assume! While they’ve fallen out of favor since CGI became the standard, alongside most entries on this list, puppetry was instrumental to some of the most iconic effects and characters in film history.

From the original Star Wars trilogy’s Yoda to multiple shots of dinosaurs, including the T-Rex in Jurassic Park and even the Pale Man of Pan’s Labyrinth, a film from the early 2000s, this technique can clearly achieve a lot more than The Muppets, given enough resources and directing talent.

The control of master puppeteers, the usability and unique, textured look of well-made puppets, and the actual, physical presence of a tangible object combine to create something that has the potential of being a lot more immersive and convincing than old children’s shows would have you believe.^[1]

9 Green/Blue Screen

Green screens, and by extension blue screens, are considered a staple of modern film. It’s common to see jokes about movies nowadays filmed on wholly green sets, an idea that’s not entirely baseless, given how prevalent this technology has become in the past decade. What many people don’t seem to discuss, however, is just how long it has been around. They certainly started to reach their peak in the 2010s, but chroma key screens have actually been used in films for nearly a century!

Their usage was already very similar in the 1930s to what it is now, a technique used to layer two or more picture elements on top of each other. Even before green and blue screens, however, double exposure was used in photography as early as the 1860s, and in films by 1903, in Edwin S. Porter’s The Great Train Robbery. By the ’30s, blue screen technology—yes, specifically blue screen technology, as green wouldn’t become the norm for a number of years—had gone through a number of significant advancements and started seeing usage in films such as 1933’s King Kong. And it had already modernized and was soaring in popularity by the original Star Wars trilogy.

The color of the chroma key screen used may have shifted from blue to green, both specifically prized due to how far away they are from most human skin tones. Still, this technique that’s contemporarily assumed to be the most iconic element of modern filmmaking has, in reality, been just about the same for the history of the motion picture as a whole.^[2]

8 Forced Perspective

This is possibly the most deceptively simple technique we’ll look at today. Forced perspective has been around literally as long as photography has, or possibly even longer, as it’s not unthinkable that painters way before the existence of film would utilize this effect just the same. The idea is really very simple; things that are farther away from our view appear to be smaller, and things that are closer, larger.

That really is all there is to it, in a way. The usage, however, is much more nuanced and widespread than that brief description suggests. From the short stature of The Lord of the Rings’ hobbits compared to the tall Gandalf and all the way to the 1959 Disney film Darby O’Gill and the Little People, forced perspective has been used for decades, if not centuries, made convincing by carefully crafted sets and simple optical trickery. It’s a really ingenious way of selling size differences without any real effects work necessary.

The technique isn’t limited to the contrast between large and little people, either. Combined with other practical effects such as miniatures, props, and even puppetry, with the right setup, it may let a giant destroy a city or grab the moon, all without using a simple technique of modern, digital filmmaking. While it may not be as frequently used today, it remains a clever and effective tool in the repertoire of effects artists.^[3]

7 Paintings

Another example of a technique that’s rarely considered in the context of special effects, paintings have been used extensively throughout the history of film, without most of us even realizing it as we watched. More than just fine museum art or a fun pastime, real-life paintings have been responsible for a lot of the most iconic movie backgrounds of all time. With artists working on them meticulously and doing such a fantastic job, few even recognize their work as being there.

The most well-known usage of paintings as effects again comes from Star Wars, a movie that pioneered nearly every modern effects technique we take for granted. Paintings, in a way, are no exception. Even in the current digital age, matte shots are incredibly popular; the only thing that’s changed is the medium. From acrylic paint on glass to 3D renders and digital paintings, this old technique simply evolved, only losing the incredible, real-world paintings in the process.

The famous Industrial Light & Magic company behind films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars wasn’t the first to use them, either. The legendary Georges Méliès, a person whose work we’ll familiarize ourselves with much more a little further down, was already using paintings as backgrounds in the very early 1900s.^[4]

6 Costumes

Fashion has influenced movies, undoubtedly. Stunning clothing isn’t exactly faking the fantastical, however, but thankfully that’s not what we’re discussing today. Before CGI could make all sorts of monsters and creatures come to life, that task was often delegated to costume artists and actors wearing their work.

While they may not always be the most convincing, they retain a charm that ages a lot more gracefully than CGI often does. Even aside from a wide variety of cheesy films with costumes of odd creatures we may expect, actors wearing intricately crafted suits were responsible for the creature effects of a variety of iconic films.

Notable examples are Ishirō Honda’s Godzilla and even the xenomorph of the Alien, a shockingly tall actor, Bolaji Badejo, helping the fearsome, now deeply iconic creature come to life. Elaborate creature costumes in blockbuster films may be cheesy today, but their legacy is undeniable.^[5]

5 Miniatures

Another element that’s perhaps not taken too seriously most of the time, miniatures have contributed to a lot more than just tabletop games and display cabinets. Small figurines combined with forced perspective have, in fact, been the backbone of the appearances of many older films that we take for granted today.

Georges Méliès, mentioned earlier in the list, is arguably the director credited for pioneering a massive amount of filmmaking techniques still used decades or even a century after the time of his works.

Miniatures were essential to the look of his widely known film, A Trip to the Moon, from 1902, a movie famous for being—at the time—a mind-blowing showcase of early special effects. The film’s use of miniatures, among other effects, led to them being used in the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey’s space station and Star Wars’ spaceships.^[6]

4 Rotoscoping

The process of tracing over images, notably frames of film, also known as rotoscoping, is another modern staple that’s been around for a very long time. What makes it especially interesting is that it was one of the first techniques that allowed an artist to directly change and interact with film footage.

Before the digital age, a frame of film footage would be projected onto a piece of glass and then traced over manually. This technique was used for the animation of early Disney films such as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, and Fantasia, but even, famously, for Star Wars’ lightsabers and alongside the primitive CGI of Tron.

It wasn’t until the 1990s that rotoscoping would become a digital process, an essential tool from the late 19th century that revolutionized film forever.^[7]

3 Stop Motion

Stop motion techniques are still used today as a relatively niche form of animation. Entire films can be constructed with the simple but painstakingly time-consuming task of manually adjusting models frame by frame, taking a picture after each adjustment, and combining it to create moving footage.

Even with the amount of manual labor and artistic skill required, stop motion animation is a very approachable and timeless art. So it’s no surprise that it was used for a variety of special effects before it was replaced by CGI.

Perhaps the most famous example of stop motion animation as special effects is the Terminator of, well, The Terminator. While it’s not the smoothest, the technique has only improved since then, and it certainly sold the effect of a robotically moving, menacing machine very well.^[8]

2 Animatronics

An old, impressive, and flashy technique that may look better than CGI even today is animatronics. These effects have left a brilliant mark on blockbuster movies as a whole, and there are fans who call for their usage over 3D renders even today.

Using scientifically and artistically crafted, complex robots that actually move in real-time is certainly impressive to even imagine. Still, the reality of what the immensely skilled people creating them have been able to achieve surpasses even that image.

This effect was another element that sold Jurassic Park’s visuals so well that it looks great even today. Animatronic dinosaurs were used very purposefully during the movie’s creation. No list of animatronics could be complete without mentioning John Carpenter’s The Thing from 1982, however. The creature effects of that film are terrifying, visceral, and brilliantly crafted. It may now be 40 years old, but the film’s fans fell in love with the style and look and haven’t let go since. The Thing’s modern remake was a comparative failure, and few believe that the CGI visuals even came close to the shocking atmosphere of the original.^[9]

1 Creative Resourcefulness

A list of the most impressive and creative effect techniques couldn’t be complete without simply praising humanity’s ingenuity as a whole. The reality is that every impressive film and effect is made great by the creativity behind it, no matter the technique used. And some are so specific and resourceful that no specific label would fit them anyway.

From the amazingly engineered, real-life rotating set of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey through the aforementioned filming of The Lord of the Rings that used simple perspective to seamlessly sell different fantastical humanoids, creativity was the foundation. It’s even evident in the already mentioned but unelaborated horror of The Thing that used everything from makeup to sculptures and even mayonnaise and strawberry jam that, in the end, landed its creator, Rob Bottin, in a hospital due to exhaustion. Not surprisingly, the list could simply go on and on.

As amazing as predetermined techniques can be, film effects are made complete by the artistic, brilliant, resourceful creativity of the people behind them. Using obscure items, everyday objects, truly anything at their disposal, they create incredible representations of things that don’t even exist.^[10]