Certified Animal Action Overview

No Animals Were Harmed™ oversaw every moment of animal action in this film, ensuring each scene was handled with patience, care and respect for natural behavior. For the scorpion sequences, experienced trainers carefully guided the animal using gentle tools and close supervision, allowing it to move naturally before safely returning it to its container. Scenes that might appear intense, such as insects emerging from unexpected places, were achieved through visual effects. For the dog sequences, a single well-trained animal performed calm, controlled actions with filmmaking techniques used to create the illusion of multiple animals and heightened drama. Throughout production, animals were given time to rest, stay cool and remain comfortable, reflecting a consistent commitment to their safety and well-being.

Detailed Animal Action Report

In the scene where the actress reaches for a tissue and a scorpion crawls out of the box, prior to shooting the trainer brought the scorpion to set in his container. Another trainer stood next to him carrying a net as a precaution. Upon arrival, the trainer opened the container and removed the scorpion with padded tongs and placed it on the tissue box. On action, the scorpion moved slightly across the box before disappearing inside of it. After getting the shot, the wranglers used the tongs to return it to its container.

When we see a corpse in a casket and a large insect crawls out of its mouth, this was created through CGI.

In the scene where the actor pulls up to house in his car and we see six dogs standing in front of the house, production filmed plate shots to make one dog look like four. Prior to filming, the trainer brought the dog, which looks like a coyote, to the set on his leash. There was a pop-up tent nearby to keep the dog cool between takes. They placed a string collar with a black monofilament on the dog. The trainer held the line and cued the dog to sit then stood to the side of the camera. He also used food to cue the dog to look in the desired direction. On action, the SUV drove up the driveway. When the car hit its mark, the trainer threw a piece of food to the right of the camera and released the line to allow the dog to exit frame and retrieve it. After the SUV was removed, they cued the dog to exhibit the same behavior. Afterwards, they brought the dog inside the house to cool him off and give him water.

In the scene where the dogs attack the woman in the driveway, they also filmed one dog, and used plate shots to make it look like several dogs. The trainers cued the dog with food to approach the car, attack the stuntman, and other similar behaviors. The actor was never in contact with the dog. The dog was also cued to jump on the car.

In the scene where the actor is lying down and a scorpion appears next to his face, trainers brought several scorpions in their containers to the set. Prior to shooting the scene, the scorpion was lifted out of his container and set directly onto a piece of a timber wall which was also one foot up. Then the placed his hand under the scorpion while wearing a glove. They filmed the scorpion for twenty seconds before placing him back into his container with tongs. They also filmed the scorpion for VFX scanning shots for the scene when its running on the ground and the actor runs after it with a baseball bat.