Detailed designer creates cosplay costumes

Michael Hardesty is a self-proclaimed horror nerd.

He has watched all of the scary and bloody films and likes to study the details of every costume so he can re-create them.

Hardesty is a cosplay costume designer and is the owner of @hardestycreations on Instagram. He can make any horror costume and does so with the tiniest of details. He has made thousands of replicas for himself and for others, including the soldier Hunk from “Resident Evil”; The Miner from his favorite movie, “My Bloody Valentine”; and a whole assortment of other 1980s slasher film characters from Jason Voorhees to Michael Myers to Freddy Krueger.

The designer is 23; he has been making horror film costumes since he was 15.

He knows it’s the details that sets his work apart.

“I work with high-end movie materials … and I’ve learned how to use very expensive, good-grade chemicals, resin and silicone,” Hardesty said. “If I wanted to make a stunt knife that someone could use as a prop and not hurt themselves … I could make a real one and cast it in resin or rubber, and they can use it for cosplay or if they want to make a short film.”

He said he can make any costume requested.

A sewing machine sits at the ready for the outfits he makes from cloth. He learned how to blacksmith so he can forge metal. He studied leathercrafting so he can make belts and straps. He does molding and casting. His paint techniques include airbrushing, hand brushing and spray painting. He knows how to destroy a costume to make it look weathered; sandpaper works great.

A 3D printer allowed him to make the skull mask for the main character of “Call of Duty: Ghosts.”

“What sets me apart from other cosplayers is I’m an accuracy nut,” Hardesty said. “I want to get my stuff as close to the actual source material as possible.”

Hardesty frequents the MegaCon convention events and finds it’s a great way to show off his handiwork — as well as garner a few sales.

“Someone will come up to me at a (convention), and they’ll see the detail and say, ‘Oh my gosh, you have the blood on the shoes,’” he said.

Those little details do matter. They have helped him sell thousands of his costumes. His most popular one is the soldier from “Resident Evil.”

“I make the whole thing,” Hardesty said. “The armor that he wears is all discontinued military gear from the ’90s. I created my own sewing patterns as close as possible to how the actual soldier would have it.”

For the soldier costumes, Hardesty uses Kevlar and Cordura, the fabrics used for military backpacks, vests, pouches and other accessories.

Hardesty’s designs are so realistic they have won awards. He created The Miner character from “My Bloody Valentine” for someone, who came in first place in a costume contest. One of the judges was a man who bought the original movie outfit at an auction, Hardesty said, so he knew every detail.

“I had a chance to talk to the director and the main actor from the movie,” he said. “They taught me a lot about how that movie was made, and it helped me make my costumes better.”

The length of time it takes Hardesty to create a costume depends on the character, he said.

“For something like Ghost, it’s a lot of sewing involved, and it can take about a week to make the vest and armor. For ‘My Bloody Valentine,’ it’s quicker. I find a 100-year-old gas mask or coveralls … clean it up, refurbish it, and if someone wants blood on it, I’ll splash ‘blood’ on it.”

When it comes to cost, Hardesty offers masks and costumes at various price points, depending on the level of detail the client wants.

A Jason Voorhees mask from the “Friday the 13th” movies is priced at $120. A life-size statue of Tarman from “The Living Dead” costs anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000, depending on detail.

The vintage gas masks Hardesty refurbishes sell for about $650. A full costume with weapons can cost about $1,650, sometimes more. The Hunk soldier costume from “Resident Evil” goes for $2,000, but if the client wants fake gun props, too, the price tag increases to $2,500.

He has been known to reach out to horror film actors and send them gifts.

“The very first lady who gets killed in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’ the original 1974 movie — Leatherface steals her bracelet,” Hardesty said. “I actually messaged (the actress) about it and said, ‘I am a huge fan, and I would love to send you the bracelet.’ She said, ‘Send it!’ I made that exact same bracelet and sent it to her.”

He also created the long ski mask worn in “Prom Night” and sent it to the actor who wore it so he can wear it for fans when he attends conventions.

Hardesty said he receives about 25 commissions each month; he’s currently working on 11. Some requests are small, such as a mask or bracelet, others are more elaborate and time intensive when it’s a full costume the client is buying.

His home in Winter Garden is full of mannequins sporting his handmade costumes and an assortment of masks and weapons adorning tabletops and walls.

“Every day is Halloween at my house,” he said.