Hundreds of art pieces from film and TV on offer in Vancouver special effects artist's estate sale

From aliens to mechanical baby arms, Bill Terezakis could seemingly create anything he set his mind to.

“Anything people need to make a movie,” said Ric Stephens, who worked under Terezakis for 20 years.

“He just has such a great imagination. He’s a great artist.”

Terezakis died last year from a heart attack at the age of 55. He’s been described as a special effects and make-up artist extraordinaire, with his creations used in hit shows and films, including The X-Files, The Twilight Zone and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. He was the founder of WCT Productions in Burnaby.

“Nothing was ever finished,” said Stephens, describing his friend as a perfectionist.

“He always just had to tweak something just a little bit more. You see something from a different angle and you know he had to tweak it to make it better.”

Terezakis’ family has decided to sell most of his work in an estate sale.

“He’s known all over the world,” said Jeff Schwarz, host of The Liquidator and the man hired to run the estate sale.

Schwarz said he’s already received several inquiries about the sale from film fanatics and collectors spanning the globe. He says he’s received calls and emails from people in New York, Los Angeles, Japan and several countries in Europe.

Schwarz believes some items – such as a Freddy Krueger claw and face mold from the film Freddy Vs. Jason – will fetch a small fortune.

“Right now, we’re a week before, we’re having some Freddy pieces already over and above $10,000,” said Schwarz.

He says he’s been blown away by some of the positive messages he’s received from fans praising Terezakis’ work.

“Everybody said this guy’s work is some of the best work they’ve ever seen,” said Schwarz. “The fact that it’s being sold here in Vancouver, Canada is a compliment to Canada, is a compliment to the family and to his name and his legacy.”

“I think everybody thinks highly of him as an artist and a person,” added Stephens.

Stephens added that Terezakis’ family donated many of his X-Files pieces to an X-Files museum in New York set to open this spring.

The estate sale takes place on May 8, but bidding for some items has already begun. For more information on the estate sale, visit the auction website.