How was this scene with a zombie getting its head cut off by helicopter rotors filmed?

Question

I saw this scene from the movie Dawn of the Dead (1978) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G94NOyLF7U How was this scene shot with the helicopter rotors? How did they ensure the actor's safety?

Answer 1

Nothing in movies is the way it seems. Notice that in the wide shot where the zombie is getting his head "chopped", you can't really see the rotors of the helicopter. This is most likely due to the fact that they are not rotating at all, you can just hear the sound of them. All that's left is to pull a wig with a fishing wire and pump some fake blood and you're good to go. Since the filmmakers wanted to make sure the audience understands what happened, the pilot can be seen looking up, as if explaining to the audience that it was the rotors.