WARNING! Unhinged Special FX Makeup Instructor abuses his students (Vancouver)
Hi, I wanted to share my experience in case anyone is considering taking a course with Dallas Harvey at Vancouver FX in Vancouver BC.
I attended one of his mask-making classes on May 27, 2026, and had a very upsetting experience with him that left me and the class feeling unsafe. He canceled the class and is now refusing refund requests.
During the class, Dallas Harvey of Vancouver FX arrived late and appeared to have been drinking, as he smelled strongly of alcohol and was out of sorts. Throughout the evening, he repeatedly spoke to students in a hostile and demeaning manner. Among other things, he publicly shamed a student, referring to her personal mask design by saying, "This is embarrassing and shameful. I'm shaming you right now," and later smashed a student's work on the floor and said "figure it out!" and then called the class "the most boring f*cking class" he'd ever had, and told us, "I don't give a shit if you think I'm being mean. This is how the industry is. You're all a bunch of babies." He then starting crying and his assistant had to take him out of the class for around 30 minutes to calm him down. When he returned...his tyraney continued.
Everyone in the room, consisting of mostly young women, were there because they wanted to learn. It was a paid ($1000+) educational course, and the atmosphere became uncomfortable and intimidating... I left feeling genuinely unsafe and have decided not to return, but he eventually cancelled the class moving forward, left a very empty, copy and paste apology/excuse in all of our inboxes.
It's unfortunate because I enjoyed a previous class and expected a professional learning environment. Instead, this experience was the complete opposite... He was verbally abusive and it was unacceptable behavior. Because students have been leaving bad reviews to try and warn the community, he is now refusing refunds to the students.
I'm sharing this so others can make an informed decision before spending their money with him. I believe he should not be allowed to instruct. He is unfit.
I have since reached out to many people in the SFX Makeup community who have reported similar, negative experiences with Dallas. He refuses to take accountability and there's been reports of similar behavior from a decade ago!
If anyone else attended that class or has had a similar experience, I'd be interested in hearing from you.