Nightmarish Movie Masks to Keep You Up At Night

Movie Masks Reveal How @#$%ed-Up Slashers Are Inside.

One of the great tropes of horror is that a killer always needs to have a mask and the creepier the better. Of course, even though it’s a trope that doesn’t mean it’s always done well and only a few have managed to make their ways into our nightmares over the years. That’s why this week I’ve decided to take a look back at some of the greatest and truly disturbing movie masks from over the years. Some of the greatest horror icons in history owe their popularity not just to their terrifying acts of brutality, but to their masks which scream “don’t touch!” While most of the picks worth mentioning are from horror, that isn’t a prerequisite for a truly terrifying maks (but it certainly helps). Despite the fact that characters like Darth Vader and V from V for Vendetta might have iconic maks, I’m sticking with the ones that are legitimately frightening. So, get ready for some sleepless nights because these masks will haunt you.

Jason- The Friday the 13th Franchise

Kicking things off is a masked killer with a love of hockey. While a goalies mask might not be the scariest thing we’ve ever seen there’s something unsettling about it, especially when there are some liberties taken with the details. Maybe that’s why Taiwan decided to model their Special Forces masks after the look of this big screen slasher. Of course, Jason didn’t start with a hockey mask. In Friday the 13th pt 2 he actually wore a burlap sack over his head with an eye hole. After that, though he did adopt the goalie look and it didn’t change that much over the years (except in the travesty that was Jason X). For my money though, his best mask was in Freddy vs Jason. The weathered look definitely upped the creepy factor for him and manages to make an impression in one of the longest-running horror franchises of all time.

Michael Myers- The Halloween Franchise

There’s a huge rivalry between fans of the horror trinity of Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers. While Jason might have a higher kill count, Michael Myers has a far more nightmarish mask. It’s actually a William Shatner painted completely white. The first time I saw it on screen it really sent shivers down my spine. However, over the years there have been some less than stellar versions of it that have made it onto the big screen. Halloween H2O and Halloween Resurrection were especially bad versions and made Myers downright laughable. Even the Rob Zombie version felt like it was trying just a little too hard. The original is an instant classic, but the one seen in the 2018 Halloween just might be the best version to date.

Frank- Donnie Darko

Not every scary mask is from a horror film. The surreal cerebral thriller Donny Darko features a character in a truly bizarre costume. Of course, I’m talking about Frank who looks like a twisted version of Jimmy Stewart’s Harvey. Frank doesn’t seem to bear any ill will towards the characters in Donnie Darko, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t cross the street if I saw him walking towards me. Taking something as harmless as a rabbit and twisting its features is a great way to make a statement and that’s exactly what Frank does. He might not be the scariest character on this list, but he’s definitely a memorable one thanks to that “stupid bunny suit” he’s wearing.

Tie: Dr. Decker from Nightbreed and The Collector from The Collector and The Collection

There’ a tie on here because the masks worn by Dr. Phillip K. Decker and The Collector are actually pretty similar and incredibly disturbing. There are some definite differences though. Deckar’s maks has buttons for eyes and a zipper over the mouth, while The Collector’s is much darker. Still, they both have a spiral-esque quality, almost as if the flesh were being twisted. It’s hard to decide on a clear winner between the two, especially because if I see anyone wearing a mask like that, I’m not going to stick around to find out what they want. Nightbreed is definitely a cult classic, which more than qualifies Deckar for this list, especially because he proves to be so memorable among a sea of literal monsters. However, he’s got nothing on the sick and twisted mind lurking beneath The Collector’s mask. So the real winner between these two has to be the audience.

The Purgers- The Purge Franchise

One of the staples of The Purge franchise are the masks worn by red-blooded American’s exercising their right to be total monsters. It’s hard to narrow it down to just one mask from the series, but I’ve narrowed it down to a few. From the first Purge movie, we have the polite leader who wears a caricature of the 1% who love holding the rest of us down. Tan with a big old smile filled with pearly white teeth and perfect blonde hair. From The Purge: Anarchy we have “God” whose mask features a creepy do it yourself aspect. In Election Year there’s the Statue of Liberty which features neon X’s over the eyes. The First Purge didn’t really have too many memorable masks since it’s the weakest entry of them all. Still, three is pretty good and it was actually really hard just narrowing them down to this.

Smiley- Smiley

Despite the fact that Smiley is a pretty terrible movie, the mask that the killer wears in it is the stuff of nightmares. It’s a twisted version of an emoticon showing the blurring lines between real and digital life. In the film, Smiley is a sort of digital version of Candyman who comes for those who dare summon him by typing “I did it for the lulz” three times. As I said, it’s a pretty terrible movie, which is a shame because it’s such an insanely creepy mask. The bloody smile and eye slits are the only features in a disturbingly realistic flesh-like face and the fact that it’s always starring out from a computer screen only manages to make it all the scarier. That being said, the movie almost doesn’t make it worth the maks. Still, it’s definitely worth mentioning this movie mask for the design alone.

Leather Face- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Franchise

When it comes to big screen slashers, Leatherface might not be the most impressive of them, but that doesn’t stop him from being one of the most nightmarish characters to ever appear on the big screen. This is because his masks are actually made from human faces that once belonged to his victims. According to director Tobe Hooper, the masks determined who he wanted to be that day, so he had a number of them stashed away in his room. Despite the fact that his more recent movies were nightmares for all the wrong reasons, it’s the maks from Texas Chainsaw 3D that I consider the most disturbing. It’s worn down to the point of nearly being unrecognizable which is incredibly disturbing for a number of different reasons. The materials he uses alone make him one of the most terrifying murderers in movie history.

There are a ton of other great and creepy movie masks out there and if you have one that you found especially nightmarish than be sure to leave a comment below. I’ll also be updating this list from time to time as horror movies introduced new and exciting slashers for our viewing pleasure, so be sure to check back from time to time.