Often, many an iconic horror villain has been made more memorable by donning a terrifying
mask on their mug.
From Scream to Friday the 13th, these mass murderers and sinister sleuths have used masks
as a way to conceal their identity, and in their animosity, have become even more fearful
to audiences and the characters they hunt alike.
Masks have an in depth history rooted in rituals and ceremonies in cultures all across the
globe, so it’s no surprise that cinema has a long running trend masking their killers
in the horror genre.
So today, we’re counting down our picks for the top 5 scariest masks in films.
And unfortunately, we won’t be including the 2004 epic odyssey White Chicks on this
list, even though it’s downright terrifying.
Sorry guys.
5 Jigsaw’s Pig Mask – Saw Anthropomorphic pigs have held a significant
role in the horror genre for decades now.
1980’s Motel Hell may have been the definitive trend setter, arguably, but perhaps the most
memorable is when Jigsaw dons the Pig mask; the outfit he’d wear when abducting his
victims.
In reality, the villain, John Kramer, is an older man suffering from inoperable cancer,
and when he is revealed in the second Saw film, it’s hard to imagine him capable of
the sinister acts he pulls off.
But in the first Saw movie, nothing is more horrific than when he appears in his Pig mask.
In addition to the mask, filmmakers also gave the costume a hood and long matted-looking
black hair to tie the look together.
4 Frank – Donnie Darko Most people wouldn’t classify Donnie Darko
as a horror film, but it definitely has a handful of eerie and unsettling moments.
And a big part of that eeriness is thanks to Frank the Rabbit, the anti-hero who manipulates
and guides Donnie to correct the timeline of his universe, ultimately leading to Donnie’s
death.
Despite his goals being noble, he’s one hell of a sinister looking figure.
When Donnie asks him about his costume, Frank removes his mask to reveal that he has a bullet
hole in his right eye.
It’s later revealed that he’s Donnie’s older sister’s boyfriend who runs over Donnie’s
girlfriend in the alternate timeline, who Donnie avenges by shooting him in the eye.
Regardless of the mind f**kery, Frank’s mask is without a doubt unsettling, with its
metallic sheen, large grinning teeth, contorted ears and glassy white eyes.
3 Hannibal Lecter - Silence of the Lambs Hannibal’s iconic mask in Silence of the
Lambs is a lesson in how minimalism can sometimes be more frightening than a complex gruesome
aesthetic.
The beauty of Lecter’s mask is in its functionality.
It’s literally preventing Lecter from being able to EAT YOU, amongst other reasons.
It’s a mouth piece that the character wore while in psychiatric care that was meant to
prevent him from hiding any devices in his mouth that could aid him in his escape.
He also had a history of attacking the staff in the ward, having tricked them on several
occasions, one of which led to him removing a nurse’s tongue and eating it.
In addition to that, Anthony Hopkin’s eyes play a major role in selling this simple accessory,
boldly depicting the bat sh*t craziness that Hannibal is capable of all from a look.
2 Leatherface – Texas Chainsaw Massacre Leatherface has had a few iterations of his
mask over the years.
But each and every one of them have been disturbing.
The character’s mask is made up of human skin; a combination of human faces stitched
together in a grotesque and stomach-churning way.
And the worst part is, our pal Leatherface relishes in constructing his mask, and adores
it dearly, making himself a new face because he grew up with a defect and was made fun
of.
Gross.
Actually, I take it back; this is actually the worst part.
While the films aren’t actually based on a true story, the inspiration for the first
1974 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by Tobe Hooper was real life serial killer Ed Gein, who wore
masks that were, surprise surprise, made of real human skin.
He would exhume corpses from local cementaries and would create trophies and keepsakes from
their skin and bones.
As a child, he lived with his family on an isolated farm, and his mother preached the
immorality of the world to him and his brothers, teaching them that all women, except herself
of course, were prostitutes and instruments of the devil.
In 1954 and 1957, Geins killed two women, although would later be found insane.
He also made other objects out of human skin, including a wastebasket, chair seat covers,
a corset, a belt made of human nipples, a lampshade made from a human face and a bunch
of other really disgusting things.
So perhaps the inspiration behind Leatherface is much worse than the movie villain himself.
Yikes.
1 Michael Myers – Halloween What can top a mask made out of human skin?
Michael Myer’s and his mask are pretty inseparable when you think of the iconic killer.
In 1978, John Carpenter gave us Halloween; a film that would drastically change the way
we looked at the genre, and inspire many a horror film that followed its example.
So why does it top our list?
Similar to our Hannibal Lecter number, the mask is simple, but because of that, it’s
also got a characteristic of ambiguity to it, making the villain feel that much more
soulless and cold.
He doesn’t seem human, rather, a shell of a human, and that’s terrifying.
The mask itself has a cool story according to the film’s production.
It was made out of a William Shatner mask that was painted white and altered around
the eyes and hair.
Which is actually kind of hilarious.
There we have it friends!
Which masks in movies do you find to be the scariest?
I know we left out a few major iconic ones, including two that we briefly mentioned in
our intro, so if you’d like us to do a part 2 of this list, make sure to give us a shout
in the comments about it!
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In the meantime, thanks for watching!
I’ll catch you all in the next one!