Halloween masks sure have come a long way over the years, starting off as charming pieces of plastic with strings and morphing into rubbery works of art that look like they belong on movie sets. Your costume options truly are endless these days, and we hope you’re not taking that for granted.
Bursting onto the scene just a few short years ago, Trick or Treat Studios has quickly become the leading mask-maker in the Halloween game, often recreating looks from our favorite horror films. And this year is their most impressive to date, absolutely loaded with awesomely horrific wearables.
In the hopes of giving you a little Halloween inspiration, here are 10 of Trick or Treat Studios’ best new masks for the 2015 haunting season – all of which make for both great costume starters and equally badass display pieces!
There are few modern movie villains who deserve the right to be called horror icons, but Victor Crowley is definitely one of them. It was nearly 10 years ago that Adam Green gave birth to the hatchet-wielding daddy’s boy in 2006’s Hatchet, and Crowley has since gone on to become a full-blown franchise star – with three films, to date, comprising the Hatchet franchise. This one is special because it’s the first mass-produced Crowley mask that has ever been made available.
Another modern horror icon, despite only appearing in one film to date, is Leslie Vernon, played by Nathan Baesel in 2006’s Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. The meta horror film is one of the most clever and downright brilliant to come along in the last decade, and despite fans latching onto the movie and its villain, a sequel has unfortunately been unable to get off the ground. While we wait, the officially licensed Leslie Vernon mask has finally arrived – made from a flexible resin.
This year has been all about Jaws, the Steven Spielberg classic celebrating its 40th birthday all year long. Not long after swimming back into theaters, Trick or Treat Studios continues the birthday party this month with one of their most unique Halloween masks to date, depicting Bruce the shark in the final moments of the film – right before Sheriff Brody blew the beast into a thousand gory pieces. If you look close enough, you can even see Quint’s undigested hand sticking out of its mouth!
His popularity rising with each passing Halloween season, Trick ‘r Treat‘s adorable pumpkin boy Sam has begun to cross over into the mainstream in a big way, single-handedly representing the holiday in a way that only Michael Myers previously had. Trick or Treat Studios unloaded all sorts of goodies based on Michael Dougherty’s anthology classic this year, including mask and unmasked Sam masks, a complete Sam costume, and even bitten/unbitten prop replica lollipops.
The so-called “Worm-Eyed Zombie” – portrayed by Ottaviano Dell’Acqua – made only a brief appearance in Lucio Fulci’s 1979 gore classic Zombie, but nevertheless has become the literal poster boy for the entire film – as well as one of the most iconic flesh-eaters in the history of horror cinema. Using numerous screenshots, Trick or Treat’s art director Justin Mabry faithfully recreated the look for this ghoulish mask, allowing you to become Fulci’s most memorable zombie.
Werewolf films simply don’t get better than John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London, which first howled at the moon back in 1981. The movie’s makeup effects are a particular highlight, and it was master artist Rick Baker who was responsible for everything from Jack’s undead makeup to the unforgettable transformation scene. Baker officially approved this mask depicting the titular werewolf, and also up for grabs from Trick or Treat are masks based on the Nightmare Demons.
Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that “American Horror Story” has given rise to some of the scariest small screen villains of all time. Last season’s Twisty the Clown is perhaps the most terrifying, and unquestionably one of the creepiest pop culture clowns of them all. This deluxe mask features a removable mouth guard and can be purchased either separately or as part of a full costume. An economy version of the mask is also available, as is the mouth guard by itself.
Speaking of scary clowns, there is of course no shortage of them in the 1988 horror-comedy Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and it’s at the end of the film that we meet the ultimate red-nosed beast known as Klownzilla. This officially licensed mask is based directly on the screen-used mask, and sculptor Mikey Rottela captured every single little detail. Halloween masks based on the various other Klowns have been released in the past, but this is the very first for Klownzilla.
We round out the “scary clown” section of this list with Trick or Treat Studios’ screen-accurate Captain Spaulding mask, depicting Sid Haig as one of his most beloved characters. It’s one of several masks they created in conjunction with Rob Zombie this year, including Otis from both House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects, Ravelli from the former, and Tiny from the latter. A Spaulding makeup kit is also available, along with a full body costume.
The Saw franchise, which to date includes seven installments, is home to some of the gnarliest death traps we’ll likely ever see on the screen, and the “reverse bear trap” is easily the most iconic. Originally appearing in the 2003 short film Saw before being immortalized in the same-named 2004 feature, the trap was designed to literally rip its wearer’s head in half at the mouth, making it the deadliest mask since those nasty Silver Shamrock creations. So be careful with this one.
Which of these masks will you be purchasing this year? Comment below and let us know!