Whether or not you like “The Purge” movie series, the third film in the franchise entitled “Election Year” is on its way and looks to be pumping up the schlock we saw from the first two films. The wise move the studios have taken is placing better, and larger emphases on the villains and purgers of the film, rather than just giving us posters with the protagonists. The villains have been the most eye catching aspect of “The Purge” series mainly because they always have the best face paint and masks. In honor of the excellent one sheet recently released, I thought I’d narrow down my top five favorite movie masks of all time. It wasn’t an easy feat, but it sure is a fun one.
What are some of your favorite movie masks of all time? Let me know in the comments.
5. “You’re Next” Hunters
I love this film, and one of the big appeals of it is the haunting masks of the mysterious killers that stalk our protagonists throughout. All male, the killers garner their own hunting weapons and bear their unique white masks that resemble a wolf, a lamb, and a tiger. Their facades along with their shadowy figures is one of the bigger elements of “You’re Next” that made is such a fascination among horror buffs, and these masks are brilliant.
4. The Shape, Michael Myers
Everyone knows that the Michael Myers mask is a really cheap William Shatner mask that was altered for “Halloween.” The white spray paint, wily hair, and big eye holes make Michael Myers a blank and unforgiving menace to Haddonfield on Halloween night, and are one of the most haunting visages in horror history. Simplicity is the key, sometimes.
3. Jason Voorhees
This is one of the few items of pop culture you can copy without facing too much legal repercussions, mainly because Jason’s mask is so broad and yet so recognizable. You can mimic it but it’s easily remembered as the Jason mask. Look no further for examples in the game “Splatterhouse,” or in the finale of “Looney Tunes How I Spent My Vacation.” The hockey goalie mask was so common in the eighties and early nineties, you almost expected to see it in a TV show or cartoon at some point. In either case, my favorite Jason mask is from “Jason Lives.” It’s simple, discolored, and carries over from “The Final Chapter.”
2. Predator
Whodathunk there are such an ugly mug under such a cool and sleek mask in “Predator”? For most of the film, the predator stalking the platoon of mercenaries is mysterious, enigmatic, and deadly, mostly remaining in the shadows and keeping stealth with its cloaking technology. When we finally do see it, its war fatigues are sleek with a brilliant silver that we’d learn is shared by others of its ilk. The mask is has become synonymous with the movie series, and hides a more disturbing hunter underneath.
1. Darth Vader
Ralph McQuarrie’s design for the iconic villain of “Star Wars” is one of the most recognizable images in pop culture history. Darth Vader has come to represent everything about “Star Wars” from innocence turned to evil, and evil redeeming itself in the end. Not to mention he’s one of the major components of the Skywalker family, of which the original “Star Wars” trilogy revolves around.
Vader is mostly machine and bits of a man who was once a hero, and is now distorted by a expressionless black mask, wide unforgiving eyes, and a cloak that works as a subliminal reminder of his ability for evil and cruelty. Not even the constant edits and watering down by Lucas in the past has snuffed out Vader’s reputation for power, dominance, and darkness.