While plenty of horror movie villains let their faces be seen by the world, there is something especially chilling about a killer who hides behind a mask. These horror movie killers have become icons of the genre, although their real faces remain under these inhuman visages. Of course, that only adds to how memorable they are.
The Halloween season has many fans looking at their favorite horror movies, and a good mask is also a big part of this time of the year. Out of all the masked killers of the genre, some legends truly stand out above the rest. There are certainly a lot of other aspects that make these particular villains so memorable, but the masks are key to their terrifying reputations.
The Strangers
The Strangers actually offers fans three masked killers in one movie. The Strangers is one of the most chilling home invasion horror movies, following a couple who are terrorized by a trio of masked people at their remote cabin. While the recent entries into The Strangers franchise have been disappointing, the original remains an intense horror gem.
Part of the terror of the movie comes from the randomness of the brutal attacks. These are not supernatural killers, but real people who simply chose to kill this couple on a whim. As such, the emotionless and generic masks work wonderfully to highlight their cold-blooded nature.
Leatherface
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is one of the longest-running in horror movie history, and its gruesome villain remains a staple of the genre. Leatherface is the brutal and vicious member of a sadistic family that preys on any tourist unlikely enough to enter their rural community. His choice of weapon, a rusty chainsaw, adds to his menace, as does his mask.
It is safe to say that Leatherface has the most gruesome mask of all these horror icons. It is a monstrous face sewn from the skin of his victims. It looks terrifying, but it also immediately highlights the twisted and merciless way he treats his victims.
Ghostface
Scream remains one of the great horror movies of the ‘90s and the movie that likely single-handedly saved the slasher genre. As it offers a lot of meta commentary on the genre itself, it is not surprising that it features a masked killer of its own. As simple as Ghostface’s mask is, it has remained an instantly recognizable horror movie symbol.
What is special about Ghostface compared to these other masked killers is that the mask is actually meant to hide the killer’s identity. Throughout the Scream franchise, there have been multiple Ghostface killers, and their hidden identity adds a fun whodunnit aspect to these movies.
Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees helped to ensure that no one ever saw the old hockey goalie masks the same ever again. The machete-wielding killer of the Friday the 13th franchise is a supernatural brute who is seemingly impossible to kill and stalks his victims with unrelenting purpose. And while the face hiding underneath is terrifying in its own way, the hockey mask remains ever more effective.
Notably, this iconic look for the character was introduced in the franchise only in its second sequel. However, it quickly became the signature for the character and has remained intact throughout the rest of the long-running franchise.
Michael Myers
It makes sense that, Halloween, the movie often credited with popularizing the slasher movie genre, would also deliver the best masked killer. Michael Myers is another killer of few words who lets his butcher’s knife and his expressionless mask do all the talking. Given that Michael is meant to be pure evil in human form, the mask is very effective.
As many die-hard fans already know, the mask has some interesting origins, as it is simply a Captain Kirk mask turned inside out. As silly as that might sound, the results cannot be denied. Michael’s face has largely remained unseen throughout every Halloween movie, but that mask has become one of the most chilling images in pop culture.
Get ready for more Halloween content coming to FlickSided.