Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Maskaphobia, or the fear of masks, is one of the more commonly held phobias, especially in children (though it should not be confused with masklophobia, which is the fear of mascots). Considering that masks have been around since at least 7000 BC, its safe to say that our collective fears of people who choose to obscure and/or distort their facial features is deeply embedded within our DNA. Those who like to spin scary stories have long recognized that masks are a surefire method in which to instantly infuse a creeping sense of mystery or dread into any situation, which is why there have been so many iconic masks in horror films over the years.
With the premiere of the new Fox television show Scream Queens on the immediate horizon (it premieres on Tuesday, September 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and features a masked killer known only as the Red Devil), we decided to take a look back at some of the most terrifying masked maniacs in pop culture history. We highly recommend you peruse this list during the daylight hours; once the sun goes down, we cannot be held responsible for any difficulty that you may have falling asleep with these masks bouncing around your prefrontal cortex.
The second short of the original V/H/S found footage series is called "Second Honeymoon," and involves the truly horrifying practice of creepy-crawling. For the unfamiliar, creepy crawling is when you sneak into an unsuspecting person's home, usually while the homeowners are asleep, and subtly re-arrange things around the household as a way to subject the victims to paranoia and slow-burn insanity. (This was something the Manson family did regularly, btw.) Anyhoo, there is some creepy creepy crawling going on here, perpetrated by this lady in the mask. (The hair on my arms stands up just thinking about this short ... YIKES!)
[Where to stream V/H/S]Photo: Everett Collection
Cults are scary. People in cults are scarier. People who wear animal masks in cults are the scariest. (Whatever you do, avoid the Nicolas Cage version and instead seek out the 1973 original. Trust us.)
[Where to stream The Wicker Man]Photo: Everett Collection
I recommend this extremely meta film to everyone I talk to. If you've never heard of it, would you be surprised to hear that it is, in fact, a reboot? Yes, the original Town That Dreaded Sundown was a super low budget horror film from the '70s, and the one thing that the movies share is a killer who wears a burlap sack as a mask. (More on burlap to follow!)
[Where to stream The Town That Dreaded Sundown]Photo: Everett Collection
There's something extremely banal, almost cartoonish, about the masks that the killers in The Purge wear, which, I think, is the reason that they are so freaky.
[Where to stream The Purge]Photo: Everett Collection
I made the mistake of seeing The Strangers when I was out of town on business, which meant that I spent the subsequent few nights not at home in familiar territory, but instead scared out of my wits in a random hotel room in Los Angeles. The masks that the three killers (two of whom are women — change the ratio!) wear are as freaky and random as the reasons that they chose to torture Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman's family.
[Where to stream The Strangers]Photo: Everett Collection
You're Next is a nasty little movie, a description which we intend you to take as praise. It's never really made clear why the band of marauding assassins in director Adam Wingard's film wear animal masks, but you know what? It's actually better that way.
[Where to stream You're Next]Photo: Everett Collection
With the benefit of hindsight, it's fair to say that the Saw franchise's success was entirely undeserved. The first movie had a great twist, but the rest of the franchise was pretty garbage. That is, with the lone exception of the key art for Saw IV, which mixed elements of fairy tales (Little Red Ridign Hood), kinky sexual fetishwear (look at those boots!), and the most terrifying pig mask we have ever seen. (With one exception, that is. Read on, friends!)
[Where to stream Saw]Photo: Everett Collection
Talk about an iconic mask! Admittedly, this Edvard Munch inspired mask was, indeed, inspired (especially at the time of the original's release, but it has lost some of its scariness over the years as the quality of the franchise declined.
[Where to stream Scream]Photo: Everett Collection
Trick 'R Treat is a really underrated horror anthology movie that stars the likes of Anna Paquin, Brian Cox and Dylan Baker. It's worth watching, for sure, if only for the recurring appearances of Sam, the child you see above with the burlap sack mask. Why does this rank above The Town That Dreaded Sundown, you ask? Easy. Child killers are always way freakier than adult ones.
[Where to stream Trick 'R Treat]Photo: Everett Collection
When I was browsing through the video store as a kid in the '80s, I always dreamed of being old enough to rent the movie with the scariest box in the entire store: Motel Hell (well, that and Faces Of Death). When I finally was old enough to rent it, I was very disappointed to learn that the film was mostly a satire and not very scary at all. That said, this pig mask still gives me the jeepers creepers for real.
[Where to stream Motel Hell]Photo: Everett Collection
It doesn't get much more iconic than Jason's hockey mask. That said, when Sports Illustrated is able to come up with a list of 31 scary hockey masks that actual NHL goalies wore during gameplay that are all creepier than what Mr. Voorhees wore, we think you'll find that our ranking here is justified.
[Where to stream Friday The 13th]Photo: Everett Collection
Chances are you have never seen Kill List. If this is indeed the case, you might want to leave it that way, unless of course you enjoy never sleeping again for the rest of your life. The less we say about this film, the better — when we first saw it, we knew NOTHING about it, which in retrospect was the best possible way to watch a movie so recklessly insane — but just know this. When this mask makes its harrowing appearance, it's game over, man. Game. Over.
[Where to stream Kill List]Photo: Everett Collection
Hannibal Lecter is widely acknowledged as one of the all-time great villains of literature, film and, most recently, television. For all of the nightmares that he has given us, though, one moment stands out: When he is wheeled out of his prison cell, hair disheveled and wearing a mask that can best be described as a human muzzle. The wild look in Anthony Hopkins' eyes seals the deal here, reminding us that sometimes you don't have to have your entire face covered up by a mask to get the audience to cover their eyes.
[Where to stream The Silence Of The Lambs]Photo: Everett Collection
You know what's a sickeningly frightening material to make a mask out of? Human skin, that's what. Leatherface became a brand that eclipsed the entire TCSM franchise thanks to the mask that he made after skinning his victims. Even scarier? Leather face was based on the real life serial killer Ed Gein, who also reportedly wore a mask made out of human skin.
[Where to stream The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]Photo: Everett Collection
Michael Myers is, hands down, one of the most terrifying villains in all of horror history. His unlimited reserve of evil is truly frightening, but when you add his mask to the mix —which, we should note, is actually a Star Trek Captain James T. Kirk likeness— you'll never want to go out trick or treating again.
[Where to stream Halloween]Photo: Everett Collection
"Would you like to see my mask?" Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka the Scarecrow, aka Cillian Murphy, uttered this utterly terrifying line during the first of Christopher Nolan's Batman films. What made this mask so scary wasn't so much its materials — the burlap sack has made a few appearances on this list — but that it was accompanied by a healthy dose of fear toxin. The combination of the creepy mask and the psychedelic properties bring each person's worst nightmares —and some creepy crawly maggots— to life.
[Where to stream Batman Begins]Photo: Everett Collection
