There are infinite options when it comes to seeing masks in movies. Masks can be creepy, designed in grotesque or disturbing ways, with faces frozen in time. They can be dramatic, mysterious, and suspenseful, hiding the wearer's identity. They can also be iconic, lodging themselves into the cultural lexicon.
It's these elements that the horror genre has tapped into for generations, and not just to get their actors ready for a role. When a character in a film dons a mask, from Batman to Jason, they mean business. Even a simple hockey mask or a William Shatner revamp can launch a horror franchise.
Not all disguises, however, are made equal. Here are some instances of the best masks worn by characters in horror movies, ranked.
Update October 30, 2023: Looking for a last-minute Halloween costume? This article has been updated with more great horror movie masks that will help you decide on your Halloween costume and also where you can stream the movies they originate from.
12 The Canker Man Face - Hush (2016)
The masked murderer in Hush is made scarier by the fact that he can take the mask off without fear. Early on in Mike Flanagan's great movie (which is, incidentally, one of the best horror movies of the 2010s), the wearer encounters a protagonist who can neither see nor hear him. She pleads with him, saying that she couldn't tell a soul even if she wanted to because she didn't see his face. He immediately reveals himself, removing the mask in order to make her death seem essential.
This mask itself is simple, but scary. Throughout the movie, the light reflecting on his icy white mask and his reflections in the windows and mirrors make a plain mask truly and thoroughly horrifying.
Stream on Tubi
11 Sam's Burlap Hood - Trick ‘r’ Treat (2007)
Trick 'r' Treat is an anthology film that takes place on what else but All Hallows Eve, aka Halloween night. At the head of it all is Sam, a seemingly inconspicuous trick-or-treater and sprite-like enforcer of all things scare-tastic. Much like Santa Claus, his job is to decide who's been naughty and, ahem, punish them appropriately. There are rules, you know.
Evil children are way scarier than bloodthirsty adults, particularly when they just won't die. Imagine pulling off Sam's simple burlap mask to see what amounts to little more than a demonic, embryonic pumpkin head. This might be one of the few times when leaving the mask right where you left it is the less scary option.
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10 Dr. Lecter's Silence of the Lambs
This brings us to human meat enthusiast Dr. Lecter from Silence of the Lambs. Knowing the gruesome details of Dr. Hannibal Lecter's murders sends a chill down anyone's spine, but seeing him in a mask that must cover his mouth because might take a bite out of the people around him is downright bloodcurdling. If that isn't scary enough, something about the bars over his mouth opening really solidifies his stay behind bars.
Much like Jason, Lecter's mask was also inspired by hockey. This one, however, was made special by artist, sculptor, and Registered Nurse Ed Cubberly, who would go on to become a seasoned pro at making goalie masks for the NHL.
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9 Man In The Mask, Dollface, and Pin-Up Girl - The Strangers (2008)
At a secluded house in the middle of the night, anyone unexpected at the door is unnerving, but three masked intruders will surely put a damper on anyone's getaway. This, however, is exactly what happens in The Strangers.
Loosely inspired by true events, The Strangershas not one, not two, but three masked figures, each with a different shabby chic aesthetic. A burlap sack with cutouts for eyes and a line for the mouth is classically scary, but the Dollface and Pin-up masks add a sinister element to the trio. Their rouged cheeks and wide eyes make them look dainty and innocent in spite of the grim conditions, while the Man in the Mask's velvet suit adds an almost old-time air to their shenanigans.
Stream on Netflix
8 The Pig Mask - Saw (2004)
While the goriest horrors of the Saw franchise are in just how that gore is utilized for its increasingly creative and cruel deaths, the mask it's killer/killer(s) wear is not one to be overlooked. An obvious metaphor for vice and greed, it also allows for John Kramer (also known as The Jigsaw Killer or just Jigsaw) and his followers a modicum of privacy.
While the first pig mask in the franchise was quite cheap, throughout the progression of the movies, they got more and more realistic and just as terrifying with each new iteration.
Stream on Prime Video
7 Pluto and Jackson - Us (2019)
As if the idea that there is a tethered replica of everyone living below the world with a spiteful vengeance wasn't scary enough, Jordan Peele suspended his replica reveal through the use of some truly unique and terrifying. While each of the masks is disturbing in Us, the creepiest of all have to be those of Pluto and Jason.
Scary children are unbearable to begin with, but in a mask, all bets are off. Pluto's mask looks like that of a burn victim. He removes it to reveal his identical appearance to Jason, who, while not sinister, still looks very unsettling in his own mask. This sets up the later reveal that the mother, Adelaide, wears an all too real mask of her own having impersonated the original Adelaide for years.
Stream on Peacock or Netflix
6 Smiling Masks - The Purge (2013)
The best masks take inspiration from the stories they tell, and this is no exception. The Purge franchise is a commentary on just how inhuman humanity can be when given the right push. It's only fitting that the scariest masks on purge night are those that look almost human.
Wide smiles, rigid features, and dark eyes would make nearly any human face look monstrous. Their caricature of normalcy, however, is what makes them special, particularly in an environment where your everyday neighbor next store might be the one doing the killing. While the series is no stranger to meaningful masks, To see a maliciously smiling face as a purge victim's last sight has to be one of the most terrifying things underscores to death in this world.
Stream on Peacock
5 The Grabber Mask - The Black Phone (2022)
The iconic mask worn be Ethan Hawke as The Grabber in The Black Phone caught the imagination of audiences everywhere upon the release of its very first still. Filmmaker Scott Derrickson of Sinister and Doctor Strange knew that getting the mask right would be a make it or break it moment for the film. It's no wonder he wound up going with two of the best in the business - Legendary makeup artist Tom Savini is no stranger to iconic horror looks (his innumerable credits include Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th) and neither is his Pittsburgh-based Callosum Studios co-founder Jason Baker.
Said Baker of the first fitting,
"Ethan is so sweet and accommodating. I show up and Ethan's got, like, a soy latte and a vegan muffin for me. Then he puts the masks on, and all of a sudden things start to click, you can see gears start to turn, and I'm like, I know I made this but I don't like it and I want to leave. It's broad daylight and he's doing little maneuvers and whispering and talking. I was like: This is terrifying."
Perhaps one of the more startling elements of The Grabber (besides his propensity to kidnap and kill children) is his ability to emote using only his masks, changing them out to fit his mood. One moment, he's wearing the forehead piece, the next the mouthpiece is back again. Even creepier, perhaps is that each piece comes with its own set of facial expressions, a cruel Mr. Potato Head of sorts.
In doing this, he also breaks a cardinal horror movie rule by constantly changing out and removing parts of his mask to fit his mood, even if it doesn't serve his goals (while chasing a pint-sized escapee, for example). He's less worried about keeping his identity safe, preferring the method that instills the most fear in his victims instead. Talk about multiple personalities!
4 Leatherface's Killing Mask, Pretty Woman Mask, and Old Lady Mask - Texas Chain Saw Massacre - (1974)
Speaking of which... They don't call him Leatherface for nothing. Arguably the scariest of all horror movie masks belongs to Texas Chain Saw Massacre main antagonist. This film, which is about a cannibalistic family hunting down their young prey, shows Leatherface transitioning from masks made of animal hides to human skin in order to hide his deformed face. He doesn't just kill people - he wears his victim's skin like a trophy. As if that weren't terrifying enough, his personality seems to change with each new face, from "Killing Mask", "Old Lady Mask" and "Pretty Woman Mask".
The fact that Leatherface and his crimes are loosely based on those of real life serial killers, including Wisconsin murderer and human meat enthusiast Ed Gein, makes this mask even more horrifying to conceptualize.
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3 Michael Myers - Halloween (1978)
Michael Myers of Halloween fame is one tough person to kill and just as hard, if not harder, to outrun, even at his menacing pace. Looking back while running away is sure to burn that expressionless face into the victims' brains if only they lived long enough for his terrifying mug to haunt them.
In the words of Dr. Samuel Loomis,
"I was told there was nothing left; no reason, no conscience, no understanding in even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. I met this... six-year-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and... the blackest eyes - the Devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up, because I realized that what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil."
This seemingly basic mask did all that and more. John Carpenter left the design up to Tommy Lee Wallace, who purchased a $2 William Shatner mask and spray-painted it white. After messing with the eyeholes and hairline a bit, his simple masterpiece was finished. This work of brilliance has been nearly impossible to replicate ever since.
What does the great William Shatner have to say about all this? Apparently, he thought it was a joke at first but has since embraced it, even taking his children trick-or-treating while wearing it one year.
Stream on AMC+ and Shudder
2 Jason's Hockey Mask - Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
Nearly every year in the 80s had its own version of Jason. The Friday the 13th franchise had every kid at summer camp looking over their shoulder for a simple hockey mask, which was traditionally worn by goalies at the time. Perhaps the ease of access was one of the reasons why there were so many of them!
Interestingly enough, it wasn't until the third film, Friday the 13th Part III, that Jason and his iconic mask made their first appearance. While seen briefly at the end of the first, his appearance was more Black Lagoon than sharp-wielding killer at the time. In the second, he wore a burlap sack with a single eyehole. It wasn't until Part 3 that he began to stylize his look.
The mask has changed as Jason has transitioned to wilder and wilder locales, but the original is still an oldie but goodie. It doesn't matter if someone has seen this movie a million times or only seen a trailer — this mask has the ability to take the air from someone's lungs in two seconds flat. When it comes to iconic horror mask, Jason's hockey mask is known the world over.
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1 The Ghostface Mask - Scream (1996)
While Scream is slasher royalty, the mask was not made for the modern horror classic. In fact, finding a mask proved a Herculean effort for the crew until they stumbled upon this one in a box in a garage while location scouting. In a classic case of not fixing what ain't broke, after trying and failing to replicate a better version, Wes Craven gave up and bought the rights to use this one in the film. Needless to say, the result was a success both for the film and for the company that owned it.
Created by Brigitte Sleiertin, it was meant to emulate a mix of Mucnh's The Scream, Pink Floyd's The Wall and Betty Boop cartoons. The darkness behind the eyes and mouth is forever unsettling. However, what perhaps makes this a perfect fit for this film is its easy accessibility - it was something a teenager looking to start a killing spree could easily get their hands on.
More so than any other mask in horror, the Scream mask is vital to the stories as the killer in each film changes, but the mask stays the same. This is the franchise where the mask is key. A dark reflection of Spider-Man's "anyone can wear the mask". Scream is the most iconic horror movie mask.
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