As I’ve alluded to before, most recently in my post about the best haunted house attractions, masks freak me out. I think this quote from the Baroness de Pontalba, a character in the book New Orleans Legacy by Alexandra Ripley, comes closest to explaining it:
Something happens to people when they’re masked. They become too free, uncivilized. They may do anything.
I think it’s the uninhibitedness that I sense most –and which scares me most.
So masks just plain friggin’ fraggin’ flip me out.
Growing up, Halloween and Friday the 13th were always high on my list of horror movie faves –not so much because what happened in them was scary. It was all about the masks Michael and Jason wore. Spooooooky…
Actually, it’s the rare horror movie that gets me, but let me tell you, The Strangers really tested my comfort zone. Until that movie came out, it’d been a long time since a creepy mask movie unnerved me like that one did.
As for real life…here’s 14 masks that I think are particularly freaky. Some are oldies but goodies. Some are new-to-me this season.
Do any of them freak you out? (Do masks bother you at all, or are you able to rationalize there’s got to be a real person behind it? Something I have trouble doing, sadly…)
Lord of the Rings Witch King Mask (It’s not really that bad, but I know my heart would race if I met up with someone wearing it!)
Nun Mask (I don’t know why, it just bugs me. )
Male Oldie Old Man Mask (This reminds me of one of the chainsaw wielding goons that chased me through the scare zone at Halloween Horror Nights.)
Slipknot Latex Full-Face Mask
Day of the Dead Dr. Tongue Mask
Schell Shocked (Jordu Schell) Ghoulish Mask
That’s Not Funny White Clown Mask
Sinister Fin Skull Halloween Mask
Twosome Gruesome Halloween Mask
Scarecrow Deluxe Oversized Halloween Mask (I’d for sure have bladder control problems if I saw someone in this one!)
Saw Pig Head Mask (This to me is the scariest of the Saw movie masks.)
Michael Myers Mask Licensed by Movie (An oldie, but a scary goodie!)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Child’s Leatherface Vinyl Mask
(That’s what made this one so scary to me. Could you imagine a mini-Leatherface trick or treating at your door? I’d never open up!)
Killer Kick Ass Wolf (Werewolf Grey) w/ Moving Mouth Action Halloween Mask
(It comes with an almost $200 price tag, but let me tell you…if I saw someone wearing this and the mouth started moving? That almost might be enough to make be believe werewolves were real!)
All of the above masks can be found in the Halloween section of the Haunt Jaunts Emporium.
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
yuck!~ those are disgusting!!
Those are some wickedly scary masks. I don’t want to run into anyone wearing one in a dark alley or anyplace dark.
YAY! I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks they’re disturbing. THX for the comments, ladies!