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Michael Myers' mask or The Shape is a white mask worn by Michael Myers in the Halloween series.

In each film, the mask is different but it usually features the same characteristic: a blank, expressionless white latex face.

History

In 1978, during the making of the original Halloween, the prop department was faced with the daunting task of finding a frightening mask that the villain could wear. Tommy Lee Wallace chose FOUR masks to complete Michael Myers. The first option was a Don Post Emmett Kelly clown mask to which they added frizzy red hair. This would be a callback to how Michael killed his sister, Judith, in a clown costume. They tested it out and it appeared featureless and creepy. The other mask was a 1975 William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk mask that was purchased for around two dollars, a 1975 Mr. Spock mask and a former U.S. president Richard Nixon mask. The Capt. Kirk mask was chosen due to its appearance of having no real facial features that could be easily made out.

The production crew removed the eyebrows and sideburns, the face was painted flat white, the hair was teased out, and the eyes were opened up and reshaped with scissors. This info can be found in the Halloween: The Inside Story. They tested out the Capt. Kirk mask and the crew decided that it was much more creepy because it was emotionless, much like Michael himself. This became the Michael Myers mask. Since then, every mask used in the films have been modeled after this design. William Shatner admitted that for years he had no idea his likeness was used for this film. It was only during an interview that someone mentioned his mask was being used. He has since stated that he is honored by this gesture.

Halloween and Halloween II

Original michael myers mask

Original Michael Myers mask

Main article: The Shape Mask

Michael obtains the mask as just one of many items stolen from Nichol's Hardware Store the night of his escape from Smith's Grove Sanitarium. The mask was later destroyed in the fire at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital.

In Halloween II (1981), Michael wears the same mask from the first Halloween, but it looks different in the sequel because the paint had faded for various reasons. First, Nick Castle, the original Michael, had kept the mask in his back pocket during shoots. Also, Debra Hill kept the mask under her bed for several years until the filming of Halloween II, causing it to collect dust and yellow because Hill was a heavy smoker. The mask appears to have red hair (having apparently been spray-painted again) and also seems wider because Dick Warlock is shorter and stockier than Nick Castle, so the mask fit his head differently. Warlock claims that because the producers expected Halloween II to be the last film in the series, they let him keep the costume.

However, by the time of Halloween 4's production, they realized that they made a mistake and never again let cast and crew take props from the set, therefore subsequent sequels used different masks that looked rather different. Warlock sold the deteriorating mask, knife, scalpel, boots and jumpsuit he wore in Halloween II to a Haunted House owner in Ohio in 2003.

Halloween 4

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H4 mask.

Main article: H4 Mask

The Halloween 4 mask was created to replicate the effect of the original white, blank mask, looking very similar to William Shatner. However, it received a largely negative response from audiences. Many say that the H4 mask was too blank to the point of being boring and gave Michael an almost quizzical expression. The mask's problems were its pursed lips, more prominent eyebrows, and slicker hairstyle, overall a significant deviation from the original.

Michael awakens from his coma covered in gauze bandages from Ridgemont. As soon as he reaches Haddonfield, Illinois, he goes to Vincent Drug Store where he steals another "Shape" mask.

Several scenes were re-shot with a replacement mask, which had long blonde hair not yet made brown. The blonde mask looks closer to the original and appears in the school scene.

Variants

  • Hero
  • Reshoot blonde type

Halloween 5

Don3

H5 mask.

Main article: H5 Mask

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers introduced a 'different' look to the Shape mask. Michael awakens from a coma one year after the events of Halloween 4, and a 'Shape' mask is hanging on a wall in the shack of a local Hermit (supposedly the same one as H4, though the masks are clearly different). He acquires his mask and murders the Hermit.

Halloween 5's mask features lengthy light brown hair, thick rubber and odd, tear-like eye shapes. The mask also is held together by Velcro, making it appear unkempt and shoddy. The H5 mask received a negative reaction, mainly because it gave Michael an angrier look rather than a sociopathic one. Like the last film's mask, the eyebrows in this one were heavily criticized, along with the eye shapes.

Halloween 6

Wilburh6 (1)

H6 mask.

Main article: H6 Mask

It is not explained in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers or shown in any scene how Michael obtains his mask. Despite looking different from the two previous films' masks, it may be the same one, which was still intact at the end of H5. Some believe the followers of Thorn especially designed this mask for him, but it is possible he merely stole it from another store.

During production, improper storage destroyed the Curse masks, leaving only two remaining.

The Curse mask received a much better reaction, with many praising how similar it looked to the original one, although the hair was seen by some as "too messy".

H20 timeline

Durand2

H20 mask.

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Resurrection mask.

Main article: H20 masks

These two films do not show any scenes of Michael obtaining his mask, but it is assumed that they are the same ones from that he stole from the dumpster.

While the H20 mask was applauded for trying to look more like the original film's, it was ultimately disliked by audiences, due in no small part to the fact that there were four masks used in production. The hero mask, however, was lambasted for being too tight (Michael's eyes are often clearly visible), awkward-looking, and with a different hairstyle.

The Resurrection mask is usually regarded as the best mask of the sequels besides part 6. It was nearly identical to the original mask and evoked intense emotion, but it did not escape criticism. The Resurrection mask was criticized for showing too much emotion due to its distinct nasolabial folds, although it got a largely positive response.

Variants

  • KNB Stan Winston mask (H20)
  • H20 Hero mask
  • CGI H20 mask
  • Resurrection hero mask
  • Resurrection burned mask

Rob Zombie's Halloween and Halloween II

MMTothMask

Halloween remake mask

Main article: Remake Masks

The remake Michael obtains the mask from Judith's boyfriend, Steve after he brings it to their house. Michael dons the mask just before he murders Judith. Before his mother comes home, Michael hides both the mask and a knife under the floorboards in his basement. Fifteen years later, he escapes from Smith's Grove and travels to his old house, getting the mask and knife. While the mask is still wearable, the years of neglect have dried out the latex and made it worn and cracked.

In Halloween II, the mask is the same one he wore in the previous film, but it has larger cracks, tears and blood. Michael's beard is now visible through the latex. A portion of it is missing; half of it is later ripped off by Misty Dawn.

Trivia

  • In the opening sequence of the 1998 film Bride of Chucky, Michael's mask, Jason's hockey mask, Leatherface's chainsaw and Freddy's glove can be found in a locker.

Gallery

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