3152 – Michael Myers Mask: Halloween movie mask

Physical description:

A large plastic mask. White expressionless face and dark shaggy hair. A copy of the mask worn by the killer Michael Myers in the Halloween films.

Museum classification:

Halloween exhibition

Size:

32cm x 27cm x 19cm

Information:

The movie Halloween was released in 1978 and directed by John Carpenter. A mask similar to this one was worn by the killer - Michael Myers. For the movie, the costume designers bought a real Halloween mask from a costume store. It had been a poor seller as it didn't really look like the person it was supposed to represent - William Shatner (or Captain Kirk in Star Trek). They took the mask, painted the face white and created the expressionless terror that is Michael Myers. Largely as a result of this film, Halloween has become associated with horror films. There have been eight Halloween films in total. In Halloween II, the audience discovers that Michael is motivated to kill because it is Samhain. He believes himself to be a Druid who must kill his family as a blood sacrifice. In Halloween III: Season of the Witch, a Halloween mask maker plans to kill America's children using shards from a stone from Stonehenge. He is also motivated by some sort of Druidic Samhain cult.

N.B: there is no evidence that Druids did any of this!

Resource:

Object

Materials:

Plastic

Copyright ownership:

Universal Studios

The movie Halloween was released in 1978 and directed by John Carpenter. A mask similar to this one was worn by the killer - Michael Myers. For the movie, the costume designers bought a real Halloween mask from a costume store. It had been a poor seller as it didn't really look like the person it was supposed to represent - William Shatner (or Captain Kirk in Star Trek). They took the mask, painted the face white and created the expressionless terror that is Michael Myers. Largely as a result of this film, Halloween has become associated with horror films. There have been eight Halloween films in total. In Halloween II, the audience discovers that Michael is motivated to kill because it is Samhain. He believes himself to be a Druid who must kill his family as a blood sacrifice. In Halloween III: Season of the Witch, a Halloween mask maker plans to kill America's children using shards from a stone from Stonehenge. He is also motivated by some sort of Druidic Samhain cult.

N.B: there is no evidence that Druids did any of this!