Editorials
[13 Days of F13] The Masks of Jason Voorhees!
The day is finally here, it’s Friday, February 13th, and New Line Cinema’s remake is now in theaters everywhere. To end our ongoing 13 Days of Friday the 13th, we’ve got a look back at the “The Masks of Jason Voorhees,” which can be viewed beyond the break. You can purchase replicas of your favorite Jason Voorhees masks over at Silver Shampain Novelties.
THE MASKS OF JASON VOORHEES
This is your quick and easy guide to the various masks Jason Voorhees (and his impostors) have worn over the years.
In the first installment Jason wasn’t the killer it was his vengeful mother but he did make a cameo at the end of the film leaping out of the water played by a young Ari Lehman. This time he has no mask but just his hideously deformed face.
This time around Steve Dash plays the adult Jason wearing a bag on his head with one eyehole cut out and a piece of rope tied around his neck. This has become affectionately known as “Sack Head Jason”.
In the third installment Jason played by Richard Brooker obtains his iconic hockey mask from annoying prankster Shelly. For the most part the mask is a dull white with three red triangles and some scuff marks. There is also a little wear on the tip of the nose with an eggshell white showing through. Also on the front of the mask are two extra snaps where more straps could be added but are unused. The mask is undamaged until the end of the film where Jason is hit in the head with an axe. This leaves the famous axe mark repeated in most of the sequels.
Jason is back for the fourth installment this time played by Ted White. The mask is back a little more scuffed up and more wear on the nose. Also blood stained around the famous axe mark. The triangle in the brow area is now half worn off.
This time we are treated to “Imposter Jason” and since this imposter wasn’t a stickler for details we get a new mask with no axe mark. Instead of three red triangles it is missing the brow triangle and has two blue triangles pointing downward instead of upwards. This mask isn’t very scuffed up just dirty. It is also missing the extra unused snaps on the front. We also get the real Jason in some hallucination scenes. Both “Imposter Jason” and “Hallucination Jason” are played by Tom Morga in the mask and Dick Weiand out of the mask. The hallucination mask is modeled after Part 4 but is missing most of the scuff marks and wear. It is more of a dirtied version with the axe mark in tact. One scene the axe mark is clean and later has blood dripping down to the chin.
In Part 6 is where the series became a bit more tongue & cheek and was more about creative kills and less about serious horror. This time the newly resurrected “Zombie Jason” is played by C.J. Graham. This time the mask wasn’t as scuffed up but again very dirty. Also the axe mark got much more narrow. The three red triangles were replaced by just one, the brow triangle. The additional snaps were replaced by useless metal rivets. Another change was the usual black straps were replaced by brown leather ones.
This began the Kane Hodder era of Jason. He would don the mask four films in a row and truly give Jason a personality of his own. This time the mask went back to it’s beaten up look. The axe mark went back to the proper size, the metal rivets & additional snaps were removed and they stayed with the one single brow triangle but this time it was painted a darker red. Also the mask gets some more character in this film thanks to the blade of a motorboat chopping up the left lower side of the mask. In this film Tina uses her powers to snap the hockey mask in half right down the middle leaving him mask less at the end of the film.
In the eighth installment Jason gets a new mask. However this one is yet again very different. This mask has a yellowish tint to it and is sporting the three-triangle look again in its original red color. However the two cheek triangles are now much thinner and pointing outward instead of inward as in the previous films. This mask is also equipped with a new high tech strap configuration attached to the mask with metal rivets and buckles.
This time they went back to the look of the Part 7 mask but even smaller and more beat up. Again they used the single brow triangle painted a darker red and added bullet holes. They made this mask look like the part 7 mask but wore around the edges as if to be repaired with new straps because the area where the new ones were attached to before had broken away. They added brown leather straps attached with two metal rivets each. Also the mask was made smaller to have it appear to be melding into Jason’s actual head.
This would be the last time Hodder played the role of Jason and they really sent him out with a bang. This film did something none of the others (including the 2009 remake) did and that was change the design of the hockey mask. Instead of recasting and retooling the hockey mask like they have done in EVERY other film this one had a brand new original hockey mask design made. This new hockey mask was much smaller and had more of a diamond shape than the previous roundish masks. The biggest change in the sculpture however was that the nose came outward to almost a point and sloped down to the form of the hockey mask. It featured a little of the boat damage and axe damage but was subtle. They went with the single brow triangle in the traditional red color. Another big change was that the straps were attached to the inside of the mask by metal rivets instead of on the outside of the mask like in all the previous films.
Then of course there is the “Cyber-Jason” mask. This is a bad ass design that is part modern day hockey mask meets the original Predator mask. This was a two-piece design that snapped into a back piece near the back of the head.
Now it was Ken Kirzinger’s chance to wear the mask. For this long anticipated show down they went back to the classic shape and style. They did away with the axe mark but gave it a brownish paint job like it was really old and worn. They brought back the classic three-triangle look in proper original placement and color. The big change is the big metal rivets that attach the straps to the front of the mask. In this film this mask goes through a lot of changes as he battles Freddy. Most notable would be the scratch marks made by Freddy’s infamous glove.
It is the new era of Jason Voorhees and stepping into the shoes is Derek Mears. Since this was the reboot of the franchise I was really hoping that they would give Jason a new updated look as Rob Zombie did with Michael Myers’ iconic mask. Well they got it half right in my opinion. I loved the new look of the “Sack Head Jason” in the beginning of the film. It had the traditional look from part two with a new spin having parts of the bag being tied in different directions. With the new hockey mask is where I think they failed. They went back to the exact same mold from every other film (except Jason X). They went to the original three-triangle configuration and color. This time they went for the scuffed up dirty brownish look similar to Freddy Vs Jason but not as dark. They also brought back the two unused metal snaps on the front. The mask has no original features at all. I would have liked to have seen a more modern spin on this mask but I guess unlike Zombie the filmmakers decided to play it safe and stick with a proven winner.
You can purchase replicas of your favorite Jason Voorhees masks over at Silver Shampain Novelties
“It’s Halloween. I guess everyone’s entitled to one good scare,” Sheriff Brackett says in John Carpenter’s Halloween. While the seminal slasher delivered no shortage of creepy moments and well-placed scares, the Halloween movies aren’t the only ones to embrace holiday frights. Whether through subtle moments, gross-out gags, potent jump scares, or phobia-inducing chills, Halloween-set horror offers something for everyone – beyond the iconic franchise.
This Halloween, we look back at ten of the scariest moments in non-Halloween horror movies that take place around the best holiday of the year. Halloween, of course!
The Child – Sentient Jack-o-Lantern
Alicianne has just been hired as housekeeper and caretaker to young Rosalie Nordon, who recently lost her mother. Alicianne soon realizes that Rosalie has a supernatural gift, including zombies at her disposal, and uses it to seek revenge on those who piss her off. Atmospheric dread erupts into Fulci-like chaos on Halloween. Alicianne comes downstairs into the den to find one creepy jack-o-lantern staring her down. It spins around to keep its glowing eyes on her. It’s a small, understated moment of pure spine-tingling creepiness that sets up a wild final act.
You Are Not My Mother – Let’s Dance
Writer/Director Kate Dolan’s Irish folkloric horror takes place around Halloween. It follows a teen whose mother, Angela, goes missing, returning home later without explanation and with an altered personality. What came home might not be her mother but a Changeling. Dolan’s folk horror movie favors psychological chills with a fraught mother/daughter relationship and atmospheric dread over jump scares. Carolyn Bracken delivers an unsettling performance as the Changeling version of Angela, particularly in the scene where Angela beckons her daughter to dance with her in the living room. It begins benign but grows more intense and menacing the more daughter Char gets weirded out by the peculiar behavior.
Something Wicked This Way Comes – Spider Nightmare
Based on Ray Bradbury’s novel of the same name, this kid-friendly horror/dark fantasy film didn’t shy away from getting pretty dark. It certainly had zero qualms about introducing young audiences to arachnophobia, either. Poor Will and Jim learn that not even their bedroom is safe from the terror of Mr. Dark when a crack in the ceiling bulges and splits open, releasing hundreds of tarantulas into the room. They’re everywhere. The floors, crawling up pajama pant legs and squirming beneath bed sheets- the normal respite for nighttime terrors. It’s an absolute nightmare.
Slugs – Restaurant Meltdown
In this 1988 horror film by Juan Piquer Simon (Pieces), a small town gets inundated by toxic waste slugs that go on a homicidal rampage. Because this is a Simon flick, those deaths get pretty gnarly. The most unsettling occurs at a restaurant, over a business dinner. One of the dinner guests isn’t feeling so well. Unbeknownst to him, he’d eaten slug-contaminated lettuce, and it’s done a number on his insides. A painful meltdown, profuse bleeding, and slug larvae explosions ensue. All appetites at this restaurant are effectively destroyed.
House of 1000 Corpses – Deputy Steve
It doesn’t end well for deputies and a father searching for his missing daughter when they arrive at the Firefly home. After Mother Firefly (Karen Black) dispatches the Sheriff, Otis (Bill Moseley) begins to gun down the deputies. Writer/Director Rob Zombie films this in slow motion while Slim Whitman’s “I Remember You” plays over the violence. Zombie then builds the tension to a palpable degree as Deputy Steve (Walton Goggins) falls on his knees in surrender. The music ends, and Zombie lets the scene linger in silence as Otis presses his gun to the Deputy’s forehead. This excruciatingly uncomfortable moment lasts for almost 40 seconds until Otis finally pulls the trigger, piercing the suspense and leaving us shaken.
The Blair Witch Project – Mike’s Corner
In October 1994, a trio of film students set off into the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, to film a documentary about the local urban legend of the Blair Witch. Only their found footage is left to tell their tale of horror. Slow-burn chills and thrills escalate when Josh goes missing, sending Mike and Heather into a full-blown panic. They follow Josh’s cries for help to an abandoned house, where Heather and Mike get separated. An unseen force attacks Mike in the basement, and when Heather ventures down after, she too is attacked. Her camera catches Mike standing silently in a corner as she gets attacked offscreen. The terrifying imagery of this moment and its implications sticks with you.
The Changeling – Red Bouncing Ball
Only a great movie like The Changeling could make something as benign as a small red ball so creepy. For lead character John Russell, he finds himself plagued by strange occurrences shortly after moving into a historic mansion. One of which is a little red ball that moves on its own accord. So, he gets rid of it by driving to a nearby bridge and tossing it over. He gets home, takes off his jacket, and is about to walk into his study when the same ball bounces eerily down the stairs toward him.
Hell House LLC – Night Visitor
A Halloween haunt crew picks the empty Abaddon Hotel for their latest seasonal attraction and moves in to get it ready in time. Naturally, they don’t realize it’s been uninhabited for a reason, and the hotel’s spooky denizens waste no time welcoming their new tenants. One of the scariest moments of this creepfest sees one of the members awakened in the middle of the night by a strange sound. He turns on the light, unaware that a ghost has been sitting in the dark, watching him. When he notices her, he turns the light off and buries himself under the covers. The ghoulish night visitor finds him anyway.
Sinister – Lawnmower Scare
True crime author Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) upends his family and relocates them to a new town so he can research his next book. Only Ellison knows that the new home harbors a history of murder, and soon he discovers a box of Super 8 snuff films in the attic. Halfway into Scott Derrickson’s unsettling horror movie, Ellison watches another Super 8 reel, this one feeling different from the rest. The camera voyeuristically gazes upon unsuspecting prey before retreating to the garage to retrieve a lawnmower. The camera then goes out into the quiet, dark night. The quiet becomes almost deafening as the mower rolls along, until it’s jarringly punctuated by piercing screams as the mower rolls over one of the family members. It makes for one startling, potent jump scare.
Ghostwatch – The Cellar Door
Originally airing on Halloween night in 1992, this horror mockumentary was presented as a televised live event. Involving BBC reporters investigating a house in Northolt, Greater London, where paranormal activity caused trouble for a family, it caused viewers at home to believe the events were real. What made Ghostwatch so scary was its attention to detail; the ghost of Pipes could often be spotted lurking in the frame’s background, making viewers panic. Those subtle scares and the ever-lurking presence of Pipes heightened the terrifying conclusion that unleashes a paranormal onslaught. The final image of Greene getting dragged into a cellar door that slams shut is pure nightmare fuel, effectively sending viewers into a tizzy over what happens next.
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