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
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.

For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
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For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!


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