Any good horror movie villain needs a mask.
We give you 21 of the most frightening face-hiders in the movies…
Here then are 20 of the scariest masks ever to turn up in horror movies:
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19.
What makes it scary is what it does.
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18.
But in context, the cutesy masks are pretty frightening.
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15.
Cupid
As worn by:JM inValentine
I think this one might be supposed to be cute.
Either way, the Cupid mask brings a weirdly baroque creepiness to this early 2000s slasher.
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14.
It doesnt have any particularly terrifying features; its just kind of blank, and a bit shapeless.
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12.
Satan
As worn by: The unidentified killer inSatans Little Helper
It looks like a cheap Halloween mask.
Its meant to be a cheap Halloween mask.
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11.
Other than that, it actually looks pretty cool.
Its vaguely robotic, looks decidedly uncomfortable, and is deeply creepy.
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9.
Its another one of those faces-going-wrong deals.
Maybe something with exaggerated features and massive insincere toothy grins?
The gang inThe Purgedefinitely had good taste in horrible masks.
Michaels mask is based on a human face, but its blank, baggy, wrong.
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6.
ChromeSkull
As worn by:ChromeSkull in theLaid to Restfranchise
Laid to Restis a terrible film.
Its sequel is vaguely better, but not by much.
But the mask is so incredibly cool-looking that its hard not to wish that wasnt true.
Its almost anatomically correct, but sort of distorted, and incredibly shiny.
Its definitely a mask to strike terror into your enemies with.
If you see someone wandering around wearing it, theyre already dead.
Franks rabbit mask is eerie, distorted, grotesque, and utterly unforgettable.
Imagine seeing that looking back at you from the mirror.
Youd never sleep again.
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3.
Accessorizing it with a massive knife upped the fear factor, but the mask itself just wasnt that scary.
UntilJason X, when a spaceships medical computer accidentally rebuilds the serial killer using his machete as a template.
A mask made out of a massive knife?
Yeah, thats scary.
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2.
Ghostface
As worn by:Various killers in theScreamfranchise
Its simple, striking, and kind of brilliant.
It might only have black blobs for features, but its surprisingly expressive.
(And its usually expressing Im going to kill you now.)
Even an off-the-peg number can be terrifying in the right circumstances.
But the scariest material for mask-making has got to be human skin.
Its gross, its threatening, and yeah, theres not much scarier than that.