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The Godfather of Halloween: The pioneering creations of monster-mask maker Don Post
10.24.2018
07:59 am
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Don Post Studio’s remarkable Wolf Man mask. The mask was modeled after actor Lon Chaney Jr.‘s portrayal of the beast in 1941’s ‘The Wolf Man.’
 
According to accounts concerning Don Post’s early years, he paid a visit to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily Circus with the goal of meeting Ringling Bros. resident star clown, Paul Wenzel so he could get a close look at Wenzel’s famous Popeye the Sailor mask. Wenzel was not only a skilled clown, but he was also a master prop maker, and his act was known for featuring all kinds of dazzling homemade extras for the time, such as enormous dragons (Wenzel himself was 6"4), dinosaurs, and horses as well as Wenzel’s feathered pal, Samson the Goose. Seeing Wenzel’s props up close sent Post off on a mission to launch his own business—Don Post Studios (DPS), which would produce some of the first over-the-head latex masks.

In 1938 at the age of 36, Post established his company which would continue to produce latex masks for a staggering 74 years before being sold rather suddenly in 2012. For decades Don Post (who passed away in 1979), his son Don Post Jr., and sculptors/artists/co-owner Verne Langdon and Pat Newman (and many others such as Bill Malone, Marcel Delgado, Robert Short and Neil Surges) would define what their young customer base was going to look like when they stepped out on October 31st. Post started selling his masks out of Marshall Fields in Chicago before ditching the department store for Hollywood where he would eventually join forces with Universal Studios earning the right to produce over-the-head latex masks based on Universal’s gang of classic monsters, the first being Frankenstein’s Monster. Post’s new alliance with Universal would quickly lead to the creation of other high-profile masks all sculpted by Pat Newman, including Lon Chaney’s portrayal of the Phantom of the Opera, Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula, and Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man.

With the help of Famous Monsters of Filmland’s editor Forrest J Ackerman, DPS would become a household name with its army of masks with plenty of mythology attached to them. Here are just a few of the more interesting ones.

There is an established connection between actor William Shatner’s life-mask cast (taken in 1975 while he was shooting The Devil’s Rain, a perfect film to watch this time of year) and the white-faced, lifeless mask made famous by actor Tony Moran in order to transform him into the unstoppable slasher, Michael Myers in John Carpenter’s 1978 blood-blitz Halloween. There is also a female version of the Myers mask—which is very rare. However, the mask eventually made and distributed by DPS wasn’t an actual replica of Shatner’s life-cast, as their license for the mask was no longer good, so Nick Surges was called in to craft a new mask called the “Everyman.” This mask would be one of Post’s all-time biggest sellers along with his mask of Tor Johnson (done by artist/sculptor and VP of DPS, John Chambers) as Inspector Daniel Clay in Plan 9 From Outer Space.
 

The original design and color scheme for DPS’s “B Garret Theta” mask.
 
Another cool bit of history with DPS concerns a mask called “B Garret Theta” (pictured above). When B Garret was first conceptualized and brought to market in 1977, it was ahead of its time in the gore department. Looking back at the initial production run now it looked much like an unfortunate skinless victim of the Cenobites from future horror movie series Hellraiser and was touted as the first “blood and guts” zombie mask. Even DPS’ regular customers and buyers thought the mask was far too graphic and refused to market them. The masks were later redesigned to appear more undead with grey, necrotized skin and other color treatments to help it read more like a zombie than an actual corpse.

A few years later in 1979, Post put out the “Nuclear Death” mask during a time when paranoia about nukes and the potential of a full-on apocalypse were high, only to change the name to the tamer “Over-Reactor” the following year. DPS masks were still hugely popular but with the arrival of AIDS, the demand for latex products in the medical community, as well as the sale of condoms, put a massive dent in the company’s ability to satisfy requests for their masks and would nearly go bankrupt. The other thing working against DPS in the 80s were the horrific deaths of seven people (including a twelve-year-old child) after ingesting Tylenol laced with cyanide about a month from Halloween in 1982. Following this, drug-tampering crimes became a disturbing trend, and as Halloween approached, there were reports of Halloween candy being laced with sharp pins. This, of course, created legitimate hysteria concerning Halloween no longer being a safe pursuit and sales of candy and other Halloween-related items such as Post’s masks plummeted. But still, as we all do, DPS persisted.

The contributions made by Don Post and DPS are unrivaled and helped pave the way for the application of practical effects in films and television, thanks to a fateful meeting with an adventurous horror-loving innovator, and one of the greatest circus clowns to ever live. When DPS closed up shop in 2012, it sent shock waves through the horror community. Lee Lambert, a mask collector who as a child was a rabid fan of 70s horror, took on the task of authoring a book on Don Post’s legacy ensuring his artifacts from the past would always be available for fans for years to come. The incredible book, The Illustrated History of Don Post Studios painstakingly catalogued images of DPS’ work through the years including incredible color photos from magazine adverts and from the company’s collectible catalog. Vintage DPS masks can be found out there online for various sums, as well as authentic, hand-painted castings from the Universal Monster collection, which will run you many thousands of dollars. I’ve got a pretty stellar grouping of Post’s work in this post, some are slightly NSFW.
 

Famous, long-time Ringling Bros. clown and inspiration to Don Post, Paul Wenzel riding a giant dinosaur he made with wire and other materials.
 

Don Post doing what he clearly did best.
 

Inside the DPS workshop in 1974.
 
More after the jump…

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Posted by Cherrybomb
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10.24.2018
07:59 am
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Scary monsters and crocheted creeps: The knitted brutality of Tracy Widdess
06.20.2018
08:20 am
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A knitted mask by artist Tracy Widdess.
 
In an interview included in the 2014 book Strange Material: Storytelling through Textiles, British Columbia-based artist Tracy Widdess says she began knitting nearly twenty years ago. Somewhere along the way, Widdess recalled that she found herself working with a group for a charity project charged with re-creating knitted masks from the 1970’s. After conducting some research for inspiration, Widdess came across a 1992 issue of Threads magazine and an article called “Snow Fooling” by Meg Swansen. Swansen was a protege of her mother Elizabeth Zimmermann, the founder of old-school crafting and knitting company, Schoolhouse Press. The images in the article struck a nerve with Widdess and her contribution the project would land her on the front page of the great, now sadly defunct website Regretsy. The exposure would inspire Widdess to create her own brand of sewing calling it “Brutal Knitting.”

Widdess would pursue various creative arts in school including sculpture, teaching herself to knit along the way. Soon her monsters and other strange knitted characters came to be by way of commissions—each taking 50-100 hours to complete. She is currently accepting commissions, so, if you have always thought how much better your life would be if people would just stop talking to you in public, then something wicked from Widdess is just what you need for your next walk around the block. Examples of Widdess’ wild work follow.
 

 

 
More after the jump…

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Posted by Cherrybomb
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06.20.2018
08:20 am
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Demons, Imps, and Fay Wray: William Mortensen’s incredible masks
05.16.2017
10:49 am
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‘Salome’ (1924).
 
A chance encounter with big shot director Cecil B. DeMille gave photographer William Mortensen his first job in Hollywood. It was the kind of lucky break that would look hokey as a plot device in a B-movie. Mortensen was working as a gardener but was soon on the set of DeMille’s King of Kings (1927), then designing voodoo masks for Lon Chaney’s movie West of Zanzibar, and then ending-up taking publicity shots and portraits of stars like Marlene Dietrich, Rudolph Valentino, and the original “It girl” Clara Bow.

Before Hollywood, Mortensen had spent his time traveling around Europe in the early 1920s soaking up all that fancy art and culture. He got hep to all the Old Masters like Goya and Rembrandt. This together with his experience of working on films made Mortensen approach photography in a wholly original way.

It was a similar kind of thing that had once happened to writer James Joyce, who had opened the first cinema in Dublin in 1908. Joyce realized traditional story-telling could not compete with movies. Why write a page describing the looks of some lantern-jawed hero when a movie could transmit such information in an instant? Movies taught Joyce to rethink literature—and so he wrote Ulysses.

Mortensen made photographs that mixed painting, drawing, theater, and movies. He manipulated the image to create something more than just a straight photographic representation. His approach was anathema to the more traditionalist photographers like Ansell Adams, who called Mortensen the “anti-Christ” for what he did to photography.

Mortensen produced beautiful, strange, often dark and Gothic, sometimes brutal, though usually erotically charged pictures. While other photographers sought realism, Mortensen used props and gowns and his own vivid imagination to enhance each picture. He went on to have some success but fell out of step with the rise of photojournalism that came out of the Second World War and was (sadly) largely forgotten by the time of his death in 1965. In more recent years, Mortensen has been rightly praised for his photographic genius. What I am intrigued by in Mortensen’s work, is his design and use of masks (including one of “scream queen” Fay Wray) in his photographic work—from which a small selection of which can be seen below.
 
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‘Masked Woman’ (1926).
 
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‘Fay Wray.’
 
More of Mortensen’s masks, after the jump…

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Posted by Paul Gallagher
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05.16.2017
10:49 am
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Creepy as hell silicone mask of a little girl
05.05.2017
10:47 am
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From the same folks who brought you the hyper-realistic masks of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un comes their newest and perhaps creepiest creation: a silicone mask of a little girl. The mask is by Landon Meier of Hyperflesh. I really don’t know what else to say except it gives me a bad case of the heebie-jeebies. It’s something in the eyes or seeing a child’s head on an adult body. I don’t know what is that bothers me so much. But I don’t like it. Yuck!

A post shared by Landon Meier (@hyperfleshdude) on

 

A post shared by Landon Meier (@hyperfleshdude) on

 
Video of the mask after the jump…

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Posted by Tara McGinley
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05.05.2017
10:47 am
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Freakishly realistic masks of Trump, Putin and Kim Jong-un for sale on eBay


 
Hyperflesh is selling their freaky-as-fuck silicone masks of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un on eBay. These are jaw-droppingly realistic. I cannot get over the detail. They even captured Trump’s preposterously awful combover (that can’t have been easy) and horrible old man skin down perfectly. You can click on each image to get a closer look.

These masks made their debut at Monsterpalooza 2017 and appeared in a viral video viewed by over 60 million people on Facebook. 

Anyway, the masks can now be yours! Donald Trump‘s current bid is $4,200. Vladimir Putin is at $2,250 and Kim Jong-un is at $3,050. Obviously these prices will change as more people bid on ‘em.


 

 
More after the jump…

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Posted by Tara McGinley
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04.19.2017
08:35 am
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Transfixing masks that transform you into an old man, clown, ghoul, or Donald Trump
03.08.2017
01:32 pm
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A clown named “Ron.” A realistic silicone mask by Igor Velgach.
 
Based in Glenview, Illinois mask maker Igor Velgach is the artist behind the all-to-realistic silicone masks you are about to see in this post. I highly advise you have a good pallet cleanser—such as a video featuring kittens or puppies frolicking in a tub full of flowers nearby because you’re going to need it.

According to Velgach, all of his masks are carefully constructed starting with a prototype made of plasticine which eventually becomes in many cases, a sinister looking silicone creation that is so startlingly realistic it is nearly impossible to tell that you are looking at a faux face. The talented artist can make a mask based on any request—though Velgach notes that to do so requires that a mold is taken of your head in order to guarantee that it fits correctly. This kind of expert craftsmanship does not come cheap and Velgach’s masks, which he sells over at his Etsy shop The Masker, run from $499 to $1399 a pop. I’ve included photos of Velgach’s masks below which include two terrifying silicone masks in the image of our 45th president that look even more lifelike than the real thing. Yikes.
 

“Viking Björn.”
 

“Smiley Fred.”
 
More masks after the jump…

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Posted by Cherrybomb
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03.08.2017
01:32 pm
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Beautiful handmade Venetian carnival masks
02.02.2017
09:54 am
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‘Damask Joker.’
 
Reading The Story of My Life by Giacomo Casanova set me off on a browse of the beautiful masks famously worn during the Carnival of Venice. These masks were originally used to celebrate the victory of the Most Serene Republic of Venice against Ulrich II of Aquileia and his failed attempt to bring the city under German rule circa 1162. By the time Casanova was living in the city in the middle of the 18th century, citizens were allowed to wear masks for up to six months which enabled the wearer to indulge in an excess of food, wine and partying, and to mix freely with those of other classes. The masks also provided anonymity for those seeking to indulge in a bit of sexual shenanigans. Such hedonistic pleasures led Venice to gain its reputation as a strict yet deeply licentious city.

But back to Casanova who was much more than just a bed-hopping sex beast. He was a soldier, a musician, a dabbler in the dark arts, a novelist, a spy and eventually a librarian to Count Joseph Karl von Waldstein at his castle in Bohemia. Casanova also spent time in the Piombi prison for “public outrages against the holy religion.” Quite incredibly, he escaped from this jail situated in the upper floors of the Doge’s palace by climbing through the roof in 1756. He then fled to Paris where he set up a lottery to raise money for the French army. Casanova was a rather ingenious man and I think it fair to say throughout his life he quite literally donned various “masks” like an actor as he tried out the different roles he played. The real Casanova only became apparent when he sat down to write his memoirs when working as a librarian in Dux.

These gorgeous handmade paper mache masks are inspired by many of the traditional designs worn in Venice during Casanova’s era. They are for sale and though expensive, are utterly beautiful.
 
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‘Casanova.’
 
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‘Jolly.’
 
More beautiful masks, after the jump…

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Posted by Paul Gallagher
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02.02.2017
09:54 am
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There’s a Cthulhu ski mask that’s only $4.23!
11.07.2016
10:51 am
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Boing Boing hipped me to this really inexpensive Cthulhu-style ski mask that’s selling here for only $4.23. Depending on the color you choose, the price does change slightly. I’m blogging about the grey one and that’s currently at $4.23. Now I can’t vouch for the quality of these masks. I do not own one. However, there are over 100 customer reviews giving the masks between four and five stars. Just 4% of the reviews have it at one star.

I thought I’d throw this one out there since it’s getting cold out, it’s cheap and it could make for a great (cheap!) Christmas gift.

In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming of a ski mask like this one.


 

 

Posted by Tara McGinley
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11.07.2016
10:51 am
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GIANT ‘60s and ‘70s vintage-style children’s Halloween masks
09.19.2016
09:08 am
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I’m totally digging these retro Halloween masks developed by artist Doug P’gosh for Retro-a-go-go! They’re just fantastic. From what I understand the masks are more for wall art or home décor because they’re HUGE! Like 2 feet tall!

Each giant mask sells for $34.99. I contemplating getting the “Vampyra Girl Vac-tastic Plastic Mask.”

Best part is, they’re created in the same spirit and material used for the much-loved vintage kid’s masks of yesteryear. Even the collector’s edition box, with the clear top, is an homage to the original window boxes. Whether you get your freak on by adding them to your boring walls or keep them mint in box and proudly displayed, there is nothing else like them anywhere! The word unusual doesn’t come close to their creeptastic awesomeness. Collect them all!

As a child of the 1970s I remember wearing a Wonder Woman costume with a mask like this. I’d like to see some giant superhero masks, too.


Vampyra Girl Vac-tastic Plastic Mask
 

Fun-House Devil Vac-tastic Plastic Mask
 
More after the jump…

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Posted by Tara McGinley
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09.19.2016
09:08 am
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Truly incredible, extremely life-like animal masks and animal costumes
08.23.2016
11:16 am
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To say that I’m truly blown away by these handmade animal masks and animal costumes is still an understatement. These are holy smokes-level awesome! Since Halloween is around the corner, I thought I’d share these handmade beauties as a possible costume option or just simply as work of art you’d like to own.

They’re by Deviant artist Crystumes and boy is there a huge gallery to check out! Each animal mask is lovingly crafted with impeccable detail. They speak for themselves, don’t they? I’m particularly smitten with the bird masks.

From what I can tell Crystumes does take commissions according to his or her Deviant Art page. You can contact Crystumes here.

Please click on each image to enlarge it and see its details.

 

 

 

 
More after the jump…

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Posted by Tara McGinley
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08.23.2016
11:16 am
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Freaky animal head masks that move their mouths when you talk
06.01.2016
09:55 am
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These animal head masks that move their mouths as you speak are described as “realistic” or “life-like” on a few websites. I wouldn’t say that they’re very realistic-looking at all, maybe veering more towards the WTF? side, in my opinion. I can’t quite place my finger as to why I find them exactly so unsettling. Maybe it’s because they look like freakin’ roadkill that’s come to life?! I’m imagining zombie roadkill robbing a bank or some bizzare-ass party where everyone is sporting one of these but otherwise naked. Very Island of Dr. Moreau, too (the one with Marlon Brando, natch).

The flexible strap inside the mask keeps it secure while the soft cushion rests against your chin, so the animal’s mouth moves when you talk. This lets you naturally create a very unnatural effect. The life-like faux fur provides the detail needed to complete the freaky facade.

You have a choice of three styles: pug dog, wolf, and fox. Each one sells for $59.99 over at Vat19. This is next level furrydom.


 
The video shows the masks in action and it’s kind of corny. I can easily think of far more sinister scenarios for these masks.

 
via Geekologie

Posted by Tara McGinley
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06.01.2016
09:55 am
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Feed your fictional cosmic entity fetish with these leather ‘Cthulhu’ masks
04.29.2016
10:24 am
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Leather Cthulhu mask
Handmade, leather Cthulhu mask.
 
I recently stumbled on these fantastic looking leather “Cthulhu” masks while hard at “work” and man, they really are something to behold.

Although the various masks in this post are not specifically heralded as being the latest in far out “fetish” attire, I’d hedge a bet that a fair number of them have been purchased for just that very purpose. Created by Wasteland Artisan in Montreal, Canada, the description for these handmade, steampunk-style masks does note that you should not get your Cthulhu mask wet, but that “a little sweat” is okay (although of course may cause you to stink with the “stench as of a thousand opened graves.”) As far as I can tell, there are unsurprisingly no Cthulhu masks available at the moment (so I have no idea how much they cost), but Wasteland Artisan does do custom orders so I’m guessing if you just gotta have one of these things, it’s at least an option. I also found a “Hello Kitty” version of a Cthulhu mask that you can have custom made if that’s the way you like to play, because I don’t judge and neither should you.

Is “fhtagn victim” a pun?

 
Red leather Cthulhu mask
 
Blue leather Cthulhu mask
 
More images of these cosmic and creepy Cthulhu masks follow after the jump…

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Posted by Cherrybomb
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04.29.2016
10:24 am
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Disturbingly realistic masks of Trump, Hillary and Bernie
04.27.2016
08:38 am
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via Imgur
 
Remember that scary as hell Peter Dinklage mask? Or those weird giant crying baby masks that made the rounds on the Internet a few years back? Well, the guy behind them, Landon Meier, who owns the aptly-named Hyperflesh has created these new “beauties” of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. I have no words.

As far as I can tell, these are only one-offs and not available to purchase. If you really gotta have one, you can contact Meier at his Hyperflesh website.


 

 

 
via Nerdcore and Buzzfeed

Posted by Tara McGinley
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04.27.2016
08:38 am
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Amazing Venom, Motörhead, and DEVO masks!
04.18.2016
09:23 am
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SikRik Masks recently released a new full-head latex mask of the demon from the cover of Venom’sBlack Metal LP.

Black Metal was named the “68th best British album of all time” by Kerrang! readers, but, more importantly, was one of the primary influences on what was to become the infamous Norwegian Black Metal music scene. For me personally, when I was a young punk purist, Venom were one of the few metal bands that appealed to my “punk rock sensibilities”—probably because they were a bit more sloppy than virtuosic. And I’ve always been a sucker for fun cartoonish satanism. Anyway, Black Metal remains one of my favorite metal records to this day, and the latex representation of it’s cover done by SikRik is dead-on.
 

 

 
Motörhead and DEVO masks after the jump…

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Posted by Christopher Bickel
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04.18.2016
09:23 am
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Freaky as shit realistic dog masks
10.16.2015
11:58 am
Topics:
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BigMouth Inc. Patty The Poodle Mask

There’s just a few more weeks left ‘til Halloween. If don’t know what you’re going to wear yet, what about one of these incredibly freaky-looking dog masks? I mean, what the goddamned hell!

Again, I’m still holding out for the Sexy Kim Davis Halloween costume. Don’t ever say I never gave anyone a million dollar idea.


BigMouth Inc Buck German Shepherd Mask
 

BigMouth Inc. Barry The Boxer Mask
 

Chinese Crested Dog Face Mask - Off the Wall Toys Kennel Club ...
 
via Boing Boing

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Artful, decadent (and slightly creepy) papier-mâché animal masks
Demonic and dramatic handmade masks of dragons, owls and horned demons
GG Allin Latex Mask

Posted by Tara McGinley
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10.16.2015
11:58 am
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