When were animal masks first used in horror or espionage in cinema?
I have recently been watching the new Netflix TV series, The Umbrella Academy, based on the comic of the same name.
Two of its villainous characters are deadly assassins on the hunt for the character known as "5". The villains often wear animal masks on many of their missions, especially in public.
This prompted me to realize the use of animal masks and how they have been used more in more in recent cinema in relation to scary villains and/or antiheroes.
Note: Following Works in "animal masks" collage include: The Umbrella Academy, Orphan Black, You're Next, Donnie Darko, The Shining, and 12 Monkeys.
My question is, in what film or tv series were animal masks first seen and used in this espionage/horror-like fashion?
Best Answer
Based on the book Masks in Horror Cinema: Eyes Without Faces (by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas) and my research, here are the most probable answers:
- Curse of the Crimson Altar (The Crimson Cult) (1968): The first horror film where an animal mask is seen and used. However, it is not worn by a villain or a killer. It is in a dream of a character where a jury wears animal masks. Also, a character wears a ram's horn headpiece.
- Phantom of the Paradise (1974): The first horror film where a villain wears an animal mask. It is a musical horror comedy film. However, the wearer is not the true villain of the story. He is a temporary villain who wants to take revenge on someone and attempts to kill people. He wears a silver, owl-like mask.
- Motel Hell (1980): The first horror film where the killer wears an animal mask. He is the true villain but he doesn't wear the mask throughout the movie. He dons a pig mask in one of the final scenes. It is not a true slasher, it is a horror/comedy/satire massacre film.
- Terror Train (1980): The first horror film where a killer wears an animal mask in a true slasher movie. However, he doesn't wear the animal mask throughout the movie. He wears different masks in the movie but his iconic mask is the Groucho Marx mask. One of the masks is a serpent/lizard-like mask.
- StageFright (Deliria) (1987): The first horror film where the killer wears an animal mask throughout the movie. It is an Italian slasher film. The killer wears an owl mask.
- Fortress (1985): The first horror film where a group of villains wear animal masks. However, one of them is wearing a Santa mask, the other three are wearing a cat, a duck and a mouse mask. It is an Australian horror/thriller/hostage film.
Honorable mentions:
- The Mephisto Waltz (1971): There is a masquerade ball scene in which all the humans wear animal masks; and ironically, a dog wears a human mask. It is horror occult-murder mystery film.
- The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971): There is an interesting frog mask in this horror comedy film. The frog mask is not used as a disguise for the killer, it is designed for his victim. It has a mechanism that causes the mask to tighten until it crushes the skull of the wearer.
- The Wicker Man (1973): There is a bunch of animal masks worn by the cult members in the parades and ceremonies.
Pictures about "When were animal masks first used in horror or espionage in cinema?"
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