Buzz
Whether it's a slow-moving human or a furious alien, horror movie monsters are unmatched in their ability to send chills down our spines. However, discovering the behind-the-scenes secrets—like the use of ping pong balls—can make them slightly less terrifying. Or does it? Dive in to uncover the truth.
Michael Myers // Halloween
What truly sets Michael Myers apart, aside from his uncanny ability to catch victims despite his slow, deliberate movements, is his eerily blank mask. Its complete lack of emotion makes him appear otherworldly, which might feel like a slight to William Shatner. This is because Myers’ mask is actually a repurposed Captain Kirk death mask originally made for Star Trek.
The most amusing detail? William Shatner once revealed he wore a Michael Myers mask while taking his grandchildren trick-or-treating.
Billy the Puppet // Saw
While all puppets have a certain eerie quality, Billy the Puppet, Jigsaw's messenger, stands out as especially menacing—particularly since he was crafted from everyday household items. With a budget just over $1 million for Saw (2004), director James Wan saved costs by handcrafting Billy using papier mâché. His eyes were made from black ping pong balls, and his body was constructed from paper towel tubes.
Ghostface // Scream
The iconic killer from Scream might have looked entirely different if not for a serendipitous find. Producer Marianne Maddalena was scouting locations for the climactic house party scene when she stumbled upon an old Halloween mask in an abandoned home previously used in Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt. Intrigued, she presented the mask to Wes Craven, who immediately embraced the idea. However, the mask’s design, known as “The Peanut-Eyed Ghost,” belonged to Fun World, who demanded a hefty fee for its use. The company only relented after Craven’s team created a similar design and threatened to proceed without the now-iconic mask.
Freddy Krueger // A Nightmare on Elm Street
The razor-sharp fingers were genuine, not a rubber prop. Wes Craven once revealed on Twitter that Robert Englund cut himself the first time he attempted to put on the infamous glove. While rumors suggest Craven drew inspiration from his cat for Freddy’s glove, the late director clarified that his concept stemmed from exploring humanity’s most primal fears, as he explains in the video above.
Hannibal Lecter // The Silence of the Lambs
The eerie, muzzle-like mask worn by Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter was actually a modified goalie mask. Sculptor and custom mask maker Ed Cubberly shared that he was contacted by costume designer Colleen Atwood, who requested a design suitable for “a schizophrenic who bites people.” Cubberly inverted a goalie mask cage, reshaped it, and added bars over the mouth to create a menacing look. “The concept was born in about five minutes, and sketches were sent out shortly after,” Cubberly says on his website.
Jason Voorhees // Friday the 13th
Hannibal Lecter isn’t the only iconic villain to wear a hockey mask. Jason Voorhees, the most famous hockey-masked antagonist, didn’t adopt the look until the third installment of the series. Before that, he concealed his face with a burlap sack. During lighting tests for Friday the 13th Part III, Martin Jay Sadoff, the film’s 3-D supervisor and a hockey enthusiast, offered up a fiberglass Detroit Red Wings goalie mask to help with lighting adjustments. The crew loved the mask so much that they permanently incorporated it into Jason’s iconic appearance.
The Wolf Man // The Wolf Man
If taken literally, Lon Chaney Jr.’s iconic character from the 1941 horror film might have been named The Yak Man instead of The Wolf Man. To portray the role, Chaney endured hours in the makeup chair having rows of yak hair meticulously glued to his face. The application process took six hours, while removal required an additional three.
Chucky // Child’s Play
Chucky from the Child’s Play franchise becomes even more terrifying when you see his skinless form. If the sight of skinless dolls doesn’t unsettle you, watch the video above to learn about Chucky’s creation: Nine distinct animatronic dolls were used to achieve the range of movements necessary for the film.
