My Don Post '85 Story

_UPDATE 11.27.17 - NEW PIC OF MASK ADDED! MAJOR IMPROVEMENT:
View here: http://www.michael-myers.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=107038&start=15#p1091719_

UPDATE 09.25.17 - PICS RESTORED (F You, Photobucket!)

_UPDATE 10.1.14 - VIDEOS ADDED
View them here: http://www.michael-myers.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=107038&p=1005072#p1005574_

I was originally gonna put this in the “your first Michael Myers mask” thread (https://forum.michael-myers.net/t/what-was-your-first-ever-michael-myers-mask/49572/1), but by the time I got done with it I thought maybe it needed it’s own topic. There’s a lot going on here, plus I need a little advice from the community at the end of it. Hope you guys enjoy the story…


My first Myers mask was a DP '85, purchased at a Halloween Express sometime in the early/mid 90’s for $50 (in my mind back then that was a LOAD for a mask). I was 15 or so and had always wanted a Michael Myers mask, but never came across one at all until then. Had to have it the moment I saw it. Hilarious too, because back then I thought this mask was absolutely badass and I believed I looked just like Michael Myers from the movie (HA)!

Seeing that thread reminded me of a couple videos a buddy and me made for our high school multimedia class waaaaaaaaaay back in the day. We had to make a commercial-type spot where we advertise a product. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers had just come out so we advertised the movie, then made a second one advertising the soundtrack. The DP '85 was used for both. I dug out the old VHS tapes to get a look at them and to remind myself how horribly bad those videos were. Took a few screens to share with you guys. These snapshots are raw and completely untouched. Grainy, vintage VHS in all it’s glory.

These were shown to a good portion of the school and my buddy became known as “the guy who refuses to die.” Between both videos we filmed probably 10 or 12 different death scenes, most of which were used and were shown back-to-back before we pitched the product at the end. Was good times. People were really impressed which cracks me up today after viewing them after all these years. Proof that mostly no one attempted video production back in those days unless you had a serious passion for it and had the drive and stamina to suffer through shoddy equipment like the type of camcorders consumers had access to as well as what you had to go through to actually edit footage and produce a final cut with title cards and music. No assignment I ever got handed in high school was nearly half the headache as all that. We became small-time celebs in certain circles and people talked about those two goofy little films all the way up until graduation. To look at them now and see how ancient and primitive they are in the face of modern technology is almost surreal. To not only think the films were good back in those days, but to also think my costume was considered badass and was the envy of all my horror friends is just laughable now. Wow. Starting to feel old…



About 5 years later I dusted the mask off for one more ride.

Another friend and me were going through some of my old tapes and we ran up on the videos from above and I showed them to him for laughs. Somehow or another we got inspired to do a new one in the same style: featuring Michael killing one victim over and over. My “production skills” had improved just a pinch and I put together a little build-up intro before the violence commenced. We had a good time making it and considering all I had to actually produce it was a VHS camcorder, two VCR’s, and a stereo – the final product was amusing. Here are some more screens of the DP '85:

It’s been 13 years since that last video (feeling REALLY old now). When I ran up on the first Myers mask thread it got me wondering if I still had the DP '85. I was almost sure it had either been lost during one of my moves or I simply tossed it out after getting better masks and the DP deteriorating due to my younger self not knowing how to properly care for it. In the spirit of Throwback Thursday I went rummaging through some of my old, prehistoric gear; props, equipment, wardrobe, etc. To my surprise, I found the DP '85. I indeed still have it, but…

He isn’t doing too well. I managed to carefully pry the mask apart from where the inside had glued itself together. Got it separated without the latex ripping. Powdered it and got it sitting on a clean styrofoam head and to my surprise the material has held up really well over the years it’s been smashed at the bottom of a junk trunk. It’s out of shape and ruffled, but no tears or dry-rotted spots:

You guys got any tips on how I might be able to possibly restore the shape of this thing? Now that I know I still have it I wouldn’t mind fixing it up if possible and re-adding it to the collection.

Thanks for reading!

PS: The three videos have been uploaded and embedded in the thread, view them here: http://www.michael-myers.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=107038&p=1005072#p1005574

That’s a great story, Jason! You might want to consider having your '85 foam-filled if you wish to preserve it.

Great story! You can pretty much get the shape back by holding a hair dryer to it for a while. I’d set the hair dryer on low heat and just move all over the areas where it’s distorted. It might take a while “half hour or so” but it will definitely work. I’ve done this before. Good luck!

You can also stuff it with a few clean white clothes and put it in a laundry bag in your dryer on low heat

For god sake dont use a hair dryer or put it in the tumble dryer. That will only accelerate the ‘‘melting’’ that these are prone too. Due to the additives Don Post used with these, they dont really succumb to dry rot…they more melt. HEAT or chemicals will only worsen it. I recommend sending to a pro like kelly man (the mask doctor) Or even I could restore him for you.
That’s a great story and this is what Don Post and TOT’s masks are all about. Just having a good time.
I can imagine this mask has some sentimental value and I hope you make the right choice.

Too cool, man. That’s what it’s all about. That mask is stuff of legend and you have the proof of that! I’d definitely get it foam filled and keep it. That mask has stories that other masks only wish they could tell.

Very cool story, and definitely always awesome to look back. And even better YOU STILL HAVE IT! I would give anything to have my old masks back. Funny how hard I was on them at the time, and how much they would mean to me to have now. Definitely a good place to start from these guys who know best. I hope it all works out for you, and I hope you are able to restore the mask to all its glory. The video sounds like lots of fun. I would love to see it. Is it uploaded to YouTube, or anything? Just seeing this post made me want to go back and watch my goofy Halloween movie we made around 1999, or so. Great stuff!

Im sure you’ve seen mine J At the end of the day, I just bought a replacement and set it next to it. Mine is more thrashed than anybodys on here.

Thanks Man. Definitely am considering the foam-filling route. Only regret I’d have there is not being able to wear it again. If I could get it restored another way I’d probably throw it on for a random project at some point.

Thanks for the advice. Just curious what other techniques could be used to avoid using heat?

It’s very sentimental, yes. Thinking it was gone for years, then finding it was pretty awesome. Just hated to see the shape it’s currently in.

Thanks Bro! The videos aren’t currently uploaded anywhere, but I could easily put’em up if you guys really want to see’em. They’re nothing special, especially by today’s standards, but amusing definitely.

Well I wouldn’t want to use heat…But, beings it is an 85 I think like others said low heat rapidly moving may work. I have both the 85 and 86,… My original 86 melted and I have since replaced it and to my surprise an 85 and 86 together I noticed they are made totally different!! The 86 is MUCH thinner and feels more like thin rubber rather than the thicker 85. Foam filling will preserve the mask, but I’m personally not a fan of it. Good luck what ever you do and that is still a fantastic piece of history to have. Thanks for sharing.

Case in point…btw the copy on the left is a 1983 the FIRST year they were made. I know because I bought this in 83 @universal studios in Cali on vacation as a kid. Its probably a proto

Whoa, Dude. That resembles the H1 hero! Same damage in a few of the same places.

Great story man, love seeing threads like this. Hope you can get it preserved. Sending it to Kelly is GREAT advice, he’s did some miracle work for me more than once.

Thanks for the recommendation. Might just do that. Was tempted to use low heat and try to work some kinks out that way, but a little wary of that. This is the kind of thing I’d rather trust an expert with.

I went ahead and uploaded them. Again, they are pretty primitive, but for a couple teenagers with no experience, I guess it could’ve been worse.

The first video was made sometime in my junior year of high school (1996). My multimedia class had certain “modules” where students rotated to and were assigned different tasks. Mine was to make a video advertising a product. Halloween 6 had just hit home video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc-af8AZk44
A few months later, my buddy from the film rotated to the same station in class and also had to make an advertisement video. We thought it’d be funny to make a sequel to the first, this time pitching the H6 soundtrack which had also just come out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd7apz4Kxss
Five years passed between the first two and the third one. I ran across the old tapes and showed them to another friend of mine, and before I knew it, we were making a new one just for the hell of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiWaLkFguwM
Heh, the joy of video production in those days. The VHS camcorder used to film that last one also had a title card function. You got two lines to work with at 20 characters each I think. They all had to be typed out using the arrow keys on the camera and all were recorded with the lens cap on to give it a black background. Took about three hours to get them all typed, centered, recorded, and worked into the opening sequence. That can be done in 5 minutes today lol.


Hope you all get a kick out of them.

Can someone shoot me a link for The Mask Doctor’s profile? I’ve tried searching his name on here in various forms and am not coming up with anything.

Thanks!

Thought I’d give an update to this thread to show the changes with the mask since the topic’s initial posting. It’s been just over three years since I pulled the Don Post '85 out of an old storage bin and found it in terrible condition as chronicled in the OP. Since then, the mask has been sitting undisturbed on a clean styrofoam head, powdered, in a cool, dry environment, and has slowly progressed towards returning to form on it’s own, albeit with the aid of a little gravity.

I had originally separated the latex that was stuck together in 2014 and applied some powder and sat it aside on the display head while I pondered what I might do with it. Time went by and the mask sat quietly in it’s new spot and healed a good portion of the damage away. Looks like this old classic isn’t quite ready to roll over just yet. Still has some life left in it.

Great stuff here. I hope it turns out well whatever route you choose with restoration.

I love seeing these, regardless of the condition. Great mask! I’ve used a sort of adhesive wire paper that can be shaped and adhered to the inside to reform. May want to consider that?

This sounds great, I’ve got an old 86 I’d like to get back into shape. Do you have a link to the paper or a picture of it? Never heard of that product before.