I asked James to step aside and let me make the thread for my newly finished mask, which many of you have probably seen on Facebook already. This is a “post-filming” finish by our friend, James Carter, on an original “Castle Mold” 75K blank. As many of you probably know, the original “Castle shape mold” was accidentally broken before producing many pulls, making these original Castle mold pulls quite the rarity.
I originally commissioned James to finish my blank as a vintage Kirk, as I believe that its features heavily resemble some of the more popular and well-known surviving DP Kirks, such as Josh’s former Kirk, as well as Ken’s; however, as my mask was virtually sitting on James’ work table, I decided that I wanted something different. After closely studying pictures of my pull, I concluded that the best possible finish for my blank is one depicting (at the time) Dick Warlock’s screen-used/hero Michael Myers mask, as it appeared shortly after filming both Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981). Because we were aiming for the post-filming appearance of the mask, the primary references were the well-known Polaroid photographs of the original screen-used Michael Myers mask sitting on a styrofoam head form, next to the screen-used Friday the 13th: Part III, IV, and V Jason Voorhees mask.
Raw, prop accuracy and subtlety were major themes throughout this project. I did not want an idealized depiction of the mask; I wanted the finishing to crudely depict how the mask actually looked after filming had wrapped. From the beautiful paint work, to the perfect shape and placement of the eye cuts, to the ancient-feeling matted hair, James nailed the look that I requested to a “T”. The mask that is sitting on my desk, as I type this, looks and feels (to me) as though it could be THE mask.
The experience of working with James has been wonderful and I recommend him, regardless of his wait time, which is what it is for a reason, to ANYONE seeking a screen-accurate replica of the mask that bonds us all. James always kept me in mind throughout this project and, if there was ever a detail that he was unsure about, he always checked in with me before altering the mask further. I am most appreciative of the time put into my mask, during hours when 90% of us are asleep. I got a text from James at around 2:00 AM one morning asking if I was awake, because he had just finished the eye cuts on my mask, and he wanted to share them with me. Sadly, I was asleep, but those pictures were amazing to wake up to! On the day that my mask was haired, James was up until 4:30 AM getting it finished. Respect.
I’d like to close the text portion of this thread on more of a personal note… Those who have been in the hobby for several years might know that James and I haven’t always been on the best of terms. Several years ago, a friendship with another artist, among other factors, influenced me to unjustly harbor very negative feelings towards James, and I acted in ways that I am ashamed of today. I eventually reached a point where I was sick over how things were between he and I and how they had been for years. I felt ashamed that I was affiliated with people who were capable of being so downright evil to this man, and that I, too, acted in similar ways towards him, at one point in time. I reached out to James and he and I talked over the phone all night, literally. I felt great after talking to him, but also sad and angry, because the politics of our hobby had kept that friendship from existing for so many years. James is not only a good person, but he is one of the very best people that I know, and I am honored to call him my friend. We should all feel very fortunate to have someone like him around.
Big thanks to Nik for the deal that landed this rare pull in my collection, and to James for his masterful work on it. I couldn’t be happier if I tried!
I shot him six times! And here are those shots. 
The last picture was an accident…
Frankie you have nailed down THE mask brother 
good for you! 
this is another level here man every detail just blows me away I will be looking at this thread forever 
