Spraying at that angle wouldn’t make the neck white though, it’d have exposed flesh from the white spray not hitting it because of blockage from the chin. Even if you sprayed from further away, maybe a slight overspray. Even if it had an overspray, I’ve yet to see anyone paint a mask thin white over a flesh color neck to make it “appear flesh in certain lighting” and full white in others. Not only that, but there is not a single shot we have prior to 1985 that shows a white neck. We can see the exact same flesh pattern in every single photo.
Even if Tommy said that, then how do you explain the flesh pattern remaining the same throughout all shots of H1 and 2?
This makes a ton of sense from a filmmaking standpoint also. A stark white object looks like crap and shows zero detail through a lens (most of the time). I believe it’s possible that TLW may have painted the mask that way on purpose, knowing Cundey’s lighting would further “pop” the details.
I am a bit late to leave my input here but I have to say I am on both sides of the boat here. I am one of the majority of fans that likes their 78 and 81 masks to have flesh tone showing on the necks and other key spots. I believe it’s the definitive look for the masks and makes things look a bit more authentic and nice…
However… James makes a really good point here. I have a rising feeling that he may be right. I wanted to add to his argument that it’s very likely Tommy sprayed the mask lightly, especially on the neck area. I think this for a very odd reason… The Don Post 1983-84 THE MASK. For those who don’t know, the 83 was an unlicensed Myers mask that is very rare. It is the same sculpt as the 75 kirks. However, why I bring this mask up is how it was painted. Don Post would pull these masks in pink/flesh-colored latex and then lightly painted them with white. Very similar to how James is suggesting the hero was painted in certain areas here. What hits the nail in the coffin for me is the photos I have seen of the 83. Here is what I’d like you to see:
Exhibit A: Notice how in bright more exposed lighting, the mask looks clearly white.
Exhibit B: However, under less exposed low lighting, it radiates a PINK color.
Assuming that this is how the hero was painted, James’s argument lines up here. It’s very likely that the hero and the stunts were all painted entirely white, however, the way the mask is lit and painted exposes certain details. Just my two cents.
This is what I have yet to see a Myers mask capture, plus the way those pics are taken are perfect shots! I’ve never seen a mask photographed like that to show the flesh colour through the misted white, plus wouldn’t this also be why the hero still has held up in most areas today? of course excluding the parts that have fallen off or stiffened, cause the paint would crack really bad
As a photographer, people have to take into consideration of white balance, sometimes stuff is a certain color due to that. As far as the paint stuff goes, I dig the all white I dig the flesh, I dig it all, I think it had flesh on it theres a lot of dirty photos of the hero and I believe there was flesh on it fasho I saw it
im pretty late to the discussion here but i think this is an interesting topic so i wanna give my thoughts on something. in the context of the first halloween, we’re only intended to know that he breaks into the local hardware store and steals; rope, a couple of knives, and the Halloween mask. a white mask, with a cold emotionless expression and large dark eyes. that’s the concept that’s being conveyed on screen. i don’t think there’s even any shot in the movie where you can make out any flesh color on his mask. And any flesh that you could see would be a subtle mistake to the continuity. behind the scenes we all know the mask was famously made by altering a kirk mask from its regular flesh tone to white. I respect that other people want it, but in the community of artists and collectors recreating the mask, i wish more people kept the two realities separate and played into the reality of the movie and make a replica thats recreating what its actually intended to be. thats not to say it has to be completely clean stark white… subtle shading and weathering does make the details pop, but flesh tone just isnt necessary or was even intended to actually be a part of his character.
There are lots of shots where you can see the flesh, even when direct light is hitting the neck. That includes during the movie as well as the wrap party where there are no camera tricks or post-production editing going on. See below.
IMO flesh being seen as a subtle continuity error that would only be true if we see the mask varying as having flesh tones and not over the 2 movies, or even just the first, but that is not the case. Any time we see the mask at all during H1 and H2 we see that there is flesh on the neck, the same pattern too. You can even see this in B&W photos where the neck is both directly and indirectly lit and there is a contrast between the flesh and the white that follows the same exact pattern of flesh we see on the mask across 3 years:
The only time we see this mask with a white neck, or even a white neck radiating pink as the poster above you said is in the 1985 pics. Which I could buy if it possibly had a light repaint or touch up which later pics of rotting areas lends substance to IMO.
Nathan, Seeing flesh tone on the neck is a continuity error in the context of the story. All of those are bts or post production shots, besides the one where Michael gets up and walks behind Laurie at the end of movie. That’s basically the only shot where there’s apparent flesh tone on the mask. They altered the Kirk mask with the purpose of it appearing white on screen, not “oh is that a little flesh tone I see on the mask there maybe ?” Because it really wouldn’t make any sense.
I thought you meant continuity in terms of the film itself. But the continuity of it being a “white mask” and whether the flesh on the neck was accidental or not isn’t really what is up for debate, its if there was flesh showing at all on the neck or if it’s misted to be almost entirely white and really an illusion. The point to my knowledge isn’t a debate on what was meant to be seen on screen, but rather what was actually done.
To that, the photos above say it all. Behind the scenes, post-production, movie screenshot- they all illustrate the main point of what’s being discussed and that is if there is flesh on the neck. That is definitely not the only scene in which we see flesh on the hero mask though. You can see it in the hallway, when he’s in the yard, when he’s laying on the ground, etc. Any shot. The point of including BTS shots is to show that it not just a lighting trick as suggested, but that there is flesh in every circumstance… except photos from 1985 onward. Shots before that show flesh on the neck.
When Annie runs across the street with Lindsay and the shape pops up from behind the station wagon, you can pretty much see all the flesh ton rubbed off from the back of the neck too as well as blonde streaks coming through the hair
So where does that leave the argument that the hero had been touched up by the time Dick had it on display? Because I’ve always been of the opinion that it had been repainted, well touched up.
flesh or no flesh, For me personally I only like to Myers masks with a little flesh tone. I feel to much flesh takes away the look of the mask IMO. Mostly white with little flesh tones for me.
I believe the “Hero” was never fully painted white, I think that right from the beginning it had flesh tones on the neck and other areas. They were making a movie and quickly at that I don’t think they really cared if the masks were totally white, just look at the school yard stunt mask as an example.
Also if you spray paint a mask the correct way, the paint is very hard to get off. If you go over board with it the paint cracks, that’s why I think it always had flesh tones.
Man I really agree with you on this one, for a few reasons. For 1, obviously because like u said the movie said it was a all white mask… and for 2, it was in the shadows most of the time so the flesh was hidden and it appeared all white.
Butttttt… on the other hand I’ve taken photos of the dirtiest masks with flesh everywhere and it can appear white depending on the lighting and color and everything goes into consideration.
But anyway, I like what u said tho, and the two would be best to keep separated having 1 mask where they intended it to be white, like the story of the movie, and 2 having a replica intended to look as if it was a thrown together prop off the set, I dig that theory brother !!
While I guess there’s no real way to know 100% without access to the hero mask, I would say that it is probably likely IMO. I had a conversation with him once and brought up some questions about the reshoots/stunt blood tears mask and he told me that he was certain there were no reshoots done with H2 and only the Hero mask was used for the character of Michael- both things we know not to be true. I think the possibility that Dick may be misremembering or forgetting is not 100% not out of the question given his memory recall on those two events above. Of course, the other possibility (in the argument that it was refinished on the neck, anyway) is that maybe the neck was touched up with white during its final days on the set of H2 before Dick asked and was allowed to keep the mask.
Not only is there not one photo of that hero mask exists before 1985 where we see a white neck, but in photos there and after we can see that the neck has had a repair to a rip on it as well. This either means that Dick isn’t recalling the events of it correctly, or the mask repaired itself which can’t happen.
Assessing the earliest clear photos we have of the mask from 1985 onward (mainly the '96 videos and photos), we can clearly see a few things:
1: The neck rip and weathering around it was repaired:
2: The once dark weathering on the neck of the mask is still there, but it’s muted:
3: While there is rot on several areas of the mask, the most extensively rotted part is the neck area. Not necessarily the back or the sides, but rather exactly where the mask would’ve had the repaint. You can even see that area rotting the worst in the '96 Sean Clark video, almost as if the paint possibly accelerated the rot in that area.
Would the sweat from wearing it as well as the condensation, have caused the rip to open up again from the repair and maybe due to how the mask was put onto different displays, that caused the neck to rip open more from the overstretching etc? that’s just something that came into my head right now
Could! But makes me wonder why is no other area rotting like this? I’d there are other places sweat would collect more than just the surface of the neck down there. In the photos we do have of the neck though, the rip repair still appears to be there undisturbed. It’s my opinion that a repair at all is partial proof of a repaint since it’s covered up after the fact.
It also looks like in that 96 screenshot above, that the paint seems to have lots of air bubbles in it on the neck and some of it has worn off, unless my eyes are playing tricks
