Thinking about a new mask that’s currently being made for me. Then decided to have a look at my signed 75k I keep locked away in a dark box on a glass stand with a two way humidification Boveda pack inside. I always pop open the box once in a while to have a look, but I’m so conscious about keeping its condition perfect. I hate wearing it. Actually, I love wearing it! More than I do looking at it, but I hate wearing it due to the fact I know I’m ageing it considerably every time I put it on.
This fact of our masks deteriorating really hurts me. I hate that organic materials such as latex have a life span. Hell, I hate that we, humans, animals, life forms, are organic and have a life span too. But I’ve always had comfort in thinking I could own my masks and keep them looking the way they do and feeling the way they do until my finals days where I could even leave them to my kids to enjoy, or if they’re not into Halloween like their dad they could sell them to give to someone else to enjoy. But I’ve seen people keep masks in superb conditions and yet 20 years later the inevitable starts to happen. 20 years isn’t enough for me. It’s not long enough for the time I misled myself to believe I would have with it.
This brings me onto the point of this topic. Why do you personally buy a Myers mask and what is the solution? By that I mean, what should you do with that mask once you’ve invested all of that money into it? Should you wear it as much as possible and use it for what it actually is, or should you keep it locked up in the dark without hardly ever seeing it to get a few more years out of it? I’m stuck myself. Again, I hate wearing my masks because I don’t want them to rot faster, but then I think why would I bother? It’ll rot eventually. Except I’ve invested all that money to get enjoyment out of it and instead I have it locked and stored away out of sight where I never even get to see it all that much. So is the answer to just get as much enjoyment out of it as possible?
I understand they are used for decoration pieces too, to sit on top of a bust or inside a glass cabinet for display. But in that case I feel it would be better to buy an actual solid sculpt of the same mask made of resin or something to have on display or as a bust instead. At least that way it will last a lifetime. Whenever I look at my mask, I look at it for what it is, a mask. I think, I can actually wear this thing on my head just like in the movie. This makes me want to use it for what it is and actually wear it! I’m not talking about everyday obviously haha, but when Halloween comes, I feel I would like to actually wear it and not just have it stored away to look at every once in a while.
How do the rest of you feel? Why do you buy a mask? Do you buy it to wear? Or do you buy it strictly to display? Also, how do you feel about the limited amount of time you have left with your masks that you have invested so much money into? How do you feel about the fact that one day, the big dogs who make the best Myers masks we have today, will no longer be around and getting such masks again will be no more.
I’m glad you have brought this up, I’ve been looking at masks that I really want to get and wear but I know I have to keep it locked away. Silicone or Resin I don’t understand people don’t use, hopefully that can become something in the future, latex is what’s on the hero and all of the masks yes but it’s worth just to have it last forever. And investing all that money to have a mask just to sit, without being worn. To answer your main question, I would just wear it and take the most shots you can with it until it meets it fate man. That’s what I have to say and I hope others can agree.
But whatever mask I plan on wearing. Ill buy two. One for display and one to wear. The ones I wear, I do absolutely everything I can to prolong its life. Wipe it out, cornstarch, etc.
But for me, having people stop me when Im walking around on Halloween and hearing them say things like “He looks like the real Michael Myers” makes it all worth it.
But, Ive found one possible bright side to all of this. If you are a H18 or HKills fan and thats your go to mask, then I would think latex rot wouldnt be nearly a problem as it would for a ‘78. Those two masks are already really aged and worn out so I think if those started rotting on you, it wouldnt hurt nearly as bad as one of the other 8 movies.
This is an existential question, and the answer for me is simple.
What is the one thing in this world that NO ONE has enough of? What is the one thing in the world that EVERYONE wants more of?
Time.
I’ve never understood people who collect things and don’t enjoy them while they have the time to do so. Like a car collector who doesn’t drive their cars. Or a card collector who doesn’t play the game their cards were designed for.
What good will those masks be to you when you’re time is up? If your kids eventually get into HalloweeN like you, they can get their own masks and enjoy them, too! They don’t need dad’s old mask in mint condition to enjoy the hobby.
If you find enjoyment from wearing them, WEAR THEM. Don’t worry about them rotting. You should concern yourself with finding joy while you have time to find it. If seeing the masks brings you joy, have them on display in a brightly lit area that you walk by frequently! Cultivate that joy as often as you can. We should all be so lucky to find joy so easily as by simply looking at an object fondly.
There’s a time and place for keeping things in climate controlled environments and behind glass. They’re called museums.
In my opinion keeping a mask locked away in the dark and only checking on it every so often is a waste of money. If you’re gonna spend that much on a great mask, display it where you’ll see it often, and wear it whenever you went, especially on Halloween. There’s no point in prolonging it’s lifespan if all it’s doing is sitting in the dark.
This sounds too much like the people that buy their dream car and never drive it but I know if I owned some of the masks posted on here I’d feel the same way about preserving them and go to the same lengths the rest of you do. I’m anxious just thinking about it but that’s also my incentive to stay away from that side of the hobby.
I got into mask collecting because I wanted to pass out candy on Halloween and I came across some TOTS rehaul tutorials that looked like fun. I had to buy some paint, latex, ink, glue, sealer, hair, etc. but that’s still a fraction of the cost of the high-end masks most people collect. The arts and crafts part is what I enjoy most so the biggest investment of redoing a TOTS mask is time and it’s time spent doing something I enjoy. And while I don’t know how long a mask will last, I have the peace of mind of knowing that I can make another and, if my skills are improving each time, it should turn out better than the previous one.
I don’t want to disparage anyone from seeking their grail but I highly recommend getting a cheap mask rehauled by an artist you like so you can have a sort of “stunt mask” to play with now and again. They fit in Detolf cabinets too
This is exactly what I was trying to say about 1 minute after you posted this. Except you said it better in every way possible. Anyways, I agree. There’s no point in just having the mask sit there in the dark for no reason. Enjoy it while you have the time.
I really like what you said. It’s such a hard position to be in. On one hand I can enjoy it as much as possible but ruin it more quickly, or preserve and still have it ruin but over more time. I never thought about how lucky I am to get such enjoyment out of looking at something I own. That makes this even more difficult for me because I think that’s exactly why I can’t face having to see it rot eventually. But I totally agree that if I get so much enjoyment out of it, I should be at least looking at it more often! Perhaps I’ll move it out of the box. I’ll probably still be careful with where I decide to relocate it exactly. Going to be hard to break the current habits. Thanks for the reply mate!
I originally collected masks just because they looked cool and they were from my favorite film franchise and they could get a scare out of people, and that reason is still my main one, I love Halloween, both the film and the celebration and owning a piece that is the physical manifestation of essentially both means a lot to me. I know these will eventually rot and hopefully I can get them foam filled when they do but in the meantime I want to enjoy them and get as many scares out of people as i can, because to me that’s what the mask ultimately is used for, scaring the shit outta people.
For me, I love to display my masks, so I go to the route of decorating it really nicely to give it that fall and Halloween vibe I want, and then leave it there! I found joy just looking at the masks, not as much wearing them, so I never wear my masks and just display them! Seeing the masks just makes me happy!
BUT if there’s a time where I want to wear a mask and have a piece of mind, I just wear my tots converted Kirk mask! Getting joy being Michael Myers for Halloween while also having masks displayed in a case I enjoy looking at!
I really enjoy wearing the mask but also enjoy displaying the mask as well. Just got my deloaf at ikea also got my nick castle autograph poster that came in but for me I’m having blast building my halloween room
I had the idea around 2004/2005 that I wanted to wear a Myers mask during my DJ sets and starting looking around the internet for good masks. That led me to this site and the rest is history. Got a bit burned out for a while and my collection is nothing like it used to be - but I still enjoy looking at everyone else’s scores.
After watching Halloween on AMC as an older child (Halloween 4 was my very first exposure). I knew Michael Myers wasn’t like the others. There was certain mystery to him. I knew a mask would be cool to have, but I never saw one for sale until Sprit Halloween came along back around 2016. I also never reallized mask collecting was a thing until the past few years. I didn’t realize just how realistic a mask could be until doing my research. It’s just something super unique to have. Almost like a film prop you can display. Something that catches people’s attention. “Hey, thats Michael Myers!”
Oh and I forgot to mention, Halloween is my favorite holiday! Basically from September to Thanksgiving I’m in full Halloween spirit, but it really lasts all year.
For me, costuming as Myers was always something I wished I could do. At the same time, I am a tad perfectionist and the right mask didn’t seem available.
Over the years I dove into Star Wars costuming by building a Vader. The experience of sharing it in public is such a blast. Making people smile and giving fans a cool experience is worth the time and effort.
After building a Vader in 2017, the new Halloween version was released and I snagged a TOTS 2018 at Spirit Halloween. It took me too long to attempt a repaint, but once complete I had a blast at Horror Cons, community events and just following my own kids during trick or treat.
For me it is to be worn, the more often the better. I rinse it out right away, dust it with cornstarch, and it has nearly three layers of acrylic/liquid latex paint on the outer surface. If it deteriorates badly enough to not be used 5-10 years from now, I will buy another one and keep enjoying the experience.
Awesome conversation. And I love all the responses and I can see everyone’s point of view. I personally just value life experiences over money and I just kinda would rather enjoy it till the wheels fall off, u can always get a new one. There is always cheaper alternatives u can rock as well, the Warped75 or the creep or even tots masks, very affordable and fun to wear.
