Codes and Conventions of the Slasher Genre: The Mask

Masks are largely considered to be iconic aspect, as well as symbolic, of horror films. Many well-known Slashers are often immediately recognised and distinguished by the design of the mask worn by the antagonist of the story.

The Role and Significance of Masks
The concept of hidden identity is used to create tension and suspense in the audience as it adds to a sense of mystery. In addition to this, masks often depict a stiff, cold and distant expression that may appear emotionless, which could represent the detachment that the antagonist has from the society, allowing them to be perceived as an outcast, and significantly different from other members of the society presented in that universe. The artist that are responsible for designing the mask would use imagery and designs that would be widely considered as either grotesque or horrifying.

Types of Masks

Although, in some stories, such as A Nightmare On Elm Street, the antagonist may not be wearing a mask, their true identity may be concealed by disfiguration of the face using facial scarring. This is associated with disfiguration which is also used in masks designs, amongst other types such as (barely) humanoid, animal, or use of imagery that may largely be considered as frightening (i.e. skulls or clowns).

Jason Voorhees, "Friday the 13th" (1978)

Jason Voorhees's character wears a hockey mask which is often considered to be an iconic image. The mask effectively conceals his identity, as none of his features can be seen, allowing him to remain unknown to those who he targets. He gets his mask from one of his victims, he takes it from them before he proceeds to continue his attack on others. It could be argued that the thing that makes this mask most effective is the lack of expression that can be seen on the antagonist's face. This allows for him to be portrayed as cold and unlike his victims, since he is void of emotion. Additionally, this allows him to appear distant, as the lack of expression can prevent audiences to connect with his character.



Ghostface, "Scream" (1996)

The mask's main purpose in Scream is to hide the identity of the killer. It is made apparent that the antagonist had bought a generic Halloween costume that was largely accessible, which plays on the anxiety of the audience as they are left to wonder who the killer may be. It resembles a ghost, however with the expression shows that it is screaming, which could be considered as paradoxical, as this character is causing havoc by maliciously attacking many people in the small community. The mask itself is black and white, and lacks detail, as it is intended to appear like a ghost. It could be argued that the mask itself is not scary, however the use of it to hide the identity of the central antagonist would be cause an audience to feel threatened by the character who wears it.

 Freddy Krueger, "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984)

Freddy Krueger's face has many large burn scars which acts as mask as it conceals his identity. This is a result of being burned alive by the parents of his victims, as he had been released on a technicality which angered the parents and has prompted them to attack him. The major disfiguration of his face alongside his character's troubling background would likely be considered majorly frightening to an audience as it could reflect his violent nature. It may also be considered to be disturbing as it involves disfiguration and scarring of human skin which can be significantly off-putting for some audiences. The large facial scarring implies the great amount of trauma that he has gone through and arguably, it could reflect the trauma that he inflicts upon others.

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