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The Dead Man In The Moon

I have to admit something, and that is that I don't think I've ever seen - in the history of people putting faces on crescent moons - a skull instead of a face on one. Why has that never been done before now? Hell, it seems like a fairly obvious idea, and yet I can't think of a single instance in which it's ever been done before this mask. Maybe it has and I'm simply uninformed. I've been wrong about stuff before, so it's a possibility, but even still, why isn't this concept more prominent within the horror community as a whole? Makes no sense. Well, here's to you mask sculptor, you've made one hell of an iconic design here.

Sadly, however, the concept only lets you go so far with it. You're still stuck within a very strict visual perimeter that you must adhere to. An interesting visual is only as good as its dimensions allow it to be, and when you're stuck working with something that's based on a crescent moon, something really only distinguishable visually from its side for coherency, you're kind of screwed from the get go. A mask is a 3 dimensional object, and a crescent moon - as shown in cartoons and photographs - is generally viewed two dimensionally. Sure, you have a great idea, but if it doesn't work in execution, then your idea is kind of stuck in the hanger without ever reaching the runway.

That isn't to say it isn't worth exploring though! Art is nothing if not a testament to the artists ability to experiment, and that's nowhere more true than in mask design, I think, where people take a lot of wacky risks. Which is even more impressive considering these people are designing things meant for mass consumption, to be sold to mass audiences for a mass marketed holiday. They really are walking a fine tightrope of experimentation and bland mainstream appeal and they have to suppress their urge to be wildly inventive so they can also have their creation be universally appealing. I don't think I could do that, so hats off to the brave men and women who create these things because that's a load of pressure I wouldn't be able to handle with my own work.

But you know what? When looked at from the front, it works surprisingly better than you'd expect. Perhaps this is because it isn't a full featured face, but simply a skull, which means there's not as much detail since it's so - forgive the pun - bare bones. You've got some cool teeth and a really goofy tongue, and somehow the idea of a two dimensional image translates into a 3 dimensional rubber visual better than you would expect.

But what, really, does this skeletal Mac Tonight actually give us in terms of originality? I mean, the concept of the man in the moon is old as sin, and the concept of skulls in places of fleshy faces is dead as dirt, so really what's new here? Well, I guess that same argument could be made for almost any mask on this blog, really. Let's face it, fish monsters and space aliens really aren't all that original in this day and age, and yet they're on this blog too, having praised heaped upon them. Because it's not really about originality, it's about what you do with the concept. You can use an age old idea, but as long as utilize it in a fresh new way, that's what matters, and that's what most have done, moon skull here being no exception. Also Moon Skull sounds like the most terrifying comic book villain ever, and I kind of want to see that now. But really, the coloring, the texture, the overall design sculpt? It's all pristine, it's all perfect, and despite being not a completely original concept, it's done freshly enough that it warrants being recognized for sure. 

Is the visual limiting? Certainly. But they did the best they could with what they had available, and frankly I think they knocked it out of the park, all things considered. So long as Skull Moon doesn't become sentient and try to take over the world (unless he lets me be his right hand woman), I think it's safe to say that he's a pretty solid goddamned mask, and we should appreciate him for it.

A lot of times, when being stuck with something so limited conceptually, an artist (especially one making mass produced things like Halloween masks) just does the job as quickly and easily as possible, but this is one example of why I love the people who make Halloween masks, because just getting the job done clearly wasn't enough for whoever made this mask; they weren't about to let being constricted by such a wonky design slow them down, and gosh darnit, they were going to do the best job they could and they went all in, and I love them for it.

A totally unique concept based on a rather uninspired age old idea and somehow turned visually well made instead of clumsy, Skull Moon is definitely one worth taking a gander at.

To quote R.E.M.:

"Could you believe, they killed a man on the moon?"

ALSO, this photo of the space you put your head in from the same set looks like a vagina, and that's funny too.

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