John Wayne Facey

Every once in a while, you come across something that makes you wish that you'd either never been born, or at the very least hadn't been born with the power of sight. This is one of those times. There's just a lot to unpack with this thing, and quite frankly I'd rather hide in my closet with a revolved than spend anymore time talking about it, but this is what I do, so let's make the best of it. This mask is interesting on a few levels, but let me just say for the record that I have never found clowns creepy. Like, in the slightest. It appears to be a thing everyone else finds creepy, but it just doesn't do anything for me. Then again, I don't find much creepy, so. But then again, this isn't a regular kind of clown, is it?

Look at the way this was designed. It's not just a facial covering. It's a facial covering with a face inside. There's eyes, and hair at the top. This isn't just a mask, it's a mask of a person wearing a mask. That might be a first, at least round these parts. And yes I'm saying round these parts now. I'm a cowgirl now, deal with it, pardner.

I also can't get over the shag carpeting they took these photos on, like this is a mask worn at an orgy in a sex dungeon or something. But also, for once, we have a few notable things, mostly a label! For a change, we can actually tell where this monstrosity originated. It's from a line called Maskerage, which I can only sort of assume is supposed to be a play on the word Masquerade, but like, angrier. Like a masquerade ball for people in an anger management class. And what a world class tagline too, right? "The Rage is Here!" Terrifying.

I don't know what the mask style is supposed to mean. 131 Bingo? Sounds like an address. Yes, I live on 131 Bingo Lane, thank you. But that's not what I'm focused on, despite the eBay sellers clear MS Paint job of circling it. No, I'm focusing on the stuff below that, the Don Post Studios text. 

According to the Spirit Halloween Fandom Wiki, which is, not gonna lie, something I simultaneously can't believe exists and can't believe I didn't know existed already, Don Post Studios was founded in 1938 by Don Post. The company was notable for inventing latex and rubber pull over masks used both by Hollywood and regular consumers most notably during Halloween. Because of Don’s relationships throughout Hollywood, Don pioneered the art of product licensing, resulting in amazing licensed masks from Planet of the Apes, Star Wars and the Universal Classic Monsters.

The company was also notable for its various props over the years some of which were produced in conjunction with their partner Paper Magic Group. The company produced items for Spirit Halloween from 2002 to 2011. These days, under a website titled Trick or Treat Studios, his son has a bio stating that starting in the 1980’s Don Post Jr. took over the company and that following in his father’s footsteps, Don Post Jr. continued the innovation, ingenuity and success of Don Post Studios, making the company a household name and the grail of mask making among collectors and mask fans.

So we actually have a mask from a legitimate place for a change! What a breath of fresh air. Fresh, horrifying air.

We also have what are called "Costume Suggestions" on the back, where ti states that these are made so you can change into costume in a scant matter of seconds no matter where you might be, which is a hilarious idea to me. Nieces wedding? Clown mask. 3rd grade spring dance recital? Clown mask. Nursing home's holiday pageant? Clown mask. Anytime, anywhere, just pull it out, snap it on and terrify those around you. The children, elderly, it doesn't matter.

You may notice I'm not talking much about the mask proper, and part of that is because there just isn't much to talk about. It's a fairly standard clown design, and outside of the inclusion of the face inside of it - which is downright terrifying when you consider the implications - there's just nothing really to discuss. It's not bad by any means. It's just so very standard. But hey, standard gets the job done more often than not! I'm nothing if not a proud believer in the appreciation of mediocrity.

Though, I still for the life of me cannot understand why they called this line Maskerage, other than the obvious pun. Was this clown mad? What were the other masks in this line? Did any of them remotely comply with the concept of anger? I mean, to be fair, if I had to wear one of these I'd probably be filled with murderous hatred too, I mean come on. But it just seems like they came up with a funny pun name and then stuck with it, which is fine I guess.

I mean, the best part of this packaging, hands down, has gotta be what I can only assume is Don Post himself showing you the difference outright between his face and the face of his alter ego Mr. Hyde. Apparently putting on this mask also means you'll suddenly be wearing a different outfit altogether too, from what these pictures show us, ala a magic girl transformation sequence. Quite frankly, I think that alone is worth the price.

So sure, this Don Post post isn't as much about the mask as it is about the people behind it and the great packaging it comes in, and so sure, I don't really find clowns creepy until, I guess, they rip off your face and wear it under their own like Leatherface working for Barnum and Bailey or something. But I thought for a change we could talk about where something came from, since we so rarely get the chance. Most of the masks I cover on this blog never have the packaging with them, and so we never know their origins, and it's fun to know the origin of something, even something absolutely bizarre such as this. Don Post, all things considered, is a treasure in the industry, and I thank him and his son for all the effort they put in over the years making great products not just for Hollywood but also us regular joe consumers.

God bless you John Wayne Facey, you magnificently terrifying bastard, you.