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Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch (1982)
The Masks: Michael Myers was out in this third Halloween flick, but masks were still in as fictional company Silver Shamrock create a trio of nasties - a witch, a jack-o-lantern and a skull.
Why They're Magnificent: When worn while listening to the Silver Shamrock song on Halloween, the masks activate and basically eat the heads of the wearer.
They also belch out bugs and snakes. Just plain nasty. Deliciously so.
ChromeSkull - Laid To Rest (2009)
The Mask: A chrome-plated number that resembles a skull.
Naturally it's worn by mute serial killer ChromeSkull, who videotapes his victims while butchering them with giant hunting knives.
Why It's Magnificent: It's creepy as hell, sort of looks like a Death Eater, and seems to be welded to his face. Eeshk.
Babyface - The Hills Run Red (2009)
The Mask: A cracked, scuzzed-up baby mask worn by - who else? - mental serial killer Babyface.
Why It's Magnificent: It's an odd mash-up of Chucky and Leatherface.
Plus, DEMENTED BABY. What's not to love?
Murrieta - The Mask Of Zorro (1998)
The Mask: A black eye mask first donned by Spanish nobleman Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), then taken up by Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas).
Why It's Magnificent: It's simple, elegant and unshowy.
Also, it's really easy to imitate for a quickie fancy dress costume.
Driver - Drive (2011)
The Mask: A stunt mask worn by Driver (Ryan Gosling) during his day job.
It's made to look like real flesh for when Driver performs his terrifying stunts on set.
Why It's Magnificent: It's so life-like that it can't be anything but terrifying - particularly when Driver wears it out and about of an evening.
The Rite (1969)
The Masks: The masks in this Ingmar Bergman film are worn by actors during a raunchy performance that's being investigated by a judge.
Why They're Magnificent: They make the actors look vaguely animalistic and goblin-like - perfect for a film about culpability and revenge.
Preest - Franklyn (2008)
The Mask: Noseless, mouthless, earless and very nearly eyeless - this ghostly mask is worn by vigilante Preest (Ryan Phillippe), who's dedicated to taking down criminals in Meanwhile City.
Why It's Magnificent: It's pretty much a movie ode to Rorschach, which is fine by us.
Also, it takes serious guts to hide a face as pretty as Phillippe's.
Leslie Vernon - Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon (2006)
The Mask: A wooden oddity worn by Leslie Vernon when he sets out to murder innocent young teenagers.
Like something you might see somebody wearing at a rave. Or a fertility ritual.
Why It's Magnificent: We're still not entirely sure what it is - it sort of looks like an Aztec mask. Only weirder.
Henry - Bruiser (2000)
The Mask: A sort-of mask, sort-of face, this one, as Henry (Jason Flemyng) wakes up one day to discover that his face has been replaced with an expressionless mask.
Why It's Magnificent: Not only is it really unsettling, it works as both metaphor and allegory - Henry just wanted to fit in, and now he's an emotionless drone.
Vera Cruz - The Skin I Live In (2011)
The Mask: A bizarre plastic mould worn by Vera Cruz (Elena Anaya), who's being held captive in the house of surgeon Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas, this time not wearing a mask).
Why It's Magnificent: It suggests that Robert has been doing something vile to Vera, without ever showing it or letting us know what that something is.
Until the film's horrifying mid-point , that is.
