Masks are a prominent feature across many horror movies. Whether it's something as recent as The Black Phone, coming June 24th, or something as vintage as The Phantom of the Opera, false identities and the eventual revelation they bring are often a key part of dramatic storytelling.
Some of horror's biggest shocks occur when the mask is pulled off and the killer's identity is revealed. The amount of shock and spectacle is completely up to the directors/writers, but it still makes for some iconic scares in cinema. So much drama hinges on the villains being uncovered.
Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon (2006)
This documentary-style horror film puts a different spin on the traditional formula of the tried-and-true slasher film. A film crew follows Leslie Vernon, a wannabe slasher villain who allows them a peek into his process and soon becomes swept up in the horror movie they're trying to study.
While Leslie technically goes under the mask to accomplish his deadly goals, the reveal is more of a truthful revelation than that of identity. Realizing that an over-the-top serial killer fan is truly aspiring to be a literal killer himself and that the film is no longer a parody is a great source of shock.
Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Hannibal Lecter is one of the most notorious villains in cinema history, and his appetite for liver with fava beans and a nice Chianti is arguably just as famous. Although most moviegoers will remember him for his iconic bite mask worn in various scenes, it's the way that he escapes police custody where the use of a mask truly comes into play.
Not only does Lecter murder the guards keeping him under surveillance, but he removes one of their faces to disguise himself and earn a trip out the front door to an awaiting ambulance. The moment he rips the discarded flesh from his face is the moment Hannibal the cannibal is truly free.
Friday The 13th Series (1980s)
He could be the mascot of the slasher genre, and Jason Voorhees's trademark hockey mask is one of the leading factors. Along with leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, one thing fans can count on in just about any Friday the 13th movie is that he will eventually be unmasked to reveal his decaying face.
It might be something as simple as a lumpy flesh formation or he might be completely zombified and skeletal beneath the mask. Either way, it gives an extra scare before the credits roll. Honestly, it's kind of impressive to see a character that never looks the same way twice in his film series.
Halloween (1979)
One of the things fans hugely love about Michael Myers' mystique comes from the fact that there could be anyone under that mask. The mask itself is also very stark, emotionless, and blank, but there was a time viewers were given a brief glimpse into the human side of the infamous boogeyman.
In John Carpenters' original Halloween film, Michael does get his mask briefly removed during one of the fight sequences. Until that point in the film, he was a faceless, intimidating ghoul who picked off Lori's friends one by one. For a fleeting moment, his face was revealed to show that there was still just a man under the horrifying visage.
Scream (1993)
While the "twist endings" might have worn out their welcome as the series progressed, the first reveal from the original Scream offered up a sort of murder-mystery flavor to the meta-slasher that sprung from Woodsboro way back in 1993. It's always the person you least expect, as the saying goes, and that was definitely true for one Sydney Prescott.
The reveal of Billy and Stu and their ties to Sydney's mother was a shocking turn back when the film first premiered, and it set the franchise into motion from there. It's definitely creepy to learn that the killer was so close the entire time.
The Funhouse (1981)
Sometimes the monster beneath the mask is someone the protagonist knows. Other times, a monster is still a monster underneath, and that's the case for Gunther in The Funhouse.
Along with being an underrated slasher villain, Gunther is probably one of the scariest creatures to be unmasked. Beneath that rubber Frankenstein mask, he appears to have bright red eyes and sharp teeth. His terrifying image is further enhanced by his carnivorous appetite and serial killing ways.
Trick R’ Treat (2007)
Sam's reveal is very special, not just because it reveals a tenacious trick-or-treater as a monster, but because he's something far more supernatural than old Mr. Kreeg or the audience expected. Sam is the sack-headed creature that holds the horror anthology together, and the unsaid spirit of Halloween whose traditions are expected to be maintained.
The combination of a skull, jack-o-lantern, and undead child is more than creepy enough to be considered scary after that burlap bag is ripped off, and it's probably not what the audience was probably expecting. However, it's an ideal amalgamation of things that would fit in with the Halloween spirit.
Haunt (2019)
The masked murderers seen in Haunt are a different kind of unsettling. Although it might have been scarier for them to remain anonymous, the reveal of the augmented faces underneath the plastic vintage masks they wear is still quite disturbing, especially if they resemble grotesque versions of their disguises.
What makes the situation even more intense and frightening is that their motives, identities, and reasons are never truly revealed. For all the audience knows and all that the villains give away, they could be committing these atrocious acts simply out of sheer boredom.
There’s Someone Inside Your House (2021)
This Netflix original horror movie is truly an underrated slasher classic, and masks play a huge part and its storytelling. Chaos erupts in a small town when a masked serial killer is picking off high school students one by one, wearing 3-D printed versions of his victims' faces. It's one thing to be murdered by an unknown assailant, it's another to see them essentially killed by themselves.
One of the central themes in the film is "reap what you sow" and the killer makes an avid point of that by bringing past sins to haunt his victims. Without going into spoiler territory, the big reveal ties all the false faces together into one elaborate revenge plot that, while certainly long-winded, comes together for a climactic confrontation.