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Halloween Ends is the latest entry in the Halloween franchise that dates back to 1978. It purports to tell the final chapter in the saga of masked killer Michael Myers and ultimate “final girl” Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis). I am obviously doubtful of the claim that this is the final Halloween movie considering you can’t kill the boogeyman when he’s this profitable (this is the twelfth entry in the franchise featuring Michael Myers and grossed over $40M at the domestic box office this weekend). Michael Myers (also known as The Shape) has become an iconic horror villain and a major trendsetter for what a slasher villain is. His greatest contribution to the slasher subgenre might be his mask. The idea that the villain in a slasher movie needs to have a distinct mask can be traced back to the blank canvass he wears over his face that has gone on to be copied by the killers in franchises like Friday the 13th and Scream along with solo films like The Prowler, My Bloody Valentine, and Tourist Trap. What’s somewhat surprising is just how many different masks Michael Myers has worn over the years. Not including masks like the clown masks in Halloween (1978) and Halloween (2007) or the “ghost costume” in Halloween (1978), Michael Myers has donned at least sixteen different variations of his classic blank mask. Some are incredibly chilling and effective, and some are…less so. Some of those masks were only used for a scene or two, so I’ll be sticking to the primary masks from those films with one exception that is so hilariously awful that I had to include it. With that in mind, here are the various Michael Myers masks ranked from my least favorite to favorite.

The CGI Mask from Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

This is easily the dumbest mask to appear in any of these films because it isn’t even a real mask. There were multiple different masks used in this movie before settling on a primary mask, but some shots still include the other masks from earlier in the production. For one scene, the filmmakers decided to digitally replace the mask being worn with one more similar to the final mask. It looks utterly ridiculous and is clearly not an actual physical mask. It would have been better to just reshoot the scene or leave the other mask on, but at least it provides some unintentional comedy.

The Mask from Halloween II (2009)

The mask from Rob Zombie’s Halloween II was an easy choice for my least favorite physical mask from the franchise for the simple fact that it no longer covers Michael’s face. It is in shambles from the beginning of the film and continues to deteriorate further throughout the film until it is almost completely gone by the end. It’s a bold choice to remove the thing that gives Michael Myers his iconic look, and it does not pay off.

The Mask from Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

This one is the first one I remember hating while watching a Halloween movie marathon as a kid. It looks the most different from the ones that had come before it with its slender looking face and unusually wide neck. It is also always untucked to the point that it’s distracting each time Michael appears on screen. There also isn’t a good in-story reason for why Michael changes masks between movies.

The Mask from Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

While this mask fits the parameters of the original mask (a blank expressionless white mask), it comes across more goofy than creepy. It gets points for not showing Michael’s eyes, but it loses points for how cheap it looks. It also doesn’t help that Michael looks like he’s wearing shoulder pads the entire movie.

The Primary Mask from Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

While the mask overall is pretty strong, it loses points for making Michael’s eyes so clearly visible. Michael always seems scarier to me when his eyes are hidden under the black shadows of his mask. The less human he seems, the scarier he is. I also think there is just a tad too much hair on this one.

The Mask from Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

This mask is extremely similar to the one from Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. I think it’s slightly better than the previous entry for having shorter hair, but it has the same issue with making Michael’s eyes far too visible (though they tried to countermeasure this with some eyeblack under the mask to little effect).

The Mask from Halloween (2007)

We are now in the upper tier of the mask rankings. I like all of the masks used from this point forward. The mask from Rob Zombie’s Halloween remake is pretty similar to the original from 1978. The main difference is it is pretty worn down and seemingly moldy in some spots. It loses a little bit of what makes the original special just because it isn’t the blank slate that the viewer can project their views onto.

The Mask from Halloween Ends (2022)

Hey! It’s the newest one! You can basically take every criticism I had from the Rob Zombie Halloween and apply it to this one. It’s deteriorating and damaged from all of the abuse it has taken over the years, but I think it’s a little creepier just because it looks slightly more like the original than the Zombie one.

The Mask from Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

I think this is the most underrated mask of the Halloween franchise. It checks all of the boxes for what I like most: it’s blank, you can’t see his eyes, the hair isn’t distracting, and it’s genuinely creepy. My only complaint is that it lacks a certain creepiness factor that the original instills in me when I look at it.

The Mask from Halloween II (1981)

I know. This is technically the exact same mask used in the original Halloween in 1978. That said, it had been sitting in producer Debra Hill’s home since filming had wrapped on the original with no special storage. It had become slightly deteriorated and stained from years of cigarette smoke, and it also just fit differently on new Michael Myers actor Dick Warlock than it did on Nick Castle. This made the eyes more visible than it was in the original.

The Primary Mask from Halloween Kills (2021)

The mask from Halloween Kills is basically identical to the mask from Halloween (2018) except it is partially burned and melted on one side from the fire at the end of that film. It loses points for that, but I love everything else about it.

The Mask from Halloween (2018)

This mask is damn near perfect. It looks virtually identical to the original except for some natural looking wear and tear that reflects the damage it took from the events of the original Halloween. It’s also genuinely scary and restores Michael Myers to the status of The Shape that had been missing since the original.

The Mask from Halloween (1978)

Come on. What else could be number one? It’s iconic for a reason. As I’m sure most of you know by now, the original mask was created by taking a William Shatner Captain Kirk mask from a local store, removing the eyebrows, cutting out the eye holes a little more, and painting it white. I can’t imagine Shatner is too thrilled to know his face is a source of terror for millions of people over the course of multiple generations. What makes it so effective is the simplicity. That blank white face allows the viewer to project their own fears onto it. It has become almost synonymous not just with the slasher genre but with the Halloween holiday itself. It has endured for over forty years, and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

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