Well, with Day 19 we’re exiting the 80s and entering a whole new decade of monster mask shenanigans on the countdown. Today’s vintage advertisement came out of a 1990 issue of Fangoria (I’m not sure which issue right at the moment), and featured Tony Gardner’s Alterian Studios…
What really struck me about this ad is the energy and creativity in the mask molds. There’s been some distinct phases during the 60 odd years since monster masks have been widely available, from the cheap-o Topstone bait-and-switch masks of the 50s to the heavily licensed Don Post reproductions of the 70s and 80s. If there was one word I’d use to describe the sculpts of the late 80s and early 90s it would be gory, which these masks are decidedly not. Instead, Gardner has taken these in a much more artistic and illustrative direction. These masks are more about concepts and clean lines, and it’s kind of nice to see a break in the gore to make room for something interesting like the Scream LongJaw or the very interesting take on the human-skin mask with Stitches.
Anyway, come back tomorrow for more mask tomfoolery, and if you’re looking for a ton of Halloween content all through the month of October, make sure to stop on by the official Countdown to Halloween site and check out the list of participating blogs for 2011. You’ll be glad you did!
