by Allen Wade

Created on: October 14, 2009   Last Updated: October 15, 2009

Halloween masks come in many different shapes and sizes. Some can make you laugh and some can scare you to death. This article is dealing more with the latter. What makes a Halloween mask scary? Is it the fact that you cannot see the person behind the mask? The fact there is no emotion coming from the person wearing it? Or is it just the fact that they look really scary? Maybe it is a combination of all three that make the top 10 scary masks so terrifying? With that in mind here are the top 10 scary Halloween masks:

10. Hannibal Lecter Mask- A character first introduced in the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. Hannibal Lecter became most famous when he was adapted to the big screen from Thomas Harris' second novel Silence of the Lambs. The mask worn by Hannibal Lecter was used to keep him from eating his victims, while there for safety it is also is a very scary image.

9. Saw Pig Mask- Used by Jigsaw and his accomplices, this mask looks like giant horse head with a pig snout. The jigsaw doll also is a scary image but not quite a mask. All victims who run into the pig mask know they are in for another one of Jigsaw's death traps.

8. Evil Ash Mask- Some ordinary horror fans may not know this next particular mask but it comes from the cult classic Evil Dead 3 Army of Darkness. The mask consist of a skull helmet with a gruesome disfigured face wearing it. Sure to scare your friends this mask comes in at number eight.

7. Pinhead's Mask- What's not scary about a mask that has nails pierced in all parts of it. Pinhead is a classic horror movie character and seeing him for the first time is quite frightening. Let's just say you wouldn't wanna run into someone wearing this mask in a dark alleyway.

6. Darth Vader- Some may disagree with this choice as being scary, but just ask Luke Skywalker that. Darth Vader is one bad man and the mask was designed to hide his burnt dis-configured face and to also aid in his speech. Maybe what is more scary about the mask is what is under the mask

5. Leatherface Mask- Who can forget the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Many times has the Leatherface has been remade to look different but the original mask from the 1974 original movie makes the list at number five. The mask is made up of the skin of Leatherface's victims. Now thats scary.

4. Ghost Face Mask (Scream)- Everyone should remember the first time they saw this mask. It came from a horror movie so original that the image would not leave your brain for weeks. The ghost face mask became an instant classic and can be found anywhere Halloween costumes are sold.

3. Freddy Krueger- 1,2 Freddy is coming for you 3,4 better lock the door 5,6 grab your crucifix 7,8 gonna stay up late 9,10 NEVER SLEEP AGAIN! Enough said.

2. Jason's Hockey Mask- So simple yet so frightening. This mask hid the face of one of horror's most notorious serial killers. No sense of compassion or remorse Jason defined the genre in the eighties and became one of the scariest images in horror history.

1. Halloween Mask- Michael Myers is a horror movie icon. This white mask is plain, boring, and shows no expression. That is why it is number one on the list. There is no image that is harder to get out or your head then Michael Myers wearing his Halloween mask and looking at you with his cold eyes.

So there it is. The top 10 scary Halloween masks. Next time you go to the costume shop instead of taking all that time to pick out a mask, think about the classics and how you can never go wrong with one of these masks.

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