Since Halloween is just around the corner I decided to make a series of tutorials that will show you how to put together a kick-ass Michael Myers costume. Part 1 shows you how I modified a standard Don Post Myers mask to make it look more like the real thing.
As I mention in the tutorial, the original Michael Myers mask was a store-bought Captain Kirk mask from 1975. According to a number of untrustworthy sources, problems arose when the original Halloween film became a hit and this fact was uncovered. Apparently in subsequent years William Shatner and others have tried to get a piece of the Halloween pie so the mask has been changed and changed and changed again. The same mask was only used in Halloween 1 and Halloween 2. Each of the other films (the ones featuring Michael at least) had its own take on the Kirk mask.
Don Post Studios has been fairly prolific over the years releasing Myers mask after Myers mask, even making an unlicensed one they called “The Mask”, a none-too-veiled reference to “The Shape”, Michael’s “name” in the original script. Unfortunately, they’ve always been hobbled by the Kirk lawsuits and steered clear of the original Shatner sculpt. AFAIK we’ve never gotten an accurate licensed H1 Myers mask.
There are, however, many independent mask makers who make and sell excellent Myers masks based on the original Kirk sculpt. Their beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the cost of that beauty can be quite high. For this tutorial I wanted to stick with a mask that is commonly available.
I started with a Don Post Myers mask that was first released in 2006 and is still available today. You can find it at a great many retailers and the price range is wide. I got mine at HALLOWEEN ASYLUM for around $55. I’ve seen them for sale as high as $90 so shop around.
The liquid latex I use is from TWISTED VISIONS and MONSTER MAKERS. I’ll let you decide which you prefer.
I hope you enjoy the tutorial. Happy Hallowe’en!
*UPDATE 2/12/12
Big news, Myers fans. Apparently Trick or Treat Studios is now licensed to produce Myers masks that are relatively accurate reproductions from H1 and H2, and at a reasonable MSRP of $59.99 each! See the video from the folks at frightcatalog below. More news as it comes in, but I plan on grabbing a couple of these as soon as they hit the street.
103 comments
Michael
September 28, 2008 at 12:03 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi There,
great vidd but i have still a question.
if i’m right you onley uses a light grey and a dark grey right???
and the latex you use is that the same kind latex of Party Make Up liquid latex ???
Mvg,
Mike v. hecke
Tom
September 28, 2008 at 5:27 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi Michael. Thanks for checking out the video. I use several colors in the tutorial. First, I mixed up a color that matches the off-white base coat of the original mask to paint out the brows. Then I used a combination of dark grey, light grey, and flesh tones to weather the mask. I also used a very dark grey (almost black) for the mouth line. The liquid latex I use is colorless but looks white in the bottle. The flesh-colored latex they sell at the party stores at Halloween won’t work due to the flesh color. Check out the online sources i linked to above. Good luck!
Michael
September 29, 2008 at 2:11 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi There,
Thanks for the information and the fast response!
Now i know what i need for the conversion
I already have the mask onley the paints and latex are missing, but whit youre informaion that not a problem anymore!!!
thanks again and keep up the good work !!!
Mike v.Hecke
Alex
October 5, 2008 at 5:29 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi, do you sell these costumes?
I need one for the end of October and yours is the best out there!
Tom
October 5, 2008 at 8:23 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi Alex. Thanks for the kind words. No, I don’t sell these. I’m here to show you how to make your own Myers costume with off-the-shelf components. I have a link to HalloweenAsylum above. You can purchase the mask there. Then just follow my instructions and you’ll have a great mask too.
syker18
October 10, 2008 at 3:43 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
hi tom i just want to say i love the hall website its great and i think its brilliant that you,ve made it. it really helps out people that have no idea how to make these things, i especially like the michael myers mask tutorial its really helpful and the hyperlinks youve put up so people can find out where to buy them it saves time,its a real pain having to spend loads of time trieing to find them it really helped me out.
thanks and goodluck with the website.
p.s. youre joke are really funny
Tom
October 10, 2008 at 4:52 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks, Syker. I’m glad I could help.
Storm trooper 1649
October 21, 2008 at 1:24 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
were can i get 1 its so cool i was going 2 wear it for chidren in need
Tom
October 21, 2008 at 1:35 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Storm Trooper 1649, do you mean the Myers mask? There’s a link in my original entry to the source.
Alan-Michael
October 28, 2008 at 3:19 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi there great video, but I think you should have left the hair alone other than that GREAT mask!
Alan-Michael
October 28, 2008 at 3:22 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I nave another question, if you can get all the eyebrows off do you have to bother with the paint?
Tom
October 28, 2008 at 3:33 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
As far as the brows go, do what you think looks good. It does have some molded brows under the hair but it was a real pain trying to get all of the hair off. As always, customize yours the way you like it!
mr incredible
November 3, 2008 at 9:19 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
do u think u can show me how to make a freddy kruger costume thats as cool as this???
Tom
November 3, 2008 at 9:29 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Freddy’s on my to-do list. I just don’t know when I’ll get to it.
Ty Emery
December 21, 2008 at 2:06 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Great tutorials
I just got the 2006 Myers mask and I’m going to be doing some work on it soon. The mask is way bigger than my head and it says on the instruction card that you can glue some sponge into the back to make it a tighter fit, what glue would you recommend as I don’t want to melt the latex.. Also you are using acrylic paints right? Thanks!
Tom
December 21, 2008 at 9:35 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi Ty. Thanks!
1. You can glue the foam or sponge into the mask using rubber cement.
2. Yes, the paints are acrylic with liquid latex added to them.
Good luck!
Ty Emery
December 22, 2008 at 11:01 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks for that, I was still a bit weary about using glue on the mask so instead I just used strips of velcro to attach the sponge, makes it a bit easier to reposition too
John
January 15, 2009 at 6:23 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
http://www.youtube.com/user/Crazedmaskowner
original mint condition 75 kirk & spock given by william malone
nick
April 26, 2009 at 9:12 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
actually the original mask did have eyebrows thats how he looks so mean looking
nick
April 26, 2009 at 9:13 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
but this tutriol is still great thanks
Tom
April 26, 2009 at 10:57 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Nick, Thanks for the kind words but I’m afraid you need to watch H1 again. The mask has molded eyebrows painted the same color as the face but no hair on them.
nick
April 30, 2009 at 1:59 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
ha ha im a dumbass ur right i thought they were real but they just look like but i do not no if they riped them off too but i do no that it had some king of eyebrow looking thing but but im only 13 so ya
James
June 17, 2009 at 2:39 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Great video i’ve messed up so may times i haven’t got it perfect yet but i have a couple of questions the latex formed like some kind of air bubbles on them i got some off but the others i couldn’t get them all the way off i sprayed latex on there white to repaint and well i was wondering if it wouldn’t really matter if they were on there i own all of the halloween movies watch them all the time but the only one that has bumps on it is number six but i want to make it the 78′ version and would it really matter if they were on there?
James
June 17, 2009 at 7:00 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
oh and nick michael myers doesnt really have an angry lookj on the mask its emotionless thaT’S what makes the mask so perfect its not happy sad or even angry its “a pale blank emotionless face”
Tom
June 17, 2009 at 7:07 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi James,
It really just depends on how you’d like it to look. Make it the way that you prefer. If the bubbles look good to you, keep it. If not, see if you can figure out how to fix it. it might be difficult though. I’ve never had that problem with liquid latex myself but I can see how it could happen if got shaken up.
James
June 18, 2009 at 3:03 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
thanks i apreciate it i got the big bubbles off im just going to figure out how to get the tiner bubbles offf then spray it with liquid latex then be careful when i put a coat of liquid latex im going to make sure its smooth befor it dries but thanks again i will try to be careful next time i put latex on there but great video yours is the only7 out there i looked when i first got the mask but have a great day
james
July 23, 2009 at 7:45 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
one thing, i did this with my mask and it looked ok, but i made a few mistakes and rubbed them off with a face cloth and water. this made it look to flesh toned. i was wondering if you could use spray paint to go over it again. could you or could you not use spray paint?
Tom
July 23, 2009 at 8:59 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
James, you never want to use spray paint on latex. Just use some more of your paint/liquid latex mix and you should be able to fix those areas you rubbed off.
james
July 23, 2009 at 1:12 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
ok, thanks. the vid helped alot.
maskman
September 28, 2009 at 6:22 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hello I was wondering would latex base paint work? instead of adding liquid latex?
Tom
September 28, 2009 at 7:01 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
You mean like latex house paint? I don’t believe there’s enough latex in it but I’ve never tried it. I think you need at least 50% latex.
c0achsmith
October 3, 2009 at 11:09 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Can you make me one please and send it to me in a week or so?? I’ll pay . c0achsmith@yahoo.com. Thanks!
Tom
October 4, 2009 at 9:27 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Sorry, coach. I don’t have time to make and sell these. I’m too busy working on other tutorials.
Isaiah
October 14, 2009 at 9:13 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
hey man i got a mask don post 2006 michael myers but i was wondering cant i just use paint do i have to use liquid latex just tell me what would happen if i didnt mix it in with the paint will it ruin it if i dont mix the paint with liquid latex cant i just use the acrylic paint and not have to mix it with liquid latex im hoping theres a way you can thanx
Tom
October 14, 2009 at 10:00 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Seriously, Isaiah. Do you think I’d have gone to the trouble of mixing in liquid latex with the paint and telling you in the video that you have to mix liquid latex with the paint if that really wasn’t necessary? The latex makes the paint bond to the latex mask. Without it, it will flake off if you flex the mask or wash off if you get it wet.
Isaiah
October 14, 2009 at 10:10 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
ok welll where can i get the liquid latex wal mart doesnt have any do you know any stores that have it is it expensive great video by the way
Tom
October 14, 2009 at 11:18 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
See the text up there under the video? There are two links right there to sources for the liquid latex. No, it isn’t very expensive.
Jason
October 15, 2009 at 5:27 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
hey, first thing great vid. really helped me out.
but i have one question, the cheaks that i painted turned out to be way to dark and do not blend very well with the original white on the mask.
how would i go about removeing some of the paint without ruining the original coat. lol my mask is looking like gene simmons off of kiss more than michael myres
Tom
October 15, 2009 at 9:44 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks, Jason. You won’t be able to remove the paint without damaging the latex mask underneath but you can always paint over the mistake and try again. Just mix up some paint to match the base color of the mask. Test it and let it dry to make sure it matches BEFORE you add the latex to it. Once you have a match you can use the paint to cover up your errors. Good luck!
Jerry
October 15, 2009 at 6:06 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Tom, I was wondering if your able to do the same modification with the other Don Post mask which is a few dollars less called “The Mask” ?
Tom
October 15, 2009 at 8:56 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Sure. It’s main problems are that it doesn’t have real hair and its neck is very short but you could definitely improve its looks with a repaint. you could also add hair with some rubber cement.
Jerry
October 15, 2009 at 9:11 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thank you. Can you let me know the materials needed. Im going to switch the one I have for the 2006 version tommorow, and headed to Michaels.
Tom
October 16, 2009 at 9:18 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
It’s all right there in the video.
dan
October 23, 2009 at 7:54 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
would a local store like hobbly lobby carry the liquid latex? I dont really have time to order. you know the big day is right around the corner
Tom
October 23, 2009 at 11:02 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I really don’t know. Your best bet would be to start calling the stores near you. You might also want to check and see if there are any stores that carry theatrical makeup or check with the theatre department at a local college.
dan
October 24, 2009 at 5:34 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
is it the latex paint base from monster makers?
Tom
October 24, 2009 at 5:50 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
@Dan – either the latex paint base or the mask making latex will work. The difference is in the thickness/viscosity of the liquid. I used mask making latex in the tutorial but I think the thinner paint base latex might be easier to work with as it shouldn’t ‘skin” so quickly. It should give you a longer working time. Just don’t use these for makeup effects directly applied to the skin. They include harsh chemicals that makeup latex doesn’t.
Aaron
October 25, 2009 at 3:10 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hey Tom, I really do appreciate these videos. I’m a big Halloween fan. Now I have everything instructed in the video but I wanted to ask if I really need the flesh tone or tan paint color for the mask because I already have the several shades gray, white, and black paint?
Tom
October 25, 2009 at 3:21 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks, Aaron. Make your mask the way you want it. I like the heavily weathered look so i used the tan to look like the Kirk mask color showing through. you don’t have to make yours the same way. Good luck and happy Hallowe’en!
SwavvGavv
October 29, 2009 at 2:18 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
hi there i am from scotland and a dont no if i can get hold of the things you need to edit the myers mask, like the liquid latex and other stuff. and the mask i have to to big is there anyway to make it smaller ? videos are amazing
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