Personally, I think that either can be very effective if done properly. Pulling off the scare is up to the actor, and, even with the greatest prosthetic or mask, if the person donning it isn't pulling their weight, it really makes no difference how spectacular they look. Another big part of it is lighting, or lack of; under bright lights, nothing will come off as creepy as under low lighting. Just my two cents...
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Wide variety of products, including clothing (from child to adult-sized), jewelry, wall clings, dog items, and much more. Many perfectly-suited for Halloween.
I wish I could use prosthetics, but I simply couldn't afford all the adhesive it would take to use it. Nor am I any good as an artist, and many of the best prosthetics come undecorated. Personally, I think that one of those expensive silicone masks would work just as well, if not better, for me. I'll have to wait until I get enough money to buy one to say for sure, though.
Yeah the silicon masks are an awesome choice. I recently got my Flayed Frank mask from CFX and it is really amazing. It's worth a sum of cash but the time you save applying make up and simply the realism makes it oh so worth it. The only problem is you get unbearably sweaty but you get used to it over time.
Masks, prosthetics, and makeup all have their place. Our shows use a pretty even mixture of them all. Also, I tend to enjoy shows a little less when they don't have a variety of characters, i.e., the actors are all wearing masks or are all painted the same way.
Personally, I like wearing a mask far more than prosthetics. My mask doesn't fall off or peel at the edges when I'm sweating buckets from running nonstop for hours in the Texas September heat.
Kevin Cook
Operator
13th Street Morgue/Dungeon Of Doom
I like to create custom characters for each room in my haunt soo masks work better then makeup (for me). I feel like I have better control of what the patron sees if in a mask I created and not in a dripping whipped off makeup job. I use very little makeup. Now dont get me wrong Ive seen some crazy makeups and it also depends on how many actors you have cause makeup is faster/cheaper but for me its masks.
Those silicone masks look and move great, but the fact that they are heavy and don't breathe like foamed latex does, makes them un-useable for me.....I use silicone prosthetics in films, but those usually don't cover the whole head...
I quit doing Halloween Horror Night at Universal after being the contractor the first 4 years back in 94 because they wanted to do more masks than make up.
They wanted to move away from paying the actors to sit and have it applied before and removed after. They didn't want to pay the artists to stay late to remove the make up.
Personally I would feel ripped off if I paid to see movie monsters in make up and someone in a mask (that I could see anywhere) come up to me in a muffled "boo".
The face is one of the few things an actor has to work with and by putting a mask on an actor it stifles any creativity they can generate with their facial expression.
Make up augments an actor while a mask is almost insulting to them.
If you want to "make-do" or "get by" or be "good enough" or save money or make excuses for using them then use masks.
BUT if you want to improve your actors performance, lend a unique look to your haunt, show higher production value for your haunt then go with real live moving prosthetics.
Yes silicone masks can look good for a while but they look the same every night, are expensive and are frequently poor fitting, hot, and need maintenance/repair. They are not the solution they may seem to be.
With Water-Melon Prosthetics all you need is alcohol to apply them. There is no foundation, no adhesive, no remover, no latex AND NO SPECIAL ABILITY TO USE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtL5iGeUy-0
I personally have always been a much bigger fan of Makeup/Prosthetics against a mask. Mask especially the wrong ones dont move with the actors face and I feel takes away from the scare as the object is not movign as it would if it was real.
I look like a creepy old guy. What else do I need when people are possibly "Trapped" with ME in MY House? (Scared yet?)
I have them so discombobulated they commonly think they are in a basement when they go outside. (Makes me chuckle everytime!)
A large part of this entire property lies hidden behind massive vines and a few trees most of the year.
I pay the price for this "effect" I spend maybe at least 2 Hours every week trimming, cutting the greenery here.
I do like to see my October help do make-up or at least some mask.. because they are not and do not seem to be a creepy old guy at all!
I started in the Halloween crazy when I was a kid doing makeup to get in night clubs on Halloween to win the costume contest. (And did quite well).having done makeup on some small low buget horror movies mostly collage films. So I love good makeup. But it takes time and the cost of make up and a artist. So for Haunts I say silicone masks are the way to go besides camera opportunities for your guests they never spend that much time looking at the makeup. The ease of a high-quality silicone mask and the time you don't have to pay for a actor and a makeup artist the silicone mask Is more cost effective in my opinion.
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