The NECA Jason X Mask is Shrunk as Hell

The title says it all. These things go for hundreds of dollars on eBay, purporting to be cast off an actual movie mask. On close inspection, the details are crisp, and seem to be exactly correct to good photos of the movie masks.

So why the hell is it so shrunk?

I found an auction for an original Jason X movie mask that sold some years ago for six thousand pounds (UK). The auctioneers very nicely took a photo with a ruler, and gave us the precise dimensions of the mask as 18 cm x 24 cm x 13 cm (7” x 9 ½” x 5”).

So armed with this knowledge, and the fact that they almost certainly measured the negative space of the mask from the back, given that they evidently used a hard ruler, I measured my supposedly "movie mold" NECA.

It measures 19 cm width x 21 cm height x 10 cm depth (depth is tough, so that's an estimation). First two dimensions measured from the back. So it appears to be slightly wider and way vertically shrunk, which gives it a "child size" look. Having seen one of the Freddy vs. Jason movie masks in person and owned a Vs. NECA for years I was likewise under the impression that the supposedly movie mold mask was very shrunk.

So why is this? No idea. They may have used cheap molding materials that shrunk during the casting process. Some have suggested NECA was given an inferior mold. I can't say. I can say that they are definitely shrunk, even as the details line up perfectly.

Looking at the measurements on the Fiberglassmasks.com version, they appear to be a bit closer at 6 and 15/16 x by 8 and 9/16 inches. Still a little shorter than the movie mask, but at least closer.

UPDATE Dec. 11, 2020: Mario posted that the hero mask is 18x22 cm, almost exactly the same as the Fiberglassmasks version, but about 2 inches shorter than the stunt mask listed above. This makes me think the 24 cm length noted in the auction is probably a transcription error.

Here is Mario's comparison of the NECA with his hero mask. The size difference is pretty obvious.

There is No Forehead Chevron on the Part 5 Mask

I don't know what else to say about this. There just isn't. They say human beings are great at finding patterns in noise, and I think that's basically why mask painters tend to paint a little ghost chevron into the forehead of their Roy masks, even though it makes zero sense to do so. All you're seeing on the left side is brown weathering applied around the eye with a sea sponge. The pattern appears to come to a rather irregular point in the way the old part 4 chevron used to, but its just a coincidence. There is no chevron, or hint of a chevron on the forehead.

Its really just paint.

Tom Savini Finally Releases Secret BTS Video

Courtesy of Jo Nobile, here are some great screen grabs from a VHS video that was recorded while Ted White was in the makeup chair for Part 4. As featured in the new Tom Savini documentary on Chiller.

These are the clearest frames from this video I've ever seen, and some of the best surviving images of the original makeup. You can just make out the pink and blue tones used to create the illusion of depth and translusence as well as some of the mottling and spotting detailing the skin. Nice paint work by Kevin Yagher.

"Voorhees" Final Indiegogo Campaign is Live

The second and final phase of the Voorhees campaign is underway. You can see the new teaser, along with the perks being offered to funders by following this link.

I contributed $30 because I absolutely NEED that t-shirt with the mask and the house. Among other things, they're offering DVD and Blue Ray discs and posters and even the full film script.

Teaser is really short, concise, and tightly edited. Score is also NICE. Check it out.

This will get Cody and team through the (very expensive) post-production process, including paying the composer and sound engineer to do the final mix. This is a vital part of the process to make the film feel more Hollywood-level and less like a bunch of kids running around with cameras.

No word yet on when the final cut is expected to go live, but you never want to rush a great product.

Having seen a tiny sliver of the footage, I can say it really looks interesting. There are some great battles and FX shots and with some of it I was thinking "how the hell did they do this without a budget?"

I think this film might stand as a great example of what you can achieve without big bucks... like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or the Blair Witch Project. You can tell a story with tensions, lighting, good camerawork and a great score without all the extras. Drone shots don't hurt either.

After the film has been released, keep an eye on this blog for some additional behind-the-scenes stories, photos and video of the four days I spent on set in 2018 and 2019. I have some photos I've been DYING to release but I'm going to wait until most fans have seen the film at some point next year.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Here's an ultra-rare piece owned by Billy Kirkus, made from the screen-worn appliances from Friday the 13th part 2: The Horror Sanctum Studios "Inbred." This thing is 38 years old and still in pretty good shape, with only a bit of dry rot around the neck.

"Voorhees" Indigogo Round 2 Launching Tomorrow

New teaser being launched tomorrow for the second round of the Voorhees campaign. This second round is going to pay for all the finishing touches on what should be a very remarkable film.

Every BTS Photo of Mrs. Voorhees I Have

The Part 7 Makeup Test Bust

So I now own the makeup test dummy made during pre-production of Friday the 13th part 7 to flesh out Jason's look for the film. Thing is huge! The face is in bad shape but comparing with my movie mold piece (left), you can see that the very compressed face is in fact original.

I'll have some in-depth analysis of this one-of-a-kind piece of Friday the 13th history coming up soon.

Snapshot of the Mask from "Voorhees"

Just a quick cell phone shot of the mask being used in Voorhees taken while I was on set about a year ago. Cody Faulk noted recently that he's done cutting 60 minutes worth of footage, so its progressing nicely.