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[[File:JokerAndMasks.jpg|link=The Dark Knight Saga|frame|Reason to fear [[Monster Clown|clowns]] #287.]]
A group of people wearing masks is never a good sign. Maybe it's the anonymity, the obvious [[Uncanny Valley]], or decades of horror movies ingraining a deep sense of distrust about someone wearing a mask outside of a [[Masquerade Ball]] (or even in one, if it's sufficiently creepy). It's because of this dehumanizing aspect that masks are often used by villains, their [[Gas Mask Mooks]], and other [[Faceless Goons]]. Though some heroes do go about wearing masks, they tend to be [[Anti-Hero|Anti Heroes]], or at least a little edgy.
* ''[[In the Hood|Cowls and Hoods]]:'' Not exactly a mask, but used commonly enough to merit mention. A simple bag or cloth over the head, may be creepy (Scarecrow from [[Batman]], ''[[The Orphanage]]'', Jason Voorhees' original ''[[Friday the 13th]]'' appearance) or may be worn by an altogether nice [[Superhero]].
* A ''[[Domino Mask]]'', one that covers only the eyes, is a traditionally heroic mask. [[The Phantom (comic strip)|The Ghost Who Walks]] and [[The Spirit]] being two classic examples. However, it may also be worn by [[Blatant Burglar|comedy criminals]], such as [[Carl Barks|the Beagle Boys]].
* Ski masks worn anywhere other than on the slopes in winter are often associated [[Blatant Burglar|with criminals or terrorists]]. Masks that cover everything except the eyes are also associated with [[Ninja
* If the mask covers the top half of the face, it emphasizes the mouth, aka [[Evil Tastes Good|gluttony]]: Never a good sign. Unless of course, it's to show a [[Lantern Jaw of Justice]] instead.
* If it covers a symmetric side of the face (left or right) then it's fairly neutral... except for the part where it is likely hiding a [[Good Scars, Evil Scars|decidedly nasty scar.]] See ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'' (well, its adaptations). The same thing can be done with [[Peek-a-Bangs]].
* Masks that cover the bottom half of the face are likelier to be worn [[Silence of the Lambs|by the cannibalistic]], or someone whose lower face is likely very damaged (as in, no jaw). They're also frequently worn by bandits in the Old West (possibly to keep out dust), as well as by [[
* ''[[White Mask of Doom|Abstract Mask]]:'' Similar to the [[Uncanny Valley]] mask below, the abstract mask is a haunting, unidentifiable mess meant solely to frighten and distract the victim from their oncoming demise. See ''[[Scream (film)|Scream]]''.
* ''Animal Mask:'' The kind you would see in a kid's birthday party. When worn by an adult (or several of them) it brings to mind not animal cuteness, but savagery.
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* ''Plain and featureless:'' A [[The Blank|blank, featureless]] mask emphasizes the anonymity it grants the wearer... which usually means they mean to do harm, don't want you to know who they are, and ''want you to freak out because they know you know this.''
* ''[[Rage Helm]]:'' Designed to make ''a soldier or warrior'' look more fearsome. The soldier actually wearing the helm may or may not be as mean as the helmet makes him look.
* ''[[Uncanny Valley]]:'' Almost human masks are usually worn by criminals, be they kidnappers or [[Serial Killer
* Last but not least... the ''[[Nixon Mask]]!'' Almost exclusively associated with bank robbers out to make a political statement. Expect a witty pun along the lines of "I am not a crook!"
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{{examples}}
==
* [[Big Bad|The Shredder]] in all versions of ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'', the mask covering the lower part of his face being part of his helmet. He does take it off occassionally.
== Anime and Manga ==
* See also [[Henohenomoheji]]
* The Mask of Ice and his underlings in ''[[Pokémon Special]]''
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** And [[Rebuild of Evangelion|EVA-Mark.06]] as well.
* The Iron Mask Marauder from ''[[Pokémon 4Ever|Pokémon 4 Ever]]''.
* Friend from ''[[
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]''
** The Battle City arc has villains of the week Lumis and Umbra. This was significant as it marked an "upgrade" of sorts from the first time they had appeared in the show. The masks (which where the half-faced variety, hiding their left and right side respectively
** Arkana was another Battle City villain who wore a mask. Yugi himself says, "never trust a masked man." He wears it due to an accident that horrible scarred him, and while Yugi seemed horrified when he momentarily removed it to show him, Arkana's back is to the viewer, so we have to [[Take My Word for It|Take Their Word For It.]]
* In ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'', one of Aoshi's [[Elite Mook
** Gein wears a black and white cloth with an abstract skull on it over his face.
* Char Aznable of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]''. Probably the most famous masked villain in anime.
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*** Char inherited his mask from the character he was inspired by, Prince Sharkin of [[Raideen]].
** Char and his clones tend to be [[Anti-Villain|Anti Villains]], though, with the mask mostly there because [[Rule of Cool|it's cool]] rather than for creepy factor.
* ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' has Kagetarou wearing an abstract mask. In addition, several of Fate's minions seem to wear masks.
* The [[Elite Mooks|Knights of Paris]] in ''[[Noir]]''.
* In ''[[Dorohedoro]]'' there's a ''whole city'' of them (Everyone get their mask as part of a contract with daemons). Most of them ''are'' [[Ax Crazy|malevolent]], or worse, but with the [[Black and Grey Morality]] of the setting you can never be really sure.
*
** Every member of CP9 before [[The Reveal]] of their identities.
* Hei, from ''[[Darker Than Black]]'', wears an [[Uncanny Valley]] [[White Mask of Doom]] which looks like the child of V's mask and Jigsaw's. While we know him as an [[Anti-Hero]], most of the rest of the cast would see him as [[Hero Antagonist|at worst]] a terrorist and assassin and at best [[Mook Horror Show|very]] [[The Cowl|scary]].▼
** Vinsmoke Judge, {{spoiler|Sanji's [[Archnemesis Dad]]}}, has never been seen without his helmet that covers the upper half of his face.
** Killer, [[Professional Killer|an assassin from South Blue]], always wears a metal mask; he doesn't even take it off when he eats!
▲* Hei, from ''[[Darker
* Darcia from ''[[Wolf's Rain]]'' has two. The first is a blank mask with a built-in [[Eyepatch of Power]], but the second is a smiling [[White Mask of Doom]] with an eye hole to expose his {{spoiler|wolf's eye}}.
* Masquerade from ''[[Bakugan|Bakugan Battle Brawlers]]'' and his [[Expy]] Spectra from ''[[Bakugan|Bakugan: New Vestroia]]''
* Boris from ''[[Beyblade]]''.
* Turkey from ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'' is a subversion, and more often than not [[Played for Laughs]]. Yes, he was VERY unpleasant in the past to ''many'' nations (young Greece, young Hungary, the Italies, Spain), but after having gone from the personification of the Ottoman Empire to the one of the Republic of Turkey, he's portrayed as a [[Hot-Blooded]] [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] who's actually rather fun to hang out with. [[The Rival|Unless you're the now grown up Greece]].
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* The [[Elite Mooks|Men From N.O.W.H.E.R.E.]] in [[Grant Morrison]]'s ''[[Doom Patrol]]'' wear abstract insectoid masks.
* V from ''[[V for Vendetta]]'' wears a grinning Guy Fawkes mask. Self-identifies as a villain.
* In ''[[Watchmen]]'', Rorschach has the abstract/featureless version.
** As does Hooded Justice. Both he and Rorschach are very protective of their "real" identities; the Comedian also has a full-face mask, but seems to have adopted it to hide his facial disfigurement rather than to protect his face from view.
*** Also, like a Mardi Gras mask, the hedonistic overtones of a gimp mask promise ultraviolence. It also matches his belief that "the joke" is that people aren't better than animals and lets him shove that in people's faces by looking like a violent pervert in service of the government.
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* Both the protagonist and villain in a ''[[28 Days Later]]'' comic book use a riot mask and a hockey mask, respectively.
* ''[[The Mask (comics)|The Mask]]'', natch. In [[Real Life]], people wearing masks often report feeling uninhibited. In its original form, this work turns it [[Up to Eleven]] with the ''complete'' suppression of the inhibitions of the wearer, essentially a possession by the Id. The titular Mask is also a [[Mask of Power]]. The result is an ultraviolent [[Anti-Hero]].
* In ''[[G.I. Joe]]'', quite a few of Cobra's leaders wear masks, including [[The Dragon|Destro]], Wild Weasel, Scrap Iron, Storm Shadow, and Firefly. [[Big Bad|Cobra Commander]] himself has two masks, one [[Cool Helmet| a helmet that covers his entire face]], and another made of cloth (the first for combat, the second for other situations); he'd later adopt a third, even cooler one that was included with [[Powered Armor]]. [[Word of God]] claims one reason for designing the Baroness was to have a villain who could show her - admittedly lovely - face and still look intimidating.
* [[Doctor Doom]]; when his face was scarred from a failed experiment early in his career, his pride and arrogance compelled him to craft the mask along with his armor, to conceal a face that was, in his eyes, no longer flawless. Scott Lang has claimed that Doom's true reason for the mask (and the rest of the armor) is to pretend that he can alienate himself from humanity because of his scars, but it's really the scars upon his very soul that sets him apart.
* [[Iron Man]]'s enemy and [[Dating Catwoman|former lover]] Whitney Frost, aka Madame Masque, is a terrorist leader with an origin similar to Doom's: a plane crash horribly disfigured her face, forcing her to wear a golden mask (provided by the gold-obsessed criminal leader Mordecai Midas) to conceal it. While the scars have since been healed via surgery, she still wears the mask [[Slave to PR|to continue using her ''nom de plume''.]]
▲== Film ==
* ''[[Star Wars]]'' has Darth Vader, Darth Maul, General Grievous, and the Stormtroopers. The Jawas aren't that evil, but they probably count.
* The ''[[Scream (film)|Scream]]'' series gives us the Ghostface killer, who can occasionally be a Malevolent Masked Woman.
* ''[[Batman Begins]]'': The Scarecrow wears a burlap sack sewn into the form of deranged scarecrow. He uses a gas which induces waking nightmares.
* [[The Joker]] and his henchmen in the opening of ''[[The Dark Knight]]''.
* The bank robbers in [[Killing Zoe]] all wear creepy, Venetian-style masks.
* ''[[Nightbreed]]'' (1990). [[David Cronenberg]]'s character wears a bondage/scarecrow mask.
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* Michael Myers in the ''[[Halloween (film)|Halloween]]'' series, with his modified [[William Shatner]] mask.
* Subverted in ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]''.
{{quote|
'''Fezzik:''' [to Inigo] You be careful. People in masks cannot be trusted. }}
* ''The Strangers''
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* Makkabeus and his cultists in [[Damnatus]].
* The Jigsaw Killer of ''[[Saw]]'' has a freaky [[Uncanny Valley]] mask along with a pig's head mask.
* Naturally, this is all over ''[[Trick 'r Treat]]'', with [[Creepy Child|Sam]] (in a scarecrow mask), the [[Undead Child
* The ''[[Eyes Wide Shut]]'' sex sect.
* ''[[The Anderson Tapes]]'', as seen on [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/The_Anderson_Tapes_film_poster.jpg the poster].
* [[David Lynch]]'s ''Rabbits'' (also included in [[Inland Empire]]) are people wearing rabbit costumes. Impressively, they never look [[Narm
* In ''[[Maximum Overdrive]]'', autonomous semis are the biggest threat to the Muggles, but the one sporting a grinning Green Goblin mask is especially chilling.
* In ''[[Dagon]]'' there is a cult wearing human skin masks.
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== Literature ==
* Death Eaters in ''[[Harry Potter]]''.
* Scipio from ''The Thief Lord'' by Cornelia Funke wears a Venetian carnival mask.
* ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'' is possibly the [[Ur Example]]; he is hideously ugly (born that way in the novel, scarred by acid in the movie) and always wears a mask, usually made of ceramic. In some versions it covers his whole face, in others, only the top half or right half.
* In [[Michael Moorcock|Michael Moorcock's]] Hawkmoon saga, the evil and deranged people of [[The Empire|Granbretan]] wear elaborate animal masks all the time, and would rather be seen naked than unmasked.
* The Watraii in [[Star Trek:
* Martin Lake, a character in Jeff VanderMeer's [[Ambergris]] collection ''City of Saints and Madmen'', is invited to a very grim event and met there by three men. One wears a raven mask, one a heron, and the last an owl. Lake is [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?|afraid of birds]] to begin with. He's also dressed as a frog, who could be eaten by any one of them.
* The cultists in ''[[Diario de un Zombi]]'' wear formless wax masks. These actually serve a purpose as they confuse zombies and makes recognizing them as humans difficult for them.
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== Live Action TV ==
* Torchwood Miracle Day has a cult, all wearing white masks and marching in the streets. Since they were never even slightly relevant to the plot in any way at all ever, it's likely that this trope was invoked just to have an epic freaky cult marching in the streets for the trailers.
* The ''[[Are You Afraid of the Dark?]]'' episode called "The Tale Of The Twisted Claw" had a group of older kids wearing masks of some kind and bullying these two trick-or-treaters.
** Also, "The Tale Of The Many Faces" was all about people wearing masks, and asked the question "Is it our masks (faces) that define who we are?" The villain in the episode stole girls faces and wore them to keep herself young. The girls faces she stole, were left with fish lips and white eyes, so they were given masks to cover up their ugliness.
* ''[[The Prisoner]]'' final episode ''Fall Out''. The rows of Village members wearing white/black masks as well as [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEOYq-5NKrc#t=2m35s Number One wearing a white/black mask ''and'' a gorilla mask]. And maybe, maybe not, a Number Six mask.
* The pilot episode of ''[[Ghostwriter (TV series)|Ghostwriter]]'' had as its antagonists a group of backpack-snatching kids in goblins masks.
* The ''[[Twilight Zone]]'' episode "The Masks," involved a dying old man wearing a death mask and forcing his [[Inadequate Inheritor|greedy family]] to wear masks that reflected their personalities. Unfortunately, when the old man finally dies, the family members' [[Becoming the Costume|faces change to resemble their masks.]]
* In ''[[
* ''[[Luther]]'' has Cameron Pell, who commits brutal murders while wearing a Punch mask, in order to create a striking and memorable image as well as hiding his identity.
* Sqweegel on ''[[CSI: Crime Scene Investigation]]''-not only a mask but a whole body suit.
** ''[[CSI: NY]]'' had an episode with clown masks being used in a bank robbery. An explosion caused an outline of a mask to get seared into one guy's face.
== Professional Wrestling ==
* [[
== Tabletop Games ==
* The Guardians of the Veil, of ''[[Mage: The Awakening]]'', are often viewed as at least creepy and people you shouldn't get involved with (if not viewed as outright malevolent), and much of their symbology revolves around masks such as these. In particular, the Interfector (read: executioner) wears a blank masks with only eyeslits, and bloodstained gloves, whenever appearing in the capacity of Interfector.
* In the ''[[BattleTech]]'' universe, Clan warriors are issued full face animal masks reflecting their Clan's totem to wear for ceremonial purposes. Further, the mercenary known as The Bounty Hunter is also only ever seen masked
* The ''Fiend Folio'', another Monster Manual of the 3.5 edition of ''[[Dungeons
* In ''[[Planescape]]'', reeves are brutal mercenaries who always hide their faces behind full-head helmets or veils; they have a racial taboo against showing their faces to anyone, including other reeves.
== Video Games ==
* The Splicers from ''[[
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' has a boss and some mooks which you must remove a mask from before you can hit them. Lots of different masks appear in ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]: Ocarina of Time'' in the Happy Mask Shop in Hyrule Castle Market. ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]: Majora's Mask'' game is all about masks. There are three masks that can change you into a Zora, Goron, and a Deku Shrub, as well as a whole inventory of masks that you collect and you can wear them, using some of the powers that the masks have. Also at the Carnival Of Time, all the townspeople wear masks as part of a tradition. Then there's the evil Majora's Mask that you must defeat.
* The Pigmasks in ''[[Mother 3]].'' Their general is also specifically known as the Masked Man, but his isn't a pig mask.
* Thanatos of ''[[Secret of Mana]]'' - for a 16-bit pixellated fellow he's shockingly eerie, too.
** His energy-sapped fanboys wear freaky full-faced masks too. NPCs comment on this, too, along the lines of: 'What's with all those masked weirdoes in the ruins?"
** Thanatos's mask is echoed by the one worn by Hakuoro of ''[[Visual Novel/Utawarerumono|Utawarerumono]]'', incidentally. It really is the exact same mask writ animated, complete with the quirky little mark at the top of it.
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** Which is befitting of Nihilus' nature, as he really ''isn't'' human anymore. He is, more or less, a living black hole in The Force whose life essence is bound to his mask.
* ''[[Dead Rising]]'' has the Raincoat Cult. Aside from [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|the obvious]], they all go around in Green Goblin-esque masks.
* Relius Clover of ''[[
* Several of the ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood|Assassin's Creed Brotherhood]]'' multiplayer characters wear masks, such as [[An Axe to Grind|the Executioner]], [[Deadly Doctor|the Doctor]] [[Rule of Three|and]] [[Monster Clown|the Harlequin]].
* The protagonists in ''[[Army of Two]]'' [http://guidesmedia.ign.com/guides/image/article/861/861645/armytwo_guide_1206398818.jpg both wear masks] - ostensibly this is to offer head protection, but the designs (a snarling skull and a blank face with no features) are pure [[Rule of Cool]]. Incidentally, this troper has an airsoft mask based on the left-hand, blank design and can attest to the discomforting effect many people feel when faced with a featureless face and [[Black Eyes of Evil|no visible eyes]].
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* Cuirassiers (armoured heavy cavalry) of the early 1600s wore helmets with [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Savoyardarmour.jpg intimidating faces] to rattle their opponents and gain confidence.
* The band [[Slipknot]] [[Alternative Character Interpretation|may or may not be malevolent]], but their masks are definitely menacing.
* Averted with [[Hollywood Undead]]. Their masks are [http://www.somethingawful.com/d/garbage-day/hollywood-undead.php not at all menacing], and their [[Wangst
* The men in the Nick Berg video and other beheading videos. The executioners wear balaclavas and kaffiyeh, so we do not know their real identities.
* The identical "X Face" masks worn by the band Mushroomhead.
* While [[Your Mileage May Vary]] as to how menacing the last 3 bands are, there is no debating that Australian industrial [[Grindcore|death-grind]] band, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXgFRT_1zw8 The Berserker] fits this trope.
** However, they have recently begun playing without the masks. [https://web.archive.org/web/20101206043753/http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/cpg/albums/userpics/29604/The-Berzerker.jpg They're even uglier without them.]
* The teacher in the video for [[The Birthday Massacre]]'s song ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SREZ-ggSDjM Looking Glass]'' was a
* They are [[wikipedia:Anonymous (group)|Anonymous]]. They are legion. They do not forgive. They do not forget. They are coming...in the online equivalent of a Malevolent Mask, the know-how to mask one's presence online. Their logo (seen on the page linked above) and their name are definitely meant to be evocative of a group that wants to instill fear by pressing into their targets the impression that they know you don't know who they are. For now, they've shifted their style appropriately in [[Real Life]] to [[Internet Counterattack|protest the actions of]] [[Church of Happyology|The Church of Scientology]]. They wear [[V for Vendetta|Guy Fawkes masks]] to protect themselves from lawsuits and the Church's goons ([[Something Awful|not that kind]]), and actually make a point of having a lot of fun in the process.
** Project chanology mask wearers are only a tiny fraction of Anonymous' real bulk, most of which seem to treat the chanology protesters like a drunken cousin dragged around town, singing obnoxiously. 7chan in particular now bans anyone referring to the Chanology incidents and treats them like pariahs. This said 7chan has possibly one of the most toxic group dynamics known to mankind (assuming that heading even applies anymore)and it tends to crash more often than Polish Presidential flights.
* For centuries, nearly the entire population of Venice wore masks nine months of the year, like people of other nations wore hats. Only during the hottest summer months they left them home. During the Carnival they dug out the extra-special decorated masks so popular today. According to foreign visitors, they felt either themselves completely surrounded people of this trope, or being in a city of ghosts.
* GWAR's full-face monster masks, bristling with teeth and [[Spikes of Villainy]]. Subverted by stage acts so [[Over the Top]] with menace that it wraps around to Campiness.
* Uncaught serial killers the Zodiac and the Phantom both wore creepy homemade masks during some of their attacks.
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[[Category:Horror Tropes]]
[[Category:Malevolent Masked Men]]
[[Category:Alliterative Trope Titles]]
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