If you are a fan of Halloween, the movie and holiday, then odds are you have purchased a Michael Myers mask at some point in your life. For the longest time fans could only get their hands on poor quality masks that were released by Paper Magic, Don Post Studios or Rubies. It's odd that Don Post put out such a low quality mask for so long since he is responsible for the original Shape Mask, but I guess at the time "screen accurate" wasn't much of a concern to the consumer and low price points ruled all. Then as the internet grew, fans found that they could get independent artists to create them movie quality masks, but the prices were, and to some extent are, so high that you wouldn't want to wear these because they are works of art. Cut to a few years later when one man finally said "enough!" and created Trick or Treat Studios.
Chris Zephro is the man behind Trick or Treat Studios and he wants nothing more than to bring screen accurate masks to the masses, but at a price that won't break the bank. Almost overnight TOTS began scooping up licensing rights to everything and then they hit the Holy Grail of masks; Michael Myers. Universal Studios inked a deal with TOTS to produce a H2 mask that looked just as good as the one seen on screen. Not only did they achieve their goal, but they showed all their competitors that quality masks could be made and still turn a profit. This one mask became a mega hit and sent TOTS rocketing to the top of the mask making business.
TOTS currently holds the mask making rights to a slew of movies and television shows. If you go to their site right now Trick or Treat Studios, I bet there is something there that you'll want instantly. But the one thing that is eluding TOTS is the rights to make the Myers mask from John Carpenter's HalloweeN.
Currently Paper Magic and Rubie's have the right to HalloweeN and Rob Zombie's Halloween. Don Post folded and is basically Paper Magic, hence the reason the mask is there. But Rubies has somehow managed to hold on to HalloweeN. Their contract is about to expire and one would think that TOTS would get the rights, right? Considering that the company only makes uninspired, generic looking costumes it would have to be a no-brainer. Unless Rubie's pulled a rabbit out of their hat.... Well, Rubie's has done just that, sort of.
In a last ditch effort to stop customers from buying everything from TOTS, Rubie's has created a semi-screen accurate version of the mask, called Michael Myers Deluxe 2015, and is selling it at the same price as TOTS ($59.99). But why does the mask look so much like TOTS H2 mask? Well, let's take a look.
TOTS has the number 1 selling mask on the market with the H2 mask, whereas Rubie's hasn't been able to meet the sales or quality since TOTS has released the H2. If we take a look closely at the two masks, you'll notice something. The Rubie's Myers mask looks eerily similar to the TOTS mask. The real 78 Myers mask was completely white with just the lightest of flesh showing on the front neck, whereas the 81 is the mask where we see heavy flesh and dirt on the nose,neck and face (all the spots Dick Warlock grabbed to pull the mask off.). So why then does the Rubie's paint job look so similar to the TOTS? Simple, if you can't beat them then you might as well copy them and that is what Rubie's has done.
What mask do you want,The TOTS H2 Mask or the Rubie's 2015 H1 Mask? The choice is yours, but wouldn't you want the high quality one that has been out since 2012 and not the clone that just appeared in 2015?
Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1