The Mask (1961 film)
The Mask, AKA Eyes from Hell, Eyes of Hell, Face of Fire, The Spooky Movie Show (1961)
Summary
"Look through the mask... if you can't take it... take it off!" A psychiatrist enters a dream world of horror when he experiments with an ancient Aztec mask sent to him by a patient.
Details
- Release Date: 1961
- Country/Language: Canada, English
- Genres/Technical: Horror, Thriller, Art/Experimental, black-and-white with some 3-D dream sequences
- Runtime: 1 hr 23 min
- Starring: Paul Stevens, Claudette Nevins, Bill Walker
- Director: Julian Roffman (director), Slavko Vorkapich (dream sequences)
- Writer: Frank Taubes, Sandy Haver, and Franklin Delessert (script), Slavko Vorkapich (dream sequences)
- Producer/Production Co: Beaver-Champion Attractions, Taylor Roffman Productions
- View Trailer: (link)
Ratings
MPAA Ratings
- Rated: (not rated) (equivalent to a modern PG for mild Violence and Adult Content)
Tentacle Ratings
A rough measure of how "Lovecraftian" the work is:
- Ss___ (One and a Half Tentacles: Barely Lovecraftian)
Nothing overtly "Lovecraftian" to be found in this film, aside from the common pulp tropes of sinister ancient cults using mind-shattering magical artefacts; the bizarre and surreal dream sequences and the film's weird atmosphere and subject matter may strike some viewers as "Lovecraftian".
Note: This rating is not intended as a measure of quality, merely of how closely related to Lovecraftian "Weird" fiction the work is.
Reviews
Review Links:
- "Brett H." at Oh the Horror! (link) - "Overall, the acting is decent for a low budget flick and the plot is once again adequate, albeit a bit drab in parts. Characters are fine, but the mask is the true star of the show, and it’s very worthy of such a title"
- Richard Scheib at The Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review (1/5 Stars) (link) - "Outside of the crude trippiness of the 3D sequences, The Mask is dull. The film radiates an aura of cheapness and impoverishment. ...one that depicts a figurative journey inside the dreamscape of the doctor’s mind to grapple with the dark things that have been unleashed, which are seen in terms of crude Freudian dream symbolism."
- Brian Schuck at Films From Beyond the Time Barrier (link) - "The Mask, made for around $250,000, does a damn good job of spooking the viewer with visions that seem like a mad blending of Salvador Dali, Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft."
- A.J. Snyder at Carpeting the World, (link) - "As someone who has seen many movies that have tried to be 'Lovecraftian', with most falling very short of the mark, I must say The Mask actually nailed the existential lunacy of Lovecraft far better than many movies that actually were attempting such a thing...."
- Howard Thompson at The New York Times (link) - "Unfortunately, even with Mr. Roffman's professional coating, the picture seems like another reprise of the old Jekyll-Hyde business, with the mask only a replacement of those foaming test tubes."
- Joseph A. Ziemba at Bleeding Skull (link) - "The Mask is the greatest nervous breakdown I’ve (n)ever witnessed. If only my own nightmares could be this good."
Synopsis
Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)
A psychiatrist enters a dream world of horror when he experiments with an ancient Aztec mask sent to him by a patient.
Notes
Comments, Trivia, Dedication
- Compare to the contemporary films of William Castle, which shared similar aesthetics and similar use of spectacular gimmicks; in the case of The Mask, each film-goer was given a cardboard replica of the film's titular mask, with 3D glasses built into it, and was supposed to put the mask on when a mysterious voice in the film issued instructions....
Associated Mythos Elements
- TO DO
- setting: Dreamlands
- artefact: Aztec mask
