History Main / WhiteMaskOfDoom

* Mörkö ([[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Finnish for "bogeyman"]]) in ''VideoGame/{{INFRA}}'' is a [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos Slender Man]]-like shadowy figure with a Grecian drama mask who appears as a hidden JumpScare in the Bergmann Water Tunnels, and as a graffiti mural in a bathroom of the Power Plant.

* Mörkö ([[NamesToRunAway Finnish for "bogeyman"]]) in ''VideoGame/{{INFRA}}'' is a [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos Slender Man]]-like shadowy figure with a Grecian drama mask who appears as a hidden JumpScare in the Bergmann Water Tunnels, and as a graffiti mural in a bathroom of the Power Plant.

* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', Shirley's nightmares [[http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s240/brian_blogger/Folder%20Two/cgr2-1302.jpg are plagued with these]] in an episode of R2, [[spoiler:when she regains her memories and realizes that ''a lot of people'' are lying to her]]. As well, [[http://codegeass.wikia.com/wiki/File:Cs_World.jpg the metaphysical mask]] found in C's World can be considered a case of this, as it represents the masks that people wear (read: ''lies'') caused by being individuals. It resembles the masks that Shirley had nightmares of, although this was coincidental; the masks were simply a recurring theme.

* ''Film/{{Emily}}'': The Brontës have a parlor game in which one person puts on a plain white mask and acts out a character; the others then have to guess who it is. When it's weirdo middle sister Emily's turn, however, she claims to be possessed by the spirit of their deceased mother — and the way she is framed, alone in the shot surrounded by the dark, adds to the creepiness of this choice. The mask is buried shortly afterward.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': [[BigBad Amon]], who wears [[http://images2.nick.com/nick-assets/shows/images/korra/characters/character_large_332x363_amon.jpg?height=363&width=332&quality=0.75 an awesome]] white mask with a red circle on the forehead, which features prominently in [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pm_N023an_4/T68GJPSOeXI/AAAAAAAAAKU/qatvAj58GXQ/s1600/Korra+-+Amon%2527s+Equalist+Movement+propaganda+poster.jpg both official]] [[http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/142/7/c/amon_propaganda_poster_by_billytwo-d50p5ru.png and fanmade]] [[http://i.imgur.com/5FkFm.png propaganda posters.]]

* In Music/ClanOfXymox's [[https://youtu.be/3k4l1T-tGPw "She"]] video, the titular protagonist wears a Michael Myers-esque mask with a stitched mouth and Xed-out eyes.

* [[TheWormThatWalks Arakune]] from ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' made himself a creepy expressionless white mask, purportedly to help him communicate. [[AndIMustScream It doesn't.]] Hakumen, although a LawfulGood-ish HeroAntagonist, has a [[Anime/CodeGeass distinctly Zero-esque]] one.

* The video for Nation of Language's "[[https://youtu.be/7ox_SnQOpXk?si=dgpS6T4e-99knAoG Sole Obsession]]" and the cover art of its parent album ''Strange Disciple'' depict a {{black cloak}}ed woman with a Venetian clown mask.

* The SurrealMusicVideo to Project Pitchfork's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aJ85G81m70 "Lament"]] features a cocktail masquerade with patrons wearing white kabuki masks.

* The video for Nation of Language's "[[https://youtu.be/7ox_SnQOpXk?si=dgpS6T4e-99knAoG Sole Obsession]]" and the cover art of its parent album ''Strange Disciple'' depict a {{black cloak}}ed woman with a clown mask.

* The video for Nation of Language's "[[https://youtu.be/7ox_SnQOpXk?si=dgpS6T4e-99knAoG Sole Obsession]]" and the cover art of its parent album ''Strange Disciple'' depict a black-cloaked woman with a Noh mask.

* Worn by [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Dollface]] in the ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'' games. In ''VideoGame/TwistedMetalBlack'', the mask is sealed onto her by her BadBoss, [[DisproportionateRetribution as punishment for spilling coffee over his files]], while in the 2012 reboot, Krista Sparks was told to wear the mask to heal a scar she received from a car crash. In both cases, it ties with ClingyCostume, with the ''Black'' Dollface getting the mask locked on by special key her boss constructed, while the ''2012'' Dollface had her mask magically sealed by the man who gave it to her, and she couldn't find him again when she went to have it removed.

* All the Trigram members in ''VideoGame/HiddenDragonLegend'' wears white masks with slits for eyes, and they're a ruthless cult [[ImmortalitySeeker seeking an immortality-granting artifact]] while having entire villages and towns slaughtered tom impose their dominance.

-->-- Music/TheyMightBeGiants, "[[Music/Apollo18 Turn Around]]"

* The Court of Owls from Franchise/{{Batman}}. A secret society that manipulates Gotham City from the shadows.
** The 2012 San Diego Comic-Con Batman panel where they handed out Owl masks to the audience proves [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6c/bb/07/6cbb075a98dee32d4b9618c935c22dd7.jpg it's just as creepy in real life.]]

* Mr. A, a vigilante hero created by Creator/SteveDitko who believes in BlackAndWhiteMorality, wears a somewhat dehumanizing white mask.

* Elite, a VigilanteMan inspired by Comicbook/ThePunisher from ''ComicBook/ThePunisherWelcomeBackFrank'' storyline. A rich man wears a white suit and mask and kills the "undesirables" in his neighborhood. Frank is not flattered.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' book ''Literature/{{Masquerade}}'', the Opera Ghost wears a white mask which the narration consistently describes as "like the skull of an angel".

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' book ''Masquerade'', the Opera Ghost wears a white mask which the narration consistently describes as "like the skull of an angel".

* Go down to "Real Life". Look at the {{plague doctor}} mask. One of Cardinal Mozgus's lackeys in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' wears it. He's actually a decent guy, but is he ''ever'' on the wrong side...

* ''Manga/BloodyMonday: Last Season'' has terrorists in white masks crashing international gathering of dignitaries. Fortunately the masks help the counter-terrorists infiltrate the group; unfortunately [[spoiler:the counter-terrorists don't know about the special paint that could be seen with the masks' lenses]].

* ''Manga/SoulEater'': Lord Death had a simple skull-shaped mask he made to deliberately avoid looking scary to the small children he wanted to recruit to his school. He added a sillier personality to match, which he took to very well in the long run. His older, much more skull-like mask is doomier. Kid occasionally copies his father's appearance with a cloak and mask of his own. But in his case it just looks ''cute''.

* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'': Kain in the first movie has one of these which is also an ExpressiveMask, since it turns out to be his real face. It becomes more creepy as he becomes more desperate in the final battle.

** The 2012 San Diego Comic Con Batman panel where they handed out Owl masks to the audience proves [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6c/bb/07/6cbb075a98dee32d4b9618c935c22dd7.jpg it's just as creepy in real life.]]

* Elite, a VigilanteMan inspired by Comicbook/ThePunisher from ''ComicBook/ThePunisherWelcomeBackFrank'' storyline. A rich man who wears a white suit and mask and kills the "undesirables" in his neighborhood. Frank is not flattered.

* In ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'', the Red Queen's over-sized head looks like this.
* The final scene of ''Film/BirdmanOrTheUnexpectedVirtueOfIgnorance'' has Riggins waking up in a hospital room [[spoiler:after having just attempted suicide by a gunshot to the face]], wearing a white plaster mask [[spoiler:hiding the scars on his face where the bullet entered]]. Because Riggins had gained fame by portraying an avian superhero, it is fitting that his bandaged face has a prominently pointed nose and looks a bit like a plague-doctor mask.

* Similarly in ''Film/{{Bunni}}'', where the killer dresses like a ployboy bunny with a porcelain mask.

* ''Film/DragonFromRussia'', inspired by the ''Manga/CryingFreeman'' anime, has it's protagonist wearing a white mask during his assassinations.

* The serial killer in ''Film/{{Nightbreed}}'' wore a full head white mask with [[EyelessFace button eyes]], made even more chilling by his soothing and reasonable voice.

* The skull masked maniac from the 2001 German horror film ''Film/ThePool''. The fact that he wears nothing other than black and the entire movie takes place inside a darkly lit pool building at night accentuates the white rubber mask.

* The Greendale Human Being in ''Series/{{Community}}''. In an misguided attempt to be overly political correct, the school mascot was designed to avoid all ethnic traits whatsoever: UncannyValley ensues.

* In Mexico, the premier example of the 1970s and 80s was Dr. Wagner. His son started out the same way but eventually switched to a black mask and ''his'' son wore a half white half black mask.
* Wrestling/JasonTheTerrible, Jason El Terrible, Jason X, El Hijo de Jason, Novia de Jason and every other wrestler who took to a white hockey mask, before or after ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' (as you call tell by the names, mostly after unless {{the gimmick}} was evil Canadian/evil hockey player like Wrestling/{{AAA}}'s Ice Killer).

* Allison Danger's pre match mask, though it has pink lips. Cat Power later got one too, hers being unsurprisingly feline themed.

** The assassins of the Eversor temple wear a similar white skull helmet. Where as the other temples of Officio Assassinorum rely on stealth, [[ColdSniper accuracy]], [[TheInfiltration misdirection]], [[TheSoulless and soul crushing power]], Eversor Assassins will crash through a wall and kill everyone in the building. An Eversor's mask looks like a giant skull. It pumps a stupendous amount of combat drugs directly into the brain; the wearer becomes a screaming ball of death and terror. The assassin will kill until he is killed or there is no one left. At which point he explodes.

* The Phantom of ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', though, unusually, the Phantom's mask covers less than half of his face. Even though the iconic white half-mask is famous from a thousand theatre posters, in the original novel his mask was ''black''. The mask originally covered the Phantom's entire face, but was changed after a preview performance because it muffled his voice too much.

* Doctors in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' wear below-mentioned plague masks, and the Doctor multiplayer character from ''Brotherhood'' has SinisterShades over one.

* Sal Fisher from ''VideoGame/{{SallyFace}}'' wears a white prosthetic mask with one chunk of it being pink. It is hinted through out the game that a dog mauled Sal's face in the woods as a child, [[spoiler:only for it to be revealed in the final episode that the leader of The Devourers of God shot Sal's face with a shot gun while wearing a ceremonial dog mask]].

* Tunon the Adjudicator in ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'' has several white masks which he seems able to change between without actually removing them. Not only does this play into his no-longer-human traits, but being the Archon of Justice and chief judge of Kyros' [[TheEmpire empire]] adds an extra layer of appropriateness to the trope name[[note]]historically, doom could mean a legal judgement.[[/note]].

* In ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'', if Yandere-chan joins the Drama club, she has access to masks she can use to conceal her identity. All but one of them are white, some with red markings, but the one who exemplifies this trope the most is based on a Noh mask. [[spoiler:However, Yandere-chan only gets one shot at murder while wearing a mask, as the Headmaster will ban them afterward.]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Mokepon}}'' has [[http://mokepon.smackjeeves.com/comics/1001692/chapter-3-page-24/ the guy on the giant Feraligatr.]] Though his mask is only half white, and he's not the only one wearing it. Oh and it has no eyes. The author has said in an AltText that she has no clue how he sees.

* [[http://twitpic.com/32u8yg The masked man]] [[spoiler:(Tim, maybe totheark)]] from ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'' wears a rather unsettling white mask. Entry 26 show someone wearing a skull mask. Yup. [[OhCrap There is more than one]]. This seems to be a distressingly common feature of humans under [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos the Slender Man's]] influence (called Proxies) in blogs set in the Slenderverse.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Mean Seasons", Calendar Girl wears a white mask to hide her face, and freaks out at the end of the episode when the mask is removed. It turns out that she has a perfectly normal, even beautiful, appearance -- but the ''psychological'' scars of being cast aside by the modeling industry for being "too old" cause her to see herself as a hideous old crone.

* Standard-bearers in Roman legions wore full-face, expressionless, armoured masks, often in gilded metal. This is thought to have been symbolic: the mask, like the standard, represented the soul of the unit and symbolised the idea that the bearer was no individual soldier, but an Avatar for the unit. If the standard bearer was killed, another soldier would take up both the standard and the mask and [[LegacyCharacter lose his identity with the role.]]
* {{Plague doctor}}s during the Black Death wore white bird masks as part of their [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_doctor_costume plague outfits]] to prevent from getting the plague. These masks also had the effect of being ''[[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/49/77/d1/4977d19dedba69da5387e79d7a59845e.jpg terrifying]]''. Being scary was intentional -- the doctors had to be fearsome and barely-trusted, half mythical figures, or else they'd get mobbed by the sick every time they went out. They also went armed with clubs. The "beak" was stuffed with sweet smelling herbs to mask the sickening smell of dying plague victims. The masks became [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Venice#Medico_della_peste_.28The_Plague_Doctor.29 one of the traditional masks in the Carnival of Venice,]] which is where you typically see these masks nowadays, as well as in references to the Carnival, like ''Film/EyesWideShut''.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': [[TheHeartless Hollows]] are monsters born from human souls that don't crossover to Soul Society and remain in the human world for too long. They are corrupt spirits with supernatural powers which devour the souls of both living and deceased Humans. All Hollows wear white, skull-like masks formed from the hearts they lost as humans.

* Death 13 from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' is a ''dream-haunting clown-themed GrimReaper'' that wears an incessantly smiling clown mask. [[spoiler:actually that may not be true, since that is more than likely his face]].

*** The members of Arachnophobia should also count as they have similar white masks, but are decidedly much more villainous.

* The Phantom of ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', though, unusually, the Phantom's mask covers less than half of his face. Even though the iconic white half-mask is famous from a thousand theatre posters, in the original novel his mask was ''black''.

* In ''Film/VForVendetta'', the aforementioned "V" always wears one. At one point, quite a few citizens put on the same mask, in a show of support for V's actions.

* In the 2010 ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'' movie, the Red Queen's over-sized head looks like this.
* The final scene of ''Film/BirdmanOrTheUnexpectedVirtueOfIgnorance'' has Riggins waking up in a hospital room [[spoiler:after having just attempted suicide by a gunshot to the face]] wearing a white plaster mask [[spoiler:hiding the scars on his face where the bullet entered]]. Because Riggins had gained fame by portraying an avian superhero, it is fitting that his bandaged face has a prominently pointed nose and looks a bit like a plague-doctor mask.

* The Phantom of ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' though unusually the Phantom's mask covers less than half of his face. Even though the iconic white half-mask is famous from a thousand theatre posters, in the original novel his mask was ''black''.

* ''Manga/LiarGame'' -- The dealers and most attendants are MalevolentMaskedMen with white masks.
* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'' -- The villainous MysteriousProtector is another mask with no mouth and thin slits for eyes.

* ''Manga/SoulEater'' -- Lord Death had a simple skull-shaped mask he made to deliberately avoid looking scary to the small children he wanted to recruit to his school. He added a sillier personality to match, which he took to very well in the long run. His older, much more skull-like mask is doomier. Kid occasionally copies his father's appearance with a cloak and mask of his own. But in his case it just looks ''cute''.

* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' -- Kain in the first movie has one of these which is also an ExpressiveMask, since it turns out to be his real face. It becomes more creepy as he becomes more desperate in the final battle.

%%zero context* ''Manga/{{Nightschool}}'' -- All [[BondCreatures astrals]] are basically living shadows with white masks.

[[folder:Films — Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfMarkTwain'' -- In the ever-popular (and creepy) "Mysterious Stranger" sequence, {{Satan}}'s face is a Greek drama mask that morphs into various faces, including an exceptionally disturbing skull.

[[MalevolentMaskedMen Masks]] are spooky: they dehumanise, they make a dangerous [[UncannyValley inhuman]] inner being visible. White masks occupy a special place. They have a long history in several cultures. Being white, they are blanker and scarier, offering nothing for the eye to hold on to. And look like [[RuleOfScary skulls]].