History Main / EvilMask

* A trilogy of Italian ''ComicBook/MickeyMouse'' story arcs has Mickey and Goofy transport to a fantasy-esque dimension, where they help overthrow the BigBad The Lord of The Mists, originally a powerful RealityWarper reduced to using illusions (albeit dangerous ones) after his first defeat centuries ago, which had left him mostly incorporeal. Thought dead after the first story, he seemingly returns in the third part, only for the heroes to discover that it's little more than a case of FightingAShadow; this Lord of the Mists is a random civilian who had been hijacked by the mask worn by the original, which gave him the Lords personality and some of his powers.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E145TheMasks The Masks]]", the dying Jason Foster forces his daughter Emily Harper, son-in-law Wilfred, Sr. and grandchildren Wilfred, Jr. and Paula to wear grotesque masks on Mardi Gras. If they don't, [[OnOneCondition they will not inherit any of his vast fortune]]. The masks were created by an old Cajun and are imbued with certain properties. Jason tells his relatives that it is a Mardi Gras custom to wear masks that are the antithesis of one's true personality. However, all of the masks reflect the personalities of the wearer: the cowardly Emily, the self-obsessed Paula, the miserly Wilfred, Sr. and the dull-witted Wilfred, Jr. [[spoiler:When they take the masks off at midnight, they find that their faces have been transformed so that they now match the masks. Their appearance therefore finally reflects their true personalities.]]

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'':
** The title character. That Skull Kid wearing it might seem like a monster, given the various gruesome curses he inflicts on you and the residents of Termina--but then you learn that before he put it on, he was just a lonely kid who wanted friends. By the end of the game, it becomes clear that the mask itself has been pulling the strings the entire time, and seeks to destroy everything.
** The same game also has the Fierce Deity mask, which is implied to contain dark powers nearly or perhaps '''even more powerful''' than Majora--wearing it while fighting Majora turns him into a laughably-easy AnticlimaxBoss. Link doesn't seem to have a problem with the mask, though, probably because he's, well, [[TheHero Link]].
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': The Fused Shadow isn't a helmet, but Midna wears on on her head for the whole game. At one point the other fragments close around her and transform her into... something huge, tentacled and wielding a trident that blasts through the castle's barrier. [[spoiler:Despite the warnings given throughout the entire game not to use its magic, Midna seems to be alright after using them.]]

* A trilogy of Italian ''ComicBook/MickeyMouse'' story arcs has Mickey and Goofy transport to a fantasy-esque dimension, where they help overthrow the BigBad The Lord of The Mists, who returns in the third arc, only for it to be revealed that it's his helmet being worn by a random passersby who had found it in the ruins of the Lord's castle, and had his personality overwritten by the helmet.

* ''ComicBook/TheMask''. It's ''much'' more evil than its film counterpart, and intentionally turns its wearers into mass-murdering psychotic lunatics.

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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* The Helmet of Nabu is this for most versions of ComicBook/DoctorFate. Nabu, a (former?) Lord Of Order has his consciousness inside the helmet and takes control of the wearer. Sometimes, the host has been able to take control and even kick Nabu out of the whole Fate arrangement since technically he's not supposed to be involved, but he always ends up back in the helmet.

* A trilogy of Italian ComicBook/MickeyMouse story arcs has Mickey and Goofy transport to a fantasy-esque dimension, where they help overthrow the BigBad The Lord of The Mists, who returns in the third arc, only for it to be revealed that it's his helmet being worn by a random passersby who had found it in the ruins of the Lord's castle, and had his personality overwritten by the helmet.
* ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'': In "The Blood of Azrael", Azrael's mask contains the memories and powers of the OmnicidalManiac Azrael, waiting for a host of a suitable mindset to continue his work. [[spoiler:Danny]] provides that host. It's unclear if he was already an OmnicidalManiac at that point, although he was already [[spoiler:a murderous and sadistic xenophobe]].

* In "The Peddler" (one of the stories in the second ''Fanfic/HalloweenUnspectacular''), [[WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom Sam]] buys a venetian mask from the titular peddler and tries it on. Minutes later, she's screaming about how the mask is burning and, shortly after, turning into a demon.

[[folder:Film]]

* Inverted in the ''Literature/RainbowMagic'' series. In Flora the Dress-up Fairy's book, the ''loss'' of her magic mask makes people act like their costumes at a masked ball.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E145TheMasks The Masks]]", the dying Jason Foster forces his daughter Emily Harper, son-in-law Wilfred, Sr. and grandchildren Wilfred, Jr. and Paula to wear grotesque masks on Mardi Gras. If they don't, [[OnOneCondition they will not inherit any of his vast fortune]]. The masks were created by an old Cajun and are imbued with certain properties. Jason tells his relatives that it is a Mardi Gras custom to wear masks that are the antithesis of one's true personality. However, all of the masks reflect the personalities of the wearer: the cowardly Emily, the self-obsessed Paula, the miserly Wilfred, Sr. and the dull-witted Wilfred, Jr. [[spoiler:When they take the masks off at midnight, they find that their faces have been transformed so that they now match the masks. Their appearance therefore finally reflects their true personalities.]][[/folder]]

* Kane's mask in ''VideoGame/ShiningForce'' is a mind-controlling device created by the BigBad Darksol. Defeating Kane causes the mask to crack and fall off, returning Kane to his former self.
* The Snow Queen Mask in the original ''VideoGame/{{Persona|1}}''.

* The Evil God's mask of ''VideoGame/{{Scratches}}''.
* The Terror Mask from ''VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}}'' games: in the first game, it looks more like a [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/arcade/584217-splatterhouse/images?pid=584217&img=42 white hockey mask]] - a ''very'' obvious nod to killer Jason Voorhees which they had to change to a [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/tg16/589119-splatterhouse/images?pid=589119&img=12 blood red colour]] when the game came to the West. In the third game, the mask appears more [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/genesis/586483-splatterhouse-3/images?pid=586483&img=67 organic-looking]], almost skeletal or cranium-like. The mask is actually sentient, and is eventually revealed [[spoiler: to be the Big Bad in the third game]].

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/SnowByNight'' has [[spoiler:Talon's-that-Seek's]] mask. According to the vignette [[http://www.snowbynight.com/pages/ch10/v1.php "A Berry From The Sun"]], wearing it can drive the wearer to madness as it channels the corrupted spirit bond to it. It can also absorb other manitou to feed the eagle spirit, making it dangerous for both humans and spirits.
[[/folder]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', the Ice King's crown post "Holly Jolly Secrets".

* ''WebOriginal/LoomingGaia'': Mankind's Disgrace's mask grants him ResurrectiveImmortality and monster-forging abilities at the cost of forcing him to feed on the pain of others. It's also magically hooked to his skin and causes him constant pain.

* ''WebOriginal/LoomingGaia'': Mankind's Disgrace's mask grants him false divinity at the cost of forcing him to feed on the pain of others. It's also magically hooked to his skin and causes him constant pain.

* The cursed Noh Mask in ''Manga/InuYasha''. All it wants is a body, but there's the slight problem that it causes its wearer to decompose so fast they turn into ''crude oil'' within minutes. Naturally, it'd like a stronger host. Guess who it decided to go after.

* There was an episode of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' with an evil African mask that Buffy's mom has hanging in her room. Unlike most examples, it starts summoning zombies and causing havoc just by being there. Once one of the zombies reaches it and puts it on, however, things get even worse.

* The Terror Mask from ''VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}}'' games.

* This, courtesy of the Wiki/SCPFoundation: [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-035 SCP-035]]. It's a mask that compels anyone within a certain range of it to put it on. Once they do, they die due to a brainwave pattern (the mask's) overlaying theirs. It also degrades whatever wears it, meaning it needs a new host once the old one degrades past the ability to move. It's Keter class because it is extremely malevolent, and none of the containment methods used on it can stop it permanently, meaning it has to be moved to a new room every two weeks because the caustic blood and runes it creates wear down the cells.

* ''WesternAnmation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': Captain Freeman has been possessed by ancient alien masks at least 3 times.

* In the film version of ''Film/TheMask'', the mask adapts itself to its wearer's personality. It's only evil when the wearer is; otherwise, the main character who uses it is a good-hearted person, therefore, the mask is also good, as well.

* ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'' has the mask that Forgo Dedede was wearing. Unlike the standard masks that Dedede wears for battle, this one was forced upon him by the BigBad to amplify their control on Dedede's mind. He's even seen trying to force the mask off him before the battle starts, unfortunately to no avail.

* ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'' has the mask that Forgo Dedede was wearing. Unlike the standard masks that Dedede wears for battle, this one was forced upon him by the BigBad to amplify their control on Dedede's mind. He's even seen trying to force the mask off him before the battle starts, unfortunately to no avail.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'':
** The title character. That Skull Kid wearing it might seem like a monster, given the various gruesome curses he inflicts on you and the residents of Termina--but then you learn that before he put it on, he was just a lonely kid who wanted friends. By the end of the game, it becomes clear that the mask itself has been pulling the strings the entire time, and seeks to destroy everything.
** The same game also has the Fierce Deity mask, which is implied to contain dark powers nearly or perhaps '''even more powerful''' than Majora--wearing it while fighting Majora turns him into a laughably-easy AnticlimaxBoss. Link doesn't seem to have a problem with the mask, though, probably because he's, well, [[TheHero Link]].
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': The Fused Shadow isn't a helmet, but Midna wears on on her head for the whole game. At one point the other fragments close around her and transform her into... something huge, tentacled and wielding a trident that blasts through the castle's barrier. [[spoiler:Despite the warnings given throughout the entire game not to use its magic, Midna seems to be alright after using them.]]