My Bloody Valentine Main Character Costume Deconstruction

My Bloody Valentine Killer Costume Deconstruction

 

Make up:

• As seen in the photo, make up is not visible on the character due to his face being hidden behind a mask.

The character is dressed in all black for multiple reasons;

1. The first being to help hide him easier in darkness so he can approach his victims undetected.
2. The second being to cover any show of skin which dehumanises the character and makes him more monstrous and fearful towards the audience.
3. The third is to incorporate the eerie feeling from the mask and his actions into the rest of the body because black is a symbol of death and fear.

The mask:

1. The killer wears a mask to hide his identity which creates an atmospheric fear among the audience as well as the victims.
2. The masks also covers his facial features, which by covering creates an illusion that he is not human but more of a monstrous character, because facial features are a strong indication of whether a person is human.
3. As well as this, the mask is a gas mask, which is normally used to save someone's life, so by an antagonist using it to hide his identity whilst he is killing victims contradicts the idea of protection and safety. This creates a strong eerie feel amongst the audience because he is using something out of the norm (such as a balaclava) to hide his identity and instead is using something of protection, so confuses the audiences. By not using a balaclava or any other type of "scary" mask, the film is going against the usual codes and conventions of a horror film, suggesting that it may be a different outcome to a usual film of that genre.

• The character is seen wearing gloves, this suggests that he is attempting to cover his actions by not leaving any traces of finger prints. It also once again suggests that he is trying to cover his human features such as skin or fingers, to create the monstrous, more fearful effect.
• The character uses the same weapon the whole way through the film and you do not see him without it, suggesting that without the axe he feels powerless or weak. Because the prop is an axe and is usually used to cut things in a more innocence way it creates a feeling of fear amongst the reader because of the strong use of realism.

-Caera Mendez