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Friday the 13th Part 2 saw Jason Voorhees in a burlap sack mask; however, it was never seen again after the release of another 1980’s movie.
Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th is most known most for his hockey mask, yet before that, in Friday the 13th Part 2, he wore a burlap sack. When the character donned a hockey mask in sequels, it seems like it was done out of the popularity for the design. While that is partly true, the main reason for losing the burlap sack is actually because of another movie that was produced at the same time.
Friday the 13th Part 2 sees Jason Voorhees return five years after the events of the first movie. After the murder of his vengeful mother, Jason takes over the killing at Camp Crystal Lake with a new set of victims. But his time, he wears a burlap sack over his head, with a single eye hole and rope around the neck. While the design was creepy, it never caught on the same way the hockey mask did.
The movie was filmed in 1980 and released in 1981. The design team came up with the burlap sack costume thinking it would be a unique look during the production. However, just before Part 2 was released, another film dropped that featured a main character with the same look: The Elephant Man.
The Elephant Man is a David Lynch movie that tells the real-life tale of Joseph Merrick’s life. Joseph was a man living in the late 19th century who suffered from Proteus syndrome, which severely disfigured his head. Given the time period, treatment was minimal, and Joseph faced a lot of ridicule, including being named The Elephant Man. The movie depiction gained a ton of praise from critics, being nominated for eight Academy Awards.
In the movie, Joseph Merrick (played by John Hurt) attempts to cover his facial deformity with a burlap sack over his head. And with Friday the 13th Part 2 releasing soon after, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Not only did it seem like Jason Voorhees’ design was copying, but also it could be taken as making fun of The Elephant Man‘s serious topic. As spoken about in the Shudder docuseries Behind the Monsters, the production team had already thought up the mask before The Elephant Man‘s release, so it was never their intention to copy. And the whole crew worried that people would be offended or not be able to take Jason Voorhees seriously.
However, in the end, the design wasn’t what turned fans away. The movie was released to mostly negative reviews and made much less money than the first at the box office. Most audiences criticized the movie’s repeat of the same plot, just with less compelling characters and story beats.
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