Archive: 'Friday The 13th' Killer's Goalie Mask An Unforgettable Part Of Horror Movie's Success

In the wildly popular 'Friday The 13th' movie series, character Jason Voorhees wore an old-school goalie mask to hide his face. What's the meaning behind the mask?

In the annals of horror movie history, one of the most iconic images is the goalie hockey mask worn by serial killer character Jason Voorhees in the Friday The 13th film series. 

In this feature story from The Hockey News’ special-edition Greatest Masks Of All Time magazine (Jan. 1, 2008 cover date), contributing writer Bob Duff analyzed how the simple but scary goalie mask came to be such a prominent piece of the puzzle for the horror films.

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Duff spoke to actor Derek Mears about 'Jason' and the iconic mask came to play such a big role in the Friday The 13th films. From Mears’ perspective, 'Jason' wasn’t all that bad of a person.

“I think Jason is a sympathetic character,” said Mears, who played the part in the 2009 version of the film series. “Essentially, the mask serves as his protection from society and as a shield from the horrors he’s seen in his life. He’s opted to withdraw from society after witnessing the death of his mother. Jason only lashes out when people invade his solitude. He’s just protecting his private area of the world from the rest of society.”

Mears viewed the 'Jason' character as a combination of unforgettable roles from across the spectrum of the entertainment world – specifically, after Sylvester Stallone’s 'Rambo' character, 'Tarzan' and the 'Abominable Snowman' from cartoon lore.

“I built him around John Rambo, but the Rambo from First Blood,” Mears said. “He just wants to be left alone and when people enter his space, he explodes.”

Jan. 1, 2008

By Bob Duff

In terms of popular culture, it may be the most well known goalie mask in the world and is also a popular Halloween costume. It’s certainly the one goalie mask that’s led to more carnage since it was donned on film than before, when it was worn on the ice.

From Derek Mears’ point of view, the iconic 1970s-style mask is synonymous with Jason Voorhees – the terrifying, serial-killing star of the Friday the 13th movie franchise – not hockey. That despite the fact Jason wears his mask for the same reason goalie masks have been worn in hockey since the days of Clint Benedict and, later, Jacques Plante.

Jason, like those goalies, wears his mask as a form of protection.

“I think Jason is a sympathetic character,” said Mears, who portrays Jason in the upcoming Friday the 13th film, due to hit theaters Friday, Feb. 13, 2009.

“Just in time for Valentine’s Day,” Mears noted, “because nothing says ‘I love you’ like a good slasher flick.”

Platinum Dunes production is behind this remake of Friday the 13th, with Jason again wreaking havoc at Crystal Lake Camp amongst a group of young people who opt to spend far too much time in remote, wooded areas.

It wasn’t until the third film in the Friday the 13th series that Jason first donned his mask. While no one seems sure why the goalie mask became the character’s staple, the story of how it happened is well documented.

During production, director/producer Steve Miner called for a lighting check, but none of the effects crew wanted to apply any make-up for the light check. It was decided to throw a mask on Richard Brooker, the actor playing Jason in the film. Editor Martin Jay Sadoff was a hockey player who happened to have a bag filled with gear, including the goalie mask that would soon become one of Hollywood’s most well-known props.

Donning such an iconic piece of movie history is a dream come true for Mears, 36, the 11th actor to fill the role of Jason.

“Growing up, the two characters that gave me nightmares were Jason Voorhees and Bigfoot from the Six Million Dollar Man,” Mears said.

He believes the goalie mask is the perfect metaphor for what Jason has dealt with in his life, having witnessed the decapitation-murder of his mother in the original film.

“Essentially, the mask serves as his protection from society and as a shield from the horrors he’s seen in his life,” Mears said. “He’s opted to withdraw from society after witnessing the death of his mother. Jason only lashes out when people invade his solitude. He’s just protecting his private area of the world from the rest of society.”

Mears sees the Jason character as being a mix of John Rambo, Tarzan and the Abominable Snowman from Looney Tunes cartoons.

“I built him around John Rambo, but the Rambo from First Blood,” Mears said. “He just wants to be left alone and when people enter his space, he explodes.”

In an interesting twist, also among the cast is Willa Ford, the wife of Dallas Stars’ 500-goal scorer Mike Modano. So in a bizarre sort of way, the guy in the goalie mask gets the chance to get even with the shooter.

“I had dinner with Mike and Willa,” Mears said. “I’m not what you’d call a hockey aficionado, but it was fascinating to see how people were losing their minds when they came up and talked to Mike.”

Growing up in Bakersfield, Calif., Mears didn’t get any chance to wear a goalie mask and stop shots.

“They didn’t have much in the way of ice when I was a kid,” he said. “The only hockey I played was on the Nintendo.”

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