Horror film icon Tom Savini defends Corey Taylor’s “excellent” mask

ABC/Randy HolmesTo make his new mask for the next Slipknot album, frontman Corey Taylor recruited acclaimed horror film makeup and special effects artist Tom Savini, who’s known for his work on movies like Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. While that might seem like a match made in heaven — or, perhaps more likely, hell — the mask has received a fair amount of criticism, with some fans calling it “awkward” and the “worst mask ever.”

Now, in an interview with Revolver, Savini has come to the defense of Taylor and his mask.

“The fans were like, ‘Savini? Oh s***, my sister could have done better than that,'” he says. “Someone even fastened a milk carton to their face and posted a side-by-side and said, ‘Nailed it!’ Regardless, the mask looks excellent.”

Savini adds that the way Taylor wears and inhabits the mask is what really gives it its power.

“He puts the makeup on underneath it, the hood, everything,” Savini says. “It’s a nice mask, but he sells it. He’s the one who makes it look the way it looks.”

Taylor himself recently responded to criticism of the mask in the comments of an Instagram post, writing, “That’s exactly why I’ll never change it — because it bothers SOOOOOO many people.”

Taylor will be bringing his mask on the road on Slipknot’s upcoming U.S. tour, kicking off July 26 in Mountain View, California. The band’s new album, We Are Not Your Kind, is due out August 9.

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