DEATH MASK is an independent effort that is written and produced by actor James Best, best known for his comedic performance as Sheriff Roscoe on THE DUKES OF HAZZARD TV series. Best brought on board the project, director Steve Latshaw (who is responsible for such dreck as JACK-O, DARK UNIVERSE, and BIOHAZARD 2). They collaborated on a final draft, and Best casted himself in the lead role. All they needed was a name female lead, and Latshaw suggested veteran scream-queen, Linnea Quigley, since he worked with her before on JACK-0. DEATH MASK was filmed entirely in Florida and utilizes local talent (if you can call them that) to round out the cast. Independent video company MTI bravely picked up the distribution rights for this flawed horror film, and released the DVD in late 2000.

Despite his recognition as Sheriff Roscoe, James Best also has numerous genre credits, including SHOCK CORRIDOR, ATTACK OF THE KILLER SHREWS, and THE SAVAGE BEES. Linnea Quigley needs no introduction to fans of horror and exploitation films (and she still looks good when this was filmed in 1998). DEATH MASK also features Brigitte Hill as the gypsy swamp-lady, Zaranda. John Nutten plays the slimey carnival owner, Guido. The movie is rounded out by B-movie bimbo actresses like Cynthia Beckert, Mela Levin, and Diane Cantuell (who ether play victims or hookers).

Wilbur (Best), a morbid woodcarver, has worked in the travelling carnival all his life, as did his father before him. His mean, alcoholic father dragged his little son around the country with the carnival. When his drunken father caught Wilbur playing with his clown make-up, he forced his son’s face onto an oven burner, scarring him for life. The former Carnival owner felt bad enough for the kid that he promised Wilbur lifetime employment in the circus, using his woodcarving skills to sculpt evil looking masks for the carnival’s haunted house attraction. Wilbur is disturbed from this childhood trauma and all his peers at the carnival, including new owner, Guido (Nutten), ridicule his scarred visage. Only ex-stripper, Angel (Quigley) identifies with him, and stands up for him when the carnival folk harass Wilbur.

Angel whisks him away into the swamp to meet mysterious gypsy, Zaranda (Hill), whose mother was burned alive at the stake for being a witch. Wilbur reveals that he would sell his soul to get rid of his scars, and carve a masterpiece of beauty. This prompts Zaranda to offer him a log of cursed wood to carve his masterpiece. Angel and Wilbur return to the carnival, and Angel miraculously develops a romantic interest in her scarred coworker. Wilbur uses the cursed wood to sculpt a new mask, which slowly takes over his life. When he dons the mask, it gives him the power to murderously repay those who scorned him, including several carnival workers and some local prostitutes. When Angel discovers the evil abilities of the mask, she warns Wilbur that he must destroy it. But he is so consumed by the supernatural powers of the mask that he drives her away. Angel must use every resource she can to destroy the mask to free her friend from eternal damnation.

Here is a taste of the mayhem in DEATH MASK:

The Good: It turns out that James Best is influenced by the work of zero-budget filmmakers Ray Dennis Steckler and Al Adamson. Like the works of those low budget schlockmeisters, DEATHMASK is extremely cheap and seedy. It’s as if Best and Latshaw filmed this during the 70’s or early 80’s, instead of 1998! Whether they planned this, or its accidental, I’m not sure. But this retro treatment gives DEATHMASK a sort of inept charm. There is plenty of T & A, gore scenes, catfights, prostitution, and sideshow geeks, and flimsy acting to keep exploitation fans interested. DEATH MASK does offer gratuitous nudity, including another Linnea Quigley shower scene that she can add to her resume (that is showed twice here). There is also a handful of convincing bloody effects, and some poorly integrated digital effects to depict the changing features of the evil mask. James Best is obviously the only one here who can truly act, and this fact makes you enjoy the deaths of the untalented supporting cast. Linnea Quigley is not the greatest actress in the world, but she possesses more than enough range for this poorly conceived narrative. Quigley fans know she’s got a great comic timing which she taps into here.

The Bad: DEATHMASK is simply not a good film, neither creatively nor technically. It is consistently bad in all areas—dialog, direction, lighting, editing, special effects, etc. For some unknown reason, the filmmakers begin the movie with a prologue that is actually footage lifted from later in the picture! This prologue does nothing for the film, and only serves to give away some of DEATHMASK’s more exploitable moments, such as the shower scenes and some kill shots. Though Best wrote the script with some interesting concepts in mind, his execution leaves a lot to be desired. The dialog is especially painful coming from the supporting cast. The production values are non-existent. Steve Latshaw’s technical direction is so poor, the guy should be banned from low budget filmmaking for life.

The DVD also includes trailers for these MTI titles:

• MASK OF DEATH (FF, DD 2.0, 2:08)
• MOTEL BLUE (FF, DD 2.0, 1:15)
• WEST NEW YORK (FF, DD 2.0, 1:25)

-  Phil Chandler