This isn’t your standard Jim Carrey flick. The Mask: Gone Viral is a fan sequel about Madison, a Millennial trying to make it in the acting world. While browsing through thrifted junk in Felix’s store, she comes across a wooden mask that gives her the power to truly be herself… or something else.
Now you may be saying, “But Celia, The Mask is a comedy! It’s not horror at all!” Au contraire, my sweet summer child. The Mask may not be rife with ghosts and blood, but it is most definitely horror-adjacent. Same with The Mask: Gone Viral. At its core, this story involves a supernatural — cursed — item with the power to possess and change reality. There’s body horror and transformations and horror fan’s favorites: practical effects. This Laughing Hearse Entertainment fan film is the perfect gateway movie to those of horror proper.
In The Mask: Gone Viral, Madison’s transformation is instantly jump worthy. Her face a bright green, buck teeth on display, a garish purply-red wig, Madison is almost monstrous. If it wasn’t for the mischievous nature of the mask, she’d be on serial killer level of scary. Luckily for us, the mask provides us laughs and gags — but be prepared, she’ll rip your heart out!
While I can go on and on about the newly-masked Maddie, I want to bring up the storyline because it happens to perfectly fill the need for the mask in the first place. As a Millennial myself, I can understand the struggles presented in The Mask: Gone Viral. No one wants their hard work to go unnoticed, and it can be easy to give up, especially when you see others succeeding. When something like this magical mask shows up, it would be hard not to take it for a spin… which poses a question: can you imagine if this got into the wrong hands? Is there a point in which the mask goes too far? What would others do for that same opportunity?
The Mask: Gone Viral‘s casting is also something to praise. Madison (Ashley Grace Pope) was a great choice opposite less-than-likeable Nancy (Chloe Breen); it takes a lot of work to act like you’re a bad actor (if that makes any sense). The standout for me was Riggs (Aaron Gold), whose warmth and genuineness were easily felt through the scene. His delivery throughout the film was the icing on the cake.
I’d consider The Mask: Gone Viral not only a wonderful addition to the Mask family, but a great palate cleanser for horror fans needing something a little lighter without going completely out of the genre. The Mask: Gone Viral serves up chaotic energy in an hour, making us ask what we really think is hiding under that mask.
Catch The Mask: Gone Viral on Instagram. For more work from writer/director Geordy Skolnick, follow him on Instagram, as well as Laughing Hearse Entertainment!
