25 Things You Didn't Know About The Mask

23. The Source Material Is VERY Different

The Mask Comic
Dark Horse

The movie is adapted from a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics, though the term "adapted" is used very loosely here.

The comic has a decidedly more "mature" tone than the film, with The Mask turning the wearer into a psychopathic murderer who dismantles his victims in grisly and disturbing ways.

But despite cutting his teeth on horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and the 1988 remake of The Blob, director Russell opted to steer the tone of the movie in a more comedic direction than New Line, best known for their horror movies at the time, originally intended.

This resulted in a far softer and more mainstream-skewing end product, while characters such as Stanley's dog Milo and the villainous Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene) were entirely original creations for the film.

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