Friday the 13th Fashion: Jason Voorhees Costume Breakdown

Friday the 13th franchise is the only horror-slasher where the lead constantly shows transformation. Jason Voorhees costume changes in every movie indicate where the character is in his journey. Jason keeps some features intact to possess an iconic look, but he goes through so many revisions. It is not common in the slasher genre.

The first movie revolves around Pamela Voorhees, Jason’s mother, but apart from it, every other installment follows Jason on his killing spree. He only appeared at the end of the first Part, where we came to know he is deformed. Jason was bullied as a child to the point that he drowned in the lake. The incident prompted his mother to become a murderer, but somehow Jason came back from the dead.

Ironically, he only returned after his mother was killed. This is where the second Part starts. We see Jason wearing a burlap sack over his head with a hole for his one eye. The iconic hockey mask came in later with the third Part. Jason snatched the mask off his victim, Shelly.

He was originally a shock factor and twist ending for the first Part, but he won over the audiences and continued to rule the slasher cinema for decades to come.

The Jason Voorhees Outfit Breakdown

Typically, the costume for this maniac on a killing spree includes a hockey mask, a shirt in a dark color like blue or green, and dark pants. Or else he wears jeans or bib overalls.

A distinct feature about every Jason killer costume is that all of them are damaged, dirty, and look worn out. Since he is a slasher killer, of course, he has a weapon with him all the time. Although this psycho murderer uses several different weapons throughout the movies, his axe and machete are popular.

Machete is his most preferred weapon of choice when he is slicing open his victims. This is why most of the time, Jason Halloween costume comes with a machete. The overall look of the villain is diabolical, complete with a menacing demeanor.

The Mask

Fans who are aware of the history of how Jason got his hands on the iconic goalie mask he has worn for 40 long years are horrified. It is nauseatingly unsettling to think about how he killed a guy named Shelly and then stole the mask.

Ironically, the mask that became the identity for the character reached him by chance. He was not seeking it out, nor was he trying to find something like the mask. It happens to be there when he was done with his victim, and he nonchalantly starts wearing it.

The association of Jason Voorhees outfit with the mask ruined the hockey mask’s reputation forever. The mask has visible scratches, an infamous axe mark, and damage around the eyes that reflects the decay beneath the masked face.

It typically has three red markings and black straps to secure it on the face. Jason rarely shows his face, and whenever he does, the audience is relieved that he wears a mask most of the time.

Weapon

As mentioned, Jason uses a number of weapons in the movies, including the following:

•       An axe
•       Ice pick
•       Spear gun
•       Syringe
•       Liquid Nitrogen
•       Sleeping bag
•       A machete
•       His bare hands

However, nothing beats the popularity of Jason’s machete. If you want to play Jason, you’d better invest in a prop machete to complete the look of this vengeful killer.

To give it a more realistic touch, you can splatter fake blood or simple red paint on the weapon. It will seem like you have just returned after committing a kill.

Clothing

When it comes to the clothes that Jason wears, they are always in dark colors. He usually prefers a plaid or solid shirt with pants. The colors are mostly blue or dark green. Sometimes he puts on overalls in jeans or bibs, but they are also always in darker shades.

The Jason killer costume is ripped, tattered, and heavily weathered. This remains a similarity among all of his outfits, even after his character and appearance go through several transformations.

In later installments, Jason starts to layer his outfit with black and brown jackets. But these are also very dirty and old, with numerous holes. You can try layering the Jason overalls with a real shearling jacket for an edgy look — or browse through Halloween costumes to find the perfect Jason-inspired outerwear for your spooky transformation.

Accessories

If you want to enhance the costume to its fullest, then investing in fake blood and a pair of gloves would be great.

For footwear, Jason wears a pair of black work boots.

Tips to Make it Realistic

When you have the costume, your look is complete. You can make an appearance wearing a costume, and it will be alright. However, if you want to make it more realistic, then you may follow the tips given here:

•       Splatter fake blood on the clothes and prop a machete
•       Make three red marks on the mask
•       Wear a double mask, one for the deformed face, and top it with a hockey mask
•       Keep most of your skin hidden under clothes
•       Use makeup to make your face appear sunken around the mask

How to Make it a Great Halloween or Cosplay Costume

Jason is a popular choice for fans to dress up like. Part of the reason behind his popularity is that recreating Jason is pretty easy. It doesn’t require a lot of accessories and can be pulled from the wardrobe.

Most of the items that are used in this costume are lying around in closets, like dark color shirts and pants. And if not, you can order yourself a similar-looking costume from North American Jackets without a hassle.

Distressing the outfit a little and your mask is a great way to show your creative streak. Most of the time, when you purchase a costume, it doesn’t come with bloody marks. So, you can play around with fake blood a little to make it more unsettling.

The best thing is that you can try several of his looks with some basic items. It will give you the liberty to choose from variations that are unheard of with any other antagonist.

Constant transformation of the character gives space to make a few changes of your own, like pairing the classic outfit with Rip Wheeler jackets. The crossover will be so interesting, and it will leave the fans of both shows in awe.

Not Jason in Jason Voorhees Outfit

Newer fans of the franchise may get confused, but the true ones know what we are hinting at. Part 5 of the franchise shows us several victims being killed in a similar manner, but the murderer is unknown. He draws inspiration from our villain, but there is a minor difference. His mask has blue markings, as compared to the original Jason, who has red markings.

However, fans only got to know he wasn’t Jason towards the end of the movie. But thankfully, the filmmakers worked around and found a way to bring our actual villain back in the next Part.

The crux is that you can play this twist with your costume. All you need to do is find a plain goalie mask and draw the markings yourself with blue ink. When people ask if you are impersonating Jason Voorhees, tell them no and move on.

The Jump Scare

As everyone knows, ‘Friday the 13th’ is not a franchise that was made because of Jason. It was the other way around; the franchise built Jason as a character. One of the major reasons we were able to see him again in Part 2 was the jump scare his sudden appearance in the first part gave. The appearance is very brief, but the impact is great.

Painting the Mask

The mask is an unforgettable item from the Jason Voorhees costume, and there is no way you can replicate his look without it. However, if you feel suffocated wearing a mask and you don’t think you would be able to pull off the look, we have another solution.

You can paint the mask on your face. It will save you from wearing the suffocating plastic over your face for hours. All you need is white paint, red paint, black paint, and a paintbrush.

Start off by putting on a base of white paint and let it completely dry before you go further. Once you are sure the paint is well dried on your face, move on to the eyes.

Pick the brush and dip it in black paint. Cover your eyelids and the eye area completely with black paint. When you have blackened your eyes, start putting on black spots all around the face. Now, you know the drill: let the paint dry before you paint red marks.

Also, don’t forget to paint three black straps on your face to show that the mask is secured.

No End for Jason Voorhees?

Even though the franchise didn’t begin with Jason Voorhees, now there is no concept of ‘Friday the 13th’ without him. Through the years, this character has been to several places, including Manhattan, uniquely to outer space, and even visited hell. He has a knack for coming back to Camp Crystal Lake every time, even when he is dead. And whenever he returns, he becomes a little less human.

Let’s just hope when he returns this Halloween, it is you under the Jason Voorhees costume for men and not a crazed killer. Or better yet, take inspiration from this Freddy Krueger and Jason couples costume idea for a killer matching look.