10 screen-worn masks from the movies and TV on display...

With lots of free time on my hands with no movies to watch at the cinema and not madly rushing around store to find Christmas presents this year, I've been scouring my photo archives to see what delights I could unearth from years gone by to entertain myself. With masks in the news so much in the last ten months of the pandemic, enjoy this collection of ten screen-worn masks from the big and small screen on display at cinemas, theme parks and museums in years past.

Minotaur mask from Immortals

First up is this amazing barbed wire bull mask mask from the 2011 fantasy film, Immortals, which saw Henry Cavill's mortal champion 'Thesesus' chosen by the Greek Gods to battle Mickey Rourke's 'King Hyperion' and his 'Minotaur' henchman (played by Robert Maillet).

Eiko Ishioka was Costume Designer on the Immortals and this fierce mask was photographed on display at ArcLight Hollywood cinema in October 2017.

Lion mask from The Masked Singer

From bulls to lions, and this golden mask was worn by Rumer Willis in the first season of the U.S. version of The Masked Singer.

Marina Toybina was the Emmy-nominated Costume Designer on the costumed celebrity singing competition and this creation was photographed on display at Downtown L.A.'s FIDM Museum & Galleries in August 2019.

Blue Spirit mask from The Last Airbender

Back in 2010, M. Night Shyamalan tried to bring a live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender to the big screen. Noah Ringer was cast as the elemental master 'Aang' and Dev Patel played 'Prince Zuko' of the Fire Nation (and wore this 'Blue Spirit' mask) trying to enslave the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom.

Judianna Makovsky was Costume Designer on this film adapted from the first season of Nickelodeon's animated series and this mask was captured on display at ArcLight Hollywood alongside other costumes and props from The Last Airbender in July 2010.

Erik Killmonger tribal mask from Black Panther

In 2018's cultural phenomenon, Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan's villainous 'Erik Killmonger' steals this African tribal mask during a heist on a London museum.

Ruth E. Carter was the Oscar-winning Costume Designer on the Marvel Studios superhero film shining a spotlight on Chadwick Boseman's king of Wakanda, and this outfit and more Black Panther movie costumes were photographed on display at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre in February 2018.

Dark Elf mask from Thor: The Dark World

Keeping to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this Dark Elf mask and dagger were featured in 2013's Thor: The Dark World, in which Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder faced off against Christopher Eccleston's Dark Elf, 'Malekith', ruler of Svartalfheim.

Wendy Partridge was Costume Designer on Thor's movie sequel in which the Dark Elves wore these sinister masks. This example was photographed on display at Marvel's Treasures of Asgard temporary exhibit at Disneyland in November 2013.

Catwoman mask from The Dark Knight Rises

It's no surprise that masks feature heavily in comic book adaptations and in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, Anne Hathaway sported this high-tech mask as the cat burglar, 'Catwoman'.

Lindy Hemming was Costume Designer on all three installments of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and this mask and accompanying cat-suit was snapped exhibited at ArcLight Hollywood in July 2012.

Bane mask from Batman & Robin

Keeping to Batman foes, and 1997's Batman & Robin featured a very different 'Bane' to Tom Hardy's incarnation featured in The Dark Knight Rises.

Pro-wrestler Jeep Swenson played the henchman of Uma Thurman's 'Poison Ivy' in Joel Schumacher's movie sequel and wore this more comic book-inspired mask, which was on display at Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour Museum in July 2014.

Deadshot mask from Suicide Squad

A few years later and Will Smith's 'Deadshot' mask with monocle was on display at the same museum location from the 2016 movie, Suicide Squad.

Kate Hawley was Costume Designer on the DC Comics movie about a group of assassins, mercenaries and supervillains working for a shadowy government agency in exchange for a reduction in their prison sentences.

Enik the Altrusian mask from Land of the Lost

In 2009 Will Ferrell starred in a big screen remake of Sid and Marty Krofft's 1974 television series, Land of the Lost.

This prosthetic head from the movie was worn by John Boylan as 'Erik the Altrusian', leader of the 'Sleestak' lizard humanoids and photographed on display at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in April 2011.

Venetian masquerade masks from Eyes Wide Shut

And finally for this assortment of screen-worn masks, this quintet of Venetian masquerade ball masks were featured in 1999's erotic psychological mystery drama from director Stanley Kubrik, Eyes Wide Shut.

Marit Allen was Costume Designer on this film starring Nicole Kidman (who wears the feathered mask) and Tom Cruise, and these masks were photographed at Stanley Kubrick's exhibit at L.A.'s County Museum of Art in January 2013.

I hope you've enjoyed these cinematic and TV treasures. Stay safe this festive season and make sure you wear an appropriate mask to protect yourself and others.

Batman, Catwoman, Bane and more Dark Knight Rises movie costumes on display...

I was fortunate enough to see the Batman, Catwoman and Bane costumes from The Dark Knight Rises on display when the movie was released at ArcLight Hollywood cinema in July 2012, but there's nothing like seeing them again out of their reflective display cases, so you can have a real good close up view of all the seams and detail, plus alongside even more costumes and props from the final installment in Christopher Nolan's acclaimed trilogy.

Original costumes and props from The Dark Knight Rises

This amazing selection of screen-used wardrobe, concept models and props from the film were photographed on display at the 75th Anniversary Batman exhibit at the Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour Museum in Burbank, California on July 29, 2014.

The Dark Knight Rises movie poster

In addition to being Costume Designer on The Dark Knight Trilogy, Lindy Hemming as also been designer on other notable movies like Casino Royale, Clash of the Titans, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and many more besides.

Batman costume from The Dark Knight Rises

If you like this Batman costume worn by Christian Bale, be sure to also check out his Bat-suit in Batman Begins to compare the looks of the DC Comics crime-fighter.

Costumes worn by Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon 

and by Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake in The Dark Knight Rises

Speaking of fighting crime and these costumes were worn by Gotham City's law enforcement characters in the movie, Gary Oldman's 'Commissioner James Gordon' outfit and the uniform worn by Joseph Gordon-Levitt's young police officer, 'John Blake'.

If you're a Gary Oldman fan, be sure to also check out these movie costumes from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Original costume worn by Tom Hardy as Bane 

in The Dark Knight Rises

Tom Hardy provides the menace in this movie as the brutal terrorist 'Bane' and his military style costume has fast become a fan favourite, just check out some of these fan made costumes from West Hollywood's annual Halloween Carnaval festivities.

Red gown worn by Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate 

in The Dark Knight Rises

But behind every strong man, there's a strong woman and even though 'Bruce Wayne' thinks that 'Miranda Tate' is a friend and lover, she's actually 'Talia al Ghul', the daughter of 'Ra's al Ghul', the leader of the League of Shadows.

This beautiful gown is worn by Marion Cotillard posing as the philanthropist and Wayne Enterprises board member, her secret agenda to get access to the clean energy fusion reactor to build a nuclear bomb to obliterate Gotham City.

If you're a fan of the French actress, be sure to also check out these film costumes from Inception and Public Enemies movie costumes.

Original costumes worn by Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle 

aka Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises

The other woman in Batman's life in this third installment is Anne Hathaway's 'Catwoman'. Here's a look at her sleek and sexy catsuit, plus the maid outfit she wears to break into Wayne Manor as cat burglar 'Selina Kyle', on display alongside Michael Caine's 'Alfred Pennyworth' butler outfit.

If you like this design, why not compare this catsuit to Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman costume from Batman Returns also on display at this Batman exhibit.

The Dark Knight Rises movie poster

75th Anniversary Batman exhibit on Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour...

To mark the 75th Anniversary of DC Comics iconic Caped Crusader, Warner Bros. Studios are throwing open the doors of the Batcave to give VIP Studio Tour visitors a glimpse at original film costumes and props from seven Batman movies at their newly transformed studio museum in Burbank, California.

Batman costume and weapon props from The Dark Knight Rises

The whole ground floor now houses the iconic costumes from Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, plus Tim Burton's 1989 and 1992 movies which kickstarted the Bat-franchise on the big screen and even outfits from Joel Schumacher's 1995 and 1997 movies which nearly killed the movie franchise.

Original Batman, Vicki Vale and Joker costumes from 1989's Batman

I have to say the moment I stepped foot through the museum doors I was in comic geek heaven, as I've been fortunate to see movie costumes from the recent Batman movies on display over the years, but to see all of these original costumes in one place was really overwhelming and thrilling at the same time.

Even better the costumes are not hidden behind reflective cases, so you can really have a close look, and you can even taken photos without flashes to preserve the memories.

I remember queueing up outside the cinema for a second time to watch Tim Burton's 1989 Batman and loving seeing the Bat-sign everywhere you looked. Not only was it a joy to see Michael Keaton's Bat-suit (not many of the screen-used versions survived because of the latex material it was made from) and Kim Basinger's 'Vicki Vale' outfit, but seeing Jack Nicholson's crazy 'Joker' costume and his waxwork face really brought back his scene-stealing performance.

Original Penguin costume and props from 1992's Batman Returns

In the 1992 sequel, Batman Returns, Tim Burton really unleashed even more of his unique style on Gotham City and introduced the world to his take on the villainous 'Oswald Cobblepot' aka 'The Penguin', played with relish by Danny DeVito and the conflicted 'Catwoman' played by the sexy Michelle Pfeiffer. Be sure to stay tuned in the days to come for closer looks at each of their fantastic costumes.

Original Two-Face, Riddler, Batman and Robin costumes 

from 1995's Batman Forever

In 1995 Joel Schumacher took over the reigns of the Batman film franchise to mixed reviews, casting Val Kilmer as the titular hero and introducing his infamous Boy Wonder sidekick, 'Robin', played by Chris O'Donnell.

In this movie the Dynamic Duo faced twice the trouble in the form of Tommy Lee Jones as 'Harvey Dent' aka 'Two-Face' and Jim Carrey as 'The Riddler'.

At the same time Gotham City went from an atmospheric, dark and brooding environment to a DaGlo, neon fantasyland, which certainly harkened back to the more campy 1960's Batman TV show. You can even see the seismic shift in costume design when you compare the film exhibits, from very gothic and based in some kind of reality to a total comic book style.

Robin, Batman, Batgirl, Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze costumes 

from 1997's Batman & Robin

Even though 1997's even campier Batman & Robin nearly sounded the death knell for the film franchise (apparently the nipples on George Clooney's Bat-suit was a design choice too far), this was one of my favourite costume displays from the entire exhibit.

To be honest, I think that's mainly because of the fantastical illuminated design of Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'Mr. Freeze' cryo-suit, which only he could wear, although Uma Thurman's 'Poison Ivy' costume is pretty detailed when you see it up close.

And even though the similar hero 'Bat' costumes became a tangle of pecs and six-pack muscles, it's still pretty cool to get a glimpse of them, including Alicia Silverstone's 'Batgirl' suit (and I would gladly love to own each and every one of them).

Original movie costumes and props from 2005's Batman Begins

The release of Batman Begins in 2005 saw Christopher Nolan reboot the DC Comics character as a much darker crime-fighter, introducing the husky tones of Christian Bale as Batman and his alter ego 'Bruce Wayne' and retelling his origin story.

The movie pitted Batman against Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow and Liam Neeson's 'Ra's Al Ghul', the leader of the League of Shadows, who had trained Bruce Wayne in the arts of stealth and fighting.

Original costumes and props from 2008's The Dark Knight

In the 2008 sequel, The Dark Knight, cinema goers were reintroduced to two villains from Batman's rogues gallery. Heath Ledger gave an Oscar-winning performance as 'The Joker', putting a much more sinister spin on there hero's arch-nemesis (although the actor tragically died before the movie was released), whilst Aaron Eckhart brought 'Harvey Dent/Two-Face' to life on the big screen for a second time.

The Batman and Joker costumes from The Dark Knight were two of the first authentic movie costumes I ever saw on display when I moved to L.A. over six years ago, so it was great to see them out from behind their display cases this time around (along with The Joker's creepy nurse outfit, Aaron Eckhart's Two-Face costume and Maggie Gyllenhaal's 'Rachel Dawes' evening gown and a selection of fantastic screen-used props from the movie).

Original costumes and props from The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises in 2012 brought Christopher Nolan's blockbuster trilogy to a close and introduced the world to Tom Hardy's fierce terrorist, 'Bane' (a vast improvement on his Batman & Robin counterpart), Anne Hathaway's 'Catwoman' (a worthy successor to the kitten heels) and Marion Cotillard as the vengeful 'Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul'.

Again I was fortunate to see three of the original costumes from The Dark Knight Rises over the film's opening weekend at ArcLight Hollywood cinema, but seeing them again out of their protective cases and more of the film's wardrobe besides was a real treat. I really have turned into a movie costume addict.

The many cowls of Batman

These amazing comic book movie costumes and props were photographed on July 29, 2014 and if you're a Batman, or even a superhero fan, and you get the opportunity to check out the exhibit at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Museum which houses 25 years of cinematic Batman history, it's worth every penny and the items are fantastically presented.

And if you're looking for Halloween costume inspiration this year, this is the place to go with some classic and modern looks to provide plenty of ideas.

Camo Tumbler from The Dark Knight Rises on display...

In The Dark Knight Rises we discover that Morgan Freeman's 'Lucius Fox' has been gathering all the top secret Wayne Enterprises vehicles and gadgets that helped transform 'Bruce Wayne' into 'Batman' and supplied him with his arsenal of high-tech weapons.

Original Camo Tumbler on display outside ArcLight Hollywood

In this third installment in Christopher Nolan's epic Dark Knight trilogy Batman's adversary 'Bane' discovers this stash, including several camouflaged versions of the Tumbler 'Batmobile'.

The Dark Knight Rises movie billboard

This 2.5-ton Camo Tumbler was photographed on display outside ArcLight Hollywood cinema as part of a national publicity tour across America for the new movie.

360° view of The Dark Knight Rises Camouflage Tumbler

Seeing the Tumbler in person, I was surprised at how small and low to the ground it seemed. I think I was expecting something a bit more imposing tank-like, although seeing the detail of the formidable vehicle up close is still pretty cool regardless.

For even more detail, here's also a video tour around the Tumbler.

Be sure to check out all the original Batman, Catwoman and Bane costumes from The Dark Knight Rises that were also on display at ArcLight Hollywood for the opening weekend.

The Dark Knight Rises teaser movie poster