The Halloween season is a time filled with magic. It is a time for transformation, allowing you to become the superhero you strive to be or shapeshift into the monster that you can’t help but admire. Ghosts and goblins get to walk the world while vampires and werewolves reclaim the night as their own little hunting grounds. And, for just a few moments, humanity gets to share a few smiles right alongside!

How do we manage to achieve such sorcery? Well, we’d love to say that a wizard did it. We might even have a bit of proof that a witch or three might have been involved in summoning up the specters. But there’s one component of any costume that really sparks the spooky season. Masks are one of our favorite parts of Halloween tradition—and even the sacred rituals that predate our celebrations!

Sometimes they were believed to help hide a wandering soul from the things that go bump in the night. Other times, they were ways to show fairies that you considered them family. (And, of course, there are those moments when a great Halloween mask spares you the need for makeup.) So, as you prepare your own transformation this year, don’t forget this most magical of costume accessories. Check out some of our favorite Halloween mask ideas!

One reasonable concern that some folks have about masks is whether they’ll actually look and feel like the creature they are trying to become. Well, trust us. Many masks have come a long way since the early days of elastic straps and vacuform plastic! Character masks now have details that are painstakingly painted while others feature LED lights or mechanical parts that can really animate your look!

Not all masks are designed to be monstrous. Plenty aim to bring smiles and laughs to those around you. If you’re the type that is looking to portray a quirky character that is more silly than scary, you’re probably poking around our funny costume section. That’s a great place to start! Modern funny masks can incorporate your smartphone with apps that will display all sorts of animated options while other joke masks practically turn the funny pages into comic capers!

Ever watch a glorious movie and just wonder, “How do they do that!?” Whether watching special effects come to life or geeking out over the perfectly animated cartoon characters, there’s always that moment where you could swear that they opened a portal rather than hired an amazing costume artist. So, how do you capture all that awesome and bring it home?

Well, you can start with some of our premium masks that feature extreme detail and luxury materials. Many of these full-head latex masks are produced with high enough quality that you’ll be able to simply slip them over your head. Use some costume adhesive and you can make our professional masks practically move with you, too. You can also combine collectible with a costume when you claim a movie replica helmet and show off the detail at the ultimate convention.

Transforming into your favorite character is more than finding the perfect costume and strutting your stuff. Occasionally it involves some work with DIY costume accessories or combining pieces from multiple looks to create something inspired! From Steampunk versions of movie characters to zombified villains, it’s easy to say that you’ve seen everything at the cosplay contests. But once you check out our Cosplay mask ideas, it’s a whole new season of invention!

Masks have a way of connecting with the spirit of the unknown. Which friend is hiding behind that mysterious mask… (and why are they trying to speak in that awful fake accent)? There could be just about anyone behind what you see. That’s perhaps why some are always going to think that any mask is just a bit scary. So, why not go the whole ten (or hundred) yards and really get their teeth chattering? Combine creepy and convincing with these spooky masks!