James Gunn wanted BrightBurn mask to be iconic horror like Freddy & Jason

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

One of the upcoming horror movies that I'm looking forward to checking out as soon as I can is producer James Gunn (SLITHER, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) "What if Superman was a Horror Movie?" flick BRIGHTBURN. The movie will be unleashed onto a screen near you this May and today we have word that the movie has snagged an R-rating via the MPAA for "horror violence/bloody images, and language."

Meanwhile, the creepy mask worn by the titular BrightBurn was created by the film’s costume designer, Autumn Steed, who is also the wife of director David Yarovesky. But Gunn helped design the mask to be truly iconic horror like Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface. 

Specifically, Gunn says:

I just gave so many notes on that mask, trying to create a really truly iconic horror movie character in the same way that Freddy Krueger is, or in the same way that Leatherface is, or in the same way that Jason is. Trying to create something with that same sort of feel that is instantly scary [and] plays with the superhero-ness of it all but at the same time is most definitely rooted in horror.”

Yarovesky says:

In the process of getting to the final result — that we’re all incredibly proud of — she was like a factory. She would just make so many different iterations of the mask. At a certain point, I came into her office, and her wall was wallpapered with iterations of the mask, just the evolution of it is crazy. I just think she did an incredible job. I’d buy it because she’s my wife, but I do think she did an incredible job.

I don't know about you but I'm (pardon the pun) super excited about this new superhero horror movie. It seems like a direct parody of director Zack Snyder's MAN OF STEEL, but is that such a bad thing? Personally, I don't think so. I think it was only a matter of time before someone made a full-on superhero horror flick, and James Gunn (who helmed SUPER starring Rainn Wilson) is just the man to bring it to us. 

If you need more of a plot rundown that "What if Man of Steel was a Horror Movie?" then here's the current official synopsis:

A couple's prayers are seemingly answered when an object crash-lands on Earth, carrying a life-form that looks like a baby boy. As the years pass and the alien grows older, it starts to use its mysterious powers in sinister and destructive ways.

BRIGHTBURN is directed by David Yarovesky (THE HIVE) from a screenplay written by Mark Gunn and Brian Gunn. James Gunn and Kenneth Huang produce and the film stars Elizabeth Banks (SLITHER, THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS), David Denman (THE OFFICE), Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones, Steve Agee, Becky Wahlstrom, Stephen Blackehart, and Meredith Hagner. The movie will be unleashed onto a screen near you on May 24th, 2019.