Iconic horror and Halloween mask, costume and collectible company Trick or Treat Studios brings studio-quality product to the masses, thanks to its team of FX industry professionals, artists and mask-making legends. Co-founder Chris Zephro spoke to Ed Avis, executive director of the NCA (National Costume Association) about masks, collectibles and the power of a good horror licence.
“Ever since I was a kid, I loved monster and horror movies. I grew up in Los Angeles, and my father’s best friend was Irwin Yablans, who produced the movie Halloween. I remember as a kid playing at his house with his son Mickey – we would get screamed at to ‘put that damn Myers mask away because we’re making a second movie!’
Fast-forward to 2009. I was working in corporate America quite successfully, but I was really not happy. I was also a monster mask collector and knew there was an opportunity if it was done correctly.
I asked my friend Justin Mabry – my favourite independent mask maker – to start a Halloween company with me. He said, yes, so I handed my notice in the next day. If you look at the clock every day and wonder if you can leave without someone noticing, then it’s time to do something else!
We had no costumes at the the start, no collectibles. We started as just masks, although Justin and I knew that would be our introduction to the world. But we needed to get people hooked on one thing first and prove our quality.
Soon after we started the company we exhibited at the Haunt and Attractions show in St. Louis. The first day I think people assumed that our stuff was more expensive than it was, so the second day I made these big signs that showed the price and then the next three days there was line all the way around the convention center to get into our booth. That’s when I knew we were golden.
I wanted to get some licences to make masks of well-known horror characters, so I called a licensing agent at Universal, virtually every day for six months. And she finally called me and said, “I’m going to be at this expo in Las Vegas tomorrow. I’ll give you 10 minutes if you promise to stop calling me.” So I got on a plane and I met with her, we had an hour-long meeting and we came out with six licences with Universal.
One of the licences was for Halloween II, which Universal didn’t even know they had. To this day, we still introduce Universal and other studios to properties that they don’t know they have, or I end up helping them with their style guides!
For example, they didn’t know that Creature from the Black Lagoon has bright blue eyeliner around his eyes until we pointed it out – that’s one of the things that’s made Trick or Treat Studios so successful. Justin and I are fans first and neither of us would ever release anything that we wouldn’t have in our own personal collection. I think our passion comes through when you talk to us and it certainly comes through in the design of our products.
The other thing that makes us successful is that we also work on the actual films, so our masks and collectibles – like the Chucky dolls and Michael Myers masks – come out of the official moulds. It doesn’t get any more accurate.
These days, the collectibles and action figures have overtaken the costuming sales. It’s evergreen too, which is wonderful because it’s a lot easier to run a business when all your revenue isn’t coming in the two back quarters of the year!”
