In the world of horror films, there are few props less iconic than masks. Michael Myers has his signature painted William Shatner mask. Jason Voorhees has his hockey mask. Halloween III: Season of the Witch made masks into a weapon. But these props were all created for their respective films. In the case of the Scream franchise, the famous Ghostface mask already existed. That’s why the rights to the mask have been batted around in the court system lately. Finally, there’s a resolution to that matter.
The History
The story goes back to the production of the first Scream when the mask was discovered in a home in Northern California. One of the producers found it, and the production team ended up licensing it from the costume company, Fun World. Seems pretty simple, right? It was simple for decades. Then, in the 2020’s, a lawsuit was filed by Tony Gardner and his company, Alterian Inc. They claim that they created the Ghostface mask. Why did it take them so long to start claiming this when they had decades to bring it up? Good question, and also one that Paramount Skydance wants to know, considering they claim Alterian has been threatening them with copyright infringement lawsuits.
This is where things get interesting and weirder. You would think that if Alterian was concerned about the rights over the mask, they would go after the other company claiming the rights to it. They didn’t. Instead, they allegedly threatened to take Paramount Skydance to court unless they paid them. In response, the film production company went to court to try to get an order preventing Alterian from suing them. And what did Alterian do once Paramount Skydance went to court? They filed the copyright lawsuit against them. It’s important to note that Alterian’s side of the story is slightly different. They claim that Paramount Skydance was stringing them along about a payment agreement. Their version is that Alterian wasn’t trying to strong-arm them. The mask and effects company was told that a deal would be worked out with Paramount Skydance, but it never happened.
The Settlement
Ultimately, it doesn’t seem to matter who was telling the truth. At the end of the fiasco, both parties decided to withdraw their lawsuits and settle out of court. As of May 13th, 2026, the lawsuit is over. As for Fun World, the other company that claimed rights to the mask, they seem unaffected by all this. Is the door still open for Alterian to go after them? Maybe. If we had to speculate as to what was going on, we’d guess Alterian was aiming for the deeper pockets. Maybe they have a claim to having created the mask first. Maybe they don’t. But one thing is for certain, Paramount Skydance would have much more money than Fun World.
Maybe one day we can all come together in harmony. Maybe we’ll all come to understand that horror movies shouldn’t be about lawsuits. They should be what they’ve always been about: watching senseless teenagers be killed in horrible and brutal ways. Just like God and Wes Craven intended.
