JACKSON – Fright Fest at Six Flags Great Adventure has always been the spooky attraction to attend since its beginnings nearly 30 years ago. Many actors are covered in special effects makeup to transform into terrifying zombies and other scary monsters.
This year due to COVID-19, all crew members are required to wear face masks at the park to protect the health and safety of their crew visitors. This brought a challenge to the artistic team when it came to achieving realistic special effects makeup for their actors.
Six Flags Special Effects Makeup Supervisor Andrea Kovalik took on the challenge and discovered a way to incorporate the masks into the makeup. After experimenting with numerous ideas and materials, Kovalik found that a latex mask cover for a surgical mask works perfect for the artistic team to paint over.
“We knew that just wearing regular costume masks over surgical masks would destroy the quality of our product. We pride ourselves on the seamless, authentic ghoul look that we’ve created over the years,” Kovalik said. “Our new latex mask covers provide a covering for half the face, and we’re able to blend the mask into the rest of the face as seamlessly as possible. The end result maintains our high Six Flags standard, and some say the look is even scarier.”
Kovalik designed more than 40 different latex mask covers for 120 different Hallowfest characters. She made her own molds and sculptures for the masks and hand painted each one of them.
“Safety is always our top priority, and thanks to our new mask covers, we can deliver the same high-quality scare our guests expect while keeping everyone safe,” Kovalik said.
Hallowfest runs weekends and select days until November 1. It features “Thrills by Day” and “Chills by Night” with 16 different Halloween-themed attractions plus the park’s world-class thrill rides.
For more information, visit sixflags.com/greatadventure. Reservations and advance tickets are required.
